Several weeks into your sessions, you now have students who have come to know each other at least a little bit, and so some getting to know you better activities can be just right. Also, if you have been doing family activities regularly, your group will be accustomed to the routine and you may be able to do more in-depth or more content rich activities now with more success. Here are some ideas for family activities for these middle weeks of the session:

Class Newsletter

Create a class newsletter. Begin by looking at the content and organization of newspapers. You can turn this into a newspaper treasure hunt. Then have the class decide what they want to include in their newsletter. Make a list, group the students and then allow them to write about what they have chosen: weather, cartoons, editorials, movie reviews. etc. This worked well even with a beginning group. (Sherry, Central)

Creating Portfolios

For both adults and children, it’s a great idea for them to have a folder where their work can be collected, as an organizing tool and so that they can see their own progress. Give each student a folder and materials (markers, stickers, etc.) to decorate it , to create pockets in the folders, etc. Then the class can review and organize the materials inside on an ongoing basis. Children and their parents will also enjoy sharing the contents with each other and student might enjoy selecting something to share with the group as a whole. (Sherry, Central, and Emma, Washington Park and Mt Pleasant) 

About Me Book

A bit of a variation on the portfolio idea, the “About Me” book uses Power Point to create a book showcasing work on an ongoing basis. The computer teacher uses the lesson material from the lead teacher and gets students to duplicate sentences they have written with the lead teacher, but on the computer. Each lesson, the computer teacher teaches the students how to use a Power Point tool like adding color, changing font, etc. Children can join in and create a story book or type sentences provided by the children’s teacher. (Karisa, Central)

Library Story Contest

The library is running a bilingual story contest for children ages 2-12. Children can create these with help from their parents. Children could be the “authors” and parents could be the “editors” of the book. Perhaps a family story of coming to the United States or settling in to the Providence area would be a good topic? Contest guidelines:

·          Write your own book and create a drawing to go with each page of your story. (Children 5 and under may have an adult write the words, but children must draw the pictures or create a collage.)

·          Stories must be unpublished and completely original. No adaptations.

·          Each page must be numbered and typewritten in English and Spanish. (Speakers of other languages can do a bilingual book with their own language, but it will not be eligible as an entry in this contest. If a number of students end up completing bilingual books in other languages, RIFLI may hold a contest to honor those entries.)

·          The book must be at least 5 pages but no more than 10 pages.

For the complete contest rules & deadlines, please see PPL’s website ( www.provlib.org/community/events/bilingualcontest05.htm )Evelyn and Naomi also have copies of contest fliers if you need one. The awards ceremony will be held on Friday, April 29th. The first place winners will receive bicycles & the second place winners will receive a collection of art supplies.