Parents can play an immensely important role in supporting their children's literacy learning at home, but how can primary teachers enlist the support of parents in helping children learn literacy?With a focus on improving children's literacy skills, this book provides practical answers to key questions that are directly relevant to all primary teachers and to many parents. It presents new ways of linking learning in home and school through a range of activities that can be used to share knowledge between children, parents and teachers. Activities include:teachers and children making videos to show parents how children learn literacy in schoolparents and children taking photos of the 'everyday' literacy they use outside schoolparents and teachers exchanging information through Home-School folders and diaries.Particular attention is given to ways of working with parents from a diverse range of family backgrounds reflecting the multi-ethnic nature of many schools today.The practical activities can easily be fitted into the day-to-day activities of busy classrooms and can provide crucial new ways of improving children's learning of literacy skills.

How can primary teachers enlist the support of parents in helping children's literacy learning? How can teachers use the learning that takes place in children's lives outside school? What can parents do to support their children's literacy learning? How can teachers engage parents they find 'hard to reach'?

Using fascinating case studies of young children from a diverse range of family backgrounds and providing tried-and-tested practical activities that can easily be used in the busy classroom, this book provides new ways for teachers to improve children's learning of literacy skills.