"This honest, clearly written, and accessible book shows how to use Family Dialogue Journals (FDJs) to increase and deepen learning across grade levels. Written by K-12 teachers who have been implementing and studying the use of weekly journals for several years, Family Dialogue Journals shares what they have learned and why they have found FDJs to be an invaluable tool for forming effective partnerships with families. Learn from firsthand accounts how students write weekly about one big idea they have studied, ask a family member a related question, and then solicit their writings in the journal. Through these journal entries, they share their family knowledge with classmates while actively engaging with the curriculum. In turn, teachers extend the academic discussion by writing to each family and incorporating their funds of knowledge into classroom lessons--writing about everything from the use of thermometers to life in Michoacn, Mexico. Family participations in the FDJs is remarkably high across ages, ethnicities, and economic realities"--Back cover.

Single user only

Why use family dialogue journals? -- Getting started: focusing on learning, dialogue, and relationships -- Generating journal entries -- Going home: families read, discuss, and respond -- Sharing responses: bringing family voices into the classroom -- Creating connectional and critical curriculum -- Creating and deepening relationships -- Learning from students and families.