A few months ago, my colleague shared a brilliant idea with me. We were discussing conferences and she mentioned that she conducts a "family style" conference in which all families are invited to attend and complete various activities with their child. I was amazed and decided to give this a try. I invited my parents to a "Kindergarten Showcase" and encouraged them to bring their child so that they could show what they know. It was a hit and my families loved it! Students lead their parents throughout different activities while explaining the elements of our writing rubric, the purpose of math centers, and literacy resources that we use throughout the day to help us learn. What I enjoyed most about this event is that parents were able to witness the growth that had taken place for the past one hundred and three days of learning. They were able to celebrate their child's successes as they navigated through the centers and activities. They were also able to identify areas of focus or skills their child could use improvement. I provided each family with a task list. I ordered the activities as we normally would complete them throughout the day.
Parents directed students using the task list
Our Task List
Ask your child to recite the classroom rules.
Morning Work & Writing Journal: Review the writing rubric and complete the morning work prompt with your child.
Math: Complete exercises 1-3 on page 477 Choose a math center and complete the activity with your child. Ask your child to explain what they are learning at the center they choose. They should be able to tell you the center’s purpose and how they are becoming better mathematicians.
BRAIN BREAK!:Use the Smart Board to choose a Brain Break from GoNoodle.com. Have fun dancing!
Reading: Ask your child to show you the Center Chart for reading and what they do at each center.
Ask your child to recite the words on the Reading Street High Frequency Words card.
Sight Word & Fluency Phrases Booklet: Give your child a test on the current list they are studying. If they fluently read the sight words and fluency phrases, allow them to choose a sticker.
Read the provided leveled reader.
Use the question cue cards to ask
them about the story.
Write a surprise note to your child.
Student artifacts that were displayed were science lapbooks, Sight Word & Fluency Phrase Booklets, writing journal entries, story maps, and math assignments.
Students were able to describe and explain our writing rubric.
Students completed a portion of the math review with their parents.
Parents enjoyed practicing in math centers.
We began with our morning routine of stating the rules and completing morning work activities such as journal writing and math centers. Parents enjoyed completing the activities with their child. The most exciting part of our day was dancing during Brain Break using Go Noodle videos! I even joined in for a few. Afterwards, students completed reading activities. The most ADORABLE part about our showcase is that parents left a surprise note for their child which they will read on Monday morning. I can't wait to see their reactions! Being that this was optional, 6 families did not attend. Therefore, I'm going to write their child a surprise note so that everyone feels valued and happy. If I could change one thing about my event, I would add refreshments. It took parents about forty-five minutes to an hour to complete the list and they enjoyed every bit of it. Overall, our "Kindergarten Showcase" was incredible! After witnessing how effective "family style" conferences can be, I'm going to try it again next year and the year after that. Ha!
