Presented by Dr. Samina Hadi-Tabassum, Clinical Associate Professor, Erikson Institute; Lisa McManus, US Partnership and Program Manager, Worldreader; and Kristen Walter, US Director of Programs, Worldreader

Sponsored by Worldreader

Watch the Recording

Learn more about viewing the live presentation and the recording, earning your CE certificate, and using our new accessibility features.

In this edWebinar, viewers explore the importance of at-home materials for bilingual families and strategies for using literacy-based discussion prompts to strengthen participation. Literacy experts review why it is important to collaborate with families, both in person and digitally, and strategies observed from the field for doing so. Dr. Samina Hadi-Tabassum, Clinical Associate Professor at Erikson Institute in Chicago, discusses her home ecology research. Viewers:

• Discover tools and activities for literacy-focused family engagement both remote and in person
• Explore specific discussion prompts for families to use and why specific tasks with each book can promote increased home reading time
• Explore three types of family prompts to use: literacy specific, SEL, and play based, and how to place digital books and activities in homes

Every viewers will have access to Worldreader’s digital library/family discussion prompts. We start with a high-level conversation about empowering families to support reading development, then drill down into specific activities for families to do, including short, bite-sized home conversations using story characters to explore social-emotional learning.

This recorded edWebinar is of interest to PreK-5 teachers, librarians, school and district leaders, education technology leaders, community leaders, ELL educators, Title I coordinators, and non-profit leaders. 

About the Presenters

Dr. Samina Hadi-Tabassum is a clinical associate professor at Erikson Institute in Chicago where she teaches graduate courses in cognitive and language development. Her research focuses on issues of racial, cultural, and linguistic identity. She works with many non-profit organizations focused on children and families.

Lisa McManus is the US partnership and program manager for Worldreader in Chicago, IL. She has spent her career teaching students kindergarten through fourth grade throughout the U.S. and coaching teachers in best practices around literacy instruction. She holds a master’s degree in reading and literacy and is part of the team developing the first monthly newsletter at Worldreader geared toward teachers, partners, and families. Throughout her 20 plus years in education, she has been an active member of her community through coaching students in basketball and Girls on the Run, as well as volunteering with Little Brothers – Friends of the Elderly and Chicago Canine Rescue. In her free time, she enjoys teaching group fitness classes and playing with her dog, Judy.

Kristen Walter, Worldreader’s Director of US Programs, has worked in literacy education for the last 20 years. Before joining the Worldreader team, Kristen was the director of education and partnerships for Reading In Motion and teaching and learning manager for Crayola. Kristen’s teaching career spanned over 15 years, starting as a certified art and music instructor in NC and ending as an arts integration specialist with a focus on improving literacy development for second language learners. A leader in the classroom and beyond, Kristen helped her school become a national Title I school, P21 Exemplar School, finalist in the Intel Schools of Distinction Math Award, CCAC Crayola grant winner, and win the National School Change Award. She has been recognized as a Yale Distinguished Music Educator and both Kristen and her fifth-grade students were invited to showcase a game design project at the first annual White House Arts Integration Fair.

Learn more about viewing the live presentation and the recording, earning your CE certificate, and using our new accessibility features.

Join the Helping ELL, ESL, and Bilingual Students Succeed community to network with educators, participate in online discussions, receive invitations to upcoming edWebinars, and view recordings of previous programs to earn CE certificates.

Worldreader is a global nonprofit that provides access to digital books to children and families around the globe. Since 2010, over 13 million people — using e-readers and tablets in schools and libraries, and mobile phones worldwide — read e-books for free on their devices.