When teachers read books aloud to students it gives the class an opportunity to learn together. This strengthens the classroom community as a whole. To extend these connections beyond classroom walls, try inviting parents to join in on the discussion. I wanted to encourage families to talk to their children about artificial intelligence and connections to nature so I offered an optional assignment referencing Peter Brown’s novel The Wild Robot via Bloomz. Check it out!

Books like Peter Brown’s The Wild Robot provide an entry point into STEM conversations for parents and teachers. Bloomz offers a platform for families to share their thoughts. My student Wyatt posted a video of himself speaking about how he'd install solar panels, a battery for cloudy days, arms, legs, and headlights on his Nintendo DS so that it could survive in the wilderness. I played it for the class during circle time and added student comments.

I'm looking forward to receiving more posts this week. Students are excited to show what they know in regards to programming. We've been using the site Tynker to create apps and games with coding. Some students mentioned they are going to post a code to help their robot survive in the wilderness. I can testify that social engagement like this helps teachers display what content students are learning in a concrete way. Parents are involved and can comment/like other student's work. Dare I say it...I think it is FUN HOMEWORK!

More Ideas For Read Alouds and Family Engagement:

• 12 Perfect Read Alouds for Teaching Growth Mindset Students write a post sharing about a time they were persistent and overcame failure
• Top Ten Read Alouds for STEM  Students dream up an idea to change the world and post it on the newsfeed with a photo or video
• Back to School Read Alouds Students/Families post a picture of themselves on the newsfeed in the first week of school with their favorite ice cream flavor.

What read aloud or book sparked an important conversation in your classroom? How can that dialogue be continued through family engagement on Bloomz? Please comment with your ideas or experiences in the section below.

Photo by Debby Hudson on Unsplash