Motheread: Curriculum

We know that, for programs to work, they must build on students’ strengths and hopes. Our research-based curriculum gives programs new ways to make skills, as well as dreams, a reality. To accomplish this goal, Motheread, Inc. develops a variety of literature and history-based curricula. During a multiyear process, a combination of scholar research and advice, field analysis, practitioner-and-community leader focus groups, and pilot testing are combined to create award-winning curricula.

All of our curricula use children’s literature to examine profound themes and life lessons found in simply written stories. We use these stories to teach important literacy development skills and concepts and to help students relate themes and characters to their own lives. The framework of a story allows us to explore who we are and what we believe.

All lessons in each adult curriculum provide a meaning-based approach for comprehension skill development, allow teacher flexibility to individualize instruction and meet students’ personal goals, promote group learning for social support and self-efficacy, and contain multiple opportunities for students to practice skills.

Each of the children’s lessons builds vocabulary and promotes higher-level comprehension skills; follows an intentional and focused process that incorporates conversation and activities with book reading; provides interactive literacy materials to use with parents and children together; encourages children to link prior knowledge and real-life experience to book reading; and supports federal emergent literacy instruction guidelines.

Child and Family Development Teacher’s Guide: Helping students develop skills in the context of their family lives, this 29-lesson curriculum teaches reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills. The curriculum is based on carefully selected children’s books as well as adult poems and short narratives. Each lesson includes a variety of ways to develop literacy skills. Learners are encouraged to make connections between stories and their own experiences. They also learn ways to share stories and themes with their children. Additionally, students explore writing and analyzing a variety of adult texts. CASAS Competencies have been linked to each lesson. This curriculum is available only as part of The Institute.

B.A.B.Y. (Birth and Beginning Years): This curriculum uses carefully selected children’s literature and a holistic approach to teach health care, parenting and literacy skills to expectant and new parents. The 21 lessons follow a developmental approach from conception through the first year of an infant’s life. Three instructional supplements are included. The first focuses on empowering women to take control of their lives so they can eventually overcome the destructive behaviors related to drug use and abuse. The second is designed to provide additional teaching strategies to meet the learning styles of teen and very young parents. The third focuses on developing emergent literacy skills with infants, creepers, and toddlers. The curriculum also includes a mother’s journal/workbook and an annotated booklist of infant and toddler board books. This curriculum is available only as part of the B.A.B.Y. training.

F.a.t.h.e.r. (Fathers Acting to Heal, Educate, and Reconnect): This parenting curriculum is designed for use with incarcerated men. It was created with extensive input from groups of inmate fathers, North Carolina Department of Correction staff, and an experienced professional advisory committee. The 10-lesson curriculum is designed to be used by a highly diverse group of students – from young fathers to older fathers, expectant fathers to those who have grown children, those going home soon to those incarcerated for years, those with frequent contact with their children to those who rarely see their children. Given this diversity, the lessons are guided by universal themes and by activities that encourage and enable fathers to reconnect with their children. Topics include: Understanding Children’s Reactions to Incarceration, Communicating from a Distance, Understanding Parent and Child Development, and Building Self-Esteem. This curriculum is available only as part of the F.a.t.h.e.r. training.

My United States: The goal of this 12-lesson curriculum is to teach civics, history, and government as part of a literacy development course. My United States enhances students’ knowledge and skills so that they can be more productive members of their families and communities. Each lesson is based on a carefully chosen children’s book and also includes key vocabulary words and study guide questions. Designed for use with ESL, GED, and High School Diploma students, lessons include historical events such as The Revolutionary War, World Wars I & II, and Recent American History. Civics and governmental topics include the role of the Constitution and Bill of Rights, federal and state governments, local governments and services, and the naturalization process. CASAS Competencies have been linked to each lesson. This curriculum is available only as part of the My United States training.

Story Exploring For Adults: A Handbook for Teaching Adults with Developmental Disabilities This 40-lesson curriculum is designed for use with adult students who have developmental disabilities. It focuses on teaching literacy, problem solving, and life applications. The curriculum is theme-based, allowing students to use story as a way to think about issues related to their lives as workers, students, and family members. The structure of each lesson is research-based, develops reading comprehension strategies, and encourages real-world applications. The lessons also include a variety of activities to meet the needs of students with various abilities and learning styles. This curriculum is available only as part of the Exploring Stories with Adults Who Have Developmental Disabilities.

Story Exploring Handbook: The Story Exploring Handbooks provides teachers, parents and caregivers with strategies to increase childrenąs reading comprehension, vocabulary and translation of spoken language to the written word. The curriculum is comprised of handbooks for four separate reading levels: infants and toddlers; older pre-schoolers; children in grades K-2; and students in grades 3-5. Using over 100 multicultural childrenąs books as the basis for instruction, lessons help readers ask open-ended questions and invite children to respond. Children learn vocabulary and how to interpret stories. The curriculum uses props, games, songs, and other activities to make reading fun. Accompanying each Story Exploring lesson is a take-home Story Extender that caregivers can provide to parents. Story Extenders are available in Spanish. This curriculum is available through the Story Exploring Training.