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Family Literacy Backpacks

Family fun and learning are promoted through take-home, theme-focused backpacks. Ideas for materials and activities which can be included in these great backpacks are provided.

Download Templates

You can download and print these tips in the following print-friendly formats:

1. MS Word format
2. Adobe Acrobat File format

Follow these three steps:

1. Select what document content you want to download. There are three to choose from:
   1. Booklet - this is an introductory booklet which explains the backpacks to the families. This can be attached to the outside of the Backpack or placed inside in a folder. The booklet is a 4-sided card (ran through the printer twice).
   2. Bookmark - these are family-centered activities explaining how to use each item in the backpack. Some ideas include follow-up activities, crafts, internet and computer activities.
   3. Feedback Form - this covers what activities were done and how they were received. This should be filled out by the family after they have completed the activities.
2. Depending on the kind of software program you use to edit documents, download and save these templates on your computer. Choose either Microsoft Word or Apple Works:
   1. Microsoft Word - select the file you want to modify, then choose to "save" this document on your personal computer before you open it.
      1. Booklet
      2. Bookmark
      3. Feedback Form
3. Once you have saved your file(s) on your computer, you can open and modify this file to create your own "unique backpack." If you use anyone else's activity description, please give appropriate credit to the authoring school(s).

Tips for Copying and Pasting

These are tips for modifying the bookmark file by copying and pasting activities from a web page into your new document.

1. Begin by opening up your bookmark file, which you downloaded and saved earlier.
   1. Re-save this file:
      1. You can do this by selecting "File">"Save As"
      2. Navigate to the location on your computer or network where you want to keep this file, then rename your file and select "Save" (see figure 1).
   2. Now minimize this file so that it only appears on your task bar (see figure 2).

(figure 1: minimize your image)

(figure 2: file minimized and only appears on taskbar)

2. Next open your browser and select one of the themes you want to view listed below.
3. When you find an activity that you want to use with your backpack use your mouse to highlight the activity you want to copy, then go to
   "Edit" > "Copy" (see figure 3).

(figure 3: highlight the activity then go to "Edit" > "Copy")

4. Now restore the "bookmark" document you had minimized to the task bar in step 1 by re-clicking the document title (see figure 2).
5. Once you can view the bookmark document you can begin editing.
6. Begin editing by highlighting "Book Title" and replacing this text with the title of the book you are going to add activities to (see figure 4).

(figure 4: add the title of your book)

7. Now highlight the activity area for your book in your new document, then go to "Edit" > "Paste" to add the activity descriptions for this book (see figure 5).

(figure 5: highlight where you want to add your activity
description then go to "Edit" > "Paste")

8. Finally, give credit to the school you took the activity idea from by returning to the web page you copied from, then "highlight" and "copy" the name of the school. Once you've copied the name of the school, return to your document you are editing, place your cursor where you want to paste the name of the school, then go to "edit" and "paste" (see figure 6).

(figure 6: give credit to the school you got the activity ideas from)

9. Repeat these steps until you have completed editing your document:
   1. Go to a web page you want to take an activity idea from (see step 2).
   2. Copy the idea (see step 3).
   3. Return to the document you are editing (see steps 4&5).
   4. Add the title of your book or item in your document (see step 6).
   5. Paste the activity ideas into your document (see step 7).
   6. Give credit to the school you got this idea from (see step 8).

Select a Theme:

agriculture animals art balls bears birds bugs cars cats Civil War clothing color community days diary dinosaurs Disney dogs dragons edibles exploration family

fish folktales foreign countries friends frogs horses human body inventions Japan jokes magic medieval memories mice money music mythology Native Americans oceans outdoors pigs pirates

plants polar region presidents rabbits rainforest Revolutionary Era scary school Shakespeare space spiders sports toys travel trees United States volcano water weather wild west