We must think long and hard about how to inform them and educate them about what this year holds in store. As you begin your year with 4-Blocks, you can assume that parents will be curious about many of the changes that will occur. That alone could be contagious. The tri-fold flyer included in the appendix of The Teacher's Guide to Four Blocks might be used or might offer some ideas for your own personalized design of a flyer. A brief explanation of each block is included in layman's language.
Some schools promote the model by having a display in the lobby.
Also, be sure that the hallways send a clear message about the emphasis on literacy and reading. Allaying the Fears about Spelling From the very first meeting with parents, assure them that spelling will be an important part of your curriculum. They need to know, however, that having kids learn HOW to spell versus learning WHAT to spell is the approach that you feel will be most successful in reaching your goals this year. In the past we had kids memorizing words for a spelling test each week. Our experience has taught us that kids didn't remember these words beyond Friday's test and then didn't have strategies to help them when they couldn't recall the spellings.