TLS 403

Spring 2019
The Final Reflection & Suggestion
Name: Gabi Cohen

o What benefits/values of Family Story Backpacks for you (for teachers, not students) did you
experience? (2points)

I think there were a lot of benefits from the Family Story Backpacks, not only to the students

but to my mentor and especially to myself. I learned so much about my students’ families,

traditions, cultures and much more from the entries in each backpack which helped me

understand my students better and where they come from based on their funds of knowledge.

The Family Story backpacks were a great way of involving families and a way of indirectly

communicating with the families of my students. I thought the backpacks were a great

addition to my classroom, did not disrupt the routine of my mentor and was a fun and

exciting way to learn more about the students that I work with.

o What benefits/values of Family Story Backpacks for students did you experience? (2points)

I think the Family Story Backpacks were valuable and beneficial to my students because it

was something to bring home that was not homework or something they needed to bring

back signed, but something they could do with their parents’ help that was new and

enjoyable. The backpacks were also valuable to students because it was a great writing,

reading and art activity for them to be reading the books in the backpacks, writing entries and

drawing pictures to match their entries.

o What obstacles to implement Family Story Backpacks do you want to address? (2points)

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 TLS 403
Spring 2019
I only encountered two small obstacles with the Family Story Backpacks. The first one that I

want to address is the materials in the backpacks. Some of the binders lacked paper and I had

to add more from my teacher’s classroom when a binder ran out. Also, some of the materials

in the backpacks, specifically the toys, were not as developmentally appropriate as they could

have been. I think the backpacks should be divided into grade levels so when it came to

getting them at the beginning of the semester, it would have been more organized. For

example, Wiggly Wobbly Tooth was perfect for my 1st graders because that is the age where

they start to lose their teeth but might be too old for Kindergarten. Some of the backpacks

had letter blocks in them and that was fine for my class, maybe a bit young, but would

definitely be too young for 3rd graders. The only other obstacle I encountered with the

backpacks was when a child would forget to bring it back to schools for days on end and we

would have a hard time getting them back. Even sending letters home sometimes did not

work. Besides these small obstacles, the backpacks overall were a huge success and a great

addition to the classroom!

o How can you revise your experiences with the obstacles to make Family Story Backpacks
more effective for students, families, and teachers? (2points)

I can revise my experiences by sending out a letter or adding it to the monthly newsletter

letting the families of my students know of the duration they have with the backpacks and a

list of their child’s names with the dates they have the backpacks as well as the dates they

need to be returned to the classroom so we can ensure that the rotations go as smoothly as

possible and that everyone gets an experience with the backpacks.