• Design questions to give to students at each grade level. One question per week. Each question/instruction must “cause” the learner to interact with an adult (often parents are the best choice) regarding something s/he…at their current age and circumstance… are very interested in

• Each question/instruction must be about something children of that age are very interested in or feel is important to them (i.e. grade 1=favorite colors, grades 2-3=bedtime, grades 4-5=friends/curfews, middle school=dating, etc.) - “life issues at that age” (NOT about school!!)

• Your grade level team may choose a theme (a series of related questions over several weeks) or simply ask random questions. Neither approach is better than the other, however, random might be a simpler place to begin

• The question/instruction must request that the student ask something of their mom or dad or both. They then bring the response back to school with them. It can be an oral or written assignment--a brief, one sentence type… and is definitely best if it is not a lengthy one! They simply must remember (or record) what their parent's answer was to report it back to you at school

• Ask the students what their answers are to the same items they are asking of their parents (i.e. What time did your parents have to go to bed when they were your age? What time do you have to go to bed?) This provides fodder for comparison discussion/graphs, etc. You might even consider a report on (example title) “First grade today and yesterday” as a means of connecting school and home on issues everyone is facing

• Simply assign the question/instruction as homework on one day and then “ask” for the results/responses the next. You can record their feedback on the board, on chart paper-whatever. Then, depending on the information you've amassed, you might compare/contrast parent and student info on some items

• Responses can be tallied by class or by grade level. Not always, but it is usually best to have different questions for each grade