February 24th. Read Aloud. Change The World.

Read Aloud. Change the World.  

When I see these motivating words from LitWorld's World Read Aloud Day initiative, I think of Patricia and Fred McKissack their important messages around the Power of Story.  In an interview with Reading Rockets, they explained their thinking:

"Einstein's theory of storytelling

Frederick: Most people that we have been around don't really understand what the power of story is and I think it's best illustrated again by an Einstein paper. He was asked…one of those great questions, "What should mankind be doing now that will benefit him in the future, him or her, whoever mankind might be?"

He answered, "Read stories to the children." So the person interviewing didn't quite understand that. They wanted to move on and he said, Mr. Einstein, what else do you think we should be doing?" He said, "Read more stories to your children." And I don't think he ever got it. But the power of story is just beyond, you know, beyond the idea.

Patricia: It prepares children for making adult decisions and developing their problem solving skills. Without story you're not connected to anything. I mean, think of yourself as being the Little Red Hen. You've been there. You've done all the work for the committee and then they show up for the photo-op.

Well that's the Little Red Hen — of course it is! The Boy Who Cried Wolf…we know that story and we've seen it acted out in life and we react and respond to those situations based on what we were taught in those stories. And so we needed to tell…you have to tell old stories so that we don't lose the connection. And we have to tell new stories. We have to meet children where they are with new stories."

World Read Aloud Day is about recognizing and celebrating the power of story and the power of the shared story. 

Stories do hold power and this year LitWorld is building towards World Read Aloud Day with a seven week challenge based upon their curriculum. 

"The 7 Strengths is the foundational model for all our curriculum, from LitClubs to LitCamps to advocacy events. We combine resilience building activities with literacy best practices in sets of dynamic lessons around the themes of Belonging, Friendship, Confidence, Curiosity, Courage, Kindness and Hope."

Each week, we are challenged to think about how books have influenced our understanding of or grown our knowledge of the seven strengths.

belonging week: When has reading helped you feel like you belong to a community?

curiosity week: What kind of reading makes you curious and fills you with wonder?

friendship week: How does reading help us connect and make the world friendlier?

kindness week: What kindness role models have you met through reading?

confidence week: What stories make you feel confident and proud to be you?

courage week: When did reading give you the courage to stand up for something you believe in?

hope week: If you could share a message of hope, what would you read aloud to the whole world?

On Wednesday, February 24, 2016

Read Aloud. Change the World.