The second graders frolic through stories on World Read Aloud Day

Read Aloud. 

Change the World. 

By connecting with other readers, we're helping to demonstrate the importance of reading along with bringing attention to the work of closing the global literacy gap.

These second graders connected and read aloud with Ame Dyckman and Salina Yoon. We have been blessed with some amazing read aloud partners all week. Check out the fun time we had with these two:

Ame Dyckman

Salina Yoon

World Read Aloud Day 

is a global literacy initiative founded by LitWorld. LitWorld empowers young people to author lives of independence, hope, and joy. 

A third grade World Read Aloud Day palooza

Wednesday was World Read Aloud Day, but we're celebrating all week. WRAD is a global literacy initiative founded by LitWorld. LitWorld empowers young people to author lives of independence, hope, and joy. 

Read Aloud. 

Change the World. 

By connecting with other readers, we're helping to demonstrate the importance of reading along with bringing attention to the work of closing the global literacy gap.

This week the third graders connected with Lauren Castillo, Louise Borden, and Claire Nivola along with students in Cathy Potter's class in Maine. We have been blessed with some amazing read aloud partners all week. 

Here's a look at these visits:

Lauren Castillo


Louise Borden


Claire Nivola


Cathy Potter
I couldn't video since we were taking turns reading Going Places by Peter and Paul Reynolds, so here are two pictures:

Read Aloud. 

Change the World. 

Wherein the fourth graders have one incredibly memorable World Read Aloud Day

Wednesday was World Read Aloud Day, a global literacy initiative founded by LitWorld. LitWorld empowers young people to author lives of independence, hope, and joy. 

Read Aloud. 

Change the World. 

By connecting with other readers, we're helping to demonstrate the importance of reading along with bringing attention to the work of closing the global literacy gap.

On Wednesday, my fourth graders read aloud with Sophie Blackall, Dan Santat, and Laura Given, a friend, colleague, and member of the 2016 Caldecott Committee.

Here's a look at these incredible Skype visits and read aloud experiences:

Sophie Blackall

Dan Santat

 

Laura Given

Be the Change.

#WRAD16: the kindergarten students connect

Read Aloud. 
Change the World. 

February 24, 2016 

We think closing the global literacy gap is so important that we connect and read with others all week long. It's not just World Read Aloud Day (WRAD), it's World Read Aloud Week. WRAD is a global literacy initiative founded by LitWorld. LitWorld empowers young people to author lives of independence, hope, and joy.

Today, we connected with...

Melanie Hope Greenberg:

Elizabeth Rose Stanton

Mrs. Broderick and her students


Mrs. Lussier and her students



Thank you for making our WRAD read aloud connections so special! 

WRAD-i-cal Connections: Day One: Molly Idle and Deborah Freedman

Read Aloud. 
Change the World. 

February 24, 2016 

It's finally here! It's World Read Aloud Day, a global literacy initiative founded by LitWorld. LitWorld empowers young people to author lives of independence, hope, and joy.

We think closing the global literacy gap is so important that we connect and read with others all week long.

On Monday, my second grade students connected with Molly Idle and Deborah Freedman. Here's a sneak peak at the two visits.

Molly Idle



During the visit the students shared ideas for more books about Flora and Rex. I had them write some down.

Deborah Freedman

After our time with Deborah, the students shared their thanks along with some new art techniques they had learned.

We're thankful for these WRAD-i-cal visits!

ReedALOUD for WRAD: Alvin Ailey

It's Confidence Week in the read up to 

World Read Aloud Day!

Today, my fourth graders and I read the biography of Alvin Ailey, written by Andrea Davis Pinkney and illustrated by Brian Pinkney.

After reading this well-written and beautifully-illustrated book the students and I watched this video of clips from the 
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre production of Revelations.

The students were moved by the production and wanted to see more of the dances. I love this opportunity to grow and plant seeds of curiosity and understanding.

How will confidence serve these students as they pursue their dreams?

What kindness role models have you met through reading?

It's Kindness Week on the World Read Aloud Day seven strengths count down.  On this poster are a few of the book titles that my students shared when asked, "What kindness role models have you met through reading?" During our conversation they mentioned specific characters and the actions that modeled what it means to be a friend, but that seemed too much for the poster, so it is just the titles.

We've joined the WRAD initiative a little later than usual this year, so we are jumping right in at week four.  The WRAD classroom kit has suggestions for titles of books to read with students or children, for each week. For Kindness Week, I  was happy to see Each Kindness by Jacqueleine Woodson on this list. I have read this book with students in the past and it always invites important conversations. I decided to read it today, along with talking about Patricia McKissack's Mirandy and Brother Wind and The Honest-to-Goodness Truth, two books I would add to their list.

After reading Each Kindness with my four classes today, there was a quiet hush and at least one student said out loud, "That was so sad." I asked them why it was sad and eventually brought the discussion around to authenticity and how this story reminds readers that we need to make the right choice the first time because there might not be another opportunity to make things right. The students also felt the hope in the book, knowing that Chloe would make a different choice the next time. 

I'm looking forward to Confidence Week. 

What will you be reading?

Read Aloud. Change the World.

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.  

Raising Our Voices in Story

World Read Aloud Day (WRAD) is a day where people around the globe raise their voices in story to demonstrate the value and importance of global literacy initiatives. WRAD was created by LitWorld, one of the many organizations trying to bring literacy programs to the communities that need them.  Many of us feel so passionate about LitWorld's mission that we participate for an entire week, one day is just not enough.  The week of March 3-7, 2014 was one of making new friends, reading books together, and creating memories.

We reflected on why reading is important: 

  We read from these books:

We virtually visited these places:

Google Earth Tour

We made friends with readers in 18 other states and 2 other countries.

(our map grew as the week went along)

We were inspired by authors Ame Dyckman, Peter H. Reynolds, and Kate DiCamillo.

We participated in the coolest group Skype with National Ambassador For Young People's Literature and Newbery -Medal Winning author, Kate DiCamillo, along with students in Minneapolis, Michigan, Maryland, Georgia, Iowa and Monterrey, Mexico!

In short, we loved raising our voices in story:

World Read Aloud Day is just the beginning. 

We'll be raising our voices in story all year round. 

Stories connect us. 

Stories can change the world.

Celebrate: Stories that connect us

It's time to...

Thing One: Participating in 
World Read Aloud Day (Week)

We have been participating in World Read Aloud Day all week. Connecting with authors Kate DiCamillo, Ame Dyckman, and Peter H. Reynolds was amazing, but equally as amazing was connecting with readers from across the country to raise our voices for global literacy by reading aloud together. Don't underestimate the power of shared reading experiences. Change is in the air. Stories connect us.

Thing Two: Making a story connection 

In this midst of this week of sharing stories, I made a story connection that was both surprising and wonderful. A not-well-known picture book from my childhood, that I had read with my children, popped up on the screen when Ame Dyckman was showing some of her childhood favorites. Stories connect us. 

Thing Three: Meeting Shannon Hale

In an impossibly full week, I squeezed in a visit to a local book shop to meet Shannon Hale.  I was telling Shannon about how Austenland shifts from my daughter's bedside table to mine periodically. I explained that it was a comfort book and that when life is feeling overwhelming, I can pick up the book, read the airport scene and then close the book and drift off to sleep having let go of my worries. She loved hearing this. Stories connect us.

Thing Four: Visiting the BPL 

I helped organize a gathering for school librarians in the Metrowest area of Boston. We went on an outing to the Boston Public Library, where we received a behind-the-scenes tour. It was a fabulous tour, made even more so by this group of book lovers. We all kept stopping to read and share titles, and "ooh" and "aah" over the sheer volume of materials. Stories connect us.

Thing Five: Having both my children home from college, at least for a few nights.

The house is full of youthful energy and how wonderful it feels. Along with that youthful energy comes balancing multiple schedules, organizing meals, and ignoring the mess. Apparently life in college dorms has not broken my children's habit of coming into the house, dispatching with shoes and backpacks, and shedding outer layers in a manner that makes my house look like it has been ransacked. Of course, I can't completely blame them, here's how my week looked in shoes.  Apparently, I walk into my house, out of my shoes and never look back.  

The one thing that I don't mind finding all over the house? Their books. These stories connect us.

A WRAD-i-cal Week: The final day

We've been celebrating World Read Aloud Day all week long. Here is the awesomeness of our final day.

We connected with Peter H. Reynolds, author and illustrator of The Dot, Ish, and Sky Color amongst many others. There could not have been a better way to finish this incredible week of connecting and sharing stories. Peter started off the visit by getting to know the students.

How many people like to draw?

How many people like to draw and to read?

After taking a sip of his creativi-tea (He is a punny guy!), he proceeded to draw a character that was reading a book for World Read Aloud Day. 

Now, sign it.

The students had many questions, two of which were about the ages of Ramon and Marisol (characters from the Creatrilogy), which I think is interesting because it tells me that they are identifying with the characters. We are holding onto our other questions for a later date. It was time to read Sky Color.

After a discussion about the color of apples, Peter then gave some wonderful advice to the students, "Your first answer may be right, but your second answer may be more interesting."  I love this advice, it puts an emphasis on deeper thinking. The students have now been charged with illustrating a word.  When the project is finished we'll come back to Peter with our creations.

Other amazing happenings of the day included:

A class of second grade students connecting with some kindergartners from Connecticut and read aloud from You Read To Me, I'll Read To You by Mary Ann Hoberman.

A class of second graders read 

The Story of Fish & Snail by Deborah Freedman

with some first graders in Wisconsin.

A class of fifth graders connected with students in another town in Massachusetts and read aloud from 

You Read to Me, I'll Read to You: Very Short Fables to Read Together by Mary Ann Hoberman.

Another fifth grade class connected with students in another town in Massachusetts are read aloud from 

Mirror, Mirror by Marilyn Singer.

A third fifth grade class connected with some third graders in 

Berlin, Germany and read aloud from 

Mirror, Mirror by Marilyn Singer.

This was a great day of sharing stories 

with those both nearby and far away.

We've raised out voices in support of global literacy, have you?