#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!

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?