World Read Aloud Day

World Read Aloud Day is tomorrow! If you don't know about World Read Aloud Day or its sponsoring organization LitWorld, you should check out their website asap.  (In December, I posted information on how to register for the event.)  This is one of those amazing events that you can participate in in so many ways. You can make it a huge event or a little celebration.

I am celebrating with my students tomorrow by beginning the conversation of Reading as a Gift/The Gift of Reading.  I'll kick off the day reading Reading Makes You Feel Good by Todd Parr .  Even though it is a simple book, it should start lots of great conversations. Then I'll share a few videos --one from the LitWorld site and one from Kobo Books that was a Mother's Day video.

I'll also share a few videos that were shared on the WRAD blog--where authors gave their time to read aloud.  I think these 3 videos will help kids understand the idea of this being a global celebration. They will also hopefully begin to think of reading as a gift.

We are giving the gift of reading and receiving the gift of reading on World Read Aloud Day.  We'll spend a bit of time in the morning reading to our Kindergarten students.  Then we'll have a short Skype visit with author Barbara O'Connor who is giving her time to classrooms in celebration of World Read Aloud Day.

I think these few things will begin a larger conversation that will hopefully continue throughout the year--the rights of all people to read and the idea of reading as a gift (to give and to receive).  I am hopeful that kids will come up with ways to give back to our own school community with the gift of reading in some way.   I'm not sure exactly where the conversation will go but I am anxious to celebrate and see where the conversations take us!

Thank you LitWorld for inventing such a wonderful day!