Read Pam Allyn's Tips for Summer Reading & Take the Scholastic Summer Reading Challenge!

LitWorld's Executive Director, Pam Allyn, recently shared tips to motivate children for summer reading with Scholastic's Instructor Magazine. Here are her key strategies to give every child a reading plan for the summer and an equal chance to succeed.

1. Take the Scholastic Summer Reading Challenge

The Common Core State Standards are challenging schools nationwide to raise the bar. I love the playful nature of the Scholastic Summer Challenge to enroll every classroom in this mission. Beginning May 6, kids of all ages can track their reading minutes online (at scholastic.com/summer) to earn rewards for themselves and their school. Let’s get our students ready to reach their own goals.

Friendly competition gives children something to strive for, and the Summer Challenge also invites them to work in teams and be part of something bigger than themselves.

Read the rest of Pam's summer reading tips here.

LitWorld is proud to support the Scholastic Summer Reading Challenge. We encourage our community to sign up and share your progress with us on Twitter and Facebook. We look forward to tracking your extraordinary reading goals and sharing in your reading joy!

LitWorld Launches the First Annual Philippines LitCamp

LitWorld's Global Community Builder, Madison Graboyes, along with Innovation Developer, Yaya Yuan, are in Manila, the Philippines along with a group of LitWorld leaders, partners and volunteers to launch the first annual LitCamp at our Innovation Hub. 

For daily updates, photos and reports from the field, read the LitCorps Ambassador Blog and follow LitWorld on Facebook and Twitter. We are profoundly grateful for the generosity of our extraordinary partner, Vibal Publishing, for sponsoring what will be a truly magical LitCamp.

Hooray for the Hackley School!

Our friends at the Hackley School launched their annual read-a-thon today in celebration of Children's Book Week. This year they have chosen to donate the proceeds of their hard work to LitWorld in recognition of the work we do locally and globally. We are honored by this reading act of kindness and inspired by the young leaders of the Hackley School who exemplify what it means to practice global citizenship.

Hip hip hooray for the Hackley School!

Raising Learning Warriors: Pam Allyn's Latest Article for Educational Leadership

LitWorld Excecutive Director, Pam Allyn, shares her insight on organizing educators and school communities to fight against poverty in her latest article, "Raising Learning Warriors," published in the May issue of Educational Leadership.

"Moses was my student in Brooklyn, N.Y. He came from Guyana, was 10 years old, and deaf. His mother, who spoke no English and knew no one in New York, had made the treacherous journey to the United States to give him the opportunity to go to school. He was the skinniest boy I had ever seen, with longer-than-long legs that he sometimes tripped over when he ran. Moses was not getting enough to eat at home, so I started bringing him food. Some days, he did not eat from the time he left me until the next morning at school.

Moses and his mother lived in one tiny room where the heat sometimes did not work. His mother worked two jobs and was rarely home for more than an hour when Moses returned from school. Yet here he was, at long last, in a school for the deaf where he could finally thrive and learn."

Read the full article to learn about five ways that we can equip children and schools to fight poverty.

I Am a Powerful Story: Stories from the LitWorld Movement

Click to watch a two minute LitWorld film that captures the spirit of our work.

The LitWorld Gala 2013: A Story of Joy, Love, Hope, and Community

The LitWorld family came together on May 2, 2013 to celebrate all that we have accomplished, and to share our hopes and dreams going forward.

Four hundred people strong, stories everywhere, love abounding. We are deeply grateful for the dear friends that attended, and those that supported us from afar, and the profound generosity of all who donated beautiful items to our silent auction.

The LitWorld community came together and stood up for the world's children and their right to learn, and to use their own stories to change the world. This support will launch twenty new LitClubs around the world. Click here for photo highlights from this magical celebration.

The LitWorld Annual Report 2012: A Year in Review

We've been busy.

Learn about LitWorld's innovative solutions to the global learning crisis. 

Click here to download the LitWorld Annual Report 2012.

Pam Allyn's Latest HuffPost Blog: Six Messages for a Child

 

As an educator and advocate for children, I get many queries after tragedy, especially about how we can help our children cope with what they have heard and seen. I hope these simple messages help.

1. Most of the time, people are trying to do the right thing.

"When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, 'Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.'"

This message from Mr. Rogers is particularly helpful for a child who needs a strategy to counteract the horror of the image he sees on television or right before him. Day after day, friendly people give up seats on a train to someone who needs it more, share a gift with someone or run in the direction of danger to help, as many did in Boston. Tell these stories to a child. Put the spotlight on the helpers.

Read the full piece on the Huffington Post.