Reading poetry aloud brings it to life in all of its rhythmic and melodic glory. This World Read Aloud Day a wonderful poet and friend of LitWorld, Amy Ludwig VanDerwater, has shared a special poem that all are welcome to read aloud on March 4th. We wish you a joyful day sharing words with friends and family.
February News for You: World Read Aloud Day Announcements
Five World Read Aloud Day actions that you can take right now:
1. Register your participation and check out LitWorld's FAQ for answers to your World Read Aloud Day questions.
2. Post on social media to spread the word.
3. Take the World Read Aloud Day reading minutes challenge.
4. Join our amazing WRADvocates in the Speak Your Story weekly blog-a-thon.
5. Visit Skype in the classroom to schedule a long-distance read aloud connection.
Look WRAD While You Read Aloud
We are so excited to unveil our LitWorld store! New and vintage World Read Aloud Day logos are now available as t-shirts, hoodies and totes. In addition to our archive of WRAD illustrations, we are offering a selection of LitWorld Be the Story swag.
The best part? All proceeds from your purchases will be donated to LitWorld. Show your LitWorld spirit and support our LitClub and LitCamp kids at the same time. We want to know where in the world you will sport your LitWorld gear. Share a photo of your travels with your totes and tees on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.
LitWorld Change-Maker Receives Newbery Medal
Last week our LitWorld inspiration, Advisory Council member, brilliant writer, child advocate and friend Kwame Alexander received the Newbery Medal for his book The Crossover! Kwame has been part of the LitWorld family from the very beginning. In 2010 he read a draft of his book Acoustic Rooster on our first ever World Read Aloud Day. That same year we commissioned a poem from him to share at our Gala. The rest is... well, history!
We are overjoyed that Kwame will be with us again on May 11th to host and be celebrated at LitWorld's Spring Fundraiser. You will soon receive a save the date for this joyful event.
World Read Aloud Day Frequently Asked Questions
Whether you are celebrating World Read Aloud Day for the first or sixth time, read through our frequently asked questions below for ideas and inspiration for your 2015 planning.
I’m busy on March 4th, can I still celebrate WRAD?
Definitely. We would be happy if every day was World Read Aloud Day! Celebrate when your schedule allows and be sure to tweet, post and share stories with the LitWorld team so that we can track our global movement.
Are there designated books for WRAD?
There are no designated books for World Read Aloud Day. You are free to read whatever brings you the most joy. We recommend trying out different genres to discover how they feel to read aloud. Poetry especially lends itself well to this activity. If you do not have easy access to a book, the LitWorld website has a free downloadable picture book called “New Day, New Friends” by C. Alexander London.
I’m not a teacher, can I still celebrate World Read Aloud Day?
Absolutely! World Read Aloud Day is for everyone. Celebrate with family, friends or co-workers. The only requirement for World Read Aloud Day is in the title itself: Read aloud. Check out LitWorld’s activity kits for the home, workplace or community center and get creative.
This is my first year celebrating World Read Aloud Day, how do I get started?
Welcome to our joyful movement for global literacy, we’re glad you’re with us! Start by deciding where you’ll celebrate and who will join your celebration. Every WRAD celebration is unique but here are some real life examples of past celebrations:
- Read aloud over video chat with friends or family (or in person of course if they live near by).
- Start a meeting at work with an inspiring read aloud related to the mission or spirit of your work.
- Host an event in your home for other families. Have each family bring a favorite story, poem or article that is personally meaningful. Have a round table read aloud.
- If you are a teacher, have a school wide event, inviting guest readers from the community to read to your students.
- Contact a local library or community center and ask if they would like you and your co-workers to throw children a reading party. Come prepared with some favorite books and ready to talk about why you like to read and to hear about the children’s favorite stories to read too!
What is a WRADvocate?
WRADvocate is short for "World Read Aloud Day Advocate." Our WRADvocates are individuals and organizations around the world who commit to both celebrating World Read Aloud Day and making sure as many people as possible in their social network are invited to do the same. WRADvocates spread the word by posting frequently on social media, and talking to their contacts in person to explain the importance of World Read Aloud Day.
Your World Read Aloud Day Mission: Read Awesome Books
The World Read Aloud Day Reading Minutes Challenge is a joyful and rewarding adventure. The concept is simple: Participants read for as many minutes as they can leading up to World Read Aloud Day on March 4th. Every minute read will build strong reading muscles. On top of that, every second spent reading a story can have a big impact on the world. We invite you to collect sponsors to pledge a certain amount of money, or a flat donation, for every minute you read. For example, someone may choose to sponsor $1 for every 5 minutes you read, or they may choose to give you $30 to honor your efforts and participation in World Read Aloud Day.
Take the challenge as a family, a workplace or school-wide to build community around reading. We wish you many hours lost in the pages of a favorite book, and we offer our deep gratitude for joining the World Read Aloud Day movement. For convenience we have created a reading minutes tally and pledge tracker which is found in our World Read Aloud Day activity packets. Download the classroom, community, home or office packet to get started.
Literacy Builds Peace, Curiosity and Friendship in Ahmedabad
Our International Program Director Ana is on the ground in Ahmedabad, India. Our LitWorld programs in India run in partnership with the Center for Development. CfD is an extraordinary organization that focuses on peace and reconciliation by bringing children and families of different religious communities together. Our LitClubs are the first time opportunity that children have to tell their stories and to share life experiences with friends of another religion. The children are leaders of peace through literacy in their community.
Ana visited our six LitClubs that run in partnership with CfD and wrote to us about the extraordinary literacy community that the children and their mentors have created: "In every group, children provide support systems for each other. Friends are there to support their fellow LitClub members, to read aloud to them, to encourage their drawings, and allow them to be confident at whatever reading and writing level they are."
eing together with our local partner and Bal Dosts (LitClub mentors) of CfD allowed us to run LitWorld trainings and refresher courses. The Bal Dosts loved the LitWorld core value of asking children open ended questions to facilitate story sharing. They said that in Indian society children are rarely asked for their opinions and questions have a right or a wrong answer. The Bal Dosts talked in great depth about the concept of open ended questions and dove into the LitClub question poem activity. We are honored to have such engaged, poetic leaders running our programs on the ground.
The New York Times Features LitWorld & the Read Aloud
The latest Kids & Family Reading Report released by Scholastic this week confirms what LitWorld has known all along: reading aloud changes a child's world. Our Founder, Pam Allyn, was interviewed by The New York Times to share her expert insight on the latest read aloud research.
The article, "Study Finds Reading to Children of All Ages Grooms Them to Read More on Their Own", outlines the powerful benefits of reading aloud as well as the reality of children's reading lives across the nation. Let us rally behind this new research as we unite for World Read Aloud Day on March 4th to make the world Story Strong.
World Read Aloud Day is Coming, Spread the Word!
World Read Aloud Day is Wednesday, March 4th, 2015. Last year over one million people in more than 80 countries celebrated this day of joy and this year we want to reach at least 100 countries. We need your help spreading the word about the magic of World Read Aloud Day. Use the sample social media posts below to rally your friends, family and community for the big day! Stay up to date with all World Read Aloud Day happenings by following LitWorld on Facebook and Twitter @litworldsays.
Last year 1 million people celebrated World Read Aloud Day. Make the movement bigger this year #readaloud on 3/4! http://litworld.org/wrad
I will read aloud on 3/4 for World Read Aloud Day, will you? #ReadAloud. Change the world. http://litworld.org/wrad #wrad
The 2015 World Read Aloud Day activity packet is here! Plan your joyful celebration today: http://litworld.org/wrad
Reading is magic that every child must experience. RT if you will celebrate World Read Aloud Day on 3/4 with @litworldsays. #wrad #readaloud
My favorite thing about reading aloud is _____________. #readaloud #wrad http://litworld.org/wrad
Read aloud, read aloud, the key to everything: read aloud. Join the World Read Aloud Day movement: http://litworld.org/wrad