World Read Aloud Day Creates Equal Opportunities in Education

New York, New York: On March 4th, global literacy non-profit LitWorld presents World Read Aloud Day, an international advocacy day that brings equal access to quality literacy learning for children. LitWorld is joined by Scholastic, Skype in the Classroom, 2015 Newbery Medal Winner Kwame Alexander, and a coalition of participating non-profit organizations, corporations and individuals reaching over one million people worldwide.

"Reading is a basic human right that belongs to all people. The mission of LitWorld is to empower children to reach their full potential," says Pam Allyn, Executive Director of LitWorld.  "At LitWorld, we truly believe that access is the currency for change around the world.  Each and every day, literacy gives children access to a world of information, inspiration and hope." Today one in ten people around the world cannot read or write and 57 million children never have the chance to go to school.

The 2015 Kids & Family Reading Report published by Scholastic found that 91% of parents read aloud to their children before age 6, primarily to cultivate language development and a love of reading. The report also found that 83% of children enjoy reading aloud at home as a fun, special activity to do with parents. Yet nearly one in four parents stop reading aloud to children by the age of 9. Reading aloud to children every day is proven to put them almost a year ahead of children who do not receive daily read alouds regardless of parental income, education level or cultural background.

On March 4th, LitWorld and Scholastic will engage parents and teachers online, hosting a 10am EST Twitter chat with Pam Allyn and Kwame Alexander under the Scholastic handle and an 11am EST PBS NewsHour panel discussion on Facebook. Joining the panel will be Pam Allyn, Scholastic parenting expert Maggie McGuire, and Dr. Perri Klass of Reach Out and Read.   

In all 50 states and over 85 countries, communities will participate in World Read Aloud Day with in-person events and with virtual connections using Skype in the Classroom. Teachers worldwide have scheduled Skype connections across 6 continents with authors and classrooms in other countries. LitWorld’s worldwide coalition of participating non-profit organizations, corporations and individuals will hold events to educate whole communities about the importance of reading aloud and investing in children’s education.

LitWorld encourages people everywhere to participate in World Read Aloud Day. Find free resources at litworld.org/wrad. Join the social media movement by connecting with LitWorld on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

The Read Aloud & Poetry: Kindred Spirits

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

Count down with us to World Read Aloud Day on March 4th! We have some exciting announcements and super fun ways to inspire your special read aloud plans. Follow LitWorld on Facebook and Twitter for all the latest updates.

Rock a World Read Aloud Day Celebration

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.

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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.

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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.

Click here to read the article.