Celebrating World Read Aloud Day 2014

What a great experience today celebrating World Read Aloud Day with a dear friend and fellow K - 5 teacher librarian!

Christi Taylor, K - 5 teacher librarian from Shuler Elementary School in Waukee, IA, has been a colleague and friend for 15 years, and today (finally!) we were able to connect two of our classes using Skype. This was our second attempt. . . we had a 50% success rate earlier in the week connecting two of our groups, so today we were determined to connect.

To tie together World Read Aloud Day and Dr. Seuss's birthday, we chose Fox in Socks as our read aloud, and after prepping our groups and reminding them about good computer and field trip manners, we were ready!

Mrs. Schroeder's kindergartners joined DC Elementary kindergartners from Mrs. Reagan's class. First item of business? Introductions and waving!

Then on to the business at hand--the read aloud! Of course, with Fox in Socks, you can expect some tongue twister madness! Tweetle beetle battles? Luke Luck likes lakes? Sue sews whose clothes? Much fun and laughing together as students listened to the read aloud.

Kindergarten students weren't the only ones to get in on the World Read Aloud Day fun. . . Mrs. White's 1st grade class from Shuler Elementary and Mrs. Jorgensen's class from DC Elementary also connected! After much trying to connect on Skype, we FINALLY were able to meet and read with just 20 minutes remaining in the class period.

A GREAT day with our new friends from Waukee, and we're very excited about connecting again throughout the rest of the school year!

A Snapshot of My Reading Life

The World Read Aloud Day 2013 Blogging Challenge topic for the week is A Snapshot of My Reading Life. This could be a favorite place to read, my bookshelf or library or classroom, a book from childhood that I still re-read today, my favorite person to read with. . . anything that brings joy to my reading life.

So, here are the snapshots. I'll keep it short and simple. My favorite people to read with--and who bring me joy!--are my own two daughters, and we love to be comfortable when we read. :)

Audrey, 3, reading in her jammies on the couch.

 Holly, 4, reading with her blankies & Pooh chair

Here are Mrs. White's two favorite people to read with. Having kids and reading with them has added a whole new layer to my world and life as a reader. Who knew there were so many amazing picture books!  And, now that my daughter is reading the Harry Potter series, I am able to experience the books and their world all over again.

 

World Read Aloud Day Blog Challenge: Now & Then

It's another World Read Aloud Day post! 

This week's WRAD post is about the reader you are now vs. the reader you were then. Mrs. Ellis has always been a reader, even when it caused her to be car sick on family vacations when she was growing up! :) That love for reading is what probably sent her into teaching English and reading, and it certainly inspired her to become a librarian! So. . . here she is as a child (EEK! Look at those glasses!), and here are her responses to Now & Then.

1. At 10 years old, I thought everyone in the world should read Sarah Bishop. I found this girl's story riveting, and I thought everyone should know about her family's struggles and her own journey.

Now I think everyone in the world should re-read their favorite children's book as an adult. Those are dear memories worth living again and again! My choice? The Story of Ferdinand the Bull. 

2.  When I was 10, I wanted to listen to my teacher Mrs. Gaulke read aloud to me. 

She was the first teacher who consistently read aloud to me and introduced me to some of the books that are my favorites even today--like Island of the Blue Dolphins. If I could listen to anyone read aloud to me today, it would be my own children. One of my proudest accomplishments is that I have passed along my love of reading to them!

3.  As a 10-year-old, I didn't really have a favorite character to impersonate when I read aloud. But now, my favorite character to impersonate is Skippyjon Jones. Hands down--he's the winner, mi amigos!

4.  At 10 years old, my bookshelf was filled with biographies and realistic fiction. How I wanted to be Annie Oakley! Now, the genre that takes up the most room on my bookshelf is fantasy. The Fablehaven series and the Harry Potter series are just two of the many.

5.  When I was 10 years old, I didn't really consider writing my own stories or books. I did, though, as a 3rd grader write a nonfiction story about dinosaurs. I shared the story with my teacher (Mrs. Gaulke again!) and my classmates, but no one else. Now, the book that inspires me to write is every clever ABC children's book--Bad Kitty is one of my favorites! Who knows. . . maybe one day I'll have a children's story about Sneaky Horse in libraries everywhere! :)

What's So Special About Reading Aloud?

World Read Aloud Day (WRAD) is March 6, 2013, and to recognize the occasion, we thought we'd share why reading aloud is important and our plans for WRAD 2013.

Some Mrs. Ellis's favorite books were read alouds--Island of the Blue Dolphins, Hatchet, Stotan!, The Story of Ferdinand the Bull. Listening to books strengthened her imagination and encouraged her to think and problem solve right along with the characters. These books also became some of her life-long favorites.

To celebrate WRAD 2013, Mrs. Ellis's 2nd grade class will Skype with another elementary librarian and her classes. Neither of us has celebrated WRAD before, so we're taking small steps and plan to share and read aloud our favorite books and some of the Goldfinch books for the year. 

If you want to know more about WRAD 2013 and what others are planning, you can visit LitWorld.org.