Celebrate World Read Aloud Day on February 16, with these free resources

Alexandra Wladich  //  Feb 9, 2017

Celebrate World Read Aloud Day on February 16, with these free resources

Recent data from the Scholastic Kids & Family Reading Report™: 6th Edition, revealed that kids ages 6–11 and their parents agree that they enjoy read-aloud time, the top reasons being it is a special time together and reading together is fun.

In recognition of the power and joy of reading aloud, LitWorld and Scholastic are teaming up to host World Read Aloud Day on February 16, 2017.

To encourage all families to read aloud and enjoy this special time together, World Read Aloud Day 2017 activities and resources include:

Facebook Live: On February 15 (3:30p.m. EST/ 12:30p.m. PST), Scholastic will host a Facebook Live event with Pam Allyn, Executive Director of LitWorld and founder of World Read Aloud Day. During the Facebook Live, Pam will provide her top tips on how to conduct a successful read aloud for all ages, followed by a read-aloud demonstration.

Scholastic Reads Podcast:  Scholastic Reads, a podcast about the joy and power of reading, will release a special episode on the importance of reading aloud to children. Guests include: actor, comedian, and author, Nick Cannon; author and Coretta Scott King Award winner, Andrea Davis Pinkney; and co-authors of Every Child a Super Reader, Pam Allyn and Ernest Morrell.

Blogs for Parents and Educators: Nick Cannon and Pam Allyn will contribute special guest posts to Scholastic corporate blogs, On Our Minds and edu@scholastic, sharing personal experiences with reading aloud to their own children, and highlighting the importance of having read-aloud time in school.

The Book Whisperer: Back to the Books: In her latest video episode for The Book Whisperer: Back to the Books, Donalyn Miller, Scholastic Book Fairs Manager of Independent Reading, explores the benefits of reading aloud and previews engaging read-aloud titles for K–8 students.

Scholastic Book Fairs World Read Aloud Kit: Families and teachers can host their own read aloud party with the free downloadable Scholastic Book Fairs kit. The kit provides ideas for hosting a read aloud event and includes read aloud program materials, printable bookmarks, tips for facilitators and more! Throughout the month of February, the kit will be distributed to more than 1,200 school book fairs that will be held on or around World Read Aloud Day.

Free Downloadable Resources: Free resources for scheduling virtual read aloud connections with published authors and other classrooms across the globe are available on the LitWorld website:  http://www.litworld.org/wrad

The Super Reader Movement Contest: Now through March 1, educators in the U.S. can enter for a chance to win a 7 Strengths Classroom Library by sharing a story of how a struggling reader became a super reader. One grand prize winner will receive a $1,000.00 gift card to the Scholastic Teacher’s Store to create a Super Reader Classroom. Click here for rules.

Scholastic Reading Club: Scholastic Reading Club has provided more than 115,000 teachers with a quick guide book which includes top tips to empower all children as readers from the popular professional learning title, Every Child a Super Reader. In addition, educators also received a “7 Strengths of a Super Reader” poster and a letter from Pam Allyn that introduces World Read Aloud Day and the critical importance of reading aloud.

My Very Own Library Events: From February 14–22,Scholastic Book Fairs in collaboration with the non-profit literacy organization, My Very Own Library, will be hosting read aloud events at schools in Chicago, IL; Milwaukee, WI; Kansas City, MO; Newark, NJ; Richmond, CA; and Wilmington, DE. At each event, students will enjoy read aloud moments from popular Scholastic authors and will receive three brand-new books of their choice to add to their home library.

Join the conversation using #WRAD17.