10 Ways to Celebrate Read Across America Week

If you search Pinterest for Read Across America week, you will find a bazillion activities around Dr. Seuss and his beloved books. No surprise there!

Yet, if you visit the NEA site, the organization that sponsors the event, you will find something very different!

This year’s theme is Celebrating a Nation of Diverse readers, and challenges us to share literature that allows every child to “see themselves as the main character in a story.”

Here’s what the NEA has to say about the purpose of Read Across America Week:
“Motivating children to read is an important factor in student achievement and creating lifelong successful readers. Research has shown that children who are motivated and spend more time reading do better in school.”

Not trying to be a “Grinch,” but I do question whether a series of Seuss-inspired activities are really motivating children to read and discover themselves through books.

So I put together a list of a few ideas we might try that I think are closer to the original intent for Read Across America week:

Book Breaks

Most teachers have more books than they have time to read!  Pull together a collection of favorite read alouds  and set a timer to go off at various points during the week.  Each time the timer rings, do a quick book talk on one of these books to entice your readers.  Choose books you know they won’t be able to resist, like Creepy Pair of Green Underwear! and place them in a special basket. Books that might have been stuck on the shelf, will now find their way into children’s hands.

Reading Reunion

This is a school-wide event that is as much fun for the teachers as it is for the kids! At a designated date and time, invite children to visit their previous teacher’s classroom for a reading reunion! Once they’ve arrived, share a favorite read aloud and ask them to share what they have been reading in their new grade.

Mystery Reader

Invite parents and/or school staff  to “pop-in” throughout the week and share their favorite books. Give children clues about the “mystery reader” or the book they are going to share to build anticipation.

Unwrap a Read Aloud

Looking for an excuse to buy some new books? Use gift cards, book clubs, or visit your favorite store to obtain some new read-alouds.  Wrap them or use gift bags to conceal their identity.  Enjoy opening them throughout the week and sharing them with children.  Once all the books have been opened, let children vote for their favorite! Consider purchasing an extra copy of the book, letting the children wrap it, and surprising another class with your new favorite.

Staff Favorites

Book Tournament

Capture the “March Madness” fever with a book tournament. On the first day, read two books and let children vote for their favorite.  Do this for a total of 8 days (think Sweet Sixteen).  Next, move to the Elite 8 by pairing up the 8 winning books and asking children to vote for their favorite.  Repeat with the Final Four and Final Two to determine your book “champion.”  Create “brackets” to keep track of the results and share with others.

Reading Rally

With this event, each teacher involved creates a special themed reading spot in their classroom such as a “beach,” “campsite,” or “bear cave” using props and books to showcase the theme. Classes take turns “traveling” to each room and enjoying some independent reading in a new setting with the themed books and props they find there.

Book Tasting

Hold a book swap where children bring in books from home to trade with others.  This can be done school-wide or with just your own class. For every book the child donates to the “swap,” they are able to select the same number for keeps!  Check your own collection for books you could donate so that all children may participate.

Story Mapping

Invite children to create Story Maps around their favorite books. Include a map title, key, and compass rose to integrate literature with map skills.  Fairy tales such as The Gingerbread Man, The Three Little Pigs, and Three Bears work really well for this.

A Fun Week Ahead

Hope you found some ideas to make the most of Read Across America week!  We’ll still be making those cute red and white striped hats, but keeping the focus on growing our love for books and building a community of readers!