Celebrate Reading Week - SOLC #20

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Two Writing Teachers

My friend, Michelle, and I are the committee for Read Across America at our school.  It's not that we don't want or need help, but we usually forget about the celebration until the week before.  Thankfully, we have many understanding coworkers (including Lynn!) who help us and/or go along with nearly every activity and crazy idea we offer.

We usually wait to celebrate until the week preceding spring break, as our state tests are the first two weeks of March, so we change the name to Celebrate Reading Week.  Over the past 9 years, we done lots of activities and skits on the school television broadcast, and each year we come up with better ideas than the year before.  This week we've only celebrated for 2 days now, but the students are really enjoying what we've done so far.

Monday:  We started the morning broadcast by showing the Gotta Keep Reading clip.  Even though it features a middle school, our elementary kids were singing along by the end.

Tuesday:  Today we asked students to share book recommendations by hanging a sticky note on a poster either in their room, by the principal's office, or near a resource room.  One third grade student made sure he stopped by my room twice today - once to tell me he was going to recommend his favorite book to me, and then to place the recommendation on my poster.  He seriously wanted me to read this book!

For the next three days, we're going to ask all our students and staff to decorate an index card with a colorful "READ" or "LEER" to hang all over the library window.  We'll caption that display, "500 ways to become a better reader!"  (As seen on Pinterest - still looking for a link)  We will also bring back our reading mascot, Fred the fish, to remind kids and teachers to enjoy Free Reading Every Day.  Finally, we'll ask students and staff to ask their family to snap a picture of them reading over spring break.  This will go up in another display case called, "Where will we catch you reading?"

Whew!  It's been a busy week and it's only Tuesday!  Gotta keep reading!!

Chris & Michelle - circa 2008