WRAD14 Week 2 Blogging Challenge

I'm joining Matthew Winner and others in the World Read Aloud Day Blogging Challenge. It is not too late to join us! And certainly join in Lit World's World Read Aloud Day celebration on March 5th!

Week 2: February 17 - 23

Adult & Child

Answering the following questions with a child. The child can be a student or your own. Age does not matter. Make sure to exchange and enjoy answers with one another before sharing them with us.
I had a lot of fun answering these questions with some of my Digital Bookworm members! They came in during lunch and shared their thoughts.


1. I think everyone in the world should read…

Me: Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume. Maybe because I taught 4th grade for so long, and this was the book I always started the year with. The students always wanted to read more about Fudge & Peter!

Reagan: Percy Jackson books (she has read ALL of them MULTIPLE times! :))


2. If I could listen to anyone in the world read aloud to me it would be…

Me: my grandmother because she loved to share stories. When she would read a book, she couldn't wait to share parts of it with other readers. 

Alyssa: the author who wrote the book because then you hear his/her voice reading his/her words too.


3. When I read aloud, my favorite character to impersonate is…

Me: a character from the south. I loved reading the voice of Dovey in Dovey Coe by Frances O'Roark Dowell. What an opening paragraph... "My name is Dovey Coe and I reckon it don't matter whether you like me or not.... I hated Parnell Caraway as much as the next person, but I didn't kill him."

Kayla: Gil from The Gollywhopper Games because he is so funny.

4. The genre or author that takes up the most room on my bookshelf (or e-reader) is…

Me: realistic fiction. I like finding characters to identify with. I am branching out though, so who knows in the future! 

Sierra: Suzanne Collins- her books have a lot of action, and there is always something happening!

5. My favorite part about reading aloud or being read to is...

Me: getting so involved in the story that no one wants to stop reading. I love when my students beg me not to stop, just one more chapter!

Jeffrey: When someone reads aloud to me it makes understanding the book and story easier because I don't have to figure out the hard words. 

I loved sharing these questions with my Digital Bookworms club! They had some really great answers! 

Getting Ready for WRAD14- Blogging Challenge

Last year Curtis Elementary students participated in LitWorld's World Read Aloud Day, (well WEEK actually for us!) and the students had a great time connecting and reading with others!

A great description of the purpose of this event is found on the LitWorld's website:

"World Read Aloud Day is about taking action to show the world that the right to read and write belongs to all people. World Read Aloud Day motivates children, teens, and adults worldwide to celebrate the power of words, especially those words that are shared from one person to another, and creates a community of readers advocating for every child’s right to a safe education and access to books and technology."

 We are preparing for this year's event and I have decided to join Matthew Winner in a blog challenge this year. You can read his posts HERE.  

Week 1 writing prompt is: 

What is your earliest or fondest memory in which someone read aloud to you?

Photo from http://quixoticbibliophile.blogspot.com/ 

As much as I love to read, I know my mom must have read a lot to me. The older I get, the foggier the memories become, but one memory I clearly have is owning a set of Childcraft encyclopedia, much like these

and I remember my mom reading the different stories from Stories and Fables volume. My favorite was the story about the monkeys swinging in the tree. Mom would change her voice for the different monkeys, and I'm sure I would have her read it multiple times. We held onto the encyclopedia set for many years, and then I took them with me once I had children. The information was outdated, and the books definitely had a musty smell about them, but still I took them. Later, I got rid of all of the volumes except the Stories and Fables one, which I still have. 

Teachers also have the ability to create reading memories for their students.  As a librarian, I soon learned the favorite authors of our teachers because their students would rush to check-out the books by that author once their teacher started a read aloud. Students and adults alike have shared with me their memories of a teacher reading aloud to them, and I also have a similar memory.  The favorite part of the day for me as a 3rd grader was right after lunch when Mrs. Franklin would perch on the top of her desk and read to us. Oftentimes the only light was the sunlight streaming through the dusty metal blinds.

 Charlotte's Web was one of my favorite books that she read to us that year. I remember anxiously awaiting each day's reading to find out what would happen next. I remember it being peaceful, and losing myself in the story. It was a time I looked forward to!



This year, we will celebrate World Read Aloud Day throughout the week of March 3-7. We will connect with students all around our country, and we will connect with authors who are so generous with their time. You can read about what we did last year in this Scholastic article  written by Natalie Lorenzi about Read Across America Day (which is why we celebrate all week!) We are so excited about this week and "celebrating the power of words"! Join us!

What are your plans for WRAD14? 

Mystery Skypes, Author Skypes, and World Read Aloud Day

This has been one amazing week!  Thanks to my friends on Twitter, I have made some incredible connections which has given my students opportunities to make some incredible connections!  Here is how we have celebrated reading this week:

On Monday, 5th grade connected with students in Oklahoma and Georgia for Mystery Skypes and to share books.  A Mystery Skype is where students have to use yes or no questions or give clues so that each group can guess the location of the other.  Mrs. Pitman's class had experience with this and did an exceptional job guessing where Mrs. Sikes's students were located! Mrs. Myall's class participated in their first Mystery Skype and were quick to figure out that JFK Elementary students were located in Oklahoma.  We were all very proud of the critical thinking skills used during these visits! This is a wonderful way for students to apply their knowledge of maps and geography as well as facts about Texas.  

Also on Monday, Mrs. Waller's & part of Mrs. Christian's Kindergarten classes read Bunny Days by Tao Nyeu on We Give Books with Matthew Winner's students at Longfellow Elementary in Maryland. The classes took turns reading pages to each other. This was the first time some of our students had Skyped and it was great fun!


On Tuesday, our 3rd grade along with Mrs. Zell's and Mrs. Massingill's classes were able to enjoy a visit by local author, Kristin Bryan.  Mrs. Bryan has written the Mrs. Crawdad series which share messages of having a good attitude and embracing the differences in each other.  Students enjoyed Mrs. Bryan's reading of her book and the peek they got into the new book in the series. Mrs. Bryan was kind enough to join in our Skype visit with students in Connecticut while we read One Cool Friend by Toni Buzzeo. We were very appreciative of Mrs. Bryan's time and flexibility as we moved from one activity to another!





Wednesday, World Read Aloud Day, was fast and furious! Mrs. Pulliam's class had a Skype visit with students in Massachusetts. My Twitter friend, Jennifer Reed connected her students with our students and suggested a great book I was unfamiliar with!  Students took turns reading parts of poems for two voices from the book Messing Around on the Monkey Bars by Betsy Franco.  Students thought this book was a lot of fun to read together, and I was pleased to find an unknown treasure in my library!

Sixth grade students were treated to an author visit with Mina Javaherbin. Mrs. Javaherbin wrote the book Goal, which was a Texas Bluebonnet nominee last year.  She shared some of her new book, The Secret Message with the students, explaining to them about the poem from which she got the book idea. Javaherbin went on to tell the students about her childhood and all that she has seen and experienced.  

She advised them on writing and the collecting of ideas, suggesting to them that they keep all of their writings.  Her family immigrated from Iran when she was young, and she explained how she had to leave many things behind, including some of her early writing.  

Mrs. Javaherbin also encouraged the students to pursue higher  education, even if they aren't completely sure of what they want to be when they grow up.  It was very interesting to hear her perspective on the importance of being good global citizens and understanding the differences in cultures and points of view. The students seemed to really enjoy the visit, as well as the opportunity to ask questions at the end.  

Second grade came in to Skype with Mrs. Gohagon and her students in Connecticut and share the book Duck! Rabbit! by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Tom Lichtenheld.  This is a great book to show different perspectives when readers go back and forth on whether the picture is a duck or a rabbit.  What do you think? Can you see both?

Cole introduces his class to the students in Connecticut!

You would think we would be finished with our celebration, with all that we have already done, but NO!  There is MORE!  Second Grade also had an Author Skype Visit with Dori Hilstead Butler, author of the popular Buddy Files books!  Curtis readers LOVE these books, and they are hard to keep on the shelf!  In fact, 3 students had them in their hands when the Skype began!  Mrs. Butler read the first chapter in book 6, The Case of the School Ghost. The students begged for more, but Mrs. Butler told them they would have to check it out and read it to find out what happened!  :)  A few students were lucky enough to be able to ask a question of Mrs. Butler!  It was another awesome author skype!

We wrapped up #WRAD13 with a visit with Shannon Miller's students at Van Meter in Iowa!  Not only did we get to Skype with Van Meter students, but we were lucky enough to be included with their Skype with Mrs. P's Storytime.  Mrs. P is a fabulous story weaver, sharing with students about her neighbor, the Tooth Fairy and her 1100 room mansion that she lives in on an island in Wisconsin.  ;)  She was quite entertaining for the students AND for the adults in the room!  

Reflecting on this week, I am amazed at the times we live in, where we can connect with people all over the country and share our love of books and reading!  Part of how this happens is by creating a PLN on Twitter and connecting with others who share a love of books and technology!  What an incredible week!