To help families and educators discover the power and joy of reading aloud, LitWorld and Scholastic are hosting World Read Aloud Day on February 1. This year’s World Read Aloud Day is bigger than ever as we celebrate alongside Harry Potter Book Night – a time when fans around the world celebrate J.K. Rowling's much-loved book series. Over the past 20 years, classrooms and families have enjoyed reading Harry Potter aloud and have shared a special bond around the series.
Research from Scholastic Kids & Family Reading Report™ found the majority of children ages 6–17 from the U.S., U.K., Australia, India, and Canada reported they love (or loved) read aloud time at home because “it’s a special time with my parent,” yet many parents stop reading aloud to their children as they get older.
To encourage classrooms and families around the world to enjoy World Read Aloud Day 2018 together, free resources and information can be found at scholastic.com/WorldReadAloudDay. These resources include:
- LitWorld Events: Millions of people celebrate World Read Aloud Day annually in all 50 U.S. states, and more than 100 countries worldwide. Individuals register their participation online at litworld.org/wrad. Authors visit classrooms in-person and via video chat to read their work to students of all ages. Schools, communities, and households around the world host unique WRAD festivities, including inter-school assemblies, community marches and read-aloud events small and large in a variety of public and private venues. LitWorld will visit schools and community centers across NYC to engage students with 7 Strengths-based read-aloud activities.
- 7 Strengths Video Series: Scholastic has created a video series harnessing LitWorld’s 7 Strengths, as featured in Pam Allyn and Ernest Morrell’s professional book Every Child a Super Reader. Each week leading up to World Read Aloud Day, we will share one video featuring a Scholastic author and/or literacy expert who will share their favorite read aloud book that highlights one of the 7 Strengths—Belonging, Kindness, Curiosity, Friendship, Confidence, Courage, and Hope. Authors and literacy experts include Pam Allyn (Founder of LitWorld), John Schumacher (Ambassador of School Libraries for Scholastic Book Fairs), Donalyn Miller (Scholastic Book Fairs Manager of Independent Reading), Kate Messner (author), Andrea Davis Pinkney (author and Coretta Scott King Award-winner), Pam Muñoz Ryan (author and Newbery Honor-winner), and Nell K. Duke (professor of language, literacy, and culture, University of Michigan).
- Blog for Educators: Pam Allyn shares her top tips for reading aloud in a special guest post on edu@scholastic, Scholastic’s blog about education and learning.
- Facebook Live: On January 31 at 12pm EST / 9am PST, Scholastic will host a Facebook Live with Pam Allyn, Executive Director of LitWorld and founder of World Read Aloud Day. During the Facebook Live, Pam will share best practices for reading picture books and chapter books aloud to children of all ages.
- My Very Own Library Events: During the month of February, Scholastic Book Fairs, in collaboration with the non-profit literacy organization My Very Own Library, will be hosting events at schools in Chicago, IL; Milwaukee, WI; Kansas City, MO; Newark, NJ; Richmond, CA; Delaware; and the Dominican Republic. At each event, students will enjoy read-aloud moments with popular Scholastic authors and will receive three brand-new books of their choice to add to their home library.
Join the conversation on social media using #WorldReadAloudDay.
For more information and resources, visit scholastic.com/WorldReadAloudDay
