Word Read Aloud Day is celebrated toward the end of January and the beginning of February, and as the librarian, I’m usually the one put in charge to coordinate the day’s events.   This year, I decided to create a series of posters for teachers to display in or out of their classroom, sharing their own personal reading.  My hope is that it sparks conversations between teachers and students, teachers and teachers, and ultimately students and students.

We all know how important reading is, and that it’s not only a lifelong skill but also a valued activity for any age.  These posters will allow teachers to model this behavior, and open conversations about their own methods for choosing books, types of books they like to read, new genres they’ve tried,  length of time it takes to finish, struggles they are having, connections they’ve made, learning they’ve achieved, etc.

I made two different versions to give teachers a choice as to how detailed they wanted to be with sharing their reading.  The version on the left just requires them to write the title of the book they are currently reading or put a copy of the book cover.  The version on the right gives them an opportunity to write (or put a picture of the book cover) for the book they are currently reading, just finished, and what they are going to read next.  I copied both on white copy paper,  glued them back to back, and then laminated them.  Teachers used sharpie to write their name in the square (or you could use the editable versions that are included to type in the names before printing.)

I also created a variety of black and white versions in case you don’t want to print in color or you want the teachers to color the posters themselves.

To kick off this year’s World Read Aloud Day at my school, I also made Name Tags for our entire faculty to wear, as well as any guest readers that come to visit our school.  I thought it would be fun to walk around and share the current book that everyone is reading.  (Just a side note…when searching for labels I found that Shipping Labels 3 1/3 x 4 in were cheaper than actual name tags.  The ones I ended up using were the Office Depot/Office Max brand which is the same size as Avery 8164 or 5264).

One last thought…I plan on using these posters with my students as well.  We have lockers in our classrooms and I created a smaller version of the posters so they can hang them on the front of their lockers.  I’m going to start off this year with the version on the left where they can simply fill in the information on the book they are currently reading. Next year, I’m going to start off with the version on the right so we can begin conversations about having an I’m Reading “Now”, “Just Finished” and “Up Next”.  For now, I’m going to copy them on regular copy paper, fold them in half, and then laminate.  This way they also have a choice as to how much detail they want to use.   My plan is to start with 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders.

I also included a black and white copy of the smaller poster so kids can color it themselves.

There are so many different ways to celebrate World Read Aloud Day, and there are a ton of resources you can use here at http://www.litworld.org/wrad/ .  One of my favorite things to do is coordinate a school-wide buddy reading program.

Here’s how we celebrate:

1. I divide the lower grade levels into 5 groups (one class/group will go to Art, one goes to Library, one goes to Performing Arts, and two groups go to PE).
2. A week before the event, I have 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders check out extra picture books to have time to practice reading them and develop their fluency.
3. I pair up upper grade levels with lower grade levels (5th goes with 2nd, 4th goes with 1st, and 3rd goes with Kinder/Pre-K)

On World Read Aloud Day, 2nd graders would come down during 5th grade specials, and pair up to read books together.  During 4th grade specials, 1st graders would come down and pair up to read books together, and during 3rd grade specials, Kinder & Pre-K would come down and pair up to read books together.  We also have invited guest readers to come throughout the day to read to classes.  Guest readers can be parents, community members, school board members, celebrities, etc.  Do you have any special ways that you celebrate World Read Aloud Day?  I’d love for you to share!

If you would like to use these posters and name tags in your classroom or school, you can find them here at my TpT store.

I hope you find this useful!