World Read Aloud Day Blogging Challenge #2

During the month leading up to World Read Aloud Day, I'm participating in the World Read Aloud Day blogging challenge. Each week, blogging participants respond to a question addressing the World Read Aloud theme "Raising Our Voice." The prompt for week 2 is "Answer 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 asked my own son, Caleb (age 8) to participate with me.

1. I think everyone in the world should read…
Me: The Junkyard Wonders by Patricia Polacco. This book is on the Georgia Children's Book Award list this year. It is such an inspiring story that teachers and kids equally love.
Caleb: The Harry Potter series. They are exciting books.

2. If I could listen to anyone in the world read aloud to me it would be…
Me: Carmen Agra Deedy. Carmen is a gifted storyteller. We have hosted Carmen at my school for the past two years. I love hearing her beautiful voice read her stories. After she left last year, one of my students said, "I wish Carmen could come to our school every day!"
Child: My mommy! Because your voice is nice.

3. When I read aloud, my favorite character to impersonate is…
Me: I love to read aloud The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo. Each of the characters is so well-developed and unique that I can draw inspiration from the story and create a voice for each character when reading it aloud.
Child: The Lunch Lady! (in the Lunch Lady series by Jarrett J. Krosoczka)

4. The genre or author that takes up the most room on my bookshelf (or e-reader) is…
Me: mystery and historical fiction for both kids and adults.
Child: Nonfiction. I like nonfiction because I learn from it. My favorite nonfiction books are books about animals.

5. My favorite part about reading aloud or being read to is...
Me: Encouraging a young person to read. When I read aloud to students, I often expose them to books they might not otherwise have known about.
Child: The good stories.

 This is me and my son, Caleb, on the 50th day of school.

World Read Aloud Day Blogging Challenge #1

During the month leading up to World Read Aloud Day, I'm participating in the World Read Aloud Day blogging challenge. Each week, blogging participants respond to a question addressing the World Read Aloud theme "Raising Our Voice." The question for week 1 is "What is your earliest or fondest memory in which someone read aloud to you?" 

When I was young, my mom (a former first grade teacher) read aloud to me constantly. The bottom drawer of my dresser was stocked with books. I loved to spread these books out on the green shag carpet and select one for my mom to read to me.  I remember her reading books such as The Monster at the End of This Book, Frog and Toad Are Friends, and other books we checked out from our local public library. My mother taught me to read before I started school, so I also enjoyed reading to her.  I loved the Carolyn Haywood books like B Is for Betsy and anything by Beverly Cleary. Our shared reading experience built a foundation of lifetime literacy for me. And I still love sharing books with my mom. 

This year, I will be celebrating World Read Aloud Day for the first time. I am so excited to show my students that reading aloud is worthy of celebration on a global level. Each of my second grade classes will read aloud with another class via Skype. I am looking forward to promoting literacy and having my students connect with other children around the country.