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How to engage for the virtual day
Read Across America is back this year on March 2nd, 2021! While our community may look a bit different this year, the love and joy of keeping readers motivated have not waivered.
Here are some ideas to bring the excitement of Read Across America to your home through virtual experiences and activities!
Read Aloud:
While this is the most common activity among Read Across America, it’s an effective one! Grab a new book, your little one, and pop a squat on a comfy sofa. Reading aloud will allow for students to engage and interact with the book in its entirety. Reading aloud will help with comprehension, vocabulary, as well as long-term engagement. Ensure the book of choice accurately fits the student’s grade/reading level for a more rewarding and inspiring experience.
Role-Playing:
Sitting still to read a book can be a challenge for many students. Keeping them engaged and entertained can be a chore in itself. What better way to keep them engaged than to immerse them into the story fully! Grab some extra clothes around the house and transform yourself and the student into characters from your current storybook. You can even get the family pet involved. Interacting with adolescence allows for them to express themselves and how they have interpreted the character that they are portraying—allowing for full expression and character development.
Slide Parties:
For older students, “story time” typically isn’t such an exciting moment for them anymore. With the current state of our world ad this virtual time we’re in, “slide parties” are an excellent way to keep all students involved. A Slide Party permits students to prepare a slide presentation on a topic of their choice and share it with others on a video chat platform. Slides can be about a plethora of things. Students can create slides to introduce themselves, share an interest, or talk about a favorite book, series, or character in detail. Host a Read Across America Slide Party for a group of students or get the family involved and create a night of it.
Reading Obstacle Course:
Reading fun, physical activity, and social distancing all in one! Take advantage of empty parking lots or sidewalks and chalk up (or paint, duct tape) a path that gets kids hopping, jumping, spinning, and more! Your chalk walk could include various steps and directions based on literary references from fairy tales, folk tales, or the current book your child is reading. This is a fantastic way to get involved but remain socially distant while engaging in Read Across America.
VRC is here to help you be creative as this year’s Read Across America comes in full force. If you are interested in any of the opportunities above and wish to obtain further information, please contact Toni Johns at toni.johns@hfuw.org or visit https://www.nea.org/professional-excellence/student-engagement/read-across-america. We hope you have a safe and eventful Read Across America Day!
