10 Activities for Read Across America Week to Promote Literacy

There are so many ways to promote literacy in the classroom during Read Across America Week. I have listed some of my favorite activities to share with students that they always love!

1. Author Study- Choose a favorite author to study by reading books and completing activities. We study Dr. Seuss during Read Across America Week because his birthday is March 2nd.

2. Book Tasting-A book tasting is a fun, easy way for students to sample a variety of books and be introduced to new authors and genres. Book tastings can be accomplished in a variety of ways that meet the needs of students. They can be set up in the cafeteria, library, classroom, or even outside. They should reflect a restaurant-like ambiance with table cloths and place settings at each student's seat. I always buy flowers for the center of the tables and play music in my classroom. After students choose their favorite book from our classroom or school library, they write about why it is their favorite. Their book and writing are displayed at their seat. During the book tasting, students rotate around the classroom getting a taste of new books by spending 3-5 minutes exploring a book. During each rotation, they make notes about each of the books. They can rotate seats at the same table or move to a different table and this process continues for the allotted time.

3. Book Scavenger Hunt- Set out books for students to choose from. Scavenger hunts can be based on letters, numbers, sight words, rhyming words, shapes, nouns, verbs, adjectives, long and short vowels, etc.

4. Read Outdoors- Pick a beautiful, sunny day and take your students outside during reading time. Let them choose a special spot for independent reading time.

5. Reading Bingo- Send home Reading Bingo to encourage reading at home and make reading more fun.

6. Reading Buddies- Have students from other grades come and be a reading buddy with your students by reading to each other.

7. Mystery Readers-Mystery Readers are a fun way to encourage parent involvement in your classroom, and students love having a special guest come and share their favorite book. It can be a parent, family member, community member, or anyone who wants to share their love of reading with the class. Each Friday, a mystery guest comes to my classroom to share their favorite book with our class. Parents sign up to read and list the book that they plan to read. When someone signs up, I ask them to email me three clues about themselves that I will share with the class. Then, students infer, based on the clues provided, who the "Mystery Reader" will be. Sometimes students guess correctly, but other times it is a complete surprise. It is always such an exciting moment when the door finally opens on Friday afternoon and students can see if their predictions were correct.

8. Dress Up as Your Favorite Book Character Day- Students will choose their favorite book character and dress up.

9. Flashlight Friday-Turn off the lights during independent reading time and students will choose a special spot in the classroom to read their book with a flashlight.

10. Make a Literacy Snack- After reading a book, create a snack inspired by the book. There are so many great ideas online, but one of my favorites is Cat in the Hat Cookies. Students love making these after reading The Cat in the Hat. To make the cookies, you need Oreo cookies, Red Life Savers Gummies Candy, and Betty Crocker decorating icing. First, twist open the Oreo cookies and use the side with the cream. Next, layer three pieces of candy with icing in between each to keep them stuck together to give it the Cat in the Hat look. Enjoy!