Global Read Aloud 2015

I had the honor of participating in the Global Read Aloud this year with my K-2 Humanities Club. It was so much fun to make this cultural reading experience come alive for the students. The Global Read Aloud was started in 2010 with one goal in mind: one book to connect the world. Pernille Ripp, the teacher who created the Global Read Aloud, explains how it works in the video below:



The Global Read Aloud offers several choices for reading: chapter books and an author study. This year's author study focused on Amy Krouse Rosenthal, author/illustrator of stories that inspire creativity and individualism like Exclamation Mark, The Ok Book, and Chopsticks. Her books fit perfectly with our aim to integrate the humanities into our core curriculum. 

The Global Read Aloud encourages teachers to connect with a classroom in a different part of the world and we were lucky to find a first grade class from King City near Toronto, Canada. Each week we read a new Amy Krouse Rosenthal book and discussed it with our friends in Canada via Skype or through Padlet.

Created with Padlet

We loved learning about their school and comparing the things we had in common while discovering what makes us unique. The students at the Canadian school are learning French but are learning Spanish! We found out they play some of the same games we do at recess. It also stimulated the students' curiosity about Canada and we used Google Earth, eBooks, and print books to learn more about the country. 

Each week during clubs I gave the students the opportunity to have quiet reading time with Rosenthal's books. Even though we focused on one or two particular books a week, I wanted the students to have exposure to all of her stories. The students love to buddy read!

During centers students had the choice of visiting the computer center to listen to eBooks and watch book trailers of Rosenthal's books. They also enjoyed building with pattern blocks at the activity center.

Literacy centers gave the students a chance to respond to Rosenthal's books through writing and drawing. 

One day when our Canadian friends were not available to Skype with us, we found a class in Detroit, Michigan, who wanted to connect. Twitter and Edmodo make it easy for educators participating in the Global Read Aloud to share ideas and form partnerships. It was fun to do a shared reading via Skype of It's Not Fair! After the read aloud, students introduced themselves and asked questions to learn more about each other. This is the beauty of the Global Read Aloud--using books as a bridge to form new friendships and broaden students' understanding of the world around them. At Club Boulevard our vision is to help students grow as human beings and authentic experiences like the Global Read Aloud serve as a vehicle for helping us accomplish this goal. 

One of the last books we read together was Exclamation Mark! In this book we learned that each one of us is unique and our differences make us special. I asked the students to think about at least one thing they are good at and write about it. We used the Educreations app to create a short slideshow of their work. 

I would encourage any educator to participate in the Global Read Aloud. It is a free, easy way to make meaningful global connections through literacy and technology, and encompasses everything we try to teach our students as a humanities magnet school. Certainly one of the highlights of the semester for me (and for the students, I hope!)! For more information, read the FAQs on the Global Read Aloud site: http://theglobalreadaloud.com/info-for-2015/frequently-asked-questions/