I cannot wait to speak to the amazing Lynda Mullaly Hunt as we finish the Global Read Aloud 2015. Join us live for this event at 8:45 AM CST on November 18th, or watch the recording here.
Category: information
After the Global Read Aloud – A Letter From Me to You #GRA15
Good evening,
I started the Global Read Aloud with a dream, a hope, and a wish to connect my own students to the rest of the world. I knew that books held a magic that we could use to create connections and I knew that my students needed ways to speak to others, a way to embrace technology and make it more meaningful, a way to bring the world in. So one summer night, in 2010, the Global Read Aloud was born. And boy, has it ever grown.
From it’s humble beginnings of less than 200 students all reading The Little Prince to this year’s project where I stopped counting after we hit 500,000 students, this project has become its own magnificent entity. A “thing” that you do, a tradition that keeps growing and growing. And so, it is at a point where I feel like I have to share a few things about being the creator of the GRA and what this project looks like from the back. What it feels to be headquarters, creator, mastermind, email answerer, tweet reader, and every single person approver, or any other role that this project requires. It is time I set a few things straight.
To all of you who have loved this project and made it your own. Who have championed it, shared it, made it better than what it was; thank you. Thank you from the bottom of me. Thank you for seeing its beauty and taking the time to believe in it.
To the authors who have given their time, who have given up writing time, who have connected, who have recorded, who have been involved. You have taken this project to a whole new level. You have made it magical.
But to those of you who keep sharing all of the things that are wrong with the project, how it would only be better if this, first of all, I am sorry that it cannot live up to what you had dreamed. Secondly, I am one person. I am someone who has 4 children under the age of 6, who teaches full-time, who writes, and speaks, and reads so many books to keep this thing going. Who needs to sleep and even sometimes not work.
I get your frustration at missed connections. I get when an author is not involved enough. When a book doesn’t fit perfectly. When the project is ending and you have just found out about it and there is no other project this year. I get when it falls over a break, or when the tool you use is not working. I get that you get frustrated when I cannot buy the books for you, I am a teacher, I buy the books myself too. I get it. But I cannot fix it. I cannot make this better. I am one person, someone who is trying so hard to make this project the best project for those who choose to do it.
The Global Read Aloud is a beautiful thing if you make it beautiful. The power of it lies in its simplicity; you make it into what you need. There will never be lesson plans to follow. There will never be everything that someone could want. I will never be able to do all of the things that some wish I would. That is not the spirit of the project, that is not my desire. This project remains at its core a way to connect students, and sometimes that involves figuring things out that we are not completely sure of how to do.
So as I look back at this year, it’s sixth, one thing is for sure; it was big! And I am not sure it is meant to be. I am not sure that we are meant to have as many places to connect, as many books to choose from. I feel like the project is turning into something that is not about the connections but more about the size, and that was never my intention. So for the next few months, I am going to be doing a lot of thinking. I would love your thoughts as well, but please, only the positive ones, I think I have filled my quota for the year on the negative.
I don’t know how the Global Read Aloud will look next year. I don’t know if there will be a next year. There are so many incredible things, but for now it is time to scrutinize and decide; where will it go? What will it look like? How do we keep it about the books and the connecting, rather than the frustrations? My ears are open, my heart is heavy, and yet, thankful for all of you who have loved it. You are what make me do it year after year, you are what makes all of this worth it.
Best,
Pernille
Glow Ball Read Dahl Loud November 13th #GRA15
I can’t believe the last week of the Global Read Aloud is upon us. What an incredible adventure it has been yet again. When Amy Krouse Rosenthal and I spoke this summer, she asked if she could help dream up events for you and as anyone would probably do, I enthusiastically replied, “Yes!”
Therefore, for us to celebrate the final day of the Global Read Aloud, November 13th, I invite you to participate in the Glow Ball Read Dahl Loud!
How do you participate?
GLOW = if possible, get some colorful glow sticks
BALL = get dressed up like you’re going to a fancy ball
READ = you know how to do that!
DAHL = find your favorite Roald Dahl poem
LOUD = now read it as LOUD as you can!!
So join us on November 13th as we culminate our read aloud with a massive celebration of the beauty of reading aloud.
P.S: When you say “Glow Ball Read Dahl Loud” out loud, what does it sound like? 🙂
P.P.S: You can listen to Amy’s favorite rendition of the song Pure Imagination here.
Answers to Our KNOWvember Quiz About Amy Krouse Rosenthal #GRA15 #GRAAmy
We hope you had fun with the quiz! Here are all of the answers…
Here are all of the questions again
1) Where does Amy live?
a. Chicago
b. New York
c. The moon
2) Amy’s dog’s name is:
a. Cougar
b. Plankton
c. She doesn’t have a dog
3) What is Amy’s favorite snack?
a. Sunflower seeds
b. Potato chips
c. Split pea soup
4) What’s her favorite place to write?
a. On airplanes
b. At her desk
c. At coffeehouses
d. All of the above
5) Does Amy have any kids?
a. Yes, 2
b. Nope
c. Yes, 3
6) What is Amy’s secret talent?
a. She can do a double back flip off the diving board
b. She can name all 50 states in alphabetical order in 17 seconds
c. She can guess your birthday with 90% accuracy
7) Where does she get her ideas?
a. From simply keeping her eyes/ears/mind open, noticing things, and thinking a lot
b. From the idea store of course
8) Why does she write?
a. Because she loves words
b. Because she loves making things
c. Because she can’t not write
d. All of the above
9) What does Amy have in common with Albert Einstein?
a. They have the same IQ
b. They both stick their tongues out in photos
c. Neither of them like wearing socks
BONUS: What are Amy’s two favorite colors?
ANSWERS:
1) Chicago
2) Cougar
3) Potato chips
4) All of the above
5) Yes, 3
6) She can name all 50 states in alphabetical order in 17 seconds
7) From simply keeping her eyes/ears/mind open, noticing things, and thinking a lot
8) All of the above
9) Neither of them like wearing socks
Win Amy Krouse Rosenthal’s New Book #GRA15
Here at the Global Read Aloud we are celebrating the November 17th release of Amy Krouse Rosenthal’s new book Awake Beautiful Child by giving away 5 copies of her book! To enter the contest, simply tell us what difference being a part of the Global Read Aloud has done for you and/or your students. Winners will be notified after November 7th.
Publishers Weekly Starred Review says:
Rosenthal (I Wish You More) again demonstrates her ability to use wordplay to create stories with real emotional depth as she follows children through a day, described only in three-word, A-B-C phrases. It “All Begins Cheerily” with a boy waking up, followed by an afternoon of exploration (“Ants, Butterflies, Caterpillars”) and rowdy superhero play (“Attention! Be Careful!” says his harried mother). Later, a girl and her mother explore an “Active Bustling City,” and another child asks her father for a bedtime story reread: “ ‘Again!’ (Begs Convincingly).” Illustrator Lam’s debut couldn’t be more polished and confident: her palette seems to shift with the day’s waxing and waning light, while her crisp, screenprintlike images have an understated poise and precision that highlights the quiet magic of everyday moments. Ages 3–up. Author’s agent: Amy Rennert, Amy Rennert Agency. (Nov.)
To order the book, please go here, and to receive 20% off (!!) use coupon code #GRA15
New Chapter Breakdown for Fish for Global Read Aloud #GRA15 #GRAFish
Thank you to the astute María Laura Bargas who informed me that the chapter breakdown I had posted this summer was actually missing some of the chapters in it! The chapter guide of what to read when therefore needs to be modified, so here is the new guide:
Week 5: Chapter 8
Week 6: 9-10 – to the end
Thank you so much for catching this!
Global Random Acts of Kindness Week #GRA15
When Amy Krouse Rosenthal and I spoke this summer, she asked if she could help dream up events for the project, and as anyone would probably do, I enthusiastically replied, “Yes!” So behold: the first idea she created. Thank you Amy for making this world a better place for all of us.
Join us the week of October 26th – October 30th for GLOBAL RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS
What do you get when you put together Global Read Aloud and Random Acts of Kindness? Global Random Acts of Kindness! For one week, the #GRA15 community all across the globe will set out to brighten someone else’s day, be it classmates, teachers, family, or complete strangers.
Check out Amy’s videos for some inspiration:
What kindness will you spread? Please use the hashtag #GRAK15 to share your ideas and acts!
To Have Your Class or School Added to the Global Read Aloud Map #GRA15
Many of you have contacted me to ask if you could have a marker placed for your specific location on our official Google Map. Yes, you can. Simply fill out this form and I will get them placed on the map.
I will not place locations not added to this form.
Ask Kevin Henkes #GRABilly #GRA15
Imagine receiving the following email:
Kevin is so impressed with GRA15 and would love to get involved.
He’s on the final leg of his tour this week and unavailable, but he would be able to answer questions from teachers and students next week. He is not on social media or email, as you know, but might you or someone else involved with GRA put a call out for questions this week that Kevin will answer and then he can answer 5 (or so) of them the week of 10/26
Wahooo!
So between now and this Friday, October 16th, I will be collecting possible questions for Kevin and then send them to him. So this is your chance to have your students ask their most burning question about him or The Year of Billy Miller. Do check and make sure he has not already answered your question on his blog, that will make my choosing the 5 he will answer a little bit easier.
The Official Global Read Aloud Map 2015 #GRA15
I finally found a way to create a map of all of the participants and the many different countries and states that are represented in the Global Read Aloud this year. I did not do actual towns or schools, so this is only one marker per state or country, otherwise there would be about 9,000 different markers on here. But still, just look at this!
PS: This map is locked, sorry, but that way it will not be deleted again.
The Global Read Aloud 