World Read Aloud Day Frequently Asked Questions

Whether you are celebrating World Read Aloud Day for the first or sixth time, read through our frequently asked questions below for ideas and inspiration for your 2015 planning.

I’m busy on March 4th, can I still celebrate WRAD?

Definitely. We would be happy if every day was World Read Aloud Day! Celebrate when your schedule allows and be sure to tweet, post and share stories with the LitWorld team so that we can track our global movement.

Are there designated books for WRAD? 

There are no designated books for World Read Aloud Day. You are free to read whatever brings you the most joy. We recommend trying out different genres to discover how they feel to read aloud. Poetry especially lends itself well to this activity. If you do not have easy access to a book, the LitWorld website has a free downloadable picture book called “New Day, New Friends” by C. Alexander London.

I’m not a teacher, can I still celebrate World Read Aloud Day?

Absolutely! World Read Aloud Day is for everyone. Celebrate with family, friends or co-workers. The only requirement for World Read Aloud Day is in the title itself: Read aloud. Check out LitWorld’s activity kits for the home, workplace or community center and get creative.

This is my first year celebrating World Read Aloud Day, how do I get started?

Welcome to our joyful movement for global literacy, we’re glad you’re with us! Start by deciding where you’ll celebrate and who will join your celebration. Every WRAD celebration is unique but here are some real life examples of past celebrations:

• Read aloud over video chat with friends or family (or in person of course if they live near by).
• Start a meeting at work with an inspiring read aloud related to the mission or spirit of your work.
• Host an event in your home for other families. Have each family bring a favorite story, poem or article that is personally meaningful. Have a round table read aloud.
• If you are a teacher, have a school wide event, inviting guest readers from the community to read to your students.
• Contact a local library or community center and ask if they would like you and your co-workers to throw children a reading party. Come prepared with some favorite books and ready to talk about why you like to read and to hear about the children’s favorite stories to read too!

What is a WRADvocate? 

WRADvocate is short for "World Read Aloud Day Advocate." Our WRADvocates are individuals and organizations around the world who commit to both celebrating World Read Aloud Day and making sure as many people as possible in their social network are invited to do the same. WRADvocates spread the word by posting frequently on social media, and talking to their contacts in person to explain the importance of World Read Aloud Day.

Your World Read Aloud Day Mission: Read Awesome Books

The World Read Aloud Day Reading Minutes Challenge is a joyful and rewarding adventure. The concept is simple: Participants read for as many minutes as they can leading up to World Read Aloud Day on March 4th. Every minute read will build strong reading muscles. On top of that, every second spent reading a story can have a big impact on the world. We invite you to collect sponsors to pledge a certain amount of money, or a flat donation, for every minute you read. For example, someone may choose to sponsor $1 for every 5 minutes you read, or they may choose to give you $30 to honor your efforts and participation in World Read Aloud Day.

Take the challenge as a family, a workplace or school-wide to build community around reading. We wish you many hours lost in the pages of a favorite book, and we offer our deep gratitude for joining the World Read Aloud Day movement. For convenience we have created a reading minutes tally and pledge tracker which is found in our World Read Aloud Day activity packets. Download the classroom, community, home or office packet to get started.

Literacy Builds Peace, Curiosity and Friendship in Ahmedabad

Our International Program Director Ana is on the ground in Ahmedabad, India. Our LitWorld programs in India run in partnership with the Center for Development. CfD is an extraordinary organization that focuses on peace and reconciliation by bringing children and families of different religious communities together. Our LitClubs are the first time opportunity that children have to tell their stories and to share life experiences with friends of another religion. The children are leaders of peace through literacy in their community.

Ana visited our six LitClubs that run in partnership with CfD and wrote to us about the extraordinary literacy community that the children and their mentors have created: "In every group, children provide support systems for each other. Friends are there to support their fellow LitClub members, to read aloud to them, to encourage their drawings, and allow them to be confident at whatever reading and writing level they are."

eing together with our local partner and Bal Dosts (LitClub mentors) of CfD allowed us to run LitWorld trainings and refresher courses. The Bal Dosts loved the LitWorld core value of asking children open ended questions to facilitate story sharing. They said that in Indian society children are rarely asked for their opinions and questions have a right or a wrong answer. The Bal Dosts talked in great depth about the concept of open ended questions and dove into the LitClub question poem activity. We are honored to have such engaged, poetic leaders running our programs on the ground.

The New York Times Features LitWorld & the Read Aloud

The latest Kids & Family Reading Report released by Scholastic this week confirms what LitWorld has known all along: reading aloud changes a child's world. Our Founder, Pam Allyn, was interviewed by The New York Times to share her expert insight on the latest read aloud research. 

The article, "Study Finds Reading to Children of All Ages Grooms Them to Read More on Their Own", outlines the powerful benefits of reading aloud as well as the reality of children's reading lives across the nation. Let us rally behind this new research as we unite for World Read Aloud Day on March 4th to make the world Story Strong.

Click here to read the article.

World Read Aloud Day is Coming, Spread the Word!

World Read Aloud Day is Wednesday, March 4th, 2015. Last year over one million people in more than 80 countries celebrated this day of joy and this year we want to reach at least 100 countries. We need your help spreading the word about the magic of World Read Aloud Day. Use the sample social media posts below to rally your friends, family and community for the big day! Stay up to date with all World Read Aloud Day happenings by following LitWorld on Facebook and Twitter @litworldsays.

Last year 1 million people celebrated World Read Aloud Day. Make the movement bigger this year #readaloud on 3/4! http://litworld.org/wrad

I will read aloud on 3/4 for World Read Aloud Day, will you? #ReadAloud. Change the world. http://litworld.org/wrad #wrad

The 2015 World Read Aloud Day activity packet is here! Plan your joyful celebration today: http://litworld.org/wrad

Reading is magic that every child must experience. RT if you will celebrate World Read Aloud Day on 3/4 with @litworldsays. #wrad #readaloud

My favorite thing about reading aloud is _____________. #readaloud #wrad http://litworld.org/wrad

Read aloud, read aloud, the key to everything: read aloud. Join the World Read Aloud Day movement: http://litworld.org/wrad 

Get Connected for World Read Aloud Day 2015

Every year educators around the world collaborate to make World Read Aloud Day a huge event for students across the nation. This year is no different. Our awesome WRADvocates have created a World Read Aloud Day Google doc to schedule classroom to classroom read alouds over video chat.

All educators are free to add their schedules and contact information to this document. As WRADvocate Shannon Miller says, "Connecting through stories is always such a rewarding experience for our students.  Students often discover that we are all very much the same even though we are different. You may even discover a long-time collaborative partner through this one experience."

Access the Google doc here and connect with Shannon on Twitter to stay up to date with her World Read Aloud Day plans!

December News for You: Our Favorite Things from 2014

'Tis the season for reflecting, giving, and "best of" lists! We are so grateful for all who have given their time, talent, wisdom and energy to make this a momentous year for LitWorld. To celebrate LitWorld's 2014 milestones, here are some favorite stories from the past year. Thank you for helping the LitWorld movement soar.

A LitClub Trailblazer

Stephanie's LitWorld story began in 2009 when she joined our very first LitClub in Harlem. In the past five years we have watched her become resilient and strong in her own identity through literacy and the important work of writing down her own stories and seeking out the stories of others. Stephanie formed deep friendships with fellow LitClub members and has access to support and championing from LitWorld mentors. Belonging to this supportive literacy community allowed Stephanie to build confidence to pursue her passion for photography, the courage to be a community leader as a LitLibrarian, and the determination to live with a hopeful outlook for her future. Stephanie and every one of her fellow LitClub alumni graduated high school this year and began college.

To make sure more girls around the world receive the literacy mentorship and social support they need through LitClubs, LitWorld launched the 10,000 Global Girls Initiative with our partner Global Girls Rising. Our ground-breaking model was celebrated in Forbes Magazine, which featured an interview with Stephanie. Read the full interview here.

The Power Women: An Unstoppable Force

The Power Women Moms LitClub is a group of HIV positive women who live in the Kibera community of Nairobi. When we met the power women, we started our work together with this question: "What do you want literacy to do for you?" They told us they wanted to be able to teach their children to read, and they wanted to create a website to sell all of their handmade products to become economically independent. Their dreams became a reality. The women manage multiple businesses in Kibera including a daycare, a sewing shop and a hair studio. Stay up to date with the Power Women by following their Facebook page.

LitWorld's early work with the Power Women informed our work with families and intergenerational groups. We know that the key to lasting outcomes is to create a community around literacy. This wraps children in a culture of reading and writing from the earliest age, setting them up for lifelong learning success. LitWorld's Founder, Pam Allyn, shares her insight on the critical importance of early education in this piece for Scholastic titled, "On early learning: By the dawn's early light."

Reading Aloud Unites the World

World Read Aloud Day 2014 arrived during a time of transition for the families of Ulingan community in Manila, Philippines. As they were facing relocation to a city outside of Manila, LitWorld programs continued to run. On World Read Aloud Day the children knew they could rely on their LitClub leaders and volunteers of our partner Project PEARLS to run a story-filled celebration. Parents and volunteers told us that read alouds brought comfort, joy and time for the children to just be children while soaking in the power of words.

We are always moved by the way each person who celebrates World Read Aloud Day internalizes the larger message of the day. This deeply personal piece by Ron Charles of The Washington Post about the sacred role the read aloud plays in his home is profoundly beautiful, enjoy.

P.S. Save the date for World Read Aloud Day 2015 on March 4th! Our next newsletter will be full of action steps and resources.