By Sheri Miyamoto and Frank Wells
The cows are coming! Read Across America will be here before you know it.
Thursday, March 2, marks the seventh year for NEA's nationwide celebration of reading, and it's none too soon to begin planning activities and events for your school site.
Back by popular demand, the theme in California this year is "Happy Readers Come From California. Got Books?" Children's book illustrator Steve Gray of Farmer McPeepers and His Missing Milk Cows fame is continuing his partnership with CTA, creating new cow artwork to help promote the event.
Members will have access to the art and materials through the CTA Website. In addition, reasonably priced posters, neckties, pencils, stickers, rubber stamps and plush beanie cows will be available for purchase at upcoming CTA meetings and conferences while supplies last.
A packet with brochures, bookplates, certificates, recommended reading lists, and reading tips will be sent to all CTA chapters in February. Many of those same materials will also be available on the CTA website in late January.
Additional materials are available on the NEA Website.
Here are some things you can get started on now to make this year's Read Across America celebration memorable both for you and for your students:
- Remind your principal about the observance and refer him or her to the CTA or NEA website if necessary. If March 2 conflicts with your school calendar, feel free to plan your celebration for another day that week or even the week before or after.
- Consult your school librarian, who may have event ideas and resources to offer.
- Invite guest readers to visit your school and read to students. Visits from police officers, firefighters, radio/TV personalities, athletes, political figures, and other community members can make a big impression on young people.
Ask your guests to tell your students why reading is important in their lives and what their favorite books were when they were children.
- Share your plans with your colleagues and with the world. Make a pledge to participate on the NEA website, and keep your local association office informed as to what you're planning at your school. Let your local media outlets' education reporters know about your event.
Read Across America is a great opportunity to put a positive spotlight on your school and on your local association.
CTA welcomes 10 partners in the effort to promote this year's event: the Los Angeles Dodgers, Scholastic Books, the Los Angeles Times, Barnes and Noble, Hilton Los Angeles Airport, the California School Library Association, Northland Publishing, California Professional Firefighters, the California Library Association and, of course, Steve Gray.
