Looking for "Lessons on Reading for Capitol Hill?"

Reading
'Oh, The Places You'll Go!'

That's the theme for the 2001 Read Across America campaign, the NEA project that's stirring up year-round interest in reading.

More than 23 million children and adults celebrated the joy of reading and Dr. Seuss's birthday last March 2 as part of NEA's 2000 Read Across America celebration.

Now NEA members nationwide are gearing up for 2001. The theme: Oh, The Places You'll Go!

In this classic book, Dr. Seuss urges readers to fly high to reach goals, even if they're facing the dreaded "Hakken-Kraks."

"Besides its wonderful, positive message, Oh, The Places You'll Go! offers an apt analogy for books themselves," says NEA staffer Barby Halstead-Worrell. "The places we can go through books are endless and exciting."

Oh, The Places You'll Go! also offers NEA members a wonderful theme to build upon for Read Across America celebrations next March 2. Using the travel theme, send students packing on virtual trips. Challenge your students to go the distance by reading a set number of books or pages.

This past March, educators came up with a wide array of projects that got kids diving into books. For example, creative NEA members urged students to read enough pages to cover the distance across their state, or even the country. Some students read books about real towns with intriguing names or from regions totally unlike their own.

Other popular projects last year involved having guest readers in the classroom. Some schools held Drop Everything and Read (DEAR) drills or had students dress up as favorite Dr. Seuss characters. And always popular are activities that have kids eating "green eggs and ham."

Students nationwide especially enjoyed meeting a reading challenge.

Typically, school staff would challenge kids to read some unprecedented number of books. The students' reward? School staff would do something wacky, everything from dying their hair purple to diving into root beer floats, frozen lakes, bathtubs of gelatin, or big vats of pudding.

Educators are tapping into the enthusiasm generated by Read Across America events like these to promote reading as a year-round activity, both at school and at home.

At the Read Across America Web site, you'll find lots more stories about how NEA members are motivating students to read. You'll also find plenty of inspiration that can help you create your own celebration for March 2.

As Dr. Seuss puts it:
And will you succeed?
Yes! You will, indeed!
(98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed.)

The Read Across America site also links to Reading Matters, NEA's new Web area that offers research, classroom activities, and lots more for educators helping kids learn to read.

For more: Visit the Web at www.nea.org/readacross.

How To ...
line Up Author Visits

Inviting "real-live authors" to visit your school or classroom can add an exciting chapter to a young reader's life. With enough advance notice, most authors are willing to tailor their presentations to meet your needs.

Here's how to make an author visit a rousing success.

• Plan to book authors several months in advance, especially for busy times such as National Children's Book Week in Novem-ber, National Poetry Month in April, and Black History Month in February.

  For info on lining up a specific author, check www.childrens bookguild.org/SpeakersBureau.html. Contact Children's Book Council authors and illustrators through www.cbcbooks.org/navigation/teaindex.htm.

• Specify all details in writing so there are no unpleasant surprises for either party. Cover transportation, accommodations, fees, ages and sizes of groups, length and number of presentations, and note which books will be featured. Involve the publisher or author's agent, and set clear expectations for autographing and book sales.

• Engage students, staff, and parents. Read the author's work. Post a photo and bio. Assign a related project before the visit. Prepare students for a Q&A session. Ensure the school and local library have the author's books.

• Make sure staff are present and actively involved at all times. Don't expect your guest to monitor classroom behavior.

--Michelle Y. Green
NEA Today (author of the Willie Pearl
historical fiction series)