NEA's Read Across America Online Toolkit

13 Seuss-gestions

• Involve all NEA members. For example, bus drivers can set up a reading challenge; cafeteria workers can prepare recipes from your favorite books; and students and higher ed members can get their campus involved in your community. All of them can be guest readers.
• Look for partners to include in your event. NEA's Read Across America has more than 50 national organization partners from the American Library Association to Youth Service America. Check out our partners list at www.nea.org/readacross and find out if there's a local link for you. Don't forget to contact local businesses and organizations. They're great sources of book donations and volunteer readers.
• Arrange for a proclamation. Have your mayor, school board, or legislators issue a proclamation. For a sample proclamation, go to www.nea.org/readacross.
• Everyone loves a challenge, especially students. Remember the principal who ate a worm? The teacher who jumped into a vat of green jello? Be creative and students will "read" to the challenge.
• Read on the radio. Ask your local radio disc jockey to read or even broadcast from your school.
• Aim high. Who says high school students won't get involved? High School students love reader's theater and poetry slams, and middle school students can organize book fairs and read to elementary students.
• Invite parents and students to don their pajamas and snuggle up and read.
• Hats off to hometown heroes. Have students write to local heroes and ask them about their favorite books. Showcase these hometown heroes and their choices in your reading celebration.
• Put reading on parade or hold a book lovers' ball. Celebrate your favorite authors, books and characters in style.
• Put on your culture cap. Create a culture cafe and put books on the menu. Your reading recipes can combine food and fiction or nonfiction.
• Break a record! Guinness records were made to be broken, give one a try.
• Make your reading event a multilingual, multicultural affair.
• Team up for reading. Contact your local sports team for reading challenges and guest readers.

Don't forget to pledge your own event on NEA's Read Across America Web site, www.nea.org/readacross. You'll also be able to sign up for the Read Across America e-newsletter; find out what's already being planned around the country; request a Read Across America resource kit; and order T-shirts, Cat in the Hat stovepipe hats, and more from the Read Across Catalog. Go to www.nea.org/readacross.