December reading activities

Read for 2005!

Participate in Read for 2005, Scholastic's 5th annual event that encourages students, teachers, friends, and parents around the globe to unite to read for 2005 seconds. Information and resources can be found at Scholastic.com.

December is Universal Human Rights Month

Read about human rights legends:

Aung San Suu Kyi, Nobel Prize winner from Burma

Awarded the 1991 Nobel Peace prize and many other awards for her leadership in Burma’s pro-democracy movement.  While the country’s military leadership held her in detention, Aung San Suu Kyi won a general election by a landslide.

Aung San Suu Kyi biography
http://www.ibiblio.org/freeburma/assk/assk.html

Aung San Suu Kyi resources
http://womenshistory.about.com/cs/aungsansuukyi

Nelson Mandela

Profile of Nelson Mandela
http://www.anc.org.za/people/mandela.html

ANC Nelson Mandela page
http://www.anc.org.za/people/mandela/index.html

December 21 is the Winter Solstice

Resources

• A wintery tale of survival comes to virtual life at Weather Eye.  
• Learn from Mrs. McGowan's first grade class at H. W. Mountz School in Spring Lake, NJ, how to Read A Winter Book ... Write A Winter Poem.

Activity Ideas

• Make winter time a season of sharing. Books are gifts that keep giving. Create winter holiday classroom or home projects that give the gift of literacy:
  • Make a donation to your local library as a gift in honor of your favorite reader(s).
  • Bring books and holiday cheer to a local nursing home to read with the elderly.
  • Support local book/toy drives or collaborate with organizations like the General Federation of Women's Clubs or the Heart of America Foundation to sponsor your own collection effort.

Chilly weather is the perfect time to get cozy with books. Take a look at our booklists to pick out books for your child's winter reading:

• Teachers' Top 100 Books
• Kids' Top 100 Books
• Celebrities' Favorite Books
• Hispanic Book List
• Asian-American Books
• 50 Multicultural Books Every Child Should know
• State-by-State Booklist
• Youth Leaders for Literacy Booklist
• Native American Booklist

Send comments to readacross@nea.org