Simple Ideas for a Fun and Fabulous Read Across America Week

Simple Ideas for a Fun and Fabulous Read Across America Week

Hey, y'all. My first couple of years of teaching, I went all out on the Dr. Seuss stuff for Read Across America Week. I taught kindergarten and we read all the books and did all the crafts. Now that I have a few more years under my belt, my focus for Reading Week has changed a bit. 

In case you've gotten caught up in the "extras" too, the whole point of Read Across America Week is to get the kids reading! It's not the cute craft or the Cat in the Hat hats. It's about the books. 

A little bit ago, I wrote about different ways you could structure your Reading Week. You can find that post here. Since then, I've complied some of the activities we do in our classroom to still celebrate reading without getting sucked into all the "extras." 

Oftentimes, we start off the week with a little book tasting to get us excited about the week. Then we make sure everyone has a map of either the US (if we're reading across America) or the world (if we're bringing in texts from everywhere) and a reading log so we can keep track of it all. If we're doing a book battle, the kids will have a copy of that, too. 

As we read throughout the week, we take time to compare and contrast different stories. If we're able to watch a movie adaptation of a book, we'll do that too, then compare and contrast the book and movie.  

After we've read quite a few books, the kids create a banner about their favorites. It could be one we've read together as a class or one that they found and liked. When their banners are done, we cut them out and hang them up so their classmates can read them and find some new books, too. 

Throughout the week, we'll do things like our reading Bingo board, a scavenger hunt, have a read-in and a book party, and so much more. We usually have dress up days to get into the spirit and the kids love it! 

You can check out more of what we do for Read Across America Week here. I'm always adding new ideas, resources, and freebies so be sure to follow me on TPT for all the latest updates. 

I hope you found some new ideas for your classroom's Reading Week. Have a wonderful week and I'll talk to you soon. 

Stay cozy,