Every year on March 2nd, classrooms across the country celebrate Read Across America Day, which also happens to be Dr. Seuss' birthday. A day completely dedicated to celebrating reading--what could be better?! One of my favorite ways to celebrate reading on this day is to invite guest readers to come in and read to our students! With these tips and the thank you gift idea, you'll be all set to start this beloved tradition in your classroom this year too! Be sure to download the Free Guest Reader Gift Tags here!
Throughout the years we had a variety of different people come in to be our guest readers for Read Across America Day. You can invite your principal, school board members, retired teachers, parents, local news anchors, local politicians, and even local sports team mascots or players to come in to read. It's a great way to get the school and local community involved, as well as to celebrate the importance of reading! One of my students' favorite guest readers was the Harrisburg Senators team mascot Rascal!
The best way to prepare for the day is to plan ahead! People love coming in to be guest readers, but calendars can fill up quickly. So, in order to accommodate schedules, reach out at least a month or two in advance to invite people to read to your class on March 2nd (or if the date falls on a weekend, the Read Across America is celebrated on the closest school date to March 2nd). You will probably want to even reach out sooner if you plan on inviting local news anchors, local politicians, or local sports team mascots or players. Our school usually invited 1-2 guest readers for each classroom on Read Across America Day. We usually had one in the morning and one in the afternoon, but you can decide what works best for you and your guest reader's schedule. Plan for around 20-30 minutes for the guest reader to spend with your class. Start off by introducing him or her, and even save some time at the end for some questions. You can have the guest reader bring in a book or two to read, or have some ready for him/her. Be sure to ask in your correspondence which option he/she would prefer. (You can always set out a few books just in case.)
An easy set up for the day is to hang a Dr. Seuss Giant Cat in the Hat by the chair that the reader will sit in. Some years I'd even make and attach a "Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!" sign to it.
I highly recommend that you have your students wear name tags, so that the guest readers can call on them by name. These Dr. Seuss Character Name Tags/Labels are perfect! Just add each student's first name on one with a Sharpie® marker and have them wear it for the day.
You'll want to have something to thank your guest reader for their time and give them before they leave. These Green Eggs and Ham candy bags are an easy and yummy treat to give your guest readers! To make them, line a baking sheet with parchment paper, lay out the pretzels with a white chocolate wafer on top. Put them in the oven at 250 degrees for about 2 minutes. Once they are out of the oven, immediately place a green M&M® on top. Put the tray in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes to cool.
Then, place the pretzels into a Clear Cellophane Gift Bag and attach the "Thank you for being an EGG-cellent Reader!" gift tag with some baker's twine. You can download the Free Guest Reader Gift Tags here!
You can also include a handwritten thank you note with it by using these Dr. Seuss Thank You Cards.
Having guest readers in your classroom for Read Across America Day is such a fun way to celebrate reading and involve the community!
