For the past trimester, Yavneh Academy has participated in something “magical,” something to make this huge world in which we live seem a bit smaller and friendlier. The Global Read Aloud is a worldwide initiative that does exactly what its title implies; children around the globe read a book together. It began in 2010 when Pernille Ripp wanted to connect her students to other students around the globe through literature. In only five years, it has grown and thrived. More than 500,000 students participated this year. Two spin-offs have come into being: Ecouter Lire le Monde for French speaking children, and New Zealand Read Aloud for those children “down under” whose school calendars do not coincide with those in the northern hemisphere.
Its success is based on its simplicity. Teachers sign up and choose their books from an available list. They then connect with other teachers in other schools and decide among themselves how they want to share those books.
Yavneh kindergarten teacher Mrs. Valerie Kleinfeld described her class’ first conversation with their partner class as “magical.” The children were thrilled to meet their new friends who lived in Indiana. They connected by Skyping and sharing a padlet. A padlet is a virtual wall that allows people to express their thoughts on a common topic easily. Each of the books shared messages with the students such as, “it’s OK to be who you are” or “I’ll find what I’m really good at.”
Yavneh first grade teacher Mrs. Laya Levine worked with a group of four other classes, two in Wisconsin, one in Texas and one in Canada. The children exchanged ideas through use of Google Docs, Kidblogs, where they shared recipes for friendship, a postcard exchange and Skype.
Levine feels that it was not just the students who benefited from the Global Read Aloud. “Sharing ideas with teachers was phenomenal, I’ve learned so much from the other teachers’ suggestions. It made me grow. I challenged myself to do what they were doing, even if it was something I had never done before.”
All of Yavneh’s fourth grade secular studies teachers, Mrs. Linda Gans, Mrs. Lynn Bloom and Mrs. Alison Landa participated in this initiative as well. Mrs. Landa felt that collaborating with teachers in other schools and environments was a rewarding learning experience. “Since everyone brings something else to the table, the Global Read Aloud was a great way to be exposed to new and different sites and applications.”
Mrs. Gans felt that the book chosen by Global Read Aloud, “Fish in a Tree” by Lynda Mullaly Hunt, was one of the best children’s books she had ever come across. She intends to incorporate it into her reading curriculum for next year.
For the children, the Global Read Aloud was an exciting way to make new friends. Learning about similarities and differences among children in other classes while sharing the same books was powerful. The classes will continue to meet for the remainder of the school year to share and learn with and from each other.
