Seven years ago, Wisconsin-based seventh-grade teacher Pernille Ripp had an idea for a global collaboration project that would connect educators and students through read-aloud. An immigrant herself, Ripp believed in the power of books to break down biases and broaden understandings.
“When I think about global collaboration—it’s because we need to make the world smaller. We need to stop being so afraid of others,” Ripp said. “We need to teach our kids about the outside world or allow them to start experiencing it.”
Since then, Global Read Aloud (GRA) has gained serious traction—reaching more than 2,000,000 students across 60 countries. For the next six weeks (ending in mid-November) educators from around the world will pick a book to read aloud to students while making as many global connections as possible through social media, video chat, blogging, and other mediums.
It’s not too late to join—just visit globalreadaloud.com to learn more and sign up, and then browse the list of resources below to get started:
- This video, which explains how Ripp was inspired to start GRA, how the movement has grown, and how your classroom can participate
- This archived Google Hangout conversation on the benefits of reading aloud, featuring Ripp, Steven L. Layne, author and professor of literacy education at Judson University in Illinois, and Jennifer Estrada, director of the HerStory Campaign for LitWorld
- The Global Read Aloud Official Board on Pinterest, where Ripp shares GRA ideas
- This open Google Sheet, where educators can contribute their own resources (or share ideas they have found online) for participating in GRA
- The official Twitter hashtag for this year, #GRA17, as well as the following, book-specific individual hashtags:
Alina O'Donnell is the editor of Literacy Daily.