One Book to Connect the World!

     ​Are you bored of your normal read aloud routine?  Well, Global Read Aloud is a great way to interest your students in reading, assess their understanding of the book through fun activities using technology, and it’s a great way for them to interact and make connections with other students all around the world!
     
     My class of fourth graders was able to connect with many other classrooms in many different ways.  After reading part of the book Pax, we video conferenced with another fourth grade classroom in Baltimore, Maryland.  During our chat, we took turns summarizing chapters and asking and answering each other’s questions.

     We were also able to participate in a couple different Padlets.  Many participating teachers posed questions go the Global Read Aloud community about the book we were all reading and we were able to respond to these inquiries as well as see the answers of other students around the globe.
We even received a postcard about the book Pax from a school in Australia and have one on the way from Canada!  We plan to write them postcards back and keep in contact with them throughout the year.

​     We have used this program to make connections about the book Pax but it has led to so much more!  We participated in what was called “taking shelfies,” where on a Padlet, we posted the books we were reading individually and gave a short summary of them.  We could also see what books were being read nationally and internationally which gave us ideas on what we wanted to read next.  Another thing we are going to do with the other Global Read Aloud classes is “mystery Skyping” where we connect with a class and ask questions back and forth to try and figure out where each class is located.  This has gotten my students very interested in world and U.S. geography.  One more thing I plan to participate in that has branched off the Global Read Aloud experience is Global Student Read-A-Thon where for one day, students around the world independent read and tweet about what they are reading.
Global Read Aloud has helped me to break down the walls of my classroom and give my students experiences they will never forget!  This program has also inspired me and the other teachers involved to continue our connections throughout the rest of the school year so there are many more experiences to come!

      https://theglobalreadaloud.com/ 

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