Kelley: Missouri School Read-In March 9

The Missouri General Assembly passed HB 795 last year in a true bi-partisan fashion declaring the 2^nd Friday of March, “Missouri School Read-In Day.” We are approaching the first annual Missouri School Read-In Day this year on March 9^th. I am sending this email to encourage you to participate in your schools and community to make this event a great achievement! Below you will find several ideas to help make this a successful day. I have also included plans which other groups are intending to do. I am pleased to be teamed up with the Mark Twain Boyhood Home and Museum in promoting this event. The only way this program will have an impact on our children is to have everyone work together to promote the importance of reading! Reading is a fundamental part of education and the data shows that children who enjoy reading are more successful!

Here are some ideas:

• Author or illustrator visit the schools -- Could perhaps do via Skype
• Get MASL's (Missouri Association of School Librarians) buy in and involvement
• Have kids produce READ posters (I know Barton Co. Library has/had the software). http://www.alastore.ala.org/detail.aspx?ID=1214 http://www.alastore.ala.org/searchresult.aspx?categoryid=158
• Promote bookmark creation contests with students
0
• Have local business people go into classrooms to read their favorites to students (short time frames -- 15 minutes)
• Promote reading competitions between students/classrooms --
  • Number of pages
  • Number of books
  • % of students participating
  • % of families who participate at home that day
• Get schools to devote the whole day to Reading and Reading Activities -- i.e. no Math, Social Studies etc. that day


• With enough prior prep -- give a book to each student (similar to RIF- Reading is Fundamental program, but for all grades)


• Coordinate with the RIF program


• Have Truman Birthplace sponsor an after-school reading program/crafts -- a Story and Craft Time?


• Get businesses to support student who reach some sort of reading goal on that day -- discount, small prize, etc. Many of the Fast Food places will give a coupon for reading books.


• Create a visual display of the books read during that day -- something like the library does for summer reading -- Book Titles entered on some shape of paper and then posted on the walls.


• Have principals or other public figures "do" something (shave head, pie in face, something embarrassing) if their students reach some large goal having to do with the day.

http://www.msta.org/files/resources/publications/read_aloud.pdf http://connect.msta.org/MSTA/Blogs/BlogViewer/?BlogKey=33f2f165-0a6c-477b-83c8-eeea8066b12c http://www.marktwainmuseum.org/index.php/press-room/recent-press-releases/227-mark-twain-museum-sponsors-missouri-school-read-in-day-for-hannibal-schools https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mark-Twain-Boyhood-Home-Museum/97399285589 http://dese.mo.gov/calendar/specialdays.html
Anyone that has suggestions or ideas please share them with me. I would appreciate any schools or towns that plan on participating to contact me. I would like to have a list of all the schools, towns, officials and businesses that helped make this first annual read-in a success. It would be great to do a press release about the success of the first annual state wide school read-in. Please feel free to call my Capitol office at (573) 751-2165, my cell at 417-483-7456 or email at mike{dot}kelley{at}house{dot}mo{dot}gov.