You are hereReading across Continents Project Kicks Off on International Literacy Day
Reading across Continents Project Kicks Off on International Literacy Day
Three schools. Three books and award-winning authors. In three countries.
This is the gist of the groundbreaking Reading Across Continents program uniting students in Washington, D.C., Nigeria, and Ghana through the shared reading of literature.
High school students will read American author and National Teacher of the Year Sharon Draper's Copper Sun, Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's Purple Hibiscus, and a book by Ghanaian author Ama Ata Aidoo. Through the use of blogging and teleconference technologies, they will discuss cultural and literary connections with each other and the authors themselves. A select group of students will culminate their experience by traveling to foreign destinations as "Literacy Ambassadors," working with their newfound friends to develop literacy-focused community service projects.
My Wonderful World is thrilled to join our coalition partner, the International Reading Association, in support of the Reading Across Continents project. This past Monday, September 8, marked the official kickoff during International Literacy Day. Nearly 100 students from Washington, D.C.'s School Without Walls came to the Martin Luther King Jr. Library to meet author Sharon Draper, who served as the keynote speaker. Senior-level students who read Copper Sun last year were on hand to answer questions from the audience about the book's impact on their lives, including the depth of their cultural understanding and future plans. Several indicated that reading the book had inspired them to pursue travel to Africa through study abroad and other opportunities. Others referenced the sense of shared humanity gained through connecting with a protagonist "like them" in the cross-cultural coming-of-age story. All were enthusiastic about the experience, an affection that seemed to spread contagiously throughout the exhibit hall. What an exciting program and inaugural event!
To learn more about the project, and for the official press release, visit the website at ReadingAcrossContinents.com.
Teachers:
Want to connect with classrooms across the world? Check out the resources offered MWW Coalition partners iEARN, GLOBE, and ePals.
Students and teachers:
Have you ever collaborated with peers from another country to enhance learning? We want to hear about it!
Sarah for My Wonderful World