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I Survived author, Lauren Tarshis, shared some work from readers in a classroom in New York. They created new ideas & covers for I Survived books based on other historical events and had themselves starring as the main characters!

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It's 1972, and I'm 8 years old and in second grade at Clermont Elementary in Clermont, Florida.

The classroom floors are wood, and there's a ticking clock on the wall, and there's a chalkboard, and there are mottoes to live by strung up above it. And the teacher, Ms. Boyette, is wearing cat eyeglasses with glinting rhinestones.

She's reading aloud to us from "Island of the Blue Dolphins." And we have just come to a part of the book where the main character tames a wild dog, a wild dog. And I'm literally on the edge of my seat. I'm listening, listening, caught up in the wonder of at all. I'm a kid who loves a story.

But also in that second grade classroom seated not too far away from me, there's a class bully. Because I am so terrified of this boy, he doesn't even seem real to me. He is, in my mind, less a boy and more a monster.

In any case, Ms. Boyette is reading. And I look over at this boy because he is someone I am very much in the habit of keeping an eye on. And I notice that he is listening too, that he is engaged by the story, that he, like me, is leaning forward in his seat and listening with his whole heart.

I stare at him, open-mouthed. I'm struck with a sudden knowledge that this boy that I'm so afraid of is in fact just like me. He's a kid who likes a story.

The boy must feel my eyes on him, because he turns. He sees me seeing him, and something miraculous happens. He smiles at me. Really. And then another miracle. I, unafraid, smile back. We're two kids smiling at each other.

Why have I never forgotten this small moment? Why, almost 50 years later, do I still recall every detail of it? I think it's because that moment illustrates so beautifully the power of reading out loud.

Reading aloud ushers us into a third place, a safe room. It's a room where everyone involved, the reader and the listener, can put down their defenses and lower their guard. We humans long not just for story, not just for the flow of language, but for the connection that comes when words are read aloud. That connection provides illumination. It lets us see each other.

When people talk about the importance of reading aloud, they almost always mean an adult reading to the child.

We forget about the surly adolescent and the confused young adult and the weary middle-aged and the lonely old.

We need it too. We all need that third place, that safe room that reading out loud provides. We all need that chance to see each other.

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Kate DiCamillo on the magic of reading aloud

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We tend to reserve reading aloud for kids or others who can't read on their own. But beloved children's book author Kate DiCamillo thinks the practice offers a special opportunity for people to connect. She offers her humble opinion on the universal and age-defying magic of listening to a shared story.

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How is reading encouraged among staff members at your building?

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How do you encourage reflection for your readers of their independent reading throughout the year?

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How might this idea by illustrator, Debbie Ridpath Ohi, be used in building some book love among your readers?

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In what ways do you make displays of reading engaging and relevant for your readers?

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How to get kids to read books? Pretend the bookshelf is a Netflix screen! All the kids had a hand in putting this featured books display together & I think it came out great! We just need to add a little 🍿 for the full experience 📖

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How to get kids to read books? Pretend the bookshelf is a Netflix screen! All the kids had a hand in putting this featured books display together & I think it came out great! We just need to add a little 🍿 for the full experience 📖 https://t.co/oO8aCG6bBl

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How to get kids to read books? Pretend the bookshelf is a Netflix screen! All the kids had a hand in putting this featured books display together & I think it came out great! We just need to add a little 🍿 for the full experience 📖 pic.twitter.com/oO8aCG6bBl
— Alissa McDonald (@alissaamcdonald) January 8, 2019

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How to get kids to read books? Pretend the bookshelf is a Netflix screen! All the kids had a hand in putting this featured books display together & I think it came out great! We just need to add a little 🍿 for the full experience 📖 https://t.co/oO8aCG6bBl

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How to get kids to read books? Pretend the bookshelf is a Netflix screen! All the kids had a hand in putting this featured books display together & I think it came out great! We just need to add a little 🍿 for the full experience 📖 https://t.co/oO8aCG6bBl

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How to get kids to read books? Pretend the bookshelf is a Netflix screen! All the kids had a hand in putting this featured books display together & I think it came out great! We just need to add a little 🍿 for the full experience 📖

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In what ways does your school showcase community members as readers? How could this be of benefit?

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CLOSE

If you're reading this, you're a reader.

Well, duh, right?

But what we mean is that you're a reader's reader.

You read newspapers.

You read editorials!

You're hard core!

Kudos to you.

Now, how would you like an opportunity to share your passion for reading with youngsters to help inspire them to emulate you.

There's an event coming in May that (for obvious, maybe even self-interested) reasons we as a newspaper can really get behind.

It's called "Real Men Read."

Yes, real men read. Real women read, too, of course, but this event is specifically geared toward creating positive male role models and fostering a love of reading in youngsters.

Buy Photo

The 8th Annual York City's Real Men Read Event will take place on Monday, May 20. (Photo: Jason Plotkin, York Daily Record)

That has all sorts of advantages - higher educational achievement, better employment prospects, the simple joy of learning, and on and on.

Please consider taking a morning and participating in this annual event.

It's early, but signups are low at this point. Here are the details from a York City news release:

"The 8th Annual York City's Real Men Read Event will take place on Monday, May 20, 2019 beginning at 7 a.m. This event encourages 100 or more men to volunteer within schools throughout the City of York to read and share with students in grades K-12, to promote educational excellence through the power of reading and positive community role models.

"York City's Real Men Read Event is supported by United Way of York County, A.L. Handy Mentoring & Outreach, Crispus Attucks, City of York, Locals Only Collective, York City School District, Lincoln Charter School, Logos Academy and York Academy Regional Charter School.

"Men interested in participating in the event should sign up at the following link no later than April 30: http://www.superreader.org/500-men/ Please click "Register for York Reading Program."

"On the date of the event, men should report to Hannah Penn K-8 School, 415 E Boundary Ave, York, PA, at 7 a.m. - 7:45 a.m. for a light breakfast, orientation and group photo. Questions regarding the specifics of the event should be addressed to Marquez Mitchell, marquez.mitchell100men@yahoo.com."

Again, please consider signing up and participating. It's a great way to volunteer for your community. Several male YDR journalists are planning to participate. We'll see you there!

More: North York firefighter holds up prosthetic leg, is granted handicapped parking spot

More: Meet York County's 2019 Distinguished Young Women

North York does the right thing

Thumbs up to the North York Borough Council for doing the right thing and approving Christopher Wilhelm's request for a handicapped parking space in front of his house. Thumbs down to the two council members who voted against the request: Council President Richard Shank and Councilman Gary Braham.

This whole episode was an embarrassment to the borough. Mr. Wilhelm, who had a leg amputated during a bone cancer fight, volunteers with the local fire department. Rather than honor his community service, some council members gave him the third degree and suggested he didn't really need a parking space if he could serve as a volunteer firefighter.

So ridiculous and insensitive!

At least a majority of council members did the right thing in the end. Kudos especially to Councilwoman Jamie Moore for apologizing for her insensitive questions and remarks to Mr. Wilhelm during the March council meeting. It takes a big person to sincerely apologize in public.

Read or Share this story: https://www.ydr.com/story/opinion/2019/04/11/hey-guys-step-up-and-volunteer-great-reading-event-york/3435692002/

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Hey, guys! Step up and volunteer for this great reading event in York

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CLOSE If you're reading this, you're a reader. Well, duh, right? But what we mean is that you're a reader's reader. You read newspapers. You read editorials! You're hard core! Kudos to you. Now, how would you like an opportunity to share your passion for reading with youngsters to help inspire them to emulate you.

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This school has staff take their school pictures with their favorite book, making it visible on their ID badges all year & in the school yearbook.

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Do you see yourself in our class library? Questions and conversations to have with your readers. Let them contribute their voice.

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Today we took a look at our classroom library. We asked if we saw ourselves in the library and if not, what could we do to fix it? #iteach #iteach4...

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View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Stacey | ELA Resources (@literacyforbigkids)

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Where/How do you display the books you and your students have experienced together?

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How do your readers keep track of the books they've read?

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How do your readers visually display the books they're currently reading? What great conversations might be sparked by seeing these?

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Share a book. What emoji best describes the way the book made you feel? What makes you say that?

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How could the addition of a Little Free Library within or outside of your school impact the reading culture and community? In what ways could students be involved in this process?

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Take a Book. Share a Book. - Little Free Library

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Little Free Library is a nonprofit organization with a mission to build community, inspire readers, and expand book access for all through a global network of volunteer-led Little Free Libraries.

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Create a book journey experience for classrooms among your building. Pass a book or article around between classrooms, allowing readers to add their own comments and thoughts before passing it to the next class in line.

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Building community through the power of picture books

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What messages do the books in your classroom library & instruction implicitly tell readers? Can all your students find themselves represented in the pages of your books?

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A 501(c)(3) nonprofit, WNDB aims to create a world where every reader can find themselves in the pages of a book. To reach this goal, we've created programs to mentor diverse writers and illustrators, support diverse publishing professionals, and provide books to classrooms nationwide.

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Christina Hanson on Instagram: "“Classroom libraries are not 25 copies of 5 books. Classroom libraries are 1000-2000 copies of different books.” -Richard Allington
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#teachersofinstagram #teachersfollowteachers #iteachtoo #iteach678 #iteachsixth #iteachseventh #iteachsecondary #iteachmiddleschool #iteachela #classroomlibrary #booksarejustasimportantaspencils #ifnotmore #classroomsshouldhavebooks #lotsandlotsofbooks"

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984 likes, 60 comments - hansonhallway on January 13, 2018: "“Classroom libraries are not 25 copies of 5 books. Classroom libraries are 1000-2000 copies of ..." 

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View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Christina Hanson (@hansonhallway)

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A place to collect & display quotes & passages from loved books

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How do you display and model your life as a reader to students?

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In what ways can you have your readers keep track of the books they want to read?

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How could this practice encourage more nonfiction reading and discussion among your students?

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Small Ideas for Creating Visible Book Buzz

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Small Ideas for Creating Visible Book Buzz

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by Pernille Ripp

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I start thinking of summer on the very first day of school. As I greet my new students, I cannot help but wonder; who will leave us a reader? Who will include books in their summer plans?

With this in mind, I teach with a sense of urgency as so many of us do. I am not just teaching for the now, I am teaching for the after. After the bell rings. After Friday afternoon. After the day before break. After the school year is over.

I teach for the kids who come to me loving reading; my job is to protect that love with all I have.

I teach for the kids who see no point in books. Who scorn every day when I ask them to settle in, settle down, get to reading. For the kids who would rather sit in silence and pretend to read than actually read a book.

And I hope that this year, this time in our classroom, perhaps a seed will be planted. Perhaps an idea will form that reading is not the slow, quiet torture that they have decided it is and that perhaps there is indeed books out there for them.

And so in those very first days, we make reading visible. I book talk a book on the second day of school. This year it was Dear Martin by Nic Stone. I make it the expectation that books are shared, discussed, rated, and abandoned when needed. We speak books as our primary language, immersed in everything else we have to do. The book buzz builds and at the end of the year when I ask what made the biggest difference, there it is, nestled in with time to read, a community of readers, a classroom library; recommendations. But what does that look like? Here are the simple, yet powerful components, plus a few extra ideas that we use to create a visible book buzz.
What Mrs. Ripp Read over the Summer Display
This year, I didn't just portray the covers, I made a display of the physical books that I had read and wanted to share from the summer. On the second day of school, I pointed to the tree and told them that these were books that I would highly recommend. That this tree would soon be overtaken by their favorite reads, but for now it showcased mine.
What is Mrs. Ripp Reading Display
Throughout our school, you can see a variety of staff reading displays. I chose to not just display what I had just read but keep a visual record of all of the book covers for the year. My students know that my goal is 90 books for a year and so this also keeps a visual track of that. This hangs by our door so it is the last thing they see as they leave.
Our Favorite Books Tree
Within the first few weeks of the year, the tree I used to display my summer reads turns into the students' favorite reads instead. If books are in high demand this is where they go, if a student loved a book, this is where they can place it to be read by others. This tree is many of our student's first stop to bookshop. Hat tip to Nancie Atwell for this genius idea.
A To-Be-Read List in the room
Our someday list, wish list of books, books I cannot wait to read. Whatever you call it, I am grateful that advocates like Teri Lesene, Nancie Atwell, Donalyn Miller, and Penny Kittle remind us that students need to have reading plans and that includes having ideas for what they want to read next. In our reading notebook, we have a few pages dedicated to just this, or students can choose to use their devices and Goodreads for example. Whenever a book talk is underway, students are reminded to write down any titles that catch their eye. At the end of the year, we take a picture of the list and send it home to parents/caregivers so they have ideas for summer reading.
A daily book talk.
After our ten minutes of independent reading, I try to start the day with a book talk. Usually, it is a book I have just finished or an old favorite. The book talk is short and sweet; what's the book about, why did I like it and why might others' like it. Students have their to-be-read list out and ready to add titles to it.
30-second book talks.
The day we came back from break, I asked my students to write down a 30-second book talk on a notecard. They had to write the title, the author, a little about the book and then why others may like it. It took us about 5 minutes. I then collected the cards and now pick three cards every day for students to do their book talks. The students experience little stress by it because the work is already done and I get to have the book cover ready to display for students to see while they speak.
Book speed dating.
Another take on short book talks is when students split into two equal groups; one with a favorite book in hand, the other with their to-be-read list. Students then line up in front of each other and when I say go, they have 45 seconds to book talk the book in their hand. When the time is up, every child on one side takes steps to the side, thus standing in front of a new child. We do this five or six times in a row. The next day, the roles switch.
Book group book talks.
Once in a while, I will book talk an entire group of books centered around a format, theme, or author. This way students are given multiple ideas for what to read next if they like one of the books. Recently I did this with free-verse books, one of the most popular formats in our classroom, and the books have been flying off the shelves since.
Book shopping
We book shop every three to four weeks in our classroom. It is a community event and one that we discuss how to do well. The goal for every child is to walk away from the book shopping experience with at least a few new titles they want to read. I have written more extensively about our process, right here.
Sharing on Instagram
I resisted Instagram for a long time as I didn't want to share more aspects of my life, and yet, I needed a quick and easy way to recommend books without having to write an entire review. Enter Instagram. The bonus to sharing "live" recommendations of books on here has been that some of my students follow me on there to get recommendations. As I only use Instagram for book-related things, I don't have any hesitations with students following my account. To follow my account, go here

There are more ways to build book buzz, but these are a few that work. Other ways include book abandonment, creating enticing book displays, acknowledging our own reading gaps, involving the school librarian and other reading adults, and speaking books to all students. I wrote about all of these and more in my book Passionate Readers, a book MiddleWeb has said should be required reading in all Reading Methods Classes. While those are huge words to live up to, I think it once again speaks to the power of all of the little things we do to create passionate reading environments.
If you like what you read here, consider reading my newest book, Passionate Readers - The Art of Reaching and Engaging Every Child, out August 2017. This book focuses on the five keys we can implement into any reading community to strengthen student reading experiences, even within the 45 minute English block. If you are looking for solutions and ideas for how to re-engage all of your students consider reading my very first book Passionate Learners - How to Engage and Empower Your Students. Also, if you are wondering where I will be in the coming year or would like to have me speak, please see this page.

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Small Ideas For Creating Visible Book Buzz

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I start thinking of summer on the very first day of school. As I greet my new students, I cannot help but wonder; who will leave us a reader? Who will include books in their summer plans? With this in mind, I teach with a sense of urgency as so many of us do.

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What Administrators Can Do to Promote a Reading Culture

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What Administrators Can Do to Promote a Reading Culture

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by Pernille Ripp

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Dear administrators,

I have been pleading with teachers for a few years to please help students become passionate readers. I have given as many ideas as I could and directed toward the great minds that inspire me as well. I have begged at times, sharing the words of my students as proof that we teachers have an immense power when it comes to either nurturing a love of reading or killing it. There are so many things we teachers can do that will have a lasting effect.

And yet, it is not just the teachers that have an immense power over whether children will read or not. It turns out that much of that power also lies within the realm of administration. In fact, many of you that are doing incredible things to create schools that are seen as literacy communities that cherish the act of reading and becoming readers. What are they doing? What can you do to foster a love of reading school-wide?

You can believe in choice for all. That means protecting the rights of students to read the books they choose. To help staff support this as well by speaking about choice, and making sure not to put restrictive policies in place that will hinder a child from developing their own reading identity. That will stop a child from choosing a book they want to read. Teachers should not be the only ones choosing books for students, please don't put them in that position. Instead, they should be working with students to learn how to self-select great books based on many things, not just their levels!

You can buy books. Research shows again and again how vital having not only a well-stocked school library, but also a full classroom library, is to students becoming better readers. Students need books at their finger tips, not far away, and they need high quality, high interest books. That takes money, please help out in any way you can.

You can fight to have a librarian full-time in your building. Everywhere we are seeing libraries that have no librarians, yet a knowledgeable librarian can be the lifeblood of a reading community. I know budgets are being slashed, but the librarian should be seen as a necessity in schools, not as an unnecessary privilege.

You can celebrate books read. Not the number of minutes logged or the points gained in computer based reading programs. How about keeping a running tally of how many books students self-selected to read and then finished? How about you keep a display board of all of the picture books being shared in your school, yes, even in middle school and high school? Celebrate the right things, not the ones that can kill a love of reading.

You can protect the read aloud. When schedules are made there should be time placed for reading aloud. This should not be seen as a frill, nor as something that would be nice to fit in if only we had more time. All students at every age should encounter an adult that reads fluently with expression aloud to them every day. It develops their minds as readers and creates community. This should not just be reserved for special times in elementary school but should be protected throughout a child's reading experience in school.

You can promote independent reading time. Students reading silently is not time wasted, it is one of the most important investments we can make in our school day for any child, any age. If you want children to become better readers, then give them the time to read.

You can hire teachers that love reading. I am amazed that there are teachers who teach literacy in any capacity that do not identify themselves as readers. This should not be happening. Years of experience shows that students will read more if we read as well and are able to create a book community where our love of reading is a cornerstone of what we do. Even when I taught non-literacy subjects, even when I taught science, the fact that I read for my own pleasure meant that our conversations were deeper, more engaging, and the students trusted me as a reading role model.

You can use levels for books and not for children. Too often the levels that a child reads at becomes their entire reading identity. Yet, that level is meant to be a teacher's tool and not a child's label to quote Fountas and Pinnell. That level should be a part of that child's reading identity but not the thing that defines them. We should not have policies in place where students can only choose books that are at their levels, but instead have policies that promote exploration of texts so that students have a natural chance to figure out who they are as readers. Confining them, even if meant to be helpful, will hurt them in the long run.

You can have tough conversations. Part of my job as a teacher is to grow and learn and while I think that most of my ideas are solid, I wish an administrator would have questioned me when I had students do reading logs and forced book reports a few years back. While the push-back may be hard to swallow, it certainly would have made me think. However, within those tough conversations, please do listen to the teacher as well. What are they basing their decisions on? Perhaps they are the ones who are right, perhaps not, but ask the questions and keep the bigger goal in mind; students who like to read!
What else can you do to create a school where the love of reading flourishes?
You can be a guest read alouder.

You can have books in your office for students to read.

You can share your own reading life by displaying your titles outside your office.

You can make assemblies and other fun events celebrate literacy.

You can bring in authors.

You can promote reading literacy projects like The Global Read Aloud or Dot Day.

You can ask students what they are reading whenever you see them.

You can institute school-wide independent reading time.

You can stand up for poor literacy decisions being made within your district.

You can ask your teachers for ideas. You can ask your students what they need and then implement their wishes when possible.

You can send your teachers to professional development with the likes of Kylene Beers, Donalyn Miller, Penny Kittle, Kelly Gallagher and any other of the incredibly talented literacy experts that inspire us all.

There are so many things that fall within your realm, please help us teachers (like my principal Shannon Anderson does) protect the love of reading that students have and nurture it as we teach. You can choose to create passionate reading environments or you can support decisions that smother them. The choice is yours.
If you like what you read here, consider reading my book Passionate Learners - How to Engage and Empower Your Students. The 2nd edition and actual book-book (not just e-book!) comes out September 22nd from Routledge, but rumor has it that it is out on Kindle already!

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What Administrators Can Do to Promote a Reading Culture

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Dear administrators, I have been pleading with teachers for a few years to please help students become passionate readers. I have given as many ideas as I could and directed toward the great minds that inspire me as well. I have begged at times, sharing the words of my students as proof that we teachers...

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by Pernille Ripp

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We are a community of readers. It snuck up on us as it usually does. Last week, as my students sat with their chosen reading adventures and I tried to figure out who to confer with, I noticed the silence. That beautiful silence that comes from a large group of kids totally immersed in the task they are doing. The concentration only broken by the quiet ding of the timer. And they came back up for air and I wished that I could give them more than the lousy ten minutes we start with every day.

I know the research and what is says about independent reading. That students, no matter the age, need time every single day to sink into a self-chosen book that will hold their attention and propel them toward better reading. That reading more will make them read more. But I also know that giving them time is not enough.

That all students will not just fall in love with reading simply by someone saying "Read." That we must be intentional when it comes to building our community of readers in such a way that it does not feel contrived, but will grow on its own.

Many of us who love reading know this, but there are so many more that do not as Donalyn Miller so eloquently writes here. So what is it we need beyond the time? Because the time to read is really just the first step, what else is there to creating a community of readers?

There is a passionate teacher. We must love our books. We must love the act of reading. Students look to us for the passion they may lack and we must live it. We must be the reading role model that some students have never had. And not just the English teachers, but as many adults in a building as possible. Celebrate a culture of reading to show students how reading can enrich all of our lives.

There are high quality books. There is no magic number to how many books a library must have to be considered great, but there is a level of quality that needs to be present. Yes, weeding books can be painful but if students cannot see the books they want to read they will not dig through the piles to find them. Display books like they do in the book store, be mindful of the books that call out to students and change it up.

There must be books in many places. Every classroom should have a classroom library. It does not matter how well-stocked the school library is; students need immediate access to great books so that when their mind wanders and they abandon a book they can get another one right away. Partner with your school librarian; together we are stronger and spread the books out. Put rain gutters up with books for students to grab throughout the school, hold a school wide book drive to get more books in the hands of students, set up a Little Free Library. Make books a presence not an afterthought.

The books are accessible. Too often the systems we put in place, such as the way students check out books, stand in the way of reading. Find out what works for you and make sure it is easy for students. I gave up my checkout system several years ago and now function on trust, I have not regretted it.

There must be choice. And not just choice in what they read, but also choice in where they read and how they read. Audio books have made the biggest difference from some of our most adamant non-readers; they finally have a chance of having rich book conversations like their peers. Allowing students to lie on the floor or get comfortable while reading has helped as well. How many of us choose to read behind a desk when we are at home.

There should be picture books. Picture books are one of the biggest gateways to sustained reading progress in our classroom. Every child can read a picture book, even the ones that say they hate reading.

There should be trust. No more reading logs for all kids to prove that they are reading. No more parent signatures that probably are not truthful anyway.

Reading should be its own reward. No more trinkets, toys, or stickers. N o more stars, points, or yo-yos. When a child finishes a book, hand them another book or even better; have them find one on their own.

There should be student talk. Students should have the opportunity to discuss the books they love so much, to hand favorites books to others, to explain why they abandoned a book, to discuss why they may not be reading.

There should be room for all readers. Our emphasis for celebration should be on all of our readers, not just the ones that read the most books or pages. We need to reclaim the term "slow reader" and help students realize that being slow also means that you are careful and that is thing to be proud of.

There should be uninterrupted time to read. Not continual interruptions by the teacher to ask questions or teach another lesson, not a continued quest to get as many post-it notes in our pages read. Let students read and then think. Let students read and then jot if they want. If they do not have anything to write, let them have a conversation instead.

There should be goal setting. True reflection where the students can see what they are strong in and how they need to grow. Where they have the time to ponder their own reading habits and figure out what else they need. And it does not have to be on paper or be silent; built in time to discuss with others should be a part of it as well, and that includes conferring with the teacher.

Creating a reading community; one that allows students to fall in love or stay in love with books should be a priority for us all. And it truly starts with us; we can give them the time, but we must give them so much more. What else do we need to do?
PS: To see our favorite books, and there are a lot, go here. PPS: I get to present at WSRA in a few weeks on creating passionate reading environments as well as a few other conferences. To see where I will be, please go here.

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We are a community of readers. It snuck up on us as it usually does. Last week, as my students sat with their chosen reading adventures and I tried to figure out who to confer with, I noticed the silence. That beautiful silence that comes from a large group of kids totally immersed in the task...

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From @msaplusteacher: "Used Google Slides to create Book Snaps which we posted to Padlet so we could create our own "social media" space for sharing!

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How could signs like these for your readers to add to the classroom library help promote discussions about books?

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Idea from @theliteracyjunky on Instagram of using Padlet to have learners post writing about their reading and then visit to read & view each others' work.

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Have your children use old Scholastic Reading Club flyers to create silhouettes about their personal reading identity. This can then be turned into a reflective writing piece as well.

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At Chipotle, we’re passionate about more than perfectly rolled burritos. We’re also committed to cultivating nourished minds and communities — and one of our favorite ways to do that is by helping young readers develop their love of reading. Every year, we donate Chipotle Reading Rewards to schools and libraries, rewarding book smarts with delicious food crafted from real, whole ingredients.

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Chipotle Mexican Grill, USA, Canada and UK, Burritos, Tacos and more. Food With Integrity.

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An idea shared via Twitter to have readers leave behind recommendation notes in books for future readers to come.

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Idea shared from @mstewartscience via Twitter

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Creating a similar opportunity could allow your readers to share what they've read with one another, while also showing their comprehension & understanding of what they read.

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Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales Video Preview of Book #8

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Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales Video Preview of Book #8

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New HAZARDOUS TALES video up, drawing and talking about Musketeers.

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A look at HAZARDOUS TALES book #8 in progress.

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How could your readers explore their identities as nonfiction readers in a different way by introducing them to these different formats & structures of nonfiction?

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Updated December 1, 2019 If you're a longtime reader of Celebrate Science, you may remember that back in 2012 and 2013, I spent a lot of ti...