Share a Story ~ Shape a Future: Creative Literacy

Wow … after yesterday I am feeling both exhausted and energized. We had some great contributions for  Writing about Reading Day 1 and it is so great to see some new faces talking about reading, kids, and ways to promote literacy. An early Tuesday thanks to everyone who participated by posting, chatting, and tweeting.

So today we’re jetting to Australia, where Susan Stephenson of the Book Chook is hosting Literacy Your Way, Literacy My Way Down Under. Thanks to the always-on-top-of-cool-things Travis Jonkers at 100 Scope Notes, I was add a little creativity of my own to my post today. It’s a book (Diary of a Wimpy Kid) … it’s a movie (ditto)  … it’s a graphic (avatar) … it’s a 21st Century Wimpy Me! You can wimpify yourself, too! Just go here.

As I’ve mentioned a few times – most frequently in the monthly roundup of new resources – Susan is always on the lookout for ways to engage kids with literacy. As she often explains, literacy is more than just reading. It is the way we share ideas and knowledge, how we express ourselves, understand one another, and solve problems. Susan also understands that we don’t all learn or process information in the same way, so when she plays with researches – a tool, she looks for all of the creative ways it can be used.

Today at The Book Chook blog she is covering the full gamut of literacy, from traditional storytelling to fun and games to 21st Century tools (aka Web 2.0). It’s already afternoon in Australia, so hurry along … you don’t want to miss out. I am posting the lineup here and  adding live links over at the Share a Story ~ Shape a Future blog.  If you can’t wait, Susan already has them up in Literacy My Way at the Book Chook. Don’t forget to check out Writing about Reading Day 2 … our questions help build on the themes Susan and her guests talk about.

We hear stories before we read them, so it only seems natural that Susan opens the day with a pair of interviews with storytellers. Join her for her chats with Francie Dillon and Helen Evans at the Book Chook. Then *hear* some more stories …

• At Saints and Spinners, Farida Dowler shares ideas for Stories in the Bathtub;
• At Dulemba.com, illustrator Elizabeth Dulemba talks about the future of reading in an article called Beyond the Printed Page;
• Last November, Rebecca Taylor talked about sharing family stories and Family Stories Month at Lost in Books;
• Franki Sibberson talks about digital storytelling in a pair of posts at A Year of Reading. First up, her February post Discovering the Possibilities of Stopmotion in Grades 2-5. She also talks about making Tricky Videos with Klutz;
• Dawn Morris helps us understand that literacy is more than just reading and writing. Head over to Moms Inspire Learning for the Circles of Literacy; and
• At Chatel Village, Kim Chatel shares more about Storytelling in a Multimedia World.

Sometimes we have to be a little creative when it comes to getting kids interested in activities related to reading. If you’re looking for ways to sneak in some literacy …

• Join Joyce Grant at Getting Kids Reading to get ideas on ways to Get Active Kids Reading.
• Pull out all stops. Amy Mascott shares some of her tips for getting a little sneaky at Teach Mama.
• Think pictures. Rebecca Taylor talks about Combining Art with Literacy in the Early Childhood Environment at I’m Lost in Books.
• Grab a puzzle. Jen Funk Weber offers an off-the-beaten path way to literacy in her discussion of puzzles as a literacy tool at Needle and ThREAD: Stitching for Literacy.
• Get sticky! At There’s a Book, Danielle Smith (aka The First Daughter) makes the case for using activity and sticker books.
• Stacey Shubitz at Two Writing Teachers talks about Linking Reading and Writing.
• S-I-N-G! Catherine Oehlman (the “Squiggle Mom“) shares why good little singers become good little readers in through her topic Linking Music in the Early Years.
• Add to the story. Valerie Baartz explores Simple Story Extensions for Preschoolers at her site The Almost Librarian.

We hope you’ll join the conversation … or better yet grab an idea and go “off line” to enjoy the fun. Just as we did yesterday, we will be tweeting posts using the #SAS2010 hashtag. We’d love to hear from you! Tweet your ideas, too … as long as you are sharing for the greater good, not promoting a product.