Monday is DEAR Day!

Monday, October 25, is Drop Everything & Read (DEAR) Day!

Between 12:15-12:35 p.m., people young and old across BC will stop to read for 20 minutes in celebration of the joy reading can bring. DEAR is an initiative to promote literacy, with the hope to get as many people reading at the same time, on the same day, as possible.

Studies show that daily silent reading is a very effective way of improving reading comprehension, increasing vocabulary, improving spelling, and broadening understanding of others. “Let students choose what they want to read from a well-stocked school library or from home (or the classroom0, and then give them the time and space in which to read—away from the threat of tests and questions,” says Karen Lindsay, former vice-president of the BCTLA (BC Teacher-Librarian Association).

The SD83 district teacher-librarians echos the invite for everyone to “drop everything and read” for at least twenty minutes on Oct. 25. At Bastion Elementary Teacher Librarian Shannon Murrells-Allaway says there are many different ways how teachers and their students can take part. For example:

• Individual sustained silent reading
• Buddy reading (little buddies read to big buddies and then vice versa)
• Teachers read to their students
• Your class read silently in the hallways or some part of the school or outside: weather permitting
• Students read to each other in partners, or small groups
• Invite guest readers: other teachers, parents, administrators, CEA’s, the custodian, local band chief, grandparents, the mayor – the sky’s the limit

Happy Reading!

About the Poster

The BC Teacher Librarian’s Association (BCTLA) wanted to highlight the creative talent of Indigenous youth, Tehya Poorthunder, in this year’s DEAR posters. Tehya is a 17-year-old artist from the sḵwx̱wú7mesh nation. You can read about the inspiration for her artistic design on one of her posters.