Use the ReadWriteThink Stapleless Book tool to help your students celebrate Poem in Your Pocket Day, sponsored by the Academy of American Poets.

• Print, copy, and distribute copies of the Stapleless Book Planning Sheet. Ask students to brainstorm what they would like to include in their books of poetry.
• Have younger students select a poem, and space the poem a line or two at a time across the pages. They can add illustrations after they have printed. Older students can select a collection of poems they enjoy to include in the book.
• Give students time to type their poem(s) into the Stapleless Book tool.
• Have students print and create their books. They will need scissors to complete this step.
• Encourage students to take their books of poetry with them throughout the day, sharing them with people they meet.
• If time permits, print and prepare multiple copies of their books and have students put them in unexpected places throughout the building!

Celebrate World Read Aloud Day by grabbing a favorite text and reading out loud. Have students bring in their favorite book, magazine, script, newspaper, etc. Ask each student to choose an excerpt to read to the class. Additionally, hold a classroom discussion about the power of literacy. Spread the power of reading by doing one of the following activities in the classroom:

• EDUCATE – Have several read alouds in the classroom throughout the day and talk together about the importance of global literacy, marking this as a special day of reading!
• ADVOCATE - Spread the word about World Read Aloud Day and the Global Literacy Movement within the school by hosting a school-wide read aloud event. Make posters in the classroom advertising and informing the school and community about the event. Construct bookmarks with information about the day and tips for reading aloud to their peers.
• INNOVATE - Share World Read Aloud Day by creating Public Service Announcements and share their projects using video chat, blogs, Glogster, and websites.

Introduce students to the Chinese New Year by having them explore the Chinese zodiac. Begin the activity by having each student write five to eight adjectives or phrases that describe his or her personality traits. These should not be physical characteristics like hair color or height, but qualities such as "a good sense of humor," "honest," or "a risk-taker."

Then, have students look at the Chinese zodiac to find a description of the attibutes people would have if they were born in the same year they were. For younger students, try the Chinese Calendar, and for older students, try Chinese Horoscopes.

Once students have read their animal's attributes, have them explain how the animal does or does not seem to represent them. They should use specific examples from their own experiences to support what they say. For example, if the zodiac says that they have difficulty with authority, students should write about a time when they resisted (or did not resist) an authority figure.

Next, students can look through the other animal signs to see which one best represents them and write a persuasive piece describing why that sign fits them best.

Students tend to know little more about Labor Day than it's a day off of work and school. Encourage them to learn more about the American labor movement by giving them time to research one of the figures from the list below. In paris or small groups, they can locate print and Web based resources about their lives and contributions to labor reform. Groups can use the Biocube Interactive to organize and share what they learn.

• Jane Addams
• Sarah Bagley
• César Chávez
• Samuel Gompers
• Dolores Huerta
• Mary Harris Jones
• John L. Lewis
• Lucy Randolph Mason
• Luisa Moreno
• Leonora O’Reilly
• Albert and Lucy Parsons
• Franics Perkins
• Esther Peterson
• A. Philip Randolph
• Walter Reuther
• Rosina Tucker

Begin by polling students. Ask how many of them are familiar with the following titles:

• Captain Underpants series
• A Wrinkle in Time
• The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
• The Harry Potter series
• The Higher Power of Lucky
• Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark
• In the Night Kitchen
• Bridge to Terabithia
• The Stupids series
• The Bluest Eye

After the poll is completed, ask students what they think those titles have in common. Answer: They are all censored or challenged books.

With the class, brainstorm reasons these books might have come under attack. (Be certain to have the answers for them, too. They are available from various sources, including the American Library Association's Frequently Challenged Books page.) Why do people object to books and try to have them banned? Are there books from which students should be sheltered? Identify the common reasons why books are challenged (language, sexual content, political incorrectness, religious content, and so forth).

The winners of the Children's Choice book awards will be announced during National Book Week. Before the winners are announced, children across the nation will be able to vote for their favorites. Invite your students to show why their favorite finalist should win by designing a promotional book cover.

• First, have students read Children's Choice finalist books in their grade range. Younger students can read all five finalists, while older students may read fewer.
• Then, ask each student to select his or her favorite finalist and brainstorm reasons why it is so good. Encourage students to consider specific elements, such as characters or plot.
• Next, have students look at their brainstormed lists and select the ideas that could be depicted on the book cover. Challenge each student to design a book cover that will convince others that his or her favorite should win.
• Finally, have students use the Book Cover Creator to create their book covers. They can then display their book covers with the book in a classroom or school display or on a bulletin board.

Have your students get involved with Election Day by creating posters to advertise Election Day and encourage registered voters to exercise their right to vote. Have small groups of students brainstorm lists of reasons why people should vote. Then, have them work in their groups to create posters using poster paper and paint or felt-tipped markers. Alternatively, they can use the ReadWriteThink Printing Press to create flyers. Students can also write persuasive essays that underscore the importance of getting out to vote or create a public service announcement or other multimedia persuasive piece. The ReadWriteThink lessons MyTube: Changing the World with Video Public Service Announcements and Students as Creators: Exploring Multimedia can be adapted for use with this activity.