Read Across America Ideas for Elementary Teachers March 2nd (2024)

Students do not always realize that reading is a privilege. For many of them, it may seem just like something they have to do – rather than something they get to do.

While the idea of “have to” versus “get to” may develop later on in school, as an elementary teacher you have the perfect opportunity to teach students what a gift it is to read! And what better time to do this than during the special Read Across America Day.

If you are new to Read Across America, here is a quick introduction to this annual celebration.

• Read Across America is celebrated every year on March 2nd. This date was selected because it is the birthdate of the beloved American Children’s author, Dr. Seuss.

• In 1998 the National Education Association (NEA) started Read Across America as a way to encourage kids to get excited about reading.

• This National Day of celebration encourages teachers, students, parents, and all kids to celebrate the joy of reading.

While this celebration is always celebrated on March 2nd, over the years teachers have extended the celebration over the course of the week. Moreover, some even use the entire month of March as a time to celebrate reading in their classrooms.

Traditionally, Dr. Seuss’s books have been at the forefront of this national celebration. However, over the years it has become a time to celebrate ALL children’s books.

Therefore, every year, teachers create reading lists to celebrate all the different types of books that help bring joy into their students’ lives. While you are sure to have your favorites, we have compiled a list of our favorite books to use for Read Across America Day.

If you need some ideas of what books to include in your classroom for Read Across America, take a look at our list below. Moreover, if you want to demonstrate to your students how to explore reading in-depth, we have read aloud activities available for each of these books.

Stuck by Olive Jeffers

First Floyd gets his kite stuck in a tree. Then, the more he throws up to get the kite, the more things get stuck. A perfect book for teaching kids about cause and effect and also decision-making.

Mother Bruce by Ryan Higgins

Bruce the bear likes to be left alone so he can sleep and eat his favorite food – eggs. However, all of that changes when one of his eggs hatches!

How to Catch a Leprechaun by Adam Wallace

What better way to enjoy Read Across America in March than with a St. Patty’s Day book! One of our favorite books for March is How to Catch a Leprechaun, where kids try their best to set traps to catch a Leprechaun.

Please Mr. Panda by Steve Antony

Looking for a book that will teach your students the importance of good manners? Then give Please Mr. Panda a read. This is a wonderful book that teaches the importance of saying please.

Memoirs of a Goldfish by Devin Scillian

This book is a fun story that is told from the perspective of a goldfish. Your students will love how funny it is to see all the things the Goldfish experiences and feels throughout the story.

Tops and Bottoms by Janet Stevens

This story is a fun new take on a classic trickster tale. Kids will be enthralled with the story as they read about the ways Hare tries to trick Bear.

Diary of a Worm by Doreen Cronin

What will your students think of a worm that never has to take a bath and gets to eat his homework?! Find out by reading this hilarious book to them.

Even better? Use our Free Read Aloud packet to help them dive deeper into the story!

Muncha Muncha Muncha by Candace Fleming

While Mr. McGreely is trying to grow a garden, three adorable (and hungry) bunnies are trying to eat it! Who will win?! You will love hearing your students cheer for their favorite gardener or bunnies throughout this story.

Thelma the Unicorn by Aaron Blabey

If you are looking for the ultimate joyful book for Read Across America, then reach for Thelma the Unicorn. It is the perfect book for reminding students how important it is to love ourselves, just as we are!

Sam and Dave Dig a Hole by Jon Klassen

This is a wonderful book to encourage a sense of wonder and adventure in students. As they follow the story of brothers Sam and Dave, they will be reminded of how spectacular it is to go in search of something amazing.

Read Alouds for Read Across America

As mentioned above, we have read alouds available for all of these wonderful books. Each read aloud comes complete with enough activities to cover 3-5 days worth of reading lessons.

In addition, we have provided detailed lesson plans and teacher directions. Therefore, if you choose to add a read aloud to any of these books it will not take additional planning time. Just one more way to support the joy of reading!

Here is a quick peek at what is included in each read aloud. While the questions and activities will be specific to each book, each read aloud packet follows a similar format.

• Detailed lesson plans
• Comprehension questions
• Whole group response to text activities
• Response to text worksheets
• Writing pages
• Vocabulary cards and worksheets
• Quiz
• Retelling puppets
• Craftivity template

Whether you choose to simply embrace the joy of reading some of these books with your students or add on a read-aloud, we hope you and your students enjoy celebrating the joy of reading!