March is a super-exciting month as far as reading and literacy are concerned.
There’s a lot of happy going on–a lot of happy.
We’ve got Read Across America Day,ย National Grammar Day,ย World Read Aloud Day, and World Poetry Day. And that’s just a start.
The whole month is ‘National March into Literacy Month’ which makes the Reading Specialist in me want to dance.
Tons of ways to celebrate reading–but one thing that I think is totally worth celebrating is a campaign that my friends from McGraw-Hill have started, called Spread the Word.
McGraw-Hill Education has joined forces with the amazing folks from NCFL–National Center for Families Learning–to develop a celebration of sorts that I think everyone should know about because the payoffs are big. For everyone.
Here’s the skinny. . .
- McGraw-Hill Education and NCFL– Spread the Word Campaign: Two powerhouses and one campaign.
Pretty simple but really awesome.
McGraw-Hill Education is the publisher we all know and love, and NCFL is an organization that is new to me but one that I was introduced to when I attended the NCFL Summit last month.
Essentially, NCFL is dedicated to increasing family engagement. They empower families to do more to support literacy and learning, and they haveย helped more than 1 million families make educational and economic progress through family literacy programs.
The Spread the Word Campaign? Simple.
For each new Twitter follower @MHEducation gains throughout the month of March, McGraw-Hill Education will donate $1.00 to the NCFL (@NCFL). Use the hashtag #MHEmarchlit to spread the word!
Really! That means that money is going toward an organization that supports family literacy and learning and all you had to do was follow someone on Twitter.
I love it.
Tweet it. ย Use the hashtag #MHEmarchlit so we can find you and retweet!
Favorite it. Share and re-share.
Here are a few tweets to get you going:
For each new follower gained in the month of March, @MHEducation will donate $1.00 to @NCFL –> so FOLLOW them, friends! #MHEMarchlit
— amy mascott (@teachmama) February 28, 2014
did you know? @MHEducation is donating $1.00 to @NCFL for EVERY new follower in the month of March. #awesome #MHEMarchlit
— amy mascott (@teachmama) February 28, 2014
Following @MHEducation will be fun for you, too, because all through March, they’ll be tweeting interesting statistics, relevant articles and even highlighting some of their cool ย reading programs likeย Reading Wondersย –programs that ensure our students are strong readers, critical thinkers and ready for the increasingly competitive global economy.
I love it. Have I said that?
Also?
McGraw-Hill Education is giving away two of its awesomeย grammar apps throughout the entire month of March.
Grammar Wonderlandย for elementary schoolers andย Grammar Wonderland for primaryย aged kids are both rockstar apps.
Maddy, Owen, and Cora have been rocking these apps, which are normally about $2.99 in the iTunes store.ย
I would strongly recommend a download during March. Games with nouns, verbs, adjectives? Games that get kids moving (believe it!), and thinking? Totally worth it.
And it’s awesome that McGraw-Hill Education is offering these apps for free during this literacy-focused month. Let the fun begin!
Want to learn a little more about NCFL? Check out my quick chat with NCFL vice president, Emily Kirkpatrick at the NCFL Summit last month:
Are you on twitter? Leave your twitter name below, and we’ll follow you, share ideas, and celebrate literacy this month!
fyi: ย This is a sponsored post; I was asked by my friends at McGraw-Hill Education to share information about this exciting Spread the Word campaign. As always, my opinions and ideas are my own, influenced only by my experience as a parent and educator, always looking for ways to celebrate literacy!
Love this idea and absolutely love Family Literacy!