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- 📚 Celebrate National Reading Month with us!
📚 Celebrate National Reading Month with us!
Plus Kindness, Pand-amonium, and STEM
Karly Moura & Christina Sciarrotto
March 03, 2026
📚 March is for Readers!
One of our greatest joys as K-2 teachers is watching a student’s "lightbulb moment" when they fall in love with a story. With March being National Reading Month, we have the perfect opportunity to fuel that spark! In this week’s edition, we’re diving into Read Across America Week (March 2-6) with a special focus on the theme: Create and Celebrate a Nation of Diverse Readers.
Beyond the books, we’re exploring what it means to "Champion Kindness." From foster-building empathy to ensuring every student feels seen and valued, we’ve gathered resources to help you weave collaboration and inclusion into your literacy blocks.
Inside:
💡 Tips, Tools & Templates: Everything you need to celebrate National Reading Month.
📺 Teaching with Teachflix Junior: A lesson in "otherness" and friendship with Ping Meets Pang.
😄 Giggle of the Week: A relatable reminder of our students' true "speed."
❤️ Share your ideas with us!
💡 Tips, Tools and Templates
📖 Celebrate Reading!
The month of March kicks off National Reading Month with Read Across America Week (March 2-6). This year’s theme is “Create and Celebrate a Nation of Diverse Readers” with a focus on “Champion Kindness” This week’s edition will showcase some ways for you to celebrate Read Across America Week and National Reading Month.
National Reading Month resources for K-2
Celebrate with Dr. Seuss — Visit Dr. Seuss makes reading fun to download free worksheets and calendar. Also register for the virtual events that are happening throughout the week.
Book Madness — Join Christina’s 1st grade students in their March Madness. Check out each week to see which book will advance.
Reading Trackers Reading Charts — Have your students track their reading using one of these trackers from ABC Mouse.
Combine reading and STEM — Try one of these Read Across America inspired STEM challenges that correlate with some of the best Dr. Seuss books around.
More fun STEM activities with Dr Seuss books — Grab one of these Dr. Seuss Day STEM Worksheets for Read Across America Day.
Learn more — Check out NEA’s website for more information about Read Across America’s Monthly Themes.
📺 Teaching with Teachflix Junior
🐼 Ping Meets Pang
🎥 Video Link: Ping Meets Pang
Ping and Pang are very different creatures. The way they look and act couldn't be further apart. Is it possible, though, that they might have way more in common than they think? Find out on Read Out Loud as author/illustrator Mary Jane Begin shares her brand new picture book, PING MEETS PANG, a story of otherness, differences, and friendship.
Ready-made video resources:
✏️ Ready-to-use resources
Compare & Contrast — Use this Venn diagram to map out Ping and Pang’s physical differences (like ear shape or tail fluffiness) in the outer circles, while placing their shared identity as "Pandas" and their common feelings in the center.
A Friend Is... — After discussing how the pandas initially rejected one another, have students draw what a "true panda friend" looks like, emphasizing that friendship is based on how we treat others rather than how we look.
Roll and Do an Act of Kindness — This game acts as a "bridge-builder" for students to practice the acceptance shown at the end of the book, encouraging them to reach out to classmates who might seem different from them.
Kindness is Contagious — Use these colorful note templates for students to write "validation messages" to their peers, celebrating the unique "multicultural" or "body positive" traits that make each classmate special.
Friendship Recipe — Students can list the "ingredients" for an inclusive community—such as a cup of acceptance, a spoonful of curiosity, and a dash of common ground—to mirror the pandas' journey toward unity.
🤭 Giggle of the Week
No matter the age.
h/t to The Teacher Next Door