Promoting Literacy with Virtual Author Talks
BookBreak empowers educators using the Science of Reading by providing access to diverse K-12 virtual author talks. These author talks inspire students to enjoy reading and writing while building their comprehension and promoting key literacy skills.
Our authors share personal experiences that ignited their passion for reading and inspired them to become writers. Through stories about their creative process, they help enhance students’ speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills. Each author talk models strong reading habits with engaging read-alouds, draw-alongs, and live Q&As.
By building engagement and motivation, BookBreak reinforces the foundation of literacy established through the Science of Reading. This research-based approach explains the science behind the way students learn how to read, with a focus on phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension. Together with the Science of Reading, BookBreak helps educators build confident, capable readers.
Motivating Readers with Meaningful Moments
BookBreak activates both explicit and implicit motivators for reading and writing. Whether it’s hearing an author describe the first time they saw themselves in a book or watching a story come alive through a draw-along, students can see reading as something meaningful and not a chore.
Hena Kahn, author of Amina’s Voice, answers a question during a BookBreak school virtual author talk about why it’s important to have representation of different cultures and backgrounds in literature. She said that all of our stories deserve to be told and we all deserve to be seen.
Jeff Kinney does a draw-along during a BookBreak virtual school author talk for elementary school. Students follow along, as he shows them how to draw the characters Greg and Manny from his Diary of a Wimpy Kid Book Series.
These moments of connection with authors strengthen academic skills while also building confidence and helping students see themselves as readers and writers. This impact is not limited to the classroom, as students carry their confidence and love of learning into every part of their lives.
By engaging students with interactive content and activities, students are able to feel more motivated to participate. Hearing directly from an author, not just reading their work, creates a personal connection. These encounters work with the Science of Reading to help deepen comprehension, expand vocabulary, and nurture a positive attitude towards reading and writing.
Supporting Readers at Every Level
BookBreak’s program is geared towards K-12 students of all reading and writing levels, meeting learners where they are to inspire growth and confidence. Through interactive, virtual author talks, students engage with writers from a wide range of cultural and personal backgrounds, each sharing their unique journey with reading and writing. Their reflections on the intricacies of how they learned to read create an authentic and relatable environment that sparks curiosity and introspection.
When hearing authors talk about their struggles with reading and writing, students are able to see themselves and understand that it’s ok to need more work on literacy. These real-life experiences help to remove the barriers students face and instead support them in building their skills. On the flip side, when hearing authors talk about their inspiration, students are allowed to be more curious about what interests them in their lives, making the experiences less like a chore and more like a passion. Students can feel safe to ask questions, make connections, and reflect on their own journeys to becoming readers and writers.
Literacy Backed Resources Aligned with Your Curriculum
BookBreak complements classroom instruction by reinforcing the core literacy skills emphasized in the Science of Reading. In addition to our 15-minute elementary level and 30-minute middle and high school level talks, we offer a range of activities to deepen learning and align classroom resources. These include immersive author-in-residence experiences that bring extended interaction and inspiration, the “Would You Read It?” series that encourages critical thinking about reading choices, targeted mini-lessons focused on specific literacy skills, and pre- and post-talk activities aligned with academic standards.
These resources are built to fit seamlessly into your current curriculum, helping educators to build students’ vocabulary, comprehension, and written expression. With meaningful student engagement from virtual author talks and research-based best practices from the curriculum, BookBreak empowers educators using the Science of Reading.
BookBreak Builds Lifelong Readers
BookBreak helps educators nurture confident, lifelong readers. We combine inspiring virtual author talks with ready-to-use, Science of Reading-aligned curriculum activities. This powerful learning experience strengthens literacy skills while fostering a lasting love for reading and writing.
Educators work tirelessly to support students’ literacy journeys. They understand the importance of building a solid foundation in phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. BookBreak partners with them to enhance these efforts and prepare K-12 students for academic success through engaging virtual author talks.
How do we do it?
Learn more about how author talks increase student motivation for reading and writing here.
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