I can’t get my class together for Read for Australia at 2.00pm AEST 31 August as you have suggested. Can I still take part?
If the time selected is unsuitable you are welcome to get your students together for this activity any time during National Literacy and Numeracy Week.
Do I have to do everything you have suggested?
No. Feel free to choose from the options given. We know schools are busy places so select activities that best support the teaching and learning at your school. If you can participate in Read for Australia it would be terrific. We would like as many students as possible to read together on 31 August.
I don’t know how to do a digital story. What can I do?
Digital Stories can be simple or complex. Examples of digital stories created by children with their teachers can be found on the Digital Story example page.There are also step-by-step instructions that describe the process as well as links to other sites that can help you.
If you decide Digital Stories are not for you and your students, you can still be involved. Visit the More activities page and you are sure to find something of interest.
Do we make one digital story each or can we do one together?
It’s up to you and how you want to respond to the book that you are reading. If you are new to Digital Stories you might decide to make one with a small group. If it is something that is familiar to you, your students can work individually or in groups and produce their own. We suggest uploading your digital story (or stories) to your own school website and then send us the URL. Your URL might direct us to a whole range of stories.
Where can we publish our stories?
You can upload your digital story to your school website, to Youtube, Teachertube or any other suitable site. The NLNW website will provide links to the URLs you provide– it will not house the digital story itself. You then send the URL to the NLNW inbox with a brief description of the content. This will be published on the NLNW site.
I have my own idea to celebrate at my school. Do I have to do one of the activities you have listed?
Not at all! National Celebration of Literacy is a perfect time to celebrate the work you are doing. If you choose to do something different, please write a short description of what you have done (a couple of paragraphs) and we will upload your report onto website. Feel free to send us a photo or a URL link to your school website if you have published your activities there.
Other teachers at school are also interested in being involved. Do they need to register?
This is entirely up to the teachers and schools involved. Everyone who fills in a registration form with a valid e-mail address will receive e-mail updates and an invitation to complete a survey at the conclusion of NLNW. Many schools choose to have a single coordinator who receives and distributes information, but each school is welcome to register as many teachers (not students) as they wish. Each school will only have one entry into the prize draw.
I am leaving the school. How will the school stay involved?
If you have registered as the contact person and leave your school part way through the project, we recommend you nominate someone at your current school to maintain involvement in the National Celebration of Literacy. In order to continue receiving updates via email, the new contact person will need to register.
Do we have to do our National Celebration of Literacy activities on a particular day?
You can start planning and working on your National Celebration of Literacy activities as soon as you wish. We hope that as many schools as possible will celebrate with the school and/or the community between Monday 29 August and Sunday 4 September so we can celebrate the great work done in schools across Australia.
Do I have to register again for Reach for the Stars?
Yes. The National Celebration of Literacy (conducted by the Australian Association for the Teaching of English and the Australian Literacy Educators' Association) and Reach for the Stars (conducted by The Australian Association of Mathematics Teachers) are two of the key events for National Literacy and Numeracy Week.