Making a Mark
There is more than one way to celebrate International Dot Day. Here are some simple ideas and great examples from past International Dot Day participants. Feel free to borrow an idea or generate an idea of your own. All it takes is a little creativity!
International Dot Day is named for the classic Peter H. Reynolds storybook The Dot. Available in English and many other languages, the book shares the story of a girl who begins a journey of self-discovery after a caring teacher challenges her to “make her mark.”
If you have an interactive white board, consider getting the Big Screen Books™ version of The Dot. This downloadable software provides a fun and engaging way to interact with the story and energize your classroom reading experience!
Sign up and download the free Educator’s Handbook for International Dot Day. Here you will find suggestions and tools, including some great activities created by Peter H. Reynolds, to help you celebrate creativity in your classroom.
See the many ways others have celebrated International Dot Day by visiting the Dot Gallery where you’ll find photos to give you more ideas and inspiration. And take a look at the videos below – more great ideas that you can borrow or adapt!
This video, "Two Libraries, One Voice Dot Day Celebration," captures a collaboration by Shannon Miller and John Schumacher, who each celebrated with their students in separate states:
Show your students how other kids are making their mark. Richard Colosi and his classroom got creative with The Dot Project, and even created this great video:
Here’s a video that shows what students in Portugal accomplished:
The Celebri-dots Blog features The Dot-inspired dots created by a growing list of those who have used their talents to make a mark on the world. See one of a kind dots created by authors Sharon Creech, Amy Krouse Rosenthal, Kristin Tubb, Julie Andrews and her daughter Emma Walton Hamilton, as well as Carole Hart of Sesame Street fame and Craig Bartlett, creator of Hey Arnold! and PBS KIDS’ Dinosaur Train.
If you’d like to see a dot created by your favorite author, illustrator, musician, sports personality, politician, movie star or TV star – be brave and ask! Use Twitter, Facebook, or a trusty letter in the mail to encourage your favorite celebrity to visit the blog, create a dot of their own, and submit via the blog.