Check out our top picks to get middle schoolers excited about reading this Fall!

Ghost Squad by Claribel A. Ortega

Equal parts spooky and fun, Ghost Squad by Claribel A. Ortega is sure to be a hit among your students. The story follows Lucely and Syd, who accidentally cast a spell that awakens malicious spirits and wreaks havoc in their town. The author expertly weaves together elements of family, friendship, and ghost-hunting in a way that will leave readers eager to find out – will Lucelly and Syd be able to reverse the curse with the help of Syd’s witch grandmother and her tabby, Chunk, before it’s too late?

Pet by Akwaeke Emezi

Searching for a multiple award winner that takes on big themes like identity and justice … with monsters? Look no further than Pet by Akwaeke Emezi! Young readers will be drawn into protagonist Jam’s world, where monsters have all been defeated – until she meets Pet, a creature from her mom’s painting who is on a quest to hunt down a monster. With a wonderfully diverse cast of characters, this book would make an excellent addition to any classroom library this spooky season! 

Babysitting Nightmares: The Shadow Hand by Kat Shepherd (Author), Rayanne Vieira (Illustrator)

What could be less scary than babysitting? Except it’s not, as babysitters Rebecca, Tanya, Clio, and Maggie discover! In this book, where The Babysitters Club meets Goosebumps, readers will be taken on a fast-paced, action-packed adventure of problem-solving and demon–fighting. What’s more – this is only the first of the series, so your students can continue to enjoy these books all through Fall!

Weird Little Robots, by Carolyn Crimi (Author), Corinna Luyken (Illustrator)

An illustrated chapter book that combines magic and science, Weird Little Robots will be a refreshing read for middle school students. Friendship, technology, and problem-solving are beautifully captured in masterful prose and gorgeous illustrations that will engage young readers and immerse them in a new world where robots come to life. If you are looking to inspire students (especially girls!) to pursue a path in STEM, this book is a must!

The Mystery of Black Hollow Lane by Julia Nobel

What do you get when you mix prestigious boarding schools, creepy secret societies, and a father who vanished without a trace years ago? A thrilling mystery, of course! In The Mystery of Black Hollow Lane, young readers follow the journey of Emmy as she navigates being in a new school in a foreign country while uncovering truths about her missing father and outsmarting sinister forces. It’s sure to leave your students wanting more!

The Curse of the Werepenguin by Allan Woodrow 

For students who prefer their eerie reads with a side of humor, The Curse of the Werepenguin by Allan Woodrow will be a popular choice! With charming characters and a plotline that keeps readers hooked from start to finish, this is a unique and enjoyable book for middle schoolers. If your students are looking for a book that is funny, creative, and perfect for Halloween – this is it!

We hope these book recommendations will make Fall reading for your students an enjoyable and enriching experience while helping them get in the mood for Halloween. Have a spook-tacular Halloween!

The post 6 Book Recommendations for Spooky Season in Middle School appeared first on Read to Lead.

Get Back To Classroom Routines

Regular classroom routines may have taken a backseat in light of testing season, but now is the perfect time to bring them back. Classroom routines have many benefits, such as giving students a roadmap for their daily activities and helping them stay focused by reducing uncertainty. Routines also help foster community among students and encourage them to see themselves as part of the group, rather than just as individual students. 

If you need some quick ideas to infuse life into your classroom routines, we’ve got you covered. Try assigning a Read to Lead Playlist! Perfect for morning work before lessons start for the day, early finisher activities, or even extra credit. Read to Lead’s learning games promote literacy and leadership skills within an immersive, game-based platform. The best part? Once students try Read to Lead’s games once, they’ll be eager to play again and again, making it the ideal tool to reinstate routine in your middle school classroom!

Set Short-Term Classroom Goals

What better way to rebuild classroom culture than by giving students a common goal to work towards? Even though there are just a few short weeks left before school is out for summer, setting short-term classroom goals for students to work towards collectively can give them a real boost of motivation! 

One easy way to bring the class together and rebuild community is by setting a “Words Read” goal for Read to Lead. As students complete each learning game, their “words read” count gets added to a running tally for the class which shows how many words they have read altogether. Another option is to make it a challenge for students to play at least one Read to Lead learning game each week before summer. Set up a chart in your classroom for students to track their progress and reward them when they hit their goals. Or, if your class has been participating in the Million Words Reach Challenge, use the leaderboard to inspire confidence and healthy competition in your class. Whatever you and your students decide, Read to Lead’s games are sure to add some excitement to the classroom!

Build Students’ Social Emotional Skills

For students, wrapping up the school year can bring with it some big emotions. Relief at having “done their job” the entire school year, stress about their results from their standardized tests, excitement at having time off to relax, sadness at not seeing their friends over summer holidays, and even a worry of food scarcity as school is their one, daily “hot meal”for some students. 

Help your students learn healthy ways to manage stress, and give them an opportunity to practice self-management and awareness skills with CASEL-aligned learning games on the Read to Lead platform. By building SEL skills like social and self-awareness, self-management, relationship and communication skills, and responsible decision-making, Read to Lead games help our middle schoolers thrive both in and out of school. 

Wondering just how well your students are grasping SEL skills? Check out the inbuilt SEL dashboard! It provides actionable, real-time data to help you understand your students’ SEL skill development and differentiate instruction and support accordingly.

In a student’s academic experience, the end of the school year is just as important as the start. Incorporating Read to Lead’s games into your classroom can help end the year off on a high by helping students regain a sense of community and camaraderie with their classmates. What’s more, Read to Lead is FREE for educators! Sign up today to get started!

The post Re-Building Classroom Community at the End of the School Year  appeared first on Read to Lead.

Teachers are pretty much the superheroes of society, but even we are human! As much as we try to avoid it, once in a while, we may have to take a sick day or miss our classes for other reasons. When that happens and a substitute teacher takes over, it’s essential to have a plan in place to ensure things go smoothly for them and our students. But creating detailed lesson plans and keeping them up-to-date to have on standby for a substitute teacher for the unexpected sick day takes a lot of work (and time!)

That’s where Read to Lead can lend a hand! Keep reading to find out how Read to Lead can make preparing substitute teacher plans much easier, while saving you time and effort!

Choose from Pre-made Content and Lesson Plans

It can take hours to create comprehensive and detailed lesson plans for a substitute teacher to use in your absence, but let’s be real – we don’t have that kind of time to spare! Luckily, with Read to Lead, you won’t have to worry about investing valuable time and energy into creating lesson plans from scratch.

Read to Lead offers pre-made content and lesson plans designed with teachers like you in mind. Choose what works best for your students and share it with your substitute teacher when the need arises. The comprehensive lesson plans that accompany each Read to Lead game will ensure that your sub is prepared and ready to stand in for you!

Target Specific Learning Skills 

Ensure that your students continue to stay on task and practice skills even when you are away! Read to Lead features a range of learning games that target specific English Language Arts (ELA) skills and Social & Emotional Learning (SEL) competencies, allowing you to assign your students to particular learning games depending on their needs.

Simply filter the games according to the skills or competencies you want your students to practice, and assign the relevant games to students. The substitute teacher will be able to guide students in pre-game and post-game discussions and activities using the detailed lesson plans that accompany each Read to Lead game. The answer keys included with each learning game will also help the substitute teacher with any student queries as they independently complete the gameplay.

Keep Track Of Student Progress, Even When You Aren’t Physically With Them!

Ever had trouble figuring out what your students accomplished while you were gone? Report sheets getting lost in transit, students pranking the sub, or just plain old communication breakdown – none of these will stop you from keeping track of your students’ progress with Read to Lead.

The Read to Lead Reports updates in real-time and records students’ progress and performance as they complete each game, providing detailed insights about each skill. You can also track overall class stats like words read, time spent reading, and leadership decisions on the new Performance Class Report, so you can stay on top of your students’ work even when you aren’t physically with them!

By reviewing the students’ progress and performance within the Teacher Reports, you can see which areas students need extra practice in and pick up exactly where the substitute teacher left off when you return to your class. Way to make transitions easy!

Make It Easy For The Substitute Teacher And The Students

Another benefit of using Read to Lead to create substitute teacher plans? Keeping everything together in one place! No more pesky folders getting lost or student assignments arriving in dribs and drabs. Read to Lead integrates with a variety of learning management systems (LMS) like Google Classroom, Canvas LMS, and Schoology to streamline the entire process of handing over your class to a substitute teacher.

The substitute teacher will appreciate having all the tools they need to run your classes smoothly within a single platform, and students will be able to continue with the regular rhythm of their classes – we’ll bet your students won’t even notice that you’re gone! As a bonus, when you’re back, you won’t have to play catch up because everything will be up to date within your LMS and on the Read to Lead platform! How’s that for simplifying life?

Having a substitute teacher take over your class while you are away can be easy and stress-free with Read to Lead. It’s 100% free for educators and only takes a couple of clicks to get started. Log in here and never worry about creating substitute teacher plans again!

The post Creating Substitute Teacher Plans with Read to Lead appeared first on Read to Lead.

When you became a teacher, you were probably full of excitement and enthusiasm, determined to change lives and make a difference in the world. But one of the things you may not have been prepared for is just how stressful teaching can be — especially after two years of virtual and hybrid learning. 

With the pressure of being responsible for molding the future generation (not to mention designing engaging lesson plans, reaching state standards, caring for the mental and emotional welfare of students, and more), it’s no surprise that half a million teachers quit their jobs every year.

Luckily, burnout isn’t the only outcome for the dedicated teacher. Here are 5 strategies to reduce stress levels and avoid teacher burnout, tried and tested by teachers themselves!

Lighten the Load

Psst, here’s a secret: Every teacher has looked at their list of things to do and felt like crying (or actually cried) at least once. Yes, our to-do lists seem infinite, but remember that not everything has to be done right now! 

Sometimes, everything can seem urgent and important, but if you take a closer look at your to-do list, you can often identify what can wait. Then… let it wait! While we’re here, try to set some healthy boundaries around what you actually have the capacity to accomplish, and practice saying “no” to things that don’t fit into your schedule, aren’t necessary, or that you just plain don’t want to do!

Avoid Sunday Scaries

“All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” It also makes teachers likely to succumb to burnout. We teachers often spend our weekends planning and preparing for the week ahead. While this is important to be successful in the classroom, it is just as essential that we’re rested and energized as well.

Avoid the Sunday Scaries by planning something that brings you joy each Sunday. Whether that’s a walk in the park to enjoy the fall foliage, brunch with friends, or just being curled up by the fireplace with a good book, scheduling in you-time on the weekend will help you refresh and recharge!

Use Tech Tools that Make Life Easier

More isn’t always better – especially when it comes to tech tools! Use tech tools that integrate with your Learning Management System (LMS) so you have everything in one place for you and your students. You’ll avoid the dreaded multi-tab browser, paperwork, and multiple passwords for accounts.  

Spending hours each week grading assignments? Reduce your workload by using edtech tools like Read to Lead that do the grading for you! Save even more time on lesson prep by tapping into resources that offer pre-made lessons plans that can be easily adapted to your specific classroom needs. Tools like Read to Lead, EdPuzzle, Peardeck, and Flipgrid not only free up your time, they also make learning fun and engaging for students. Win-win!

Use Tools that Differentiate Learning 

No two students are ever exactly the same, which is why differentiated learning is so powerful. But identifying each student’s exact strengths and weaknesses and then adapting and scaffolding the curriculum in a way that helps them succeed can be time-consuming and stressful. That’s where Read to Lead can lend a hand!

Read to Lead games employ adaptive technology to modify assessments based on students’ performance within the platform. The teacher dashboard also provides in-depth information about their performance so you can further differentiate instruction to meet your students’ learning needs!

Celebrate Teacher Accomplishments

You probably celebrate your students’ accomplishments, but why not celebrate your fellow teachers too? Teachers are constantly doing exceptional things, whether it’s mentoring a student, creating an amazing lesson plan, or even helping another teacher– these moments should be celebrated too. 

See a teacher do something great? Tell them, and tell others! Not only is it going to bring a smile to your colleague’s face, but the cheer it spreads is also contagious! And what better way to lift everyone’s spirits and combat teacher burnout than with a fun little celebration?

Teaching is a stressful job but burnout doesn’t have to be an unavoidable result of your career choice. By putting these five strategies into practice, you too can avoid teacher burnout and have a successful, satisfying school year ahead!

The post 5 Ways to Avoid Teacher Burnout appeared first on Read to Lead.

To start as a first-year teacher any year can be daunting, nevermind starting during the middle of a pandemic. 

It’s normal to move into your first classroom and feel unequipped to handle all the unexpected challenges. You may even be feeling your own first-day jitters. Understandably – did you know teachers make over 1,500 decisions in a day? Thankfully, every educator remembers how their first-year of teaching was, and there is a community of teachers ready to support you every step of the way. That’s the thing about teachers, we’re a group of natural nurturers! 

We’ve reached out to our community of veteran teachers and asked them for their most candid advice. Here’s what they said… 

Give yourself the same grace you give your students…

“The first year of teaching is always the most challenging, and now you all are about to embark on your first year that is also happening during a pandemic. With that said, give yourself grace by not taking on too many responsibilities; be open, but know that you can say no to the extra curricular activities in order to say yes to your students and yourself.”

– Staci Lamb, English Teacher & Author

Want more candid advice? Check out her newest book Keeping the Wonder. 

“The first year of teaching is like drinking out of a fire hose – give yourself grace and remember that each new day is an opportunity to try again.”

– Maggie Ritter, former Assistant Principal & Special Education Teacher, Educator Success Manager @ Read to Lead

TIP: Stay honest with yourself. Try to break down your responsibilities into manageable tasks rather than thinking of your day or week as a whole. This can help you feel less overwhelmed and make you less likely to second-guess yourself!

Students don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care…

“People always wonder how to get kids involved in their learning so that they’re paying attention to the teacher and working together to learn the standards. They think it’s some sort of magic trick but really it’s all about creating relationships and building community.  Every year instead of giving students rules, we create agreements together.  Sometimes that’s enough to get the train moving down the track in a positive direction and sometimes I need to add in a little positive reinforcement. But creating agreements it’s always the fundamental first step.  After that it’s all about nurturing the relationship to build community. By nurturing relationships I mean giving students opportunities to share about themselves in meaningful ways so that each person feels valued and respected.  Students don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”

– Lisa Spangler, English Language Arts & SPED Teacher

Looking for more middle-school teacher tips? Check out her blog. 

“It’s normal to feel overwhelmed by everything you have to do to get through the day. First things first. Set aside regular time to connect with each student individually to build trust and let them show you where your focus should be.“

– Ali Tepper, Former Elementary School Teacher, Director, Content & Curriculum @ Read to Lead

TIP: Allow students to be a part of your classroom management process. Work to understand your students upfront, allow them to show agency in your classroom’s norms, and to express themselves in your daily routines. 

A.B.L = Always be learning…

“Never get bored with your profession. Never stop wondering. Teaching is a road lined with plenty of questions and challenges. Rather than fear them, embrace them as a lifelong learner. Sure, you’ll make mistakes. We all do! Focus on doing better for your students once you know better. And, of course, snacks. Always have snacks nearby!”

– Melissa Kruse, English Language Arts Teacher 

Looking for more meaningful teaching and learning tips? Check out her blog!

TIP: Adapt a growth mind-set early on in your career and understand the power of “yet.” “I don’t know yet.” Rather than, “I don’t know.” Our words are powerful – choose them wisely. And also… stock the snack drawer! 

Lean on your veteran colleagues… 

“That first year of teaching can feel lonely, but often your colleagues are just a classroom away. So, use your new network of support to obtain ideas, lessons and to help manage the stress of year one. You got this!”

– Christina Oliver, former Middle School Teacher, Executive Director @ Read to Lead

“Seek out mentors that provide wisdom and positivity, and keep a healthy distance from those that try to bring you or the profession down.”

– Madison Kinnard, former Special Education Teacher, Product Development Associate @ Read to Lead

TIP: You attract the energy you give. Go in with a positive attitude, lean on your colleagues, and seek out the good!

We wish you a safe, joyful, and successful start to your school year. We meant when we said last year that we have your back, and that statement still stands. We will continue to remain free for this 2021-2022 school year. Sign up for your free Read to Lead account here!

 If you want 1:1 onboarding training, have questions about how to mobilize the Million Words Read Challenge in your class, or anything in-between – we’re here for you. 

Onward!

The Read to Lead Team & Community

The post Advice for First-Year Teachers appeared first on Read to Lead.

Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Hangouts… whatever the platform, the fatigue is real. Not just for teachers, but for students and their families too. 

Did you know that in April 2020, two trillion minutes were spent on Zoom alone? Two trillion minutes. It comes as no surprise that so many educators are feeling a little fatigued after a full year of virtual teaching.. 

We don’t pretend to have all the answers, but here are our top five tips to help fight Zoom fatigue in your virtual and hybrid classrooms. 

Start each virtual lesson with an SEL check-in question

Being a student in the middle of a pandemic, learning remotely, with little or no social interaction isn’t easy. . 

Starting each virtual lesson with a check-in question can help take the pulse of how your students are doing. This is especially important when we can’t be in the same room as them to read their body language or observe their interactions with their peers.

Allow students to name the emotion they are bringing to class. This helps students know how they and their classmates are feeling, what different emotions look like, and how to better interact with their peers based on how they’re feeling. This check-in can also help cultivate social connections between students, which is crucial for learning.

Use Zoom’s breakout rooms for deeper discussion

Do you love talking to a screen with 25 faces (or black boxes) looking back at you? If you don’t, your students definitely have it worse. The truth is, participating in discussions can be intimidating for students, and even more so in a large virtual group. One of the things we’re hearing from our teacher community is that smaller breakout sessions are sparking deeper conversations and reflections for students.

Zoom’s breakout rooms offer a quick fix to engage students in small group conversations, just like they would in the classroom. Small group discussions are also better at promoting critical thinking and increasing student satisfaction. Using breakout rooms in tandem with whole group instruction can be an effective way to avoid Zoom fatigue by changing things up once in a while.

Encourage students to have a designated space for learning

While not every student may have access to their own “virtual classroom” space (although we are loving the creative parents out there who have the financial ability to make this happen), there are norms that can be established in almost all scenarios. 

It’s tough having to sit through a lesson (much less with your bed 3 feet away), which is why having a designated place for learning is critical. Just like in a regular classroom, encouraging students to find a space that works for them and use it consistently can help reduce distractions and enable them to focus on learning.

Create a consistent lesson format 

When everything feels like it’s up in the air, consistency is key! Children are creatures of routine, and school shifting to virtual platforms has removed a lot of that consistency that comes with having a fixed daily schedule.

Students have said they missed having a routine, and the feeling of “not knowing” creates additional stress for them. Having a consistent lesson format for all classes can reduce some of the fatigue students may be experiencing. Setting virtual classroom routines for students also creates clear expectations and guides students to identify and recognize the beginning, middle, and end of a lesson.

Having live interaction with students at the beginning and end is a handy way to “sandwich” content, and ensure students have a chance to connect with you and each other. Working in elements of both synchronous and asynchronous learning is also helpful, as does setting regular office hours for students who need additional help.

Spark engagement in new ways

Sparking student engagement when you’re in the classroom all together is a challenge – nevermind when you’re virtual. Game-based learning assignments that can be completed either asynchronously or synchronously can be a great way to spark student interest. Read to Lead provides just that. 

Choose from a library of literacy games that you can filter by class objective and grade level, easily assign to your class and check student progress in real-time! Perfect for teaching from afar. What’s more – Read to Lead games are fully aligned with Common Core Standards and rich with culturally relevant content, keeping students deeply engaged in learning!

Sign up for a free account here and watch student engagement climb!

Tell us your best tip to combat Zoom fatigue in the comments below. Want more tips like these? Get in on the conversation by joining the Read to Lead Educator Facebook Group.

The post 5 Tips to Combat Zoom Fatigue in Your Virtual Classroom appeared first on Read to Lead.

In August and September 2020, Classroom, Inc. engaged over 40 New York Life employees in two virtual webinars that discussed best practices that keep employees’ children motivated and succeeding at home.

For over ten years, Classroom, Inc.’s close partnership with the New York Life Foundation has helped provide thousands of middle school students access to Classroom, Inc.’s games and curriculum that develop literacy, life, and career skills. While COVID-19 has disrupted many of our regular routines, it’s also provided opportunities for Classroom, Inc. to collaborate more closely with partner organizations, such as the New York Life Foundation.

The sessions were led by Kwamara Thompson (Managing Director of Programs and Partnerships) and Ali Tepper (Director of Content and Curriculum). The first interactive session (“Distance Learning Do’s and Don’ts”) taught employees how to use distance learning tools such as Zoom and Google Classroom to keep children excited and motivated to learn in distance-learning environments. Participants also learned how to create collaborative environments and recognize their children’s learning styles to maximize their engagement.

The second session “Back-to-School with Read to Lead!” addressed how Read to Lead is an effective digital literacy distance-learning tool that empowers middle school youth to be the “boss” in a virtual workplace where they have to make critical decisions.

“Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, students and parents need learning resources and supports more than ever. We’re committed to doing what we can to help families overcome the academic and social challenges brought about by this crisis,” said Marlyn Torres, Senior Program Officer of the New York Life Foundation. “Having one of our partners work with our employees was a great opportunity for them to see why we invested in Classroom, Inc. They observed first-hand their expertise and techniques in making learning fun and creating a motivating, interactive, and collaborative experience.”

If you’d like to learn more about the ways that Classroom, Inc. supports corporations, please contact Matt Chacko at mchacko@classroominc.org.

The post Virtual Learning Do’s and Don’ts: Collaborating with the New York Life Foundation appeared first on Read to Lead.

Photo Attribution: Alpha Stock Images | www.alphastockimages.com

The Presidential debate that took place on September 29, 2020 was not one of the United States’ proudest moments. However, like all historic events, there are lessons to be learned from the debate. As educators, it is our responsibility to guide students in critically viewing and navigating the information they may be seeing first hand or hearing about afterwards.

Respect and open communication are essential in a democracy, particularly one as diverse as the US. Sharing diverse viewpoints and trying to understand how others think and feel should be modeled by our leaders. This does not mean we have to agree with one another, but we should strive to engage in respectful dialogue. However, we continue to see, at the highest levels of our government, an absence of respectful dialogue and openness to diverse viewpoints. 

The 90-minute debate between President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden, was not our proudest moment. Both parties continually interrupted each other, and made personal attacks and hateful remarks. Ultimately, the presidential debate was more an instance of bullying at the highest levels of government, than a true debate to engage constructively with opposing viewpoints. Students today need to understand that bullying is not a characteristic of leadership.

October is National Anti-Bullying Month, which makes it all the more important to highlight instances of bullying, particularly when our most powerful leaders are engaged in it. Pointing out instances of bullying wherever we see them ensures students are aware of and can recognize bullying behaviors or actions when they encounter them in their own lives. As educators, we also need to equip students with the tools to address the problem of bullying.

What is Bullying?

With one in five students reporting having been bullied, this is almost certainly a term you and your students have heard before. Bullying goes beyond taunts in the playground, or stealing someone’s lunch money. It is important for students to understand that bullying exists in many forms. Generally, bullying can be hostile actions or words from one person to another with the intent to hurt someone.  

A bully can be any gender, shape, size or color, and may be bullying others for a variety of reasons. Bullying usually happens when there is an imbalance of power. In the school setting, the bully may be bigger in size, have superior knowledge, or is better in some activity. They use this to their advantage and act on their desires to hurt the other person. 

We often think of bullying as something physical – hitting, pushing around, stealing, or forcing people to do things against their will, but it can also be verbal. Teasing, insulting, refusing to talk to someone, spreading lies or rumors, or excluding someone from a group, are all examples of bullying. There were numerous examples of this during the first presidential debate, despite the fact that the activity of debating someone can be a helpful tool to address bullying. 

How Can Debate Help Address Bullying?

Debate is a long-standing tradition and a historic skill set focused on respectful listening to facts and evidence to engage in a productive and constructive conversation on a topic that two people may disagree on. There are ground rules in place that must be respected, such as only speaking when it is your turn, listening attentively and respecting all opinions. Read to Lead‘s lesson plans outline the ground rules for effective debate.

The beauty of debate is that you don’t have to agree with someone, but you do have to respectfully establish your position based on facts, with the goal of convincing others of your position, rather than bullying them to concede defeat. The opinions presented may not be in line with your own, but this does not mean you can’t have some level of respect for the person who holds these opinions.

This is how the Presidential Debate should have been conducted, but unfortunately, poor form on both the part of the participants and the moderator, led to what critics have described as “a disaster” and “one of the worst debates in televised American history”.

At Read to Lead, we believe giving students tools for respectful debate will reduce bullying. By giving students the skills they need to engage in meaningful and respectful dialogue, and disagree constructively with one another, we empower them to take control of situations where bullying may occur, and avert them.

Resources to Develop Debate Skills and Avoid Bullying

Read To Lead games explore the value of debate and offer proven resources to cultivate these skills in students. 

Many lesson plans include a debate component, such as “Is it worth it to have health insurance?”, “Should schools practice techniques like meditation during the school day?”, and “Which type of therapy for anxiety do you think is more beneficial? Why?”. The lesson plans also outline ground rules and guidelines about how to conduct debate sessions, while providing students with language to approach debate.

In the game Dad Genes  of Vital Signs, the debate question focuses on how to deal with a friend who is bullying someone. Students are encouraged to explore different options like approaching the friend directly or seeking help from someone else. By digging deeper into real life scenarios that students may encounter in their daily lives, we equip them with the skills necessary to tackle such situations.

In line with Anti-Bullying Month, we also have a special close reading lesson for October about bullying. This close reading passage provides a deeper look at what makes a bully, and some strategies to handle bullying, as well as teacher-guided questions to lead discussions around the effects of bullying on victims and students’ own experiences with bullying. By holding space for our students to engage in these conversations around bullying, we help them recognize and address the problem of bullying in our schools.

Bullying is an issue of serious concern in our schools, workplaces and even government, as demonstrated by the recent Presidential Debate. However, by drawing attention to it with our students and providing them with the necessary tools to engage in constructive debate, we can help address this problem and reduce the instances of bullying.

The post Using the First Presidential Debate to Teach Lessons on Bullying appeared first on Read to Lead.

It Is More Important than Ever to Keep Students Empowered, Engaged, and Learning

As more schools shift to online learning during this challenging time, it’s critical that students continue learning in a way that’s fun, accessible, and maintains positive communication with their teachers and classmates. 

Read to Lead is a 100% free and proven blended learning solution that leverages game-based learning to help students build reading, writing, and leadership skills. Teachers across the country use the “Be the Boss” learning experiences to engage youth, and build core academic and leadership skills essential to their success in school today and the careers of tomorrow. 

Here’s how Read to Lead can be a valuable resource while you’re planning for distance learning:

Deeply Engage Students at Home By Making Them the Boss

Distance learning requires flexible and self-paced learning activities that pique a student’s interests. In Read to Lead games, students become the boss of a community health clinic, online magazine, or community center. They read closely, think critically, and work with a diverse staff to solve real-world problems. 

The free web-based curriculum is modular so students can move at their own pace, logging in any time of day for any length of time. One episode, or one “day at work”, takes about 30 minutes to complete. In that time, students read 5,000 words, make 10 leadership decisions, and practice a specific Reading Anchor Standard. If students read their way through 12 episodes, that’s equivalent to completing a middle school chapter book! 

Students can self-select episodes or you can assign specific episodes based on your learning goals. Here’s an example. Let’s say your students are playing Vital Signs and you want them working on vocabulary acquisition. You would assign episodes 3, 5, 8, and 11 to your class as those episodes are aligned to CCRA.R.4. 

Look over the guides below to identify the skills, standards, and themes addressed in each episode and make your selections. 

• Community in Crisis (Grades 5 and 6) – Community Center 
• Vital Signs (Grades 7 and 8) – Medical Clinic 
• After the Storm (Grades 8 and 9) – Online Community Magazine  

Alternatively, you might invite students to read the episode summaries in their own portal and choose the episodes that sound the most exciting!

Track Student Progress with Real-Time Reports

You have three different reports in your Read to Lead hub that give you a clear picture of your students’ activity and growth. All of these reports are updated in real-time and can be downloaded or printed.  

The Progress Report is your built-in classroom management tool so you can see how many episodes each student has played and if they are currently logged into the program.  

The Performance Report allows you to see how each student is performing against Anchor Standards in Reading. 

The Student Activity Report shows you each student’s reading task and writing prompt.  

Supplemental Resources Enhance the Virtual Workplace Experience

Each Read to Lead game includes wrap around activities that scaffold and extend learning. Post-game discussion questions foster self-reflection on the decisions made as the boss. Graphic organizers are provided to assist students as they complete the in-game writing prompt. All of these resources exist as Google Documents in the student’s portal making them accessible from anywhere and easily shareable so you can offer feedback and guidance. 

Read to Lead has several other student-led projects that youth can explore at home! Students can create a Public Service Announcement or map out their dream career.  

Here’s some quick tips on how students can work with our Google worksheets. 

Motivate Students to Keep Reading and Leading At Home: The Million Words Read Challenge

We have a fun contest that challenges students to work together to read one million words in Read to Lead games! Once your class reads one million words collectively, they will receive prizes from the Read to Lead team!

Students are automatically awarded badges for the number of words they read. You can monitor how many words your class is reading in your account to keep them informed on their progress and celebrate their milestones virtually! 

If you need any guidance while planning, please reach out to our team at support@classroominc.org. We’re here for you! 

The post How Making Students the Boss Can Empower Them in Virtual Learning appeared first on Read to Lead.

In fact, a well thought out classroom can positively impact student behavior, engagement and productivity, as well as make it easier to manage your classroom. Here are our top six tips to set up your classroom for the upcoming year.

1. Form Follows Functionality
The top priority when it comes to setting up your classroom should be function. Having a beautiful classroom is great, but if it doesn’t lend itself to helping your students learn and achieve their goals, it defeats its purpose. When planning the setup of your classroom, ask yourself:

– What purpose does your classroom serve?
– What are the daily routines you have in mind?
– What is your usual workflow?
– How do you want your students to interact with the space?

Keeping these questions in mind will help you visualize your ideal classroom and the must-haves to create the best learning space for you and your students.

2. Spaces and Seats
Every teacher has a limited amount of space in their classroom, and it is in everybody’s best interest to maximize that square footage. Do you prefer tables or desks? Should they be arranged in traditional rows, groups or even horseshoe shaped or more unconventional layouts?

Having a variety of seating arrangements within the same classroom is also an option. Dr. Bob Dillon recommends creating spaces with different purposes (creating, collaboration, quiet time etc.) to make them more learner-friendly and welcoming. Flexible classrooms are also becoming more and more popular in terms of empowering students, increasing engagement and participation.

3. Think Visuals
Having a colorful room is great for lifting spirits and adding cheer, but did you know that too many colors that are too bright or vivid can actually be distracting and visually-overwhelming?

When setting up your classroom, pay careful attention to colors, and avoid “dressing up” your walls with too much. While it is easy to get carried away with putting up posters, a word wall, and other fun decor, remember to leave some room to showcase student work as well.

4. Don’t Just Add, Subtract
As you go about setting up your class for the next year, keep in mind that it’s not just about filling every bit of available space. Having too many things going on in a classroom can create visual overwhelm in students, leaving them unable to engage intellectually. Coco Chanel’s advice when it comes to accessorizing can apply to your classroom – when you feel your room is “ready”, go in and take (at least) one thing out. Sometimes, less is more.

5. Consider Digital
Technology is an important part of the modern classroom. Considering how and when you will use digital resources can help integrate these tools more effectively and seamlessly into your classroom. Do you have a set of desktop computers for students to use in turn or tablets that students can use at their seats? Being mindful of when and where students will be on their devices can help improve student participation and engagement, even as they enjoy learning through fun apps and games like Read to Lead®, Prodigy and Kahoot!

6. Be Open to Change
At the end of the day, the most important part of your classroom is your students. It is as much their space, as it is yours. When school is back in session, be sure to ask them for their feedback about what is working and what could be improved. You may be surprised by some of their responses, but don’t be afraid to make changes and adapt as you go along.

Allowing students to share their feedback and implementing their suggestions gives them a sense of ownership of the space, and also increases their engagement in learning within the space. By working alongside your students, you’ll be able to create the perfect learning environment for your students to thrive.

The post Top 6 Tips to Set Up Your Classroom appeared first on Read to Lead.