We’ve chosen to highlight books that celebrate diversity and inclusivity, explore relevant social issues, and tackle the challenges that middle schoolers may face in their lives. While we would love for our students to read all the books on this list, we recommend letting students choose a few that pique their interest. Why? Because book choice is key to student agency and motivation.

Now, let’s get to the 5th-grade summer reading recommendations!

1.Measuring Up, Lily LaMotte & Ann Xu

Twelve-year-old Cici has just made a major life change – her family has moved to Seattle from Taiwan.  The only thing she wants more than to fit into her new life is to celebrate her grandmother’s 70th birthday. Since Cici’s grandmother is still in Taiwan, she hatches a plan to surprise her parents by winning the grand prize in a kids’ cooking contest to help pay for her grandmother’s ticket!

Cici navigates the blending of her Taiwanese culture and her new American identity with heart and bravery and author Lila LaMotte explores the minority experience as well as theme of identity, racial insensitivity and dealing with microaggressions. Artfully written, this book lends itself to being the jumping off point to discuss deeper issues like racism, anti-Asian sentiments, and inclusion. 

2. You Don’t Know Everything, Jilly P.! by Alex Gino

Social justice is an increasingly relevant topic, and You Don’t Know Everything, Jilly P.! is an excellent introduction for 5th-grade students. Tackling big issues like deaf culture and white privilege, this book takes students on Jilly’s journey of discovering she doesn’t know everything, and how to learn from her mistakes to do better. This is definitely a book that will spark discussions on a variety of pertinent issues in a way that is relevant and relatable for students.

3. Wonder by R.J. Palacio

This #1 New York Times Best Seller follows the story of 10-year old August Pullman, a normal boy in every way, except for his facial anomalies. As “Auggie” enters 5th grade in a mainstream school for the first time, he faces some of the same challenges that any 5th grader would face – making friends, fitting in, and being themselves. 5th graders are sure to see themselves reflected in the characters in this moving, engaging and heartwarming book. Bonus – The book has been adapted into a movie that students can enjoy alongside the book.

4. Old Enough to Save the Planet by Loll Kirby (Author), and Adelina Lirius (Illustrator)

Inspire your 5th graders to get involved in saving the Earth with this beautifully illustrated book. Featuring the stories of 12 young activists from around the world from New York to Australia, this non-fiction book highlights how even kids can do their part to address the climate crisis. The gorgeous illustrations are a lovely addition and will surely captivate even reluctant readers. 

5. This Book Is Anti-Racist: 20 Lessons on How to Wake Up, Take Action, and Do The Work by Tiffany Jewell

Another great social justice book for middle school readers, This Book is Anti-Racist is sure to inspire the acitvist in our students. Presented in an accessible manner that meets students at their level, this book explores identity, history, taking action and responding to racism, and working in solidarity with others in four sections. Activities included at the end of each chapter also encourage students to get involved in doing anti-racist work – this is not a book for students who want to sit back and do nothing!

6. Siha Tooskin Knows the Strength of His Hair by Charlene & Wilson Bearhead

Starting at a new school is always hard – even more so when your new classmates don’t know much about your culture, values and history. In this captivating story, students learn more about Nakota culture through 11-year-old Siha Tooskin as he deals with challenges in fitting in at his new school. Bonus – If your students enjoyed this, they will surely love reading about more of Siha Tooskin’s adventures in the rest of the series.

7. Rainbow Revolutionaries: Fifty LGBTQ+ People Who Made History by Sarah Prager

Representation matters, and it is important to introduce our students to diversity and inclusion even in the books they read. In this groundbreaking publication, author Sarah Prager shines the spotlight on fifty people from the LGBTQ+ community who have made a difference in history. It is a great introduction to the accomplishments and achievements of LGBTQ+ people, and a way to help young readers understand more about their contributions to our community.

8. Community in Crisis, Read to Lead

We’re cheating (just a little) with this recommendation, but if your students are struggling to even pick up a book during summer, Community in Crisis could change their mind about reading. Designed to meet anchor standards and supports Lexile range for 5th grade, Community in Crisis is the second series on the Read to Lead game-based learning platform. By working through each game in the series, students read the equivalent of 5,000 words, and interact with a diverse array of characters. Game-based learning is also a great way to drive student interest, and motivation. Sign up for a free account and get your students started with their summer reading program.

Summer is the perfect time for students to explore a wide array of books, and being exposed to diverse books in middle school will help them expand their worldviews and open their minds. We hope that these multicultural books for kids that feature incredibly diverse viewpoints will inspire and engage them to keep reading during summer.

Know of a great book for 5th graders? We’d love to hear from you!

The post Top Summer Reading List for 5th Grade appeared first on Read to Lead.

You may be thinking… why should we be teaching about volunteering and community service in middle school?

The Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning at Tufts University found that students who volunteer are more successful in school and more likely to graduate from high school and college than those who don’t volunteer. This may be because most service opportunities teach students essential life skills like planning, working in groups, interacting with diverse groups, and solving complex problems. It also gives students a purpose, and an outlet to find their passions and strengths. 

This week, we’re providing resources for teachers to be able to shine a light on the people and the causes that inspire us to serve. The world needs volunteers who donate their time, energy, and passion to the causes they care about and this starts with our students!

Ignite an interest in volunteerism for your students to make an impact on their own neighborhoods with our week-at-a-glance planner!

Snag it here to download!

Monday

Introduce the concept of Volunteerism through immersive game-play. 

Introduce students to community service organizations, volunteer work, career exploration, and social-emotional learning experiences through immersive gameplay with the Community in Crisis learning game.Start building their knowledge with this lesson plan.

Students take on the role of the “boss” at a community center as they read closely, think critically, lead a diverse team, and solve complex problems — all within the immersive context of a day at work.

Play Community in Crisis, learning game, Stranded! Answer key.

Tuesday

Inspire students to make a difference.

Have your students ask themselves: How can I make a difference in my community? Use our enrichment project to help them identify a cause they are passionate about and develop their own community service plan.

Use these lesson sessions to get your students excited about volunteering and community service.

Wednesday

Give students a front-row seat into community activism through career exploration.

Grab the popcorn and watch an on-demand Read to Lead: Live! session with Mary Walker, where students will get an inside look into the leadership journey of this passionate professional who discusses her role in corporate philanthropy to help nonprofits achieve their mission. 

If you thought the on-demand session was powerful, you have to catch a LIVE session! Sign up for the next one here!

Thursday

Spark deep class discussion.

Read to Lead: Live! always seems to spark deep questions and reflections for students about their passions, desires, challenges, and future.

Use this discussion guide to spark deep discussion and reflection with your students!

Friday

Connect to the real world.

Allow students to share their community service plans with their peers and start mobilizing their volunteer plans with an organization they feel a connection with.

Start with this comprehensive list of Volunteer Opportunities across the country.

And there you have it! Five full days of igniting an interest in community service for your middle school students. Whether you do all five days, or just one –  tell us how it goes with #NationalVolunteerWeek on Twitter and Instagram. Tag us to be featured –  @ReadtoLeadGames

Happy teaching!

The post Teaching National Volunteer Week 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.

December 13, 2021 – Read to Lead, an ed-tech nonprofit that empowers middle school students to develop their literacy, life, and career skills through game-based learning, was recently announced as the winner of AT&T’s “Pitches With Purpose” Audience Choice Award. In the all-virtual “Shark Tank” style competition, AT&T invited the eight organizations from its 2021 graduating Accelerator class to pitch their business plans for a chance to win one of two $50,000 prizes. 

During the competition, Read to Lead secured the most votes for best pitch from AT&T employees, who recognized the nonprofit for its ability to create engaging and inclusive digital learning experiences that help narrow the homework gap and prepare students to thrive within and beyond the classroom.

Executive Director Christina Oliver’s winning pitch highlighted Read to Lead’s innovative approach to developing the next generation of readers and leaders through a suite of online learning games and experiences that combine reading, critical thinking, and career exploration. Read to Lead’s unique approach invites middle school students to become “the boss” in over 30 virtual workplaces, where they must read closely, think critically, and solve authentic workplace challenges. 

Throughout the 2021 AT&T Accelerator program, Read to Lead continued to scale its impact on the lives of middle school students and teachers nationwide, delivering diverse and culturally relevant learning experiences and stemming the tide of learning loss caused by the pandemic.

In reflecting on the program, Oliver shared, “The AT&T Accelerator has been an incredible learning experience. We are honored that our pitch was chosen among a cohort of amazing ed-tech leaders, and I am especially grateful for the relationships we have developed among the network of experts and founders. Their mentorship and support is making it possible to create a new generation of learning games and experiences that will ensure even more students nationwide build the literacy and social-emotional skills to succeed.” 

About Philanthropy & Social Innovation at AT&T

We’re committed to advancing education, creating opportunities, strengthening communities and improving lives. AT&T Connected Learning is a multi-year commitment to bridge the digital divide and narrow the homework gap, so today’s learners are connected with skills, resources, and opportunities for success in school and in life. Since 2008, we’ve committed over $600 million to programs that help millions of students across all 50 states and around the world, particularly those in underserved communities.

The post Read to Lead Wins $50,000 in Additional Funding Through AT&T’s Accelerator Pitches with Purpose Competition appeared first on Read to Lead.

To say this school year has been unprecedented would be an understatement. When the pandemic hit in March of 2020, Crystal Starr, a 6th-grade teacher at Lincoln Public Schools in Lincoln, Nebraska knew she was going to have to teach differently this year. 

The challenge wasn’t easy…

Like many teachers around the country, Crystal was teaching both on Zoom and in-person at the beginning of the year. The problem she was faced with immediately was keeping students productive and engaged for the first 15 minutes of the class where she would have to be disinfecting the tables, getting her Zoom students online, and also keeping the students that were coming into the classroom on-task. “It was 15-minutes of learning time that would go un-utilized if I didn’t find the right activity,” Crystal said.

“So I gave my students a choice – you can independently read for the first 15 minutes of class, or you can play Read to Lead. Of course, they all chose Read to Lead!” 

It was equally as important that Crystal would be able to monitor student progress and performance as well since many students were learning remotely. 

Then she found Read to Lead.

When Crystal came across Read to Lead, she learned she could easily get both her remote students and in-person students on Read to Lead at the beginning of the class while she was disinfecting tabletops and setting up the Zoom call. The students knew this was the routine of each class, were excited to play the next game, and couldn’t wait to see how many “words read” they had achieved so far on the dashboard. 

With the formative assessments embedded in each game, Crystal could monitor students’ understanding, progress, and even assess performance by Common Core Standard. 

The results were unexpected.

“The Million Words Read Challenge upped the competition in my class,” Crystal said.

With the class being so disconnected due to the pandemic, Read to Lead brought the students together for a common goal. “They wanted to see who they were competing against on the leaderboard from around the country, and it made them feel connected to something bigger, ” Crystal said. 

“The most surprising outcome of Read to Lead, is that my students were reading and talking to each other about the different decisions they were making throughout the game,” Crystal said. Students had to think critically and take the time to understand what they were reading in order to make the right decisions to progress through the game.

Two of Crystal’s  English Language Arts classes become Read to Lead Millionaires and will be receiving their student prize packs in the mail along with a gift card to host a class celebration hosted by Read to Lead’s generous donors. 

While the school year is coming to a close, many of Crystal’s students love Read to Lead so much, she often finds they are playing at home on their own time!

The post Teacher Spotlight: Crystal Starr 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.

As one educator puts it: “On Read to Lead: Live! my students have the opportunity to see and hear individuals who look like them, “in-person.” This allows them to connect what they’ve read, seen, or learned in class to the real world.”  – Kimberly 

Misty shared her incredible story as an artist, author, and leader with 15,000 students across the country, including the inspiring message that “everyone has it inside them to be a leader.” 

If you missed the live session, you can catch it on-demand here. After watching the live session with your class, you can use this discussion guide to spark reflection and discussion with your students. 

Here were a few of our favorite mic drop moments captured live. ????

What would you tell your 10-year-old self?

“Be patient and know that your passion, hard work, & belief in wanting a better life for yourselves and your family is enough. Love yourself and allow other people to love you.”

What does leadership mean to you?

“Leadership is really about believing in yourself and others.”

What does it mean to be a good leader?

“We all have it in us to be leaders. It’s not necessarily being the loudest person in the room. Leadership is about being fearless, about having faith in yourself and your abilities, and believing in the things that are important to you.”

Our middle schoolers sent in so many questions for Misty that we couldn’t get to them all during this one session, so she wrote her responses to some of the many unanswered questions.

How do you stay so motivated to continue training? – Tahirah

“Seeing how this generation of young people is so invested in making our world a better place is [the] motivation for me to keep striving even on the hardest of days. “

How did you balance ballet and school work? – Kaitlyn 

“Ballet actually pushed me to be better in school. The more responsibility I had, the easier it was for me to add on work. But I definitely had to make sacrifices. I wasn’t hanging out with friends during the week, and I was doing homework any free moment I had between dance classes and rehearsals.”

Do you get nervous before going on stage? And what do you do to calm those butterflies? – Cadence

“I never really got nervous as a child and only started to feel that way as a professional once I started to realize the weight of the roles I was dancing and what it meant to dance them as a Black woman. But when I do start to feel anxious or nervous, I first remind myself why I love to dance and perform. Then I dive deep into the character I’m portraying. It makes things less scary if it’s not you on the stage, but the character you are becoming during the show.”

What would you consider to be the highlight of your career? – Sophie

“I have two highlights for sure. My first NYC performance of the ballet Firebird in 2012 was the first time I saw so many black and brown people come to Lincoln Center to see a ballet. The second would be when I was promoted to Principal Dancer with American Ballet Theatre in 2015.” 

I am an aspiring ballerina, and I want to know how you got so good at ballet? – Katherine 

“ Twenty-five years of hard work, dedication, sacrifice, and commitment. But what’s been equally necessary and important was having support from those around me.”

When you were in middle school, how many ballet class hours did you take a week? – Ashanti 

“ I was taking two ballet classes a day, and sometimes I would take a modern dance class on those days as well. So some days it was three classes a day, and I was dancing six days a week.”

Why did you want to become a ballerina? – Hannah 

“ Because it was an escape from a lot of hardships in my life, and I loved moving, performing, and expressing myself with my body. I fell in love with classical music, as well as the history and structure of ballet.”

What’s your favorite song and why? – Bryn 

“ There is an old song by Mariah Carey called, Looking In. It has been a favorite of mine since I was about 14 years old because the lyrics resonated with me at the time. It’s about feeling different and trying to get people to understand you and why you are who you are. I felt like she wrote it just for me.” 

And that’s a wrap! Whether you caught this session live or will be watching it on-demand, we hope your students feel inspired by Misty’s story. Sign up to save your seat for the next Read to Lead: Live!

The post Misty Copeland Speaks Directly to Middle Schoolers on Read to Lead: Live! appeared first on Read to Lead.

As educators, we can help students explore options before they have to start deciding on diploma paths. We can help them increase awareness in their self-discovery and education. 

National Careers Week is March 1 – 6th this year, and we’re here to help you boost career readiness for your students. Here’s what to do with your class!

Monday

Engage students in an immersive work-day experience. 

Engage students in deep career exploration and social-emotional learning experiences through immersive gameplay with the Community in Crisis learning game. 

You’ll want to create a free Read to Lead account if you don’t already have one! See the lesson plan here.

Students take on the role of the “boss” as they read closely, think critically, lead a diverse team, and solve complex problems — all within the immersive context of a day at work. 

Play Community in Crisis game 12: Come Together

Answer key

Tuesday

Engage students in healthy debate.

Practice skills like listening, speaking clearly, and being respectful of all opinions by hosting a debate based on yesterday’s immersive work-day. 

Use this debate guide to center the discussion!

Tech Tip: You can post the debate in Google Classroom and allow students to comment on each other’s responses using conversation starters!

Wednesday

Give students a front-row seat into career exploration.

Grab the popcorn and watch an on-demand Read to Lead: Live! session where students will get an inside look into the leadership journey of passionate professionals around the country and learn about different careers across multiple disciplines and industries. 

If you thought the on-demand session was powerful, you have to catch a LIVE session! Sign up for the next one on March 12th here!

Thursday

Spark deep class discussion.

Read to Lead: Live! always seems to spark deep questions and reflections for students about their passions, desires, challenges, and future. 

Use this discussion guide to spark deep discussion and reflection with your students!

Friday

Connect literacy to career readiness.

We know reading unlocks all other learning. Since your students have already played one Read to Lead game, each student has read 5K words!

Help students reach one million words read by joining the Million Words Read Challenge. 

When your class reaches Millionaire status (collectively), we send you student prize packs and a gift card to celebrate this achievement with your class!

Check the leaderboard to see where your class stands!

And that’s a wrap! We hope your students leave this week feeling inspired, encouraged, and most of all confident in what’s next in their self-discovery and career journey.

The post Celebrate National Careers Week with Read to Lead appeared first on Read to Lead.

Digital Learning Day was founded in 2011 by the Alliance for Excellent Education (All4Ed) to celebrate innovative teachers and improve learning experiences for students across the globe.

This year, however, February 25th (Digital Learning Day), could be just another day because let’s face it…we’ve all been teaching digitally since March of last year. 

To help you make February 25th not another “digital learning day”, we compiled  some of our favorite ways to celebrate Digital Learning day with your students. What are your go-tos? Tell us in the comments below! 

Quizizz

Swap out a traditional worksheet with a student-based assignment on Quizizz. This platform allows you to choose from millions of teacher-created quizzes, or you can create your own! They also offer flashcard challenges to have your students test their knowledge. Quizizz allows students to work at their own pace, where you can watch their progress along the way to help monitor.

All About a Topic

Have you tried topic-based learning with your class? Topic-based learning is the emphasis in language learning on a single subject, topic or theme. We find it a great way to expand upon a previous lesson! Trying to figure out how to incorporate topic-based learning? Challenge your students to create a digital presentation filled with text, images, and design elements all centered around a single topic. You can assign one topic to each student, one topic for the entire class, set them up in groups, or let students choose themselves. Doing this will allow your students to build digital communication skills and explore their creativity.

The Million Words Read Challenge

This list wouldn’t be complete without our favorite challenge of the year. Our game-based challenge encourages students to read, plus rewards them with prizes for doing so! The challenge is a win-win activity that not only allows students an opportunity to read up to 5,000 words per game but also provides goals and motivates them to become a Read to Lead ‘Millionaire’. If you haven’t already, accept the challenge and sign up for free today:  https://readtolead.org/mwr/

In 2021 especially, it’s hard to remember a time when Ed Tech was not at the forefront of your student’s curriculum. Just ten years ago, that was the case, but today digital learning has has become a reliable resource for educators and an incredible opportunity for students to learn and grow from anywhere as long as they have an internet connection!

Join us in celebrating Ten Years of Digital Learning Day with three Ed Tech activities that you can easily incorporate into your student’s curriculum. Let us know if you try any of these with your class!

The post 3 Ways to Celebrate Digital Learning Day With Your Students appeared first on Read to Lead.

A game-based challenge that encourages your middle students to read, plus rewards them with prizes? Yes, we’re for real! We’re of course talking about our annual Million Words Read Challenge.

If you haven’t heard about the Million Words Challenge yet, we’re going to break it down for you in this post! 

Where competition and collaboration meet… 

Friendly competition is a great motivator among students, as are collaborative learning environments, but competition and collaboration are often seen as opposing strategies in the classroom. The Million Words Read Challenge combines the best of both worlds! 

As students work through the literacy games, their words read count gets recorded on a leaderboard in real-time where they can track their progress against classes around the nation, inspiring them to climb the board! The friendly competition spurs students to strive for individual excellence, but ultimately, they have to work collaboratively as a class to achieve the target goal of one million words read. The collective goal serves to motivate students and push each other to read more words to hit the targets of the challenge.

The best part? The Million Words Read Challenge can be used in the classroom, hybrid, or virtual learning settings.

After 2020, we could all use a little joy. Join us in celebrating student achievement. 

What better way to celebrate your students when they reach their target of one million words read than prizes and a class celebration? When students become Millionaires they receive Read to Lead Student Prize Packs that include Read to Lead backpacks, t-shirts, water bottles and more! Teachers will also receive a gift card to spend on a class celebration (whether virtual or in-person) to make their success that much sweeter.

To keep spirits high and students motivated, Read to Lead also rewards students with badges throughout the challenge as they hit words-read milestones. Make their success official with a certificate in honor of their Millionaire status when they reach their final goal!

Ready to accept the challenge?

Getting started with the Million Words Read Challenge is simple!

1. Accept the Million Words Read Challenge by signing up for a FREE account.
2. Assign your students their first learning game.
3. Track your students’ progress in the teacher dashboard.
4. Get rewarded with a prize pack and celebration for your class when they reach the target of one million words!

Each game completed on Read to Lead, counts for 5,000 words read. As students progress through the different episodes, they are awarded badges individually and as a class for reaching certain milestones and achieving certain targets. 

Learn more about this year’s Million Words Read Challenge and how you and your students can participate, by clicking here!

The post Not Your Average Reading Challenge appeared first on Read to Lead.