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.

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.

COVID-19 created urgency in the education community to quickly innovate to improve student learning outside of the traditional classroom setting. When schools across the US closed, Classroom, Inc. expanded its efforts to help middle school youth nationwide develop leadership and literacy skills. New relationships with leaders in social impact, including AT&T, have made it possible for Classroom, Inc. to rapidly improve the ways it offers its free learning platform, Read to Lead, and training to support educators and students. 

Anne Wintroub is the Director of Social Innovation for AT&T, where she leads a national philanthropic portfolio designed to empower communities. In August 2020, we spoke with Anne about her approach to social innovation, the impact of COVID-19, and how technology and our collaboration can transform education by supporting educators and students in distance learning.

AT&T’s Approach: Education Innovation & Effective Distance Learning

AT&T has been supporting innovative approaches to education for over a decade. Through programs like the AT&T Aspire Accelerator for EdTech startups, investment in pioneering education organizations, program partnerships, and grants and contributions, AT&T is dedicated to ensuring students have access to a high-quality education and opportunities that transform their lives.  

While AT&T has long recognized the potential of technology to improve education through innovation, the events of 2020 demonstrated the urgent need for more scalable and equitable approaches to distance learning.

When COVID-19’s impact on education became clear, Anne noted that AT&T “launched a $10M plan to help educators make the transition to teaching through distance learning, help students learn more effectively, and help caregivers get the support they need.” Furthermore, AT&T made an intentional effort to “find new organizations involved in social innovation, like Classroom, Inc., who were playing a profound role before COVID, and help them have the ability to reach and impact thousands of more students.”

Putting Innovation into Practice

COVID-19 made it impossible to ignore that many young people in the U.S., particularly people of color from low-income communities, lack access to the same educational opportunities as their peers. To improve equity in distance learning, Anne notes that many organizations “have found innovative ways to scale their services and platforms to reach more people.” 

“The education community is responding in so many different ways, in ways we wouldn’t have predicted beforehand,” reflected Anne. “We know students learn differently, and that learning effectively is not about equality, it’s about equity. We’re seeing organizations like Classroom, Inc. innovating their approach to distance learning so they can serve students in both deeper and more precise ways, ensuring students and families are getting what they need to be successful.”

For Classroom, Inc., this meant creating additional resources that meet the needs of students, teachers, and caregivers. With the support of AT&T, Classroom, Inc. created a Distance Learning Resource hub for teachers making the transition to hybrid and virtual formats, a Family Portal for parents and caregivers who lacked experience engaging in online learning, and an improved version of its most popular learning game, Vital Signs, set in a medical clinic.

Improving Equity in Distance Learning

Creating resources that are easily accessible by anyone anywhere is only part of the solution to enhance educational equity.  “We know representation really matters,” said Anne. “We have to show all kids, especially those who have been traditionally left out of leadership opportunities, what possibilities there are. We have to showcase leaders who students can relate to, help them explore the types of opportunities that exist, and make sure they know the people and organizations that so deeply want to see them succeed as leaders.”

Classroom, Inc. intentionally designed Read to Lead, their game-based learning program that empowers students to “be the boss,” with a culturally-responsive lens. The diverse community of characters in the digital learning games provides students from all backgrounds with opportunities to see themselves as readers, leaders, and professionals.

Anne shared that the power of Classroom, Inc.’s approach is in combining the diverse career worlds of Read to Lead with a program that helps students develop the literacy and leadership skills ”to be successful in the jobs of today and the jobs of tomorrow.”

Looking Ahead: Scaling Innovation in Distance Learning

While students will eventually return to their classrooms, the need for innovative, and equitable distance learning opportunities will remain. As the role of technology in education continues to expand, Anne believes that students must be at the center of designing EdTech. She challenges organizations to “see students as co-founders and truly value their voice” and to “continue developing innovative, human-based approaches to teaching and learning.”

To have a lasting impact, innovation must be amplified through collaboration where different organizations can play on each other’s strengths. “[At AT&T],” Anne said, “collaborations can take many different forms. It’s more than just providing financial resources. We strive to share the best of AT&T’s resources from insights, to human capital, to technology, so that impact becomes more of a collective experience.”

The post Innovating Through Change: A Conversation with AT&T’s Anne Wintroub appeared first on Read to Lead.

Dear Friends,

As I write this note, my heart is filled with deep gratitude, a touch of sadness, and an abundance of joy. After seven years, I have decided to step down from my position as President of Classroom, Inc.

I am so proud of what we have accomplished together. I joined Classroom, Inc. on it’s 20th birthday because I believed in the mission, the impact it had already made on so many children’s lives, and the possibilities that lay ahead. I saw an opportunity to respond to one of my heroes—Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop—who challenged us all to create:

“a mirror for young people to see themselves, a window to see the world, and a sliding glass door to step through.”

Over the past seven years, I’ve had the privilege of working with my colleagues, the Board, and our dedicated donors to build the next generation of Classroom, Inc. and launch Read to Lead, a groundbreaking approach to literacy and leadership. We created a culture of continuous learning because we believe that impact should always be our first priority. In partnership with parochial school districts, including the Archdioceses of Newark, Bridgeport, and New York, and our learning labs like the recently opened Brooklyn Green School, we helped middle school readers master essential literacy and life skills at a critical time in their lives. We also used our powerful tool to teach educators how to use new technology effectively, which, in turn, will impact their students for years to come.

Thanks to generous grants from the New York Life Foundation and the Carnegie Corporation, we designed an out-of-school time program that fills a huge need in afterschool and summer school. In New York, Los Angeles, Birmingham, and Palm Beach County, young people experience first-hand the power and responsibility of being a leader in the professional world.

Our small but mighty team used all of that on-the-ground experience to build a state-of-the-art digital platform that has helped us reach over 200,000 students in less than 18 months. Now, through our national Million Words Read Challenge, we meet new educators every day. I can’t tell you how happy I am to see our leaderboard light up with new “millionaires.” Every young person who is earning badges in our games is developing essential skills for success in school, career, and life.

While I am sad to be leaving this rewarding role, I will always be a part of the Classroom, Inc. family. As many of you know, my passion for our work together comes from a deep commitment to social justice. My professional life has been dedicated to literacy and educational equity. In my personal life, I’ve also spent the last twenty-five years fighting for gender and racial justice. Through my work with the New York Women’s Foundation, the Feminist Press, and the Women’s Leadership Council, I have met an extraordinary group of women leaders who are lifting up our communities and changing the world. I’ve decided to bring my professional skills and experience to join them in that work.

And speaking of amazing women leaders, I am delighted to share that the Board has named Christina Oliver as the Executive Director of Classroom, Inc., effective July 1st. Christina has been our Chief Program Officer since 2014. During her tenure, Christina has led our vibrant expansion into out-of-school time, building strategic partnerships with best-in-class organizations such as the Boys & Girls Clubs, After-School All-Stars, and Horizons National. Christina has also been instrumental in our digital expansion, leading the development of curriculum and online resources. I am excited to see Classroom, Inc. grow and blossom under her talented leadership.

I am so grateful to have been in this role for the past seven years, and I look forward to being part of this very special community in the years to come. I hope to see all of you on September 17th at the Million Words Breakfast; I can’t wait to celebrate all of the young readers and leaders. Thanks to you, not only have they built essential skills, but even more importantly, they see themselves as the leaders and achievers that they are.

See you in September!

With warmest wishes,
Lisa

The post A New Chapter appeared first on Read to Lead.

If you’re anything like us, you enjoy the professional development that is teacher Pinterest. We can easily get lost for hours looking for activities, finding teacher blogs to read, and collaborating with other educators. One thing we love looking up are ideas for anchor charts.

Anchor charts are instructional tools displayed in the classroom for students to reference. They provide information to support a lesson the teacher has taught or to remind students of routines and expectations in the classroom. They make the learning visual for your students. Here are 3 ways to use anchor charts in your classroom:

Credit: A Cupcake For The Teacher

1. Create anchor charts during class

In order for anchor charts to have the most impact, they should be created while you are teaching the lesson. It is okay to have a framework or an idea in mind before making it, but do not present a completed project to your students. As you are teaching about the lesson or introducing a new strategy, that information should be written on chart paper.

Involve your students by asking for their input and giving them the opportunity to help you create the chart. Even if it doesn’t end up looking Pinterest-perfect, your students will be more engaged in the process! When the chart is complete, place it in a spot where students can access it easily.

2. Use anchor charts for classroom management

Think of them as friendly, visual reminders of classroom routines and procedures. You can have charts telling students what to do when they are finished with work, the procedures for using the classroom library, what transitioning in between centers should look like or how to engage in accountability talks. These charts can stay up all year long if need be.

3. Use anchor charts as a reference tool

Do your students forget how many vertices a rectangular prism has? Maybe they need a reminder of different transition words that can be used in their writing? Not every lesson needs to be turned into a chart. Determine the important ones that students will need. Students can refer to them instead of asking the teacher, effectively taking ownership of their learning. Anchor charts are a great tool to use in your class, and can be an excellent way to involve your students in their learning. Some charts may stay up forever, while others may be used during the lesson and then reappear later to be used during a test review.  

4. Use anchor charts in Read to Lead® 

While most teachers like hand-drawn anchor charts, we of course have to mention digital versions, like the one we have in the lesson plan on “Building Bridges: Problem Solving in the 21st Century”! The great thing is that this lesson can be used as a tie-in to any of our 3 games in the Read to Lead® suite, so it’s a great 21st century problem solving teacher resource to use before your student sign up and dive into the game!

Anchor charts keep learning accessible to students. Students can refer to them and use them as tools as they think or to question, to expand ideas, and to contribute to discussions. They are an amazing resource, so grab some chart paper, or sign up for a free Canva account, and your students and start with creating!

The post The Power of Anchor Charts appeared first on Read to Lead.

Her students work on Read to Lead twice a week in the computer lab, and use the blended lesson plans in their classrooms, which is a big part of why this platform works so well for her class. “I love that Read to Lead transcends beyond the computer and into real world action,” said Cassandra. “The service project and lesson plans are flexible, which makes it easy to modify Read to Lead into other subjects like Social Studies and STEM. Being able to have that integration of different subjects while strengthening student literacy is exciting.”

As a teacher in a Catholic school, Cassandra is tasked with finding ways to incorporate the academy’s values into her classroom. She’s been using Read to Lead with her students for two years because it improves literacy but also involves teaching social justice, empathy and good character, which are all part of her school’s religious studies. “My eighth graders used the social justice components of Read to Lead to help get ready for their Confirmation. After playing the game they started thinking about what they could do to benefit their community.”

In addition to the academic and social emotional components of Read to Lead, the platform is exposing her students to a wide range of real-world careers they had not previously considered. “Many of my students had not realized these occupations were within their reach,” said Cassandra. “Read to Lead has brought new ideas for their lives’ trajectories and opened up new possibilities.” For students who had previously thought of a career in the medical field as being restricted to doctors, Vital Signs has made important connections to the numerous other ways they can be part of this work, including humanitarian aid.

At Our Lady of Guadalupe Academy, Cassandra’s students are eager to think about their futures and what careers align with their personal passions and values. Read to Lead has given them the chance to be the boss in authentic workplace environments where they can imagine themselves as adults. “My students didn’t realize they could have a career in service working at a community center,” said Cassandra. “They have been introduced to these occupations and at the end of each episode they realize they are capable of doing these jobs.”

By incorporating Read to Lead into her middle school curriculum, Cassandra has strengthened her students’ literacy skills while giving them opportunities to connect their values and their learning. Cassandra’s students have shown significant growth in their reading levels and have become more confident readers in class. They are also starting to think about what their life could look like after school, having built strong connections between their community and potential careers.

The post Bridging Communities and Careers appeared first on Read to Lead.

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