Free Teacher Training For Title I Schools
​Support ReadWorks and teachers this school year by spreading the word about professional development delivered by experts in reading instruction, tailored to school or district goals.

Highlighting Hispanic voices and culture is important for all students. Whether or not your classroom includes Hispanic students, incorporating stories and traditions from different cultures helps build empathy, global awareness, and cultural literacy.
During Hispanic Heritage Month, you can:

• Introduce students to role models from a variety of backgrounds
• Celebrate traditions, languages, and histories from different Hispanic cultures
• Connect reading comprehension to real-world themes like identity, community, and achievement
• Create space for students to reflect on and share their own backgrounds
  
  

ReadWorks makes it easy to do all of this with accessible, high-quality reading passages that require no prep on your part.

​→ Need Spanish-English Paired Texts during instruction? Check out our entire library here.

These five articles for fifth and sixth graders provide deeper looks at culture, identity, geography, and history – perfect for building background knowledge while meeting upper-grade literacy goals.

1. Puerto Ricans in the U.S.
This article provides a historical overview of Puerto Ricans in the U.S. and highlights the complexity of identity and migration.

Try this: After reading, have students work with a partner to complete the comprehension questions. Then, ask groups of students to create a visual timeline of key events related to Puerto Rican history in the U.S.

2. Frida Kahlo
This article introduces students to Frida Kahlo and how she used art to express her emotions, identity, and culture.

Try this: Ask students to create their own symbolic self-portrait, using colors and images that represent who they are or what they care about.

3. Pato: Argentina’s National Sport
Pato is a fast-paced, exciting sport unique to Argentina. This article introduces a lesser-known tradition that students will find engaging.

Try this: Have students research a sport from another country and compare it to pato. They can present their findings using a Venn diagram or short slide presentation.

4. Angel Falls
​This article describes Angel Falls, the tallest waterfall in the world, located in Venezuela. It’s a great tie-in for geography and natural wonders.

Try this: Let students create a travel brochure for Angel Falls that includes 3 facts from the article and illustrations or photos. Encourage students to incorporate one or more vocabulary terms from this article’s vocabulary activity into their brochure. 

5. Mayan Astronomy
This article dives into how the ancient Mayans used astronomy to guide agriculture and religious life. It’s a great way to combine science, culture, and history.

Try this: Have students create a visual calendar or star chart inspired by Mayan astronomy. Ask them to write a short explanation of how ancient cultures used the stars.​

At ReadWorks, we know that planning ahead can make all the difference. That's why we've created a brand-new K-12 Reading Planner: A FREE downloadable calendar to help teacher seamlessly integrate more reading experiences into your instruction all year long! 

This planner is for interventionist, librarians, reading specialists, and teachers of all grades and subjects. It's for any educator looking to bring more meaningful, knowledge-building high quality texts to their students. 

 📒 Download the K-12 Reading Planner Now

This isn't just any calendar. It's an interactive guide packed with: 
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• Links to timely resources like holiday collections and Article-A-Day sets
• Webinar reminders so you never miss a free professional learning opportunity
• Planning prompts and tool ideas to help you meet instructional goals
• Contest deadlines and seasonal engagement ideas
• A .PDF and Canva link for your user preference

Heather took time during her summer break to reflect on her experience using ReadWorks with a small intervention class called GRIT. She thoughtfully introduced topical reading passages and Article-A-Day selections based on her students’ interests—and the results were inspiring. Her students didn’t just read more, they wanted to read more. Real engagement. Real growth. Real excitement about reading.

Thank you, Heather, for sharing how you brought ReadWorks to life in your classroom and helped students build not only reading skills but interest and motivation. 

✨ Each week, we’ll post more winning and runner-up stories from teachers like you, packed with practical tips, creative ideas, and heart. All stories will be featured in the Comprehension Chronicles section of our blog.

 🎦 Watch Heather’s Story and explore more ways to use ReadWorks to spark meaningful reading moments in your classroom.