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Welcome Anthony Hernandez to the Board!
Through his personal mission to enable equitable access to opportunity, he works closely with EdTech partners to thoughtfully grow, integrate, and innovate. He has worked in corporate strategy, business development, and partnerships for Microsoft and Thomson Reuters, as well as served as a board member to Teach for America's WA Collective chapter and leads a local scholarship in hometown. Check Out Our Newest ContentSeen On Social Media
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 The holiday winter break can be a time to nurture a love of reading in children. Without the structure of school days, parents and caregivers can create fun, low-pressure ways to encourage kids to dive into books, and continue to build their knowledge. Here are some simple and effective strategies to inspire school breaks filled with continued reading.
1. Create a Cozy Reading Nook Set up a comfortable and inviting space for reading. Add soft blankets, pillows, and good lighting to make the area feel special. 2. Set Aside Daily Reading Time Establish a routine for reading, even if it’s just 20 minutes a day. Whether it’s a bedtime story, a quiet afternoon session, or a shared reading time for the whole family, making reading a part of the day helps kids build a habit. 3. Let Them Choose Choice is powerful! When children select the books they want to read, whether it’s a fantasy novel, a graphic novel, or even a magazine they will want to read more. Feeling in control of their reading material makes them more likely to engage. 5. Model Reading for Enjoyment Show your kids that reading isn’t just something they have to do for school—it’s something you enjoy, too. Share your favorite books, read alongside them, or start a family book club to discuss what everyone is reading. 6. Engage with Audio For kids who are reluctant readers or enjoy storytelling, audiobooks are a fantastic option. You can tap into ReadWorks read-aloud protocol for how to use audio with reading levels to continue to build background knowledge and practice reading comprehension. 7. Use ReadWorks! It's basically a free online library. Perfect for those cold winter months. Stay inside and get new things to read right on your devices! Leverage your free ReadWorks account o access a wide range of age-appropriate reading materials. Choose interesting topics that your child is interested in by searching out library. Use the audio feature if the reading passage is not at a challenging reading level. You can also print out our fun decodables for K-2 on relative break topics like winter, snow, and cultural holiday traditions. 8. Tie Reading to Activities Pair books with fun activities to make the experience more dynamic. Read a story about snow, then go outside to play in it. Or choose a book about cooking and try a new recipe together. 9. Celebrate Progress Celebrate their reading achievements over the break, whether it’s reading one passage, trying a new book, listening to an audio book, attempting a challenging read, or just spending time with stories and the written word. Happy Holidays from the ReadWorks Team! "I have been using ReadWorks for over six years and it is one of my most trusted sites for learning. I thank you all for your work and dedication to making this available to all students for FREE! Totally AMAZING!!!" -Felipe L., CA There's still time to support students' reading growth this year! As a nonprofit, ReadWorks relies on donations to support our programs. Please consider a year-end gift today. Explore Our Newest Content
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Seen on Social Media  Earlier this month, I delivered a virtual professional development (PD) session for a group of dedicated K-5 paraprofessionals in District 5, located in Harlem of New York City. Despite being conducted over Zoom, the session was highly interactive and collaborative, reflecting our mutual commitment to improving instructional practice and student outcomes. Building Background KnowledgeThe focus of our session was on building background knowledge—a key driver in improving student reading comprehension. To demonstrate this strategy effectively, I modeled the ReadWorks Article- A-Day™ routine.Using a fun topic about our solar system. The paraprofessionals became “students,” learning facts while seeing firsthand how this approach can be engaging and efficient in under 10 minutes. Hands-On Learning for Immediate ImpactTo ensure participants were able to put their learning into practice right away, we built in time for the free account and set up an initial navigation of the ReadWorks site. Each participant then located an Article-a_Day™ set they could share and implement with their small working group. The thoughtful questions they raised underscored their commitment to making sure every student has an opportunity to succeed. Teacher Confidence in InstructionBy the end of the PD session, it was clear that the paraprofessionals felt more confident in their ability to impact student reading comprehension through a stronger focus on background knowledge. Their enthusiasm was contagious, even through a virtual format, and it was wonderful to see how they embraced new strategies to support their students’ learning. Partnering with ReadWorks for Free, High-Quality PDDelivering virtual professional development can present unique challenges, but at ReadWorks, our expertise in educational technology ensures that these sessions are not only effective but also engaging. We specialize in using digital tools to support instruction, making sure educators leave with practical strategies they can implement right away. The enthusiasm and participation of the District 5 team made this session particularly rewarding, and it’s a testament to how impactful our approach can be.
Did you know that Title I schools can access free, high-quality virtual PD sessions from ReadWorks? Don’t miss out--schedule a quick call with us to see if your grade team, or school qualifies and to learn how we can support your teaching journey! Written by: Tamika Reece, Educator Support Project Manager Are your students frustrated with their reading exercises? While we know that there is not one way to improve reading speed and comprehension, here at ReadWorks, we provide thousands of reading passages and worksheets to improve both skills for any student at any level through data-driven strategies created and tested by our teachers. Speed Reading & ComprehensionFirst, let's separate these two skills. Some people can read fast, and couldn't tell you much more about the topic covered than the headline given. Others read at a slower pace, but can tell you everything written in explicit detail. These two things, while connected through reading, do not equate to one another, and yet are not explicitly separate either. Working to improve both is the only way to see results in your overall speed and comprehension. Speed ReadingReading speed is a skill that can be practiced through reading passages on or lower than grade level for some students. This doesn't mean not understanding the material and word reading, but by reading easier material, you will learn to read the words faster and train your fluidity. Reading ComprehensionReading comprehension can be strengthened by practicing with reading passages and books that are at or above grade level. Reflecting on the text and answering questions about what was read helps assess and enhance student understanding. Many ReadWorks passages include vocabulary activities and various question sets to support this crucial instructional practice. Learn more about how ReadWorks supports improved reading comprehension in a previous blog post. Incorporating Reading Speed & ComprehensionIncluding the practices involved in improving both aspects of your students' reading, it's important to note that the most important thing to enhance your students' reading speed and comprehension is a routine! Encouraging reading speed and reading comprehension is excellent, but ensuring that through practice such at ReadWorks Article-A-Day™ routine, your students will develop improvement in reading comprehension, See our research-backed case studies to learn more.
In October, I had the pleasure of delivering a professional development (PD) session to the graduate students at the Richard Gilder Graduate School at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH). Most of these science teachers, who work with grades 6 to 12, were new to ReadWorks. The PD session was a highly hands-on session with ample work time, allowing participants to set up their ReadWorks accounts and familiarize themselves with our website. One of the highlights was helping teachers to identify content to enhance their students' learning experiences in preparation for an upcoming museum field trip. I introduced them to ReadWorks' diverse range of resources, designed to supplement any science curriculum. Middle school teachers easily found relevant passages aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), while high school teachers accessed materials from our partnership with AMNH. Participants also used the ReadWorks search bar to find additional content to enrich their science lessons. These resources will support their lesson planning and foster deeper student engagement with passages designed to target vocabulary development and build background knowledge. It was inspiring to connect this group of educators with ReadWorks’ offerings and see them eagerly apply these resources to bridge classroom concepts with real-world experiences.  Tamika Reece delivers professional development to Science teachers at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. Did you know that Title I schools can get a free, high-quality virtual PD session from ReadWorks? Don’t miss out--send us a quick email here to see if your grade team and/or school qualifies!
Written by: Tamika Reece, Educator Support Project Manager  For Veterans Day, engage students in a meaningful exploration of reading and art that honors our veterans’ service. Begin by sharing powerful, age-appropriate readings on the significance of Veterans Day, highlighting stories of bravery, resilience, and sacrifice. Follow this with a creative art project to make paper quilts for a Veteran from our expert museum content partner the International Quilt Museum. Encourage students to express what they’ve learned through drawings, posters, or written reflections. This combination of reading and art allows students to connect personally with the holiday, fostering appreciation and understanding of those who have served – all while building background knowledge and growing their vocabulary and developing skills for reading comprehension. Access K-12 Veteran's Day reading passages Download this fun and meaningful activity from our partner, The International Quilt Museum  Spark civic curiosity and inspire young citizens with engaging K-12 passages about Election Day, voting, and democracy! Explore resources that bring these important topics to life, helping students understand the history of politics and the power of their voice. You will see that some of these passages are tied to our special routines and programs such as our K-2 decodable texts, Article-A-Day™(AAD) sets for building background knowledge, StepReads™ for differentiation, Boost and Challenge articles, and Spanish-English Paired Texts! We hope your students enjoy these topics! Don't forget to include the vocabulary activity and question sets for building comprehension! Click on the images below! Election Content for Kindergarten, First and Second Grade Election Content for Third, Fourth and Fifth Grade Election Content for Sixth, Seventh and Eighth Grade Election Content for High School Written by: ReadWorks
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