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Ensure ReadWorks is Enabled for the School Year! Is ReadWorks included in your list of approved applications for the 24-25 school year? Is it installed as a Google Workspace add-on? As you know, ReadWorks is a FREE resource, which might result in it being overlooked during the school or district edtech approval process that is typically associated with paid education technology software. Don't let ReadWorks fall through the cracks! It offers high-quality educational content at no cost. Here are a few steps to ensure ReadWorks remains accessible to our students and educators:
 
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What is Inferencing? Inferencing is the ability to draw and connect clues from text, images, and behaviors to reach a conclusion that is not directly stated or shown. People utilize inferencing in more aspects of their lives than simply reading books, and building up a student’s inference skills helps them to improve their reading comprehension, understand behaviors, and develop critical thinking skills that go beyond the classroom. How to Find Inferencing Tools on ReadWorks At ReadWorks, we know that many teachers work on finding the main idea, or identifying themes with their students. The science of reading does tell us that these skills are important, but it also tells us that they aren't skills that transfer easily across texts. It takes practice among many texts. That is why we created the Inferring Question Set Filter. When you search our content with this filter selected, you will find strong texts and question sets to help student scaffold and build inferencing skills among many different types of texts. You can even filter the inferring question sets by author's purpose, main idea, and theme. Utilizing research-based reading comprehension strategies, our text-dependent question sets will have your students reading between the lines in no time, while fostering a deeper understanding of the text and bolstering their reading comprehension.  Notice the circle identifying how to filter ReadWorks content by Inferring Question Sets. How to Teach Inferencing Question sets whether you use an express or full set after a ReadWorks article are a great way to develop students’ metacognitive practice to be a successful reader. They can plan their reading in relation to specific goals, as well as monitor and evaluate their reading as they progress. ReadWorks text-dependent question sets provide carefully scaffolded practice in activating prior knowledge about text structure, inferring, monitoring and clarifying, and questioning. They help readers engage with texts and dig deeply into what they're reading. Early research shows that students benefit from regularly doing our question sets, as their multiple-choice-question correct rate increases as they do more question sets. Inferencing Activities ReadWorks has specific inferring question sets that include questions that provide practice in multiple key reading strategies with a focus on the strategy of inferencing. The following is an example template of a 10 set question set specifically reinforcing inferencing:
You can filter articles and texts by selecting Inferring question sets under Activity Type in our Content Search Engine.  Example of Comprehension Questions along with the text passage and vocabulary activity on ReadWorks. Learn more about all the ReadWorks tools on our Teacher Guide! Please share this blog post with a teacher!
We are thrilled to announce our 2024 ReadWorks Super Teacher Awards! Super Teachers represent an exceptional group of educators whose consistent use of ReadWorks resources drives remarkable success in their classrooms. The ReadWorks team is proud to honor the hard work and dedication of these outstanding teachers and their students. As a mission and data-driven organization, ReadWorks relies heavily on information and teacher activity to guide our decisions, including this selection of our Super Users. Here’s a look at how our Super Teachers stand out by the numbers:  Article-A-Day — top 10% of teachers using this amazing program Super Teachers consistently assign Article-A-Day to their students. Super Teachers make an impact on their students’ background knowledge, vocabulary, and comprehension. Question Sets — top 10% of teachers using question sets to enhance reading time Super Teachers actively assign Question Sets to their students. Their students are able to cultivate a thorough understanding of ReadWorks passages by practicing key reading strategies while scaffolding important information. Print, Project, and Assign Texts — top teachers who do this the most Super Teachers print, project, and assign an exceptional amount of ReadWorks content. Their students’ reading instruction is brimming with the science of reading! Meet ReadWorks’ Top 10 Super Teachers
"I use ReadWorks to work on reading stamina, writing improvement, and IEP goals. From the Article-A-Day, question sets, paired texts, and book studies I am able to help my students become successful readers!" Whether you’re a first-time ReadWorks user or a long-time ReadWorks veteran, you are a valuable part of the ReadWorks community! We are committed to creating resources that help you soar. Educators, we see you — and we celebrate you.
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Earth Day Illustration Contest WinnersThis year ReadWorks received nearly 4,000 amazing illustrations from students in grades 2-5 across the country. Our team came together to choose three winners based on our contest criteria! We would like to thank all the teachers and students who participated and congratulate our wonderful winners and their teachers. Please click here to use this fun editable contestant certificate link to honor your student's participation!
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ReadWorks and its longtime content partner, The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), launched an illustration contest this Spring 2024 focused on enhancing students' understanding of the environment while also encouraging them to read and showcase their creativity in what they have learned. NFWF is dedicated to sustaining, restoring, and enhancing the nation’s fish, wildlife, plants, and habitats for current and future generations. Since our partnership launched, NFWF content on ReadWorks has been used by over 350,000 teachers and 1.6 million students nationwide. This year ReadWorks received nearly 4,000 amazing illustrations from students in grades 2-5 across the country. Our team came together to choose three winners based on our contest criteria! We would like to thank all the teachers and students who participated and congratulate our wonderful winners and their teachers. Please click here to use this fun editable contestant certificate link to honor your student's participation! We hope you enjoyed the learning moments provided by ReadWorks. Thank you to everyone for your continued support of ReadWorks. Congratulations Sam!Grade: 3rd State: California Teacher: Toni Hildan "At first, I thought I would just do a coral reef. But, after I read the passage I wanted to add some examples of coral bleaching. Scientists are trying to figure out how to help coral." -Sam "I have been using ReadWorks with my students for years. I love the wide variety of topics available. I also appreciate the StepReads will allow me to differentiate easily. When I saw the info about the Earth Day Illustration Contest, I knew many of my students would be interested - they love art - especially making illustrations! Sam is such a diligent and creative student. I know he spent a lot of his own time on this piece. I am so proud of his efforts and that he has been recognized for his hard work!" -Toni Hildan
Congratulations Quinn!Grade: 5th State: Maryland Teacher: Bonnie Allen ”I wanted to do something that filled the page with lots of color and energy. I looked at pictures of bats for reference and kept going back to the passage to see if there were more details I could add. “ -Quinn
Congratulations Sophia!Grade: 2nd State: Florida Teacher: Midgelys Fernandez "I chose to read about the black-footed ferret because I love drawing little critters like ferrets, otters, and meerkats. They are so cute, and my Mom had a ferret when she was little. I am sad that black-footed ferrets are endangered because they are one of my favorite animals. I drew a ferret with babies so they won't be endangered anymore." -Sophia “My second-grade students were thrilled to participate in the ReadWorks’ 2024 Earth Day Illustration Contest. It was an amazing opportunity for me to be able to integrate reading, science, social studies, and art, making instruction more meaningful and relevant. What an awesome way to celebrate Earth Day by learning the importance of protecting endangered animals like the monarch butterflies, orcas, black-footed ferrets, and pronghorns and their habitats!” -Migdelys Fernandez
Written by: LaDarrien Gillette, Development Manager, ReadWorks
Terry Bowman Featured in Forbes
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ReadWorks has earned the Evidence-Based Edtech: ESSA Tier 3 product certification from Digital Promise. This product certification serves as a rigorous, reliable signal for district and school leaders, educators, and families looking for education technology (edtech) products with a confirmed basis in research about learning and evidence from a well-designed study that the product has positively impacted learners. ReadWorks submitted evidence to Digital Promise confirming a well-designed study that found a positive impact on students, evaluated at Tier 3 of the ESSA Tiers of Evidence. ReadWorks also demonstrated a link between research on how students learn and the product’s design and their commitment to making the research basis clear and accessible to the public. “At Digital Promise we are excited to support educational leaders in using evidence to inform their selection of edtech systems and tools,” said Dr. Pati Ruiz, Senior Director of Edtech and Emerging Technologies at Digital Promise. “The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) aligned product certifications will help educational leaders easily identify edtech products that leverage evidence-building activities to meet the needs of teachers, students, and their families." “We are deeply committed to ensuring that our reading comprehension resources, built on the science of reading, positively impact student reading growth. Through product certifications, consumers can narrow their options as they select products based on research about learning before trying it out in their classrooms. Digital Promise launched the Evidence-Based Edtech product certification in April 2024. Check out how districts are leveraging product certifications to inform edtech decisions. More information on ReadWorks can be found at readworks.org. Written by: Melissa Calder, Director of Marketing and Engagement at ReadWorks, and Digital Promise
 ReadWorks is excited to announce the launch of its Earth Day 2024 Illustration Contest. This is the first ReadWorks hosted contest that is geared toward younger students from second grade through fifth grade. This initiative aims to inspire young minds with articles written by ReadWorks' longtime content partner, The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF). NFWF is dedicated to sustaining, restoring, and enhancing the nation’s fish, wildlife, plants, and habitats for current and future generations. This year, NFWF turns 40 and has highlighted 40 species for 40 years to celebrate!
The Earth Day 2024 Illustration Contest provides a platform for students to showcase their artistic talents while also fostering a connection to NFWF’s fun and interesting passages about saving the monarch butterfly, coral reefs, or flying mammals. The contest invites students to reflect on their reading by creating original illustrations that depict their imaginative portrayals of wildlife conservation. The Earth Day 2024 Illustration Contest is completely free, and open to all second through fifth-grade students, regardless of their artistic background or skill level. Entries will be judged based on creativity, originality, and adherence to the theme and facts of the suggested NFWF reading passages. Bonus if you find time to do the ReadWorks vocabulary and question sets! To participate, any teacher, parent, or guardian is invited to submit artwork on a child’s behalf electronically through the ReadWorks website between April 1 and April 26, 2024. For more information about the Earth Day 2024 Illustration Contest, including official rules and guidelines, please visit the illustration contest webpage.
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March is International Quilt Month - Celebrate with ReadWorks and The International Quilt Museum
3/1/2024
March isn't just the month where winter slowly transitions into spring, or when Irish heritage is celebrated on Saint Patrick’s Day, or Women’s History is in the spotlight. Although, we have texts for all of those topics as well. March is also a time when the vibrant and intricate world of quilting takes center stage. In partnership with experts at the International Quilt Museum in Lincoln, Nebraska we have a number of texts for your students to listen to or read for grades K-12. Honor tradition and creativity of past generations through quilting with these free high-quality reading materials!
Enhance your students' grasp of historical and artistic contexts even more through all that the International Quilt Museum has to offer online!
- Check out the International Quilt Museum's virtual tour options.
- Download additional lessons from the IQM.
- Sign up for the Quilt-of-the-Month newsletter.
- Plan ahead! International Women's Day is March 8 and National Quilting Day is March 16!
Written by: Melissa Calder, Director of Marketing and Engagement
