Create an Inclusive, Literacy-Rich Environment
What constitutes an inclusive classroom library? Research suggests that books about diverse groups often have limited content. These books lack a key kind of diversity—diversity of story. In building Read for a Better World, we’ve focused on not just diversity of representation, but also on narrative diversity. Read for a Better World Classroom Libraries offer text types such as expository, narrative, and graphic that appeal to a wide variety of readers.
Each Classroom Library Contains:
30 authentic trade books containing a diversity of stories, characters, and text types
Books curated by educational experts to provide reading experiences for striving, on-level, and advanced readers
Dictionary for a Better World, an inspiring, best-selling collection of poetry which serves as a prompt for inclusive classroom discussions and works as a starting point to the educator and student materials.
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Educator Guide containing theory and lesson plans for whole class and small group instruction, as well as prompts for reflection, tips for partnering with families, teaching virtually, and more
25 copies of Read for a Better World Student Action and Reflection Guide, which introduces elementary readers to social justice concepts through literacy skills building activities
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Grades PreK-1
Books and activities teach readers that they are a part of a big, diverse world. View book lists and alignments (Excel).
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Grades 2-3
As readers gain in learning, they are introduced to key figures and issues in that diverse world. View Book List and Alignments (Excel).
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Grades 4-5
This collection helps readers understand their own identity and place in the world as it relates to history and current events. View Book List and Alignments (Excel).
Create an Inclusive, Literacy-Rich Environment
Access to Books Accelerate Literacy. According to Susan B. Neuman’s extensive research, “[A]ccess to print resources—board books, stories, and informational books—early on in a child’s development has both an immediate and long-term effect on their vocabulary, background knowledge, and comprehension skills (Neuman, 2019).
Fill Libraries with Windows and Mirrors. “Windows and Mirrors,” coined by literacy expert Rudine Sims Bishop, is a way to think about inclusive and diverse texts that are critical to building empathy and self-knowledge. “When books are mirrors, they reflect the self. Children find resonance with characters who look, live, and think like they do. . . . As windows, books transport children as they discover characters and cultures different from their own.” Tonya Leslie, PhD. Read for a Better World Educator Guide Grades 2-3
Digital Libraries
Institutions using Read for a Better World in the classroom can add on multi-user access to all the authentic trade books in the collection for a low annual subscription. Help your students Read for a Better World with remote access to a curated digital library for whole group instruction or independent reading, accessible from the classroom, building, or remotely.
