Read to Foster Diversity in the Classroom

Through this social-emotional learning exercise, your class will recognize and celebrate the wide range of voices and perspectives found in their community.  

Provide students with this reading challenge to complete independently during your diversity and inclusivity lessons. Students will complete each reading prompt, exposing them to stories, cultures, places, and people they might not have encountered before.

Hit Your Reading Readiness Curriculum Goals

At their core, reading challenges are a fantastic way to boost students’ interest in literacy. 

But this activity has multiple applications in the classroom! 

Students will use their research skills to find titles that fulfil the challenge prompts, using knowledge of the parts of a book to help them decide what to read. 

Additionally, reading challenges introduce students to new words! Through our Diversity Reading Challenge, for example, students will learn or consolidate vocabulary words like:

• immigrant
• foreign
• translated
• traditional
• culture
• refugee
• journey
• disability
• inclusive.

Scaffolding + Extension Tips 

This reading challenge has two levels, depending on each student’s reading ability:

🔼 Triangle for at-level students

⏺️ Circle for below-level students 

Support students who need help understanding the concepts by using the circle option to bring them up to level. This version has three fewer challenges and appropriate language that encourages vocabulary-building. 

💡In your reading group, show both challenge sheets to students and have them match up the activities on both pages using the context clues to isolate and define unfamiliar words (ex: moving to America from a different country vs. an immigrant moving to America). 

Challenge students who understand the concepts to highlight words they don’t know. They will use a dictionary to find and write the definitions on their paper. 

3 More Reading Activities Using this Resource

A team of dedicated, experienced educators created this resource for students to independently complete in the classroom or at home.  

However, check out our suggestions for using this activity to reinforce your small group and full-class lessons too: 

🗃️ Head to the Library

Library time allows students to explore the vast collection of reading materials at their fingertips. Students will also use their alphabetizing skills and locate books using the Dewey Decimal System. 

📚 Dictionary Challenge

Encourage students to highlight words they don’t know and use a dictionary to find and write the definitions on the backside of their challenge sheet. Or use this same concept to… 

📝 Create a Word Wall

Provide students with a sticky note or index card to anonymously suggest vocabulary words they don’t know upon reading through the challenge prompts. Compile the submissions and create a word wall to display the new vocabulary words you’ll focus on as a class. Revisit the words with your students at the end of the week to assess what they’ve learned.  

Before You Download

Use the dropdown icon on the Download button to choose between the PDF or Google Slides version of this resource. 

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Check out these teaching resources that support your lessons, and view our complete social studies collection for more!