What is ReadWorks?
The nonprofit ReadWorks is the leading early-stage venture in the United States for improving teaching and learning in reading comprehension. Millions of teachers and students use ReadWorks throughout the United States. In support of our mission, we provide teachers with units, lessons, and thousands of authentic nonfiction and literary passages, accompanied by curriculum based on the cognitive science of reading comprehension. We also partner with renowned museums and cultural institutions, such as the American Museum of Natural History and the Philadelphia Museum of Art, to bring their content to our vast user base. All of this content is made available on our sites (digital.readworks.org, for example) at no charge to teachers and students.
ReadWorks is seeking students to help with their various projects including ReadWorks Article-A-Day™ Writing Project, ReadWorks Audio Project, eBook Illustration Project, and Vocabulary Support Illustration Project. Find out more about the projects below.
Interested in getting involved? Email Katy Laird at katy@readworks.org.
ReadWorks Article-A-Day™ Writing Project
Project Description
ReadWorks Article-A-Day™ systematically builds background knowledge, vocabulary, and reading stamina for all students. It also supports speaking and listening skills and bolsters the connection between writing and reading comprehension. Article-A-Day™ is easy and enjoyable for teachers and students to do as a simple, 10 to 15 minute daily routine. There is no charge for teachers and students to use these materials.
As part of the ReadWorks Article-A-Day™ offering, ReadWorks provides hundreds of sets of 6-9 high-quality topically-related nonfiction texts for grades K-8. We’re looking to produce hundreds more of these sets by the summer.
How You Can Get Involved
To get these materials to the teachers and students who need them as soon as possible, ReadWorks is asking writers to write at least one set of six nonfiction articles at one of the K-5 grade levels. (The more sets, the merrier, of course!) Depending on the grade level, articles can range from about 100-600 words.
ReadWorks Audio Project
Project Description
ReadWorks provides thousands of high-quality nonfiction and literary texts for students in grades K-12. This library of texts is one of the core parts of the ReadWorks offering. ReadWorks has developed curricular tools based on the cognitive science of reading comprehension to help build students’ comprehension of these texts and unleash the texts’ value. One of these key tools are audio narrations of the texts being read aloud by real humans with fluency, expression, and prosody.
Audio narrations are important tools for helping readers access texts – especially emerging readers, struggling readers, English Language Learners, and students with learning disabilities. These narrations are made available to millions of teachers and students across the country – at no charge.
How You Can Get Involved
We’re asking people who want to contribute to the audio project to do one of two things:
- Record an audio narration for a text or multiple texts (perfect for people with great voices and an expressive style of reading)
OR
- Edit an audio narration for a text or multiple texts (perfect for people who have sharp hearing, are detail-oriented, and would like to develop or practice their audio editing skills to support a great cause).
ReadWorks’ Two Illustration Projects:
eBook Illustration Project
Project Description
ReadWorks is turning many of its texts into eBooks with rich illustrations, audio narrations, and text highlighting technology. Here’s an example of one we’ve created in the past.
These eBooks will be published on our platform to be accessed by millions of elementary and middle school teachers and students (many from disadvantaged populations) throughout the country (at no charge to either teachers or students).
How You Can Get Involved
We’re asking different artists to volunteer to contribute illustrations to this project. The goal is to have one artist illustrate at least one eBook. This means creating roughly 8-10 illustrations per eBook.
Vocabulary Support Illustration Project
Project Description
ReadWorks provides support for up to three key academic vocabulary words for each text in its library. This support includes dictionary definitions, Spanish cognates, and sample sentences.
We’re working on adding images for many of these words. The images are meant to illustrate and reinforce the (often various) meanings of the words for students who may need the extra support, including English Language Learners, emerging readers, struggling readers, and students with learning disabilities.
How You Can Get Involved
ReadWorks is asking artists to create illustrations or take photographs that convey the meanings of selected words.
Legal Housekeeping Matter
Please note that by partaking in these projects, you agree that ReadWorks fully owns all the content you submit to us in whatever capacity we need/want. We will ask that you sign a formal agreement accepting these terms.