Canjo Reads:
School-wide Reading Challenge

Speech and Ideas for Challenges

Students, teachers, and staff of Canjo Schools, welcome to our "Canjo Reads" school-wide reading challenge!

Reading can transform your life, help us develop empathy and understanding. It sparks our creativity and fuels our curiosity. With each book you read, you're not just flipping pages - you're building connections. Connections between yourselves and the characters, connections to new ideas, and connections to each other. Our goal with the "World of Words" reading challenge is to build a stronger, more united school community. We want to see students, teachers, and staff members challenge themselves to read more books, discuss interesting vocabulary words, favorite stories, and create a culture of learning that extends beyond the classroom.

Our challenges for Canjo Reads include:

1. Read books with diverse characters: Set a goal to read stories that feature characters from different backgrounds, cultures, and life experiences. This helps students develop empathy by exposing them to perspectives and experiences that may be different from their own.

2. Participate in book discussions: Encourage students to join book clubs or engage in group discussions where they can share their thoughts and feelings about the stories they read. This can help students develop empathy by fostering a deeper understanding of how others perceive and interpret different situations.

3. Set a goal to read non-fiction books: Reading non-fiction books about historical events, social issues, or biographies of inspirational figures can help students develop empathy by providing insight into the real-life experiences of others.

4. Write book reviews or reflections: Students can set a goal to write book reviews or reflections on the stories they read. This allows them to think critically about the themes, characters, and events in the book, and can help them develop empathy by considering the motivations and emotions of the characters.

5. Volunteer to read to younger students: Encourage students to set a goal to read to younger students in the school. This not only helps younger students develop a love for reading but also allows older students to practice empathy by sharing stories and engaging with younger children.

Are you ready to rise to the challenge and show the world what we can accomplish when Canjo Reads? Let's do it!

Creations to Show You Did the Challenges:

For each of these challenges, students and staff can use various forms of creations to demonstrate their participation and progress:

1. Read books with diverse characters: Students can keep a reading log or journal, noting the titles and authors of the books they read, as well as a brief description of the diverse characters they encountered. They can also share their thoughts on how these characters helped them develop empathy and understanding.

2. Participate in book discussions: Attendance at book club meetings or discussion groups can serve as evidence, along with any notes or reflections they may have on the insights they gained from these discussions.

3. Read non-fiction books: Similar to the reading log for diverse characters, students can keep track of the non-fiction books they read, including the topics covered and the insights they gained. They can also note any empathetic connections they made while reading these books.

4. Write book reviews or reflections: The written reviews or reflections themselves can serve as evidence, demonstrating the students' critical thinking and empathy development as they consider the experiences and emotions of the characters in the books.

5. Volunteer to read to younger students: Students can document their volunteer hours and gather feedback from the younger students they read to. This could include written notes, drawings, or even recorded messages expressing their appreciation for the stories shared and the connections made.