Challenge Activities
#ReadWokeScotland
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Class Challenges
The Read Woke movement is a call to action. It is about challenging our students to learn about the world through reading. The class novels and wider library collections that we have curated are chosen to inspire our students to see the world from different perspectives, to understand, to empathise, and to stand up for the rights of themselves and others. At a primary level this is often best led through wider discussion and teacher-led sessions - so we are challenging you to take up the Read Woke Challenge as a class.
We have provided every class with a wipeable challenge poster so that they can challenge themselves to read books from our collection, learn about the topics and themes, and become the change makers of the future. There is the flexability to set your class challenges in a way that suits you (aim to fill in the poster weekly, monthly, termly etc.). Below are a list of challenges to get you started, but every class and teacher can come up with their own to suit them. Feel free to share them with us to add to the list below. The activity page of Stride magazine and the Oxfam resource on teaching controversial issues are great places to get new ideas.
Most of the challenges listed below are designed for P4-7 levels, but many can be adapted for lower primary use.
We will be adding resources to go with some of the challenges over time.
If you produce resources or new challenge ideas you would like to share, please send them to us and we will add them o the list below.
We have also provided wipeable Class Passport posters to log the Read Woke books that your students read.
SUGGESTED CHALLENGES
Create a Children's Rights picture quilt
See this Amnesty International Resource and template and create a display showcasing the UNCRC charter.
Reading Buddies session
Organise a paired reading session to share some Read Woke picture books with lower school classes.
Record your class reading a Read Woke picture book to share with a lower school class
A Covid-friendly reading buddies alternative, that also introduces digital skills.
Create a class protest song or rap
They could produce lyrics individually or as a class. Why not put some to music or record them too?
Make protest signs to highlight issues your class cares about
Can your students produce powerful messages for something they want to change? They could produce colourful artistic designs on paper or make larger signs from cardboard. Both make great classroom displays. (See here for ideas or use templates from Sofia Valdez's Big Project Book For Awesome Activists).
Create a word wall based on your class novel
Are your class studying a Read Woke book as a class novel? Why not create a word wall of new or unfamiliar words that you encounter.
Pick one of the author challenge videos to complete as a class
Head over to the Author Videos page and watch one of the Read Woke authors challenge/masterclass videos.
Write a book review
Explore a Read Woke review as a class (or individually) and write book reviews. Why not share some with the rest of the school or on Twitter?
Perform "The Undefeated" or "Change Sings" as a class
Explore and perform these powerful poems, reading a few lines each.
Choose a poem from "Woke: A Young Poet's Call to Justice" and make your own artwork to accompany it
Produce blackout poems from pages of Read Woke books
Photocopy pages from a book of your choice and create blackout poems (see here for ideas).
Write welcome letters for Refugees
Glasgow-based charity Refuweegee collects "letters fae the locals" to welcome refugees settling in Scotland.
Create acrostic poems based on a Read Woke theme
Choose a word or selection of words to challenge your students (e.g. Refugee, Activist, Representation, Pride, Equality, Diversity etc.)
Class Pledge
Come up with a class or school pledge on the theme of equity and equality. Why not make it a prominent display in your class or school.
Read Around the World
Can your class read books set in other countries or continents?
Investigate a prominent changemaker
Students can research famous changemakers or activists and share their findings with the class as a presentation. Examples could include The Glasgow Girls, Gina Martin, Jane Goodall, Malala Yousafzai, Nelson Mandela, Amanda Gorman, Greta Thunberg, Martin Luther King, Wangari Maathai - several of the non-fiction books in our Read Woke Libraries collection may be useful.
Daily Poems
Read one poem a day for a day from Woke: A Young Poet's Call to Justice
Poetry Slam
Get students to write poems, songs or raps to change the world, and host a poetry slam to perform them.
Do the Power Walk
Explore how "power" describes the ability to shape ones's life and one's environment, with this excellent activity shared by Stride.
Storyboard a scene
Get students to create a storyboard for a scene in your class novel or a Read Woke book.
Make a book trailer for a Read Woke book
Teach your students creative and digital skills by designing, performing and recording a book trailer or Vlog review for a book. See this Scottish Book Trust Resource for ideas.
Research a hero from another culture
Challenge your students to research an inspirational person from somewhere else in the world. Many of the non-fiction books in the Read Woke collection profile the achievements of amazing people like Mary Seacole, Maya Angelou, Serena Williams, Nelson Mandela, Harold Moody, Alan Turing and Abdul Kalam.
Discover a protest movement or song
Many movements have art, songs and symbolism at the heart of their success. Explore some as a class.
Woke wall
Produce a class wall display based on a Read Woke book or class novel.
Create newspaper reports
Choose recent events or highlight an injustice that the world needs to fix.
Graffiti Display
Use blackboard paper and pens to create a graffiti display allowing students to showcase what they have learned through Read Woke or on a theme or topic.
Read X number of Read Woke Books
Set a target with your class and see how many Read Woke books they can complete this week/month/term.
Write a letter for change
Challenge your students to find their voice! Ask them to think carefully about an issue they care about and write letters to ask for change. These issues can be on global, local or even within the school. Why not write and send them to elected officials. See the Sofia Valdez's Big Project Book For Awesome Activists for ideas or a simple template.
Design campaign badges
A simple soft start activity. Design a campaign badge, see here for a simple template.
Create advertisement posters for Read Woke books
Why not display some in your library to showcase the books?
Learn about a fantastic great woman in the Fantastic Great Women collection
Celebrate the positive impact that women have had on the world throughout history by exploring this great range of books.
Who has all the biscuits?
Try this activity from Stride looking at inequality in global food distribution.
Read diverse books
Challenge students to read books on certain themes. How many can find a book where the main character is LGBTQ+ character, a refugee, a character with a disability, a heroine etc..
Create an "I have a dream" display
Create a display of clouds made of students hopes and dreams for a better world, similar to this one. This activity obviously also lends itself to learning more about Martin Luther King.
Watch and discuss "The Barrell"
Explore the short film "The Barrell" and the resource created by Wosdec and Take One Action.
Explore a topic by creating issue trees
Issue tress are a great way to help students as critical questions about different topics. See this Wosdec resource and this activity sheet for more information.
Watch the Aliah film and discuss the relevant UNCRC articles
Watch and discuss the Aliah short film as a class. See this resource produced by Wosdec and Take One Action for activity ideas.
Take Action
Are your class ready to change the world? The "Taking Action" section of this excellent resource from Wosdec will help you get your class campaigning to make change!
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