A game-based challenge that encourages your middle students to read, plus rewards them with prizes? Yes, we’re for real! We’re of course talking about our annual Million Words Read Challenge.

If you haven’t heard about the Million Words Challenge yet, we’re going to break it down for you in this post! 

Where competition and collaboration meet… 

Friendly competition is a great motivator among students, as are collaborative learning environments, but competition and collaboration are often seen as opposing strategies in the classroom. The Million Words Read Challenge combines the best of both worlds! 

As students work through the literacy games, their words read count gets recorded on a leaderboard in real-time where they can track their progress against classes around the nation, inspiring them to climb the board! The friendly competition spurs students to strive for individual excellence, but ultimately, they have to work collaboratively as a class to achieve the target goal of one million words read. The collective goal serves to motivate students and push each other to read more words to hit the targets of the challenge.

The best part? The Million Words Read Challenge can be used in the classroom, hybrid, or virtual learning settings.

After 2020, we could all use a little joy. Join us in celebrating student achievement. 

What better way to celebrate your students when they reach their target of one million words read than prizes and a class celebration? When students become Millionaires they receive Read to Lead Student Prize Packs that include Read to Lead backpacks, t-shirts, water bottles and more! Teachers will also receive a gift card to spend on a class celebration (whether virtual or in-person) to make their success that much sweeter.

To keep spirits high and students motivated, Read to Lead also rewards students with badges throughout the challenge as they hit words-read milestones. Make their success official with a certificate in honor of their Millionaire status when they reach their final goal!

Ready to accept the challenge?

Getting started with the Million Words Read Challenge is simple!

1. Accept the Million Words Read Challenge by signing up for a FREE account.
2. Assign your students their first learning game.
3. Track your students’ progress in the teacher dashboard.
4. Get rewarded with a prize pack and celebration for your class when they reach the target of one million words!

Each game completed on Read to Lead, counts for 5,000 words read. As students progress through the different episodes, they are awarded badges individually and as a class for reaching certain milestones and achieving certain targets. 

Learn more about this year’s Million Words Read Challenge and how you and your students can participate, by clicking here!