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Read Woke learning resources
What is Read Woke?
The Read Woke challenge was developed by Cicely Lewis in Georgia, USA in 2017. Motivated by the political climate and seeing students grapple with issues of social injustice daily, Cicely realised the need to empower them with knowledge. Knowledge about the issues they (and others) face and knowledge about their own rights. The aim is to educate children and young people through reading. Find out more at readwoke.com(this link will open in a new window)
Read Woke is a movement. It is a feeling. It is a style. It is a form of education. It is a call to action; it is our right as lifelong learners. It means arming yourself with knowledge in order to better protect your rights.
Read Woke South Ayrshire
The Read Woke challenge was brought to Scotland in 2020 via the School Library Improvement Fund. A collaboration of South Ayrshire secondary schools created a book list and incentivised reading programme for S1–6 students with the aim of improving representation within library collections, celebrating diversity and encouraging students to be socially aware.
Further backing from the Scottish Library and Information Council has allowed this work to be expanded into a primary school setting with Read Woke South Ayrshire Primaries launched in February 2022.
Providing carefully chosen books to schools – along with tailor-made resources and activities through 2022 – is allowing us to educate and empower students to engage with social justice issues and stand up for the rights of themselves and others.
Learn more at ReadWokeSouthAyrshire.co.uk(this link will open in a new window)
About the resources
Scottish Book Trust has worked with the Read Woke South Ayrshire team to create a suite of resources to support reading and sharing of selected books in class. These resources are being made available for free to schools and teachers across Scotland so that they can also use the books in class and across the school to embed themes of equality, diversity and social justice throughout their curriculum from P1–S1. The resource packs currently available are:
- Me, My Dad and the End of the Rainbow by Benjamin Dean
- The Invisible by Tom Percival
- The Proudest Blue by Ibtihaj Muhammad and S K Ali, illustrated by Hatem Aly
- Danny Chung Does Not Do Maths by Maisie Chan
- Fight Back by A. M. Dassu
- I Talk Like a River by Jordan Scott, illustrated by Sydney Smith
- Stuntboy, in the Meantime by Jason Reynolds, illustrated by Raúl the Third
- The Good Turn by Sharna Jackson
- Tomorrow by Nadine Kaadan
- Windrush Child by Benjamin Zephaniah
- Sulwe by Lupita Nyong'o
- Granny came here on the Empire Windrush by Patrice Lawrence
- Race to the Frozen North by Catherine Johnso
- I am the Subway by Kim Hyo-eun
- Ghost by Jason Reynolds