The Center for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) Evaluation Team
“Reading with Relevance unites cultural responsiveness, academic instruction, and SEL....
Reading with Relevance: Building Independent Readers and Thinkers
Reading with Relevance, a partnership between Savvas and the Moving Forward Institute, is a powerful resource that integrates social and emotional learning with critical literacy skills.
- Relevant, diverse novels
- Inspirational novels with relatable characters
- Improves self-confidence and empathy
- Improves learning outcomes in just 15 minutes per day
An Easy-to-Use SEL and Literacy Resource
Reading with Relevance is a literacy curriculum that focuses on students’ emotional well-being as a critical strategy for improving their academic achievement.
CASEL-certified Curriculum
Reading with Relevance is the only novels-based SEL program certified by The Center for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL), which has rigorous criteria for SELect Programs.
Easy-to-Follow Lesson Plans
An easy-to-use lesson structure requires only 15 minutes each day, making Reading with Relevance the ideal SEL solution.
Relevant, Diverse Literature
This program’s foundation is that students’ feelings about themselves and their lives directly impacts their ability to engage with and succeed in school and work.
Character-Driven Motivation for Learners
Content-rich novels engage students’ literacy skills and support their character development and self-confidence. Students are motivated by the strong, diverse, resilient characters featured; each session also provides the opportunity to connect what they’ve read to their own lives.
Reading with Relevance Samplers
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Grades 2-3 Teaching Sampler: Donovan’s Word Jar
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Grades 6-8 Teaching Sampler
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Grades 8-10 Teaching Sampler
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Read the Research
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Case Studies
Donovan’s Word Jar: Teaching Sampler (Grades 2-3)
Donavan’s Word Jar is the story of a young African-American boy, Donavan, trying to solve his dilemma: He has too many words to fit in his word jar collection! This novel connects powerful social and emotional themes–perseverance, family, empathy, education, and kindness–with students’ own lives.
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Ghost Teaching Sampler (Grades 6-8)
The novel’s focus is Castle, a compassionate yet flawed seventh-grader, who finds comfort and joy when he joins the track team. His story examines themes like poverty, bullying, friendship, overcoming trauma, inspiring students to build connections between Castle’s redemptive life story and their own.
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The House on Mango Street Teaching Sampler (Grades 8-10)
The story of a pre-teen Chicana growing up in the barrio in Chicago, Esperanza narrates stories of herself and her neighborhood, experiencing joy, loss, change, and growth along the way. Esperanza’s rich, challenging journey will inspire your students.
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A Study of Program Efficacy
Read this efficacy report on Embedding Social and Emotional Skill Development in Common Core-Aligned English Language Arts Instruction.
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Court School Case Study Martinez, California
School Stories
In these inspirational stories, you'll learn about what schools and districts from across the country are doing to help students succeed and shape the future of education.
Get InspiredInspiring Positive Student Outcomes
“Reading with Relevance unites cultural responsiveness, academic instruction, and SEL. The collection itself is based around culturally relevant and diverse texts, creating ‘windows and mirrors’ where students have ample opportunities to learn about and reflect on their own lives and the lives of others.”
Julia Ann Gillam, John Muir Charter Academy, San Francisco CA
“This is a teacher’s anti-burnout tool:...
“This is a teacher’s anti-burnout tool: a lifesaver for new teachers in the classroom, a game-changer working with challenging student populations, and a force for reinvigorating veteran teachers.”
Sean Gleason, Bunche Academy, Oakland, CA
“It’s a huge resource. It’s basically time....
“It’s a huge resource. It’s basically time. Like, here you go–here’s 100 hours of time that we’ve put in so that you don’t have to.”
Robert Bowers, Assistant Principal, Contra Costa County Court Schools
“I have seen on average a full grade-level increase in reading ability with my students....
“I have seen on average a full grade-level increase in reading ability with my students. They are also developing the social skills that result in increased engagement and less time outside of the classroom.”