Curriculum

Integrated Reading Curriculum (IRC)

The Freedom School Integrated Reading Curriculum (IRC) is designed to foster a love of reading and learning through a culturally relevant lens. It emphasizes critical thinking, creativity, and student empowerment, using books and activities that reflect the students' backgrounds and experiences. The curriculum supports conflict resolution and social action, encouraging students to become thoughtful and engaged community members.

Afternoon STEAM Actitivities

The afternoon STEAM activities in the Freedom School program engage students in Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts, and Mathematics. These hands-on, interactive sessions are designed to spark curiosity, encourage critical thinking, and develop problem-solving skills. Activities are tailored to complement the integrated reading curriculum and inspire interest in STEAM subjects through creative and collaborative projects.

Book Lists

2025 Books are Listed Below

Level I - Grades K-2

Week 1: I Can Make a Difference in Myself
  • I Am Every Good Thing by Derrick Barnes
  • My Very Favorite Book in the Whole Wide World by Malcolm Mitchell
  • Fail-A-Bration by Brad & Kristi Montague
  • How to Make a Friend by Stephen W. Martin
  • Flying High: The Story of Gymnastics Champion Simone Biles by Michelle Meadows
Week 2: I Can Make a Difference in My Family
  • The Electric Slide and Kai  by Kelly Baptiste
  • Mama the Alien by Rene Colato Lainez
  • Mama's Home by Ashay Youngblood
  • Life is Beautiful by Winsome Bingham
  • The Last Stand by Antwan Eady
Week 3: I Can Make a Difference in My Community
  • Be a Bridge  by Irene Latham & Charles Waters
  • Jayden's Impossible Garden by Melina Mangal
  • Included: A Book for All Children About Inclusion, Diversity, Disability, Equality, and Empathy by Jayneen Sanders
  • Nia and the New Free Library  Jayneen Sanders
  • Saturdays at Harlem Grown: How One Big Idea Transformed a Neighborhood by Tony Hillery
Week 4: I Can Make a Difference in My Country
  • Congressman John Lewis: A Man on a Mission to Seek Justice for All by Jennifer Marino Walters
  • The Rabbi and The Reverend by Audrey Ades
  • Because Claudette by Tracey Baptiste
  • Liberty's Civil Rights Road Trip by Michael W. Waters
Week 5: I Can Make a Difference in My World
  • Facing Fear: An Immigration Story by Karen Lynn Williams
  • Kids Who Are Saving the Planet by Laurie Calkhoven
  • A Teacher Like You by Frank Murphy
  • A Voice Like Yours by Frank Murphy & April Groman
Week 6 - I Can Make a Difference with Hope, Education, and Action
  • Free to Learn: How Alfredo Lopez Fought for the Right to Go to School by Cynthia Levinson
  • The Protest by Samantha Thornhill
  • Emmanuel's Dream by Laurie Ann Thompson
  • A Library for Juana by Pat Mora
  • They Call Me Teach: Lessons In Freedom by Lesa Cline-Ransome

Level II - Grades 3-5

Week 1: I Can Make a Difference in Myself
  • I Am Every Good Thing by Derrick Barnes
  • Sam's Super Seats  by  Keah Brown
  • The Perfect Place by  Matt de la Pena
  • What's Inside Your Backpack? by Jessica Sinarski
  • The Fantastic Bureau of Imagination  by Brad Montague
Week 2: I Can Make a Difference in My Family
  • Missing Momma  by Winsome Bingham
  • Dear Dad: Love, Nelson: The Story of One Boy and His Incarcerated Father by Margarett McBride
  • The Heart Never Forgets  by Ana Ot
  • For Beautiful Black Boys Who Believe in a Better World  by Michael W. Waters
  • My Dad is A DJ by Keith Henry Brown and Kathryn Erskine
Week 3: I Can Make a Difference in My Community
  • My Block Looks Like by Janelle Harper
  • Included: A Book for All Children About Inclusion, Diversity, Disability, Equality, and Empathy by  Jayneen Sanders
  • Nia and the New Free Library  by  Jayneen Sanders
  • Caged by Kao Kalia Yang
  • Saturdays at Harlem Grown: How One Big Idea Transformed a Neighborhood by Tony Hillery
Week 4: I Can Make a Difference in My Country
  • I Am John Lewis by Brad Meltzer
  • She Persisted Claudette Colvin by Lesa Cline-Ransome
  • The Doll Test: Choosing Equality by Carole Boston Weatherford
  • Liberty's Civil Rights Road Trip by Michael W. Waters
Week 5: I Can Make a Difference in My World
  • Dream Builder: The Story of Architect Philip Freelon by Kelly Starling Lyons
  • Green: The Story of Plant Life on Our Planet by Nicola Davies 
  • Food for Hope by Jeff Gottesfeld
  • A Voice Like Yours by Frank Murphy & April Groman
Week 6 - I Can Make a Difference with Hope, Education, and Action
  • I Am Farmer: Growing an Environmental Movement in Cameroon by Baptiste and Miranda Paul
  • The Junkyard Wonders by Patricia Polacco
  • As the Seas Rise: Nicole Hernandez Hammer and the Fight for Climate Justice by Angela Quezada Padron
  • The Girl Who Figured It Out by Minda Dentler
  • They Call Me Teach: Lessons In Freedom by Lesa Cline-Ransome

Level III - Grades 6-8

Week 1: I Can Make a Difference in Myself
  • Hands by Torrey Maldonado
Week 2: I Can Make a Difference in My Family
  • Bang by Sharon Flake
Week 3: I Can Make a Difference in My Community
  • Look Both Ways: A Tale Told in Ten Blocks by Jason Reynolds
Week 5: I Can Make a Difference in My World
  • Forest Fighter: The Story of Chico Mendes by Anita Ganeri
  • Taking on The Plastics Crisis  by Hannah Testa
Week 6 - I Can Make a Difference with Hope, Education, and Action
  • Outspoken: Paul Robeson, Ahead of His Time: A One-Man Show by Carole Boston Weatherford
  • Our World Out of Balance: Understanding Climate Change and What We Can Do by Andrea Minoglio