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CommonLit
contains a wealth of free fiction and non-fiction texts for use in
the classroom. Texts are organized by grade-level and theme.
Media Literacy Clearinghouse
introduces students to a new type of literacy – media literacy. With
all of the new technology and messages appearing every day, it’s
important for kids to be media literate.
Awesome Stories uses
non-traditional reading materials, such as biographies and primary
source texts, to get students learning through reading. Students can
use the site to help with research and teachers can use the texts as
part of lesson plans. Creating an account allows users to access
audio versions of many of the titles as well, making it an ideal
site for auditory learners and those with learning disabilities.
ReadWriteThink gets
students to participate in critical thinking and reading activities
through its lesson plans and interactive student resources.
Book Adventure is a free
online reading program that provides students with incentives for
reading.
Bookopolis
is essentially a GoodReads for kids. The site allows
students to read reviews written by their peers and helps them find
the perfect book.
Writing
Whether students need an outlet for their creative writing or want
to brush up on their grammar skills, one of these resources will get
the job done.
ToonDoo gives kids a
place to create their own cartoons and store them online. It
features tons of clipart and other artistic effects to make the
comics visually appealing.
Voki
features animated characters that students can customize
and manipulate to speak their words. It’s a great tool to help with
creative thinking, writing, and storytelling.
Grammar Bytes tests
students’ knowledge of grammar through simple multiple-choice
activities and rewards them with cheesy virtual prizes.
Purdue OWL is an
online writing lab from Purdue University that provides students,
particularly those in high school and college, with everything they
need to know about writing a paper, including grammar advice and
paper formatting guides.
Math
Not all websites focus on
elementary math skills.
While many of these games do work well for elementary-age students,
they also offer games and lesson plans for students tackling
subjects such as algebra, geometry, and calculus.
Math is Fun is
full of math resources for kids and teachers. It also includes an
illustrated dictionary of math terms to help students understand
difficult concepts.
Numberphile
features short videos about
numbers. They help kids explore complex math topics and make math
more fun.
Math Games
offers a large collection of math games and questions
organized by grade-level and skill. It also includes a
progress-tracking feature so teachers and parents can see what kids
know.
AAA Math
features online interactive math lessons for students in
kindergarten through 8th grade.
Yummy Math
connects math with the real world through timely news stories
and other reading passages.
Math Forum
offers online professional development opportunities and
other resources to help math teachers improve their skills.
Science
Help students understand science with this collection of videos,
games, experiments, and creative science activities.
PhET
features many engaging simulations to help kids learn
difficult concepts in science and math.
Wonderopolis shows kids a
wonder of the day, and then gives them a chance to test their
knowledge or join in on a discussion related to that wonder. Kids
will be surprised by all of the cool facts that they learn and they
may spark some interesting discussions in the classroom.
Molecular
Workbench contains hundreds of simulations, curriculum models,
and assessments designed to improve the teaching of science.
Science Made Simple
gives kids science experiment ideas and other science project
topics. It also offers help when preparing for a science fair.
The Science Spot offers
lesson plans, activities, and student examples from one teacher’s
science classroom, as well as daily science trivia challenges and
daily science starters.
BioDigital is a human
visualization platform that allows students to explore the human
body in really cool ways.
For even more science-specific resources, check out the
Ultimate Guide to Teaching Science.
Art
Art museums around the world have made it their mission to teach
students about art. These websites introduce students to art theory,
let them explore classic works of art, and even give them the chance
to create art of their own.
Artsonia bills itself as the
world’s largest kids art museum. All of the artwork has been created
by kids and, while the site is free, parents can also purchase
products featuring their kids’ artwork.
Artsology helps kids learn to
appreciate the arts by providing them with the opportunity to play
games, conduct investigations, and explore different forms of art.
NGAKids Art Zone
allows kids to explore popular art movements, themes, and artists
and offers guides to help teachers as well.
Tate Kids gives kids a
chance to explore famous works of art, play art-related games, and
even create their own works of art to add to their online gallery.
Music
Encourage kids to think beyond One Direction and their other
favorite artists and experience new types of music. Kids can learn
about the symphony and classical music or even build their own
musical skills by learning through ear training or playing
instruments online.
Andrew & Polly is an indie
children’s music duo that has created a podcast called Ear Snacks
designed to help kids learn through music, sound, and unique
experiences.
Classics for Kids
regularly highlights famous composers and provides teachers with
activities to use in the classroom.
KIDiddles has lyrics and
audio files for over 2,000 kids songs for music teachers, or any
teachers, to use in their classrooms.
Good Ear may not look like
an awesome site, but it contains a lot in its simple design. This
website provides virtual ear training to help serious student
musicians learn to recognize the differences between notes.
Virtual Musical
Instruments lets kids play instruments online. Instruments
include the guitar, piano, pan flute, drums, and bongos.
Health and Safety
Health and safety are important to kids. Whether kids want to know
more about keeping their bodies healthy or staying safe online,
these websites have them covered.
KidsHealth is the top
website for kids to learn about their bodies and their health. It
features easy-to-read articles and kid-friendly graphics to help
kids learn about a whole host of topics related to health and
safety.
CDC
BAM! focuses on teaching kids about their bodies. BAM stands for
body and mind and all of the resources on the site help kids learn
more about their bodies and keeping their minds sharp.
NetSmartzKidz and its
sister site,
Netsmartz, promotes online safety. Kids and adults can learn all
about staying safe online and avoiding dangers such as cyber
bullying.
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StopBullying.gov helps prevent bullying in all forms by
providing teachers, parents, and students with resources to educate
them about bullying and let them know what to do when bullying
occurs.
PE Central is a
physical education teacher’s ultimate resource. It includes lesson
plans, assessment ideas, and other resources.
Early Education
Don’t forget about your younger learners too. Many websites,
including our own
Early Education collection, offer games and activities designed
to help toddlers and preschoolers build their basic skills.
Preschool Express is
full of crafts, activities, bulletin board designs, and finger plays
for early education teachers and parents to use with kids.
Starfall
promotes beginning reading and number skills with fun stories and
activities.
Funbrain Jr. brings the fun
and quality of Funbrain to a younger audience with its early
learning games.
Songs for Teaching offers a large selection of fun songs to help
teach preschool students.
Super Simple Learning’s
resource section includes free flashcards, coloring pages,
worksheets, and other resources for children, teachers, and parents.
Educational Games
Kids love to play games online. Why not encourage the practice by
introducing them to some fun educational games websites? They’ll
have fun and you’ll know they’re learning.
Arcademic Skill
Builders offers a series of racing games for kids focused on
math and ELA skills. Best of all, many of the games are multiplayer
so kids can create rooms and play against their friends.
Quizalize lets teachers
turn content into fun quiz games for students. It’s free to create
quizzes, but teachers can also buy inexpensive quizzes from other
teachers in the marketplace.
Cool Math Games is the
ultimate site for kids who want to play math-oriented games. These
arcade-style games are a lot of fun and many accompany the lessons
found on the site.
Primary Games has a lot
of educational games for kids to play mixed in with some “just for
fun” games too. All of the games are kid-friendly.
Games for Change gets
kids thinking about problem-solving and social issues by providing
them with unique games to play. Many of the games help kids solve
world problems or introduce them to social issues.
Educational News
It’s important to keep up with the news. These websites cover the
latest education news and also provide kid-friendly news sites to
use with students.
Education World’s main
page highlights the latest news in the world of education, including
interesting research and controversy.
Education Week
publishes a weekly newspaper all about education. Its website
highlights many of those stories so you can access them for free.
Smithsonian TweenTribune
features unique news stories for kids. Stories are organized by
Lexile level and cover topics related to kids’ interests.
Time for Kids gives
students and teachers access to many of the articles from Time for
Kids magazine, even if they don’t subscribe. Stories focuses on
world news stories and pop culture.
DOGO News promotes “fodder
for young minds” by sharing unique news stories, including stories
of people doing good around the world.
Educating Yourself
With the introduction of open courseware and TED talks, educating
yourself online has never been easier. Find access to actual college
courses and learn what you want to know from the experts in the
field. At HelpTeaching, we have launched our own line of
online
K-12 lessons that students can use for self-directed learning.
TED features videos and other
resources from some of the world’s greatest leaders, innovators, and
thinkers. If you want to learn more about a particular field,
chances are there’s an expert talking about it.
Khan Academy offers free
online courses in a wide variety of subjects. It offers the most
content in math, but also has courses in science, economics, test
prep, and more.
Open Education
Consortium allows you to search for open courses around the
world. It also provides news on the open courseware movement.
MIT OpenCourseWare gives
you access to courses from one of the nation’s most prestigious
colleges.
Coursera helps you find and
sign up to take free online courses from some of the world’s top
universities and other experts.
Youtube has been around for a long time, but that only supports its
awesomeness. You’ll find a lot of video tutorials on everything from
fixing a car to learning how to beat a difficult level on Angry
Birds. Don’t forget to check out Help Teaching’s
YouTube channel with online lessons too.
For more resources, don’t forget to check out the
Ultimate Guide to Self-Learning for Kids and the
Ultimate Guide to Self-Learning for Teens and Adults.
Homeschool
Homeschool curriculum can be expensive. Thankfully, there are plenty
of free resources out there to help offset the cost. You’ll also
find lots of tips, tricks, and other resources to help make your
homeschooling journey successful.
Homeschool.com bills itself
as the #1 resource for homeschooling and with good reason. The
website is full or articles about homeschooling, local homeschooler
groups and even free curriculum and homeschool mom planner.
Beestar offers online elementary
math and reading exercises. With a free account, kids can access a
set number of free worksheets a day. There are also competitions
kids can enter for a small fee.
Brainly gives students a place to
ask questions and get answers. Think of it as a moderated Reddit or
Yahoo! Answers for kids and teens. Most of the content on the site
is free, although some verified answers require a subscription.
CK-12 is a platform that
offers free online textbooks and resources for students and
teachers. Why pay for curriculum when you can get free, customized
resources online?
Hillsdale College provides free online courses to help people
learn more about the principles of American democracy and study some
of the authors and artists who were part of America’s foundation.
Life Skills
There are some skills that
aren’t taught in high school, but they’re extremely important
for students to learn. These sites help students gain these
essential skills.
Practical Money
Skills bills itself as a site that offers financial education
for everyone. The site includes free articles and learning modules
for students, lesson plans for teachers, and a host of fun games,
including many related to athletics.
Gen i Revolution offers
free personal finance and economics education for students through
the form of a game. Students go through real-life scenarios and use
the selection of characters and skills available to them to set
things right in the financial world of the game.
Everyday
Life from GCF Learn Free features multiple interactive tutorials
designed to take students through everyday life activities,
including work shills and getting around town.
Overcoming Obstacles
is a free life skills curriculum for students in grades K-12. Their
resources include strategies for teaching social and emotional
skills. Teachers and parents must register for a free account to
access the curriculum. |
