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Varsity Tutors Free Courses - Varsity Tutors
Grades
2 to 12tag(s): animals (285), coding (91), college (46), deserts (16), egypt (48), essays (21), Online Learning (42), pyramids (16), rivers (15), STEM (274), test prep (68)
In the Classroom
Include links to these free classes with your other summer reading and learning opportunities shared with students and parents. Be sure to highlight offerings of specific interest to your students; for example, if students are taking the ACT and SAT exams, point out the courses that help students prepare for these tests. Add a link to your digital calendar for each of the courses along with a reminder, then email students and parents a week before the course begins as a reminder to sign up and attend the class at the assigned time or use an online resource such as Remind, reviewed here to set up and deliver text reminders of upcoming classes.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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Scholastic Summer Reading Home Base - Scholastic
Grades
K to 8tag(s): DAT device agnostic tool (147), independent reading (86), preK (262), spelling (98), summer (29), writing (319)
In the Classroom
Share Home Base with other suggestions to encourage student reading over the summer; find additional ideas for summer reading programs and options on TeachersFirst Special Topics Page: Summer Specials, reviewed here. Consider curating ideas for summer reading programs and activities by sharing a Wakelet, reviewed here collection with parents and guardians. Help parents understand the benefits of using a game-based platform to encourage reading over the summer by creating a short video using Free Screen Recorder Online, reviewed here to explain how to access this program and the different features provided.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Really Great Reading - Free Resources - Really Great Reading
Grades
K to 12tag(s): literacy (112), phonics (50), preK (262), reading comprehension (144), reading strategies (100), science of reading (36)
In the Classroom
Bookmark and save this site as a resource for learning about and finding activities for reading instruction. Share ideas and articles with parents to support reading activities at home. The Heart Word Magic section includes many short video tutorials to help students learn to read and spell high-frequency words; consider including a video tutorial in your weekly classroom newsletter and on classroom computers for students and parents to review at home and in school. As an alternative to adding information to your classroom newsletter, consider using Wakelet, reviewed here or Padlet, reviewed here to organize and share resources with parents and guardians.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Summer Specials - TeachersFirst
Grades
K to 12In the Classroom
Find new tools, activities, and more to share with your students for use during the summer break! Each review includes classroom use ideas. Read the details of each tool and find the ones that will be useful to your students.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Bookopolis Summer Reading Headquarters - Bookopolis
Grades
K to 12tag(s): book lists (163), seasonal (17), summer (29)
In the Classroom
Include information and links to Bookopolis Summer Reading Activities in your end-of-year newsletter to parents. Encourage students to participate in the activities by sharing and discussing the information before the school year ends. Use Symbaloo, reviewed here to create a curation of summer reading links and activities for families, then share the link to your Symbaloo collection for families to find all options in one location. Encourage students to read and share their reading over the summer by contributing to video conference on Flock, reviewed here. Share the link to your Flock topic on your class website and newsletter.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Scholastic Home Base - Books - Scholastic
Grades
2 to 6tag(s): game based learning (181), summer (29)
In the Classroom
Engage and motivate students to read over the summer by sharing Scholastic with parents or your web page. Consider creating a Google Jamboard, reviewed here, for students to share their experiences with classmates when playing the games and suggest books for others to read.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Camp BOOK IT! - Pizza Hut
Grades
K to 6tag(s): independent reading (86), seasonal (17), summer (29)
In the Classroom
Share Camp BOOK IT! with parents to encourage reading over the summer months. Use this program as an opportunity to collaborate with parents to engage students in reading by providing a reading list for students that includes books that appeal to your students. Use Padlet, reviewed here, to share suggested titles of books for students, and use the stream feature to organize the titles into different categories. Encourage students to add comments to your Padlet, sharing their book reviews. Enhance your students' summer reading experience by creating a topic using Flip, reviewed here, and ask students to contribute video book talks discussing their reading. Another idea is to create a Summer Bingo topic. Attach a Bingo form to your Flip topic with different squares to complete. Ideas might be reading a biography, starting a new book series, or sharing a book with a friend.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Summer Reading Journal - Barnes and Noble
Grades
K to 6tag(s): book lists (163), seasonal (17), summer (29)
In the Classroom
Depending on the month you check the booklist, you may find last summers books or the current summers books. No matter the list, it provides ideas to add to any summer reading book list shared with students and parents. Create a list using Google Docs or Padlet, reviewed here to share a variety of reading materials to engage students in summer learning. Encourage students to share their summer reading by creating a collaborative topic using Padlet again, but this time useThis is a link to Padlet's Help section for posting video or an image. , reviewed here. Ask students to share what they are reading and a short review with a video response. Encourage students to add comments to book reviews sharing their thoughts about the reading materials.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Grades 6-8 eBooks Resources for Teaching Remotely on Short Notice - TeachersFirst
Grades
6 to 8tag(s): audio books (24), ebooks (39), podcasts (96), professional development (407)
In the Classroom
Take advantage of your remote teaching lessons to offer a variety of reading suggestions to your students. Browse through the free books offered and create a list of suggestions based on your knowledge of student interests and abilities. Encourage communication and collaboration between your students through the use of Padlet, reviewed here. Use Padlet to share links to your book suggestions, then ask students to add comments and reviews.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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PBS Summer of Possibilites - Play Your Way - PBS Kids
Grades
K to 3tag(s): calendars (37), literacy (112), preK (262), reading lists (76), seasonal (17), summer (29)
In the Classroom
Take advantage of the many free activities on this site; be sure to share with parents for ideas on learning at home. Consider having a "summer" day in the middle of winter as you enjoy summer activities in the warmth of the indoors. Share with parents at the end of the school year as a great resource for learning during the summer months.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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WriteReader - WriteReader
Grades
K to 5tag(s): digital storytelling (152), literacy (112), multilingual (69), reading strategies (100), science of reading (36), writing (319)
In the Classroom
WriteReader is so simple that very young students can use it successfully after a whiteboard or projector demonstration. While creating their books, students will be able to add images, multiple pages and delete pages, include voice-over, use color on the pages, view one page at a time or the entire book, and toggle between letters' names/sounds or no audio. Use this tool to design simple projects using student drawings to tell the story. Have students draw and annotate stories about their summer at the beginning of the year and share them with classmates. Students of any age love to draw, so why not have them draw their impression of what the message to the reader was after hearing a story and then explain it in writing? Nonreaders and ENL/ESL students especially will benefit from hearing the letter sounds as they begin writing in their new language.Edge Features:
Includes an education-only area for teachers and students
Parent permission advised before posting student work created using this tool
Includes social features, such as "friends," comments, ratings by others
Requires registration/log-in (WITH email)
Multiple users can collaborate on the same project
Includes teacher tools for registering and/or monitoring students
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Tunes2Teach YouTube Playlist - Dana Lawrence Gillis and Ellie Rubenstein
Grades
K to 6This site includes advertising.
tag(s): back to school (61), behavior (45), creative writing (121), descriptive writing (40), paragraph writing (14), scientific method (47)
In the Classroom
Use the Behavior Rules video as part of your Back to School activities. Challenge your class to create their own Behavior Rules video specific to your classroom, and then share them on a site such as TeacherTube, reviewed here. Share the other videos during appropriate English and science units. Be sure to create a link to these videos or your creations on your class website for viewing at home.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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CurriConnects Booklist: Adventures in Summer - TeachersFirst
Grades
K to 12tag(s): book lists (163), independent reading (86), summer (29)
In the Classroom
This collection is perfect to share with students (and families) prior to the summer break. Keep minds fresh during the summer. Allow students (or partners) to choose their own book. If you want to "spice" up your final month of school, allow students to start summer (in their minds). These books provide experience with both fiction and nonfiction informational texts. They often require students to draw inferences about the "facts." Allow students (or partners) to choose their own book. Share this list with your school library/media specialist or public library, as well, for them to "pull" books in support of your end of school-year reading. Extend the experience by having students create visual presentations of the concepts they learn. Challenge students to create a presentation using Prezi, reviewed here, or Slides, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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A Soft Murmur - Gabriel Martin
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): creative writing (121), learning styles (18)
In the Classroom
Be sure to share this link with students (and their parents) looking for less distracting sounds while brainstorming or working. Does your class have silent reading time, or are you reading a book to the class or conducting a science lab? Turn up your speakers and use a background sound as mood music to set the stage for your story. Use the sounds during creative writing exercises. Why not listen to waves or water while studying them?! Play a few minutes of relaxing sounds before a major test. Consider using as background sounds for student presentations. If you talk with students about discovering their own learning styles, offer this site as a suggestion for them to try while prewriting or studying for tests. Emotional support (and autistic support) teachers may want to experiment to see if these sounds can help their students. Some students may find them over stimulating while others may find the sounds very helpful.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Bookopolis - Kari Ness Riedel
Grades
1 to 7tag(s): book lists (163), book reports (28), classroom management (122), guided reading (32), independent reading (86), reading comprehension (144), remote learning (56), social networking (64), Teacher Utilities (158)
In the Classroom
Create your account with one of several social media programs, or your email, teacher name, username, and some basic information. Create your dashboard by adding a class and class name. You can create multiple classes. From the teacher dashboard on right menu choose Teacher Resources to view the several teacher video tutorials to get started. Click the class name to add students; student accounts can be created manually or by importing an XLS or CSV file. Students will automatically be "friends" with other students in the same class, but can also invite students from different classes. Share this site with students (and parents at back to school night) using your interactive whiteboard or projector. Students also have video tutorials; show students the video tutorial "How to Add Books" to get them started. In your blended or remote learning classroom enhance students' learning for this tool using the tutorial (s) along with MoocNote, reviewed here, to add comments and information. Students can create bookshelves for books they are reading, that they have read, and that they want to read. Students can earn points and badges for the books they read. This tool will get students excited about reading since they can connect with friends to share book reviews and swap book recommendations. Students also practice persuasive writing, comprehension, and typing skills by completing reviews, reports, and reading logs online. This tool is great to keep track of student home reading or if you are teaching remotely! Besure to list this site in a parent newsletter or on your website as one to use to avoid the "summer reading slide."Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Noisli - Stefano Merlo
Grades
K to 12tag(s): creative writing (121), learning styles (18), sounds (42)
In the Classroom
Be sure to share this link with students (and their parents) looking for less distracting sounds while brainstorming or working. Reading a book to the class or conducting a science lab? Turn up your speakers and use these background sounds as mood music to set the stage for your story. Why not listen to waves or water while studying it! Play a few minutes of relaxing sounds before a major test. Let a student "DJ" create a class relaxation or creativity soundscape. Consider using as background sounds for student presentations. Have students make a multimedia presentation using one of the many TeachersFirst Edge tools reviewed here. Some tool suggestions are (click on the tool name to access the review): Adobe Creative Cloud Express for Education, Animatron, Sway, and Presentious. Use the writing tool available at this site to motivate your students with music, color, and more. If you talk with students about discovering their own learning styles, offer this site as a suggestion for them to try while prewriting or studying for tests. Emotional support (and autistic support) teachers may want to experiment to see if these sounds can help their students. Some students may find them overstimulating, while others may find the sounds very helpful.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Teachers' Common Core Planning Toolkit: A guide for elementary teachers - TeachersFirst
Grades
K to 5tag(s): commoncore (75), professional development (407)
In the Classroom
This is perfect for teachers' summer reading or collaborative planning. As you face the daunting task of re-visioning your plans, find a process that you can grasp.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The Curriculum Corner - Jill McEldowney and Cathy Henry
Grades
K to 5This site includes advertising.
tag(s): addition (127), back to school (61), behavior (45), biographies (95), charts and graphs (170), data (148), division (97), elections (82), guided reading (32), literacy (112), magnetism (37), money (114), multiplication (121), narrative (14), organizational skills (87), plants (147), poetry (190), problem solving (226), readers theater (10), reading strategies (100), rocks (35), subtraction (108), time (92), writers workshop (31)
In the Classroom
Bookmark and save this site as a lesson resource throughout the year. This is a great site to peruse over the summer or use for back to school planning. Use this site to learn more about Common Core. Print the "I Can" checklists for use in student folders as part of your yearly assessment. Send a copy home to parents so that they see the yearly standards and goals for each subject.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Kitten Hop Dolch Word Practice - Arcademics
Grades
K to 2tag(s): preK (262), sight words (22)
In the Classroom
Even if your students have been reading basic sight words for a while, this site offers practice in speed and fluency. You could create a learning center out of this site and have four different students competing on laptops. If you only have one computer and an interactive whiteboard, set up a learning station! Students can work in groups of two or individually to see their speed. If you choose to have students work in partners, be sure to partner each child with a student of similar reading level, so one student isn't providing all of the answers. This is a great simple site to provide for summer practice of sight words.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Catch the Science Bug - Catch the Science Bug Foundation, Inc
Grades
2 to 6tag(s): animals (285), birds (45), data (148), engineering (125), environment (239), plants (147), solar energy (34), trees (18), water (101)
In the Classroom
Although the standards listed are for grades K-4, much of the material has far higher reading levels. View videos on your interactive whiteboard (or projector) as a class when introducing a science unit. Then complete activities provided on the site. The text passages on this site are at upper elementary to middle school level, so you may need to read them aloud or have weaker and stronger readers work together. The visual materials are quite useful for elementary and up. View videos and read biographies of the scientists during a career unit. Share this site as a resource for fun science activities to do at home and with gifted students for self-exploration. Add this to your list of recommended sites to prevent "summer slide." The teacher's guide on the site is an excellent resource for finding activities. Bookmark this on your computer or print and include in your lesson planning guide to use when planning lessons and units. Choose books from the reading list to include with guided reading instruction. For more science reading selections, check out TeachersFirst's CurriConnects lists for various science topics.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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