TeachersFirst's Resources to Avoid the Summer Slide
Other TeachersFirst Special Topics Collections
Encourage children and teens to keep on learning during summer break. Help them to hold on to what they already know with these safe, teacher-reviewed resources. Be sure to share with your friends, neighbors, and family. Teachers will want to share this page with students departing for summer break or possibly share the school's website.
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Scholastic Home Base - Books - Scholastic
Grades
2 to 6
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Scholastic Home Base includes books and games to keep students motivated to read over the summer. Select any of the book titles to begin reading excerpts from the selected title. ...more
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Scholastic Home Base includes books and games to keep students motivated to read over the summer. Select any of the book titles to begin reading excerpts from the selected title. Video trailers provide a short introduction to books found on the list. Next, choose the play portion of the site to enter Home Base, a virtual world for players to explore and interact with book characters.
tag(s): game based learning (159), summer (13)
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.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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Sync: Audio Books for Teens - AudioFile
Grades
6 to 12
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Sync is a free summer audiobook program for teens. The program runs for 13 weeks starting on April 29 and provides participants with two thematically paired audio books/short stories...more
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Sync is a free summer audiobook program for teens. The program runs for 13 weeks starting on April 29 and provides participants with two thematically paired audio books/short stories weekly. Listen to a short introduction to the book before reading. After enrolling with Sync, follow the directions to download the Sora app from iTunes or Google Play. Use the explore feature within the app to find and borrow weekly titles. Be sure to view the FAQ for additional information on accessing and participating in Sync.
tag(s): audio books (19), independent reading (104)
In the Classroom
Share Sync with your students to promote summer reading and provide a variety of reading topics. Play the audio introduction to gain student interest. Click the Toolkit on the left menu to download posters for featured books for each week of the summer. Post the information on your classroom or school website for availability to parents and students through the summer. If it is too late to participate in the program or listen to a weekly title, use the book list provided to locate the titles in your community library for checkout either in person or digitally at the beginning of the new school year. Encourage students to reflect upon the books using journals such as those found at Penzu, reviewed here. Penzu journals offers templates and you have the ability to add images or your own illustrations to sections of journals. Extend student learning by highlighting important areas of text within the books using WordSift, reviewed here. Copy and paste in key portions of any book into WordSift to visualize the text within a word cloud. Use the word cloud to explore and discuss new vocabulary or frequently used terms. Use Sync as a model for students to hear text read using intonation and phrasing. Ask students to create podcasts sharing their writing using Anchor, reviewed here. Refer students back to the audiobooks they listened to as a helpful reminder on how to engage listeners through the spoken word.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Camp BOOK IT! - Pizza Hut
Grades
K to 6
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Camp BOOK IT! is a summer home reading program where students in grades K-6 earn monthly rewards for achieving reading goals. After enrolling in the program, parents use the digital...more
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Camp BOOK IT! is a summer home reading program where students in grades K-6 earn monthly rewards for achieving reading goals. After enrolling in the program, parents use the digital dashboard to track their student's reading progress during June, July, and August. Move the slider to certify completion of the preset goal to receive a certificate to redeem at Pizza Hut for a personal pan pizza. Other features found on this site include a series of ongoing articles with activities and book recommendations along with activity kits and calendars to track reading.
tag(s): independent reading (104)
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 FlipGrid, 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 Flipgrid topic with different squares to complete. Ideas might be reading a biography, starting a new book series, or sharing a book with a friend.
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Dreamscape - Squiggle Park
Grades
2 to 8
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Dreamscape is a curriculum-aligned reading game for students in grades 2-8. Create an educator account to add student accounts, track progress, and assign content. As students read...more
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Dreamscape is a curriculum-aligned reading game for students in grades 2-8. Create an educator account to add student accounts, track progress, and assign content. As students read short passages and respond to questions, they build their place within the Dreamscape world. Upon successful completion of passages, reading levels go up within the game automatically. Dreamscape also offers interactive "battles" between students following extended periods of reading and answer responses. Upon completion of each student activity, educators receive an email notification.
tag(s): differentiation (64), game based learning (159), Learning Management Systems (24), reading comprehension (123), reading strategies (56), remote learning (46), Teacher Utilities (118)
In the Classroom
Use Dreamscape to differentiate reading instruction for your students. Dreamscape is also an excellent option to share with ENL/ESL students to provide practice and support in English language instruction. Include a link to Dreamscape on classroom computers for use during reading centers, and provide a link on your classroom website for students to play at home, or for use in remote or blended learning. Include Dreamscape with other online reading programs using a bookmarking tool such as Symbaloo, reviewed here, for easy access for student use.
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Education for the Real World - EVERFI
Grades
2 to 12
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EVERFI provides free digital curricula in real-world skills through interactive, game-based lessons. Topics include financial education, STEM and career readiness, social and emotional...more
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EVERFI provides free digital curricula in real-world skills through interactive, game-based lessons. Topics include financial education, STEM and career readiness, social and emotional learning, remote learning, summer learning, and more. Select any topic to view the courses offered with a summary and grade-level suggestions. Each unit is correlated to Common Core Standards and includes features such as videos, games, digital lessons, and teacher guides. Use the teacher dashboard to create classes and enroll students after completing the free registration information. Once registered, use the site's features to assign topics that are available for both online and offline learning.
tag(s): cross cultural understanding (146), financial literacy (93), literacy (85), mental health (28), social and emotional learning (59), STEM (222), Teacher Utilities (118)
In the Classroom
Discover the many free resources on this site to provide individual lessons or complete learning units for your students. As students complete assignments, use the many offerings found at Class Tools, reviewed here, to enhance learning through creating timelines, completing graphic organizers, and more. For activities that include new vocabulary, use a digital game creation site such as Baamboozle, reviewed here, to review and practice new words and terms. Have students show what they know upon completion of any of the activities using Adobe Spark in K-12, reviewed here, to create a video, collage, or presentation sharing their knowledge of the subject.
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PBS Kids - PBS
Grades
K to 5
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PBS Kids' focus is mainly educational activities and videos for kids in Preschool, Kindergarten, and Primary age students. However, there are a few programs for older students; find...more
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PBS Kids' focus is mainly educational activities and videos for kids in Preschool, Kindergarten, and Primary age students. However, there are a few programs for older students; find them by selecting You Choose. For younger students, select games, videos, and activities about well-known characters like Clifford the Big Red Dog, Arthur, Peg and Cat, Dr. Seuss, and more. Clicking All Games will give you 29 categories to choose from, for example, Team Work, Feelings, Engineering, Spelling, Reading, Healthy Habits, and many more. Click New Games to find topics such as Guess the Feeling, World Orchestra, and others to help familiarize youngsters with flight, trains, counting, and well, you name it, and PBS Kids probably has it!
tag(s): DAT device agnostic tool (163), game based learning (159), literacy (85), preK (230), video (240)
In the Classroom
Discover and share the many free resources available on PBS Kids. Show clips on your interactive whiteboard, or with your projector, then have students complete an accompanying activity. With younger students, use FlipGrid, reviewed here, as a video response platform for students to share how they would use what they learned by watching the videos or using the interactives. Alternatively, you might try using Synth, reviewed here; Synth is an extremely easy to use tool for creating short audio and video soundbites and automatically pieces together soundbites into threads to share as podcasts. PBS Kids is perfect for sharing with parents. Include a link to activities on your class website along with suggestions on how to use activities at home.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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SplashLearn - StudyPad, Inc
Grades
K to 5
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SplashLearn is a game-based math curriculum for students in grades K-5. As students play games, SplashLearn adapts the learning path to fit individual student responses and interactions...more
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SplashLearn is a game-based math curriculum for students in grades K-5. As students play games, SplashLearn adapts the learning path to fit individual student responses and interactions within the elementary math curriculum. Use the teacher dashboard to manage classes and add students. Other features allow educators to assign material to individual students, add required assessments, and enable home access using parents' email addresses. The site's themes and rewards motivate student learning, students earn coins to use toward the purchase of virtual pets.
Note: This tool is currently free during the coronavirus outbreak, we will continue to monitor that the learning tools remain free.
tag(s): addition (124), decimals (87), division (97), equations (119), fractions (163), game based learning (159), geometric shapes (129), Learning Management Systems (24), measurement (130), multiplication (118), number sense (69), place value (35), subtraction (108)
In the Classroom
Take advantage of the free games to provide practice and support with your math curriculum. Differentiate learning based on student ability and confidence. Assign content based on students' learning goals. Share this site with parents to provide practice and support of math concepts at home. Use SplashLearn's reports and assessment results to guide your math lesson planning. Share this site along with other math practice activities using a bookmarking tool such as Symbaloo, reviewed here. Share your Symbaloo link with parents and on classroom computers for easy access to all learning tools shared. Use activities found in SplashLearn as part of a blended learning experience using TES Teach Blendspace, reviewed here. Include a link to games found on the site along with videos and other learning activities found both online or uploaded from your computer.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Earth Voyager - Google Earth
Grades
5 to 12
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Discover the earth through visualization and storytelling brought together in a Google Earth collaboration with PBS, National Geographic, and more. Scroll through the site to find ideas...more
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Discover the earth through visualization and storytelling brought together in a Google Earth collaboration with PBS, National Geographic, and more. Scroll through the site to find ideas to explore, including The 5 Big Beasts of Africa and Sesame Street Around the World. Other ways to explore the site include opening Voyager or look further down the home page to find passports to math, ELA, geography, and social studies. Each passport includes a Google Earth activity and guiding questions for students.
tag(s): digital storytelling (130), maps (218)
In the Classroom
Although this site is useful for many purposes, sometimes it is best just to let students explore and discover on their own. Share Voyager with students and allow them time to look around and select places that intrigue them. Encourage them to learn more about an area or subject of interest found on the site. Instead of writing down information, ask students to use Google Docs or Microsoft Word to begin research. Using these online documents affords many benefits, including the ability to add comments, highlight information, and add links to online information. Once research is underway, suggest that students use a bookmarking tool like Raindrop.io, reviewed here, to organize information. Raindrop.io includes the ability to add notes to bookmarks, making it easy for students to label and add information for later use. As a final project and to extend student learning, ask students to create their own virtual tour of a location using Story Maps, reviewed here, that includes images, videos, and text.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Polyup: Mod with Math - Dr. Amir Zarkesh, Professor Yahya Tabesh, and Shaya Zarkesh
Grades
K to 12
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Polyup is a web-based math problem-solving app for grades K-12. Use Polyup in several different ways for students to explore and play with numbers. Choose Play to work with numbers...more
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Polyup is a web-based math problem-solving app for grades K-12. Use Polyup in several different ways for students to explore and play with numbers. Choose Play to work with numbers in the computational thinking playground or select from featured machines to work with specific math functions. Find options for your grade level by selecting from the lesson plans, with included learning modules, from those provided within the several different grade bands.
tag(s): addition (124), coding (76), decimals (87), division (97), equations (119), fractions (163), functions (51), game based learning (159), geometric shapes (129), logic (162), measurement (130), multiplication (118), operations (75), probability (92), problem solving (212), pythagorean theorem (21), ratios (51), square roots (16), statistics (107), subtraction (108)
In the Classroom
Polyup is perfect for use in math classrooms in a variety of ways. Become acquainted with the free lesson plans to incorporate Polyup activities based on specific math skills. Encourage problem-solving and math exploration by including a link to Polyup on classroom computers. Instead of assigning a worksheet or other math activity for homework, ask students to spend time exploring Polyup at home. Extend and assess student learning by using FlipGrid, reviewed here, for students to provide a short video reflection on their learning activity. Optional registration allows you or your students to save progress and create your own machines.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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BeeLine Reader Collection - Reading is Fundamental
Grades
K to 12
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Improve reading and comprehension skills for all students and adults with this BeeLine Reader Collection on Literacy Central. Find over 100 books and stories as downloadable PDFs, all...more
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Improve reading and comprehension skills for all students and adults with this BeeLine Reader Collection on Literacy Central. Find over 100 books and stories as downloadable PDFs, all using BeeLine Reader technology to highlight and wrap text to improve focusing and tracking while reading. Use the leveled reading passages within Reading is Fundamental for multiple grade levels and books. Find additional support materials for each book, including author interviews, lesson plans, crosswords, and word searches all as downloadable PDFs. Though Beeline Reader is not usually a free tool, Literacy Central is providing it to its members for free through these PDFs. You do not need to create a free membership to use these materials, only to save them as a favorite. Learn more about the Beeline Reader tool and how it improves reading comprehension by watching the YouTube video introduction on this page.
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tag(s): DAT device agnostic tool (163), independent reading (104), reading comprehension (123), reading strategies (56), Special Needs (44)
In the Classroom
These BeeLine Reader PDFs are an excellent addition to the already valuable reading materials found at Reading is Fundamental - Literacy Central, reviewed here. Be sure to bookmark this site to find leveled reading passages with the enhanced function of BeeLine Reader. These PDFs are wonderful to share with ESL/ELL and Special Education specialists to use with their students. Remember, all teachers are reading teachers. Share this tool with your science, social studies, and math teachers, too!
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Expii Solve - Expii, Inc.
Grades
8 to 12
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Solve interactive math and science puzzles based on current events with Expii Solve. Choose from over 70 sets of questions with topics including the Super Bowl, Star Wars, holidays,...more
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Solve interactive math and science puzzles based on current events with Expii Solve. Choose from over 70 sets of questions with topics including the Super Bowl, Star Wars, holidays, and more. Each topic includes a set of five problems with each question increasing in difficulty. If you need help, use links to tutorials at the bottom of each question. Registration isn't required; however, registering allows you to track progress in completing puzzles.
tag(s): cultures (97), holidays (122), logic (162), problem solving (212)
In the Classroom
Be sure to save these puzzles for use throughout the school year. Use these problems as a substitute for your typical homework assignments. Include questions as part of math or science centers. Replace pencil and paper journals or notebooks by having students blog about their learning and understanding using Tumblr, reviewed here. Ask groups of students to work on topics together then share their results with the class. To enhance student learning and understanding, consider instituting a recurring podcast for students to share problems and discuss problem-solving strategies. Use a site such as podOmatic, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Whooo's Reading - Whooo's Reading
Grades
K to 8
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Whooo's Reading is an alternative to traditional reading programs by offering short response options to book quizzes instead of multiple choice answers. After reading, students answer...more
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Whooo's Reading is an alternative to traditional reading programs by offering short response options to book quizzes instead of multiple choice answers. After reading, students answer three quick higher-level questions, that are automatically scored, and earn coins for correct responses to spend on personalized "owlvatars." Teachers receive scores in real-time and have the option to provide feedback through conversations with students within the program. In addition to quizzes, Whooo's Reading also offers standards aligned journal activities for use in between quizzes and book recommendations upon completing quizzes.
tag(s): classroom management (137), independent reading (104), reading comprehension (123)
In the Classroom
Although recommended for students in grades K-8, teachers of younger students should review questions and consider writing ability levels before including them in the program due to the written responses required. Consider using Whooo's Reading as an alternative to Accelerated Reader due to the use of short response answers instead of multiple choice questions. After reading books, substitute paper and pen journals by asking younger students to create a blog using a tool like Penzu, reviewed here, to share a book review with fellow students. Engage older students, or literature circle groups, by having them create a poster for the book using a tool like DesignCap, reviewed here, and then upload the poster to their blog about the book. A great blogging tool for older students is Telegra.ph, reviewed here. With Telegra.ph have students click on an icon to upload related images, add a YouTube or Vimeo, or Twitter links. This blog creator requires no registration. For all age students, enhance learning by creating a class book review site using FlipGrid, reviewed here, where students create short video book reviews and can comment on each others reviews.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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EasyWrite - Deekshith Allamaneni
Grades
K to 12
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EasyWrite is a simple to use writing tool for creating easy to understand content. Just type your text into the text box and begin writing. EasyWrite highlights words not found ...more
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EasyWrite is a simple to use writing tool for creating easy to understand content. Just type your text into the text box and begin writing. EasyWrite highlights words not found in the 1,000 most commonly used words in the English language. At the time of this review, EasyWrite worked best with Chrome or Mozilla FireFox.
tag(s): digital storytelling (130), editing (78), independent reading (104), process writing (37), vocabulary (231), writers workshop (32), writing (281)
In the Classroom
Have students use EasyWrite to retell difficult text in an easy to understand way. Retell Shakespeare passages in simple English or breakdown complicated directions into simple terms. EasyWrite is perfect for use with ENL/ESL or special education students. Choose any complex or difficult text and break it into simpler terms for easier understanding. Do this by adding a free browser extension to classroom computers and devices. Use a tool such as Grammarly (at the time of this review worked for Chrome, Safari, Edge, and FireFox), reviewed here, or After the Deadline (will work with Internet Explorer also), reviewed here. Turn the theory of EasyWrite upside down - have students paste their writing projects into EasyWrite. If there are only a few highlighted words, have them develop more interesting and complex writing passages. Have students take a screenshot of their original work to include with a final draft.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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WriteReader - WriteReader
Grades
K to 5
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The scientific research behind WriterReader is that one develops and improves their reading skills by writing. With WriteReader kids create their own books, including text, pictures,...more
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The scientific research behind WriterReader is that one develops and improves their reading skills by writing. With WriteReader kids create their own books, including text, pictures, and voice recordings. Adults/Teachers have their own space on the page to write comments and make corrections. The interface is so simple even a young child can use it successfully after some adult guidance. Click the For Teachers tab on the top menu to select Lesson Plans, Reviews, and more. The basic plan offers 100 books, as many students and classes as you'd like, and all the basic features. Register with email or your Google account and find a downloadable Teachers Guide, a Parent Letter, and a Lesson Plan online to get kids started with WriteReader. Click "Add a class..." and enter students manually, or students can join the class with a class code. WriteReader has upgraded their page templates to support older students. Languages available are US English, UK English, Dansk (Danish) and Svenska (Swedish). There is also an introductory video that will help everyone get started. This video resides on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, the video may not be viewable. WriteReader has added new premium features such as Read Aloud, Voice Search, Book Templates, and several others. These you must pay for.
tag(s): digital storytelling (130), reading strategies (56), writing (281)
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? ESL/ELL 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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Study Jams - Scholastic
Grades
3 to 8
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Study Jams offers engaging instruction and review activities in both math and science. Some sample science topics include plants, human body, the solar system, weather, matter, and...more
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Study Jams offers engaging instruction and review activities in both math and science. Some sample science topics include plants, human body, the solar system, weather, matter, and more. Math topics include numbers (place value, number lines, estimation), algebra, addition/subtraction, problem solving, and others. Don't miss the "Jams" sure to excite your students to learn new skills in a musical and entertaining manner. Key vocabulary is presented along with a short video explanation of each topic. In addition to the video, there is an option to test your own ability. Each topic can also be printed to use in the classroom and there is a link to related "jams."
tag(s): addition (124), animals (265), climate (78), decimals (87), differentiation (64), division (97), ecosystems (65), energy (126), estimation (33), forces (36), fractions (163), game based learning (159), human body (93), landforms (37), light (46), matter (45), measurement (130), minerals (15), multiplication (118), number lines (33), percent (57), place value (35), plants (137), probability (92), problem solving (212), rocks (36), solar system (95), sound (70), subtraction (108), weather (156)
In the Classroom
Excite your students with the Jams! Share the Jam videos on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Have students sing along and learn more about science and math. Especially younger students will enjoy this feature. Create a link to the site on your classroom website or blog for students to use for review and practice at home. Use the many topics available to differentiate for all students in your classroom. Create learning centers using this site or use it on individual laptops. Print out the quizzes for students to take as an assessment.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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KQED Education - KQED
Grades
6 to 12
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KQED Education offers a broad selection of resources for educators and students. Scroll through to find news articles and videos that are frequently published, relating to events around...more
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KQED Education offers a broad selection of resources for educators and students. Scroll through to find news articles and videos that are frequently published, relating to events around the world. Use the drop-down box at the top of the site to view specific topics such as science or news and civics. The drop-down for teachers includes links to resources for professional development and integrating articles into the classroom. If your district blocks YouTube, the videos may not be viewable.
tag(s): independent reading (104), news (236), newspapers (90)
In the Classroom
Include a link to KQED Education on classroom computers. Be sure to help your weaker readers and ESL/ELL students by sharing the vocabulary words before reading, either on a handout or by projecting them on an interactive whiteboard (or projector). Highlight the vocabulary words in the text as you come to them. Teacher Librarians might want to keep this page open on computers for students who drop by the media center or include news notes from this site as part of your morning announcements. Do you have a student news show on your school TV channel? Find great material here for students to retell in their own words.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Zearn - zearn.org
Grades
K to 5
3 Favorites
0 Comments
Zearn Math is a complete math program that provides Common Core aligned math lessons, personalized to individual learners, and based on Eureka Math / Engage New York. Lessons focus...more
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Zearn Math is a complete math program that provides Common Core aligned math lessons, personalized to individual learners, and based on Eureka Math / Engage New York. Lessons focus on three critical components: deep understanding, fluency, and problem-solving. Self-paced lessons allow for mastery of concepts before unlocking lessons providing the next level. Math Chat lessons provide video instruction similar to a small group lesson. Lesson Labs include drag and drop activities followed by quiz questions. Zearn currently offers K-5 lessons. Test the student lessons and teacher resources for a whole module with NO sign up required. Create a class account and add students using an Excel sheet or manually input student names to receive custom reports on student progress.
tag(s): addition (124), classroom management (137), data (128), decimals (87), differentiation (64), division (97), fractions (163), geometric shapes (129), measurement (130), multiplication (118), numbers (119), operations (75), subtraction (108)
In the Classroom
Use Zearn on a projector or an interactive whiteboard to demonstrate specific concepts or use as weekly math centers for student practice. Zearn provides data to target instruction to specific students or concepts needing additional reinforcement. Since Zearn is a complete math program, with individualized lessons for students to work on, teachers can conduct small group instruction while others work independently. Zearn is perfect to use for gifted or advanced students, allowing them to work at their own pace. Be sure to put a link to Zearn on your class web page for students to use at home. Zearn does not support Android devices but will work on all other devices with a browser and Internet access.
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Bookopolis - Kari Ness Riedel
Grades
1 to 7
5 Favorites
0 Comments
Bookopolis is more than an online social reading club for children ages 7-12. It has an education portal to keep track of and review a reader's work. Scroll down the ...more
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Bookopolis is more than an online social reading club for children ages 7-12. It has an education portal to keep track of and review a reader's work. Scroll down the landing page to find recommended books, popular books, books by grade level, and read ratings and reviews from other readers. Bookopolis includes digital reading logs, reading log prompts, and suggests places to find comprehension questions about the book. Through the educator dashboard, monitor and comment on the reader's writing and reading logs. The activities and features on the site are aligned with many of the Common Core Reading and Writing standards. There are several video tutorials on getting started and how to use the dashboard. The videos are hosted on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, they may not be viewable.
tag(s): book lists (124), book reports (29), classroom management (137), guided reading (37), independent reading (104), reading comprehension (123), remote learning (46), social networking (84), Teacher Utilities (118)
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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Freckle Education - Sidharth Kakkar
Grades
K to 8
1 Favorites
0 Comments
Freckle Education is a Common Core-aligned program with resources for math, ELA, science, and social studies for K-8 that adapts to individual student skills. Freckle has over 50,000...more
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Freckle Education is a Common Core-aligned program with resources for math, ELA, science, and social studies for K-8 that adapts to individual student skills. Freckle has over 50,000 math questions matched to all math standards and more than 500 ELA non-fiction articles that often cover social studies and science standards as well as all ELA standards. There are five reading levels offered for each article. Sign up to create a class account and add student information. Students login in through an iPad app or with the online web version and the class code. Students complete a diagnostic pre-test and then begin working at their individual level. Awards of coins for completion of levels promote student engagement and enjoyment of the program. Freckle also promotes student collaboration through their inquiry-based, cross-curricular lessons. Other features include a scratch pad for working through problems, virtual manipulatives, and individualized printables for practice. Receive detailed analytics and student reports on your dashboard. You may encounter a warning about how Freckle may not work on your browser and to use the Chrome app. For this reviewer Mozilla FireFox and Microsoft Edge seemed to work fine for a student pre-test and the teacher dashboard. This program is great for supplementing your instruction, blended learning classes, and remote learning. Freckle was titled Front Row.
This site includes advertising.
This site includes advertising.
tag(s): collaboration (82), differentiation (64), independent reading (104), inquiry (22), reading comprehension (123), Research (52), Teacher Utilities (118), writing (281)
In the Classroom
After creating your classroom account and adding rosters, introduce this site on your interactive whiteboard or projector. If you are lucky enough to have a class set of mobile devices, allow students to use Freckle while you work directly with individuals or small groups of students. Freckle is a great way to supplement instruction for both gifted and special needs students. Use in your blended learning class, or when teaching remotely. Visit the FAQ section for ideas for implementing Freckle in your math, ELA, social studies, or science classroom. Be sure to share login information with parents for student practice at home.
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News in Levels - newsinlevels.com
Grades
K to 8
6 Favorites
0 Comments
Find high interest, leveled news articles (and lessons) for English language learners. Although this site was designed for ENL/ESL it could be very useful in any elementary classroom...more
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Find high interest, leveled news articles (and lessons) for English language learners. Although this site was designed for ENL/ESL it could be very useful in any elementary classroom looking for informational texts that can be differentiated for various reading levels (great for meeting Common Core standards). This tool could be used with any readers to increase comprehension, fluency, and vocabulary skills. There are three difficulty levels. Complete the Test Your Level exercise in the pop-up box after you first get to the home page to find out what level will be best for you. Many of the lessons include audio and practice exercises. In addition, interesting pictures pique the students' interest. The same story is presented in all of the various levels. The vocabulary at lower levels repeats at the higher levels with more vocabulary added as the level increases. Definitions for the vocabulary words, below the reading, assists with English meanings. The audio is hosted on YouTube. At the time of this review, most of the news story content was fine for all ages. However, please preview the story before you share it with your class to be certain it is appropriate.
This site includes advertising.
This site includes advertising.
tag(s): differentiation (64), guided reading (37), news (236), reading comprehension (123)
In the Classroom
Add this website to your classroom computers, websites, and newsletters for parents of ENL/ESL students or beginning readers. This tool is especially helpful at the beginning of the year, as you are learning students' reading levels. Use this tool to differentiate in all primary classes. Although this site was created for English Language Learners, it could still be used by all students including gifted and learning support. Differentiate for your advanced/gifted students in elementary, while meeting Common Core standards of Informational Text. Use these news articles as informational text meeting your Common Core goals. Assign students of different levels the same story at the appropriate level or build skills by sharing the same story as a class. Challenge groups to compare the stories in pairs. Have students create a visual presentation of the story. First have students create a rough draft of their comic using Printable Comic Strip Templates, reviewed here. For Level 1 readers have them create their final comic using ToonyTool, reviewed here, for Level 3 readers use Write Comics, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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