Free Classroom Reading Poster

WEBSITE ↬ Free Classroom Reading Poster & Activities

AUDIENCE ↬ teachers

CONTENT ↬ ELA

GRADE LEVELS ↬ elementary & middle school

This is so fun!!!! What a great way to encourage your students to read ... and read a lot! And don't just stop at the poster, be sure to look at the activities that are also included.  

HOW CAN TEACHERS USE THIS RESOURCE?

I can see teachers using this to encourage students to read ... a lot!

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The Summer Reading Chart

WEBSITE ↬ The Summer Reading Chart

AUDIENCE ↬ students

CONTENT ↬ reading

GRADE LEVELS ↬ K-6

I loved the summer reading program at our library, both when I was kid and when my girls were little. Janssen, the author of the Everyday Reading site, shares my sadness about most of these programs going digital. There is something about marking off charts or filling in as-you-go on a physical piece of paper that is so delightful. (Why do you think bullet journals are super popular?) 

Anyhoo ... Janssen created this printable summer reading chart for all of us to use. And not only does it have the space to mark off our reading, along the perimeter, there are special reading "tasks/goals" that encourage us to read things that maybe we wouldn't normally - an awesome, yet gentle, way to expose readers to "different" material. LOVE!

HOW CAN TEACHERS USE THIS RESOURCE?

I can see teachers sharing this with their students and parents. Whether it's tied to bringing it back in the fall or not, it is one of those super sweet and easy summer reading supports that kids will enjoy. Don't hesitate - get yours today!

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150 Inspiring Picture Writing Prompts To Spark Creativity

WEBSITE ↬ 150 Inspiring Picture Writing Prompts To Spark Creativity

AUDIENCE ↬ teachers

CONTENT ↬ ELA (writing)

GRADE LEVELS ↬ all grades

I made a super smart choice this year and I subscribed to the We Are Teachers daily newsletter. This is a gem that was shared in one of them ... and as a former ELA teacher, I love it! Ok, I only taught ELA for a few years, but I know a good resource when I come across it.   

HOW CAN TEACHERS USE THIS RESOURCE?

I can see teachers using this as a starter to spark student creativity and just be in the habit of writing. It could also do nicely to focus students in on specific writing tasks like dialog, how to's, character descriptions, persuasion, and so much more that I am not super in tune with. Students can also swap and practice proofreading and peer reviews after doing the writing. 

*** Interested in more resources like this? Every Monday, I share a newsletter with a collection of Tech You Can Do resources. Interested? Sign up here!  ***

INFOhio: Decodable and Phonics eBooks for Early Readers

WEBSITE ↬ INFOhio: Decodable and Phonics eBooks for Early Readers

AUDIENCE ↬ teachers

CONTENT ↬ ELA, early reading

GRADE LEVELS ↬ preK-3

I am an INFOhio Coach and I love their resources. I believe it is a very under used resource and I wanted to be sure to share this one out. With the focus on early literacy, these books and resources can go a long way to help your students (and yourself!) with supporting their early reading.

Not only does this share books for your early readers, it also shares professional learning ebooks to support YOU in teaching.  

HOW CAN TEACHERS USE THIS RESOURCE?

I can see teachers sharing the books with their students but also the ability to create collections to share with other teachers can be super helpful when you work as a team to support each other. While reading with physical books is super important, having access to quality ebooks is also a great classroom activity (or to share with home for times when parents ask what digital resources are available). 

Teachers can also take advantage of the professional resources included in this article.

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150 Engaging Debate Topics for Middle School Students

WEBSITE ↬ 150 Engaging Debate Topics for Middle School Students

AUDIENCE ↬ teachers

CONTENT ↬ ELA & History

GRADE LEVELS ↬ grades 4-8

Looking for a collection of engaging debate topics? This article has 150 topics that are designed to help middle schoolers develop critical thinking and respectful communication skills. The list covers a wide range of subjects, from lighthearted pop culture questions to more serious social issues, offering teachers a versatile resource for any classroom discussion. (I wish I had them when I taught communications class!)

HOW CAN TEACHERS USE THIS RESOURCE?

I can see teachers using the interactive activities like "Four Corners" or "Pair and Share" to help students practice their arguments in a dynamic and low-pressure setting. Additionally, you can foster empathy and critical thinking by asking students to research and defend the opposite of their personal opinions.

*** Interested in more resources like this? Every Monday, I share a newsletter with a collection of Tech You Can Do resources. Interested? Sign up here!  ***

Grammar Check Infographics

WEBSITE ↬ Grammar Check Infographics

AUDIENCE ↬ teachers & admins

CONTENT ↬ all

GRADE LEVELS ↬ all grades

The Infographics page on GrammarCheck.net offers a collection of visual guides on a variety of grammar and writing topics. This is a great resource for educators because the infographics cover everything from common writing errors and literary devices to unique collective nouns for animals. The friendly and colorful format makes learning about grammar more engaging and memorable for students.  

HOW CAN TEACHERS USE THIS RESOURCE?

I see teachers printing them out and displaying in their classroom or using as a digital teaching aid. They might also think of using a few of them as inspiration for having students create their own as a way to demonstrate understanding of a grammar topic.

Enjoy!

*** Interested in more resources like this? Every Monday, I share a newsletter with a collection of Tech You Can Do resources. Interested? Sign up here!  ***

SNO Sites

WEBSITE ↬ SNO Sites

AUDIENCE ↬ teachers

CONTENT ↬ writing / journalism

GRADE LEVELS ↬ 9-12

Do you teach journalism or writing with high schoolers? If so, this is the website for you and your students. SNO is an all-in-one platform that offers technology, service, and training to support student media programs online. They have WordPress websites with the FLEX theme, managed hosting, mobile apps, and workflow management tools (FLOW). The service also includes training resources and professional support tailored for student media, serving both college and K-12 news sites.  

HOW CAN TEACHERS USE THIS RESOURCE?

I can see teachers using this in their news and journalism class. This will allow for easy and professional sharing of school news. It does come with a cost, but it is definitely worth looking into!

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Digital Inquiry Group: Reading Like a Historian

WEBSITE ↬ Digital Inquiry Group: Reading Like a Historian

AUDIENCE ↬ teachers

CONTENT ↬ History, ELA

GRADE LEVELS ↬ all grades

I cannot tell you how I connected with this website, but am I glad I did! Wow!!! I had a conversation with a SS teacher in my school about teaching her students to read historical material and help them make sense of it and the very next day, I received an email highlighting this activity. (Ironic?) This site works on that very skill! I really wish I had this when I was teaching history! Amazing! The two big sections are US History and World History, and then you can dig in by era. 

HOW CAN TEACHERS USE THIS RESOURCE?

I can see teachers using this to teach students how to better read historical material. It will also allow teachers to introduce students to historical material and provide a better understanding of events of the past. This is a bookmark for sure!!! 

*** Interested in more resources like this? Every Monday, I share a newsletter with a collection of Tech You Can Do resources. Interested? Sign up here!  ***

Lauren Tarshis: "I Survived" resources

WEBSITE ↬ Lauren Tarshis: "I Survived" resources

AUDIENCE ↬ teachers

CONTENT ↬ ELA & History

GRADE LEVELS ↬ grades 3+

I am not on social media as much as I have been, but one day I was scrolling through Twitter/X and I stopped and stared. The much beloved "I Survived" author, Lauren Tarshis shared a post stating she has classroom resources to support her books on her website. AND ... she provides it all free! Did you know this? I did not! I had to jump on and see it for myself.

This isn't too good to be true. It's true. Amazing! Thank you, Lauren! Thank you for supporting teachers! Not only are your books amazing, so are you!!!

HOW CAN TEACHERS USE THIS RESOURCE?

I can see teachers using this whenever they use an "I Survived" book in their classroom, or if they have small groups, or even individual students reading these books. From related books and videos to book club activities and resources, you can find them all on the "I Survived" resources pages. 

... and several of the books are in Spanish! They, too, have a resource page. Awesome!

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Unite for Literacy

WEBSITE ↬ Unite for Literacy

AUDIENCE ↬ teachers & students of ESL/ELL

CONTENT ↬ ESL/ELL

GRADE LEVELS ↬ mostly primary and lower elementary, although it can be a resource for older students if you feel it's appropriate

My previous district was experiencing an influx of non-English speakers. We've had very limited experience with this, so any resource we could find we were grateful for. Our students spoke a variety of languages ... not just Spanish.

The website I'm sharing today would be one of those awesome resources! Simple books students can choose from and listen/read in both English and about 20 other languages.

NO accounts are needed, just provide the link to this site and students can read and enjoy!

HOW CAN TEACHERS USE THIS RESOURCE?

I can see teachers using this with younger students who do not speak English as their primary language, or are learning to speak English. In a primary or lower elementary class, this site can definitely become a great way for ESL/ELL students to independently choose books and hear both the English and native language version.

While the books are simple, this has the potential for helping older students with recognition and independent practice & learning. Older ESL/ELL students might like having the independence to use the books as reference for learning pronunciation or specific vocabulary on a topic. 

For students learning a second language, this might also be a great resource helping them to learn a language other than English!

I can't even begin to guess how many books are available! 

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Book Creator Toolkit for Schools & Districts

WEBSITE ↬ Book Creator Toolkit for Schools & Districts

AUDIENCE ↬ teachers

CONTENT ↬ all

GRADE LEVELS ↬ all grades

I LOVE Book Creator and I have been using it in my own classroom for numerous years. I have also shared it with several colleagues and supported their use. My favorite project has been with a 7th grade ELA class writing holiday stories and then sharing the libraries with our elementary buildings right before winter break. Always a highlight of the year! 

Over the last few years, Book Creator has added some wonderful updates and features that make it even more wonderful. This share is the perfect example of what makes Book Creator awesome. The templates built in to Book Creator are also an easy start ... your students can focus on the content, while customizing the templates to create a beautiful product.

I love that any teacher can start using Book Creator for free! It will give you the opportunity to try it out and fall in love. A few years back, I even did the professional learning with Book Creator and became a Certified Author and then was honored to join in the Ambassador program. 

HOW CAN TEACHERS USE THIS RESOURCE?

I can see teachers using this book a number of different ways:

• be inspired with the number of ways Book Creator can be used
• use the Teacher Training & Support to teach yourself how to use/improve use of Book Creator 
• share with colleagues to demonstrate Book Creator's possible uses
• share with administrators should they want to request a paid account. 

So much is packed in this resource - how to use it in various contents, professional learning about Book Creator, example books, and so much more!

*** Every Monday, I share a newsletter with a collection of Tech You Can Do resources. Interested? Sign up here!  ***

A reading challenge for your classroom

WEBSITE ↬ A Reading Challenge for your classroom

AUDIENCE ↬ teachers & admins

CONTENT ↬ reading/ELA

GRADE LEVELS ↬ all grades

Are you looking for a tech-infused way to encourage reading in your class? How about a reading challenge that shows off the parameters you decide to challenge your students with ... whether it's number of pages, number of books, or something else. John Sowash has created and shared this reading challenge using Google Forms to collect and ultimately share this with your students, and possibly your families.  He even includes ready-to-go templates to help you get going. Thanks, John!

HOW CAN TEACHERS USE THIS RESOURCE?

I can see teachers using this to inspire and encourage their students to level up their reading in a friendly class challenge way. And since John has the templates ready-to-go, it makes it easy for teachers to get started with this immediately.

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Storyvoice

WEBSITE ↬ Storyvoice

AUDIENCE ↬ teachers & students & families

CONTENT ↬ ELA & history

GRADE LEVELS ↬ grades K-5

Scholastic offers this website to help inspire the love of reading. Authors come on and read their books. It's a treat for every classroom to enjoy. 

HOW CAN TEACHERS USE THIS RESOURCE?

I can see teachers using this during their class as a great supplement. It is also a great way to bring the human element to their students. Seeing and hearing from authors will allow students to make connections.

This can be a "quick break" or part of a larger unit studying authors.

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NatGeo Kids - games & more!

WEBSITE ↬ NatGeo Kids - games & more

AUDIENCE ↬ students

CONTENT ↬ science; has content integrations possible

GRADE LEVELS ↬ grades K-5

This. Is. Fun!

I stumbled on this site and I've been sharing it with just about everyone I have come across. It is PACKED with games and opportunities for fun! And depending on the area kids explore, it can also be used for learning. 

HOW CAN TEACHERS USE THIS RESOURCE?

I can see students using this site in a lot of different ways. There are matching games, memory games, find the difference, mad libs, puzzles, jokes and videos. I shared this with kindergarteners and one of the top picks was a maze - getting a dolphin through a maze to its family. Amazing animal videos were another hit - no video was more than 2 minutes long. In a third grade classroom, the jokes were a hit! (Lots of reading and laughing going on in there!) This is also the class I learned about the mad libs - packed with parts of speech and lots of giggles with the resulting story.

The videos have facts about animals - making it a great resource for research.

The memory & matching games help students practice their memory skills in a very fun way.

The "find the differences" help students visually compare & contrast.

... and so much more! This website has been personally tested out by me & I give it two thumbs up!

*** Every Monday, I share a newsletter with a collection of Tech You Can Do resources. Interested? Sign up here!  ***

Tools4Reading

WEBSITE ↬ Tools4Reading

AUDIENCE ↬ teachers

CONTENT ↬ reading

GRADE LEVELS ↬ K-3

Can you ever have "enough" resources to help your students learn to read? I know it's something the teachers in my district are always looking for. One of them shared this and I feel like it's a gold mine.

*** YES! You have to create an account to log in ... but it's free. ***

Tools4Reading provides resources and professional learning. 

HOW CAN TEACHERS USE THIS RESOURCE?

I can see teachers using this to find resources to support teaching young students. I strongly recommend checking out the Tools 4 Teachers area of the their site.

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KQED Learn

WEBSITE ↬ KQED Learn: Discussions

AUDIENCE ↬ teachers

CONTENT ↬ ELA, history, current events, digital citizenship

GRADE LEVELS ↬ grades 6 & up

This resource is definitely for older grades, but it is one that contains quite a bit of lesson starters. The discussions on KQED Learn are timely and impactful. Each discussion has a short video to lead the lesson, a lesson plan, and the ability to push it through Google Classroom. The Google Classroom integration is nice, but using these lessons certainly do NOT hinge on using it.

Topics can be filtered by grade level and content area. They state that they add new discussions each week. 

I would suggest being mindful of your community before launching into any of these - to the point I'd recommend having a conversation with your principal first.  

HOW CAN TEACHERS USE THIS RESOURCE?

I can see teachers using this in an ELA class as a verbal discussion starter OR for written purposes. There are many topics that would be of high interest to older students in order to promote higher level thinking.

In a history class, this is a definite win because many of the topics deal with current events AND civic responsibilities. Any of these could be expanded as bigger research projects.

*** Every Monday, I share a newsletter with a collection of Tech You Can Do resources. Interested? Sign up here!  ***

Best Books of 2022 (Common Sense Media)

WEBSITE ↬ Best Books of 2022

AUDIENCE ↬ teachers

CONTENT ↬ ELA & history

GRADE LEVELS ↬ grades 3 & up

I LOVE a good list! This is a great example of one of those lists. (And if you look closely, there are several other "Best of 2022" lists to the side.) And additional bonus to this list is that it's several lists in one - you can filter by age group. 

HOW CAN TEACHERS USE THIS RESOURCE?

I can see teachers using this list to generate discussion with students - which books did they read? Which did they like? Are there ones that interest you? Could you pick "the best of the best" and then write about why? I see it as a great discussion starter. 

And if you are adventurous, what if you & your students began a list of all the books you read collectively and rate them to create a "Best of" second semester (or any other time period) for your class? Might be a fun activity!

Thank you Common Sense Media for this great resource!

*** Every Monday, I share a newsletter with a collection of Tech You Can Do resources. Interested? Sign up here!  *** 

Virtual Field Trips

WEBSITE ↬ Virtual Field Trips

AUDIENCE ↬ teachers & students

CONTENT ↬ SS, Science, Geography, Ancient Civilization, Language & Expedition

GRADE LEVELS ↬ grades K-9

The past few years have taught us that we are not alone and that we can make connections around the world. It has also taught us we cannot always physically "go" to places - yet opportunities are readily available for us to virtually go.

This site provides one example of these kinds of adventures - and it packs a bigger punch than just the field trip. Each trip comes with activities that further support the trip and allows for a richer experience. The filtering ability also makes it super easy to discover which trips will support specific content.

*** This is a paid site - I know costs can be a struggle - but the cost for this site is more than reasonable.

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Handwriting practice

WEBSITE ↬ Handwriting Practice

AUDIENCE ↬ teachers

CONTENT ↬ writing

GRADE LEVELS ↬ preK & up

As a kid, I was obsessed with having beautiful handwriting.  I loved writing the same thing over and over until I had it perfected.

If you teach younger students, I'll bet you practice handwriting - it's necessary. Here's a site that will allow you to generate handwriting practice for your students using 3 different styles of writing --> Print, D'Nealian, & Cursive. Whether it's a required piece of your curriculum or you have students who simply need great examples, create personalized worksheets quickly.

*** Every Monday, I share a newsletter with a collection of Tech You Can Do resources. Interested? Sign up here!  ***

What Kids Are Reading - 2022

WEBSITE ↬ What Kids Are Reading - 2022

AUDIENCE ↬ teachers & students

CONTENT ↬ ELA

GRADE LEVELS ↬ all grades

Struggling to help your students find books they want to read? Here's a fun way to encourage reading. From one of our reading programs, this website, "What Kids Are Reading - 2022" allows you - or your students - to choose a state, their grade and see the top 12 most popular books with those kids. It doesn't even have to be YOUR state or your grade!

Now, I'm guessing you could have your students to look at various states and see the books being read, as a means to encourage them to read those books. But don't stop there ... what if you used this as a way to encourage some compare/contrast? How similar are the grade 3 kids in Ohio as Florida?

And when you scroll further down the page, you can do some even deeper filtering and investigating. I encourage you to explore this site with your students and see what connections they make.

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