Elementary School Reading Apps and Websites

Cute social network lets kids log books and connect with other readers

Bottom Line: Kids-only social network gives students a safe space to connect, allows students to showcase and share their reading progress.

Site for reviewing and sharing books makes reading a social adventure

Bottom Line: This safe, simple social network lets kids share their reading success with friends, creating healthy competition and confidence.

The fun and fantasy of Harry's world plus literary discussion

Bottom Line: With activities, discussion questions, and lots of free access to the books, this site is a great place for Harry Potter fans new and old.

YA review site gives students a real-world, although ad-driven, outlet

Bottom Line: LitPick is a decent place for YA lovers to discover and discuss books, but the site is in need of a refresh and features a lot of promotion/ads.

News magazine features standards-aligned activity packs for kids

Bottom Line: The print version of the magazine, or a printed-out digital version, offers a nice -- if rather typical -- collection of activities.

Daily news stories and supplements keep elementary schoolers current

Bottom Line: This highly useful current events platform can be a daily fixture of elementary school classrooms.

Weekly newspaper makes current events accessible to all

Bottom Line: This a pricey tool but it's packed with a school year's worth of content and handy accessibility features.

Great stories, just-right leveled reading; now mostly by subscription

Bottom Line: While pricey, Newsela has ascended into an all-in-one destination for leveled, non-fiction reading.

Early learners explore fun activities to gain literacy skills and more

Bottom Line: Top-notch phonics program effectively coaches students, but lacks some standard features useful for the classroom.

ELL-friendly reading program gives students support, independence

Bottom Line: This is a good specialized program for small-group instruction, especially for ELLs, with a great teacher dashboard and a pedagogical approach informed by research.

Explore a village, earn books; sometimes more gaming than reading

Bottom Line: Fun and whimsical world can get kids excited about reading stories.

Blended reading program offers individualized growth

Bottom Line: This is a research-backed blended reading platform that builds literacy skills and helps teachers plan and deliver targeted instruction in the classroom.

Leveled readings with progress-tracking enhances differentiated reading program

Bottom Line: It's worth considering as a supplement to your reading program thanks to the book variety, assigning and assessing, and progress reports.

Robust reading program has individualized learning, teacher resources

Bottom Line: Presentation can sometimes be a bit outdated, but Reading Eggs remains a comprehensive destination for teaching phonics and reading.

Unique digital library gives access to those with print disabilities

Bottom Line: This fantastic digital library service provides a powerful sense of independence for students.

K–2 literacy program offers comprehensive, adaptive activities

Bottom Line: An easy-to-recommend tool thanks to its broad coverage of key skills and nice balance of student-driven and teacher-differentiated learning.

Thorough lesson plans help teachers utilize an amazing digital library

Bottom Line: Though it could use some updates, Skybrary for School has a set of top-quality resources with great value worth checking out.

Detailed, adaptive literacy program goes from basics to analysis

Bottom Line: This is a comprehensive resource that's worth a look for teachers needing help getting students to actively engage with reading material.

Great looking, free library has a reasonable diversity of titles

Bottom Line: This is a reading app that focuses successfully on the reading; don't expect many bells and whistles though.

Free, expansive digital library unlocks treasure trove of books

Bottom Line: This large collection of books and videos on a wide variety of topics is an easy -- and free -- enhancement to any classroom library.

Simple and useful reading fluency assessment tool frees up teacher time

Bottom Line: Some districts may find this to be a cost-effective, time-saving option for reading records.

Digital library offers handy supports for readers

Bottom Line: A great option for students needing support, and, while the library is smaller, the narration is a serious upgrade.

Useful text-to-speech extension unlocks the written word

Bottom Line: This handy set of accessibility tools helps students get the access they need when they need it, promoting independence and building confidence.

Useful if not exciting adaptive tool for assessing reading ability

Bottom Line: It's very utilitarian, but what it does it does well: getting students test-ready by effectively assessing and tracking reading ability.

Powerful, flexible reading tool measures meaningful literacy gains

Bottom Line: A powerful literacy platform for developing and empowering readers, with useful customization features for both teachers and students.

Leveled history and science articles easy to assign, come with quizzes

Bottom Line: If teachers find topics that fit their curriculum, this easy-to-use collection works best in elementary and middle school classrooms.

Boundless, flexible tools promote instructional, independent reading

Bottom Line: A stellar literacy platform for assessing student reading levels and promoting further reading.

Text-leveling tool gives every student access to complex readings

Bottom Line: This utilitarian differentiation tool is useful enough to be in every teacher's toolbox.

Superb ELA resource features engaging activities, stellar support

Bottom Line: An exceptional, ever-growing resource for helping your students become close readers, careful writers, and critical thinkers.

Structured literacy program inspires deep analysis, thoughtful writing

Bottom Line: This is an expertly scaffolded and pedagogically sound resource for developing critical reading and writing skills.

Read, write, and share with innovative independent reading platform

Bottom Line: With a few thoughtful tweaks on the part of teachers, this can be a useful tool for building a classroom culture of active independent reading.

Free hub for literacy lessons aims to deepen learning, engagement

Bottom Line: This is a trustworthy site that teachers of all grades/subjects could find a way to use weekly for lessons or professional development.

Package of leveled texts and supports can fuel reading development

Bottom Line: Reading A-Z offers much of what teachers need to support tried-and-true instructional strategies, but the pricier packages add in digital reading experiences.

Differentiate reading instruction with high-quality texts and lessons

Bottom Line: The quality and scope of texts, lesson plans, assessments, and supports on this platform can help facilitate online or offline targeted reading instruction in nearly any home or classroom.

Comprehensive site collects resources on authors and books in one place

Bottom Line: This rich database of literary resources is a must-bookmark for teachers looking to extend learning experiences with books and their authors.