Common Sense

TOP PICKS | 10 TOOLS

10 Best ELA Tools for High School

Analytical skills come to the forefront in high school ELA -- boosting independent and informed thoughts, encouraging appreciation for literature, and allowing for creative self-expression through writing and discussion. High school students need tools that challenge them to dig into text and media for deeper meaning, produce college-ready writing, and improve their organization skills. These 10 great ELA apps and websites accentuate all these areas and more, equipping high school students with the communication skills they'll need to become critical citizens and to succeed in college, careers, and life.

Continue reading

Top Picks

RELATED

PrintPrint | Save as PDF

Newsela

Absorbing daily news stories offer kids just-right learning content

Bottom line: Up-to-date, high-interest articles meet students right at their level: Use this robust tool to bolster students' nonfiction reading practice.

Grades: 2–12 Price: Free, Paid There's a "Pro" subscription targeted at schools, but pricing information isn't public; interested teachers and districts can contact them for more information.
See full review

Writable

Smart writing platform places focus on feedback and revision

Bottom line: While there's some room for improvement, this tool is rock-solid pedagogically and can be the engine of your classroom's writing process.

Grades: 3–12 Price: Free to try 30-day free trial. Classroom subscriptions start at $5 per student per year. School price available upon request.
See full review

ThinkCERCA

Well-structured lessons encourage deep analysis, thoughtful writing

Bottom line: This is a ready-to-go, research-backed resource that focuses intently on CCSS-aligned and AP-level critical reading and writing skills.

Grades: 3–12 Price: Free, Paid Free Basic version limited to four grade band-based differentiation levels, short reading lessons, and multiple-choice assessments. Paid Premium version adds 10 levels of differentiation (grades 3-12), more in-depth and varied lessons, writing benchmarking, rubrics, data dashboards, and more. Contact for a quote.
See full review

CommonLit

Feature-rich literacy resource offers superb support for readers

Bottom line: Access a hefty collection of reliable, ready-to-print, leveled passages that allow you to tailor lessons, assign online reading, and track progress.

Grades: 3–12 Price: Free
See full review

Actively Learn

Empowering reader keeps kids actively, independently engaged

Bottom line: Far beyond the average e-reader, this tool helps students connect and stay engaged while teachers easily measure progress.

Grades: 4–12 Price: Free, Paid The free version has 3,000 texts, Google Classroom integration, and simple custom assignments. The paid Prime version adds more data, reporting, and differentiation. There's also an Unlimited plan with addition school and district supports. Contact for a demo and pricing.
See full review

Kami

Versatile annotation tool helps users critically connect with content

Bottom line: Kami is an effective way to promote student interaction with texts, authentic documents, and pictures.

Grades: 4–12 Price: Free, Paid Free version includes basic annotation features and comes with in-app advertising. Teacher Plan is $99 per year, which supports 150 students and includes additional features. School/district pricing is available.
See full review

ZoteroBib

Fewer clicks and less clutter equal a new go-to site for citing sources

Bottom line: An intuitive site that takes the stress out of citing sources, but students will still need instruction to tweak auto-generated citations.

Grades: 5–12 Price: Free
See full review

Grammarly

Helpful tips support the writing process, build confidence

Bottom line: A flexible tool that -- with teacher guidance -- students can use for both quick fixes and more in-depth writing improvement.

Grades: 6–12 Price: Free, Paid Grammarly's editor is a free tool. However, a premium version with tools for readability, vocabulary enhancement, and plagiarism detection is available at a monthly ($29.95/month), quarterly ($19.98/month), or annual ($11.66/month) price.
See full review

StudySync

Superb ELA/EL resource is a complete package

Bottom line: StudySync continues to thoughtfully grow its already robust platform, offering a complete secondary ELA/EL program that cleverly bridges reading and writing, online and offline work.

Grades: 6–12 Price: Free to try A one-year subscription starts at $21.42 per student. The print student reading and writing companion units cost $10.20 per student per year, and the print bundles (including two novels) start at $31.11 per student per year.
See full review
Scroll back to top

Get tips for using these tools in the classroom

See related resources

Related Top Picks