TOP PICKS | 10 TOOLS

10 Great Free Websites for Middle School

Middle school is an opportune time to expand students' horizons, and plant the seeds for critical thinking skills and content knowledge that'll propel them to success through high school and beyond. On this list, we've narrowed down the huge market of edtech out there for grades 6-8 to ten great choices free across just about every subject area. You'll find tools for literacy, math, science, social studies, arts, and creation. Each pick and this list is both highly-rated and deep, offering resources and experiences that can go the distance in your classroom.

Looking for more resources for the middle school classroom? Be sure to check out 10 Great Games for Middle School.

Top Picks

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ArtsEdge

Impressive cross-curricular resource helps put the A in STEAM

Bottom line: A useful and engaging resource for integrating the arts into a variety of other subject areas.

Grades: K–12 Price: Free

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ReadWorks Digital

Research-based site makes it easy to assign, differentiate readings

Bottom line: An effective digital reinvention of the trusted ReadWorks platform that makes it simple to distribute and track high-quality reading assignments.

Grades: K–12 Price: Free

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Quill

Let students do the writing to make grammar lessons more meaningful

Bottom line: Excellent opportunities for grammar and writing practice; teachers may need to tailor lessons to best fit into their own curriculum.

Grades: 1–9 Price: Free

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Edpuzzle

Crop, customize, and remix online video content with interactive tool

Bottom line: As a flipped classroom or student creation tool, there are lots of opportunities for use, but teachers will need to be creative if they want students to engage.

Grades: 3–12 Price: Free, Paid The basic version is free. The Pro Teacher plan is in development but is slated to cost $6.50 per month. The Pro School plan starts at $55 per month (call for quote).

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PenPal Schools

Give students global perspective with pen pal projects in any subject

Bottom line: A thoughtful, ready-to-go platform that facilitates authentic, cross-cultural collaboration.

Grades: 3–12 Price: Free Free for teachers; however, school- and district-wide plans are available and add integration with learning management systems and student information systems, advanced reporting, and access to premium projects.

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