TOP PICKS | 28 TOOLS
ELA Tools Aligned to Common Core Standards
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Homer: Kids Learn to Read App
A captivating, comprehensive beginning reading resource
Bottom line: Concrete phonics learning alongside books, songs, storytelling, and art.
Grades: Pre-K–1
Price: Free to try First month free, then $7.99 per month.
ReadWriteThink
Excellent free resource for all things reading and writing
Bottom line: A language arts teacher's dream; lesson plans, professional development, and all-around quality support.
Grades: Pre-K–12
Price: Free
Flocabulary
Schoolhouse Rock meets Tupac in this delightful hip-hop-based platform
Bottom line: Flocabulary has the goods: It's savvy enough to keep kids focused, and teachers will be tapping their toes to the unorthodox learning method.
Grades: K–12
Price: Free to try Free 14-day trial then it's $120 per year for an individual teacher or $2,000 per year for a school. The school plan includes additional features like assignable activities and progress-tracking.
LearnZillion
Quality Common Core-aligned lessons with great modeling for teachers
Bottom line: An innovative way to enhance lessons and tailor learning for individual needs.
Grades: K–12
Price: Free
ReadTheory
Useful, adaptive tool for assessing, tracking 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.
Grades: K–12
Price: Free
ReadWorks
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 targeted reading instruction in any classroom.
Grades: K–12
Price: Free
VocabularySpellingCity
Subscription-based, student-facing app fine for independent practice
Bottom line: A potentially more engaging -- although uneven -- option for your students, if you've got a Premium membership.
Grades: K–12
Price: $59.95 per year While the app is free to download, it requires a $59.95 per year Premium subscription through the VocabularySpellingCity website.
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
826 Digital
Popular after-school program shares its resources with teachers
Bottom line: This is a worth-bookmarking resource thanks to relatable writing lessons and motivating examples of actual student writing.
Grades: 1–12
Price: Free Teachers can choose to make a donation.
LightSail
Robust, full-featured reading app measures meaningful literacy gains
Bottom line: A powerful, well-designed literacy platform for developing engaged readers.
Grades: 1–12
Price: Contact for quote While schools will need to contact LightSail for pricing, their website states that packages start at $5,000 and $12 per student.
News-O-Matic: School 2018-2019
Flexible, interactive daily stories for elementary school students
Bottom line: Engaging, high-quality news stories help students learn about the world.
Grades: 2–5
Price: $19.99 Volume educational discounts and licenses available.
Biblionasium
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.
Grades: 2–6
Price: Free
TeachingBooks.net
Dense site collects resources on authors and books in one place
Bottom line: With time and effort, this database of literary resources can extend learning experiences with books and their authors.
Grades: 2–7
Price: Free to try A school-wide subscription starts at $400 per year. There are plans (each with unique pricing) available for homeschool caregivers, libraries, districts, and higher education institutions.
Grammaropolis.com
Catchy parts-of-speech instruction, from hook to assessment
Bottom line: The fun songs will stick, and so will kids' knowledge about the parts of speech.
Grades: 2–10
Price: Free to try, Paid Accounts range from $3.99 per month to $39.99 for lifetime access.
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.
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
Quandary
Slick ethics game teaches students to make tough decisions
Bottom line: This versatile game that can teach ethics, argumentation, and civics is light on interactivity but will come alive through discussion.
Grades: 5–8
Price: Free
StudySync
Superb ELA resource has comprehensive coverage, tons of supports
Bottom line: StudySync offers a complete core literacy program for secondary schools, making it easy to recommend, especially for teachers new to digital platforms.
Grades: 6–12
Price: Free to try A one-year subscription is $16.47 per student. The student reading and writing companion bundles cost $111.24 and are available per grade level as a 6-year subscription.
Actively Learn
Empowering social ereader keeps kids actively, independently engaged
Bottom line: Far beyond the average ereader, this tool helps students connect and stay engaged while teachers easily measure progress.
Grades: 4–12
Price: Free, Paid A free version is offered for teachers which includes access to thousands of books, assignments, the ability to import 3 articles per month, the ability to embed questions, notes and media, and a gradebook.
The Personal Plan is $18 per month for teachers that do not yet have financial support from their school. This allows teachers to share and receive assignments from other teachers, unlimited uploads, differentiation for students, and much more. There's also a Team Plan for a group of individual teachers and their students; this plan is $695 per teacher per year (funded by the school or district).
A School Plan is available and is $10 per student per year for all teachers, students, and administrators in a school or district. This offers administrator accounts, research tools and professional development webinars and in-person sessions.
iTooch 6th Grade Language Arts
Quality lessons, challenging quizzes help kids learn core concepts
Bottom line: This solid companion to the ELA classroom offers brief lessons and quizzes to reinforce key concepts and skills.
Grades: 5–8
Price: Free to try, Paid iOS apps in the iTooch series range from $0.99–$9.99 for one content area and one grade level, and many have free introductory versions. There are also bundles available. The Android versions are free, and students must complete each level to unlock the next. Users can unlock all levels of the Android app at once for an in-app purchase of $4.99.
Mars Gen One: Argubot Academy
Hone powerful persuasive skills on a red-planet adventure
Bottom line: A visually appealing, pedagogically sound exploration of what makes a valid argument.
Grades: 6–8
Price: $2.99
Listenwise
Bring real-world stories from public radio into the classroom
Bottom line: A fantastic resource that brings both historical and current event public radio stories into the classroom.
Grades: 6–12
Price: Free to try, Paid Free, 30-Day premium trial for teachers. Request a quote for premium pricing.
Wordflex Touch Dictionary
Amazing interactive visual dictionary makes exploring words exciting
Bottom line: Dynamic, highly visual presentation makes learning new words exciting.
Grades: 6–12
Price: Free, Paid $3.99 in-app purchase for full version.
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.
The Learning Network
Process current events through engaging NYT-style lens
Bottom line: From a trusted news organization with its finger on the pulse of the world, this free resource can be a reliable source of activities and ideas for current event discussions.
Grades: 7–12
Price: Free
The Sports Network 2
Make news and build ELA skills with this cable sports show sim
Bottom line: It's a great blend of important cross-disciplinary critical reading skills and a fun newsroom context that'll show students how learning translates to working life.
Grades: 7–12
Price: Free
Youth Voices
Vibrant online community hosts authentic student writing
Bottom line: Supported student writing, collaboration, and communication make this a healthy space for kids to express themselves.
Grades: 7–12
Price: Free
Shakespeare In Bits: Macbeth iPad Edition
Multimedia shines in this elegant remix of an old classic
Bottom line: Engaging and supporting kids throughout, it breaks down Shakespearean language and brings the play to life.
Grades: 9–12
Price: $14.99 for iPad