Connect Students with Other Readers
Bookopolis
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.
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.
Harry Potter Reading Club
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.
LitPick
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.
Explore Current Events
Kid Scoop
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.
News-O-Matic
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.
News2you
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.
Newsela
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.
Target Reading Comprehension and Fluency
HOMER: Fun Learning for Kids
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.
StoryWorld
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.
Teach Your Monster: Reading for Fun
Explore a village, earn books; sometimes more gaming than reading
Bottom Line: Fun and whimsical world can get kids excited about reading stories.
Lexia Core5 Reading
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.
Raz-Kids
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.
Reading Eggs
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.
Bookshare
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.
Lalilo
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.
Skybrary for School
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.
Headsprout
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.
ReadingIQ
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.
Epic! - Kids' Books and Videos
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.
Literably
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.
Learning Ally Audiobooks
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.
Read&Write
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.
ReadTheory
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.
LightSail
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.
RocketLit
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.
Accelerated Reader
Boundless, flexible tools promote instructional, independent reading
Bottom Line: A stellar literacy platform for assessing student reading levels and promoting further reading.
Rewordify
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.
StudySync
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.
ThinkCERCA
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.
Whooo's Reading
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.
Find Lesson Plans, Activities, and Resources
ReadWriteThink
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.
Reading A-Z
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.
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 online or offline targeted reading instruction in nearly any home or classroom.
TeachingBooks.net
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.
