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Great Early Reading Resources
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Duolingo ABC - Learn to Read
Variety of drills offer solid, thorough approach to reading fundamentals
Bottom line: This can be a fun way to engage struggling readers or reinforce early reading classroom instruction.
Name Play: a name reading and writing practice kit
Simple but fun games cleverly let prereaders explore familiar names
Bottom line: This collection of name-based mini-games offers a targeted and clever introduction to literacy.
Hooked on Phonics
Well-known curriculum adapts well to fun, easy-to-use app
Bottom line: Thorough phonics program offers a nice mixture of learning, practicing, and reading.
Montessorium: Intro to Words
Well-crafted app lets emerging readers and writers develop reading skills through word building
Bottom line: Basic reading skills are developed through word building, word play, and letter-sound recognition.
Monkey Word School Adventure
Delightful monkey means business on this challenging early reading app
Bottom line: Automatic leveling and mix of phonics and sight words make this a great addition to any early reading toolkit.
ABCmouse for Teachers
Cartoon classroom has wide variety of point-and-click learning
Bottom line: Though it's not for deeper thinking, this free platform has a ton to offer.
HOMER Learn & Grow
Early learners follow an individualized path of skills and interests to gain literacy skills and more
Bottom line: Top-notch phonics program effectively balances and guides students, but isn't as strong in non-literacy-related topics.
Khan Academy Kids
Creative, smart mix of activities for pre-K to 2 is a breath of fresh air
Bottom line: This early-learning standout offers scaffolded, creative learning of foundational skills.
Poio by Kahoot! Learn to Read
Kid-centered early reading game leans into discovery and delight
Bottom line: This is a smart spin on phonics with a deep commitment to a kid-driven, fun-first experience.
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.
Montessori Crosswords
Gently ease kids into phonics with superb Montessori-inspired puzzles
Bottom line: The surprisingly great combo of Montessori principles and technology helps kids learn phonics without overstimulation.
Novel Effect: Read Aloud Books
Add music, sound effects to books to spice up story time
Bottom line: This will enhance -- but not necessarily enrich -- stories; if that's what you're looking for, it works well and pairs with A-list books.
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 good variety of leveled books, easy assigning and assessing, and detailed progress reports.
Duck Duck Moose Reading
Good early reading practice, but busy with a capital B
Bottom line: Duck Duck Moose Reading offers good skills practice, if kids can block out the distractions.
Starfall Learn to Read
Delight emergent readers with lively phonics lessons
Bottom line: Easy-to-use, plentiful phonics activities keep emergent readers engaged.
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.
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.
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.
Phonics Genius
Quality flashcard-style phonics app missing some basics
Bottom line: Phonics Genius is a great resource for building phonemic awareness and a library of sight words.
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.
ReadingIQ
Great looking, free library has a reasonable diversity of titles
Bottom line: This is a reading app that focuses primarily -- and successfully -- on the reading; don't expect many bells and whistles though.
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.
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.
News-O-Matic EDU
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.
