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The Best Free Apps and Websites for Learning
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Math
Gracie & Friends Birthday Cafe
Numbers-and-quantity game has precise focus and superb scaffolding
Bottom line: Super approach to teaching a very specific topic: Help kids develop an easy familiarity with quantities under five.
Teachley: Addimal Adventure
Jungle animals help kids swing into math with single-digit addition
Bottom line: An excellent interactive way for kids to build a conceptual understanding of addition while having fun with silly jungle animals.
Matific
Engaging supplemental resource encourages conceptual understanding
Bottom line: A fun and engaging conceptual supplement for math lessons with easy-to-find standards-aligned activities.
NRICH
Untangle robust math problems for all ages; plenty of teaching support
Bottom line: It's an excellent classroom companion that can be implemented quickly with little adjustment and a high probability of success.
Math Snacks
Satisfying mathematical treats kids will gladly gobble up
Bottom line: Teachers and students will excel with engaging, often funny material; it's a pleasure to explore these extensive resources.
Middle School Math Planet – Fun math game curriculum for kids
Challenging mix of activities and drills provide solid math practice
Bottom line: Variety of activities with built-in scaffolding make this an engaging and effective practice tool.
GeoGebra
Create, share, and modify math models and simulations
Bottom line: Free, open-source software that lets teachers build or adapt learning experiences to meet their kids' needs.
Get the Math
Solve real-life algebra problems with diverse crew, delightful video
Bottom line: Proof that algebra is used to solve real problems in kid-approved professions: basketball, music, gaming, and fashion.
Geometry Pad
Construct and explore geometric figures with smart digital workbook
Bottom line: This free version has limited features, but it's an interactive, tech-savvy way for kids to explore advanced geometry.
ELA
Khan Academy Kids
Creative, smart mix of pre-K to K activities is a breath of fresh air
Bottom line: It's tough to stand out in the crowded early learning space, but this collection does just that, offering a one-stop shop for creative learning of foundational skills.
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.
Toontastic 3D
Flexible tool hands kids the reins for creative animated storytelling
Bottom line: Despite some lack of variety and simple drawing tools, Toontastic 3D remains a terrific, versatile storytelling tool.
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.
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.
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.
World's Worst Pet - Vocabulary
Hip games help kids learn words they'll actually use
Bottom line: Learn the meaning of vocabulary words through fun games, and put it to good use as part of everyday conversation.
News360
Customizable reader has top-notch features, but beware of iffy content
Bottom line: A stellar, easily customizable way to browse and share the news, best used with some patient fine-tuning.
Science
NOVA
Compelling science videos have high-quality classroom applications
Bottom line: Stellar simulations, teacher guides, and other activities can stand on their own, and they're enhanced with high-quality video content.
Lawrence Hall of Science: 24/7 Science
Outdated site still useful for science games and investigations
Bottom line: Many of these interesting and highly educational activities, though a bit disorganized, still challenge and engage kids in important ways.
Mystery Science
Big questions, kids' curiosity drive impressive science curriculum
Bottom line: These powerful science units capitalize on elementary school students' natural curiosity.
Code.org
Popular games, big names get kids and teachers pumped to program
Bottom line: A well-planned, -produced, and -curated set of free resources bound to get kids hooked on learning to code.
PhET Interactive Simulations
Massive cache of excellent (and free!) science and math simulations
Bottom line: Instantly add meaningful lab experiences to math and science classrooms for exactly $0? It's tough to beat that.
NASA
Visually super NASA-backed treasure trove may overwhelm
Bottom line: A visually stunning way to get kids interested in science and space exploration.
Classify It!
Cool tool teaches kids to observe, identify, classify living things
Bottom line: Fun, free resource is an excellent way for kids to apply and test their knowledge about various organisms.
Project Noah
Contribute kid research to stellar crowdsourced field guide
Bottom line: An outstanding resource that makes science relevant with lots of classroom potential.
Science Journal by Google
Turn your phone into a lab sensor to collect and analyze data
Bottom line: Science Journal does a good job recording real-time motion, sound, and light data using phones.
TinkerBox
Fantastic physics puzzler puts a virtual Maker Faire in kids' hands
Bottom line: TinkerBox is a rich resource for kids to learn, practice, and apply physics and engineering principles.
Social Studies
Google Earth
Cool geographical exploration tool has endless classroom applications
Bottom line: Google Earth is an engaging and completely open-ended app perfect for use across the educational spectrum.
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.
Annenberg Classroom
Civics website makes teaching the Constitution manageable, meaningful
Bottom line: Go for the videos, stay for the lessons: Annenberg Classroom saves teachers' prep time when teaching the Constitution, current events, or other civics lessons.
Facing History and Ourselves
A wealth of resources explore racism, prejudice, and anti-Semitism
Bottom line: These valuable materials empower students to understand and address difficult ethical choices -- past and present.
DocsTeach
Historical texts, interactive activities can promote critical thinking
Bottom line: This text-rich app encourages students to conduct their own analysis of history, but the formats and graphics may prevent them from making a thorough analysis.
NYT VR - New York Times
Immersive 360-degree videos take users inside the headlines
Bottom line: Though there isn't much explicit learning content, there's immense value in the extraordinary opportunity to take a walk in someone else's world.
Digital Civics Toolkit
Superb, timely civics lessons focus on social media and student voice
Bottom line: For teachers looking to make civics relevant to students, there's nothing else out there as extensive or relevant.
Big History Project
Fascinating look at life's bigger questions with a fresh perspective
Bottom line: A wonderfully innovative and divergent way to teach foundational concepts in history, humanities, critical thinking, and science.
Global Oneness Project
Captivating, cross-curricular stories increase cultural awareness
Bottom line: Teachers looking to enrich their curriculum with high-quality, thought-provoking videos and photos will find plenty of inspiration, but may need to create or fine-tune some lessons.
NPR News
Top-notch digital content takes students beyond the airwaves
Bottom line: Provides an easy, fun, and effective way to engage students with radio.
Arts
Artsonia Kids Art Museum
Online art museum empowers students to exhibit, explain their work
Bottom line: A well-loved digital art museum that allows students to share work and reflect on their artistic process while helping teachers assess student understanding of artistic concepts.
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.
Wizard School!
Curated videos and creative challenges ignite active learning
Bottom line: There's plenty of material to inspire kids to embark on learning adventures that get them to explore, create, and share safely on the screen and off.
Shadow Puppet Edu
Resource-rich video slideshow maker a gem for a variety of classrooms
Bottom line: Easy-to-use free tool is a must-have for elementary classrooms; just keep an eye on sharing and privacy.
Paper by WeTransfer
Beautifully designed digital sketchbook for any age
Bottom line: The simplicity and effectiveness of the app make this a powerful sketch and note-taking tool for the iPad.
Canva
Create snazzy designs in seconds with flexible, cloud-based tool
Bottom line: A flexible, accessible way to get kids -- especially design novices -- creating digitally in your classroom if you have stable internet and time to get students set up to be successful.
Google Arts & Culture
Excellent curation and an unmatched art collection invite exploration
Bottom line: A one-stop shop for a vast amount of compellingly curated and contextualized art, but it's lacking educator supports.
Adobe Spark
Super-flexible design tool for crafting fab images, videos, and sites
Bottom line: This free, one-stop shop for creating sleek graphics, web stories, and animated videos is incredibly easy to use and challenges students to think critically about visual presentation.
Snapseed
Extremely powerful photo editor will equally delight pros, amateurs
Bottom line: It successfully walks the fine line of photo-editing features, offering satisfying experiences for those making quick edits and those crafting perfect images.