Online Education Resources – Reading & Writing

Enjoy this list of tons of resources to help your child love reading and writing!

12-Story Library, an imprint of Bookstaves – 12-Story Library has opened up access to our full library of ebooks, each of which are paired with a unique resource web page with content updates, live news feeds, videos, image galleries, and lesson plans.

• 3rd – 5th, 6th – 8th

American Reading Company – ARC Bookshelf is a mobile application available on iOS, Android and viewable on the web, providing American Reading at Home titles specially designed for successful reading practice.

• ALL

Amicus – Amicus is offering all friends access to our entire ebook library now through May 31. Promoting the wonder, diversity, and the challenges of the modern world, Amicus books for grades preK to 6 beg to be read—for learning, for pleasure, for raising the next generation of readers and thinkers.

• Early Childhood, K – 2nd, 3rd – 5th, 6th – 8th

Audible – Now, kids of all ages can stream hundreds of free audiobooks across 6 different languages. Totally free. No sign-ups. No personal information required. No strings attached.

• ALL

Author reading from “The Acadia Files” – Get kids outside recording signs of spring!

• K – 2nd, 3rd – 5th

Awesome Stories – 5,390+ robust, original stories based on primary sources and presented in various media formats: written, dramatized narrations, videos, images, maps, and more!

• ALL

Benchmark Education Company – English, Spanish, and Dual Language libraries featuring hundreds of captivating, content-rich titles! Includes an At-Home Family Guide for engagement ideas.

• K – 2nd, 3rd – 5th, 6th – 8th

BFW – Bedford, Freeman & Worth HS Publishers – BFW is the premier Advanced Placement publisher. 90 days free ebook to any BFW title – online and offline access (no internet required after download)

• High School

BiblioBoard (RAILS for Schools) – Thousands of simultaneous access e-books and resources, available to everyone in Illinois all the time.

Black Rabbit Books – Black Rabbit Books is opening up its eBook Library to anyone who needs it now through May 31. Our books, both hardcopy and digital, meet readers where they are and provide content-rich materials in a fun, engaging, and maybe a little mischievous packaging.

• K – 2nd, 3rd – 5th

Capstone Classroom – Complete this form to request free access to both PebbleGo and Capstone Interactive eBooks while your school is closed.

• 3rd – 5th

Cengage – Cengage Unlimited is an unlimited-use subscription for ebooks, online homework access codes and study guides. Students get access to more than 22,000 products, college success and career support.

• Higher Education

CommonLit – CommonLit is a nonprofit edtech company with an online library of over 1,500 authentic reading passages, text sets, units, and digital learning tools.

Dreambeastpoems – Inspirational poems and stories for children.

• ALL

Funbrain – Funbrain is free (ad-supported). We offer full texts of popular books including the Harry Moon Series(in English and Spanish) and Diary of a Wimpy Kid. We’re also well known for simple edu games.

• K – 2nd, 3rd – 5th, 6th – 8th

Goodnight Mo by StoryToys – Goodnight Mo is a magically sleepy and comforting bedtime book. As night falls and the moon rises, a cute little monster gets ready for bed. Beautiful imagery, gently rhyming narration, and soothing music make Mo’s bedtime routine the perfect way to wind down before going to sleep.

• Early Childhood, K – 2nd

HOMER Reading – HOMER Reading is an early learning program for ages 2-8 that is personalized to your child’s interests to help them fall in love with reading. And with stories and activities customized to each child’s interests, they’ll learn while having fun.

• Early Childhood, K – 2nd

Just Right Reader – Just Right Reader sends PreK – 2nd graders books only found in schools and at children’s Just Right reading level every month. Families read and reread, send them back, and get more. Our boxes make reading fun and personalized.

• We are giving families a free month to keep kids reading during the school closures. Use the code LOVE2READ

KOBI – Helps Children Read – KOBI is new child-friendly app that supports decoding with the use of colored letters and other tools. Made to boost a child’s self-confidence and motivation.

• K – 2nd, 3rd – 5th

Learning A-Z / Headsprout – Headsprout is an adaptive, online reading program that is easy to implement, fun to use, and proven to help children become capable and confident readers.

• PreK-6

Learning A-Z / Raz-Kids – Raz-Kids is an award-winning digital library of leveled eBooks and eQuizzes that students use to practice reading in school, at home, or on the go. Raz-Kids makes it easy for teachers to differentiate reading practice and monitor student progress online.

• K – 2nd

Letterland – Letterland (Phonics/Early Years Literacy) are making digital resources available for use at home whilst schools are closed.

• Early Childhood, K – 2nd

LightSail Education – K-12 Literacy and Reading platform including 6,000 books in English and Spanish.

• K-12.

Madeleine Editions – Madeleine Editions presents beautiful, immersive story experiences for modern families. Their mission is to help children ages 3~8 cultivate an ear for languages and a taste for the creative arts.

• Early Childhood, K – 2nd

Magic Spell by Brainbox Games – Finally a game that makes spelling fun! Magic Spell is a carefully crafted spelling adventure. If you are a child, parent or school, there is a Magic Spell app to suit your needs. Wands, wizards and wondrous worlds…come and join the fun!

Making English Fun – Free English Learning Online games, mobile apps and printable Board games and worksheets. All ages

• ALL

Mindful Poetry Moments – Mindful Poetry Moments is a free program that offers a chance to pause and reflect on poetry’s ability to encounter ourselves, the world, and the mystery of each other.

News-O-Matic – News-O-Matic is a daily newspaper for kids. It provides an engaging nonfiction experience for children, complete with valuable literacy tools for the classroom.

• K – 2nd, 3rd – 5th, 6th – 8th

OverDrive Education – Sora is a K-12 student reading app through which students and educators can access ebooks and audiobooks from OverDrive Education’s extensive catalog of digital titles for schools.

• K – 2nd, 3rd – 5th, 6th – 8th, High School

Perlego – Perlego is an online learning library offering unlimited access to over 300,000 academic and non-fiction books.

• Higher Education

Phonics Hero – Phonics Hero teaches school-aged children to read and spell with systematic phonics. Using a step-by-step approach, the 850 games teach children the 44 sounds, the reading and spelling of words, and how to conquer sentences.

• K – 2nd

Pobble – Writing lesson sorted! Free daily, age specific writing lessons. No planning needed, accessible by parents and pupils with a single link click.

• K – 2nd, 3rd – 5th, 6th – 8th

Pobble 365 – Pobble 365 is a free, daily writing resource, used by over 20,000 teachers each day.

• K – 2nd, 3rd – 5th, 6th – 8th

Read Aloud Project – Lessons designed to highlight the ELA/literacy Shifts and expectations of college- and career-ready standards.

• K – 2nd

Read Naturally Live – Read Naturally Live is a web-based intervention that applies the research-based Read Naturally Strategy to accelerate reading achievement. Visual and auditory prompts guide students through the motivating steps to develop fluency and phonics skills, support comprehension and improve vocabulary.

• 3rd – 5th, 6th – 8th

Splat-O-Nym Vocabulary iPad App – Keep students learning during school closures. Splat-O-Nym makes learning words FUN! Students independently play games that include over 7,000 synonym questions, 1,000 antonym questions, and 600 meaning-from-context questions.

• K – 2nd, 3rd – 5th, 6th – 8th

Read to Lead – Read to Lead is a digital literacy learning game, where students are empowered to be the boss while reading their way through a virtual internship. It is a fun, engaging, and relevant way to blast through traditional reading barriers and promote workplace readiness and skill building.

• 6th – 8th, High School

ReadAskChat – ReadAskChat is a highly curated, beautifully illustrated digital library that provides parents, caregivers, and teachers of children six months to four years with all the guidance they need to lay a strong foundation for reading and love of learning.

• Early Childhood

Reading Egg – This is one of my favorite supplemental reading programs! It helps children become stronger readers and boosts comprehension. I’ve used this with many struggling readers that I’ve tutored over the years and have had excellent results each time.

ReadWorks – ReadWorks is an online resource of reading passages and lesson plans for students of all levels K-12. The company was founded with the goal of improving reading comprehension by bringing the latest in literacy teaching research into the classroom.

ReadTheory – Free adaptive reading comprehension learning platform

• ALL

Ready4K – Ready4K is a text-message delivered whole child curriculum for caregivers of 0-9 year olds.

• Early Childhood, K – 2nd, 3rd – 5th

Rocket Spelling – Gamified spelling education for elementary students. Ideal for independent practice at home (with a dashboard to view student progress).

• 3rd – 5th

Scientific Learning – Reading Assistant Plus helps K-12 student of all levels practice independent reading and develop vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension skills.

• K – 2nd, 3rd – 5th, 6th – 8th, High School

Sir Linkalot – Sir linkalot is an award-winning app to help children commit to memory hundreds of common exception words from ‘they’ and ‘was’ up to ‘accommodation’ and ‘onomatopoeia’ using short animations, along with silly music and Sir Linkalot’s quirky voiceovers.

• K – 2nd, 3rd – 5th, 6th – 8th, High School

Snapplify – Snapplify offers a library of 50 000+ free e-books. Teachers can sign up for free and also claim exclusive teacher benefits. Excellent to send free e-books to your kids and get them to read while they are at home!

Spelling Shed – K-5 (4 – 11 year old) vocabulary and spelling intervention web game, app and scheme

• K – 5th

TeachingBooks’ Book & Reading Engagement Kit: Home Edition – Students, families, and teachers have complete access to the TeachingBooks suite of materials, all redesigned for this unprecedented time. Awaiting you are 172,000+ videos, audio recordings, activities, and lessons to enrich your community’s virtual learning.

• ALL

World Book – 14 different databases covering PK-12 including over 2,000 eBooks

• ALL

Writable – Writable powers virtual and in-person writing instruction across disciplines. It works with your tech (Google Classroom/LMSs & Docs), includes 600+ assignments (or create your own), guides feedback/peer review, and monitors writing growth to best help personalize learning.

• K-12

Epic – Epic is the leading digital learning playground for kids. With over 40,000 high-quality books, audiobooks and videos from the world’s best publishers, Epic reaches more than 20 million kids. No inappropriate content, ads or in-app purchases. Always free for educators.

• K – 2nd, 3rd – 5th, 6th – 8th

Scholastic – A Scholastic Publishing blog that offers free teacher-approved print-outs and activities geared toward kids in PreK through 6th grade. Each activity pairs with a Scholastic Book Clubs book.

• K – 2nd, 3rd – 5th, PreK-6

Zinc Reading Labs – Zinc has a suite of online literacy tools for 6th-12th grade students. They offer differentiated authentic articles, vocabulary games, and close reading instruction. Their Reading Sprints are great for self-paced long-term assignments.

• Middle and High School, 6th-12th grades

Book Harvest – Free books from Book Harvest.

Spelling Training – Free Online Spelling Training & Games for Grades 1,2,3,4.

Poetry Prompts – Poetry Writing Prompts.

Storyline Online – Storyline Online is a digital library of pictures books read aloud by actors. You can search by title, author, and reader. Each book lists a suggested age/grade level and an activity guide which includes reading comprehension questions to ask your child.

StoryJumper – With StoryJumper, any K-12 student can become a Published Author of a hardcover book that is delivered to their home. They’ll have a great time showing their classmates their published book when school is back in session!

• 3rd – 12th grade

myShakespeare – The leading digital edition of Shakespeare’s plays. Because of its self-study aspect and smart phone implementation, it’s particularly useful in an online classroom environment.

• 6th – 8th, High School

ABDO – ABDO’s entire eBook collection is now available to students to access at home FREE.

Achieve3000 – Achieve3000 partners with educators to deliver a comprehensive suite of digital solutions that significantly accelerate literacy and deepen learning across the content areas. Our personalized and differentiated solutions provide equity in the classroom, enabling teachers to help all students achieve up to 3x expected growth.

• K – 2nd, 3rd – 5th, 6th – 8th, High School

Authorfy – Authorfy brings readers and writers closer together through interactive video masterclasses, fun downloadable activities, and exciting after school club resources. Whether you’re a teacher, parent, student, librarian, aspiring author or reluctant writer, there’s something on Authorfy for everyone!

• Ages 5-7, 7-11, 11+.

Capit Learning – Teaching to Read with Phonics. CAPIT at HOME is now available to all schools, at no charge, until the end of the school year.

• Early Childhood, K – 2nd, 3rd – 5th

Dyslexia Gold – Dyslexia Gold teaches children to read. Spelling Tutor teaches all children to spell.

• K-8th

Free Rice – Build vocabulary knowledge through synonym awareness. Kids and adults can match words and synonyms. For each correct answer 10 grains of rice are added to your “bowl.”

GSD NetworkCross-cultural stories that cover real-world issues.

• 6th – 8th, High School

KidLitTV – A diverse group of parents, educators, librarians, kid lit creators, and award-winning filmmakers working together to create fun new ways to reinforce an appreciation of reading that children will carry with them for the rest of their lives.

• Early Childhood, K – 2nd, 3rd – 5th

Lalilo – Entirely free phonics and comprehension program for Kindergarten through 2nd grade students.

• K – 2nd

Handwriting Heroes – Handwriting Heroes is a multisensory handwriting curriculum that teaches children how to form their letters through animations, stories and song.

Hindu American Foundation (HAF) – HAF offers several reading resources centered around Hinduism for K-12 students. Topics include, Holi, Dharma, Hinduism Basics, Yoga, social issues, Gandhi, and many more!

Learn Essay Writing the FAST Way – Ms. Valerie teaches Essay Writing the FAST Way to help students quickly write essays with confidence even when under pressure.

Learning Without Tears – Free resources to help you continue children’s handwriting, keyboarding, and pre-kindergarten development from a distance.

• Early Childhood, K-2nd, 3rd-5th

Institute for Excellence in Writing (IEW) – Using the 4 language arts—listening, speaking, reading, and writing—IEW methods have been proven to be effective for students of all ages and levels of ability, including those who are gifted, have special needs, or are English language learners.

• 3rd – 5th, 6th – 8th, High School

LitFilmFest – Create purposeful writing projects. Home writing challenges and a selection of free literacy projects to download.

Reading Eggs – Reading Eggs makes learning to read interesting and engaging for kids, with great online reading games and activities.