Reading Rockets–NEA Guide

Online Learning Resources for Educators

Providing high-quality online education has been a huge challenge for America's schools. We've highlighted the best of the best in this resource section to help educators find what you’re looking for more easily.

This project was developed in partnership with the National Education Association and Colorín Colorado.

National Education Association

Learning at Home:

Virtual Teaching Resource Hub

Dig into this curated, comprehensive list of links to technology tutorials and tools for virtual teaching: Teacher Tech Tutorials.(From the University of Florida Literacy Institute.)

Here's a selected list of trusted sources for online learning. Most are free or offering free access while schools are closed or operating on a hybrid schedule due to COVID-19.

Resource and lesson plan collections

  • Wide Open School: Curated by Common Sense Media, a collaboration among leading publishers, nonprofits, and education and technology companies. A free collection of learning experiences and activities organized by grade band and subject (grades PreK-5+)
  • PBS Learning Media: Lesson plans across content areas and grade levels featuring PBS content (grades K-12)
  • Common Sense Education: Lesson plans, websites, apps and more reviewed and curated across content areas and grades (grades K-12)
  • NEA Lesson plans: Lessons across content areas and grade levels (grades K-12)
  • Amplify: Free lesson videos in foundational reading, science, and social studies, as well as novel guides and guided practice for literacy skills (grades K-5)
  • BrainPOP: Resources for schools in STEM, social studies, ELA, health, arts, and music (grades K-5+)
  • Khan Academy: Personalized learning through video with supplementary practice exercises and materials for teachers (grades K-5+)
  • Khan Academy Kids: Free app focusing on math, reading, and SEL (grades PreK-2)
  • Quarto Classroom: Free video library with educational content by Quarto Publishing’s authors. Videos focus on subject matter ranging from Engineering to Social Sciences to Arts & Crafts, with teachers' guides and activities (grades K-7)
  • 131 Tools for Distance Learning & Strategies for Student Engagement: Curated by Albert.io, a collection of apps, tools, and platforms for ELA, science, math, assessment, collaboration, and engagement (grades PreK-12)

Reading, writing, and language arts

Early Literacy

  • Starfall: Learning-to-read, with an emphasis on phonemic awareness, phonics, sight words, and reading comprehension through online books, songs, rhymes, and games (grades PreK-3)
  • Story Mentors: Focuses specifically on struggling readers, with 25 weekly lessons. Each lesson has guides and activities using common household materials (grades K-3)
  • Apps and Websites to Build Literacy Skills: Common Sense has reviewed apps for building literacy skills in this helpful guide (PreK-3)
  • EBLI (Evidence-Based Literacy Instruction): Teacher training in reading and writing skills. Free live lessons offered during school closures (K-3)

Writing and Language Arts 

  • Common Lit: High-quality reading passages with aligned assessments (grades 3-5+)  
  • 826 Digital: Free online online platform for educators featuring writing lessons that inspires students to write across all genres with confidence (grades 1-5+)
  • NCTE's Resources for Online Learning: Activities, resources, and more to support online anguage arts instruction (grades K-12)

Social studies, history, and current events 

  • Best Sites for Social Studies Lessons: We Are Teachers has compiled a range of History and Social Studies lessons across grade levels (grades K-12)
  • Facing History: Facing History has compiled their remote learning resources, training opportunities, and more in this online resource center (grades 3-12)
  • DOGONews: Thousands of news articles and new original content added daily in ELA, science, and social studies (grade 3+)
  • Newsela: Authentic content from the most trusted names with leveled articles. ELA, social studies, science, and SEL collections (grades 2-5+)

Finding Children’s Books in a Pandemic

As COVID-19 continues to disrupt, educators who find themselves working with students either within or outside of school walls or both have an increased need for digital content and access to books. Many organizations and publishers who already make it their mission to support readers are doing even more to assist educators, caregivers, and families in light of the pandemic. See article >

Children's Book Publishers and COVID-19. Many publishers are temporarily lifting or adjusting their copyright guidelines and permissions, and many others are offering free resources and tools. School Library Journal is compiling the latest information here: SLJ COVID-19 Publisher Information Directory.

STEM

Art and music

More resources for sparking curiosity

See additional resources families can use to support learning at home in this related resource collection.

Distance learning: ideas, tools, and news

"You may have tangible wealth untold. Caskets of jewels and coffers of gold. Richer than I you can never be — I had a mother who read to me." — Strickland Gillilan