TeachersFirst - Featured Sites: Week of Dec 17, 2023
Here are this week's features. Clicking the tags in the description area of each listing will present a list of other resources with this topic. | Click here to return to the Featured Sites Archive
Google Read Along - Google
Grades
K to 12
1 Favorites
1 Comments
Google Read Along is an entertaining, interactive website designed to help young children learn to read. This site is currently available in English, Portuguese, Spanish, Hindi, Marathi,...more
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Google Read Along is an entertaining, interactive website designed to help young children learn to read. This site is currently available in English, Portuguese, Spanish, Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Gujarati, and Urdu. Though you can use Google Read Along on your computer, the best experience will be by using an Android device. Read Along engages young readers with a friendly character named Diya, who provides assistance and feedback when needed. Students receive immediate feedback by earning stars for each word they read correctly. In addition, Diya will help if children are stuck on a particular word. Gamification makes learning to read fun and engaging! Students earn stars and badges and can level up to more advanced books as they become increasingly better readers. Google Read Along also tracks how many minutes students spend actively reading. A Google account is required, and enable your microphone access for your browser.
tag(s): digital reading (16), gamification (72), independent reading (86), preK (257)
In the Classroom
Google Read Along would be a great addition to any preschool or early elementary classroom. Teachers who work with ENL students or adults learning to read may also find this site helpful. Students will gain confidence by practicing reading independently yet still get assistance if needed, all while the teacher can work with individual students or small groups. In addition, many books are cross-curricular, so they can be used to enhance instruction for other core subjects.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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Book It! - Pizza Hut
Grades
K to 6
1 Favorites
0 Comments
Book It! is the popular free reading program provided by Pizza Hut since 1984. The program is available October through March each year and encourages students in grades K-6 to ...more
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Book It! is the popular free reading program provided by Pizza Hut since 1984. The program is available October through March each year and encourages students in grades K-6 to set and accomplish monthly reading goals. Educators help students set achievable goals and provide a free pizza certificate upon completion.
tag(s): independent reading (86)
In the Classroom
Encourage student reading by signing up and sharing the Book It! program with your students. Set goals together with your students that match individual reading abilities and interests. Use a spreadsheet such as Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets to document student progress and accomplishments. Visit ReadWriteThink, reviewed here to find a large variety of activities and templates to extend learning with any book. Be sure to visit the section with printouts that contains many graphic organizers, writing starters, and assessment tools.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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BeeLine Reader Collection - Reading is Fundamental
Grades
K to 12
3 Favorites
0 Comments
Improve reading and comprehension skills for all students and adults with this BeeLine Reader Collection on Literacy Central. Find over 100 books and stories as downloadable PDFs, all...more
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Improve reading and comprehension skills for all students and adults with this BeeLine Reader Collection on Literacy Central. Find over 100 books and stories as downloadable PDFs, all using BeeLine Reader technology to highlight and wrap text to improve focusing and tracking while reading. Use the leveled reading passages within Reading is Fundamental for multiple grade levels and books. Find additional support materials for each book, including author interviews, lesson plans, crosswords, and word searches all as downloadable PDFs. Though Beeline Reader is not usually a free tool, Literacy Central is providing it to its members for free through these PDFs. You do not need to create a free membership to use these materials, only to save them as a favorite. Learn more about the Beeline Reader tool and how it improves reading comprehension by watching the YouTube video introduction on this page.
This site includes advertising.
This site includes advertising.
tag(s): independent reading (86), multilingual (67), reading comprehension (143), reading strategies (98), Special Needs (53), Teacher Utilities (147)
In the Classroom
These BeeLine Reader PDFs are an excellent addition to the already valuable reading materials found at Reading is Fundamental - Literacy Central, reviewed here. Be sure to bookmark this site to find leveled reading passages with the enhanced function of BeeLine Reader. These PDFs are wonderful to share with ENL/ELL and Special Education specialists to use with their students. Remember, all teachers are reading teachers. Share this tool with your science, social studies, and math teachers, too!
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TeachersFirst Reading Treks - Make Learning a Journey - TeachersFirst
Grades
K to 12
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0 Comments
Your students can visit the world and build their background knowledge when they choose to read a book in conjunction with Reading Treks. Find fiction and informational books at every...more
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Your students can visit the world and build their background knowledge when they choose to read a book in conjunction with Reading Treks. Find fiction and informational books at every reading level. Each Reading Trek unit has a downloadable PDF with Common Core State Standards, ISTE Standards, Grade Level, Ideas and Activities for using the Reading Trek in class, and a list of Helpful Resources. There is also a Google Maps (KMZ) file. Under the About TeachersFirst Reading Treks on the home page find step-by-step instructions for when you're ready to use a Reading Trek. TeachersFirst is just getting started creating Treks for books. Do you have a suggestion? Select Suggest a Trek from the left menu to let us know about it. We'd love to hear from you!
tag(s): independent reading (86), maps (207), reading comprehension (143), reading lists (80)
In the Classroom
These units are perfect for use with a whole-class novel, literature circles, or individual reading! Ask students to keep a journal about what they are reading and learning. Replace traditional paper and pen journals using an easy virtual journaling tool such as Penzu, reviewed here. With Penzu you can add images or your own artwork as illustrations. If you are conducting literature circles a good tool to use for small group assignments and communication is Asana, reviewed here, or Canvas Free LMS, reviewed here. For students or student groups to share their book with their peers, challenge them to enhance their learning and design an interactive multimedia poster using Genially, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Toppsta - Georgina Atwell
Grades
K to 12
0 Favorites
0 Comments
Read, review, and discover the best books for all ages at Toppsta. Use the keyword search to find books or search for ages up to 18 years old and young ...more
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Read, review, and discover the best books for all ages at Toppsta. Use the keyword search to find books or search for ages up to 18 years old and young adult. Each book title includes a summary along with reviews submitted by site members. Reviews indicate the age of the reviewer and number of reviews. Login to Toppsta to save books to your wishlist or create your own book reviews. This site was created in the UK, so some of the pronunciations and spellings may differ from those in American English.
tag(s): book lists (161), independent reading (86), preK (257), reading lists (80)
In the Classroom
Share this site with students as a resource for finding books for independent reading. Include a link on your class website or blog for access at home. Present a new book each week to students on your interactive whiteboard or share your wishlist with your school's media center to include with book orders. After reading reviews, enhance student learning by having students create a video sharing their own book reviews. Use Adobe Creative Cloud Express Video Maker, reviewed here, for this video project. Have students or groups share their own book suggestions using Dotstorming, reviewed here. Dotstorming creates free online bulletin boards.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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BookBub - Josh Schanker
Grades
7 to 12
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0 Comments
Looking for a new book to read? Bookbub has it covered. Enter your email address and begin telling BookBub your preferences in genres and your preferred reader device or app ...more
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Looking for a new book to read? Bookbub has it covered. Enter your email address and begin telling BookBub your preferences in genres and your preferred reader device or app (Nook, Kindle, iBook, Google Play, Kobo). You will be presented with a list of authors to follow based on your genres, and then you create your password. Next you will get a list of books recommended for you. Best of all, many of the books are free. You can always put a book under bookmarks, and be alerted when it has a reduced price or is available for free. You will even get an email when one of your favortite authors is publishing a new book. Under your account and notifications select how often you would like to receive BookBub updates - daily, weekly, and various other choices.
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This site includes advertising.
tag(s): book lists (161), independent reading (86), reading lists (80)
In the Classroom
Sign up for BookBub and receive daily emails with book excerpts. Share the excerpts with your class as a way to hook some students into reading or to offer book suggestions. Use the emails as an example of a service that students may want to try. A valid email is required to join this site. Read TeachersFirst tips for safely managing email registrations here. Substitute oral book recommendations by having students choose an interesting excerpt from a book they are reading and share with it others via email or on your classroom blog or website. Be sure to have students use the title and author in the subject line! This will also provide a record for those looking for a new book.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Unite for Literacy Library - Unite for Literacy
Grades
K to 8
5 Favorites
0 Comments
The Unite for Literacy Library offers many online books for young readers with audio. Browse through the home page to choose books to read from the library shelves. Narrow down ...more
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The Unite for Literacy Library offers many online books for young readers with audio. Browse through the home page to choose books to read from the library shelves. Narrow down your choices using picture icons for different themes such as animals or families. Select and click a book to read. Click the speaker icon to hear each page. The narration is also available in many languages, from Arabic to Vietnamese.
tag(s): audio books (23), independent reading (86), interactive stories (22), preK (257)
In the Classroom
This site is one you must bookmark if you work with young readers! Create a link to the site on classroom computers for students to explore and listen to books on their own. Unite for Literacy is perfect for use with ENL/ESL students for reading and hearing books in both English and their native language. Share a link to the site on your website or newsletter for use at home or use during remote learning. During remote learning, consider assigning your elementary students reading and follow up activities using Symbaloo, reviewed here. Symbaloo is an excellent bookmarking tool to use with elementary students due to the easy to use design and use of icons for identifying information readily. World language teachers can use this site to have students listen to books in the language they are learning.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Bookopolis - Kari Ness Riedel
Grades
1 to 7
6 Favorites
0 Comments
Bookopolis is more than an online social reading club for children ages 7-12. It has an education portal to keep track of and review a reader's work. Scroll down the ...more
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Bookopolis is more than an online social reading club for children ages 7-12. It has an education portal to keep track of and review a reader's work. Scroll down the landing page to find Bookopolis recommended books, popular books, book of the week, and reviews from other readers. Bookopolis includes digital reading logs, reading log prompts, and suggests places to find comprehension questions about the book. Through the educator dashboard, monitor and comment on the reader's writing and reading logs. The activities and features on the site are aligned with many of the Common Core Reading and Writing standards. There are several video tutorials on getting started and how to use the dashboard. The videos are hosted on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, they may not be viewable.
tag(s): book lists (161), book reports (28), classroom management (128), guided reading (33), independent reading (86), reading comprehension (143), remote learning (60), social networking (66), Teacher Utilities (147)
In the Classroom
Create your account with one of several social media programs, or your email, teacher name, username, and some basic information. Create your dashboard by adding a class and class name. You can create multiple classes. From the teacher dashboard on right menu choose Teacher Resources to view the several teacher video tutorials to get started. Click the class name to add students; student accounts can be created manually or by importing an XLS or CSV file. Students will automatically be "friends" with other students in the same class, but can also invite students from different classes. Share this site with students (and parents at back to school night) using your interactive whiteboard or projector. Students also have video tutorials; show students the video tutorial "How to Add Books" to get them started. In your blended or remote learning classroom enhance students' learning for this tool using the tutorial (s) along with MoocNote, reviewed here, to add comments and information. Students can create bookshelves for books they are reading, that they have read, and that they want to read. Students can earn points and badges for the books they read. This tool will get students excited about reading since they can connect with friends to share book reviews and swap book recommendations. Students also practice persuasive writing, comprehension, and typing skills by completing reviews, reports, and reading logs online. This tool is great to keep track of student home reading or if you are teaching remotely! Besure to list this site in a parent newsletter or on your website as one to use to avoid the "summer reading slide."Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Mighty Book - Mighty Book
Grades
K to 3
2 Favorites
0 Comments
Engage young children in this colorful site, packed with songs, interactive audio books, art and music interactives, and emergent reading activities. Reaching a wide range of grades,...more
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Engage young children in this colorful site, packed with songs, interactive audio books, art and music interactives, and emergent reading activities. Reaching a wide range of grades, this site offers over 50 different engaging activities. Visit the stories made by children. The free part of this site includes a great variety of topics: Boston Tea Party, alphabet, making mistakes, metamorphosis, Mars, a variety of popular children's songs, nouns, upper case and lower case, Beatrix Potter, jokes, Bach & Van Gogh, Mona and Beethoven, and much more! Some of the activities are also available in Spanish. Check out Teachers at the bottom of the page for Lesson Plans.
This site includes advertising.
This site includes advertising.
tag(s): alphabet (51), independent reading (86), preK (257), sight words (22), songs (44), video (258)
In the Classroom
Use this site for learning as a whole group, learning centers, or individual laptops for reinforcement or enrichment. First, introduce Mighty Book on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Since there are extensive ads, you may want to bookmark or create shortcuts directly to the activity you want children to use and avoid having them get "lost" in the many links that take you off the site. Share the songs and discuss the lyrics and what they are teaching. Use this site in art class to introduce famous artists to even the youngest of learners. After listening to the jokes, have students make up their own jokes. Poems with activities offer a kinesthetic approach to poetry. Songs about colors and the days of the week catch your auditory learners. Share this link on your class website for students to explore (and enjoy) both in and out of the classroom.
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Classic Books - Library of Congress
Grades
K to 12
1 Favorites
0 Comments
Explore this collection of public domain, classic books for children and teenagers from the Library of Congress. They are organized in alphabetical order. There are 51 books for younger...more
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Explore this collection of public domain, classic books for children and teenagers from the Library of Congress. They are organized in alphabetical order. There are 51 books for younger children, 6 books for teens, and 6 books for adults. Each has a short summary, a link from which to read the book, and a link to more information about the book. Enjoy these stories online. Although they aren't audio books, they could be very useful with all ages.
tag(s): book lists (161), independent reading (86), literature (217)
In the Classroom
Share the classics on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Read the stories together as a class and consider converting an excerpt into an interactive text using Active Textbook, reviewed here. You could add to it yearly, with each class taking a chapter or section to "liven up" with media. Or challenge your tech-savvy or gifted students to bring a classic to life with such a project. Share this public domain collection on your class website, blog, or wiki as a good place to find classics (FREE). Create a learning station on your classroom computers using these books.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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LitPick - LitPick
Grades
4 to 12
1 Favorites
0 Comments
LitPick is a great place to find preteen and teen literature reviewed by students from all over the world. Discover the latest reads reviewed by students. Students apply to ...more
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LitPick is a great place to find preteen and teen literature reviewed by students from all over the world. Discover the latest reads reviewed by students. Students apply to become a reviewer, along with an adult sponsor, and get a free eBook or print book. Choose a book by age or genre. Read within 4-6 weeks and write a 5-10 sentence review summarizing the book, without giving away the ending. Submit and receive feedback before the final review is approved and published. Receive points and badges for well written reviews. Find books listed by genre or age group. Under Educators find an Educators Guide, Quizzes, and Learning Lessons. Adult members of LitPick can participate in the monthly book giveaway contest and newsletter that features student book reviews and special offers. Sign up to receive the latest announcement and promotional giveaways. Start book clubs, or use in classes. LitPick was selected as Best Website for Teaching and Learning by the American Association of School Librarians, and selected for the Gold Award from Mom's Choice and the Association of Independent Authors. LitPick also hosts a video review channel titled
BookTube residing on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, the videos may not be viewable; be sure to look at alternatives for sharing the videos on classroom computers.
tag(s): expository writing (31), independent reading (86), literature (217), literature circles (3)
In the Classroom
Use this site for a real reviewer's experience or simply to find great books. Evaluate other reviews and make a list of noteworthy reviewing techniques. Students choose the latest new reads before they are released to the public. Sign up individual students, groups of students, or your class to read a book together and write a review. Challenge your gifted ones to work on this authentic review task. This site is perfect to use for literature circles. Create your own "LitPick" on your school library site. Have students involve parents as their sponsor for greater parental involvement and excitement. Get the newest books free.
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ReaderKidZ - ReaderKidZ
Grades
K to 6
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Introduce budding readers and writers to the authors and books found at ReaderKidZ. A children's book author maintains this place for teachers, parents, and librarians. Find interesting...more
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Introduce budding readers and writers to the authors and books found at ReaderKidZ. A children's book author maintains this place for teachers, parents, and librarians. Find interesting and exciting books and activities for children PreK through grade five. There are even picture books for non-readers. Click the Select a Month tab from the left menu, and find many more books and activities under each month listed. Check out the About tab and click Diane White then the tab for Resources. Under Resources you will find activities at the top, and by clicking for Parents and Teachers at the bottom of the left menu - even more activities.
tag(s): authors (103), book lists (161), ebooks (39), independent reading (86)
In the Classroom
Get your students interested in reading by picking a book for the class to read together as a read aloud or story time activity. These resources are also great for ENL/ELL students just learning the English language.Be sure to check these out from your school or local library for your students to enjoy in class. Post the link to ReaderKidZ on your website and encourage parents to read a book with their child. Have your students complete an author study. Most books have a link to the author and illustrators websites. Some of the books have downloadable activities such as readers theater and discussion questions.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Book Lending - Catherine MacDonald
Grades
K to 12
3 Favorites
0 Comments
Book Lending.com is the modern version of an elibrary online, a modern reader's online paradise. This is a social network...for books! Using a valid email, register to be able ...more
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Book Lending.com is the modern version of an elibrary online, a modern reader's online paradise. This is a social network...for books! Using a valid email, register to be able to lend or borrow an ebook for free! Registration does require an Amazon account. Register to "lend" your Kindle format, lendable ebooks to other people for a 14 day period while being able to borrow from other people. After some ebooks have been purchased, they come with the option of lending once to another person's account for 14 days. After 14 days, the original ebook is returned to the purchaser's account automatically. Be sure to visit the FAQ page that explains a lot about how to use this site. Also, this site is ONLY for Amazon's ebooks (Kindle format). While most books are available for lending, not all publishers are currently offering this capability... at least not yet.
Visit this fabulous tool that offers no late fees and no lost books! Join in sharing and borrowing of ebooks for free!
This site includes advertising.
Visit this fabulous tool that offers no late fees and no lost books! Join in sharing and borrowing of ebooks for free!
This site includes advertising.
tag(s): ebooks (39), independent reading (86)
In the Classroom
Finally, a way to expand class libraries with no budget limits! Book Lending.com opens up different titles that your students are requesting. Provide an extensive, ever growing library to Kindle devices or any device with the Kindle app. A valid email is required with no late fees or lost books, and with an ever-growing list of books. Fill the passions of your most avid readers with a wide variety. Students will take an active interest in selecting and in completing their book within the time limit. Motivation has no limit as your students can chose a book uniquely for them. Encourage families to join in their reading adventures. Be sure to add this site to your class webpage, wiki, or blog for a great free resource that encourages and supports literacy. This site is a must share for all readers!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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CurriConnects - TeachersFirst
Grades
K to 12
3 Favorites
0 Comments
Use CurriConnects to find books related to curriculum topics or subject areas. Build student literacy skills, reinforce the place of curriculum concepts in other contexts, and help...more
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Use CurriConnects to find books related to curriculum topics or subject areas. Build student literacy skills, reinforce the place of curriculum concepts in other contexts, and help students build the important reading strategy of connecting what they read to prior knowledge. Share CurriConnects as links on your class web page or wiki or share them with school and local libraries where students can select books to accompany what they are studying. Topics include Earth Science, Explorers, Frontiers and Settlers, Geographic Wonders (landforms), Inventors and Inventions, Maps, Math in Use, Medicine and Health, The Artists's Eye (books with outstanding illustrations and books about artists), What Do You Do? (careers). More are being added on an ongoing basis. Grade ranges vary.
tag(s): book lists (161), independent reading (86), reading lists (80)
In the Classroom
Share CurriConnects as links on your class web page or wiki or share them with school and local libraries where students can select books to accompany what they are studying. Explore the many ideas TeachersFirst offers for using CurriConnects in your classroom. Be sure to share these lists with ENL/ELL teachers for reading selections to build student vocabulary and understanding of curriculum.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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