We all know that in this time of remote learning, there have been hundreds of companies and individuals who have released free materials for students to enhance their learning. But it can be paralyzing to try to wade through all of it to differentiate the truly useful from the “fluff.” To save you from further headaches, we have sifted through many of these resources, and have found what we believe to be the cream of the digital learning crop. All of the resources listed below have been used by us, loved by our students, and perhaps most importantly, they’re all free! Read on for information on how to supplement your child’s at-home schooling with activities that will get results.
Math
Khan Academy provides standards-aligned math curriculum for students in grades K-12. Its massive library offers helpful and engaging video tutorials for every skill, as well as practice questions, quizzes, and unit tests.
For a plethora of math games for grade levels 1-6, Math Playground offers engaging games that help students practice math skills for their grade level.
For students who relied on hands-on manipulatives in the classroom, Didax Virtual Manipulatives offer a virtual platform for students to use these same resources in a digital space. Almost as helpful as the real thing!
SplashLearn combines the structure of a curriculum with the engagement of gaming, through another free platform that allows students in grade K-5 to practice grade-level skills.
Reading
Storyline Online is a children’s literacy website, which houses hundreds of videos of celebrities reading storytime favorites out loud.
ReadTheory begins with a diagnostic which will determine your child’s approximate reading level, then provides them with targeted reading and comprehension practice, through short passages paired with higher-level comprehension questions. Questions resemble those on the state test.
Newsela is a student-friendly news aggregate that has every article in different lexiles depending on your child’s grade and reading level.
ReadWorks provides students in grades K-12 with science-backed reading comprehension instruction and activities, with leveled passages in a variety of subject areas/topics.
Epic has a huge library of super high-engagement books and videos, and is currently offering a free 30-day trial for parents.
Lalilo is a phonics program which begins by assessing students’ decoding skills through a diagnostic. A learning plan is then automatically created from the results.
Writing
NoRedInk starts students off with an interest survey so that exercises fit the interests of each child. Activities focus on grammar conventions.
Similar to NoRedInk, Quill’s exercises focus on both grammar skills and sentence structure.
The handwriting activities available on Smart Boarding School help emerging writers with letter formation, and are fun for kids while producing results.
General
Wonderopolis is where curious minds rejoice! If your child likes to go down “worm holes” of wondering, they’ll spend many productive hours learning about anything from the history of rubber bands to the origins of environmentalism.
GoNoodle has an amazing collection of short videos for younger children to get out their pent up energy. Whether they need to wind down with guided meditation, or dance out their wiggles, they’re sure to find an outlet.
Created at the beginning of this period of remote learning, Wideopen School came together in mere days to fill an educational void. They collect daily resources from all over the web for teachers and parents to use to supplement their children’s learning. From math to daily schedules to family services, Wideopen School offers a little bit of everything.
If you are like so many others, and distance learning is getting harder, we get it! Let us take some of the load off by signing your child up for one of our many workshops being offered each week. And with summer camps likely to close, Smarter Summers is now open for registration, with K-12 classes available in every core subject. We hope to see your child there!