free links to helpful websiteS
This is a list of websites we’ve used over the years and continue to use daily in our teaching practice. They’re student-friendly with helpful tools, articles, and activities. We’ll add sites as time passes, so please check back occasionally.
Happy writing!
Greg
storyline online
FREE. Actors and performers read well-known children’s books. The site’s creators add a small bit of fun animation to each story. A terrific resource to have in your bag as you help your kids get interested in reading.
Typing Club
FREE. A great app for learning how to type. It’s easy-to-use, and you don’t have to sign up. If you do sign up (it’s still free), the app will remember the lesson you left off at when you close your browser or clear history. Otherwise, you have to manually find the spot where you left off.
AmericanLiterature.com
FREE. An amazingly large collection of classic literature that’s in the public domain. You’ll find short stories, novels, poems, essays, and much more. Readings for all age-levels from young children to adults. A terrific resource for homeschoolers or teachers looking to augment their curriculum with classic, traditional literature.
KAMIAPP
FREE. Upload any PDF and your child can then annotate that document with Kami’s highlighters, text boxes, and colorful online tools.
MINDMEISTER
FREE. A great brainstorming app. Your child can use the colorful bubble maps to generate ideas and organize their thoughts and ideas.
pro writing aid
FREE. This online editor offers more features in its free content than other “big-name” apps. It’s easy to use, and when you’re looking to work with grammar, it does an effective job of showing errors without making you pay for editing—much more so than other editors.
dictionary.com / thesaurus.com
FREE. An excellent resource for definitions and synonyms. The two tabs for Dictionary.com and Thesaurus.com are located in the upper left-hand corner so students can alternate between the two as needed.
Purdue Online Writing LaB (aka The Purdue Owl)
FREE. A great resource for all your citing and formatting questions. It’s collegiate level, but still very useful for grade levels 2 - 12. I generally recommend parents/teachers/students refer to the MLA (Modern Language Association) General Format Guide. Refer to the APA Guide if your class requires it.