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Online Educational Resources for Students & Families

There are a number of ways to keep your student engaged and learning.  Remember, online platforms are just one more “go-to” tool to support students as they practice skills, engage in independent reading, and explore their interests.  Below, you'll be able to find online educational resources for your student to explore.  Many of these resources are specially geared towards this time of remote learning and will reinforce topics and skills that your child is learning in their remote class(es).

Many elementary students students are just starting out and learning to navigate digital platforms.  Middle and high school students have apps and access via their iPads.  Schoology is another place where students and families can find resources.

Below are websites - some with app compatibility - that cater to students of all ages and support learning and growth in fun and engaging ways.  Many of these resources are interdisciplinary and combine multiple subjects into a single, comprehensive learning experience.  Many also utilize techniques that support personalized learning so that students with multiple interests and of all abilities can participate and benefit from them.

Remember, it's important for adults to help students manage screen time.  Younger students may also need to be monitored as they discover online platforms, especially if they're just learning how to navigate electronic devices.

PBS LearningMedia and WGBH's new online Distance Learning Center

The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education is partnering with WGBH to bring educational resources to students and families through television and digital media.  WGBH has created a distance learning site, and we hope to reach as many students and caregivers as possible.  PBS LearningMedia is a free digital repository of tens of thousands of high-quality media resources that are contextualized for educational use.  The resources span disciplines for grades PreK-12, are aligned to national and state standards, and include videos, comprehensive lessons, interactive activities, and support materials (teaching tips, background readings, and student handouts).  Here are just a few collections on PBS LearningMedia to explore:

  • Bringing the Universe to America's Classrooms: Earth and space science, created in collaboration with NASA.  Grades K–12.
  • AMERICAN EXPERIENCE: History and social studies resources from one of public media's flagship broadcasts.  Grades 4–12.
  • ARTHUR: Beloved characters keep the focus on community, civics, and social-emotional learning. Grades PreK–5.
  • Molly of Denali: The MOLLY OF DENALI™ collection offers videos, digital games, lessons, teaching tips, and activities with a focus on informational text.  Grades PreK–2.
  • Math at the Core Middle School: Engaging media and integrated activities, all aligned with the Massachusetts mathematics standards.  Grades 5–8.
  • Inspiring Middle School Literacy: Self-paced lessons include videos, interactive activities, note taking, reading, and writing to present students with engaging science, social studies, mathematics, and English language arts topics. Grades 5–8.
  • NOVA Education Resources: Authentic, real-world science learning.  Grades 7–13+.

English Language Arts and Literacy

Hoopla and OverDrive
Visit the Shrewsbury Public Library website to borrow digital books for free and to access other digital resources.

Epic!
Digital library with books, learning videos, quizzes, and more
— Grades PreK-6
— App compatibility
— Subscription required (free 30-day trial)

Vooks
A kid-safe streaming library of read-aloud, animated storybooks
— Grades PreK-5
— App compatibility
— Subscription required (free 1-month trial)

The New York Times: The Learning Network
Writing prompts, articles and questions, quizzes and crosswords, interactive discussions, documentaries, and contests
— ELA, Social Studies, ELL & Arts, Science & Math, Current Events
— Grades 7-12
— Updated every weekday
— Resources for students

Bookful
A magical, playful universe for book lovers that uses augmented reality and 3D animations to bring books to life and improve reading, spelling, memory, and creativity
— Grades PreK-6
— App compatibility

Book Club for Kids
A virtual gathering space for young readers feels more vital than ever in the social distancing era
— Grades K-7

Eleanor Amplified
An entertaining adventure series that follows a young radio reporter and instills an appreciation for journalism and its role in holding villians accountable
— Grades PreK-7

Shelter in Poems
A growing collection from the Academy of American Poets of poems that help to find courage, solace, and actionable energy, and a few words about how or why it does so
— Grades 5-12

Poetry In The Time Of Coronavirus
A podcast from wbur featuring poets who are navigating the coronavirus and the extreme cultural shifts
— Grades 9-12

Squiggle Park
​​​​Games effective in building mastery of foundational reading skills through practice and play
— Grades PreK-3

Oxford Owl
Books, activities, and games to support learning, reading, spelling, and math skills from home
— Grades PreK-6
— For families

StoryLine Online
Hear quality children's literature read aloud and see illustrations
— Grades PreK-4

Unite for Literacy
A wonderful resource of audiobooks with beautiful illustrations for young children in English and Spanish.  The books are listed in categories such as animals, community, create and play, earth and sky, family, friends, and more.  Aquariums, zoos, and other organizations have also included their books.
— Grades PreK-4

ReadWorks
Reading comprehension instruction
— Grades K-12
— Registration and donation required

ReadTheory
Personalized reading comprehension exercises
— Grades K-12
— Registration required at no cost

PBS Kids: Reading Games
Alphabet, vocabulary, rhyming, story, and more games to keep kids reading and learning
— Grades PreK-2
— For families

Wordsmyth
Picture dictionaries, books, and vocabulary concepts
— Grades PreK-1
— Spanish and Chinese translations

ABC Mouse
Preschool curriculum that includes many online activities for children in reading, math, world around us, arts and colors, library, music and songs, puzzles, and games
— Grades PreK-3
— Free for 1 month

Math

ST Math
A web-based visual instructional program that leads to deep conceptual understanding of math.  ST Math is offering parents free access through June 30th.
— Grades K-8

ExploreLearning Gizmos
World’s largest library of math and science simulations
— Grades 3-12
— Free for 60 days

Prodigy
Engaging, curriculum-aligned platform for students to learn and practice math
— Grades 1-8
— Registration required at no cost
— Play

Tinkercad
Free, easy-to-use app for 3D design, electronics, and coding used to imagine, design, and make anything
— Grades 3-12
— App compatibility - available in Self Service
— OMS Design Lab

Hopscotch
Code, share, and play - a programming environment that lets kids experiment and learn, experience how software is made, express their personality, and explore powerful ideas, while making real software.
— Grades 2-9
— App compatibility - available in Self Service (iPad)

Swift Playgrounds
Solve puzzles to master the basics of coding and take on a series of challenges to step up to more advanced playgrounds. Designed by Apple.
— Grades 6-12
— Available in 15 languages
— App compatibility - available in Self Service (Mac and iPad)

Code.org
Provides learning resources that help students learn about computer science and programming on their own.  Offerings include Computer Science (CS) Fundamentals for elementary students and online courses and labs for middle and high school students (CS Express, App Lab, Game Lab, and Web Lab).
— Grades K-12

Kahoot!
Engaging and easy-to-use learning games to study at home
— Grades 5-12

Quizizz
Free self-paced quizzes to review, assess, and engage in class and at home.  A resource created by a Shrewsbury High School math educator for home-study.
— Grades 5-12

ALEKS
An online practice portal for high school students in any level of AG1, AG2, AM1, F&T, Pre-Calculus, AM2 Topics, AQR)
— Grades 9-12

Learn Code
One-hour coding tutorials
— Grades PreK-12
— 45+ languages

Bedtime Math
Engaging and research-proven after-school math activities, books, and apps
— Grades PreK-4

Yummy Math
Engaging, real-world math activities
— Grades 2-12

XtraMath
Web program that helps kids master basic math facts
— Grades K-4
— App compatibility

Science

PhET Online Simulations
A library of interactive online simulations that students can play with and explore to investigate scientific and mathematical models.  Engages students through an intuitive, game-like environment where they can learn through exploration and discovery.
— Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Earth Science, Math
— Grades K-12
— App compatibility ($0.99)

National Geographic Kids
Games, videos, and facts on animals, nature, history, geography, and space
— Grades K-5

PBS Kids: Design Squad Global
Games, videos, and hands-on activities
— Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Science
— Grades 4-8
— For Families

NASA Kids' Club
Games, activities, and picture galleries help children learn about NASA and its missions.
— Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics
— Grades PreK-4

Discovery #Mindblown
From Discovery Channel - inspires students to ask questions about what they know and ask big questions about the world around us
— Grades PreK-8
— App compatibility

National Geographic: Citizen Science Projects
Get ideas for how you can participate in citizen science projects - projects in which volunteers and scientists work together to answer real-world questions and gather data.
— Grades PreK-8

Brains On!
An American Public Media podcast that investigates questions from children
— Grades K-8

Smithsonian Science How Webcast
These webcasts originally aired live from the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C.
— Grades 3-8

National Science Digital Library
Extensive STEAM library with resources for students
— Grades 5-12

Mystery Science
Science lessons, videos, and activities
— Grades K-5
— Registration required at no cost

Science Fun for Everyone
Simple science experiments you can do at home with instructions, videos, jokes and trivia
— Grades PreK-4

History, Social Studies, and Civics

iCivics
Offers free, engaging civics content, including lesson plans and games for students to play digitally, content about media literacy, and Advanced Placement (AP) U.S. Government and Politics prep.
— Grades K-12

The Past and the Curious
Accessible and smart history lessons and bite-size audio dramas that illuminate corners of history that children are unlikely to learn in school, often emphasizing the overlooked accomplishments of women and people of color
— Grades K-7

National Constitution Center
One-stop civic education destination.  Explore the museum's innovative, engaging lesson plans, activities, videos, games, and other materials.
— Grades K-12

Stanford History Education Group
The Reading Like a Historian curriculum is free with registration and offers ready-to-go lessons on world and U.S. history based on primary source investigations.
— Grades 9-12

Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
This website is geared specifically at preparing AP U.S. History students virtually.  It includes primary sources, essays, videos, and study guides aligned with the AP curriculum.
— Grades 9-12

Arts

Ear Snacks
A kind, silly and thoughtful musical podcast, which aims to teach children about the world while reminding them to smile.
— Grades PreK-4

Lunch Doodles with Mo Willems
"Daily Doodles" is a daily mini-drawing workshop at 1:00 p.m. with Mo Willems, author of "Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!" and other children books.  Past episodes are available to watch at any time.
— Grades PreK-5

Media Arts: Pencil Madness
Students can use a dashboard of options to create a numerous layered effects similar to the concepts learned in Photoshop.
— Grades K-12

Music: Beepbox Music-Making On Your Home Computer
Support your child's music learning using this free online platform.  No special equipment is needed to use this online tool for sketching and sharing instrumental melodies.
— Grades 5-12

Visual Art: Get local!
The Drawing Act Project is happening right now here in Massachusetts!  Anyone can participate by submitting a drawing this spring.  The full directions for the drawing lesson is outlined in this flyer.  In addition, the Incredible Art Department's Art Teacher Toolkit, has engaging visual art lessons that can be delivered at home.  Creative art activities and games are available.

Interdisciplinary / Multiple Subjects

Brainpop
Free resources and tools that develop critical, computational, and creative thinking skills across the curriculum.
— Science, Social Studies, English, Math, Arts & Music, Health & SEL, Engineering & Tech
— Grades K-8
— Spanish, French, English

Listenwise
Supports listening comprehension with stories and non-fiction podcast lessons and library of listening comprehension quizzes
— ELA, Science, Social Studies
— Grades 2-12
— Free subscription

Newsela
Learning materials on current events that supports social-emotional learning
— ELA, Math, Science, Social Studies, SpEd, ELL, Foreign Language
— Grades 2-12
— Free subscription

Scholastic Learn at Home
Daily learning experiences built around a thrilling and meaningful story or video keep kids reading, thinking, and growing
— Grades PreK-6
— Remote learning resources and strategies - Letter to Families

Khan Academy
Outlined support for parents and educators on how to use their resources during remote learning.  Khan Academy is a free resource for students, teachers, and parents with a library of lessons covering kindergarten through early college math, grammar, science, history, plus AP courses, SAT preparation, and more.
— All subjects
— Grades K-12
— 40 languages

Quizlet
Flashcards, games, and diagrams to help students learn any subject and use a variety of tools to conquer any challenge.
— All subjects
— Grades 9-12

Audubon for Kids
This page aims to bring together activities from across Audubon’s national network of environmental educators
— All subjects
— Grades PreK-4

IXL
Personalized and immersive learning
— Math, Language Arts, Science, Social Studies, Spanish
— Grades PreK-12

Curious World
Educational videos, books, and games
— Grades PreK-2
— App compatibility
— Subscription required (free 7-day trial)

Mystery Doug
5-minute videos that answer real kid questions
— Grades K-4
— Registration required at no cost

The World's Largest Lesson
Introduces the Sustainable Development Goals to children and young people everywhere and unites them in action
— Grades 5-12

Short & Curly
A podcast with thought-provoking approach to teaching children about ethics
— Grades K-7

Freckle
Online differentiation platform for independent practice
— Math, ELA, Social Studies, Science
— Grades K-12
— Registration required at no cost

JogNog
Test-preparation that provides a library of videos, quizzes, and team-based challenges mapped to state academic standards
— Science, English, Math, History
— Grades 2-12
— Registration required at no cost

MCAS Resource Center
MCAS practice tests in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science
— Grades 3-10

Common Core Sheets
Printable worksheets to practice skills
— Math, Social Studies, Science, Language Arts, Writing, Spelling, Foreign Languages
— Grades K-7

TypingClub
Effective, web-based way to learn how to type
— Grades PreK-12

Kids Cooking Activities
Simple family recipes to help children learn to cook, including easy meals, science experiments, cooking crafts, themed meals, and more
— Grades PreK-6

Sesame Street Games
— Learning games, videos, songs, and art with Sesame Street characters for young children
Grades PreK-K

The Old Farmer's Almanac for Kids
Fun games, riddles, and puzzles relating to The Famer’s Almanac
— Grades PreK-2

Virtual Tours

HistoryView Virtual Tours
Interactive tours of museums, art galleries, national parks, historic sites, and more
— Grades K-12

Arts & Culture: The Hidden Worlds of the National Parks
Virtual tours of the National Parks
— Grades K-12

Scholastic Travel
Virtual tour of 15 historic places
— Grades K-12

New York's Museum District
With the Metropolitan Museum shut during its anniversary, a New York Times critic strolls with a historian along a posh stretch of Fifth Avenue called Museum Mile
— Grades K-12

Community Kangaroo
Live virtual "at home" events listed daily at specific times from aquariums, zoos, libraries, music and science classes, yoga, dance, and more
— Grades K-4

You Visit
Virtural college tours of over 600 college campuses

Wellness & Physical Education

Cosmic Kids Yoga​​​​​​
Yoga, mindfulness and relaxation videos designed specially for kids, age 3+, to become stronger, calmer and wiser.  Videos include Yoga Time for Little Ones, Introduction to Kids Yoga, Yoga Adventures, Brain Breaks, Yoga Disco, Guided Relaxation, and more.
— Grades PreK-4
— App compatibility
— Registration required, 2 weeks free

GoNoodle
Engages kids to wake up their bodies and engage their minds with movement, dance, yoga, and mindfulness videos that benefit physical wellness, academic success, and social-emotional growth.
— Grades K-12

Peace Out
A gendle podcast of bedtime stories that teach children how to regulate their emotions through mindfulness techniques like visualization, breathing exercises, and body awareness, before it segues into a soothing story designed to induce sleep.
— Grades K-5

Fluency & Fitness
Helping students exercise their brains and bodies by reviewing essential reading and math topics with movement breaks
— Grades K-2
— Registration required; 3 weeks free

Active At Home
Lesson plans for an active-at-home family
— Grades K-12

The Laurie Berkner Band
Daily live Berkner Breaks on most weekdays at 10:00 a.m. for singing, dancing, reading books and moving bodies.  Includes a library of Berkner Breaks, songs, videos, and more.
— Grades K-4

Social & Emotional Resources

  • BrainPOP provides movies with social/emotional learning components that students can watch and respond to.
  • CASEL has collected a number of resources to assist in addressing students’ social and emotional needs.  
  • Centervention game-based behavior interventions help students practice social and emotional skills.
  • CharacterStrong has a virtual resource library, a virtual summit, virtual assemblies, and a 30-day kindness journal
  • Inside SEL links to a number of social/emotional learning resources. 
  • NEWSELA offers social/emotional learning lessons students can complete remotely.
  • Sanford Harmony at National University provides social and emotional learning tools for pre-K–6. 
  • Second Step is offering free social and emotional learning activities for ages 5-13, a podcast for families and a mindfulness program.
  • Mayo Clinic's Discover Gratitude is a four-week, self-guided virtual program to help youth and adults improve mental well-being through daily journaling.

Resources for Students with Various Learning Needs

Resources for English Learners

Remote Learning Resources to Help Meet the Needs of English Learners
This list of online educational opportunities includes tools and resources for English learners and for the educators and families who are supporting their learning.

District

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