Free Read-Aloud Online Stories

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Barnes and Noble Online Storytime

This site has 16 very popular children books that are read by the author.

Storyline Online

Storyline Online provides 20+ books and some are even read by famous actors and actresses. My favorite part about this site is they have related activities and comprehension questions.

Storynory

This site would be engaging for both younger and older students. They have been offering a new story a week since 2005!

Happy Reading!

Free Online Books: We Give Books

Here is a great website where you can read books for free! You will need to join the site by creating an account. There is no fee and it is a great way to find new stories for your child to read online.

http://www.wegivebooks.org/

After School Blog: Relentlessly Fun, Deceptively Educational

A creative blog full of fun after school activities and free printables.

Here's a snapshot!

Top 10 Favorite Language Arts Activities

Top 10 Favorite Math Activities

Top 10 Favorite Spelling Activities

IXL: Math Skills Website

This website lets students choose what grade level they want to practice on and the computer produces problems until the student gets 100 points. A quick way to review after school.

IXL website

ABC Videos

Each alphabet video teaches letter sounds, consonants, vowels, vocabulary words using each letter, and uppercase and lowercase alphabet letter handwriting skills. 

Watch out...they're catchy!

Click here for the whole list of free videos.

Free Reading App: Sentence Reading Magic

This app helps your child to read words and build sentences.
Sentence Reading Magic

Free Reading App: Tic-Tac-Toe Phonics

Students build language skills in a fast-paced game of tic-tac-toe! Fun, interactive game explores vowel sounds, syllables and more.
Tic-Tac-Toe Phonics

Starfall

Starfall is a favorite for younger students who are learning their letter sounds and sight words. The site also provides practice with numbers, beginning adding and subtraction, calendar skills, and colors.

Starfall

Free Rice

For each answer your student answers correctly, Free Rice donates 10 grains of rice through the World Food Program to help end hunger. Your student can choose vocabulary, grammar or math fact problems.

Watch as their bowl of rice fills up!

Free Rice

Free Reading Puppet App: Puppet Pals and Sock Puppets

Students love this app because they are the puppeteers. Students take turns reading a story and have their own puppet that moves and opens its mouth the same time your student reads. This app is beneficial because the students hear themselves read, increase fluency and practice voice inflection.

Try them out!

Sock Puppets

Puppet Pals

Math Home Activities

Parents often ask me what their students can be doing at home to improve their skills in math. Here is a list of easy to implement, no hassle tricks!

Math

Make flash cards of facts.

Math computer games.

Time them to see how many math facts they know in 1 minute.

Oral counting, count by 1’s, 2’s, 3’s  5’s, 10’s.

Read numbers on street signs, bill boards, at the grocery store, everywhere!

Review math papers that come home. 

Have your child “teach” you how to do a math skill.

Hand your child a handful of coins and have them tell you how much it is worth.

Discuss time, fractions, and measurement often.

Language Arts Home Activities

Parents often ask me what their students can be doing at home to improve their skills in reading. Here is a list of easy to implement, no hassle tricks!

Language Arts

READ DAILY! Out loud to your child and have them read by themselves.

Repeated readings. Read the same thing over the course of a few days.

Level readers available at the library.

Have your child predict what the story will be about before reading.

Have them retell what happened after the story is finished.

Ask WHO, WHERE, WHAT, WHEN questions after reading a story

Spelling words

• ·      Flashcards
• ·      In shaving cream
• ·      Write on whiteboards
• ·      Type on computer
• ·      Magnetic letters
• ·      Break words into chunks  (ch, sh, tch, ed)

Time their reading and have them try and beat their score.

Comic or joke books

Help them read a recipe and enjoy a yummy treat together (it also helps with their math)

Echo reading: You read a few words (or a sentence) and your child copies you. This teaches them how to fluidly read a sentence, pausing when they should. You can make it fun and use funny voices they have to copy too.

Cloze reading: As you are reading out loud to them stop reading and they have to say the next word. This makes them stay focused on where you are, increases vocabulary and helps with comprehension.

Blending: On the word "ship" your student might break up their sounds like "sh(break)i (break)-p" instead of  keeping their sounds together in one breath. Something that will help is to get a slinkey and when they sounds out a word have them stretch the word out in one breath while they stretch the slinkey.

Go Math Sign In

Click here to access your Go Math material.

Free Spelling App: Spelling Magic

Spelling is fun and easy with ABC Spelling Magic.

Teaches the sounds of the letters and how to build words.

Go here to download it.