Your school has closed to follow social distancing recommendations due to the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19). Suddenly, you’re asked to teach using digital tools, and you feel like a fish out of water. You’re not even sure where to begin when the articles take over your social media timelines. 

All this new information can be overwhelming, so we want to help by compiling a list of resources! We hope you bookmark this page and return to it when you need ideas or when you want to make sure you’re not missing out on anything. We’ll be sharing it on our social media platforms and highlighting new content when we see it.

From celebrity read alouds to virtual lessons, the whole country is finding ways to ensure students are engaged and learning. Since inspiring readers is at the heart of what we do, you’ll notice that many of these resources focus on at-home activities related to books and reading! 

Note that if you’re not able to attend some of these video sessions live, you’ll be able to replay them later!  

Michelle Obama – Mondays with Michelle Obama

Mondays at 11pm CDT
The former first lady partners with PBS Kids and Penguin Random House to host a weekly read aloud.

Library of Congress – Dav Pilkey at Home

Fridays at 7am CDT
The author of the Dogman and Captain Underpants series shares a weekly video lesson with downloadable activities available throughout the week.

Penguin Kids – #ReadTogetherBeTogether

Weekdays at 2pm CDT
Join favorite authors and celebrities for storytime.

Kelly Yang – Online Writing Classes

Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 2pm CDT
The author of Front Desk teaches teens about plot and character.

Peter H. Reynolds – #ReadAloudAlert

Weekdays at 11am CDT
Read aloud live stream from Facebook.

Oliver Jeffers – #StayAtHomeStorytime  

Weekdays at 12pm CDT
A popular children’s author reads his books aloud.

Mac Barnett – A Book A Day  

Weekdays at 2pm CDT
A popular children’s author reads his books aloud.

Mo Willems – Lunch Doodles with Mo Willems  

Weekdays at 12pm CDT
Watch Mo doodle and talk about his process.

https://twitter.com/The_Pigeon/status/1239959957895700485

Jarrett J. Krosoczka – Draw Every Day with JJK  

Weekdays at 1pm CDT
Author and illustrator shares a fun and simple drawing lesson each day.

Cincinnati Zoo – Home Safari Facebook Lives  

Weekdays at 2pm CDT
Videos that highlight amazing animals and include an activity to do at home.

Emily Arrow – At Home with Emily Arrow  

Weekdays at 12pm CDT
YouTube sensation shares music, books and story time for kids.

#OperationStorytime

Your favorite authors host story time on Instagram. 

#SaveWithStories  

Various celebrities including Jennifer Garner and Amy Adams read books aloud on Instagram. 

Coronavirus: A Book for Children

Axel Scheffler has illustrated a digital book for primary school age children, free for anyone to read on screen or print out, about the coronavirus and the measures taken to control it. Published by Nosy Crow and written by staff within the company, with consulting by Professor Graham Medley of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, the book answers key questions in simple language appropriate for 5 to 9 year olds.

Space Station Explorers – Story Time from Space  

Enjoy videos of real astronauts in space reading books with space related topics. 

KidLit TV – Read Out Loud  

Enjoy story time with popular children’s literature authors. 

KidLit TV – StoryMakers  

An entertaining talk show highlighting bestselling kid lit authors and illustrators.  

International Digital Children’s Library 

Digital library of children’s literature in multiple languages available online and free of charge. 

Audible

For as long as schools are closed, kids everywhere can instantly stream an incredible collection of stories, including titles across six different languages, that will help them continue dreaming, learning and just being kids.

Summer Slugger

A fun, interactive, online course that uses the game of baseball to help kids ages 8 to 11 maintain their math and literacy skills during the summer months. Major League Baseball and EVERFI have teamed up to create a platform that keeps kids learning while they are out of school, and avoid the “summer slide” that contributes to a long-term achievement gap.

Arbordale Publishing eBooks

A large selection of beautiful eBooks featuring animals.

Nomad Press Learning Center

By engaging young learners in the scientific and engineering design process, Nomad Press models critical and creative thinking to promote the development of problem-solving skills as readers discover patterns and connections through intellectual inquiry.

Peachtree Event Kits and Teacher Guides

A publishing company offers activity sheets, event kits, teacher’s guides and discussion guides for free download.

Reading Rockets Adventure Packs

Free downloadable activities that encourage hands-on fun and learning centered around paired fiction and nonfiction books.

TCM Teachers

Free teacher-approved materials designed to help students solidify the concepts they learn in school, and equip them for learning at home.

Barefoot Books

Stories, singalongs and activity kits created specifically to keep kids busy with safe activities.

Into the Book 

Reading comprehension resources, including lesson plans, activity guides and student videos in English and Spanish. 

Dreamscape 

A fun, curriculum-aligned literacy game for Grades 2-8, combining strategy, engagement and imaginative reading passages.

Novel Effect 

Full-length, free e-books in audio or video formats. 

Reading Eggs 

Makes learning to read interesting and engaging for kids, with online reading games, songs and other activities.

Little Spark Company 

Free printable resources and activities for younger children. 

Starfall  

Audiovisual activities to teach reading for Grades P-3. Emphasizes exploration, play and positive reinforcement. 

ClickSchooling 

Daily recommendations of web-based curriculum ideas delivered to your email inbox. 

ABCya 

Educational games for kids P-6+, plus how-to craft videos. 

Favorite Read Alouds 

Oge Mora – Saturday 
Kate Messner – The Brilliant Deep  
Carole Lindstrom – We Are Water Protectors  
Grace Lin – Ling & Ting: Not Exactly the Same!

Classroom Cereal 

A series of free, printable short stories that double as grammar exercises. Enjoy the story and find the errors. 

CommonLit 

Free collection of fiction and nonfiction reading passages for Grades 3-12. Also offers Spanish reading passages and questions. 

Common Sense Education 

Tech tools to help teachers support students’ reading fluency, vocabulary and comprehension. Includes diagnostic tools, interactive e-readers, close-reading instruction and more.

Middle School Matters 

High quality support and resources for teaching reading through the content areas. 

Favorite Read Alouds  

Nikki Grimes – Words with Wings
Jason Reynolds – Ghost
K.A. Holt – House Arrest  
Chris Tebbetts – Stranded  
Jo Knowles – Where the Heart Is  

BWS Educational Consulting 

Free ACT & SAT test preparation handouts, practice tests and review guides as well as college admissions guides.

Marco Learning 

AP study courses including ultra-high-quality videos, practice questions, study guides and full-length tests and explanations that will help students improve in class and on the exam. 

Favorite Read Alouds 

Elizabeth Acevedo – The Poet X
Jason Reynolds – Long Way Down 

Adapted Publisher Guidelines

School Library Journal tracks temporary publisher copyright policies regarding recording and sharing read alouds.

7 Family-Friendly Literacy Activities to Empower Families as Readers

Booksource lists our favorite ways for kids and guardians to enjoy books, reading and literacy together while engaging in remote learning.

Wellness for Educators

Free classes to make sure you’re feeling great so that you can support your students.

Harry Potter at Home

Find all the latest magical treats to keep students occupied—craft videos, fun articles, quizzes, puzzles and plenty more for first-time readers, as well as those already familiar with the wizarding world.

Bookshare

A free library of over 800,000 ebooks. Teachers and parents can use Bookshare to get students with dyslexia, blindness, cerebral palsy, and other reading barriers books in easy-to-read formats like audio, audio + highlighted text, braille, and large font. The collection includes textbooks, educational materials, bestsellers, young adult, and children’s titles, and teachers can assign books to students easily and remotely.

How to Create a Virtual Classroom Library

If you and your students are missing your classroom library, this teacher was able to recreate one digitally. Follow her instructions to provide an online solution.

Learning at Home with Dictionary.com

Join Dictionary.com’s Facebook group to get early access to their newest free learning materials, connect with other parents and educators and share your own great ideas for educating at home.

Teachers College Virtual Learning Support

Webinars and other materials to support virtual teaching and learning, to help you connect with families and with each other and to help us all increase access and equity.

GoPeer

K-12 students are paired with college students at top-tier universities for video tutoring lessons.

Khan Academy

Offers courses on everything from early math to reading for Grades 2-8, plus personalized help.

TEDed

Provides an international platform for teachers to create their own interactive lessons and help curious students around the globe.

Imagineering in a Box

A free online program that brings together the diverse talents of Disney Imagineers around the world for a one-of-a-kind learning experience including 32 videos in which the Imagineers share how they use a wide range of skills.

Discovery K12 

Online homeschool platform and curriculum for Grades P-12 covering all subject areas. 

ScootPad 

Web-based platform that allows teachers to easily differentiate instruction for students. Offers 1,000+ learning paths in math and ELA for Grades K-8. 

ReadWorks 

Provides free, K-12 printables, digital classes and content for all subject areas. 

BreakoutEdu 

A collection of digital games that K-12 students can play at home. Organized by grade level and includes a variety of content areas. 

123 Homeschool 4 Me 

More than 1 million free worksheets for toddlers through Grade 12. These educational printables cover alphabet letters, math, language arts, history, geography and more.

San Diego Zoo – San Diego Kids  
National Park Service – Virtual Tours 
NASA, Google – Access Mars 
Louvre – Online Tours 
The China Guide – Great Wall of China 
British Museum – Virtual Tours 
U.S. Government Publishing Office – Ben’s Guide to the U.S. Government 

Do you have any websites or resources that you’re finding helpful? List them in the comments below for other educators to find!