There is an ever-growing collection of online resources that ELA teachers can use to plan and teach their content. Some of these materials are targeted to a specific area of English language arts (like reading or writing), while others are general repositories of teacher materials that may include lesson plans, videos, graphic organizers, content information, interactive learning games, and more.
The list below highlights a few quality ELA sites for you to begin exploring. As with almost any online materials, there is a lot out there, so don’t stop with this list. Rather, use it as a jumping-off point in your own “web quest” for ELA knowledge and instructional resources.
Instructional Materials
- 826 Digital: Access free teacher materials. Collections include sparks (skill-building activities), lessons, projects, and writing samples.
- Flocabulary: This popular site offers a library of hip-hop style videos to teach vocabulary. With a subscription, you can also access the full lesson sequence that also includes vocabulary cards, a game, read and respond, a quiz, and a lyric lab. A free 30-day trial is available. You can also access Flocabulary’s YouTube channel.
- Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL): This site is a great resource for all-things writing. It is especially helpful in the areas of research and citations, avoiding plagiarism, and subject-specific writing.
- ReadWriteThink: This searchable website is packed with classroom resources, professional development, and more. Popular materials include lesson plans, student interactives, and mobile apps. It’s worth noting that some interactives may require Flash, which is no longer supported.
- Quill: Assign writing and grammar activities to K–12 students. Find lesson plans, writing prompts, discussion topics, and follow-up independent practice activities.
- WatchKnowLearn: This site features free educational videos organized into subjects and subcategories. You will find over 6,000 videos in the Language Arts category. For best results, use the expandable directory on the left navigation pane to drill down to the subtopic of your choice. Subtopics include: Language Arts for Younger Learners, Writing, Reading, Speaking and Listening, Study Skills, and more.
- The Writing Center: This is a writing reference site from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. It includes resources, tips, and tools for writing, citations, style, and subject-specific writing.
- Vocabulary.com: This site utilizes gamified adaptive software to personalize vocabulary study.
Games
- ABCya: Play a wide variety of language arts games. This is targeted for grades pre-K to 6 and up.
- Arcademics: This site combines the enjoyment of arcade games with academics to create fun learning. It is intended for grades 1–6.
- Elementari: Write and code interactive books. You can create one classroom with 35 student accounts using the free version.
- Interactive Sites: This site is a directory of interactive websites. Click a topic for a list of online manipulatives and interactive websites in a variety of subject areas, including: math, English language arts, science, social studies, music, art, and Spanish. Some activities are Flash-based and may not work; however, these links are being continually updated.
- PBS Kids Reading Games: Play a variety of reading and ELA skill-building games online. Games include Story Creator, Story Book Builder, Spectacular Spelling Play, Rhyme Racer, and more.
Extend Your Learning
- 10 Best ELA Tools for High School (Common Sense Education)
- 10 Best ELA Tools for Elementary Schoolers (Common Sense Education)
- 5 Technology Tools Perfect for ELA Online Learning Stations (Dr. Catlin Tucker)
- 38 Best ELA Websites in 2021 (Symbaloo)
- Online Resources for Diverse Children’s Literature (Children’s Literature Assembly)