Interactive Reading for the Google Classroom
Reading comprehension and reading fluency are two of the most important aspects of learning regardless of subject matter. The ability to read forms the basis for all other content areas and knowledge. With Google Classroom, teachers can incorporate interactive reading lessons for students to work on comprehension and fluency skills while creating a fun, supportive, and engaging learning environment.
Newsela is a collection of articles and text sets which can be assigned to students for lessons. The library contains articles in a multitude of topic areas including arts and culture, science and math, religion and philosophy, government and economics, geography, world history, and U.S. history. It also includes primary sources, biographies, famous speeches, and many more topics. Newsela features text sets for a variety of areas such as science, literature, social studies, and math. Spanish texts are also available for users. Articles are published for five reading levels based on lexile so readers of all ability levels can read the same article. Each article includes a standards-aligned quiz, writing prompts or additional activities. Assignments can be shared with students directly through Google Classroom. Newsela has a basic plan which is free, but the option to upgrade to a premium service is available.
Read&Write is a reading tool which is available as an extension for Google Chrome. The extension is free for 30 days, and teachers can upgrade to the premium plan for free after the 30 day trial for the Chrome extension ends. Read&Write for Chrome includes text-to-speech, text and picture dictionaries, dictation, word prediction, and many more features. The extension works in most Google Drive file types such as Docs, PDFs, etc.
Actively Learn is an online literacy platform which allows teachers to find texts to pair with lessons in ELA, science, or social studies. It includes scaffolding and higher order questioning for students as well as annotation capabilities and assessments. Teachers can also provide instant feedback to students and support English Language Learners through the translation feature. Actively Learn is completely integrated with Google Classroom.
PBS Learning media is a resource for lesson plans, videos, and interactive activities for teachers and students. It allows teachers to create puzzles and assessments as well as customize lesson plans. Content can be filtered by type or grade level which allows quick and easy searches for resources. PBS Learning Media is free and fully compatible with Google Classroom.
Story Shares is a digital library complete with books for a variety of reading and interest levels which aims to inspire reading practice and improve literacy. It is geared towards teen and young adult readers. Story Shares includes a read-aloud feature and a dictionary for students to look up words while reading. It also includes a writing tool for students to create their own books which can be published in the Story Shares library. Teachers also have the ability to track students’ reading progress in real time and use the book-building tool. Story Shares can be sent to students through the Share to Classroom extension for Chrome.
