Literacy+tools

=FREE Assessment Tools= = Free Early Literacy Tools =
 * **AIM Explorer** - Simulation tool to help determine which auditory and visual supports the struggling reader needs.
 * **AIM Navigator -** A decision-making tool to guide the use of accessible instructional materials for individual students
 * **PAR** - Protocol for Accommodations In Reading. Use this free download to determine the appropriate reading accommodations a student needs.
 * Reading Bear -Learn letter sounds, great videos to learn the alphabet and beginning sounds, by the same people who developed WatchKnowLearn.org - great site for beginning readers.
 * [|Literactive]  - interactive primary reading activities
 * Doorway Online - Interactive literacy site.
 * Between the Lions - Interactive site by pbskids.
 * **StarFall ** **-** Pre-K - 2nd grade online activities that promote literacy

Free Literacy Tools

 * **Newsela ** - Innovative way to build reading comprehension with relevant, daily news, non-fiction Can adapt to multiple lexile levels. Awesome!
 * **Insert Learning** - InsertLearning is a Chrome extension that lets you turn websites into interactive lessons.
 * ** Actively Learn ** - Provides scaffolded support to enhance understanding and comprehension of text. Embed notes, questions and videos into reading, students think, write and collaborate. Awesome tool! Discover what other teachers have created or create your own. Explore the Catalog here by category and filter.
 * **CommonLit** - Excellent resource for grade 5 - 12 fiction/nonfiction accessible text. Includes text to speech, highlighting tools, Guided Reading Mode and more. Must explore and use!
 * **Rewordify** - Cognitively rescale difficult passages instantly with this tool. Import text and rewordifysimplifies the text for students who need it. Definitely check it out!
 * **The Skimm** - A daily email newsletter delivered every morning. Combine with text to speech for access to the news.
 * ** [|My Study Bar] ** - a comprehensive set of portable open source and freeware applications to support learners with literacy difficulties. MyStudyBar is similar to popular commercial programs which use a floating toolbar to support literacy. The main difference is MyStudyBar is free. The toolbar includes a range of tools to support inclusion such as mind mapping, screen masking, word prediction, talking dictionary, text-to-speech, Save as MP3 and voice recognition. PC Only . (Speech recognition only works in Vista or Windows 7)
 * [|Literactive] - interactive primary reading activities
 * [|Inkless] [| Tales] - Listen to <span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark">stories including Dolch words. (<span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark">use  the control + keys to enlarge the font size if students are following along)
 * [|Into the Book] - Excellent reading comprehension resource - Using Prior Knowledge, Making Connections, Questioning, Visualizing, Inferring, Summarizing, Evaluating and Synthesizing. K-4
 * [|Read Works] - resources for teaching reading comprehension to K - 6 learners.
 * **[|Spelling City]** - insert the week's spelling list and students can play games, finish worksheets, and complete other interactive activities.
 * **[|Doorway Speller]** - Online tool for Look, Say, Cover, Write, Check
 * [|Word Magnets]<span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark"> -
 * [|Cast UDL Book Builder]- Check [|out a previous post]to learn about this free online tool for creating digital books with embedded prompts.
 * [|UDL Editions]- Leveled support for seven texts geared for ages 10 and up
 * [|Haiku Deck] Build Content Area Vocabulary

Free Online Books

 * [|Unite for LIteracy]- over 100 high quality picture books with human narration for beginning readers. Offers multiple language human narration.
 * [|Genie Books] - <span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark">Decodable books in <span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark">Powerpoint
 * <span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark">StoryNory - Free audio stories with human narration
 * StoryLine Online - Listen to stories read by Screen Actors Guild members - follow along with the text
 * [|Children's]<span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark">[|StoryBooks] [| Online] - illustrated stories for young children, older children and young adults. Some include audio.
 * [|Browser Books] -<span style="font-family: Comic Sans MS,Arial;"> "This website was created to allow **beginning readers** to read books on their web browser. Readers can click on the triangle in the lower right-hand corner of each page to turn the pages. If they are unsure of a word, they can click on it to hear a child's voice read the word to them. The books have been sorted by level and by subject according to the curriculum." (from the website)
 * <span style="font-family: Comic Sans MS,Arial;">National Geographic - For K and 1st grade students, listen to article read with highlighted text and human narration
 * <span style="font-family: Comic Sans MS,Arial;">ABCYA Stories - A link to a collection of stories for elementary students with highlighted text and human narration
 * [|Tar Heel Reader] Here you’ll find a collection of [|easy-to-read books] on a wide variety of topics. Each book is switch accessible and speech enabled. You may download the books as a slide show in PowerPoint, Impress, or Flash format. Appropriate for beginning readers of all ages, including adolescents.

**Resources for grades 6 - 12**
<span style="display: block; height: 1px; left: 0px; overflow: hidden; position: absolute; top: 544px; width: 1px;"> Free Early Literacy Tools <span style="display: block; height: 1px; left: 0px; overflow: hidden; position: absolute; top: 567.5px; width: 1px;">
 * **Newsela -** Innovative way to build reading comprehension with relevant, daily news, non-fiction Can adapt to multiple lexile levels. Awesome!
 * ** Actively Learn ** - Embed notes, questions and videos into reading, students think, write and collaborate. Awesome tool! Discover what other teachers have created or create your own (three of your own creations/month)
 * <span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark">**<span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark">LitCharts - **<span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark">Literature Guides, Must check out the Theme Wheel
 * **CommonLit** - Excellent resource for grade 5 - 12 fiction/nonfiction accessible text. Includes text to speech, highlighting tools, Guided Reading Mode and more. Must explore and use!
 * **[|Shmoop]** -- Guides to about 200 classic school novels – Intro (includes a Why Should I care section) Summary, Themes, Quotes, Characters, Analysis, Questions, Photos, Quizzes, Best of the Web, Write Essay and Teaching. Includes a step-by-step essay writing tool. Includes <span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark">ads but the site is so rich, we can overlook them.
 * **Video Spark Notes** - video recaps of classic literature books read in schools (24 books total - Shakespeare, Tale of Two Cities, Great Gatsby, etc)
 * **[|60 Second Recap]** - (has ads) video recaps of classic literature read in middle and high schools. (<span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark">ie . <span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_noSuggestion GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark">Beowolf , 1984, Adventures of Huck Finn, Lord of the Flies
 * TextCompactor - When <span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark">text needs to be summarized, use this online tool. Great for cognitive <span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark">rescaling.
 * **[|Planet eBooks]-** Free classic literature to download (middle school and up)
 * **[|Poetry Foundation]** - free resource to find poetry by category, by name, by title, by author, or by first line. It's digital, attach a voice and it's now accessible!Fr
 * <span class="GINGER_SOFATWARE_noSuggestion GINGER_SOFATWARE_correct"><span class="GINGER_SOFTWARE_mark"><span style="background-image: url(">[|Literactive]  - interactive primary reading activities