Excellent Websites for Teachers, Parents, and Kids

One thing I learned when I was director of reading for the Chicago Public Schools was that teachers’ appetites for resources, support, and professional development in reading were insatiable. No matter how much we tried to provide for them, they always seemed to want more. That is not a criticism of teachers, but praise. The men and women who were teaching in Chicago wanted to do a good job, so their eyes were always open for new resources.

  Since then, I’ve tried to keep my eyes out for stuff that would help them and their counterparts elsewhere. Especially free stuff. I’ve come across two helpful sites that I wanted folks to know about; you might find some helpful materials, activities, and information at these sites.

  The first one is the ReadWriteThink site supported by the Verizon Foundation in collaboration with the International Reading Association and other professional groups. This is the single most helpful place to go if you are looking for lesson plans or cool activities. This even provides on-line professional development resources for teachers, as well as neat things parents can do with their kids (or that kids can do on their own). You definitely want to add this to your favorites lists.

  The next one provides online books for free:  Open Culture