Dear Families,
We wanted to provide you with some recommended websites your child can use over the summer to keep current with his or her skills. S/he can access these free websites on either a computer or mobile device and learn while having fun!
Sites for independently practicing skills
MobyMax: Personalized learning for every K-8 subject with lots of built in student motivation so kids enjoy practicing. Students take a placement test and then receive practice in the skills they need help with.
ReadTheory: Reading comprehension practice for grades 1-12 reading level. Available on desktop and mobile.
Epic: thousands of high quality books for gr K-5 that can be read on any device, with personalized recommendations based on reading levels and interests. There is a small monthly fee for parents/home use. Students should be able to use their usual log in here for free.
Prodigy: math practice in all major topics for grades 1-8. Student progress is reported back to you in real time, and the activities are highly engaging. Kids love Prodigy!
TenMarks Education: differentiated math practice for grades 1-12 that’s very helpful for standardized test prep.
IXL: mostly rote skill practice and timed drills in math, ELA, science, and social studies for PreK-12. It’s easy to find the specific standard you want your child to work on.
Khan Academy: K-12 interactive exercises and tutorials for a wide array of subjects. Your child will have a custom learning dashboard that lets him or her practice skills based on the individual level. Students can see how they’re doing and also receive fun rewards along the way like badges and points.
Sites for fun educational games
ABCMouse: fun online practice for a wide variety of skills and subject areas for grades PreK-2.
ABCya: K-5 ELA and math games, as well as various other topics (both educational and just for fun.) There’s also a large collection of games available as apps.
Sheppard Software: has top-quality games for every subject spanning PreK-8. Fun and easy to use. There are ads on the site, so be sure to remind your child not to click on anything to the left or right of the game.
PBS Kids: great for younger students. There are educational and just-for-fun games, which you can sort by subject area and skill. Be warned that some games are premium and require a subscription. I also recommend the PBS CyberChase collection of math games.
FunBrain: makes the list because kids return to the site again and again even when they have the choice to play non-educational games. The online books and comics addition is wonderful. It’s not the easiest site for kids to navigate independently if they’re looking for a specific game, but that’s mostly because there’s so much there.
Utah Education Network: a curated collection of free useful and developmentally appropriate games from all over the web. Look in the sidebar on the righthand side and click K-2, 3-6, or 7-12 interactives.
BrainPOP’s GameUp: highly vetted free educational games for K-12 on a variety of topics. BrainPOP’s collection focuses on higher-level thinking skills and critical thinking rather than rote practice and include topics such as coding and STEM skills. Students should remember our school log in code for full access.
Learning Games Network: Lengthy critical thinking games for grades 5-12 where students apply skills across the curriculum in meaningful, video-game like contexts.
Manga High: twenty original math games for grades 5-12. Create a free account to play, or purchase a subscription to get analytics on student game play.
Content-specific educational games
Vocabulary Spelling City: the best site for engaging, differentiated practice with spelling and vocabulary (use the built-in sets of words or help your child develop his or her own list!) Again, students should be able to log in here as usual.
Electric Company: high quality and engaging phonics, vocabulary and reading games for K-3.
PlayPower: grades 1-5 math aligned with Common Core and available in app versions.
Quill: It’s not easy to gamify proofreading, editing, and writing, but Quill does an excellent job for grades 5-12.
Classroom Inc: These ELA games for grades 6-12 (targeted at grades 9-10) put research, interview, and writing skills within a real world content in these in-depth games.
Numbaland: some grades 3-8 math games; they’re perfect for projecting on your whiteboard to use during instruction.
Explore Learning (Gizmos): grades 3-12 math and science interactive activities and games searchable by skill and standard.
iCivics: every civics/history/government teacher who works with grades 5-12 should check out these amazing simulations and games
Tynker: coding games for kids in grades K-12
Learning Games Lab: engaging, in-depth games on unique topics from elementary and middle schoolers, including food safety, water conservation, and more. Science teachers should check out the virtual labs and math teachers should check out Math Snacks and Monster School Bus.
Taking IT Global: grades 6-12; seriously in-depth games on important real-world topics
NOAA: a wide range of grades 2-7 life science and environmental science games
We hope that you have a wonderful summer! We are already looking forward to 4th grade next year! Keep in touch!
Mrs. Cook and Mrs. Dyer
