ReadWorks® is not just for reading teachers.  If you are an educator, this website is for you.  You may be surprised by what you find.

Have you ever searched the internet late at night looking for the perfect downloadable resource that you can use with students tomorrow?  Do you find something you like but then realize you have to modify it because it’s not quite what you wanted?

I can easily become frustrated sifting through websites looking for great content that results in student achievement and is free to use.  It’s easy to find a zillion lessons and activities to download, but are those “activities” anything more than a time-filler?

I need resources that academically pack a punch, are visually appealing, engaging to students, and easy for me to use.  Often it can be like finding a needle in a haystack.

With so many websites out there, educators don’t always have the time to scour the internet and find the best websites.  I’m adding a new feature to the blog—60-Second Reviews—to give you the highlights of a great resource.

This week’s 60-Second Review highlights the 10 top features of the new ReadWorks.org.

The creators of this website are committed to filling in the reading gap for students across content areas and grade levels.  They’ve done a fantastic job!  If you haven’t looked at this website recently, then it’s time to take another look.

Here’s what you can do:

1. Find a wide variety of literary and non-fiction passages, including primary source documents, for almost all subject areas and all grade levels (K-12), including the areas of physical, emotional, and mental health.

2.  Incorporate articles related to social emotional learning, such as dealing with feelings, anxiety, learning disabilities, shyness, friendship difficulties, etc. into your lessons.

3.  Search the database of articles by skill, strategy, grade level, Lexile, informational text, literature, paired texts, Article a Day and more. Build a customized list to easily keep track of articles and passages by adding them to “My List”.

4.  Download these high quality resources without any need for modification.

5.  Use the question sets (with answers), and vocabulary resources that accompany each article.

6.  Support students with audio versions that are included with all articles.

7.  Differentiate instruction by selecting articles that contain one or two additional passages, which are less complex versions of the original article.

8.  Create classes and assign articles to students. Students do not need emails for the teacher to create classes.

9.  Save time. Have students log in to ReadWorks.org to complete and submit assignments online.  Students do not need emails to submit assignments.  The multiple choice portion is graded by the computer and the short answer/essay portion is graded by the teacher within ReadWorks.org.

10.  Check it out. Readworks.org is still FREE!

This is one of those best-kept secret websites out there.  Check it out! 

If this 60-Second Review was helpful and you would like more of these, let me know in the comments below.