The 5 Best ELA Websites to Start Using Today
"You HAVE to use this website!"
Does that sentence above sound familiar? Yeah, me too. From teacher friends, co-workers, admin, social media accounts; it seems like everyone has discovered a new, amazing EdTech website to start using for ELA instruction. And they’re not wrong! There are HUNDREDS of amazing, effective websites out there. So, what are the best ELA websites to use to simplify your modern ELA classroom?
Finding high-quality ELA websites to use in your classroom isn’t hard. Choosing a small handful to use consistently in your actual instruction? That can be tough!
Personally, I was on the EdTech grind long before COVID-19 turned our classrooms into digital whirlwinds of screen-centric learning. I’ve always been excited about bringing high-quality technology into my students’ learning environment.
So, I’ve learned a thing or two over the years about which sites are actually worthwhile, and which ones are “fluff” that end up not really enhancing any of our learning at all.
Below is my list the TOP 5 BEST ELA websites to use in your classroom!
Honestly, there are TONS of others that are equally awesome and effective! However, these are the 5 that I use consistently in my own classroom; the 5 that my students rely on (and ENJOY!) the most; the 5 that I believe to be all-around rock stars in helping my students succeed, not just waste their time with a “fun” new activity that looks good.
1. Quizizz
Friends, trust me. If you are not using Quizizz in your class, START TODAY!
I have been a fan of Quizizz for a long time, but the changes they made during 2020 put them over the top for me.
I use Quizizz probably every week, at least once. I use it to teach new lessons, review important skills, and add fun to my classroom environment. This is similar to the popular Kahoot, but in my opinion, WAY better and more versatile!
Honestly, teaching grammar is tough. Once I started using the lessons feature in Quizizz to teach new grammar lessons, though, everything changed! I will never teach a grammar lesson again without Quizizz interactive lessons. I honestly had a student say to me, “Woah, I didn’t know taking notes could be fun!” I mean….HOW GREAT IS THAT?!
What I use Quizizz for:
* Teach live, interactive lessons digitally (my favorite part!)
*Practice ELA skills with whole-class games (my kids LOVE it!)
*Assign HW games that you get the reports from
*Review a unit, lesson, or topic in a fun way
My favorite part?
Pre-made everything. You don’t ever have to make anything with Quizizz! Simply use the THOUSANDS of games and standard-based lessons posted for free from other educators!
Win-Win!
Overview:
What makes this one of the best ELA websites to use?
1. Quizizz is a freemium site. (You never have to pay.)
2. Connects to Google Classroom.
3. TONS of pre-made lessons and games for ALL grades.
4. Instant reports and data for assessment.
5. Super easy sign up for you AND your students.
2. Newsela
If you’re not on the Newsela grind yet, make it your goal this week to add it to your reading block routines!
Seriously, I cannot say enough about Newsela. Their commitment to factual, developmentally-appropriate news that keeps students updated on our world is so inspiring!
Also, there are a lot of current-event websites out there, but Newsela blows them ALL away! Every time.
Here’s why: Newsela is so much more than just a stream of current news articles. Every article comes with a short comprehension quiz, a writing task, and the priceless ability to change the reading level, easily annotate text, translate to Spanish, and have the article read-aloud.
I mean….it has everything you need for effective reading instruction!
What I use Newsela for:
* Assigned reading about a topic we are studying in class.
* Student-choice reading options during literacy centers.
*Discussion over difficult real-world events.
* Early finisher option
* “News Flash Friday” –> Students read any article, take notes, and share what they learned with each other!
My favorite part?
All articles come with multiple reading level options for easy differentiation! I love that students can just change the reading level to one that suits them best.
My 2nd favorite part is the vast collection of articles on virtually EVERY topic imaginable!
Overview:
What makes this one of the best ELA websites to use?
1. Newsela is a freemium site. (You never have to pay.)
2. Connects to Google Classroom.
3. Easily differentiate articles by reading level.
4. Useful for whole-class or student-choice reading.
5. Always fact-based, unbiased, & racially sensitive.
3. IXL
So, here’s the thing. I’m a huge language nerd. I love grammar and all that jazz that most people hate. BUT, teaching grammar is a whole different beast. Seriously, teaching grammar is TOUGH.
IXL.com has made teaching grammar and writing skills SO MUCH EASIER in my classroom! Not to mention, so much more engaging for my students. I started using this consistently last year, and I don’t ever want to go back.
Really, the only downside is that this is a membership-only website. However, it is so worth EVERY PENNY! I pushed for my district to pay for this after piloting it with the one-month free trial, and thankfully, they did! Now, we use IXL in grades 5-8 as part of our curriculum! That’s how powerful this tool has been for us.
IXL teaches a skill and gives standards-based, interactive practice questions for students about the skill. If they miss a question, they get a mini-lesson. When they can a score of 100, they have “mastered the skill” and get a rewarded.
What I use IXL for:
* Literacy centers 1-2 times per week.
* Whole-class practice over a new skill we are learning.
* General test-prep.
* Intervention and re-teaching.
* Early finisher option.
My favorite part?
Students see tangible progress in their learning. At the end of a unit or semester, they can look back at all the skills they “mastered.” They get SO excited when they finish a new skill!
I can easily assign specific skills for specific students, making differentiated learning so simple and effective.
Overview:
What makes this one of the best ELA websites to use?
1. IXL is a membership only site.
2. Very helpful for intervention and re-teaching.
3. Easily differentiate skills for students.
4. Students can work at their own pace.
5. Teaches lessons AND provides practice
4. StoryWorks
Ok, seriously. I would be lost without StoryWorks magazine. I have relied heavily on this AMAZING magazine in my 5th grade ELA classroom, and I truly believe my teaching is better because of it.
If you don’t have a solid reading curriculum available to you, I really think StoryWorks alone could be your sole ELA curriculum, and you would cover all your standards in the most FUN way each year! If I were a home school parent, I would spend money getting a subscription to StoryWorks ASAP. Personally, I use this as a supplement to my other reading curriculum, and I love using it that way!
Here’s why:
And that’s not even the best part:
Thankfully, the BEST part of StoryWorks is the digital side of it. The paper magazines are nice, but they don’t hold a candle to the incredible digital access this magazine provides. They have entire lessons built on Google Slides ready to post (hello easy and engaging sub plans!!!). And, they have leveled printables and digital worksheets for quick differentiation; they have Google Forms self-grading quizzes for EVERY text (<–my personal fave), and SO MUCH MORE!
So, If your district is willing, try to get your hands on this amazing ELA resource! You will not be underwhelmed.
What I use StoryWorks for:
* Reading Comprehension practices.
* Whole-class lesson for a reading skill we are learning.
* Combining reading and writing effortlessly.
* Differentiation for lower learners.
* Instant sub plans or eLearning day plans.
My favorite part?
Students genuinely LOVE these articles, which makes it an easy choice for me in the classroom. Most are written by the fabulous Lauren Tarshis (who write the “I Survived” series.) and SO well-written for high-engagement
For me, I love the wide-variety of genres and extension activities for each text. I could easily spend an entire week of ELA block lessons on one single text!
Overview:
What makes this one of the best ELA websites to use?
1. StoryWorks is a membership only site.
2. Reading, writing, and grammar resources.
3. Easily differentiate text levels for students.
4. Digital AND print options available for EVERY text.
5. Covers tons of essential standards in every issue.
5. Quizlet
Quizlet is AWESOME! Seriously, if you want to level-up your vocabulary development game this year, get on Quizlet this week! Quizlet makes learning new vocab so fun for students. In my class, they are highly motivated to play the games, get on the leaderboards, and beat their teacher’s score! haha (I love playing this too!)
The best part?
Also, there are thousands of pre-made lists on Quizlet ready for you! I teach Greek and Latin roots all year, and I rarely make my own lists. I just find the pre-made list I need, maybe edit a few terms, and then I’m done! No-prep!
In my class, we LOVE doing Quizlet Live! It’s a fun team game that’s fast-paced and team-centric. They help each other learn the terms quickly and compete to come in first place. They LOVE it! I have at least 3 students a day ask me if we are playing Quizlet Live that day in class. No joke!
There’s really no drawback to Quizlet for me. At all! This is a teacher’s dream site.
What I use Quizlet for:
* General vocabulary practices.
* Whole-class game to study new words.
*Literacy center activity
* Pre-reading vocab activity for a new novel or text.
* Independent work in class.
My favorite part?
I love that students get so into Quizlet. There are lots of different games and activities to help all levels of learners.
I love that students never have to worry about their log-in info or waste time signing in.
And of course, it’s FREE!
Overview:
What makes this one of the best ELA websites to use?
1. Quizlet is a freemium site; you never have to pay.
2. Perfect for vocabulary studies.
3. Students work at their own pace.
4. Can be used independently or as a whole class game.
5. Tons of pre-made lists ready for you to use!
*BONUS*
Okay, I just couldn’t resist one more! This next one is SO SIMPLE and SO AMAZING and SO FUN!
My kids literally laugh out loud doing these writing activities, and they beg me to share their stories with the class!
That’s what makes this one of the best ELA websites to use!
Story Starters is just a win-win all around.
It’s fun, it gets kids excited about writing, it’s 100% free, there is NO PREP involved, and it allows creativity to flow freely. This is my go-to activity for early finishers, filler-activities, day-before-a-holiday plans, and fun eLearning day work after a hard unit/lesson.
WHY IT’S AMAZING:
1. Story Starters is totally FREE and totally FUN.
2. Perfect for creative writing practice.
3. Gets your most difficult students excited to write!
4. Can be used in SO many effective ways.
So, I hope this blog post helps you get a foot-hold in your EdTech world as a modern, ELA teacher.
I know there are TONS of other amazing sites! That’s the point. There are so many, and the choices can be overwhelming for both you AND your students.
Having a handful of sites you use regularly will help you feel more confident with digital teaching, and it will help your students feel less overwhelmed in class. I promise!
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