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Student success is about more than grades—it's about helping every learner grow, persevere, and reach their potential. Explore these free resources to support student engagement, motivation, well-being, goal setting, and academic achievement.

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This conference is a joint effort between Navajo and Apache County Superintendents of Schools.

Navajo County: https://www.navajocountyaz.gov/366/Superintendent-of-Schools

Apache County: https://www.apachecountyaz.gov/school-superintendent

Superintendent Lewis (Navajo County): Rachael.Lewis@NavajoCountyAZ.gov

Superintendent Whiting (Apache County): JWhiting@ApacheSchools.net

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Superintendent of Schools | Navajo County, AZ

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Navajo County’s Superintendent of Schools and the Education Service Agency’s dedicated team, along with our partners, provide exemplary services to our community in a fiscally-responsible manner.

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New to Science of Reading? Start with Reading Rockets for an overview, then explore UFLI for practical classroom lessons and downloadable materials.

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Description:
One of the most trusted literacy websites available. It includes classroom strategies, research summaries, videos, downloadable guides, book recommendations, and professional learning resources for every grade level.

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Why I picked it
If a teacher only bookmarked ONE literacy website, this would probably be it.

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Explore reading basics as well as the key role of background knowledge and motivation in becoming a lifelong reader and learner. Watch our PBS Launching Young Readers series and try our self-paced Reading 101 course to deepen your understanding.

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Description
Free companion resources for UFLI Foundations including Google Slides, PowerPoints, decodable passages, homework pages, games, and center activities.

Best for
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Intervention
Title I

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Lesson Resources

The UFLI Foundations Toolbox contains all the lesson resources to accompany the lesson plans provided in the UFLI Foundations manual. (Don't have a manual yet? Click here to order one) Every lesson has companion resources that will help you implement the lessons efficiently, effectively, and consistently.

Some of the companion lesson resources you will find below include:

Lesson slide decks (in PowerPoint and Google Slide formats)

Decodable passages

Homework sheets

Games and activities for additional practice

We have grouped the lessons into smaller units so you can access these resources more easily. Scroll down to use the buttons below to find the resources for each lesson or groups of lessons.

Please note that we are still building out these free resources, and we will be editing this page over the next few weeks. We wanted you to be able to access some materials as soon as possible, but be sure to come back later to see the rest!
New to UFLI Foundations? Learn about its development, check out a sample lesson plan, view the scope and sequence, and more.

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The UFLI Foundations Toolbox contains all the lesson resources to accompany the lesson plans provided in the UFLI Foundations manual. (Don't have a manual yet? Click here to order one) Every lesson has companion resources that will help you implement the lessons efficiently, effectively, and consistently.

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Description
Interactive digital blending boards, word work tools, decodable generators, and other classroom-ready activities that pair perfectly with structured literacy instruction.

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Virtual Blending Board

The Virtual Blending Board should be used in most lessons during Step 4: Blending Drill. The Virtual Blending Board is designed for the teacher to project and manipulate, while students build their decoding automaticity by reading the words the teacher forms. To set up the Virtual Blending Board for a lesson, use the grapheme grid provided in the lesson plan to identify the letters you'll need. Then, use the word chain provided to build words for your students to decode. The tutorial video provides more detailed information for how to set up and use the Virtual Blending Board.

Virtual Blending Board

Virtual Blending Board Tutorial

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The Virtual Blending Board should be used in most lessons during Step 4: Blending Drill. The Virtual Blending Board is designed for the teacher to project and manipulate, while students build their decoding automaticity by reading the words the teacher forms. To set up the Virtual Blending Board for a lesson, use the grapheme grid provided in the lesson plan to identify the letters you'll need.

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⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reading Rockets: Content Area Literacy

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⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reading Rockets: Content Area Literacy

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Description
Evidence-based strategies for teaching reading and writing across science, social studies, math, and other content areas. Excellent for upper elementary and secondary teachers.

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In one school day, an elementary school teacher will instruct children in reading, math, science, social studies, and more. Children should be reading and writing across all these disciplines, using specific techniques and knowledge to help them navigate different types of texts.Photo by Allison Shelley for EDUimages

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Whether you're teaching kindergarten or high school, strong writers are strong thinkers. Explore these free resources to help students communicate ideas, support claims with evidence, ask meaningful questions, and engage in deeper learning.

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3rd Grade Guided Practice: Dr. Brian Taylor

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3rd Grade Guided Practice: Dr. Brian Taylor

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⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Cult of Pedagogy – Retrieval Practice

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⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Cult of Pedagogy – Retrieval Practice

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Excellent classroom strategies for improving long-term learning through retrieval.

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Listen to my interview with Pooja Agarwal ( transcript):

Sponsored by Raymond Geddes and Kids Discover

We've talked about retrieval practice two other times on this site: First in 2015, when we read the book Make it Stick. Then in 2016, I interviewed cognitive psychologists Megan Smith and Yana Weinstein about the Six Powerful Learning Strategies You Must Share with Students.

In both cases, I noticed that although we were discussing collections of techniques, retrieval practice was at the core of both groups. Because it's such a powerful technique, I would think that by now it would have really taken off, that I'd hear teachers talking about it and see the term crop up in lots of education spaces, but I don't see that happening.

So I wanted to give it one more push by carving out a designated spot for it here. My goal is to help retrieval practice become a regular part of classroom practice and part of our common vocabulary as teachers. To help with this cause, I interviewed Pooja Agarwal, Ph.D., cognitive scientist and founder of RetrievalPractice.org.

What is Retrieval Practice?

Retrieval practice is the act of trying to recall information without having it in front of you. Suppose you're studying the systems of the human body-skeletal, muscular, circulatory, and so on. You could do retrieval practice by attempting to name those systems without looking at the list. Once you've listed all you can remember, you'd open up your book or notes and check to see if you got them right.

You might be thinking, This is nothing new. The whole concept of flashcards is built on retrieval practice, and flashcards have been around forever, right?

What's new is the research: In recent years, cognitive psychologists have been comparing retrieval practice with other methods of studying-strategies like review lectures, study guides, and re-reading texts. And what they're finding is that nothing cements long-term learning as powerfully as retrieval practice.

The Research

Agarwal and her colleagues studied the effects of retrieval practice with students in a middle school social studies course (McDaniel, Agarwal, Huelser, McDermott, & Roediger, 2011). Over the course of a year and a half, while the teacher continued teaching as normal, students were regularly quizzed on the material with no-stakes quizzes, meaning they wouldn't count against their grades. These quizzes only covered about one-third of what was being taught. The teacher left the room for every quiz, so she had no knowledge of what was included in the quizzes.

On end-of-unit exams, students scored a full grade level higher on the material from the quizzes than on any of the other material. The other concepts had been taught and reviewed by the teacher as they normally would; the only difference was that some things also appeared on the no-stakes quizzes, and those were the concepts students retained more fully when tested on the exam.

The very act of being quizzed actually helped students learn better.

Here's what this means for teachers: When we teach something once, then want to do something else to help students learn it better, instead of just reviewing the content, we're much better off giving something like a quiz instead. In other words, if we do more asking students to pull concepts out of their brains, rather than continually trying to put concepts in, students will actually learn those concepts better.

To read about other studies on retrieval practice, click here. For now, let's look at some ways you can incorporate retrieval practice into your instruction.

Ways to Use Retrieval Practice in the Classroom

Think-Pair-Share
This quick, low-maintenance strategy can be used at any time to have students recall information, then share it with a partner. You can use think-pair-shares with single-answer questions, or make them more open-ended, like "Think of one thing you learned yesterday about cells." Be sure to have students think on their own before turning to a partner. "It's important for students to retrieve individually as much as possible," Agarwal advises. "If you jump right into pairs, then we all know as educators that some students are retrieving and some may not be." One way to make sure all students retrieve is to have them jot responses down on paper before sharing them with a partner.

Low-Stakes Quizzes
These can be given on paper, in a Google Form, with an individual response system like clickers, Plickers, or Poll Everywhere; or by using a game like Kahoot or Quizziz. It's important to note that these quizzes are a learning strategy: Ideally, students wouldn't get scores on them at all, but if you must give some points, make them an almost negligible part of students' overall class grade.

Brain Dumps
Have students get out a sheet of paper and, within a certain length of time, write down everything they know about a topic of study. This can be done at the beginning of a unit (similar to how you'd use a K-W-L Chart), partway through as a way to reinforce learning, or near the end of a unit. Once students have completed theirs, they can exchange them in a think-pair-share or use them to compile a whole-class brain dump. Then they can return to their texts to see what they missed or what needs correction.

Flashcards
These can be a powerful retrieval tool in class or at home, but students need to be taught to use them correctly:

Once a card has been mastered, keep it in the deck a while.
Research has shown that students tend to "drop" cards out of their decks too soon after they have mastered them (Karpicke, 2009). Ideally, a fact should be successfully retrieved three times before a student moves on from it.

Actually retrieve.
Karpicke's research also found that when students see a familiar prompt on a flashcard, they have a tendency to tell themselves they know it, then flip it over to see the answer, rather than taking a few extra seconds to actually recall the answer-and ideally, say it out loud-before flipping the card over. The difference in timing is subtle, but important: Students will not get the same benefits from flashcards unless they actually retrieve the answer before seeing it.

Shuffle the deck.
Keeping the cards in the same order makes them predictable. Once a deck has been gone through a few times, it should be shuffled to make it more challenging.

For more tips, take a look at College Info Geek's excellent post on effectively using flashcards.

Tips and Cautions

Retrieval practice is not the same thing as assessment.
Although some retrieval activities might allow you to formatively assess student understanding, remember that retrieval practice is a learning activity. Again, if you must assign points for practices, make sure they will have a very low impact on student grades.

Space your practice.
Retrieval practice is even more effective if it's done in short bursts over time, rather than in a single long session. This spacing causes students to forget some of the material, and the struggle involved in trying to recall it strengthens their long-term learning.

Include feedback.
If students retrieve the wrong information, the practice won't be much good unless they find out the right information, so be sure to give them feedback as they go. This can be as simple as providing the correct answer or letting students check their texts after they have attempted to retrieve. "Part of that isn't just so students know if they got their answer correct or incorrect," Agarwal says, "but it adjusts students' metacognition," helping them get "better at estimating or judging what they know and what they don't know."

Match your practice to your assessment.
If your summative assessment for a chunk of content will be basic recall of facts, then the retrieval practice can be that simple. But it you're going to include some higher-order questions as well, then be sure to ask those same types of questions in retrieval practice.

Does it Fit with Inquiry Learning?

If your classroom is built around more hands-on, inquiry-driven approaches to learning that don't prioritize retaining specific content-structures like Genius Hour and project-based learning -you might wonder whether retrieval practice is relevant to your teaching.

Consider this: Within any of those frameworks, students still have to learn and retain discrete information. Take, for example, a student who has decided to learn Arabic as his focus for Genius Hour, or students who are studying soil pH as part of a gardening project. Both students will need to study and remember concrete information in order to make progress, so even if your instruction isn't set up in a traditional way, understanding how retrieval practice works can help you help your students learn better.

A Little Goes a Long Way

Agarwal's final piece of advice is to start small. "If a student just writes down two things or one thing they learned, and then you move on, that's okay," she says. "You'll still get benefits of retrieval without spending five minutes in a classroom discussion."

It can be a bell-ringer. An exit slip. A sponge activity. Something you do while students stand in line for lunch. Don't overthink it. Agarwal advises teachers to ask themselves this: "What is one way we can flip from reviewing information to students retrieving information? What can we do tomorrow?"

What will you do tomorrow? ♦

Learn More

Dr. Agarwal and her colleagues have put together this comprehensive guide to using retrieval practice. Visit RetrievalPractice.org/download to get a free copy for yourself. And be sure to follow Retrieval Practice on Twitter at @RetrieveLearn.
References:
Karpicke, J. D. (2009). Metacognitive control and strategy selection: deciding to practice retrieval during learning. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 138(4), 469.

McDaniel, M. A., Agarwal, P. K., Huelser, B. J., McDermott, K. B., & Roediger III, H. L. (2011). Test-enhanced learning in a middle school science classroom: The effects of quiz frequency and placement. Journal of Educational Psychology, 103(2), 399.

There's a lot more where this came from.
Join my mailing list and get weekly tips, tools, and inspiration-in quick, bite-sized packages-all geared toward making your teaching more effective and fun. You'll get access to our members-only library of free downloads, including 20 Ways to Cut Your Grading Time in Half the e-booklet that has helped thousands of teachers save time on grading. Come on in!!

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Retrieval Practice: The Most Powerful Learning Strategy You're Not Using

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Nothing cements long-term learning as powerfully as retrieval practice. Learn how to incorporate it into your classroom.

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Description: A collection of research-based thinking routines that make student thinking visible through simple classroom protocols like See, Think, Wonder and Claim, Support, Question.

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Innovation isn't about using the newest technology—it's about finding better ways to support teaching and learning. Explore these carefully curated tools and resources to save time, increase engagement, and spark new ideas in your classroom.

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AI in the Classroom: Empowering Student Learning through AI Link Sheet 0526

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Differentiation for ALL Learners: Dr. Cori Araza

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Differentiation for ALL Learners: Dr. Cori Araza

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Differentiation for All Learners & AI Link Sheet Updated 0726

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What it is: An AI platform built specifically for educators with hundreds of classroom-focused tools.

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Brisk is a free AI-powered Chrome extension that helps busy teachers save time directly within the tools they already use, like Google Docs, Slides, YouTube, and web articles. Teachers use Brisk as a Targeted Feedback Generator, AI Presentation Maker, AI Quiz Maker, AI Lesson Plan Generator, AI Rubric Generator, Letter of Recommendation Generator, IEP 504 Template Maker, and so much more.

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Explore resources that encourage students to investigate, question, design, create, and discover. These free tools support inquiry-based learning, STEM exploration, project-based learning, and meaningful classroom engagement.

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Scenario Worksheet

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Action Plan Worksheet

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Building a Deeper Connection: Fostering Hope and Well-Being: Cece Bosma

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Building a Deeper Connection: Fostering Hope and Well-Being: Cece Bosma

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20260727 Deeper Connection HOPE framework .pdf

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Handling Difficult Conversations: Cece Bosma

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Thousands of free lesson plans, graphic organizers, interactives, and writing activities.

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Not your everyday calendar, here you can find important events in literary history, authors' birthdays, and a variety of holidays, all with related activities and resources that make them more relevant to students.

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Not your everyday calendar, here you can find important events in literary history, authors' birthdays, and a variety of holidays, all with related activities and resources that make them more relevant to students.

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NWP leaders study and share effective practices that enhance youth writing and learning, work collaboratively with other educators, design resources, and…

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⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ CER (Claim, Evidence, Reasoning)

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Classroom-ready strategies teachers can implement immediately:

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Creates differentiated resources from virtually any article, YouTube video, or topic.

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Upload PDFs, Google Docs, presentations, or articles and have AI summarize, answer questions, create study guides, or even generate podcast-style audio overviews.

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Google NotebookLM | AI Research Tool & Thinking Partner

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Meet NotebookLM, the AI research tool and thinking partner that can analyze your sources, turn complexity into clarity and transform your content.

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If you only have 10 minutes...

Start with this excellent overview from UFLI. It explains the research behind the Science of Reading and why evidence-based literacy instruction matters. Then explore the resources below to dive deeper into specific instructional practices.

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Learn about your community and neighborhood. In this Toolkit, leaners explore different homes, shops, and people in your neighborhood and have fun with related activities.

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This toolkit was adapted with a grant from the Institute for Museum and Library Services.

Links to third-party websites and videos are included in this Toolkit for informational purposes only. They do not indicate the Smithsonian's endorsement, sponsorship of, or affiliation with the third party or content of the linked site, including any advertisements that might be posted.

Learn More

Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden

What inspires you? Get to know Alma Thomas, (b. Columbus, Georgia; lived and worked in Washington, DC, 1891-1978), an American artist and educator known for her signature painting style using bright colors and patterns inspired by nature. She became a full-time artist late in her life. Born in a time of horses and buggies, she lived through big advancements in technology, such as the space race and moon landing. Her art was inspired by the nature she saw outside her home studio, and awe for the exploration of our vast universe.
Get To Know Alma Thomas Use it in the classroom to teach:
is part of the Hirshhorn KIDS About the Artist series. About the Artist biographies are designed for kids under age 12. Modern and contemporary artists' lives reflect recent human history and events. Sharing these life stories and artworks can help kids see their own potential and better understand the world and their place in it. It is our goal to inspire future generations of artists, makers, and creative problem solvers-sharing artists stories is one way Hirshhorn KIDS realize this goal.
Art classroom: Color Theory, Pattern

Language Arts classroom: Biography

Social Studies classroom: 20th century

Learn More

National Museum of American History

In this playlist you will learn about how three of the first presidents shaped the executive branch of the United States government.

Start by clicking on the first tile in the upper left hand corner. Then move through the playlist by clicking on the ">" symbol at the bottom of the page. Look for the information and paperclip icons to provide more information about selected resources. There are 34 tiles in this collection.

Learn More

Educator Programs

Cultivating Learning is a professional development series where Smithsonian educators model teaching techniques for using digital museum resources to support student learning. This year's series celebrates America at 250. Programs are free and accessible to anyone.

Wednesday, April 15, 4:00 PM EST

Join Phoebe Sherman of the National Postal Museum to explore how postage stamps can be used in the classroom to encourage civic awareness and engagement. We'll examine how stamps can spark curiosity and deepen understanding of civics, American history, national identity, and commemoration by using thinking routines that focus on both subject matter and artistic design. You'll see how these approaches come to life with students and leave with classroom-ready resources and fresh ideas for incorporating postage stamps into your teaching practice.

Watch

Wednesday, May 20, 4:00 PM EST

Join Nyssa Buning of the National Museum of American History's Spark!Lab and Carol O'Donnell of the Smithsonian Science Education Center to explore strategies for cultivating an inventive mindset in your students. We'll discuss the history of STEAM innovation in America and try an open-ended invention challenge that uses object-based learning techniques to encourage creative problem solving and support curiosity and perseverance, skills essential to inventors throughout history. You'll leave with a set of facilitation tools to support students as they develop their own inventive identity and become future problem-solvers. You'll also receive access to a newly released e-book from the Smithsonian Science Education Center, STEAM Innovation: Celebrating Our Nation's 250 Years.

Register

Wednesday, June 17, 4:00 PM EST

As America turns 250 in 2026, young people are writing its next chapter. Join a group of educators who apply interdisciplinary approaches to learning to engage young people in civic dialogue tied to their communities.

Register

What will you find in the Smithsonian Learning Lab?

Resources

Millions of Smithsonian digital images, recordings, texts, and videos in history, art and culture, and the sciences

Collections

Thousands of examples of resources organized and structured for teaching and learning by educators and subject experts

Resources

Millions of Smithsonian digital images, recordings, texts, and videos in history, art and culture, and the sciences

Collections

Thousands of examples of resources organized and structured for teaching and learning by educators and subject experts

Browse individual resources by type

Browse model collections on different topics

Tips

Tips

Create collections of resources to engage learners, or freely adapt ones already made by Learning Lab users like you.

Use Learning Lab tools to customize and enhance your collections.

Browse ready-to-use model collections by educational use

Browse ready-to-use model collections by learning strategy or theme

Tips

Tips

Subscribe to our Bright Ideas newsletter

To learn more about the Smithsonian Learning Lab and to read about strategies, approaches, new features, and more, subscribe to the Bright Ideas newsletter. We'll be sending out a new issue every few weeks.

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Smithsonian Learning Lab: Discover, Create, Share

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Smithsonian Learning Lab Discover the digital education platform that connects people to Smithsonian objects, resources, and stories. Explore some of our most popular Learning Lab Collections. Use them as a springboard to continue your exploration of the many collections available on the site. Talk with Me! Learn about your community and neighborhood.

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Interactive simulations for science and math concepts.

Excellent for:

Physics

Chemistry

Biology

Math

Middle & High School

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Over 1.1 billion simulations delivered

160interactive simulations

97language translations

3001teacher-submitted lessons

Founded in 2002 by Nobel Laureate Carl Wieman, the PhET Interactive Simulations project at the University of Colorado Boulder creates free interactive math and science simulations. PhET sims are based on extensive education research and engage students through an intuitive, game-like environment where students learn through exploration and discovery.

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Founded in 2002 by Nobel Laureate Carl Wieman, the PhET Interactive Simulations project at the University of Colorado Boulder creates free interactive math and science simulations. PhET sims are based on extensive education research and engage students through an intuitive, game-like environment where students learn through exploration and discovery.

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High-quality biology resources, videos, virtual labs, and case studies.

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In this activity, students further explore the short film Popped Secret: The Mysterious Origin of Corn, by working through the mathematical concepts behind George Beadle's claim that teosinte is the wild ancestor of maize.

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Empowering Educators. Inspiring Students. Real science, real stories, and real data to engage students in exploring the living world.

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⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Arizona Science Teachers Association

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⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Arizona Science Teachers Association

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Science teaching resources and professional learning.

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Lets Build Phenomenal Science Instruction for All! 2018 ASTA Annual Conference Thursday and Friday, November 1-2, 2018 The Fall Event Center Registration for ASTA's annual conference, Building Toward Phenomenal Science Instruction for All is now open. The conference will be held on Thursday, November 1st and Friday, November 2nd at The Falls Event Center. On Thursday, in-depth 3 hour sessions will be provided for teachers to delve into best-practices with facilitators such as Lacey Wieser, former ADE

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Lets Build Phenomenal Science Instruction for All! 2018 ASTA Annual Conference Thursday and Friday, November 1-2, 2018 The Fall Event Center Registration for ASTA's annual conference, Building Toward Phenomenal Science Instruction for All is now open. The conference will be held on Thursday, November 1st and Friday, November 2nd at The Falls Event Center.

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Arizona-focused geography lessons and maps.

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The Arizona Geographic Alliance (AzGA) was founded in 1992 as part of a national network of state geography alliances sponsored by the National Geographic Society. AzGA currently has over 4,500 members and more than 160 teachers in its Teacher Consultant leadership cadre. Learn more...

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Wildlife, habitat, and outdoor education resources.

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8 Classroom ideas teachers can implement immediately:

1. Mystery Object Investigation

Show an unusual object and have students ask questions.

2. See–Think–Wonder

Use a photograph from Smithsonian Learning Lab.

3. NASA Challenge

Build a paper lander.

4. Google Earth Journey

Visit a landmark virtually.

5. PhET Exploration

Let students manipulate variables.

6. Wonderopolis Bellringer

Start class with a curiosity question.

7. Nature Observation

Take students outside for five minutes.

8. Engineering Redesign

Improve a simple paper tower.

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Great learning begins with great relationships. Explore these free resources to build welcoming classrooms, strengthen student engagement, foster belonging, and create learning environments where every student can thrive.

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One of the best collections of articles and videos on building relationships, increasing engagement, and creating positive classroom environments.

Best For: K–12 • All Educators

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George Lucas Educational Foundation Celebrating 30 years

Learn strategies for building positive, compassionate classroom communities that engage learners, and find and exchange tips for coping with disruptive behaviors and managing distraction.

Sort by:

To boost creativity and productivity, take time out for movement, calming exercises, and a healthy dose of fun.

Both fun and practical, Bitmoji classrooms are adding some levity to fall planning this year.

Whether your class discussions are online or off, hand signals enable students to engage in multiple ways.

Building community in a concurrent teaching model is challenging, but collaborative learning is possible with the right virtual tools.

When educators at a Washington, DC, high school ditched their lectures and devised a self-paced blended learning model, their students thrived.

New teachers-and experienced ones too-can find ideas here on how to stop disruptive behavior before it begins.

Explicitly teaching and celebrating kindness is a simple yet powerful way to build a positive classroom culture.

The morning message is a popular way to help elementary students transition into school-and it can be adapted for home learning.

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George Lucas Educational Foundation Celebrating 30 years Learn strategies for building positive, compassionate classroom communities that engage learners, and find and exchange tips for coping with disruptive behaviors and managing distraction. Sort by: To boost creativity and productivity, take time out for movement, calming exercises, and a healthy dose of fun.

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Practical strategies that help students feel safe, connected, and engaged while developing academic and social-emotional skills.

Best For: Elementary & Middle School

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"Before you speak, listen." -William A. Ward Listening With Purpose As I listen in on the student conversations occurring around the classroom, I notice that my students have a firm grasp on the basics of listening and speaking. They turn their attention toward the speaker and maintain a calm...

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Responsive Classroom is an evidence-based approach to teaching that focuses on the strong link between academic success and social-emotional learning (SEL).

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The leading organization for Social-Emotional Learning with free implementation guides, research, and classroom resources.

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Advancing Social and Emotional Learning - CASEL

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CASEL is helping make evidence-based social and emotional learning an integral part of education, preschool through high school.

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⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Random Acts of Kindness Foundation

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⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Random Acts of Kindness Foundation

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Free lessons and activities focused on kindness, empathy, and positive school culture.

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The Power of Relationships in Schools | Rita Pierson

This TED Talk is a timeless reminder that meaningful relationships are at the heart of student success. Rita Pierson's message continues to inspire educators around the world.

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Rita Pierson, a teacher for 40 years, once heard a colleague say, “They don’t pay me to like the kids.” Her response: “Kids don’t learn from people they don’t like.’” A rousing call to educators to believe in their students and actually connect with them on a real, human, personal level.

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Five relationship-building ideas you can use immediately:

❤️ Greet every student by name at the door.

💬 Start class with a simple "Would You Rather?" or check-in question.

🎉 Celebrate effort with specific, descriptive praise.

🤝 Use Think-Pair-Share before whole-group discussion to increase participation.

📝 End the day with one reflection prompt: "What's one thing you're proud of today?"

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Every classroom includes learners with unique strengths, needs, and experiences. Explore these free resources to support diverse learners through differentiation, accessibility, intervention, and inclusive instructional practices.

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⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ CAST – Universal Design for Learning

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⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ CAST – Universal Design for Learning

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The definitive source for UDL, with practical strategies for creating flexible learning environments that support all students.

Best For: PreK–12 • All Content Areas

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The UDL Guidelines are a tool used in the implementation of Universal Design for Learning, a framework to improve and optimize teaching and learning for all people based on scientific insights into how humans learn. Learn more about the Universal Design for Learning framework from CAST. The UDL Guidelines can be used by educators, curriculum developers, researchers, parents, and anyone else who wants to implement the UDL framework in a learning environment. These guidelines offer a set of concrete suggestions that can be applied to any discipline or domain to ensure that all learners can access and participate in meaningful, challenging learning opportunities.

Reenvisioning the UDL Guidelines

Because the UDL Guidelines are meant to be informed by feedback from the field as well as new research, they have been updated several times in the past. We are in the process of updating the Guidelines once again in our UDL Rising to Equity initiative.

This update will focus specifically on addressing systemic barriers that result in inequitable learning opportunities and outcomes. CAST aims to develop a transparent, inclusive, and community-driven process. If you are interested in collaborating and staying updated on our progress, we invite you to complete a brief survey.

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The UDL Guidelines are a tool used in the implementation of Universal Design for Learning, a framework to improve and optimize teaching and learning for all people based on scientific insights into how humans learn. Learn more about the Universal Design for Learning framework from CAST. The UDL Guidelines can be used by educators, curriculum developers, researchers, parents, and anyone else who wants to implement the UDL framework in a learning environment. These guidelines offer a set of concrete suggestions that can be applied to any discipline or domain to ensure that all learners can access and participate in meaningful, challenging learning opportunities.

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⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ The Differentiated Classroom (Edutopia)

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⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ The Differentiated Classroom (Edutopia)

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Research-based articles and videos on differentiating instruction without overwhelming teachers.

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George Lucas Educational Foundation

Build lessons, develop teaching materials, and vary your approach so that all students, regardless of where they are starting from, can learn content effectively, according to their needs.

Sort by:

How math choice boards can enable new elementary teachers to meet the needs of their individual learners while employing mathematical rigor.

Though remote learning during the pandemic has brought many challenges, some students seem to be thriving in the new circumstances. What can we learn from them?

Support every student by breaking learning up into chunks and providing a concrete structure for each.

Five ways teachers can celebrate and extend the linguistic expertise of young students who speak two or more languages.

Every teacher already has the tools to differentiate in powerful ways for all learners.

Teachers can use artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT to generate rich math tasks and differentiate instruction.

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Build lessons, develop teaching materials, and vary your approach so that all students, regardless of where they are starting from, can learn content effectively, according to their needs.

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⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Florida Center for Reading Research (FCRR)

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⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Florida Center for Reading Research (FCRR)

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Evidence-based reading intervention activities, printable lessons, and instructional resources.

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Parents and children visiting the LeRoy Collins Leon County Public Library System will find new resources awaiting them thanks to Book Nook Bundles provided by the Florida Center for Reading Research.

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An Arizona nonprofit offering family resources, webinars, and guidance to support students with disabilities.

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Support for Families Raising Children with Disabilities - Encircle Families

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A non-profit dedicated to supporting parents & caregivers raising children with disabilities. We offer resources, advocacy, & a community to help families thrive.

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The Myth of "Average" | Todd Rose

Based on his work The End of Average, Todd Rose explains why designing learning for the "average student" often leaves many learners behind—and why flexible instruction benefits everyone.

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The Myth of Average:  Todd Rose at TEDxSonomaCounty

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Five simple strategies to support all learners:

🟢 Offer students two ways to show what they know (written, oral, visual, or digital).

🟢 Add sentence stems to support discussion and writing.

🟢 Use color-coding to organize multi-step directions.

🟢 Provide a graphic organizer before reading or writing.

🟢 Build in a quick "check for understanding" before moving to independent work.

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Research-based articles and classroom strategies that increase student participation, curiosity, and ownership of learning.

Best For: K–12 • All Content Areas

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Discover the strategies that work best to involve students in their own learning.

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Research-backed Playbooks and classroom activities that help students develop perseverance, purpose, gratitude, curiosity, and self-control.

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Character Lab is a nonprofit organization that advances scientific insights to help kids thrive. We provide actionable advice for parents and educators.

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Growth mindset resources inspired by Dr. Carol Dweck's research.

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Hear from Dr. Carol Dweck, the leading growth mindset researcher for over 30 years

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The Power of Believing That You Can Improve | Carol Dweck (TED)

A classic TED Talk explaining how a growth mindset influences learning, resilience, and achievement.

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The power of believing that you can improve

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Carol Dweck researches “growth mindset” — the idea that we can grow our brain’s capacity to learn and to solve problems. In this talk, she describes two ways to think about a problem that’s slightly too hard for you to solve. Are you not smart enough to solve it … or have you just not solved it yet? A great introduction to this influential field.

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Five ideas to support student success right away:

⭐ Have students set one academic goal for the week and revisit it on Friday.

⭐ Begin class with a "success story" or celebration from the previous day.

⭐ Ask students to reflect: "What strategy helped you learn today?"

⭐ Build in a two-minute peer encouragement activity before independent work.

⭐ End the lesson with an exit ticket asking, "What's one thing you're more confident about than when class started?"