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Have each student choose a phonics pattern they’ve learned, and  create a  paper bag vest that’s decorated with words and pictures that include that pattern. Then have them perform a  Phonics Fashion Show !

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Science of Reading Meets Science of Learning w/ Secret Stories® Phonics | Ever been to a “Secret Phonics Fashion Show | Facebook

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Ever been to a “Secret Phonics Fashion Show?” 👒📖🎩📸💕 “I love teaching using the Secret Stories so much! Here’s a snippet of our end of the year Secret Stories fashion show adapted from…

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These slides go over morpheme trees, as well as common Greek and Latin roots.

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ChatterPix Kids- 1) students take a picture of a character from a page of a book they’re reading, 2) students record their voice reading as fluently as possible (the program makes the character’s mouth move as the students recording plays) 3) students can listen to how fluent they were, and re-record if they want to try reading more fluently. Example

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Share your videos with friends, family, and the world

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Students write their own short stories or plays, then perform them for the class. Use simple costumes or props to make the performances more engaging.

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Connect your class with another class from a different school, state, or country. Students can practice writing by exchanging letters with their pen pals, learning about different cultures and perspectives.

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Go for a walk around the school and look for things that start or end with any given sound, or share a medial vowel sound.

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Throw a ball back and forth, saying the sound for each phoneme or syllable each time you catch the ball.

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Play phonemic awareness I-Spy. For example, “I spy something that starts with the sound /t/” .

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Learning to Read
Children better absorb information when we use a multi-sensory approach, like when we combine sight and sound. The first step toward learning to read is teaching children what sounds letters make. A fun way to engage your child is a with a game of I Spy. Try having your child spy objects that start with a letter or letter sound.

Aired: 11/12/21

Rating: NR

Problems Playing Video? Report a Problem |

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Learning to Read | I Spy for Phonics | Learning To Read | NPT3 | Season 2021 | PBS

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Children better absorb information with a multi-sensory approach.

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Blending Sounds to Read Words- Multisensory Activity

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Use playdough or a pop it to smash each syllable or sound in a word.

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Race Car Blending/Practice blending sounds in Prek/K

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Use beads on a pipe cleaner to stretch the sounds as you slide them across the pipe cleaner. 

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https://www.facebook.com/watch/?mibextid=rS40aB7S9Ucbxw6v&v=358498586425908

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HearBuilder helps strengthen following directions,
phonological awareness, auditory memory, and sequencing skills.

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HearBuilder software builds following directions, phonemic awareness, sequencing, and auditory memory skills.

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Use square magnet tiles and write letters on them. Students say the first tile’s letter sound, then bring the magnet tile together, while students say that sound, and so on. Then quickly blend them together.

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Use UFLI Roll & Reads to play a game of  Musical Dots!

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Play Jump and Blend with hula-hoops!

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Use this kinesthetic strategy to blend sounds!

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Let students borrow a finger light or a finger nail pointer to “point” to the letters/ words as they read.

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Sorry, we just need to make sure you’re not a robot. For best results, please make sure your browser is accepting cookies.

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Use the UFLI “Word List” and write words on cups. Have students stack them and see who can build the tallest cup-tower!

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WeAreTeachers Spelling Game: Word Stackers

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Use this chart  to find the black and white  “Geodes” book (in the bookroom) that matches your UFLI lesson. Have students highlight words with that pattern in the book!

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Let students use a bingo dauber to “dab” the words on the UFLI Roll & Reads.

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Dab-O-Ink 3oz Bingo Daubers - Mixed Colors - 12ct

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Buy Dab-O-Ink 3oz Bingo Daubers - Mixed Colors - 12ct: Bingo Daubers - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

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Let students borrow a mini slinky and pull it apart as they continuously blend the letter sounds, then snap it together to quickly blend the sounds.

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Cut up the Roll & Read words. Students use place them on the UFLI board game when read correctly, and race to the finish!

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UFLI aligned partner games: LuckySquares or HoneycombRace

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Write the UFLI “Word List” words on popsicle sticks and have student partners play KABOOM!

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This is the game that can be used for so many things. Teachers of upper elementary and middle school: keep reading because this one is for you as well! It is a pretty common game that even has other names. Teachers use it for a variety of content.

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Blending Strategies that are fun because they WORK! 

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Blending Strategies that are fun because they WORK! 

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Practice successive blending  and continuous blending  (try these  Continuous Blending Cards). These are evidence based strategies that allow students to feel successful and engaged!

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The Measured Mom - The Science of Reading

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As a class, use these  UFLI Wordle Puzzles to have students guess letters to make a word that matches the skill you’re working on.

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Let students use shaving cream (this isn’t as messy as it sounds, and cleans desks too!), Squishy sensory bags, or  Sand Trays  to get multisensory practice.

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Segment and write activity for encoding- the student: 1)says the word, 2)pushes the beads across a pipe cleaner to segment the sounds, 3)pushes an object for each sound using Elkonin Boxes, then 4)writes  letter(s) to match each sound.

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Segment and write activity for encoding 🤩 I like to use a lot of hands on tools to keep it fun for my clients! You can work with your students on the same skills in a variety of ways. Don’t be afraid to switch it up!  #encoding #segmentandwrite #earlyliteracy #literacymatters #phonicsideas #phonicsactivities #letsteach

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@jamiedesso115
Segment and write activity for encoding 🤩 I like to use a lot of hands on tools to keep it fun for my clients! You can work with your students on the same skills in a variety of ways. Don’t be afraid to switch it up! #encoding #segmentandwrite #earlyliteracy #literacymatters #phonicsideas #phonicsactivities #letsteach
♬ original sound - Jamie

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Have students use these UFLI Boggle games to write as many words as they can with the given letters.

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Use UFLI sentences to play this cute headband game to practice encoding (spelling) AND decoding (reading).

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A fun way to incorporate decoding and encoding in your classroom #scienceofreading #sor #headbandgame #kindergartenliteracy #kindergartencenters #kindergartenideas 

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@movemountainsinkinder
A fun way to incorporate decoding and encoding in your classroom #scienceofreading #sor #headbandgame #kindergartenliteracy #kindergartencenters #kindergartenideas
♬ original sound - movemountainsinkindergarten

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Let students write words using rainbow pencils, erasable pens , or a fun pen.

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Have students use sidewalk chalk and bricks on the outdoor wall as Elkonin Boxes to divide sounds or syllables.

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Play a game of  Sparkle using the UFLI “Word List” words (at the end of each lesson).

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Morning Meeting Activities: Sparkle Activity

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Encourage students to keep a journal where they draw or write about their favorite part of each book they read. This activity helps with comprehension and expression, offering a personal connection to the stories.

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Try this engaging word chaining strategy!

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This is a free and fun online phonics game!

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Teach Your Monster: Free Phonics, Reading and Mathematics Games

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Help children learn with our free, award-winning reading, mathematics and phonics games.

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Pick up the fluency phone! Have students read into a fluency phone, so they can hear their own voice without being too loud. Here’s a less expensive, DIY option:DIY: Fluency Phones

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(Red) Toobaloo Auditory Feedback Phone - Accelerate Reading Fluency, Comprehension and Pronunciation with a Reading Phone.

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Ease reading, speech, comprehension and pronunciation challenges with the Toobaloo. Created by a teacher, the Toobaloo is an educational tool designed to provide auditory feedback which helps children learn to read, increase fluency and comprehension and meet special needs such as autism, APD, st...

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Host a poetry picnic where students can bring in their favorite poems to read aloud to the class. You can hold it outdoors or create a picnic-like setting in the classroom. This activity encourages appreciation for poetry and public speaking skills.

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UFLI Decodable Reader's Theater: Readers Theater is a great, evidence-based practice for building accuracy, rate, and expression! If you want to take it a step further, you could even have students create masks out of paper plates or costumes–and put on a play for their classmates.

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Have students reread the same sentence or paragraph, but trying out different voices (mad, disappointed, excited, scared). This can be a good exercise in why it’s important for expression match the text (it would sound silly if you read the sentence “my dog ran away” in an excited voice, for example).

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Have students bring a toy or stuffed animal to read to. Or, get a class pet and have students read to them! For students who are self-conscious about reading aloud, it can help to have a non-judgemental “friend” to practice reading to.

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How reading to pets can help a child’s development -- and the pet

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Fluency triangles are another evidence-based practice for improving fluency. UFLI - Fluency triangles_ Lessons 5-34.pdf,   UFLI - Fluency triangles_ Lessons 35-41

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These evidence- based strategies are engaging because they are effective!  Choral Reading,  Echo Reading, and Partner Reading

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This online puzzle is AWESOME for studying word origins and their meanings in a fun and challenging way!

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The Interactive Lesson Plan puzzle is 1 of 8 vocabulary activities and word puzzles.

Use the Greek and Latin word root word list to select the correct answer.
Email your answers to friends, family and teachers.

The AUDIO word story is available in all Root Words Lesson Plans #1 through #6.

Common Core alignment to a Interactive Puzzle is to 4 key phrases:
"Grade Level", "Greek and Latin Roots", "Precise Meaning" and "Context".
CCSS Alignment Strand numbers for Specific Grades:
Grade Level: "CCSS.ELA-Literacy." precedes these numbers: 2.4, 3.4, 4.4, 5.4, 6.4, 7.4, 8.4, 9-10.4, 11-12.4
Greek & Latin Roots: "CCSS.ELA-Literacy." precedes these numbers: 2.4b+c, 3.4b+c, 4.4b, 5.b, 6.4b, 7.4b, 8.4b, 9-10.4b, 11-12.4b
Precise Meaning: "CCSS.ELA-Literacy." precedes these numbers: 2.4e, 3.4d, 4.4c, 5.4c, 6.4c, 7.4c, 8.4c, 9-10.4c, 11-12.4c
Context: "CCSS.ELA-Literacy." precedes these numbers: 2.4a, 3.4a, 4.4a, 5.4a, 6.4a, 7.4a, 8.4a, 9-10.4a, 11-12.4a

Get a Print Out

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Word Roots 1: Dict-Vent-Duct - www.myvocabulary.com

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Word Roots 1: Dict-Vent-Duct - a free resource used in over 40,000 schools to enhance vocabulary mastery & written/verbal skills with Latin & Greek roots.

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Break students into pairs. Have pairs compete against other teams to see which team can think of the most synonyms or antonyms for a word in a given amount of time.

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Challenge students to use the vocabulary word as many times as they can throughout the course of the day.

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Split class into two groups. Teach each group a different vocabulary word. Then, have them teach their word to the other group, and vise versa.

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Give each student a post it flag dispenser .  Have students flag any unknown words as they read, and give them time to find/discuss unknown words’ meanings.

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Read books aloud daily, (yes, that includes older students, too!). It's a great engaging morning or after-recess routine, and a wonderful way to start class discussions or teach SEL lessons. And repeated, incidental exposure to words that often appear only in written text is how many vocabulary words are acquired.

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Act out or draw a vocabulary word, or play a game of vocabulary charades!

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Get some (free!) paint strips and practice writing synonyms and the different shades of meaning that their definitions have!

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is highly overused. They can then select three synonyms of the word to write in the remaining shades. Creating an anchor chart with students' paint strip samples can serve as an excellent resource to display in the classroom.

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Materials: Markers Paint Strip Samples Directions: In the first "shade" students should select a word tha t is highly overused. They can then select three synonyms of the word to write in the...

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Have students create a semantic map

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When you get a great critical thinking exercise and pair it with a great vocabulary activity...well, let's change their Facebook status to "in a relationship with..."

Semantic Maps are just such a pair. Let me persuade you!

Semantic Maps are a tool we use to help students to identify, understand, and recall the meaning of words they read in the text.
They're research-based, they lend themselves to use with graphic organizers, they support struggling readers, and they are easy to use.
I've found that lots of teachers think they're a great idea, but aren't sure of exactly how to implement them in a real classroom.

🌺 What is a Semantic Map?

Semantic Maps are a visual strategy for teaching vocabulary.

"Semantic" just means "related to meaning in language", so a semantic map is essentially a "map" that connects related words.

With Semantic Maps, students create "maps" or webs of words.

Words are sorted into categories based on what they are, what they do, or other categories.

Semantic Maps can be very simple, using just words grouped together, or they can be more complex, using graphic organizers or other visual structure.

Often, the words are generated as a list and then coverted in a more visual format.

Semantic Maps can be created on paper or digitally.

Semantic Maps can be created individually, in small groups, or as a whole class activity.

Semantic Maps are dynamic. Students can add to their maps as they learn more information and gather more words.

Do Semantic Maps sound like something that could be useful to your students? I'd love to tell you more about exactly how they work in class.

🌺 How are Semantic Maps different from graphic organizers?

First, let's look at what they're not.

While Semantic Maps may use a graphic organizer to arrange the words, Semantic Maps go beyond just a graphic organizer.

The don't ask students to recreate already mastered/learned information.

They ask students to think, "What do I know related to this? What does this make me think of?"

Their strength is that they build on students' current schema or understanding, allowing those neural pathways to fire up.

Here's an example of a graphic organizer I created using Smart Art in PowerPoint. This has one "right" answer, doesn't it? If a student put anything else under "legislative", we'd be worried, wouldn't we?

Here's a Semantic Map over the same topic. In this case, I just gave the student the word "Government" in the center, along with the three branches of government. The student then created the Semantic Map, generating lots of words related to those three areas. This was also created using Smart Art and shapes in PowerPoint:

Do you see the difference? We're still looking at branches of government, but we're going to get different results from different students.

It requires less rote recall and more thinking.

I'll be coming back to graphic organizers later.

🌺 How do I teach students to use a Semantic Map?

When introducing Semantic Maps to students, I find it's best to guide them in two processes: generating words and then grouping or categorizing those words.

For example, let's say we've just had a lesson on the structure of the cell. For a review, I could write the term "cell structure" on the board (or screen) and ask students to think of all the words they can think of related to cell structure.

Tell them to think of words that:

define what we're talking about

describe what we're talking about

tell the purpose of what we're talking about

give information about what we're talking about

I could do this as a whole class activity, have students work in pairs or groups, or have students work individually.

Once we had a list of words and terms, I would ask them to sort those words into groups. I can either give them categories, or I can have them come up with categories on their own.

If students are coming up with their own categories, tell students that to this, they need to think about ways in which the words are alike and ways which they are different.

Once they've grouped their words, they come up with a word or term that describes the group.

If I'm giving students the categories, I will simply tell them what they are and have students sort their words into the category in which they think they fit. That's what I did in the government example above.

For my cell structure example, I'd give students the categories Nucleus, Cytoplasm, and Cell Membrane.

You can use Semantic Maps as a simple daily activity that takes only a few minutes, or you can have students work with them to create a visually pleasing representation.

🌺 Semantic Maps Step-by-Step

There's no one right way to use Semantic Maps (you've already seen a couple of ideas here), but I did want to share a sample idea that is a great way to get started if you're unfamiliar with the strategy.

Choose a word from the text you're using. This could be a textbook, a story, or any other part of your curriculum.

Write that word on the board or using a digital tool. Just make sure everyone can see it.

Have students look at the text that's near that word to see if there are any words that are connected to this target word.

You may wish to have students look up the word in a dictionary or thesaurus (that would add to the standards addressed!).

Brainstorm words the class can come up with that are related or connected to this word in some way. Remember, these should not only include examples of the word ("cat" is an example of an animal, for example), but also what the things can do. For instance, "can fly" or "can run".

Once you have a robust list of words, then you do the categorization. Remember, you can give categories or you can have students generate categories.

Now, transform these into a map. This can be a circle with spokes coming off of it or a more formal graphic organizer.

Here's an example of a simple one generated after a discussion of verbs.

🌺 How can I use Semantic Maps with technology?

You've seen above how you can use PowerPoint to create Semantic Maps. There are other tech tools that work, as well.

This table lists some possible tech tools, with the pros and cons of each.

PowerPoint/ Keynote

Free

Students probably familiar with it; very flexible; easy to convert to other formats (images or PDFs); SmartArt has built-in graphic organizers

Harder to integrate with other platforms (uploading, etc.); difficult to collaborate; takes more time than some other tools.

Google Slides

Free

Same as PowerPoint except Smart Art

Not as powerful as PowerPoint, so fewer possibilities.

Google Draw

Free

Very similar to Google Slides, except a little more flexible

Students are usually less familiar with this than other Google tools.

Google Jamboard

Free

Built for collaboration; easy to use; easy to share; easy to add images; no need to own software

Students may be less familiar with this than other Google tools.

Freemium (free & paid versions

Built for collaboration; browser-based, so no software to download or install; low-distraction interface; easy to share; easy to present with

The free version is very limited, which gets frustrating very quickly.

Mindmup.com
Freemium (free & paid versions)

Easily converts to PDF, PowerPoint, or outlines; easily save to Google Drive; add images or even documents; easy to share

Students and teachers are usually unfamiliar with it, so there will be a learning curve.

🌺 What are the benefits of using a Semantic Map?

Semantic Maps are particularly useful for students who are struggling or who are English Learners, but they work really well with everyone.

First, we have the creativity side. One of the Torrance Traits of Creativity is Fluency - coming up with lots of ideas.

That's the first part of what we do with a Semantic Map.

Next, we have the added strength of categorizing. Sorting and categorizing are powerful tools. We see it in little children sorting blocks, but the power of dividing things into categories or groups isn't something that ends in Kindergarten.

We can have students come up with their own categories, or we can give them the categories we want them to use (as I demonstrated above).

If we really want to up the ante, we can have them create new categories and recategorize all of the words. That's super fun!

Another benefit of Semantic Maps is that they are a no-prep activity. Nothing to print out. Nothing to copy. Just minds and something on which to write. It just doesn't get easier than this.

🌺 How do Semantic Maps work with graphic organizers?

While you don't need to use a formal graphic organizer to create a Semantic Map, they go very well together.

Almost any graphic organizer can be used as a Semantic Map.

If you use Thinking Maps®, then a Bubble Map® or a Double Bubble Map® would be my first choice.

The key is to pick a graphic organizer that works for the students, so it's less about what it looks like and how effective it is in helping them create a visual represenation of their thinking.

You've got a few options:

Give students a particular graphic organizer that you want them to use

Give students a few graphic organizers they can pick from to use

Have students generate their own graphic organizer

Let students search for a graphic organizer

The most important thing is to not let the organizer become more important than the thinking!

🌺 How do Semantic Maps align with standards & research?

Semantic Maps have been studied in research, and those studies have shown some strong benefits.

Semantic Maps are a part of the group of "[i]nstructional activities that allow for a visual display of words and promote students' comparing and contrasting of new words to known words [that] can be a beneficial means for increasing their vocabulary knowledge " (Rupley, Logan, & Nichols, 1998).

As we practiced above, Semantic Maps not only identify important ideas, but they also show the relationships among those words and ideas (Kholi, & Sharifafar, 2013).

That's where research shows their power lies.

As far as standards, clearly they address some of the CCSS ELA standards, such as:
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.L.3 Apply knowledge of language to understand how language functions in different contexts, to make effective choices for meaning or style, and to comprehend more fully when reading or listening.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.L.4 Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases by using context clues, analyzing meaningful word parts, and consulting general and specialized reference materials, as appropriate.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.L.5 Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.

But you also see them apply in math standards such as:

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.6.EE.A.2.B
Identify parts of an expression using mathematical terms (sum, term, product, factor, quotient, coefficient); view one or more parts of an expression as a single entity.

If you're using Next Gen Science Standards, Semantic Maps are a strategy for Crosscutting Concepts, as students begin to recognize the patterns.

These are just examples. Whatever standards system you're working with, Semantic Maps fit beautifully.

🌺 How do I use Semantic Maps in Writing?

Semantic Maps can be used to organize thoughts before writing, creating a structure students can follow. They are a perfect pre-writing strategy.

When students group their ideas, they can easily see where there is unbalance.

They can then add in more details where they are lacking or eliminate some where they have too many.

🌺 Wrapping Up

Semantic Maps are a vocabulary strategy that belong in every teacher's toolbox. I hope that after reading this you feel confident in giving them a try.

There's no "wrong" way to do them and the rewards are terrific, so go ahead and see how they work with your students.

Like anything else, it may take a few tries until you (and your students) feel comfortable.

Pretty soon, the strategy will be second nature to you! 🌺

🌺 You May Also Like:

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How to Use Semantic Maps for Teaching Vocabulary | Vocabulary Luau

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When you get a great critical thinking exercise and pair it with a great vocabulary activity...well, let's change their Facebook status to "in a relationship with..." Semantic Maps are just such a pair. Let me persuade you! Semantic Maps are a tool we use to help students to identify, understand, and recall the meaning of words they read in the text.

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Teach analogies using  Picture Analogies

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Write several base words on legos or other blocks, and write prefixes and suffixes on other blocks. Have groups see how many different words they can create using different combinations of word parts from this set of blocks.

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Demonstration Version

In this demonstration page, normal input is disabled. You would also normally need to log-in, with a special user name and password.

You can see the effect of normal editing by pressing the example button for each instruction below.

Word sums (one per line; eg. Like + ing --> liking; or just Like + ing)

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In this demonstration page, normal input is disabled. You would also normally need to log-in, with a special user name and password. You can see the effect of normal editing by pressing the example button for each instruction below.

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Analogies - a free fun online Brain Game to challenge logical and analytic reasoning, general knowledge and vocabulary

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Challenge your analytical reasoning
and logical skills and test your vocabulary and general knowledge.

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Have students summarize a story by acting out the story (our own Comets acting out John Henry!) or performing a dramatic Tableaux

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Virtual Field Trips: Real-World Connections

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Virtual Field Trips: Real-World Connections

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Take a field trip that relates to the topic you’re reading about. Virtual Field Trips are an option also! Many museums and other places will even let you schedule a zoom meeting with an expert on the topic, allowing students to interact with the presenter. Here Comets are learning about Native American Artifacts after finishing reading several books on the topic of Early Native American life.

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Virtual field trips are a game changer. Not only do they fill in for real field trips when budgets and other roadblocks prevent in-person options, but virtual field trips also open doors to educational experiences all over the country and the world, both past and present. No fundraising or permission slips required!

(Note: For anyone who needs it, YouTube offers a closed-captioning option. Just click the CC button in the bottom right-hand corner.)

Amazon Career Tours are free virtual field trips that inspire students to pursue careers of the future. Tour whenever, wherever on Kahoot! Each tour comes with a Teacher Toolkit that includes a facilitation guide and student worksheets.

2. The Zoo

There are so many amazing online options when it comes to zoos that we couldn't narrow it down to just one. Most zoos have live webcams in some of their most popular exhibits, such as the KC Zoo Polar Bear Cam and the Giant Panda Cam at Smithsonian's National Zoo. However, some zoos offer a more in-depth look. You'll definitely want to check out the San Diego Zoo as their site for kids includes behind-the-scenes videos and stories, as well as a variety of printable activities and online games. Check out our full list of virtual zoo goodness.

3. The Aquarium

It's a similar story with aquariums. You have your pick of live webcams, but our favorites are the Georgia Aquarium's Ocean Voyager webcam (wait for the whale shark!) and the "Jelly Cam" at Monterey Bay Aquarium (so soothing). The Seattle Aquarium even has a 30-minute video tour. Want more under-the-sea fun? Here's our ultimate list of virtual aquarium field trips.

4. The Farm

The classic preschool field trip goes online! You can have your pick of dairy farm field trips, but we like this one from the Dairy Alliance and this one from Stonyfield Organic. Farm Food 360 gives students the opportunity to immerse themselves in Canadian farm and food tours-from raising pigs to making milk and cheese. We're also loving these virtual egg farm field trips from the American Egg Board.

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5. An Art Museum

We found 20 art museums with virtual tours, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art's # MetKids and its awesome Where's Waldo? setup. And you can't miss the world-famous Louvre in Paris (no passport needed!). Check out the current virtual tours: Traveling Materials and Objects, the Advent of the Artist, the Body in Movement, and Founding Myths: From Hercules to Darth Vader!

6. A National Park

From webcams at Hawaii volcanoes to a virtual run along the rim of the Grand Canyon, you have tons of options here. Our top pick would have to be Yellowstone. The interactive maps are a great way to see the Mammoth Hot Springs and Mud Volcano, but we think kids will be psyched about the Old Faithful Geyser livestream and the opportunity to make their own predictions for its next eruption. Check out everything the National Park Service has to offer virtually.

7. A Planetarium

Through Stellarium Web, kids can explore over 60,000 stars, locate planets, and watch sunrises and solar eclipses. If you enter your location, you can see all the constellations that are visible in the night sky in your corner of the world.

Take your students on a virtual field trip of a recycling center and a modern landfill. Plus, there's a full-on curriculum that includes lesson plans, take-home handouts, and more.

Nickelodeon teamed up with two astronauts on the International Space Station to demonstrate how slime reacts to microgravity and had kids reproduce those same demonstrations back here on Earth. It makes for an amazing 15-minute virtual field trip.

The Nature Conservancy has a brand-new virtual field trip entitled "You're the Scientist! Citizen Science, Frogs & Cicadas." Check out their full library of videos on topics like climate change and water security.

Discovery Education hosts a variety of virtual events -each with a companion guide with hands-on learning activities. Current offerings include "Making a New Life: The Courage of a Refugee" and "The Future Is Now" (architectural and engineering innovations). Stay tuned for their upcoming civics virtual field trip, "The American Ideal."

This virtual field trip from Great Lakes Now has three components: coastal wetlands, algae, and lake sturgeon. Each video is a quick five minutes long.

Explore online exhibits and discover the history and evolution of play. Check out board games that changed play, sports video games that shaped digital play, and the making of Monopoly to name a few.

Kids can learn about the most recent Census and how census data is collected and used. This virtual field trip also features interviews with subject matter experts and an interactive challenge.

The "Museum of We the People," the Constitution Center serves as a "headquarters for civic education." Check out the Interactive Constitution section, and be sure to watch the virtual tour.

Houston, we have a virtual field trip. Three, actually. All with companion educator guides. The star of the show is the behind-the-scenes tour of the Johnson Space Center.

Boise State put together this fully interactive virtual field trip with text, photos, audio, and video about the history of music. The four featured music locations are: Vienna, Austria; New Orleans, Louisiana; Cleveland, Ohio; and Bristol, Tennessee-Virginia.

This living-history museum provides a look into life in an early American community. The website offers five different webcams featuring areas such as the tavern and the armory.

This virtual experience of George Washington's home is incredibly well done. Enter the different buildings-from the opulent mansion to the chilling slave quarters-and click on different items for video and text explanations.

This virtual tour comes with a real tour guide! Blaine Kortemeyer is the Assistant Chief of Interpretation and Education, who lends his expertise on the building of this national monument. The 3D Explorer is also an excellent tool.

Take a visit to the National WWII Museum for "a cross-country virtual expedition to discover the science, sites, and stories of the creation of the atomic bomb." Don't forget to download the classroom guide!

For a look inside the iconic building, check out the 360° tour of some of the most historic rooms of the People's House, from the Situation Room to the Oval Office. Examine each room and check out the contents up close.

The National Museum of Natural History's virtual experiences are self-guided, room-by-room tours of permanent, current, and past exhibits. Be sure to send kids to the second floor Bone Hall so they can take a look at all different kinds of skeletons.

A collaboration with over 1,200 leading museums and archives, Google Arts & Culture is an incredible storehouse of monumental works of art. We recommend the Street View and Play sections.

Boasting the world's largest collection of 360° image videos, 360 Cities provides kids with the opportunity to see stunning panoramas across the globe, including their video of the ice floe on the Vistula River in Poland.

It's the official residence of the Queen of England, and boy, is it opulent! Get a peek inside the gorgeous Grand Staircase, White Drawing Room, Throne Room, and Blue Drawing Room.

See one of the wonders of the world with this amazing, thousands-year-old fortification system known the world over. This virtual tour has four scenes available (you have to pay to get access to all 14). The bird's-eye view of Mutianyu pass is a highlight.

Most of us recognize the giant stone statues of Easter Island, but what's the story behind them? Nova's online adventure "Secrets of Easter Island" delves into the mystery with a virtual tour.

National Geographic lets you explore the world's largest cave, located in Vietnam. Use the interactive map to enjoy the fully immersive experience (sound on!).

You don't need a time machine! Discovering Ancient Egypt has a ton of free resources, but it's the interactive pyramid map and 3D temple reconstructions that really give it a field trip feel.

Virtually visit Turn Back the Clock, a museum exhibit that ran for two years at the Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago. Through compelling personal stories, innovative interactive media, and pop culture artifacts, the exhibit takes guests through seven decades of history-from the dawn of the nuclear age to significant policy questions our leaders face today.

No, really! You can absolutely "go" to the red planet. With Access Mars, you can see the actual surface of Mars, recorded by NASA's Curiosity rover. Trust us-don't skip the intro. And if your kids liked that, check out this 4K tour of the moon. These may go down in history as some of the best virtual field trips your students get to experience.

Take a virtual tour of this historical battleship located on the Camden waterfront. This battleship has traveled more miles than any other!

No need to travel to Rome! Take in the amazing art and architecture located in the Vatican Museums with these 360-degree views.

Download the app and climb aboard the virtual tram line! Take a virtual walk through the Space Center Houston with informational stops along the way.

Virtually visit museum rooms in the famous Louvre located in Paris. Even check out The Louvre kids' site for student-friendly galleries and stories. You can't visit The Louvre without seeing the Mona Lisa, so check out their immersive Mona Lisa experience available in the app store.

This interactive tour of Ellis Island lets students explore places like the Baggage Room and the Stairs of Separation through short stories, historical photographs, videos, and audio clips. Students can also hear the stories of real kids who recently immigrated to the United States, explore colorful charts and graphs with immigration data, and watch a 30-minute movie that includes a Q&A with National Park Service Rangers who explain what coming to America was like for many immigrants.

38. Plimoth Patuxet Museums

Travel back to the 17th century with options for free, on-demand, digital resources or a live, 1-hour virtual school program led by a Plimoth Patuxet Contemporary Indigenous Museum Educator. Students explore Wampanoag daily life and history; discover the real history of Thanksgiving and the legend behind it; meet a 17th-century Pilgrim; get an interactive sneak peak into 17th-century wardrobes; and learn about simple machines and water power at the Plimoth Grist Mill. There are also options for virtual hands-on history workshops, including Wampanoag Pottery and Write Like a Pilgrim.

When you can't visit the museum in person, 3D virtual field trips to the Children's Museum Houston are the next best thing. All videos are produced and curated by museum educators and feature hands-on activities that can be done in the classroom. Topics include nutrition, math, states of matter, forces and properties of water, and more.

Beyond the Battle Field is a virtual field trip for grades 2-8 hosted by Lauren Tarshis, author of the I Survived historical-fiction series for kids. Students will meet a museum educator as well as the museum curator, and explore artifacts and documents from the American Revolution. Plus they'll hear the stories of teens who served during the war. There's also a Classroom Kit available with a vocabulary list and discussion questions by grade level.

If you liked this roundup of the best virtual field trips and want more resources like this, be sure to subscribe to our newsletters.

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40 Amazing Educational Virtual Field Trips

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You can't always get there in person, but lots of places will let you "visit" online. These are the best virtual field trips out there!

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Use Google earth to allow students to take a “field trip” to explore the real life “setting” of the book. These Comets found the Big Bend Tunnel after reading about John Henry.

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Help build background knowledge by creating a “folder”on Epic that has other books related to the topic you’re reading about.

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Create a bingo card with different types of books or literary elements ( like animals, adventures, fairy tales). Students mark off a square each time they read a book that fits the criteria. Reward completed bingos with extra reading time, a book, or a class party.

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Students create a Book Walk , and literally walk through the retelling of a story.

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Organize a parade where students dress up as their favorite book character. They can give a short presentation to the class about their character and why they chose them, encouraging public speaking and engagement with literature.

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For biographies, students can create a  Living Wax Museum and tell the story from another person’s perspective. For practice with point of view, character traits, or opinion writing, have students impersonate two characters and have a debate! Ie. have Little Red tell her side of the story, and The Big Bad Wolf defend himself.

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Do a science experiment/ STEAM project that relates to the topic you’re reading about. Example: after reading about the states of matter students observed physical state changes while making rock candy, and tried to persuade teachers to buy it for a fair price (math, science, art, reading, social studies, and persuasive writing)

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Model Expression by "Drama Reading" your Students' Writing

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Model Expression by "Drama Reading" your Students' Writing

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Teacher Tip: "Drama Reading" (my student's daily write)

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Check out these catchy songs that teach different phonics patterns and decoding strategies!

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Brooklyn College Early Literacy Lab - Double Decker Elkonin Box Tool - Google Jamboard

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Brooklyn College Early Literacy Lab - Double Decker Elkonin Box Tool

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Differentiating High Impact Phonics Routines with Wiley Blevins

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This resource has tons of scripts for reader's theater!