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CommonLit offers free reading passages, paired texts, discussion prompts, and comprehension questions aligned with secondary ELA standards (CommonLit, n.d.). Includes fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and historical texts (CommonLit, n.d.).

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For full functionality of this site it is necessary to enable JavaScript. Click here for instructions on how to enable JavaScript in your web browser.

World-class content

Access thousands of reading lessons and our comprehensive ELA curriculum, CommonLit 360.

Accessible for all learners

Tailor instruction to students' needs with text-to-speech, translation, and digital note-taking.

Actionable data

Track students' reading performance, set goals, and plan instructional next steps.

CommonLit
Digital Library

Discover thousands of free, supplemental lessons and quizzes in English and Spanish - all featuring great authors.

CommonLit
Assessment Series

Measure growth in reading comprehension with three benchmark assessments when you unlock our premium packages.

CommonLit 360 &
Professional Development

Support a successful rollout of our research-backed ELA curriculum with personalized webinars and on-demand trainings.

"

CommonLit has made a tremendously positive impact on my teaching practice. I'm very proud to teach CommonLit!

Jennifer Lane ELA Teacher

"

CommonLit definitely keeps me organized. It's easy for me to grade and it's easy for me to see students' reading growth increase throughout the year.

"

The CommonLit assessment questions are aligned to our ELA standards, which is extremely helpful when prepping for the state exam.

Teachers trust CommonLit to foster students' reading comprehension

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CommonLit | Free Online Reading Passages and Literacy Resources

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CommonLit is a comprehensive literacy program with thousands of reading lessons, full-year ELA curriculum, benchmark assessments, and standards-based data for teachers.

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TED-Ed provides high-interest, curriculum-aligned animated videos with built-in questions, discussion guides, and further reading (Liu, 2023). Perfect for sparking curiosity, supporting flipped classrooms, or launching discussions in high school.

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TED-Ed celebrates the ideas of teachers and students around the world. Discover hundreds of animated lessons, create customized lessons, and share your big ideas.

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Prezi allows teachers and students to create visually engaging, animated presentations that zoom between ideas instead of moving slide-by-slide (Bender & Bull, 2012). This motion-based design captures attention and helps students organize and retain information more effectively (Bender & Bull, 2012). Prezi can be used by teachers for lesson delivery or by students for project-based learning.

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Open Canvas

Create, organize, and move freely on an open canvas. Create seamless presentations without the restrictions of linear slides.

Ready-made asset libraries

Choose from millions of images, stickers, GIFs, and icons from Unsplash and Giphy.

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Presentations and videos with engaging visuals for hybrid teams | Prezi Present

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Welcome to Prezi, the presentation software that uses motion, zoom, and spatial relationships to bring your ideas to life and make you a great presenter.

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Developed by the University of Colorado Boulder, PhET offers simulations in physics, biology, chemistry, math, and earth science (Perkins et al., 2006). Students can manipulate variables, run experiments, and observe cause-and-effect relationships.

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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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iCivics offers game-based simulations that place students in real-life decision-making roles (Stoddard, 2016). Learners explore topics such as leadership, community roles, and problem-solving in a virtual environment. iCivics builds engagement through role play, narrative-based learning, and real-world scenarios (Stoddard, 2016).

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Create your free iCivics account and discover lessons designed to meet all of your instructional needs. Our nonpartisan classroom resources engage students with complex concepts in ways they can understand and relate to.

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Amplify Classroom provides interactive lessons and simulations in math, science, and literacy (Amplify Education, Inc., n.d.). Teachers can select or build activities that engage students in real-world problem solving and critical thinking (Amplify Education, Inc., n.d.).

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Amplify partners with K-12 teachers to make learning rigorous and riveting for every student. Learn more about our curriculums & assessments.

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Brainscape is a study tool that simulates adaptive flashcard-based learning (Cohen, 2025). It uses cognitive science to repeat complex concepts at spaced intervals based on each student's self-assessed mastery level (Cohen, 2025).

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Brainscape: The Best Flashcards App | Make Flashcards Online

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Brainscape’s spaced repetition system is proven to DOUBLE learning results! Find, make, and study flashcards online or in our mobile app. Serious learners only.

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Wayground (Quizizz) offers self-paced, game-based quizzes with automatic grading, real-time feedback, and detailed performance reports (Göksün & Gürsoy, 2019). Teachers can create their own quizzes or choose from thousands of ready-made options across all subjects.

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Wayground (Quizizz) | Flexible K-12 Learning Resources

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Find standards-aligned resources that engage every student. Wayground (formerly Quizizz) helps teachers differentiate instruction with AI and track student progress.

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Kahoot! turns formative assessment into a competitive game where students answer timed multiple-choice questions and see live rankings (Göksün & Gürsoy, 2019). Teachers can assign quizzes as live or asynchronous sessions.

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Kahoot! | Learning games | Make learning awesome!

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Kahoot! is a game-based learning platform that brings engagement and fun to 1+ billion players every year at school, at work, and at home.

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Blooket combines content review with strategy-based games (Erlangga, 2025). Teachers or students can create question sets that integrate with arcade-style games, making quizzes fun. It adds novelty and interactivity while reinforcing content knowledge (Erlangga, 2025).

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Gimkit is a live or asynchronous quiz game platform created by a high school student. Students earn in-game currency for correct answers and can use it for power-ups and gameplay advantages (Chang & Chang, 2025). Gimkit encourages repeated play, mastery, and engagement through choice and competition (Chang & Chang, 2025).

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Gimkit is a game show for the classroom that requires knowledge, collaboration, and strategy to win. Get started for free!

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CrashCourse offers fast-paced, engaging video series on a wide range of high school subjects, including biology, history, economics, literature, and study skills (Crash Course, n.d.). CrashCourse is fun, informative, and perfect for flipping classrooms or reinforcing complex concepts (Crash Course, n.d.).

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history biology literature learning education science humanities school "world history" ap tests smart fun chemistry psychology apush whap study "crash cours...

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At Crash Course, we believe that high-quality educational videos should be available to everyone for free! Subscribe for weekly videos from our current courses! The Crash Course team has produced more than 45 courses on a wide variety of subjects, including organic chemistry, literature, world history, biology, philosophy, theater, ecology, and many more!

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Khan Academy’s official YouTube channel includes short instructional videos on math, science, ELA, computer science, and college readiness (Khan Academy, n.d.). Videos break down concepts into manageable steps with a calm, clear teaching style. It supports differentiated learning and can be used as supplemental instruction or remediation (Khan Academy, n.d.).

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Khan Academy is a nonprofit providing a free, world-class education for anyone, anywhere. Our interactive practice problems, articles, and videos help students succeed in math, biology, chemistry, physics, history, economics, finance, grammar, and many other topics. Khan Academy provides teachers with data on how their students are doing so they can identify gaps in learning and provide tailored instruction. We also offer free personalized SAT and LSAT practice in partnership with the College Board and the Law School Admission Council. Our resources have been translated into dozens of languages, and 15 million people around the globe learn on Khan Academy each month. Want to extend your learning beyond YouTube? Practice what you’ve just discovered for free: www.khanacademy.org

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Edutopia shares real classroom examples, teacher interviews, and student-centered strategies (Edutopia, n.d.). Videos cover engagement, project-based learning, social-emotional learning, and classroom management (Edutopia, n.d.). Edutopia is research-based and practical for instructional improvement and professional development (Edutopia, n.d.).

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school children teachers education learning k-12 "k-12 education" "education videos" edutopia "george lucas foundation" "teaching tips" "teaching strategy"

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Welcome to Edutopia's YouTube channel. We create videos about what's working in preK - 12 education. Whether you're curious about about project-based learning, integrating tech tools, or social and emotional learning practices, we've got you covered. And don't miss our Schools That Work series, which focuses on evidence-based strategies that you can bring to *your* classroom.

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Veritasium is a science and engineering channel that explores big questions, real-world experiments, and counterintuitive concepts with engaging demonstrations and storytelling (Veritasium, n.d.). Topics range from physics and math to critical thinking and problem-solving.

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An element of truth - videos about science, education, and anything else I find interesting.

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Smithsonian Learning Lab provides access to digital museum collections, lesson plans, interactive tools, and primary sources (Smithsonian Learning Lab, n.d.). It supports history, science, culture, and art instruction. The Smithsonian Learning Lab encourages student inquiry through multimedia exploration of authentic artifacts and themes (Smithsonian Learning Lab, n.d.).

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Smithsonian

Learning Lab

Discover the digital education platform that connects people to Smithsonian objects, resources, and stories.

Collections by Grade

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

Talk with Me Toolkits provide you with chances to talk with your children to improve thinking, vocabulary, and language development. Talking with your child is great-and research shows that the quality of words children hear matters more than how much you talk.

Talk with Me Toolkits give you ideas to begin conversations that are organized around a theme. The Toolkits feature videos, photographs, paintings, and artworks along with questions to talk about with your child. At the end of each toolkit there are more activities to do and books to read together. Go through this toolkit with your child and see how many topics there are to talk about!
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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ReadWriteThink provides free lesson plans, interactive tools, printables, and strategy guides for literacy instruction (ReadWriteThink, n.d.). It offers engaging student activities, writing tools, and cross-curricular resources to support language arts and beyond (ReadWriteThink, n.d.).

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Dive into a sea of resources, knowledge, and inspiration for all your literacy needs. With thousands of standards-based resources for teachers and students, you can be confident your students are getting the education they deserve.

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Newsela provides current events and nonfiction texts adapted for different reading levels, aligned to standards across subjects such as ELA, social studies, science, and SEL (Newsela, n.d.). It helps students connect classroom content to real-world issues while supporting differentiated instruction and student choice (Newsela, n.d.).

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Newsela | Content and assessment platform

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Content Aligned To National & State Standard, Flexible To Support Relevant Curriculum. Find the Perfect Piece Of Content For Lessons. Go beyond the book.

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BrainPOP offers short, animated videos across core subjects like math, ELA, science, social studies, health, and arts (BrainPOP, n.d.). Each video is paired with interactive activities, quizzes, and vocabulary builders (BrainPOP, n.d.).

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BrainPOP’s award-winning platform supports K-8+ curriculum needs while creating memorable learning experiences that deliver real impact.

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Canva for Education allows teachers and students to create visually animated presentations, infographics, timelines, graphic organizers, and concept maps across all content areas (Canva, n.d.). It includes animation features such as transitions, motion graphics, and engaging visual elements that help explain concepts step-by-step (Canva, n.d.).