CommonLit is a free digital library of leveled texts: news articles, poems, short stories, and historical documents. You can filter collections by grade level, Lexile level, theme, genre, literary device, even Common Core State Standards.
Use with Upper Elementary
Use with Secondary
Vetted & Free
Multilingual Learners
Great collection of short texts, mostly nonfiction but with some fiction & poetry too, selected for their relevance to commonly taught themes and anchor texts.
Built on a foundation of over 2,000 high-quality free reading passages for grades 3-12
Aligned interim assessments, growth-oriented data, and expert-led teacher development
Provides teachers with all the resources they need to set their students up for success, while also encouraging best practices in the classroom.
A brief overview to Newsela and CommonLIT (starts at 15:33)
Support for English Language Learners
Read-aloud mode, built-in vocabulary definitions, on-demand dictionary, instant translation (a dozen supported languages)
“Guided reading” mode with periodic comprehension questions before student can move forward
A small but growing collection of Spanish-language texts
Searchable/limitable by anchor text, lexile, grade, theme, genre, literary device, or common core standard
HOW DO STAFF ACCESS THIS TOOL?
Go to commonlit.org
Login with your BSD email address
Have questions or need support?
Technical issues: Submit a Help Desk Ticket
Training: reach out to LA TOSA