Additional Material
Articles, literature, podcasts, videos, writing prompts
Wheeler School Prescott Library
Don't forget that your family has access to all Wheeler Library resources and databases (Username: wheeler Password: maryc).
This document ranges across all content areas and was assembled by the Wheeler School librarians.
NBC Nightly News: Kids Edition
Top news headlines are broken down for children to learn about. There are also opportunities for children to submit questions, specifically about Covid-19.
Haskins Global has created a "literacy hub," where they've mapped out high-quality, free content for children. This is organized by the child's reading stage.
WGBH Distance Learning Center - For Families
Free resources curated according to grade level in an effort to support families and students while learning from home. Materials from PBS LearningMedia’s library and other WGBH Education resources.
An educational website offering 1000+ animated videos for K-12 students. Topics range across all content areas, including science, math, engineering, health, music, art, English, and social studies. The Wheeler Library has a subscription and you can access this for free by going through the Prescott Library. In addition, they are currently offering free access to all due to the pandemic.
This digital collection of up-to-date, relevant articles includes those pertaining to social studies, current events, and science. Articles are accompanied by follow-up questions and activities. All articles are available at varying Lexile levels in order to reach all learners. The entire suite offered on this website is currently free to all.
Time Magazine’s current events reader for elementary and middle school students. Currently, their digital library is free to all. TFK just announced they will continue to "publish" throughout the summer.
Learn at Home is a free program by Scholastic. It is a road map for parents and guardians to guide children through 20 days of active learning, using their online resources. Daily “lesson plans,” which are organized by grade level, layout multiple high-interest options, including engaging virtually with authors, links to articles and videos about various topics, and tips about interesting live webcams.
The Smithsonian Institute is an incredibly vast wealth of information and resources. They have dedicated a section on their website to distance learning resources. In addition to access to articles and visuals from Smithsonian collections, the SI website offers a separate page, Fun Stuff for Kids and Teens, dedicated to art projects, videos, and games.
The Library of Congress website is a treasure trove of images, maps, articles, and interactive materials surrounding United States history and culture. Dive in and search for topics of interest to satisfy your child’s curious mind. Dav Pilkey, best known as author and illustrator of Captain Underpants and Dog Man, is collaborating with the LoC in videocasting drawing demonstrations and read alouds. All resources mentioned here are free.
Engaging with authors and illustrators
The New York Times published this article, outlining several authors and illustrators who are video casting free tutorials and readings for children.
This PBS collection of classroom resources is organized by grade level and subject matter including language arts, social studies, science, math, physical education, and the arts. All resources are free to all.
Available for free, but reliant on donations, this online library is filled with videos of well-known actors reading popular children’s literature. Production quality is terrific and because these are pre-recorded, there is no restriction on what time of day you can participate.
The children’s division of National Geographic can be found at this website. Resources range from fun facts and games to articles and informational videos, to how-to videos and ideas for hands-on experiments. While space exploration, science, and animal studies are the bulk of the content, you may also find material about historical figures, the story behind popular candies, and ways to get involved in national and international conservation efforts.
This sports magazine has made this digital version of their kids reader free to all. If your child loves sports, this site will provide plenty of high-interest reading material. Many articles are written by SI Kid Reporters and might even inspire your child to start some reporting of their own.
Big List of Podcasts for Little Kids
This list from The New York Times highlights podcasts for children ages 2-6 and for their parents.
The New York Times has curated this diverse collection of images to be used for student writing prompts.
This organization is currently offering free, printable worksheets and activities for students in grades K-4.