ReadWriteThink is a collaborative project of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) and the International Literacy Association (ILA). The website offers a vast array of resources designed to support literacy instruction across all grade levels. This can include lesson plans, student interactives, printouts, and professional development materials, all of which are standards-based and reviewed by educators.
Powered by NCTE | Read Write Think
The site is organized into several main sections:
- Classroom Resources: This section features a comprehensive collection of lesson plans, student interactives, and printouts. Teachers can search for materials by grade level, resource type, learning objective, or theme, making it easy to find resources tailored to specific classroom needs.
- Collections: Curated sets of teaching materials and professional learning resources are grouped by topics frequently taught in classrooms, such as assessment, writing, poetry, media literacy, and primary sources. These collections provide educators with a thematic approach to resource selection.
- Professional Development: This section offers strategy guides, professional library articles, and information on meetings and events. These resources support educators in their ongoing professional growth and instructional effectiveness.
Integration into Teaching Environments
ReadWriteThink.org's resources are versatile and can be integrated into various teaching environments, including traditional classrooms, remote learning settings, and differentiated instruction scenarios:
- Traditional Classrooms: The lesson plans and student interactives can be used to enhance in-person instruction, providing engaging activities that promote critical thinking and literacy skills.
- Remote Learning: Many of the student interactives and online tools are suitable for virtual instruction, allowing students to engage with content digitally. For example, the Printing Press interactive enables students to create newspapers, brochures, and flyers, which can be shared electronically.
- Differentiated Instruction: The variety of resources available allows educators to select materials that cater to diverse learning styles and abilities. For instance, the Acrostic Poems interactive can be used to support students who benefit from creative expression, while the Essay Map helps students organize their writing in a structured manner.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Free Access: All resources on ReadWriteThink.org are available at no cost, making it an accessible option for educators with limited budgets.
- High-Quality, Standards-Based Materials: The resources are evidence-based and reviewed by educators, ensuring alignment with educational standards and best practices.
- User-Friendly Navigation: The website is well-organized, allowing users to search for resources by grade level, resource type, learning objective, or theme, facilitating efficient access to relevant materials.
- Interactive Student Tools: The site offers a variety of student interactives that engage learners in activities such as writing poetry, mapping stories, and creating trading cards, enhancing student engagement and learning outcomes.
- Professional Development Support: In addition to classroom resources, the site provides strategy guides and professional articles to support educators' professional growth.
Cons
- Limited Multimedia Content: While the site offers a wealth of text-based resources and interactives, it lacks multimedia content such as instructional videos or podcasts, which could enhance the learning experience for some students.
- U.S.-Centric Standards: The materials are primarily aligned with U.S. educational standards, which may require adaptation for educators in other countries to ensure relevance to their curricula.
- No User Accounts: The absence of user accounts means that educators cannot save their favorite resources or track their usage history on the site, which could be a convenient feature for regular users.
Pricing
ReadWriteThink.org is entirely free to use. There is no need to sign up, there are no advertisements, and users are not tracked, making it a truly free resource for all educators.
Alternative Resources
While ReadWriteThink.org offers a comprehensive suite of literacy resources, teachers may also consider the following alternatives:
- Learning A-Z: Provides a collection of differentiated teaching resources, including printable books and lessons, to support literacy development.
- ReadWorks: Offers free, research-based reading comprehension materials for K - 12 students, including passages and question sets.
- Reading Rockets: Provides strategies, lessons, and activities designed to help young children learn to read and read better.
- Storyline Online: Features videos of celebrated actors reading children's books aloud, accompanied by illustrations, to promote reading and literacy.
- K12Reader: Offers free worksheets and resources covering reading skills, grammar, and spelling for K - 12 educators.
