
Picture from Pixabay
I admit it. Initially, when I noticed the cases of the coronavirus growing around the world, I did not imagine that we would begin to shut down in the United States. After all, we have been through Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), Ebola, and Swine Flu. The coronavirus tops them all. We are currently readjusting our daily behaviors to save lives. Among these changes are social distancing, working online, and the closing of many schools.
As we contemplate our next moves, we know that it is essential for our youth to keep learning. I regard reading as a foundational subject. I wanted to share a few websites that elementary students can use for reading books. Many students do not have access to the Internet. However, those that do may find these resources helpful.
Books Read Aloud
These websites have video and audio recordings of books.
- Brightly Storytime: https://bit.ly/2IZVVJ0 – In this collaborative project with Random House, storyteller Ms. Linda reads aloud full-length stories.
- International Children’s Digital Library: http://en.childrenslibrary.org/ – This digital library features a collection of free children’s books from around the world from 73 languages.
- Oxford Owl: https://bit.ly/33vR6Aw – This website by the Oxford Press offers support for children’s learning at home and in school.
- Project Gutenberg: https://bit.ly/33B6M5S – This digital library contains full-text e-books from the public domain.
- Storyline Online: https://www.storylineonline.net/- This website features videos of celebrities reading our favorite children’s books.
Free Printable Books Online
These websites have free printable books and booklets. Note that some of these websites have ads and have biblical materials on them. I recommend sharing direct links to printable materials.
I have also noticed that the School Library Journal has posted guidelines from publishers for educators, librarians, and booksellers. Some publishers have adapted their policies to allow online read-alouds. Here are the School Library Journal links that summarize the plans.
This is a strange time for us as we learn to adapt. I think that the changes show that we are resilient and can work together to move forward. I am inspired by our resolve to survive. While this is a bad situation, it is unfortunate situations that often show us how kind other people can be.
Fortunately, we can still teach our students and learn online. The professional development is listed below, just in case you have time to attend. Stay safe.
References
Mysticsartdesign. 2020. Moon Stars Clouds Child Fishing Rod. https://pixabay.com/illustrations/moon-star-sky-clouds-child-4450739/.
April 2020 Professional Development |
Organization |
Date & Time |
Professional Development Title |
edWeb.net |
April 2, 2020 – 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm EST |
Leading with Ethics |
|
April 8, 2020 – 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm EST |
How to Practically Implement the 6 Keys to Early Childhood Reading |
|
April 8, 2020 – 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm EST |
Equity in Education: An Examination of Practices in the United States |
|
April 8, 2020 – 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm EST |
Building Foundations in Reading, Sounds, and Text |
|
April 13, 2020 – 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm EST |
Leading Digital Transformations in Rural School Districts |
|
April 14, 2020 – 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm EST |
Beyond Content: Taking a Culturally Responsive Approach in the Classroom for Enhanced High Stakes Outcomes |
|
April 15, 2020 – 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm EST |
What’s NEW in EdTech: Trends and Movements in 2020 |
|
April 16, 2020 – 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm EST |
A Play-Based Approach to Emergent Curriculum and School Readiness |
|
April 16, 2020 – 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm EST |
TLC for Your PLCs: Tips for Creating High-Impact and Data-Driven PLCs |
|
April 22, 2020 – 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm EST |
The Transformative Power of Audio Reading
|
|
April 23, 2020 – 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm EST |
Equity: We’ve Started the Work, So Why Aren’t We There Yet? |
|
April 28, 2020 – 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm EST |
Don’t Look Away: Embracing Anti-Bias Classrooms |
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April 28, 2020 – 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm EST |
Teaching News and Media Literacy in an Election Year |
Simple K12 |
April 4, 2020 – 10:00 am – 10:30 am EST |
Google Classroom: An Intro to Creating, Formatting, & Sharing Google Docs |
|
April 4, 2020 – 11:00 am – 11:30 am EST |
Great Things You Can Do with Google Docs in Google Classroom |
|
April 4, 2020 – 12:00 pm – 12:30 pm EST |
Google Classroom: Project Ideas and Classroom Suggestions for Using Google Docs |
|
April 8, 2020 – 5:00 pm – 5:30 pm EST |
Using the Technology You Already Have to Provide Effective Instruction |
|
April 18, 2020 – 10:00 am – 10:30 am EST |
Google Forms: An Intro to Adding Questions, Applying Themes, Sharing, and More |
|
April 18, 2020 – 11:00 am – 11:30 am EST |
Easy Formative Assessment with Google Forms |
|
April 18, 2020 – 12:00 pm – 12:30 pm EST |
Make Google Forms Work for You!
|
|
April 18, 2020 – 1:00 pm – 1:30 pm EST |
Fabulous Forms: Amazing Ways to Integrate Google Forms in the Classroom |
|
April 21, 2020 – 6:00 pm – 6:30 pm EST |
More Than a Slide Deck: Creative Ways to Use Any Slideshow Tool for Learning |
|
April 26, 2020 – 1:00 pm – 1:30 pm EST |
Creative Ways to Give Timely, Useful Feedback to Students |
Webjunction |
April 8, 2020 – 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm EST |
Public and School Libraries: Creative Ways to Build Successful Partnerships |
InfoPeople.org |
April 15, 2020 – 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm EST |
Welcoming Generation Z to our Libraries |
|
April 22, 2020 – 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm EST |
New Books for Storytime – 2020 Update
|
Early Childhood Investigations Webinars |
April 2, 2020 – 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm EST |
Attract More Families to Your Website: SEO and Websites 101, by Jenny Munn |
TeachersFirst |
April 7, 2020 – 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm CST |
Engage & Inspire with Visual Essays
|
|
April 21, 2020 – 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm CST |
Around the World Using Google Search Tips & Tricks |
VolunteerMatch.org |
April 7, 2020 – 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm EST |
The New Volunteer Manager’s Toolkit |
|
April 8, 2020 – 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm EST |
Writing Accurate and Useful Volunteer Position Descriptions |
|
April 21, 2020 – 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm EST |
Understanding Soft Risk in Volunteer Engagement |
School Library Journal |
April 2, 2020 – 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm EST |
It’s About Equity! Let’s Tackle Information Poverty |
ASCD |
April 16, 2020 – 3:00 pm EST |
The New Teacher’s Guide to Cultural Competence |
Author: Daniella Smith
Daniella Smith, PhD. is a former school and public librarian. She is currently the Hazel Harvey Peace Professor in Children’s Library Services at the University of North Texas.
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Categories: Professional Development, Uncategorized
Tags: coronavisrus, ebooks, Free Books, oline reading, pandemic resource, reading
Thank you for sharing these resources, Daniella.
Yesterday, I posted an annotated collection of resources for school librarians and other educators, students, and families who seek to ethically listen to (or read) children’s and young adult literature online. (There is some overlap in our collections.)
All of these resources respect the rights of the book creators. They are available for free and (except for one) can be directly accessed by young people.
https://tinyurl.com/sllblog032320
Please stay safe and healthy for your own sake as well as for the health and safety of others.
I was looking for some free websites for my elementary students. Just beware that Project Gutenberg has a Genre “Pornography”.
can i have the copies of these books be posted in our school’s online library?