Apps, Websites and Podcasts for Virtual Tutoring

By Summer Reads VISTAs

About Summer Reads
This children’s literacy tutor resource was created by Summer Reads VISTA members. Summer Reads is an AmeriCorps VISTA national service program of Literacy Minnesota. For eight weeks over the summer, Summer Reads VISTA members volunteer full-time as children’s/youth literacy mentors in schools, libraries and out-of-school-time programs across Minnesota. They bring literacy to life for low-income students through a variety of activities – one-on-one tutoring, creative enrichment activities like using arts and drama to explore language or practicing vocabulary and comprehension in science and other subjects. They also connect students and parents/caregivers to community resources through wraparound basic needs support. At the same time, the VISTA members build their own leadership, explore career paths, pay for college and become lifelong advocates for the communities they serve due to the power of their experience. www.literacymn.org/summerreads

Apps, Websites and Podcasts for Virtual Tutoring
Pre-K through Middle School

For online learning, it can be hard to get and keep students engaged. Online resources can help the learning process be more fun and allow students to practice on their own if they want. There are three subgroups below that have the different resources for pre-K through elementary, middle school, and high school.

Also, some of the resources will need subscriptions or you may need to purchase them. Especially for the subscriptions, contact a teacher, principal, or someone from your school and see of the school already has a subscription to it. It will save you money and still provide you the same service. You can work with a group of families to pay for a subscription, so it is not as expensive. If you and a group decide to do this, is if you can access the program or app on multiple devices.

Here are some of the resources that students in pre-K through middle school would benefit from. The lists below tell what are some key words or summaries that describe the app, what the price is, and what devices the app is compatible with.

Apps

HOMER
Summary/key words: Personalized learning and reading activities for the child’s age. Also, there are similar apps through Homer that focus on different parts of reading like HOMER Reading: Learn to Read, HOMER Reading & Stories, and HOMER Stories: Kids Library.
Ages: 2-8
Price: 7.99/month and has a free 30-day trial
Devices: Requires iOS 9.0 or later for any computer, iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch

Endless Alphabet
Summary/key words: Helps with learning ABC’s and building vocabulary. There is Endless Reader (Free) and Endless Wordplay (Free + in-app purchases).
Ages: 4+
Price: $8.99
Devices: Andriod, iPhone, and iPad

Metamorphabet
Summary/key words: It is a fun way to learn the alphabet.
Ages: 4+
Price: $4.99
Devices: Andriod, iPhone, and iPad

Reading Raven
Summary/key words: It has varied lessons for children based on their age. There is Reading Raven Vol 2. Both versions are available in HD.
Ages: 4+
Price: $2.99
Devices: Andriod, iPhone, and iPad

SimpleMind
Summary/key words: Helps with organizing what you want to write.
Ages: 4+
Price: Free
Devices: iOS and Android

Online Activities and Programs

ABCmouse Early Learning Academy
Summary/key words: It offers reading, math, science, and art activities for kids. There are 10 levels total with about 850 lessons for students to go through. It also includes letter recognition, phonics, rhyming words and word families, digital library, sentence structure, and parts of speech.
Price: Free for the first 30 days; $9.95/month

Adventure Academy
Summary/key words: Has activities for reading, math, science and more for kids. When it comes to reading, it helps with main idea and key details, comprehension, writing, spelling, etc.
Price: Free for the first 30 days; $9.99/month; $79.99/year

BrainPOP
Summary/key words: Covers many subjects like science, social studies, English, math, arts and music, health and SEL, engineering and tech, and new and trending. For the English portion, it has four units that include famous authors and books, study and reading skills, writing, and grammar.
Price: Free

Headsprout
Summary/key words: Individualized learning activities centered around reading development.
Price: minimum of $209.95

Reading Horizons
Summary/key words: It is a reading curriculum for K-3 that focuses on foundational reading and spelling curriculum and grades 4+ reading intervention program.
Price: $199

Seekadoo
Summary/key words: This is an online search engine for students to use.
Price: Free

Time for Kids
Summary/key words: It is a reading magazine for grades K-6. There are online and print version that you can get access, too.
Price: Digital $4.50; Digital and Print version $4.95

RV AppStudios
Summary/key words: It is a website that has resources to other educational games for children that you can download on your phone, tablet or computer
Price: Free

iWriteWords (Handwriting Game)
Summary/key words: Allows students to practice drawing their letters.
Ages: 4+
Price: $2.99
Devices: iPhone and iPad

Online Printable Resources

Clever Tykes
Summary/key words: Activities, lesson plans, and chapter walkthroughs that connect to stories.
Price: Individual per resource

edHelper
Summary/key words: Printables and worksheets that are on the topics of literacy.
Price: basic subscription $19.99/year and everything subscription 39.98/year

Student Center Activities from the Florida Center for Reading Research
Summary/key words: When you go to the website, click the grade that your student is in. Then decide which skill they need to work on. After clicking on the skill, it will give you pdf versions of free downloadable activities.
Price: Free

Trend Enterprises
Summary/key words: Free Resources for at-home learning. The website also has other guides, tips activities, and much more.
Price: Free

Podcasts

Podclassed
Summary/key words: Reading Horizons has this podcast by Laura Axtell with a variety of topics.
Designed focus group: Teachers, educators, families

Julie’s Library
Summary/key words: Read aloud stories
Designed focus group: Children ages 4+

Stories Podcast
Summary/key words: Read aloud stories and chapter books
Designed focus group: Children ages 5+

Bedtime History
Summary/key words: short bedtime stories that are centered around history
Designed focus group: Children 6+

Resources for Teachers

Breakout EDU
Summary/key words: It is a fun way for students to learn through games that align with standards.
Price: Teacher Membership $199

Lalilo
Summary/key words: Creates personalized exercises for students (grades K-3)through research-based phonics and comprehension programs and it available for in-school and distance learning.
Price: Teacher Membership is free

Literably
Summary/key words: An online assessment for students reading aloud. The teacher then gets the results.
Price: Varies on number of students and the school district’s plans

ReadingIQ
Summary/key words: An online website that has a digital library of leveled books for pre-K to 6 th grade readers.
Price: Free for teachers

Hand2Mind
Summary/key words: Online website that has materials to help teach literacy and has grade specific materials for purchase.
Price: Things are in packages individually priced

Books

Ways to purchase good books:

• DK books is a website that organizes children's books

For purchasing cheaper books:

• Go to the app BookBub which will have books at a cheaper price every day
• On kindles, Apple products, and nooks there are free books that come with those accounts and devices
• Scholastic has $1 books and is a good resource for purchasing books for any age

For donating books:

• Use the BookMooch to donate the books you have and receive the books you want

Online/app books resources:

• Benchmark Education
• Fabulingua
• Highlights for Children!
• Hoopla
• Inclined2Learn.com
• Kids Discover Online is free online or $4/month
• Libby
• OverDrive is most likely free through your local public library and school
• PebbleGo is $1299-$2399. Ask your school if they already have a subscription to this website
• Vooks is $4.99/month

Other Online Resources

Here are other websites that give more resources and information:

• https://www.zaner-bloser.com/learn-at-home-literacy-resources.php
• https://www.readingrockets.org
• https://www.literacymn.org/resources-for-teaching-learning-digital-literacy-skills
• https://www.weareteachers.com/free-online-learning-resources/#elementary
• https://www.capella.edu/blogs/cublog/literacy-tools-for-early-childhood-education/
• https://www.originatorkids.com/?p=564
• https://www.weareteachers.com/best-free-apps-for-students/
• https://growingbookbybook.com/great-podcasts-about-childrens-books-andliteracy/