Free Reading Programs
Blend Phonics - 44 units with detailed word lists in the tradition of "Reading Made Easy with Blend Phonics." Activities can be used in 1 to 1 teaching. (Very similar to the steps used in the early levels of the All About Reading program)
Free Reading - 40 week program for teaching reading with PreK - 6 with materials available for printing. Includes activities geared for classroom use and group activities.
Phonics Primer - 15 steps to teaching reading from National Right to Read Foundation. Activities can be used in 1 to 1 teaching.
Free Reading - 40 week program for teaching reading with PreK - 6 with materials available for printing. Includes activities geared for classroom use and group activities.
Phonics Primer - 15 steps to teaching reading from National Right to Read Foundation. Activities can be used in 1 to 1 teaching.
Decodable Books
The Mommy Teacher
Hubbard's Cupboard -
Free printable books with fully decodable text (no irregularly spelled words except some sight words) for two levels of beginning readers.
Reading Genie - Power point books with various word families
Reading A-Z - Decodable booklets can be viewed on screen (may need to use zoom feature to read). Membership required to print.
Starfall - black and white printable booklets
How to use decodable books from The Mommy Teacher.
Note from Melissa: Truly Decodable books are difficult, expensive to purchase from teacher sources, or are flimsy books you print and cut yourself and don't feel like "real" books to older readers. We purchased the All About Reading curriculum because of the decodable books that came with the program and corresponded to the lessons. Then we were assured our child would always be successful in reading words that did not deviate from rules and sounds she had already learned. That was a huge confidence booster.
Reading Genie - Power point books with various word families
Reading A-Z - Decodable booklets can be viewed on screen (may need to use zoom feature to read). Membership required to print.
Starfall - black and white printable booklets
How to use decodable books from The Mommy Teacher.
Note from Melissa: Truly Decodable books are difficult, expensive to purchase from teacher sources, or are flimsy books you print and cut yourself and don't feel like "real" books to older readers. We purchased the All About Reading curriculum because of the decodable books that came with the program and corresponded to the lessons. Then we were assured our child would always be successful in reading words that did not deviate from rules and sounds she had already learned. That was a huge confidence booster.
Phonics games, activities, and resources
Alphabet Avenue - Games, worksheets, booklets,
BBC - Variety of reading and phonics activities and games
Carl's Corner - Games, worksheets, activities
ESL Kids Lab - Videos, printables, flashcards
Family Learning - Phonics games online
Free downloadable font for Dyslexic and early readers - Helps to distinguish between letters that are similar and often confused.
Fun Fonix - Free initial sounds games and activities with short vowels and hard consonant practice exercises that can be practiced in different ways to suit a child's learning style: Treasure chest, Concentration, Shoot out, Collect stars, etc.
Kabongo - Free games with virtual characters, with expanded options for paid members.
Kiddy House - Worksheets
Literactive - Guided reading activities and games online
Make a word interactive book with Clifford - Select vowels to put into blanks between consonants to create new CVC words.
Parking mania zoo escape - count letters in words, use strategies to move car
Penny Push Game - activity for learning sounds, and can be adapted for use with syllables.
Phonics shooter - Identify beginning sounds of picture to match letter presented
Phonics Star - Videos, worksheets, online games
Reading Resource - Reading activities and classroom games
Soft Schools - Phonics flashcards and interactive activities online
Spelling monster - practice spelling lists by typing the word spoken, requires audio
Starfall - Online games, activities, animated videos and printed pages for teaching phonics in a systematic way.
Starts with? - Select letter for beginning sound of picture shown, audio available for non readers
Vowel splat - reinforces vowel recognition by "splatting" them as they appear and move onscreen
Whirlyword machine - Practice making CVC words with whirly machine
Word Way - Reading activities and games by rimes / word families: A Word Families, E Word Families, I Word Families , O Word Families, U Word Families
BBC - Variety of reading and phonics activities and games
Carl's Corner - Games, worksheets, activities
ESL Kids Lab - Videos, printables, flashcards
Family Learning - Phonics games online
Free downloadable font for Dyslexic and early readers - Helps to distinguish between letters that are similar and often confused.
Fun Fonix - Free initial sounds games and activities with short vowels and hard consonant practice exercises that can be practiced in different ways to suit a child's learning style: Treasure chest, Concentration, Shoot out, Collect stars, etc.
Kabongo - Free games with virtual characters, with expanded options for paid members.
Kiddy House - Worksheets
Literactive - Guided reading activities and games online
Make a word interactive book with Clifford - Select vowels to put into blanks between consonants to create new CVC words.
Parking mania zoo escape - count letters in words, use strategies to move car
Penny Push Game - activity for learning sounds, and can be adapted for use with syllables.
Phonics shooter - Identify beginning sounds of picture to match letter presented
Phonics Star - Videos, worksheets, online games
Reading Resource - Reading activities and classroom games
Soft Schools - Phonics flashcards and interactive activities online
Spelling monster - practice spelling lists by typing the word spoken, requires audio
Starfall - Online games, activities, animated videos and printed pages for teaching phonics in a systematic way.
Starts with? - Select letter for beginning sound of picture shown, audio available for non readers
Vowel splat - reinforces vowel recognition by "splatting" them as they appear and move onscreen
Whirlyword machine - Practice making CVC words with whirly machine
Word Way - Reading activities and games by rimes / word families: A Word Families, E Word Families, I Word Families , O Word Families, U Word Families
Parent / Teacher Resources
AdLit (Adolescent Literature) - All About Adolescent Literacy: Resources for parents and teachers of students in grades 4 though 12. "AdLit.org is a national multimedia project offering information and resources to the parents and educators of struggling adolescent readers and writers. AdLit.org is an educational initiative of WETA, the flagship public television and radio station in the nation's capital, and is funded by Carnegie Corporation of New York and by the Ann B. and Thomas L. Friedman Family Foundation."
Reading Rockets - Teaching kids to read and helping those who struggle: Resources for parents, teachers, principals and librarians.
"Reading Rockets offers a wealth of reading strategies, lessons, and activities designed to help young children learn how to read and read better. Our reading resources assist parents, teachers, and other educators in helping struggling readers build fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension skills."
"Reading Rockets offers a wealth of reading strategies, lessons, and activities designed to help young children learn how to read and read better. Our reading resources assist parents, teachers, and other educators in helping struggling readers build fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension skills."
AVKO is a non-profit, 501(C)3 membership organization that focuses on the development and production of materials and especially techniques to teach reading and spelling, handwriting (manuscript and cursive), and keyboarding. AVKO is dedicated to the teaching everyone how to read and spell, regardless of their mild to moderate learning disabilities, dyslexia, poverty, or opportunity. Free materials are available.
Free Digital and Audio Books - children's or educational
- Librivox - LibriVox provides free audiobooks from the public domain.
- Open Culture - Provides free classic books in e-book format.
- Project Guttenberg - Provides free books in multiple formats. See children's bookshelf for kid-friendly books.
- Free book spot - Many educational topics, downloading a little tricky with free low speed version (and .rar format only) but could be worth it.
- Many Books - including a young reader's section. Limited download formats.
- Book yards - including children's lists by various age groups. Limited download formats.