What’s It Like? Actively Learn is an interactive e-reading platform where students can highlight and annotate text as they read. What’s more, it lets teachers assign texts to students, and groups of students, so that whole classes can read, annotate, and interact around a text. The site contains thousands of free ELA, science, and history texts, from “The Picture of Dorian Gray” to George Washington’s Farewell Address. Don’t see what you want? Teachers can upload any text of their choosing, from online articles to your own media. You can also use, rent, or buy copyrighted materials through the platform (depending on the version you’re using).
Price: Free and monthly subscription versions
Grades: 4-12
Pros: It’s a very easy-to-use tool with excellent Common Core-aligned lessons built right in.
Cons: More science and technical texts would round out the site.
Bottom line: Far beyond the average e-reader, this tool helps students connect and stay engaged while teachers easily measure progress.