Resources
Resources for teaching elementary CS online

Many organizations are making resources available for free to support families and teachers. Here are some of the ones we like the best.

  1. Code.org is providing resources https://code.org/athome/csf to support all of their classes. Create a free classroom and track student progress if you want to or just use it individually.

  2. Tynker interactive coding https://mailchi.mp/tynker/in-support-of-schools-facing-health-related-closure

  3. Typing Club https://www.typingclub.com/

  4. Code Combat 3rd - 5th and up. CodeCombat is a game-based computer science program where students learn typed Python and JavaScript and see their characters react in real time to their code. CodeCombat combines standards-aligned curriculum materials with automatic differentiation, teaching tools, and project-based courses to promote grit, problem-solving, and self-confidence. CodeCombat is offering free, full access to our game-based computer science curricula (CodeCombat & Ozaria) during school closures for affected schools and districts.

  5. CS First Resource for teaching Scratch to students, especially for schools already using Google https://csfirst.withgoogle.com/s/en/home (always free)

  6. CodeSpark Academy - At Home Coding for Kids Special Education, STEM, coding, computer science K - 2nd, 3rd - 5th http://codespark.com/promo codeSpark Academy is a self-paced K-5 coding platform Use the code "schoolclosed" to get 3 months FREE.

Look over our recommended resources for elementary in the classroom as well and think ahead.
Consider watching some recorded webinars such as Dr Bers talking with ISTE about balance and technology.

Non-CS online tools for elementary

  • Khan Academy has ramped up to respond. They’ve tested systems to make sure they can meet the increased demand, hosted webinars for teachers and parents, and started holding daily livestreams. Please keep checking the resource page as it gets updated regularly. Khan Academy released daily schedules for students in pre-K through grade 12 to follow from home.

  • Scholastic's free Learn at Home program includes 20 days' worth of curricula to help students continue learning even when school is closed. The daily lessons for pre-K through grade 6-plus include four separate learning experiences, built around a story or video. Kids can do them on their own, with their families or with their teachers. The lessons last up to three hours, and can be completed on any device. 

  • Outschool is offering free live online classes for students ages 3-18 affected by public school shutdowns, conducted over video chat. The 10,000-plus classes cover topics in English, math, social studies, science, coding, health and wellness, music, art and world languages. You can search courses by length (ranging from one class to a full semester), format (live online or flexible schedule), subject, age range and day or timeframe. 

  • New York's Department of Education released a free 10-day curriculum for multiple subjects for every grade level pre-K-12. While it's aimed at the New York City public school district -- the largest in the nation -- the materials are general enough to apply to a range of students nationwide. 

Early learning activities, videos and games

PBS Kids newsletter, video and gaming apps PBS Kids launched a new free weekday newsletter with activities and educational games for students ages 2-8 to do from home. The PBS Kids video app is also available on mobile, tablet and connected TV devices, and offers on-demand educational videos and a livestream of PBS Kids 24/7, with no subscription required. Plus, the PBS Kids Games app includes nearly 200 educational games that can be downloaded to play offline. 

Learning to read and reading comprehension

ABCmouse.com, Adventure Academy and Reading IQ The company Age of Learning is providing closed schools free home access for students to ABCmouse.com, Adventure Academy and ReadingIQ. ABCmouse.com is a comprehensive curriculum for pre-K through grade 2, and Adventure Academy is an educational massively multiplayer online game for elementary and middle school students, with thousands of learning activities covering reading, math and science. ReadingIQ is a digital library and literacy platform for children ages 12 and under, with thousands of books to choose from. 

Storyline Online A children's literacy website from the SAG-AFTRA Foundation, Storyline Online streams videos featuring award-winning actors reading children's books with illustrations. Each book includes a supplemental curriculum developed by an elementary school educator, which aims to improve comprehension and verbal and written skills, particularly for English-language learners. Celebrity readers include Viola Davis, Chris Pine, Kevin Costner, Annette Bening, James Earl Jones, Betty White and dozens more.

Math

Prodigy Math Prodigy Math is a free online math platform used by more than 50 million students, teachers and administrators, which reinforces math skills through video game-style play. For $5 a month for a yearly subscription, parents can get their students extra in-game features, benefits and rewards, as well as access placement tests, learning goals and progress reports. 

Music

The Singing Home For Preschool to Age 6 Fine Arts, Early Childhood Early Childhood, K - 2nd https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0eZkaDxUNW6ITj0ofCvbeg

Join our daily sing-along ????????New song and dance each day for you and your littlest ones (under 5 years old). Certified preschool music teacher posts videos of songs, fingerplays, and dances preschool kids will want to imitate - so you can take a break and get some work done!

Science

Mystery Science Amid the school closures, Mystery Science has opened its most popular science lessons for grade K-5 for students and parents to access free. Lessons range from short mini lessons that are completely digital, to full lessons that include a hands-on activity. All are designed to use simple supplies that families likely already have at home. 

Language learning

Duolingo is a free language learning app that helps kids (and adults) learn a language through short, game-like exercises, and motivates you to continue learning with a "streak" feature that tracks the number of days you've reached your point goal. You can also subscribe to Premium for $10 a month for an ad-free experience and downloadable lessons. 

Read more: The best language learning apps of 2020

BASHO & FRIENDS All-Access Spanish Library     https://bashoandfriends.teachable.com/p/teacher-toolkit-spanish/

BASHO & FRIENDS makes music-based foreign language learning resources with a focus on Spanish. Free access for the next three months to our music-based Spanish lessons covering topics ranging from days of the week and the seasons, to colors and classroom objects. This includes music videos, worksheets, and song files.

Calico Spanish Foreign Language K - 2nd https://calicospanish.com/digital-elementary-spanish-lessons-for-home-learning/

Calico Spanish creates curriculum anyone can use to teach young children real Spanish for a real future. 10 days of elementary Spanish lessons any family can do at home (Also, 7-day trial always includes 8 full units free and we'll offer free extensions to anyone affected by school closures.)

FabuLingua Reading, ESL, Foreign Language, Special Education Early Childhood, K - 2nd, 3rd - 5th www.fabulingua.com

FabuLingua teaches Spanish through magical interactive stories on mobile phones and tablets. Its unique method is designed to introduce the new language in a way that subconsciously develops the child’s ear, comprehension and reading skills. This approach leads to a more natural wiring of the brain to the new language in a way that is effective but feels effortless (and fun!). FabuLingua adds a new charming interactive story from Latin America or Spain every month, along with associated games and a Magic Sticker Book where kids get to create their own compositions! FabuLingua is suspending their subscription services and providing their entire platform for free to all families and schools while schools are closed. Simply download it from the App Store or Google play.

Art

YouTube Outside of formal art classes on platforms like Outschool (mentioned above), students and parents can find a number of free art lessons and tutorials on YouTube. Author and illustrator Jarrett J. Krosoczka is hosting daily drawing classes, and animator Mo Willems is hosting daily cartooning classes. The Art Sherpa has a number of painting tutorials on YouTube as well. 

DIY projects

DIY.org For crafty kids, DIY.org offers thousands of courses and projects with how-to videos for ages 4-13-plus. Project and course topics include drawing, photography, science, music, Lego-building and Minecraft-video making. Kids can make their own videos on the platform to share with others, which are closely monitored by the site (and parents get a notification any time their child posts something, too). DIY.org is currently offering 90% off of its library of hands-on projects, how-to videos and safe learning community for kids, with the code TOGETHER. 

Virtual field trips

Travel to art museums around the world through Google Arts & Culture. You can also virtually visit the San Diego Zoo, Yellowstone National Park and the Great Wall of China.