Welcome to a new series where we feature our favorite free web tools and apps for language learners and teachers. This month we are highlighting CommonLit, a website with free reading passages and progress tracking tools for grades 5-12. Browse CommonLit‘s free collection of news articles, poems, short stories, and historical documents. Assign text-dependent questions to hold students accountable for high-level reading and writing. Analyze student performance and compare class reports on key reading and writing skills. Below are a list of 5 of CommonLit‘s features to support the learning needs of English language learners.
Each week we scour the internet to find great web tools and apps to share on our various social networks (@TESOL, @AmericanTESOL, and @ESLWebinars). Check out our past favorites here.
- Translation tool: highlight any word and generate a translation into 13 different languages
- Read aloud tool: text-to-speech technology can read translated text aloud
- Dictionary feature: generate a definition of unfamiliar vocabulary words with one click
- Guided Reading Mode: a supportive layer of questions to check for understanding during reading
- Browse by book: Teaching a book unit this year? Supplement book units with short passages from a variety of different genres.
To learn more about integrating technology to support English language learners, attend our free Friday webinars.
Photo Credit: https://pixabay.com/en/learn-school-language-teaching-2001847