Instructional Materials
Free Resources. Real Impact
Our instructional materials provide ready-to-use tools that strengthen lessons, build student understanding, and simplify your workflow.
Instructional Materials
Math Materials
Documents
Math Workshop
- Buy the book! Math Workshop: Five Steps to Implementing a Student-Centered Learning Environment (6-12)
- Math Workshop Book Study Questions
- Math Workshop Lesson Structures
- Math Workshop Sample Lesson Plan Template
Community Builders
- Math Workshop Minilessons (Ch. 3 in the book)
- Random Grouping Cards:
- See, Think, Wonder Starters
- Sentence Starters | Half-Sheet Version
- CASEL Practices
Planning Documents
Reasoning Routines Links
- Always, Sometimes, Never
- Clothesline Math
- Clothesline Math Lessons
- Convince Me That
- Daresay's Check-In Generator
- EQSTEMM Elementary Mathematical Modeling Routines
- Estimation180
- Esti-Mysteries
- Fawn Nguyen Number Talks for Middle Schoolers
- Fraction Talks
- Graphing Stories (previously GraphingStories.com)
- Guess My Number
- Illustrative Mathematics Middle School Routines List
- Illustrative Mathematics High School Routines List
- Robert Kaplinsky Estimation Lessons
- Math Arguments 180
- Math Before Bed
- Math Arguments
- Mystery Number
- Notice and Wonder
- Number Strings
- Number Talk Images
- Open Middle
- Same but Different
- Slow Reveal Graphs | version 2 | version 3
- SolveMe Mobiles
- Splat!
- Two Kinds of People
- Two Truths and a Lie
- Unit Chat
- Visual Patterns
- What's Going On In This Graph?
- Which One Doesn’t Belong?
- Would you Rather Math
Websites containing Reasoning Routines Links
- Berkeley Everett Number Sense Routines (K-5)
- Bridging for Math Strength
- Cognitively Guided Instruction (K-5)
- Henrico County Number Sense Routines (K-12)
- Howard County (K-5) K | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5
- Math Learning Center
- Math Talks for Slides
- Numberless Word Problems
- Teach at the Speed of Learning
- Theresa Wills - Virtual Routines
- Youcubed Data Talks
Tasks Links
Building Thinking Classrooms Tasks
- Peter Liljedahl's K-12 Numeracy Tasks
- Building Thinking Classrooms Website Tasks
- Building Thinking Classrooms K-12 Curricular Tasks
- Building Thinking Classrooms K-12 Non-Curricular Tasks
3-Act Tasks
- Catherine Castillo (K-5)
- Dan Meyer's TED TALK: Math Class Needs a Makeover
- Dan Meyer's Three-Act Math Tasks (K-12)
- Dan Meyer: If math is the aspirin, then how do you create the headache? | Directory of Mathematical Headaches Google Doc
- Graham Fletcher 3-Act Task (K-5)
- Kendra Lomax 3-Act Tasks (K-2)
- Jon Orr Real World Problems (6-12) - Making Math Moments that Matter
- Kyle Pearce - Tap Into Teen Minds 3-Act Tasks (3-12)
- Learning From Children (K-2)
- San Francisco Unified School District 3-Act Tasks (K-12)
- When Math Happens - 3 Act Tasks (3-12)
- Mike Wiernicki (K-8)
Websites with Tasks
- 180 Days of Math Tasks
- Balanced Assessment (K-12)
- Elementary Math Modeling Tasks
- Fawn Nguyen Tasks
- Illuminations (K-12) - requires NCTM membership
- Illustrative Mathematics (K-12)
- Illustrative Mathematics Middle School Spreadsheet (6-8)
- Illustrative Mathematics High School Spreadsheet (9-12)
- Inside Mathematics (2-12)
- Robert Kaplinsky (K-12)
- Mathematics Assessment Project Tasks (6-12)
- NCTM Problem of the Week (K-12)
- New York City Tasks (K-12)
- North Carolina Collaborative for Mathematics Learning (NC2ML) (6-8) | (9-12)
- NRICH Tasks (K-12)
- Open Middle (K-12)
- Performance Assessment Resource Bank (K-12)
- Stella's Stunners (7-12)
- VDOE Rich Tasks (K-12)
- University of Waterloo Problems of the Week (3-12)
- YouCubed Tasks (K-12)
- Yummy Math (K-12)
Learning Stations Templates
- Choice Boards Quick Start Guide
- Breakout Room (Digital): Google Slides
- Choice Boards: Depth of Knowledge
- Choice Boards: Review and Practice
- Choice Boards: Shapes
- Choice Boards (Digital): Google Slides
- Menu
- Menu (Digital): For Student Creation
- Mild, Medium, Spicy Activity Template
- Must Do - Can Do
- Playlists
- Think-Tac-Toe
- Think-Tac-Toe: Center Start
- Think-Tac-Toe: Blooms
- Total Points: 1-3-5
- Total Points: Give Me Five!
- Total Points: List Menu
Science Materials
Documents
Phenomena Resources
A phenomenon is simply an observable event. In the science classroom, a carefully chosen phenomenon can drive student inquiry. Phenomena add relevance to the science classroom by showing students science in their world. A good phenomenon is observable, interesting, complex, and aligned to the appropriate standard.
Claims, Evidence, and Reasoning Templates
Discourse Strategy Resources
Science and Engineering Practices (SEP) Resources
- VDOE SEP Progression
- Expanded Progression (Grade 5 - Physics)
- NGSS SEP Progression
- Interpreting and Analyzing Data
- Symbols for Annotating Graphs and Text
- Modeling
- Other Modeling Tools and Templates
- Zoom In Google Draw
- Syringe Template (Example)
- Observe-Wonder
Graphic Organizers and Templates - SEPs
- Wonder of Science
- Asking Questions - Google Draw
- Developing and Using Models - Google Draw
- Planning and Carrying Out Investigations - Google Draw
- Analyzing & Interpreting Data - Google Draw
- Using Mathematics & Computational Thinking - Google Draw
- Constructing Explanations - Google Draw
- Engaging in Argument from Evidence - Google Draw
Graphic organizers - Concepts
- Cause and Effect - Google Draw
- Cause and Effect (version 2) Google Draw
- Patterns - Google Draw
- Systems and System Models - Google Draw or PDF
- Structure and Function - Google Draw or PDF
- Structure and Environment - Google Draw or PDF
- Energy and Matter - Google Draw or PDF
- Scale, Proportion, and Quantity - Google Draw or PDF
- Stability and Change - Google Draw or PDF
English Language Arts (ELA) Materials
Phonemic Awareness
| 95percentgroup - Phonemic Awareness | The 95percent group provides background information and 14 different phonemic awareness activities teachers can use with students. |
| Reading Rockets - Phonological and phonemic awareness | Reading Rockets provides a variety of resources, some geared towards parents, that support the development of phonological and phonemic awareness. |
Phonics
| Phonics and Reading Games | A resource for phonics games, teacher tools, and decodable text aligned with Core Knowledge Language Arts (CKLA). |
| Word Chaining | Word chaining strategy that helps build orthographic mapping |
| Massachusetts DOE Early Reading Resources | The Massachusetts Department of Education provides a resource site for their teachers on phonics and decoding. It includes teacher knowledge and information as well as instructional routines and practices. |
| UFLI Foundations Toolbox | Free resource provided by the University of Florida Literacy Institute. The UFLI Foundations Toolbox, an explicit and systematic program that teaches students the foundational skills necessary for proficient reading aligned to the Science of Reading. |
Vocabulary
| Phonics and Stuff | A resource to search for words and see their morphemes and meanings. If you click on a morpheme, you can see other words that have the same morpheme. Their bank of words continues to grow. |
| Morpheme Lab | A resource provided by Iowa Reading Research to support the development of vocabulary through the instruction of morphology. The resource includes high frequency morphemes related to content areas (Math, Science, Social Studies). |
Fluency
| How to Build Fluency with Text in Your Classroom | Provides information on developing fluency in young readers, including an instructional routine and suggested language for corrective feedback. |
| Fluency Strategies for Lifelong Learners | Provides 9 strategies for improving fluency, including chunking, phrasing, and punctuation expression. |
Comprehension
| Paragraph Shrinking - Here are 2 examples of how to use paragraph shrinking to monitor comprehension during reading. This strategy can be used across all grade levels. | |
| Summarizing: Reading Rockets | Summarizing - Using SWBST as a summarizing strategy; provides a sample anchor chart as well as a video of the strategy in action |
| Read Naturally: Tips for Strengthening Reading Comprehension | Tips from Read Naturally on ways to strengthen reading comprehension; teachers can easily incorporate these ideas/strategies into their instructional routines |
Writing/Grammar
| The Grammar Project | The Grammar Project was created to support the instruction of syntax, punctuation, and morphology. |
| The Writing Revolution | The Writing Revolution provides free resources to support writing development, beginning at the sentence level. Resources range from Kg through the secondary level and include writing multiparagraph essays. |
Resources for Reading Passages/Text
| Reading Universe | Decodable texts - aligned with spelling patterns |
| Newela Lite | Newsela lite provides free text, based on current events. The text includes a maturity level range as well as a Lexile range. Articles can be assigned to a class and include comprehension questions. |
| ReadWorks | ReadWorks provides a wide variety of reading passages, including poetry. Passages include vocabulary and comprehension questions. Passages can be aligned with grade level and/or Lexile. ReadWorks also has decodables that they advertise as aligned with both UFLI and Fundations. |
| CommonLit | CommonLit provides several resources, including its own curriculum and a fairly extensive text library. Their texts include comprehension questions that require both multiple-choice and written responses. |
Comprehensive ELA Resources
| Reading Universe | Ready-to-use resources and teaching strategies aligned with phonological awareness, phonics, language comprehension, reading comprehension, fluency, and writing. |
| Florida Center for Reading Research Student Center Activities | Research-based PK-5 Student Center Activities for phonological awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.The activities are designed for students to practice, demonstrate, and extend their learning of what has already been taught, sometimes with teacher assistance and sometimes independently. Students can complete the activities in small groups, pairs, or individually. |
Coming Soon
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Special Education Materials
Coming Soon
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Multilingual Learners (ML) Materials
Links
- ML Teaching Expert Companion - AI chatbot for ML teachers using specific ELL teachers or vetted resources. Created by Larry Ferlazzo.
- The First 100 Days of School - This site is created for families who are new to school and perhaps to the United States. Created by Debra Roethke.
Career and Technical Education (CTE) Materials
Coming Soon
- Coming Soon
Social Studies Materials