Free+Tools

**Free Literacy Tools**

 * ** New **- [|My Study Bar] - a comprehensive set of portable open source and freeware applications to support learners with literacy difficulties. MyStudyBar is similar to popular commercial programs which use a floating toolbar to support literacy. The main difference is MyStudyBar is free. The toolbar includes a range of tools to support inclusion such as mind mapping, screen masking, word prediction, talking dictionary, text-to-speech, Save as MP3 and voice recognition. **PC Only**. (Speech recognition only works in Vista or Windows 7)


 * [|StarFall] - Pre-K - 2nd grade online activities that promote literacy
 * [|Literactive]- interactive primary reading activities
 * [|Inkless Tales] - Listen to stories including Dolch words. (use the control + keys to enlarge the font size if students are following along)
 * [|Into the Book] - Excellent reading comprehension resource - Using Prior Knowledge, Making Connections, Questioning, Visualizing, Inferring, Summarizing, Evaluating and Synthesizing. K-4
 * Spell a Picture- Excellent activity for building phonemic awareness, phonics, and spelling for early readers, lots of picture prompts


 * [|Word Magnets] -
 * [|Cast UDL Book Builder]- Check [|out a previous post]to learn about this free online tool for creating digital books with embedded prompts.
 * [|UDL Editions]- Leveled support for seven texts geared for ages 10 and up


 * [|GenieBooks] - Decodable books in Powerpoint
 * [| Story Line On]line - Listen to stories read by Screen Actors Guild members - follow along with the text
 * [|Children's StoryBooks Online] - illustrated stories for young children, older children and young adults. Some include audio.
 * [|Browser Books] - "This website was created to allow **beginning readers** to read books on their web browser. Readers can click on the triangle in the lower right-hand corner of each page to turn the pages. If they are unsure of a word, they can click on it to hear a child's voice read the word to them. The books have been sorted by level and by subject according to the curriculum." (from the website)


 * [|Tar Heel Reader] Here you’ll find a collection of [|easy-to-read books] on a wide variety of topics. Each book is switch accessible and speech enabled. You may download the books as a slide show in PowerPoint, Impress, or Flash format. Appropriate for beginning readers of all ages, including adolescents.

**Resources for grades 6 - 12**

 * [|Shmoop] -- Guides to about 200 classic school novels – Intro (includes a Why Should I care section) Summary, Themes, Quotes, Characters, Analysis, Questions, Photos, Quizzes, Best of the Web, Write Essay and Teaching. Includes a step-by-step essay writing tool. Includes ads but the site is so rich, we can overlook them.
 * [|60 Second Recap] - (has ads) video recaps of classic literature read in middle and high schools. (ie. Beowolf, 1984, Adventures of Huck Finn, Lord of the Flies,
 * [|Planet eBooks]- Free classic literature to download (middle school and up)
 * [|Poetry Foundation] - free resource to find poetry by category, by name, by title, by author, or by first line. It's digital, attach a voice and it's now accessible!