CommonLit is a great resource for teachers and parents. It is an online library of free texts from a range of genres. These texts can be located according to reading difficulty, genre, topics, themes and literary devices (e.g., alliteration, imagery and hyperbole).[divider]
The texts are of high quality and are derived from a variety of sources:
- Classic works that are now in the public domain.
- Professional writing contributed from other publications.
- Short works donated by writers
Each text includes:
- Readability features (including a choice of font size and numbered paragraphs for easy navigation).
- Footnotes and glossary (including pop-up links providing the definition of key vocabulary and relevant background information).
- A brief summary providing information about the author, text and areas on which to focus.
- Text-dependent questions and discussion questions.
- Suggested paired texts (e.g., other texts with a common theme or using a similar literary device).
- Related media (e.g., video or audio clips) to enrich students’ understanding of the ideas in the text.
Take CommonLit to the next level:
- Find multiple texts on the same topic. The research indicates that the texts don’t need to be all at the same level. This will increase students’ understanding of the topic.
- Identify vocabulary that is outside your students’ current knowledge. Include a range of activities to develop students’ understanding of that vocabulary. See the following blogs for more information:
- Choose texts that link to a large body of work you would like students to read (e.g., novel, non-fiction book, etc.).