Top 20 Free Educational Websites Every Teacher Should Know

Finding engaging online resources can be a real challenge for educators.

Luckily, there are many excellent free websites that provide innovative tools to enhance lesson planning, student collaboration, and overall learning.

In this post, we will explore the top 20 free educational websites that every teacher should leverage, from interactive quiz platforms to virtual classrooms, teacher marketplaces, and more.

Introduction to Free Educational Resources

Teachers today face many challenges, from tight budgets to finding enough time to plan engaging lessons. Fortunately, there are some fantastic free online resources available to make an educator's job easier. These websites offer lesson plans, activity ideas, printable worksheets, interactive games, and more - all available at no cost.

In this article, we'll explore some of the best free websites for teaching and learning. These sites provide useful tools to assist with lesson planning, student engagement, assessment, and overall classroom management. Any teacher from elementary school to high school can benefit from these resources.

Exploring the Best Websites for Teaching Online

Here are some top sites offering free resources for educators:

Khan Academy - This non-profit offers practice exercises, instructional videos, and personalized learning dashboards spanning math, science, computer programming, history, and more. Teachers can use the content to flip their classrooms or provide remedial support.
ReadWriteThink - Sponsored by the International Literacy Association, this site features hundreds of student activities and printables. Useful for lesson planning in reading, writing, and language arts.
PhET Interactive Simulations - Offers over 150 free math and science simulations. The interactive models support inquiry-based approaches, with many activities suitable for tablets.
BrainPOP - Although a paid subscription is available, this site offers some free animated movies, quizzes, and activities covering the sciences, health, reading, writing, social studies, and more.

Maximizing Lesson Planning with Online Education Tools

ReadWriteThink, mentioned above, is one of the best websites for streamlining English and language arts curriculum planning.

Educators can browse lesson plans by grade, theme, calendar event, literary type, and more. Many plans are submitted by teachers. When you find a lesson you like, you can save it to your personal folder. You also have access to hundreds of student interactives, graphic organizers, printables, and reading resources.

For easy lesson planning, focus on the Teacher Resources and Student Interactives sections. Use the Calendar Activities and Printouts if you want to integrate seasonal themes into your instruction. ReadWriteThink does all the hard work pulling together engaging resources so you can focus on teaching.

What is the website that teachers use?

BrainPOP is a highly popular and useful educational website for teachers. It offers a wide variety of classroom resources and tools to make teaching more engaging and effective.

Some of the key things that make BrainPOP a go-to website for teachers include:

Lesson Plans: BrainPOP provides standards-aligned lesson plans across multiple subjects like math, science, ELA, social studies, health, arts & music, and technology. These ready-to-use plans save teachers hours of prep time.
Interactive Games & Quizzes: The site contains over 1,000 educational games and quizzes that reinforce concepts. Teachers can track student progress and identify knowledge gaps.
Challenges: BrainPOP offers STEM challenges that promote critical thinking and problem-solving skills among students.
Videos: It has a library of over 1,000 curriculum-based animated movies on diverse topics that engage students visually.
Professional Development: Educators can enroll in PD courses, webinars, and other training programs to advance their teaching abilities.
Intuitive Tools: BrainPOP makes it simple to find resources, build assignments, deliver assessments, and analyze student performance from one centralized platform.

With its comprehensive features that blend education and entertainment, BrainPOP empowers teachers to create more meaningful learning experiences for students across all grade levels. The website's intuitive design, customizable platform, and ability to save teachers time also make it a popular choice.

What is the most popular educational website?

Based on the context provided, the most popular educational website is byjus.com, which falls under the Science and Education > Education category. Byju's is an Indian edtech company that provides online tutoring services and digital learning programs for students of all ages.

Some key things to know about byjus.com:

Byju's offers learning programs focused on STEM subjects like math, science, coding, etc.
It uses innovative techniques like visual representations, real-world analogies, and interactive activities to explain concepts.
Byju's has over 150 million registered students and 7.5 million annual paid subscriptions.
It is valued at over $22 billion, making it one of the most highly valued edtech companies globally.

The immense popularity of Byju's can be attributed to factors like:

User-friendly mobile and online platform
Engaging and personalized learning approach
Top-notch teachers and quality content
Affordable pricing models
Effective learning outcomes

While Byju's takes the #1 spot, other leading education sites like Toppr, LearnCBSE, and Brainly also have millions of users. They cater to K-12 and test prep education.

So in summary, Byju's leads the pack when it comes to popular educational websites globally thanks to its innovative and effective digital learning programs. The site manages to make learning interactive and enjoyable, contributing to its widespread adoption.

What search engine do teachers use?

Teachers have access to a variety of specialized search engines that are designed to help them find high-quality educational resources, lesson plans, and teaching tools. Here are some of the top search engines used by teachers:

iSeek

iSeek is an academic search engine specifically made for students and teachers.
It allows you to search through lesson plans, lectures, presentations, and other free educational resources from schools and universities around the world.
iSeek also provides access to scholarly articles and research papers across various disciplines.

Lesson Planet

Lesson Planet has one of the largest online databases of teacher-created lesson plans spanning all grades and subjects.
You can search for lessons by keyword, standard, learning objective, etc.
Many of the lessons also include printable handouts, videos, quiz questions, and more.

Scholastic Teacher Express

Teacher Express contains thousands of printable lesson plans, worksheets, graphic organizers, rubrics, and more created by expert teachers.
You can browse by grade level or subject area and even align lessons to academic standards.
All resources are free with a registered account.

In addition to these specialized search engines, many teachers also use general search engines like Google and Bing to find free teaching resources scattered across websites, blogs, online repositories, etc. The key is to use effective search queries optimized for educational content.

What should be on my teacher website?

Here are some of the key things teachers should include on their professional websites:

Display Lesson Plans and Learning Materials

Share daily or weekly lesson plans to inform students and parents on current topics.
Post learning materials like worksheets, activities, readings to reinforce learning.
Building a library of resources saves time and helps students review content.

Publish Class Schedules and Calendars

Helps students and parents stay updated on assignments, tests, events.
Sync your calendar across devices for easy access and updates.
Schedule study sessions, office hours for extra help.

Communicate Announcements and Updates

Quickly share news, event cancellations, changes in schedule.
Foster open channels for questions, feedback.
Tools like chatbots can field common questions automatically.

The goal is to build an online hub with the information and resources both students and parents need for success. Leveraging the right tools can save teachers time while keeping stakeholders engaged.

Engaging Students with Interactive Learning Platforms

Interactive learning platforms like Quizlet and Kahoot! allow teachers to boost student participation and engagement through games, quizzes, flashcards, and more. These tools make learning fun while also assessing student understanding.

Quizlet as a Teaching Tool for Student Engagement

Quizlet gives teachers a way to create interactive study materials that appeal to different learning styles. The platform offers features like:

Flashcards: Create digital flashcard decks covering key topics, terms, dates, etc. Students can study the cards and play games with them to aid memorization.
Learn Mode: Turn flashcard decks into an interactive, game-like study session. Students work through the cards and Quizlet gives them immediate feedback.
Spell Mode: Students hear a term or word and must correctly type it out. This boosts spelling and listening comprehension.
Test Mode: Assess understanding by having students take tests made up of the flashcard content. Teachers can track scores to see where students excel or struggle.
Games: From Gravity to Match to Word Scramble, fun quiz games reinforce content mastery while keeping kids engaged.

These varied activities cater to visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learners. By gamifying study content, Quizlet holds students' attention better than paper flashcards.

Kahoot! for Interactive Classroom Quizzes

Kahoot! offers a game-show style quiz platform that gets the whole class involved. Teachers can:

Create multiple-choice quizzes covering core topics and concepts.
Display quiz questions via projector and have students answer on devices.
Add videos, images and diagrams to questions to make them more dynamic.
Review class performance with auto-generated reports after the quiz.
Repeat quizzes regularly to reinforce key learnings.

The competitive, high-energy nature of Kahoot! quizzes excites students. It gives shy or hesitant students a non-intimidating way to participate. The immediate feedback also allows teachers to identify and address knowledge gaps right away.

Effective Online Teaching Tools for Distance Learning

Distance learning has become an integral part of education. With the right online teaching tools, teachers can create engaging and effective learning experiences for students, no matter where they are. Here are some of the best websites and apps that facilitate remote and blended learning environments.

Google Classroom: A Virtual Classroom Solution

Google Classroom is a free web-based platform that integrates seamlessly with other Google services, making it easy for teachers to distribute assignments, provide feedback, foster communication, and organize digital classrooms.

Key features of Google Classroom include:

Easy assignment creation and distribution
Streamlined grading and feedback
Integrated Google Drive for assignment submissions
Announcement posts and email notifications to improve communication
Organization of students into classes/sections
Mobile apps allow access on any device

By handling administrative tasks digitally, Google Classroom saves teachers time while also providing organization and clarity around assignments. It empowers teachers to focus their energies towards serving students and improving actual instruction.

Edmodo: Fostering Teacher-Student Collaboration Online

Edmodo is a free learning management platform that provides a safe social environment for teachers and students to connect and collaborate. Often described as "Facebook for schools", Edmodo supports:

Direct messaging between teachers and students
Safe file sharing and assignment submission
Creation of polls, quizzes and alerts
Teacher communities to share best practices

With Edmodo, students can progress at their own pace while maintaining teacher oversight. It facilitates blended learning, allowing teachers to share resources, assignments, and communicate from anywhere. This builds continuity between physical and virtual classrooms.

For distance learning environments, Edmodo is an invaluable tool to build community, provide centralized resources, foster meaningful connections, and sustain student engagement levels.

Teacher Resources for Flipped and Self-Paced Classrooms

Flipped and self-paced classrooms allow students to learn at their own pace through video lessons and other online resources. This frees up class time for more meaningful teacher-student interactions. Here are two great websites for creating and sharing video lessons.

TED-Ed: Educational Videos for Flipped Classrooms

TED-Ed has a library of short animated video lessons created by expert educators on topics across subjects. Teachers can utilize these to flip their class lectures.

Over 2,000 video lessons across diverse topics to supplement curriculum
Videos designed specifically for educational purposes
Options to add questions, discussions, and assessments
Analytics to see which students watched videos and how they performed on quizzes
Customizable platform to build your own lessons

TED-Ed is a great way for teachers to introduce new concepts before class through engaging video content.

Edpuzzle: Customizing Video Content for Interactive Learning

Edpuzzle allows teachers to add audio, voiceovers, questions, and comments to any video. This creates an interactive viewing experience.

Upload videos from YouTube, Khan Academy, TED-Ed, etc.
Record audio commentary over videos
Add multiple choice and open-ended questions
See student responses and engagement analytics
Works on any device

Edpuzzle makes it simple to customize existing videos with your own voiceovers, questions, and insights. This blended learning approach increases student participation.

These websites demonstrate how video lessons can facilitate self-directed learning. Allowing students to build foundational knowledge at home frees up class time for group discussions, projects, and 1-on-1 support.

Professional Development for Teachers Through Online Platforms

Teachers today have access to a wealth of online platforms and resources that can enhance their professional skills and development. These platforms offer everything from video courses and webinars to peer communities, lesson plans, and more - all aimed at helping teachers improve their craft.

Teachers Pay Teachers: A Marketplace for Teacher Resources

Teachers Pay Teachers is a popular online marketplace where teachers can buy and sell original lesson plans, activities, and other teaching resources. It contains over 5 million resources created by fellow teachers that span all subjects and grade levels. Teachers can easily search for materials based on their needs and purchase resources to save time when planning lessons. Many of the resources are aimed at increasing student engagement through interactive activities. Overall, Teachers Pay Teachers empowers educators to take control of their own professional growth.

Leveraging Microsoft Education for Educational Technology Training

Microsoft offers a robust set of training resources to help educators learn how to effectively leverage technology in the classroom. This includes free online courses on utilizing tools like OneNote, Teams, and Flipgrid to enhance remote and hybrid learning. There are also tutorials on getting started with Minecraft: Education Edition for creative projects. Additionally, the Microsoft Educator Center provides lesson plans across subjects that incorporate Office 365 tools. With technology playing an integral role in today's classrooms, these resources help teachers build the skills to engage students and personalize learning.

Elementary Teacher Websites for Engaging Young Learners

Teachers of young elementary school students know that keeping children engaged and excited about learning is crucial for their development. The right websites can provide enjoyable, age-appropriate games, activities, and resources to complement classroom lessons. Here are two top picks for free online tools catered to early education.

Starfall: Making Learning Fun for Early Education

Starfall focuses on making reading, math, and technology accessible and captivating for Pre-K to Grade 2 students. It offers a wealth of interactive games, songs, and activities spanning subject areas like reading, math, health, social studies, art, and even Spanish.

Some standout features include:

Phonics-based learn-to-read program with decodable books and stories
Math activities like counting, addition/subtraction, shapes, money, telling time
Creative art and coloring pages
Audio narration and text highlighting for emerging readers
Differentiated instruction based on grade/skill level

By associating each letter with a memorable keyword and image, Starfall makes learning letters fun and engaging. The math games also help young students intuitively develop numeracy skills.

ABCya: Educational Games for Elementary Students

ABCya hosts over 400 fun and educational online games spanning grades K-5. Subjects covered include math, language arts, science, social studies, early coding, and more.

Key features include:

Adaptive games that adjust difficulty based on student progress
Variety of game types (puzzles, action, strategy, etc.)
Aligns with Common Core standards
No ads or popups

The games teach everything from letter recognition to basic coding in an enjoyable way. Students can play independently or teachers can incorporate games into lessons. For a blend of education and entertainment, ABCya is a top choice.

These websites show how games can turn early elementary education into a rewarding adventure. Students stay immersed as they build critical academic and social skills.

Innovative Classroom Resources for K-12 Education

Teachers today have access to more resources than ever before to engage students and facilitate active learning. From digital lesson plans to interactive classroom tools, the internet offers a wealth of materials for educators across all K-12 grade levels. These innovative websites provide standards-aligned content to enhance curriculum and lesson planning.

Discovery Education: Digital Learning for K-12 Classrooms

Discovery Education partners with school districts to offer engaging digital content and professional development resources. Their library includes over 180,000 vetted, contextual resources including videos, lesson plans, interactive content, and more. Features include:

Standards-aligned content searchable by keyword, grade level, and subject
Customizable digital textbooks and interactive lessons
Assessments, teaching strategies, and tools for differentiated instruction
On-demand professional development webinars and teaching resources

With multimedia resources and innovative digital tools, Discovery Education helps teachers facilitate active learning and promote student success.

PBS LearningMedia: A Treasure Trove of Educational Content

PBS LearningMedia provides instant access to thousands of classroom-ready, curriculum-targeted digital resources. Their media library includes videos, lesson plans, interactive games & activities, audio clips, images, and more. Offerings include:

150+ ready-to-use, standards-aligned teaching resources added daily
Ability to customize, share, and assign content to students
Tools for building personalized playlists and interactive lessons
Support for distance learning and accessibility needs

Trusted by over 2 million educators, PBS LearningMedia helps teachers save time while accessing high-quality, multi-media content for PreK-12 classrooms free of cost.

Conclusion: Embracing Education Innovation with Free Resources

The wide range of free online resources covered in this article offer tremendous potential for teachers looking to enhance student engagement and streamline their workflows. By leveraging these innovative tools, educators can save time on administrative tasks, create more personalized and interactive lesson plans, and focus their energy on what matters most - quality instruction.

Here is a recap of some of the most beneficial free websites highlighted:

Khan Academy provides a vast library of standards-aligned lessons, assignments, and assessments across a multitude of subjects. Its personalized learning dashboard allows teachers to assign content and monitor student progress.
Kahoot makes learning fun and engaging for students through its collection of user-generated quizzes and trivia games. Teachers can track performance in real-time and identify knowledge gaps.
Quizlet offers customizable flashcards and study games to help with vocabulary building, concept review, and exam preparation. Its auto-generate feature saves teachers time in creating new content.
Canva empowers educators to design visually compelling presentations, worksheets, posters, and more without any graphic design experience. Its collection of education templates kickstarts the creation process.

By tapping into these and other excellent free resources, overburdened teachers can transform their classrooms into dynamic learning environments powered by technology and innovation. With quality tools readily available, the possibilities for increased efficiency, engagement, and student achievement are boundless.