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Celebrate the Classics

July brings us the birthdays of many authors of famous classic books, including E.B. White and Beatrix Potter. July 22 is also Pied Piper of Hamelin Day. Use these resources to bring the classics and other great stories and poems into your class. 

Grades K-12

Classic Books

Explore this collection of public domain classic books for children and teenagers. Most books are for younger children, but there are also books for teens and adults. Read short summaries and follow the links to read the books online.

Grades 4-12

NPR's Backseat Book Club

The Backseat Book Club is a great place to learn about authors and books. View author interviews (Roald Dahl, L. Frank Baum, and others), booklists to share with students (such as the 100 Must-Reads for Ages 9-14), and topics like diversity.

Grades K-12

Books Should be Free - Loyal Books

Listen and discuss these public domain audio books by authors like Mark Twain, Lewis Carroll, Louisa May Alcott, Jane Austin, J.M. Barrie, Hugh Lofting, and Beatrix Potter. Some of the books are available in multiple languages.

Audio Books for All Ages

Audio books are a great option for all students, including ESL/ELL and emergent readers. In this section, we highlight top choice audiobook collections for three distinct grade ranges. 

Grades K-5

Storyberries

Treat your young students to these free bedtime stories and poems, including classics such as The Three Billy Goats Gruff and original compositions submitted through the site. Search stories by age, topic, length, or the moral being taught.

Grades 6-12

Sync: Audio Books for Teens

Although this summer audiobook program for teens started a few weeks ago, it isn't too late to join and receive two free, thematically paired audio books a week, some of which are classic stories. Try the Explore option to find more books!

Grades 9-12

Open Source Shakespeare

Get quick and easy access to Shakespeare with this comprehensive, user-friendly, electronic bookshelf with powerful search functions. You can even look up terms, phrases, quotations, passages, or search for answers to your questions.

Create with the Classics

Discover tools to help students create projects that show what they know about classic books and their authors. We've included tools you can use with a variety of grades to find the perfect resource for your students. 

Grades K-12

Knight Lab

Knight Lab offers a variety of tools for storytelling and promoting quality journalism. Find tools such as the StoryMap, Storyline, Timeline, Juxtapose, Scene, Soundcite, and other projects. Each tool includes detailed instructions.

Grades 4-12

CoSpaces

Build your own 3D spaces and view them in virtual reality. Choose from a large library of items to include in your creation, including characters and objects. Challenge students to recreate the story using VR to show characters, setting, etc.

Grades 4-12

Poem Generator

Write a poem about a classic! Start your poem by choosing from over a dozen different types of poetry and follow the prompts to add a topic and words to create your poem.

This Week at TeachersFirst

Our Summer OK2Ask sessions are packed full of information you can use to prepare for the fall. Join us this week for more online learning! We're also sharing a blog about reading the classics and we kindly ask for your input in our weekly poll.