Online Resources for Teaching Reading
BBC: Words & Pictures
Very good free online resource for teaching phonics, with 5 different modules each with fun online games and activities as well as printable worksheets. Each level is supported with information for parents and teachers and the modules build on each other very well.
Reading A-Z
This is a complete resource for teaching reading, from the very first steps to advanced reading. And by complete, we mean complete - you will not need anything else. There are easily downloadable and printable books, hundreds of them all carefully graded, with lovely illustrations and topics that capture a child's imagination. With each book there are detailed lesson plans, worksheets, assessment sheets and each stage is supported with flash cards, books concentrating on sets of common words or on specific phonic sounds, read-aloud books, poetry and just so much more that it is impossible to list here. Each lesson plan includes ways of integrating the content into other learning areas, such as science, geography, social learning or history. In reality they teach a lot more than reading.
The material is a joy to use for both parents and children. There are quite a few free samples but a yearly subscription of just under $75 gives you access to so much material that it is a real bargain. We have used this material extensively, including with a dyslexic child, and recommend it in the highest possible terms.
While the site is US based almost all the material is available in UK versions. It is also all available in Spanish, so could easily be used to teach a second language.
Enchanted Learning: Free Printable Books
Hundreds of printable books on all topics and at all levels and all free! This is one section of an enormous site which is a treasure trove of learning resources, both printable and online. There are some CDs available for purchase also, but they are only usable on Macintosh computers.
The books are mostly American in their focus - so choose carefully or you will be teaching 'wrong' spelling!
Reading Games & Wallcharts
Printable games and wall charts for teaching phonics, created by a teacher, Adrian Bruce, and very useful and well presented.
The International Children's Digital Library
Over 700 books, and growing fast, covering a huge range of topics and standards available for no charge online. Books in the collection focus on helping children to understand the world around them and the global society in which they live, with the aim of promoting tolerance through greater understanding. The aim is to eventually have over 10,000 books in at least 100 languages for children aged from 3-13.
Reading the books requires you to download a special reader. It is not the easiest site to find things on but there are a few gems worth searching for now and as it grows it should become a more important resource.