When I was teaching in the classroom, funds were limited. Not only was my classroom budget about $50 for the year, but using personal funds wasn’t really a great option while planning for a wedding. So, scoping out free teaching resources became my mission. Nothing was more fun than using a resource that benefited my multi-grade classes while not having to pay a dime for it. Think it’s impossible? It’s not! In fact, here are 20 places you can look to find free resources for your own classroom. Enjoy!
20 Free Resources for Teachers
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Your State Representative/Senator’s Office
Our local state representative’s office is filled with great resources about the state, government, travel brochures, and more. I was able to find everything from information about recycling initiatives for Earth Day to the history of the state for our civics and social studies units. It’s definitely worth calling or stopping by!
Want to find out more about what happened at Gettysburg for your unit on the Civil War? Visit the park’s Education page! Are your students curious about how mountains were formed? Virtually explore the Guadalupe Mountains that were built by an ancient reef system with them. You can search all of the parks by state and find lessons based on subjects or events. It’s a treasure trove of free information!
Learning how to be a good global citizen is important and there’s no better way to do it than breaking down the barriers between cultures. Become virtual pen pals with classrooms around the world using Skype in the Classroom’s innovative platform….and it’s free!
The Smithsonian is an amazing resource if you can visit in person, but thankfully, you can also take your students on a virtual tour. Travel room by room, explore, browse, and get excited about learning!
There’s just something special about seeing an original photo or document when you’re studying history. If you’re doing that Gettysburg unit that the National Park Service helped you out with, be sure to check out the amazing collection of Civil War photographs that the Library of Congress has. They also have an educator’s guide to make teaching much easier. Don’t worry if the Civil War isn’t in your plans for the year, they have amazing resources for just about anything else that might be.
If you’re all about eco-friendly lesson plans, The Rainforest Site is a great place to start to find resources and lesson ideas that will help!
Request a book, receive a book from a donor. It’s simple to request, super easy to donate, and it’s free for teachers to use. Check out my article about the service here. (P.S. – I am officially addicted to donating books so don’t be surprised if you see a donation from me!)
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Really Good Resources
From free ebooks for teachers to professional development webinars to printables for students, the teacher resources page on ReallyGoodStuff.com has something for everyone.
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The Great Sunflower Project
Teaching students to be good stewards of the Earth is vitally important. The Great Sunflower Project is an organization that not only doles out information about plants and pollination, it gives students a chance to get involved and make a difference. A free resource that helps to ignite a passion for learning? Bring it on!
Ever since poor Pluto was demoted to a Dwarf Planet, NASA has become one of my favorite teacher go-to sites…mainly because I want to see it reinstated! Just kidding; it’s a go-to site, because it is filled with amazing resources, teacher professional development opportunities, and student contests. Definitely a must-travel to site!
Are your students having trouble grasping a concept in math? Maybe you need a video lesson for your flipped classroom or learning station? If so, KHAN Academy probably has just the STEAM topic you’re looking for. High-quality, free, and perfect for engaging students, the video lessons are a great way to pack an extra punch with your lesson plans.
Take your students on a trip to Paris, France with the Louvre’s art website. You can even get answers to some of your students’ questions from their “Through Children’s Eyes” videos. Exploring art has never been so much fun!
Freecycle is a collection of online groups that are arranged by region/area. The members post items that they’re giving away for free and other members respond with their interest. This is a great resource for teachers, as there are frequently people giving away children’s books that their own children have outgrown. You can search for a group in your area here.
For brain breaks, it doesn’t get much better than the free GoNoodle network. Filled with brain break activities and music to help your students get out their wiggles and engage in a quick physical activity, GoNoodle is not only fun – it’s highly effective!
Move over cat videos and bad music videos, YouTube’s #Education Channel is filled with curated education videos for students of all ages. You can even search by age range so that you’re seeing #PrimaryAndSecondary videos vs. ones appropriate for #University age students.
Whether it’s a poster for your next bulletin board or an inspirational message for your plan book cover, there are some great (and free!) motivational posters on the Really Good Stuff store on TpT. Check them out!
There’s just something special about hearing a favorite children’s book read aloud by a SAG member. Maybe it’s their great acting or their enthusiasm that helps make the story come alive. Maybe it’s the story itself! Whatever it is, Storyline is a wonderful free resource for teachers that’s perfect for center time or for starting off the morning.
“Choose your granny, then help her race to victory!” The Granny Prix is just one of the many, many fun multiplication games that you can assign to students or let them explore at center time. It’s also a great resource for tips and tricks for teaching those multiplication skills!
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A Totally Chemicool Periodic Table
An interactive Periodic Table of Elements that makes learning about science fun? Sign me up! Better yet, it’s free and no registration is required. However, you will find tons of great teaching resources and information that you can pass on to or share with your students.
When you’re studying pandas in class, it’s great, but seeing pandas on a zoo cam? That’s amazing! The San Diego Zoo is one of my favorite animal-related resources, because of their animal cams and education materials. They are all about teaching children to respect animals. Check out their new Tiger Cam here!
What are some of your favorite free teaching resources? I’d love to add them to the list!