Online resources can be a tremendous help to students, especially in recent times considering many schools have converted to hybrid/remote learning models. Here are Tutor Doctor’s picks for the best educational websites for elementary and high school students!
1. Khan Academy (Website: https://www.khanacademy.org)
We love Khan Academy for so many reasons. This organization provides student resources for a seemingly endless range of topics, and best of all – it’s completely free! Khan Academy allows students to search topics by grade level or subject, and their incredibly helpful resources cover everything up to college-prep level material, including AP classes and SAT exams. Khan Academy also has a fantastic mobile app for both Apple and Android, and it’s a great way to get extra practice when you’re on the go. Khan Academy is a valuable resource for students of all ages, and we highly recommend checking it out!
2. CliffsNotes (Website: https://www.cliffsnotes.com)
CliffsNotes have been a staple of student resources for decades, with their black and yellow paperbacks instantly recognizable in bookstores everywhere. The CliffsNotes website is also an excellent resource and provides resources for a wide variety of topics ranging from English to mathematics to history (and many others). We particularly like CliffsNotes as a studying tool – their summarized notes and explanations are perfect for exam review or making flashcards. Another great aspect of CliffsNotes is that they offer several topics based on specific literature – common novels that are often assigned as reading in language arts classes. If you’re reading a classic (To Kill A Mockingbird, The Great Gatsby, anything by Shakespeare, etc.) we highly recommend checking out CliffsNotes as a supplemental resource for plot summaries and character analyses.
3. Wikipedia (Website: https://en.wikipedia.org)
Wikipedia is awesome. That’s right, we said it! Despite popular misconceptions, Wikipedia is actually a highly credible resource. Articles are heavily moderated, and Wikipedia contains information on a breadth of topics that “traditional” encyclopedias aren’t able to include. And according to studies, Wikipedia is every bit as accurate as more established encyclopedia producers like Britannica. Something we particularly like about Wikipedia is that citations are clearly stated, and a list of references and links can be found at the bottom of every article. So even if your teacher prohibits using Wikipedia as an academic resource, it’s still a great starting point to lead you in the direction of citable articles. For general information and quick overviews, Wikipedia is a vast resource of knowledge and an incredible tool for students of all ages.
There’s plenty of other great resources to check out online! Here’s some links we recommend visiting:
- PBS Kids (great for younger kids)
- TED: Ideas Worth Spreading (topic discovery)
- Duolingo (foreign languages)
- National Geographic Kids (science, history, nature)
- Cool Math (fun math games and lessons)
- Exploratorium (science, art, history)
- Photomath (step-by-step math problem app)
- FunBrain (reading and math games)
- Coursera (free courses for high school students)
- Codecademy (learn programming languages)
- CollegeBoard (SAT practice)
