Best of the Best Lists

Middle School STEM/STEAM Apps, Tools, and Resources That We Love

Are you looking for middle school STEM/STEAM apps, tools, and resources that you can use with your students? If so, we have you covered. Check out our list below. Let us know if there are any that we missed.

LEGO Education– LEGO Education has been working for over 37 years to find new and fun ways to encourage education among young children. From tangible to virtual, they offer resources to make learning interactive and rewarding and allow children to learn how they want. With the LEGO system for playful learning, preschool to middle school students will get a better approach to science, technology, engineering, and math fields (STEM).

FlinnSTEM Powered by IMSA Fusion– IMSA Fusion is a complete STEM program that provides additional enrichment to students interested in science and mathematics. The name IMSA Fusion comes from the blending of inquiry-based student content and in-depth teacher content. Instructors who implement this program receive much more than teacher instructions with student pages and a box of supplies; they also receive hours of video-based, on-demand online training that truly sets IMSA Fusion apart from any other solution available. 

LittleBits Electronics– LittleBits Electronics encourages creativity and inquisitiveness in young ones to help them in their future. Using technology and electronic techniques, LittleBits has over 10 kits and 70 operable “Bits” to allow your child to create and play with endless possibilities. Children will learn lots about robotics and how to build things from scratch. They will also learn the basics of electronic components, powering, how things interact with one another to create an end-product, and much more. This app will also enhance their knowledge of STEM field mechanics.

Querium Corporation Querium uses AI in their company to help students with STEM skills so they can be ready for further studies at high schools, colleges, and universities. The Querium platform delivers personalized bite-sized lessons and step-by-step tutoring assistance. Its personalized program is called StepWise, and it works on smartphones and computers.The company uses artificial intelligence for STEM (math, engineering, technology, and science education) applications. The app’s cognitive assistant helps students as they come across obstacles.

The Mimio MyBot Educational Robotic System – is a powerful and innovative robotics program that enables students from pre-school to high school to develop STEM skills and a passion for programming and robotics. Through innovative robots and a comprehensive software platform, educators receive an out-of-the-box solution, complete with a robust curriculum, STEM lessons, tutorials, and videos. Since internet access or connectivity is not necessary, connection with existing school networks is eliminated, thus preventing a cyber-security risk. Most importantly, MyBot’s simple, inviting, and browser-based user interface speeds the time spent getting the students up, running, and learning in the robotics environment.

The PocketLab – PocketLab is a wireless sensor for exploring the world and building science experiments in the classroom. PocketLab connects to your iPhone or iPad and streams measurement data that you can see and record. It measures acceleration, force, angular velocity, magnetic field, pressure, altitude, and temperature. PocketLab is the latest attempt to make affordable sensors for classroom use.

Sound Uncovered – This app allows children to learn sounds using science as a tool. Users can select from 15 topics, accompanied by a “What’s Going On” article. The Find the Highest Note feature lets the user tap keys in a clockwise direction until they pinpoint the highest note. The question mark at the bottom of the screen provides information about sound phenomena.

Minecraft: Education Edition– This version of Minecraft will help you learn. Whether computer science, wilderness conservation, chemistry, coding, math, STEM topics, and more, you can learn educational topics the fun way. If you love Minecraft, you will surely love this version.

Morphi– Morphi is an app that allows you to create 3-D models that can – be printed into real tangible objects. Using visualization, innovation, creativity, prototypes, and education, create your best models today. Morphi can also be used as a starting place to learn any STEAM subject, stop motion animation, product or graphic design, or for Maker education. One version of Morphi is free, and volume purchases are available.

Autodesk Digital STEAM Applied Mechanics– This app teaches the fundamentals of applied mechanics by explaining five related topics: energy and work, power, force, loading, and mechanisms. The app helps students discover the relationship between the physical theories and the practical applications of mechanics. It encourages users to learn about applied mechanisms through the array of game options available, and it also challenges them to use information gathered to solve practical problems

Middle School Social Studies Apps, Tools, and Resources That We Love

Are you looking for middle school social studies, apps, tools, and resources that you can use with your students? If so, we have you covered. Check out our list below. Let us know if there are any that we missed. Kids can also learn fun facts, like how to celebrate Diwali, the festival of lights. 

Stack the States– With information about state capitals, flags, shapes, and more, Stack the States teaches students about the United States in a fun and engaging way. The app includes 50 state fact cards, an interactive map, high-resolution images of state landmarks, and hundreds of state questions. As students successfully complete levels, they collect random states to unlock hidden content, including four additional games: MapIt!, Pile Up!, Puzzler, and Capital Drop. Stack the States is an interactive addition to the elementary or middle school social studies classroom.

Win the White House – This is a game that lets young Americans experience a presidential campaign firsthand and understand the process it takes to run a campaign successfully. The game starts with the user choosing a political party and five issues they will represent. Users get to manage elements of a presidential campaign such as winning their party’s nomination, selecting a running mate, raising funds, polling voters, launching media campaigns, and making personal appearances. Meticulous planning and wise spending are encouraged.

GeoGuessr – GeoGuessr is a web-based geographic discovery game that uses a semi-randomized Google Street Views and requires players to guess their location in the world using only the visible clues. Players can use any of the information included in each picture, such as the weather, language on signs, and environment to guess the location. It is compatible with Android and iOS devices.

Papers, Please – Papers, Please is a game in which students play the role of the immigration officer of Arstostka. As immigration officers, players decide who goes into the country and who goes out. Players are drilled on making the best decisions, which determine different outcomes in the game. The plot unfolds and reveals a lot of challenging activities for players to complete.

Fate of the World: Tipping Point – This is a turn-based strategy game in which players decide on the resources made available to a population. The players’ actions influence the areas they are playing for. Nine missions are up for grabs, and there are conditions for success and failure in each stage. Players must learn to manage societal pressures and resources to beat the game.

Stack the Countries– A valuable addition to social studies, geography, and world history classes, Stack the Countries is a stacking and collecting game that teaches students about capitals, landmarks, major cities, and more. For each successfully completed level, students earn a random country to add to their world map with the goal of collecting all 193. With more than 1,000 questions and 193 fact cards, Stack the Countries is a wealth of information. Students have the option to play with the entire world or selected continents depending on prior knowledge or as required by the assignment. Stack the Countries also comes with two bonus games: MapIt! And Pile Up!

Brain POP: Featured Movie– Learn something new every day from animation movies. Test yourself after every lesson with intensive free tests. The in-app purchases unlock over 750 science, math, art, and music subjects that you can access from your smartphone. All movies come with closed captions for people who might need them.

Sites in VR– Sites in VR allows students to explore famous landmarks from the classroom or their own home. This app primarily focuses on Islamic temples, tombs, and ancient cities; however, there is also an outer space component. Landmarks from Turkey, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Morocco, Kuwait, Yemen, Macedonia, Holland, Belgium, France, Italy, and Greece are included. If you’ve always imagined your history or social studies students touring through the pyramids of Egypt or the Colosseum in Rome, this app can fulfill that wish. Sites in VR includes more than 1,000 high-quality panoramic images and promises that “you will feel as if you are there…”

Smarty Pins– Well suited for history, geography, or social studies courses, Smarty Pins, was created by Google engineers as a fun way to brush up on map skills and review trivia. There are six main categories that students can choose from: March Madness, Arts & Culture, Science & Geography, Sports & Games, Entertainment, and History & Current Events. Once a category is selected, the student is asked a trivia question and prompted to find the location on the map that provides the answer. Bonus points are awarded for quick thinking! If a student finds themselves stumped, hints are provided as the remaining time to submit an answer runs out.

Study Island– Study Island is an all-in-one practice website for students to work on literacy, math, science, and social studies skills. It is built specifically around state standards, so regardless of your school’s location, you can rest assured that the content and practice provided on the website will align with your classroom teaching. Study Island is a great tool to use for high stakes testing preparation and provides real-time progress monitoring for teachers and parents. Beyond simple practice, Study Island can also be incorporated into classroom lessons for formative assessment and differentiation. It even allows teachers to import NWEA MAPassessment information for individual students and calculates a targeted learning path to fill in knowledge gaps!

TapQuiz Maps World Edition Perfect for the geography or social studies classroom, TapQuiz Maps World Edition lets students learn the countries of the world in a game show environment. Simply tap the correct answer for each country on the map and track your progress mastering country names through the statistics page. Regions included in this app: U.S. States, Canadian Provinces, Mexico and Central America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Australia and Oceania. There are two modes: Tap and Type and Discovery Mode. In Tap and Type, students are prompted to type in the name of the country, state, or province. In Discovery Mode, students can tap a country, state, or province to brief1.   

The Hidden World of Our National Parks– Using 360° video, students can virtually follow park rangers into National Parks around the country and explore. From kayaking through icebergs to see a receding glacier in Kenai Fjords National Park to flying with thousands of bats through a cave in Carlsbad Caverns National Park, students can explore and discover fascinating corners of the U.S. National Parks system. Rangers provide facts and figures about each National Park as students move through the videos, so the website is both educational and engaging. It would be a good fit for any social studies or science class.

TripLingo– Designed as a tool for international travelers, TripLingo can also be used with success in the classroom. With the ability to instantly translate voices in 42 languages, TripLingo can assist new students who are still struggling with English or allow teachers to give directions in multiple languages to ensure that all students understand. The app has an essential phrases section with lots of slang that can be used to supplement introductory-level language classes. There is also a crash course on local culture, customs, and etiquette for over 100 countries that can make a useful addition to a social studies world history course.

Social-Emotional Learning Apps, Tools, and Resources That We Love’

Are you looking for social-emotional learning apps, tools, and resources that you can use with your students? If so, we have you covered. Check out our list below. Let us know if there are any that we missed.

Calm Myself Down– This is an iOS app that trains autistic children to control their emotional responses to challenges and situations. Developed by an ABA consultant, it uses Applied Behavior Analysis techniques to help children manage tasks in smaller parts with rewards for a proper response. Children choose activities that help them relax; making these choices helps them to maintain control when the situation arises.

Classroom Traffic Lights– Classroom Traffic Lights lets teachers assess students’ emotional responses to new development without face-to-face confrontation. You simply ask the class to choose an appropriate response and show their screen. The teacher can immediately grade emotional responses and make changes where appropriate. This app can be used in a variety of classroom situations; it all comes down to your creativity.

Emotional ABCs – Is an app that teaches socio-emotional skills to young children. Currently being used by more than 20,000 teachers and school counselors nationwide. The curriculum of video clips, group, and independent games and activities makes learning social-emotional skills fun while helping model positive behaviors, which can aid with obstacles ranging from anxiety or frustration to acting out and impulse control.

Fit Brains Trainer–  Fit Brains Trainer, an award-winning app designed by Neuroscientists, trains your brain through various games and challenges. It stimulates your mind while you have fun. The Fit Brains Trainer is designed to train cognitive skills such as attention, emotional intelligence, memory, and speed.

Mood Meter– The Mood Meter app helps users manage, track, and control their moods and emotions. This app helps boost emotional intelligence, self-awareness, and lifestyle control. If you check in throughout the day (with the help of optional reminders), you will begin to be aware of your mood fluctuation, mood stability, common moods, and you will learn how to manage your emotions better.

Peppy Pals – Follow the adventures of four brave animal buddies and learn about emotions and friendship. This app helps children improve their emotional intelligence abilities. Download the app and join Sammy the horse, Eggy the dog, Izzy the owl, and Gabby the rabbit on an emotional rollercoaster ride in a colorful, exciting universe. Help them navigate through familiar experiences, play with them, or enjoy other mini games. Use PeppyPal to demonstrate empathy, social skills, and friendship to children in a controlled, fun environment.

Playful Learning– Playful Learning uses unforgettable lessons to help parents and teachers form habits of heart and mind. The lessons are specially designed by educational experts to meet children’s academic, social, and emotional needs. It is based on the fact that children have an innate desire to ask questions and impact the world around them positively. Children are blank pages, defined by their experiences, and under the right circumstances, they take full advantage of the learning opportunities they encounter. Playful Learning provides the right circumstances and learning opportunities.

Sesame Street– Sesame Street is developed to assist children in growing smarter, stronger, and kinder. It achieves this by pooling together a curriculum that addresses kids’ critical developmental needs with the elaborate use of media and fun. Sesame Street facilitates learning with real, measurable results, a fact borne out by numerous studies and nurtured through our research-intensive process. Far beyond ABCs and 123s, programs provide valuable lessons about health, emotional well-being, respect, and understanding to assist children in growing up healthy, happy, and at home in their world.

The Emotion Diary – Based on the principles of positive psychology, this app helps students record and track their emotions over time. It can also be useful for managing conditions or disorders for parents and teachers as a tool to begin discussions with students who need support or are going through a difficult time or for self-analysis. There are four add-on features to enhance The Emotion Diary: Therapist Feature, Emotional Dimensions Feature, Positives Feature, and Group Feature. Therapist Feature will assist students working with a therapist to email their diary entries, filter and sort their diary, and add additional notes. Emotional Dimensions Feature will allow students to add and remove emotional dimensions and switch on dimension labels and information. The Positives Feature lets students record acts of kindness, things they are grateful for, and signature strengths. The Group Feature allows therapists or teachers to track emotions by student or client, load clients’ emotional diaries, and sort by client or category.

Middle School Science Apps, Tools, and Resources That We Love

Are you looking for middle school science apps, tools, and resources that you can use with your students? If so, we have you covered. Check out our list below. Let us know if there are any that we missed.

Cell and Cell Structure Flashcards– This app presents the basic unit of life to middle school students, using detailed, stunning images 2-D and 3-D images. It is useful as a revision tool for high school students; teachers can use it as a great explanation tool.

Amazing Alex– Amazing Alex is a boy wonder that uses his endless stream of toys to solve problems creatively. In this app, Alex comes to test you and your ability to solve situations using your creativity. Amazing Alex lets you set objects to bounce, pop, ricochet, and create chain reactions as you create an elegant Rube Goldberg device. There are 100 challenges available, and other users continue to create new levels.

Cell Command– This fun app was designed to teach cell and cell functions to all students.

Legends of Learning– Legends of Learning has over 500 games about earth science, astronomy, life science, and physical science. With over 300 game developers and collaboration with Vanderbilt University, this is the hub for educational science games for middle school children. Many children get bored with cookie-cutter classes, especially when they have fun video games waiting for them at home. Bringing video games into education can help children learn because they can have fun while doing so. Academic ability, performance, and engagement have been increased by playing games such as these.

Mosa Mack– Mosa Mack allows elementary and middle school children to experiment with science without having to deal with the mess-ups and messes. There are tiered lessons that have animated puzzles, mysteries, and questions. Let your students into the lab without needing any experience and still let them learn effectively with this program.

Vernier Go Direct® Sensors with Graphical Analysis™ 4 – Go Direct® sensors collect real-time data from science experiments and lab work and connect directly to student computers or mobile devices. Each of the 40+ types of sensors offered by Vernier are all-in-one style sensors that come with software. Vernier also produces textbooks, with experiments designed to complement their sensors for Chemistry, Physical Science, and middle school science. All purchases include the free app Graphical Analysis 4, which helps students create real-time graphs of their experimental data.

The Human Body by Tinybop The Human Body by Tinybop allows students to explore ly see the name. This mode is particularly useful when trying to learn a new region.

Amazing Space Journey– Amazing Space Journey lets you explore the solar system, other planets, and all their satellites in detail. The Interactive Learning feature makes it a fun and memorable experience for people of all ages. The 3-D Augmented Reality feature lets you lose yourself in the experience of the solar system from your home, office, or on a local flight. 

Bio Digital Human Explore the human body in 3-D using the BioDigital Human platform. Choose from thousands of immersive images to build your personal library. Responsive tools, along with detailed medical explanations, provide a fresh visual perspective for understanding the human body. This platform makes the knowledge of anatomy, physiology, pathophysiology, and management of medical conditions accessible and available.

BioInteractive– Biological research is coming to life at the BioInteractivewebsite, which includes apps, animations, videos, and virtual labs. Contents range from short videos on evolution hosted by award-winning authors to lessons about the brain delivered by Nobel prize-winning scientists. The team behind the scene features a fine mix of educators, artists, and scientists.

Bird Song Id Reference Identify American birds by their songs and calls. The automated recognition system includes a library of about 241 distinct bird calls and songs. It is rated 9 over 10 by Bird Watching Magazine for being extremely accurate. This app allows you to keep an accurate diary of birds based on the work done by elite ecologists behind this technology.

Spore – Imagine you could create a species! Now, bring it to life in Spore. This game guides players through the evolution of their species in five stages: cell, creature, tribal, city, and space. Players gather resources to ensure the survival of their species, including Spore’s late-game currency. Players can choose their method of dominating other species using violent and nonviolent options available in each game.

Chairs! Organic Chemistry Game – This app is an interactive puzzle game designed to teach organic chemistry by having students learn about chair conformations. It is designed as a game in which students can learn and have fun at the same time. Users learn by forming different types of bonds, including axial and equatorial bonds. Kids are ranked based on how well they perform. This game has 13 levels with increasing difficulty at each level.

Contraption Maker – This is a game in which players act as wacky engineers. The game aims to get the missing parts of machines by doing a series of repair actions. The game also has built-in puzzles that test players, from simple challenges to advanced brain teasers. Players also design their machines and share the results online.

Couragion – Couragion can be used to help kids identify career choices. In the beginning, kids get to complete a questionnaire by filling in the details with the applicable answers. The results of the survey will be used to assign to different STEM-related career choices. In Couragion, kids are engaged and educated about such career choices.

Happy Atoms – Happy Atoms is a physical and digital teaching tool that lets kids discover the world of molecules in an intuitive, hands-on way. This interactive learning tool combines a digital app with a physical modeling set that lets students from fourth grade through college approach chemistry from a different angle. With Happy Atoms, kids learn key the difference between elements, feel the forces that bond them together, experiment with ways to combine them, and discover the relationships between molecular structure and properties.

Meet Science: Magnetism and Electricity – This tool is divided into four main categories, each of which targets a specific way to educate kids. The Learn category gives kids access to seven different lessons. In the Experiment category, students to perform the experiments found at the end of each lesson. The Glossary category presents the definitions of concepts for the student to read.  Mini games are included to combine fun and learning.

Middle School Math Apps, Tools, and Resources That We Love

Are you looking for middle school math apps, tools, and resources that you can use with your students? If so, we have you covered. Check out our list below. Let us know if there are any that we missed.

Math Snacks– With many unique activities, animations, games, and tools, Math Snacks will help teach numbers, ratios, proportions, factoring, and pre-algebra. This is the perfect addition to elementary or middle school classrooms, to add extra fun in learning. It has been created with Common Core Standards and Mathematical Practices in mind to reinforce what is being taught in the classroom while also preparing children for tests.

ST Math – If your school or district is moving away from standard math memorization and drills, ST Math is a resource that can help students explore and build a conceptual understanding of how math works. Students build problem-solving skills by working at their own pace through over 200 visually stimulating games. ST Math always begins by teaching concepts visually, then connects those visuals to symbols and language. This method ensures that all students, regardless of language ability or skill level, can access important new concepts. ST Math is standards-based and has content available for students in Pre-K through middle school. There is also a special section just for homeschooled students.

Figure This! – Figure This! is a math site supported by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. It uses real-life experiences to teach children to apply math concepts. It covers a wide range of topics and challenges, including algebra, geometry, statistics, and probability. Children can access the topics in PDF format or on the website. Each exercise includes hints, the correct answer with explanations, additional questions, and reading suggestions.

AC Math – This is a complete math guide for middle and high school students available in one resource. It uses focused areas called activity objects (which include videos, animations, problems, assessments, and printable worksheets) to foster academic development in specific areas. Materials from external sources can easily be added to existing lessons. Library resources can be accessed by both teachers and students from their dashboard.

Curriculum Engine – This is a revolutionary intelligent curriculum editing and design platform initially developed for high school mathematics. The Curriculum Engine platform automates the process of tailoring resources to meet the specific needs of teachers, classes, and students and allows an educator to define and build coherent standards-aligned courses easily. The platform works with leading learning management and student information systems or on a standalone basis to edit, author, and deliver rich personalized mathematics content. It has an unlimited capacity to build courses that any district or teacher needs, from core instruction and credit or content recovery to test preparation.

Brilliant– This website represents an online community of scholars who share and solve problems in subjects such as computer science, math, and science. The goal is to help students build quantitative skills in math, science, and computer science by using fun and challenging interactive explorations. Brilliant guides students through problem-solving strategies and challenges them to think outside the box.

Prodigy– This is an adaptive math-practice game that incorporates a lot of role-playing. Students create and control avatars who move around the fictional world. As kids progress through the levels and become masters at wizardry, they test their math skills. Teachers can change the curricular standard used in the game as needed.

iPractice Math– IPracticeMath aims to offer a better education to everyone. Presently, our topics range from elementary school math to middle school math, and high school math will be introduced soon.

Mathalicious –  Mathalicious is designed to help middle and high school teachers address the Common Core Standards while challenging students to think critically about the world. This app uses real-world scenarios to teach students, and it provides ample materials such as worksheets and teaching guides to help students and teachers. 

Get the Math – This platform shows real-life applications of math. With short videos, students are taught how to apply math to video games, music, fashion, special effects, and sports. The site shares stories of how different individuals use math in their daily lives.

Middle School Curriculum Apps, Tools, and Resources That We Love

Are you looking for middle school curriculum apps, tools, and resources that you can use with your students? If so, we have you covered. Check out our list below. Let us know if there are any that we missed.

Pearl Diver– With this app, you explore famous shipwrecks and submerged ruins for pearls, and you might find the highly sought black pearl. However, always look out for the pesky electric eel. It is suitable for children in grades three through eight (upper elementary and middle school students). It covers the Common Core Standards relevant to the number line and number properties. Pearl Diver was designed by math tutors, researchers, and game developers at the Learning Games Lab, New Mexico State University.

ST Math – If your school or district is moving away from standard math memorization and drills, ST Math is a resource that can help students explore and build a conceptual understanding of how math works. Students build problem-solving skills by working at their own pace through over 200 visually stimulating games. ST Math always begins by teaching concepts visually, then connects those visuals to symbols and language. This method ensures that all students, regardless of language ability or skill level, can access important new concepts. ST Math is standards-based and has content available for students in Pre-K through middle school. There is also a special section just for homeschooled students.

Curriculum Engine – This is a revolutionary intelligent curriculum editing and design platform initially developed for high school mathematics. The Curriculum Engine platform automates the process of tailoring resources to meet the specific needs of teachers, classes, and students and allows an educator to define and build coherent standards-aligned courses easily. The platform works with leading learning management and student information systems or on a standalone basis to edit, author, and deliver rich personalized mathematics content. It has an unlimited capacity to build courses that any district or teacher needs, from core instruction and credit or content recovery to test preparation.

Brilliant– This website represents an online community of scholars who share and solve problems in subjects such as computer science, math, and science. The goal is to help students build quantitative skills in math, science, and computer science by using fun and challenging interactive explorations. Brilliant guides students through problem-solving strategies and challenges them to think outside the box.

LearnZIllion– LearnZillion is a comprehensive curriculum for math, English, and language arts. It includes resources, analytics, and teaching guides. Individual teachers may use it for free, but a membership fee is required if the app is deployed across a school district. Not only does this app include learning material, but it also offers complimentary and supplemental resources such as videos to supplement the learning experience.

Study Island – Study Island is an all-in-one practice website for students to work on literacy, math, science, and social studies skills. It is built specifically around state standards, so regardless of your school’s location, you can rest assured that the content and practice provided on the website will align with your classroom teaching. Study Island is a great tool to use for high stakes testing preparation and provides real-time progress monitoring for teachers and parents. Beyond simple practice, Study Island can also be incorporated into classroom lessons for formative assessment and differentiation. It even allows teachers to import NWEA MAP assessment information for individual students and calculates a targeted learning path to fill in knowledge gaps!

IXL Learning– IXL Learning has been proven to be effective in providing comprehensive, curriculum-based math and English language arts content for kindergarten to grade 12. It also provides an immersive learning experience in science, math, language arts, and social studies for K-12. It produces real results, which is why it is trusted by top teachers and presently used by The Elite 100.

Big Seed– Formerly available only in schools, JiJi, the penguin makes its public debut! The objective of the game is to unfold the colored seed tiles to fit perfectly into all the empty cells. This is a MIND Research Math Curriculum to be completed by second graders.

Middle School Biology Apps, Tools, and Resources That We Love

Are you looking for middle school biology apps, tools, and resources that you can use with your students? If so, we have you covered. Check out our list below. Let us know if there are any that we missed.

CK-12– Helps students and teachers to improve elementary learning worldwide by making personal education tools available. Learn more than 5,000 math and science topics at a speed that suits you. Math topics include arithmetic, measurement, algebra, geometry, probability, statistics, trigonometry, analysis, and calculus. Science subjects include geography, life science, physical science, biology, chemistry, and physics. Other subjects include SAT exam prep, engineering, technology, astronomy, English, and history

The Human Body by Tinybop– The Human Body by Tinybop allows students to explore anatomy and biology through the lens of the human body. With a fully functioning circulatory, respiratory, and digestive system, students can explore the sounds of the heart, the gurgle of the guts, and more. In all, The Human Body by Tinybop covers eight bodily systems: muscular, skeletal, nervous, digestive, circulatory, respiratory, immune, and skin. Students can study interactive organ models, feed the body, watch sound vibrations travel through the ear canal, and learn new vocabulary with in-app text labels. The app also comes with a free handbook for teachers and parents full of discussion questions and additional facts.

Learn Genetics – Learn Genetics is a website designed to provide teachers with endless materials to teach about DNA. On this website, teachers can access multimedia pages written by scientists and researchers. The site includes content on topics such as genetics, evolution, metabolism, medicine, cell biology, neuroscience, and ecology. The interface is simple to use and easy to navigate.

Lifeliqe – This learning platform educates students with the use of 3-D models, augmented reality, and virtual reality. It includes subjects such as biology, culture, physics, paleontology, geometry, and so on. There are 620 preinstalled lesson plans for different subjects. The interface of this platform is quite easy to navigate. Lifeliqe is available as a website and app with its implementations on iPad and Windows, showing the most functionality.

Cogent Education – Cogent Education uses real-world problems or case studies to help students apply critical thinking skills and learn key concepts in the study of biology. Students work through simulations in the game to apply biological concepts and solve problems. Teachers can track student performance and help students improve.

myVRscope™– is an immersive microscopy Virtual Reality (VR) lab ecosystem, where students and faculty access microbiology content and conduct lab activities on-demand using VR. myVRscope™ leverages a virtual 3D photorealistic compound light microscope for learner activities and integrates the user experience with an Artificial Intelligence (AI) lab instructor- Dr. Beaker. The product was developed by the Immersive Learning Experience (ILX) team in the Innovation Center of Excellence (ICoE) at Adtalem Global Education- with the explicit design intent to create an ‘intelligent, immersive learning experience’ for on-campus and online learners alike that combines Virtual Reality (VR) and Artificial Intelligence (AI).

Molecular Workbench – Molecular Workbench is divided into two parts, namely the website and desktop app. The site is filled with simulations, which can be used to illustrate topics that have already been introduced in class. The website content is continually being updated, but it mostly contains lessons on physics, chemistry, biology, biotechnology, and nanotechnology.

Middle School Assistive Technology Apps, Tools, and Resources That We Love

Are you looking for middle school assistive technology apps, tools, and resources that you can use with your students? If so, we have you covered. Check out our list below. Let us know if there are any that we missed.

Natural Reader– This is a handy text-to-speech app that works in various formats, including PDF, Doc, and TXT files. As the name implies, you can choose your favorite natural voice type from over 50 choices available.

OCR Instantly Pro– Text-to-speech programs work fine with online material, but there is little in the form of books and worksheets. This app lets you take a photo from a hardcopy document and convert it into text format, that gets converted to speech. This app is available on the Android and iOS platforms. Optical character recognition (OCR) converts an image into a digitized text format that can be copied and pasted on other apps, including emails, IM apps, and SMS. 

ClaroCom ClaroCom is an iOS app for augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). It uses text as a proxy for speech for people who have speech production difficulties. It can be used by children learning to read and adults with difficulties reading. Text-to-speech conversion is also available.

ClaroView– This app allows you to modify the screen of your Mac device. The app works as an overlay for the Mac screen, so it works for every app open on the screen. The overlay color can be chosen from any point of the color spectrum; shade or tints can also be applied.

Claro MagX – This app functions as a magnifier on your iOS device. It was developed by low-vision technology experts to provide an inexpensive alternative to handheld video magnifier devices. It has no in-app purchases and ads.

Claro ScanPen – This is a text-to-speech app for iOS devices that works for scanned documents. Take photos, scan or select from your gallery, and use your hand to select the portion you want to be read to you. It does not require Internet access.

ClaroPDF Pro – This is an iOS app that lets you make notes and highlights on your PDF files. PDF files can be read back to you in human-like voices. You can also listen to PDF files in the background while you work on another app (useful for proofreading).

ClaroSpeakThis is a text-to-speech app that allows for high-quality output. It can be used to proofread texts using the voice feature. The integration feature also allows direct text-to-speech conversion from platforms such as Mail, Google Drive, or Dropbox.

News-O-Matic School Edition– This tool helps students stay up to date on the latest news, events, and politics. Teachers can ask students to read and write reports on news articles, which are available for different reading levels; Spanish translations are included. The app also has a text-to-speech feature that reads the news aloud in an understandable voice.

Articulate it! Assistive Technologies– A multiplayer app created to help children with their pronunciation. The app contains over 1,000 images selected by a top language pathologist to enhance phonology at the word and phrase levels. Articulate it! is available on various iOS devices, making it convenient for mobile language pathologists, teachers, or parents.

Articulation Games Assistive Technologies– This app includes four entertaining games with a dynamic way of teaching sound production. The games were assembled by professional speech pathologists, and they contain over 40 phenomes arranged in order of sound placement. The app comes with flashcards and professional sound recordings. Children get rewarded for making progress on the game.

Click N READ Phonics This app was developed under the expertise of nationally renowned Prof. Ron J. Nelson to teach kindergarteners through third graders phonics using over 100 animated online phonics lessons. It can also be used for older children with learning difficulties and people learning English as a second language.

Citelighter– Citelighter is an assistive research tool that lets you gather facts and materials and arrange them in an orderly fashion. It only takes three easy steps to use Citelighter in your research. Create an account, and download the plug-in, begin a project with the toolbar or website, and you are good to go. Citelighter is also handy while you scour the Internet for suitable or appropriate information.

LibroVox Audio Books– LibroVox Audio Books gives access to over 50,000 downloadable audiobooks. Audiobooks are the reading of the future. They create an easy way to consume knowledge while running, driving, working out, gardening, or doing anything while anywhere. It also allows you to have more space in your home. Instead of having stacks of books, magazines, and papers everywhere, they are all stored on your phone that you always carry with you anyway. This app also helps us save countless trees.

Learning Ally– Learning Ally contains hundreds of audiobooks for children and teenagers. With a monthly subscription, you will have unlimited access. This app is designed to appeal to dyslexic and disabled learners who often have difficulty reading conventional books. Learning Ally allows for easy adjusting of text and fonts to accommodate any child’s needs.

MindMeister– MindMeister is an app available for both Apple and Android devices. It is geared toward dyslexic students, who typically have a difficult time reading the board, listening to the teacher, and taking notes. Using MindMeister to make mind maps and collaboratively create digital notes, students can get creative, keep up, and learn much easier. This app is useful in any classroom or school scenario, as you can analyze papers, notes, projects, or whatever you need with mind maps and graphic organizers.

Middle School Assessment Apps, Tools, and Resources That We Love

Are you looking for middle school assessment apps, tools, and resources that you can use with your students? If so, we have you covered. Check out our list below. Let us know if there are any that we missed.

Bamboozle– Bamboozle is a free educational game that can be used to test cooperation and knowledge among students. Students do not need to create accounts or login to play. It can be projected onto a smartboard or a monitor. Students can also use this app to assess their performance levels by themselves.

Zoom In– Zoom In includes 18 interactive, document-based inquiry units for American History classes. It is Zoom In’s goal to ensure that teachers are challenging students with authentic, engaging texts; working with students to write explanatory and argumentative essays; teaching debate with claims and counterclaims, and ensuring students use evidence, including period documents, to back up their ideas. Zoom In provides teachers with assessment tools such as interactive rubrics to give personalized writing feedback to students.

aPlus+ Results – aPlus+ Results presents accurate and up-to-date student assessment results and related achievement information. The interface is designed to provide relevant information and functionality customized for teachers, students, and administrators. It keeps educators up to date with the latest results and helps them identify areas where students need further development along with possible strategies.

Naiku Platform Naiku Platform goes beyond traditional bubble sheet replacements for student assessments; students interactively communicate with the platform to completely digest the information that it passes. Every test becomes a lesson with the immediate feedback provided after each assessment session. This app features a confidence-based assessment, which lets students assign a score to the level of confidence they have in their answers. It also allows them to offer a valid reason for the response they provide. Student The reflection feature enables students to re-examine their choices after they receive their papers from their teachers; this helps them to internalize the results and the knowledge they have acquired.

Study Island – Study Island is an all-in-one practice website for students to work on literacy, math, science, and social studies skills. It is built specifically around state standards, so regardless of your school’s location, you can rest assured that the content and practice provided on the website will align with your classroom teaching. Study Island is a great tool to use for high stakes testing preparation and provides real-time progress monitoring for teachers and parents. Beyond simple practice, Study Island can also be incorporated into classroom lessons for formative assessment and differentiation. It even allows teachers to import NWEA MAP assessment information for individual students and calculates a targeted learning path to fill in knowledge gaps!

JoeZoo– JoeZoo is a grading and feedback app that helps teachers to make their feedback and grading to be more effective and hassle-free. It also guides students in developing 21st-century skills in all assignments without any hassle. JoeZoo is an AI (Artificial Intelligence) powered assessment app that was nominated for the 2015 Digital Innovation in Learning award.

EDaura – It is a mobile skill-based learning environment focused on improving learners’ skills through robust formative and summative assessments. EDaura allows educators to measure learning outcomes and abilities to help learners develop and improve throughout the course. It provides complete assignment management from the creation process to the correction and publishing final stage.

Spiral – With Spiral’s suite of free educational apps, teachers can transform their classroom into an interactive learning space. Apps can be used by the teacher to give quick formative assessments, help compile student portfolios, facilitate group projects, and turn any video into a live chat with discussion questions. Students simply need to have a device (smartphone, tablet, computer), and Spiral takes care of the rest, linking the devices and pushing out the teacher-designed content. Teachers can load pre-designed content or ask questions on the fly—Spiral can adapt to any teaching style. There is even a grade book section that teachers can use to document summative assessments, record student notes, and export to share with parents. Spiral can be applied across grade levels and with any subject.

Edgenuity’s UpSmart – Combining adaptive assessments with targeted instruction grounded in rigorous academic standards, UpSmart gives every student the specific instruction, practice, and support needed to master standards; and every teacher an opportunity to extend classroom instruction to meet the individual needs of each student, without adding time to their busy days. UpSmart is a student-centered, supplemental program for grades 6-8 in math and English language arts designed to prepare students for high-stakes tests, reinforce state standards with personalized and adaptive practice, assessments, and instruction, and provide ongoing data and analytics for educators, with standards-based reports that pinpoint specific skills.

Lexia PowerUp Literacy– Lexia® PowerUp Literacy™ is made for middle school students to help them master their reading skills. Working with typical reading lessons, teachers can use this app to fill in learning gaps, allowing students to practice skills such as comprehension, analyzation, evaluation, and comparison. It allows for online and offline activity, to be available for all students’ learning needs and activity levels. This can be used in combination with Lexia® Core5® Reading and Lexia® RAPID™ Assessment to optimize reading experiences and reading groups in schools.

Middle School Art Apps, Tools, and Resources That We Love

Are you looking for middle school art apps, tools, and resources that you can use with your students? If so, we have you covered. Check out our list below. Let us know if there are any that we missed.

Boulevard-Art classes are more immersive thanks to the VR experience provided by this program. Students can visit six art museums and experience famous artworks via virtual, augmented, or mixed reality. Boulevard is redefining an era and reshaping the art and culture narrative to the outside world.

Grafio 3 – Diagram Maker – Grafio 3 is an iOS app that is used in creating graphs, vector charts, diagrams, infographics, storyboards, and any other type of diagram. It is as simple as drawing shapes with your finger. The app’s artificial intelligence helps to straighten out edges and adjust the shape. Other types of editing can also be carried out on any diagram drawn.

Intro to Colors– The world of colors comes alive with “Intro to colors.” It’s a dynamic and interactive app that lets children appreciate and learn colors in various ways. Your child will learn both primary and secondary colors, the foundation of colors, color shades, identifying and mixing of colors as well as painting and creation of colors in a fun and exciting way.

Peep and the Big Wide World– Get ready to paint on this paint splat game featuring Quack, a likable, funny duck, and his friend, Chirp, who is a brave robin bird. Children play the game by making Quack jump and paint tubes to create color collages on the wall. The app teaches children to identify colors and get creative with mixing colors. Once you have formed the simpler secondary colors (green, purple, orange, etc.), you progress to harder tertiary colors. Quack jumps on the paint tube when you touch it, splashing blobs of yellow, blue, and red paint on the wall. Touching the water hose rinses the paint off the wall, so you can start over when you want. PrimaryPad idea for schools to keep things fun, simple, fast, and easy-to-use. PrimaryPad integrates with other tools such as Wordle, PrimaryWall, and PrimaryPaint.

The Pyramids– For students studying ancient civilizations or just those fascinated by Egypt, The Pyramids provides a way to explore the tombs and pyramids of ancient Egypt in 3-D. As students walk through passageways or fly over the Sphinx, they can touch any object or painting to learn more about it, including information on who created it, what it is thought to represent, and how it fits into the culture of ancient Egypt. Students can zoom in on paintings to examine them more closely and select objects to view from all angles by rotating them. There is also an accompanying interactive book full of additional information for curious students.

Museums of the World– Museums of the World gives free access and availability to thousands of museums all around the globe. Whether you love art, culture, science, or travel, you can virtually travel anywhere in the world and gain knowledge. You can find events, exhibits, and shows based on GPS locations. There are also detailed presentations and galleries to give you all the information you need to get around and learn as much as possible

The Metropolitan Museum of Art – The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s website includes information on visiting, current exhibitions, upcoming events, and information about the art contained in the museum. It also includes some pages with infographics and articles about the history of art, lesson plans to assist teachers with integrating works of art into their classroom, and other curriculum resources such as suggested book lists. For teachers planning a field trip to the museum, there are also lots of resources on how to do so and ideas of things to pre-teach to ensure students have the most valuable visit possible.