Graphite: Your search is over

Looking for a handy site that helps you locate useful apps, games, and websites that also provides ratings and reviews? That also includes teacher feedback? That has awesome search and sorting functions? That organizes all of its goodies by Common Core – giving you the chance to find activities aligned to ELA literacy standards for history?

Then, yes. You are in the right place.

What you’re looking for is called Graphite

. . . a free service from nonprofit Common Sense Education designed to help preK-12 educators discover, use, and share the best apps, games, websites, and digital curricula for their students by providing unbiased, rigorous ratings and practical insights from our active community of teachers.

 Their team of professional educators – early childhood development experts, doctorates in education, and teachers with hands-on classroom experience – rates each website, game, and app on Graphite based on their detailed rubric. Every product on Graphite is rigorously reviewed to dig deeper into what and how your students will learn with it.

Start with the basics. Head straight to their Top Picks for Social Studies.

Reviews & Ratings

After the basics, try it yourself. Head to the Reviews & Ratings, adjust your search parameters, and find useful stuff. Be sure to also check out the Field Notes – specific feedback by teachers who’ve use the tool.

Common Core

Get Graphite’s aligned to Common Core ELA literacy standards by grade and content here.

App Flows

An App Flow is an interactive framework tool that enables teachers to seamlessly flow apps, websites, and games throughout lessons. Starting with the familiar five-part lesson plan, an App Flow provides scaffolding to think with purpose about where, why, and how to integrate digital tools for learning into the curriculum.

The flow follows five teaching components:

• Hook
• Direct Instruction
• Guided Practice
• Independent Practice
• Wrap Up

Teachers choose individual apps, games, or websites that match each component. Find the social studies App Flow here.

Webinars

Want to hear from teachers about the best apps, websites, and games for learning? Join Graphite for Appy Hour, a monthly series where they discuss their favorites from Top Picks Lists, have teachers demonstrate a selection of tools, and share ideas on how to use them with students.

And when you’re done all of that, start over. Cause there’s sure to be something new by then.