Useful Educational Tools

These are tools the Libens have had a hand in developing. They are all freely available for your use. 

Highlight: ModEL Detroit

Looking for resources to teach EL Education? Detroit Public Schools partnered up with educators from across the country (led by Meredith Liben) to create guides teaching the essential components of EL Education. Download to use in your classroom!

Fluency Resources

This is everything needed to tackle reading fluency: 40 passages to practice, diagnostics, and information about the importance of fluency and research-backed ways to achieve fluency for every student. 

Academic Word Finder

The AWF allows a user to select a target grade and upload a passage for analysis. The AWF identifies Tier 2 words that a student in that grade is not likely to have seen. The tool provides student-friendly definitions for each meaning of those words and links to activities.  

Read Aloud Project

Built for K-2 students, RAP lessons are rich, interactive lessons built around high quality books. Many of the RAPs have accompanying text sets to build knowledge on the topics from the books (see Text Sets below). 

Instructional Practice Guide

A set of coaching tools designed to provide a 360 degree view of a classroom. They are designed for coaching teachers or to be used cooperatively in PLCs. Four demonstration IPTs have been built around classroom videos for guided learning.

Text-Dependent Questions

All kinds of useful tools to help learn about and develop excellent text-dependent questions. 

Text Complexity

Tools developed to support measurement and evaluation of text complexity for the Common Core State Standards. 

Text Sets: Building Knowledge and Vocabulary

Grouped passages and interactive on-line resources each focused on a specific topic.

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Protocol for Reinforcing Phonics Skills with non-decodable texts

This handy tool, taken from Chapter Five of Know Better Do Better, lays out an easy to follow series of activities that strengthen phonics learning even when reading a simple, non-decodable text.