Remote Learning Resources: Middle School
Learn how the Library can help you keep your school skills sharp—and learn something new. Whether learning to code or remixing music or just looking for help on school projects, the Library’s online resources have everything you need to succeed.
FEATURED NYPL RESOURCES
ACADEMIC SUPPORT
Free One-on-One Tutoring
Get free, online homework help from one-on-one tutors, daily from 2 PM to 11 PM through our partnership with Brainfuse. Available in English and Spanish, for early elementary through high school students, in core subject areas. Video content and other resources are also available 24 hours a day.
Learning Aids for Middle School
Find resources on core school subjects in our extensive online databases, which feature e-books, videos, lesson plans, and more.
E-Books and Core Subject Resources
FreedomFlix
Bring history to life with video clips and e-books, with popup features such as maps, timelines, virtual tour clips, primary source videos, and audio clips. (Grades 4–9)
ScienceFlix
An interactive science tool, with videos, articles, and suggested activities. Topics include: Earth Science, Health and Human Body, Physical Science, Technology, Math, and Engineering. (Grades 4–9)
TeenBookCloud
A collection of videos and books in a variety of different categories including e-books, read-alongs, graphic novels, videos, and audiobooks. (Grades 6–12)
TrueFlix
Online resource that gives nonfiction books and videos on various topics. Also includes project ideas, suggested activities, and links to related websites. (Grades 3–7)
TumbleBooks Library
Includes animated talking picture books, story books, and books in other languages, puzzles, and games. (Grades PreK–6)
Research Assignments and Projects:
Explora Middle School
Search a variety of subjects, including the arts, current events, geography, history, literature, science, and math. (Grades 6–8)
Britannica Academic
Offers Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, world atlas and country comparison, news and magazine articles, primary sources, images and video. Select School Edition for all grades (PreK–12) and all reading abilities. Select articles by reading level and listen along to the text. You can use Escolar Online for accurate and age-appropriate content in Spanish for native Spanish speakers, bilingual students, and students learning Spanish.
Scholastic GO
Nonfiction content that includes eight encyclopedia databases, videos, leveled text, newspapers, and vetted websites. (Grades 3–8)
World Book Online Reference Center
Select Kids link (with balloon icon) to explore different topics, with pictures, articles, games, science projects, maps, and more. Includes features to listen along to the text. (Grades K–6)
College and Career Prep
Start prepping for higher education and the workforce with resources and activities you can use at home or anywhere with internet access. Find out more at our college and career prep center.
READING RESOURCES
Reading: Read Alouds for Middle School Age
The New York Public Library offers e-Books in read aloud and read along formats for children and teens through our app SimplyE. There are also in read aloud and read along formats through our databases.
Available with a Library Card
BrainPOP
Hundreds of BrainPOP videos explain a wide variety of concepts in Math, Science, Social Studies, English, Art & Music, Health and Technology. (Grades K-8)
FreedomFlix
Social Studies and History e-books. Try the Read to Me feature. (Grades 4–9)
TrueFlix
Social Studies and Science e-books. Use the Read to Me feature. (Grades 3–7)
TumbleBookCloud Junior
E-books available as read-alongs for Early Readers, Chapter Books, Children’s Classics, and Advanced Readers. (Grades 3–6)
TumbleBooks Library
E-books available as read-alongs for Early Readers, Chapter Books, Children’s Classics, and Advanced Readers. (Grades K–6)
TumbleMath
Read-alouds available for math e-books. (Grades K–6)
ENGAGING ACTIVITIES TO DO AT HOME
Explore engaging resources for supplemental learning on core subjects such as math, science, and reading that include activities like games and puzzles.
BBC iReporter
Take on the role of a BBC social media reporter breaking the story of a hacking crisis in this choose-your-own adventure game with live-action video. Touches on digital literacy issues such as sources, fake news, and sharing on social media.
Code Club
Get started learning programming languages like Scratch, HTML/CSS, or Python with these fun tutorials and creative projects! We recommend beginning coders start with the Scratch modules while more experienced coders can test out HTML/CSS or Python.
Community Oral History Project
Not only can you explore the oral histories from folks in your community, you can also help by transcribing interviews.
Digital Compass by Common Sense Education
Digital literacy choose-your-own-adventure games for middle school students.
Hour of Code
Fun, themed coding tutorials that are great for beginners as well as kids who are comfortable with coding, but want to practice or tackle a fun challenge. Spend an hour making art or designing games using popular characters from Frozen, Minecraft, or Star Wars.
Incredibox
Build an animated beatboxing crew using drag-and-drop musical samples. Play around and make your own beats or complete challenges to unlock music choruses. Incredibox has both a limited online demo and an app.
Microsoft MakeCode Arcade
Design, remix, and play games while learning the code that powers them. Start with a tutorial game before building your own game or taking a deeper dive into a coding course.
Mouse Open Projects
Find resources and tutorials for creative technology projects using 3D modeling, eight-bit pixel art, coding, and more.
NPR’s Kids and Families Podcasts
We especially love Wow in the World, “a podcast designed for parents and kids to listen to together,” with its content focus on learning more about the world.
OldNYC—Mapping Historical Photos from NYPL
Ever wondered what your neighborhood looked like way back when? See New York City through the ages in these archival photographs.
PBS Above the Noise
Each short episode in this series takes on a current event or controversial topic, giving you facts and figures to cut through the hype and rise above the noise.
PBS Kids
Play games online and watch fun videos.
Sampulator
Create the next chart-topper with a web-based keyboard of music samples. Record and layer different tracks, then listen to your creation.
Scratch
A programming language developed by MIT especially for beginning coders. Use the Scratch website or download the free software to create, remix, and share coding projects like games and animations in a safe online community.
Sketchpad
An online platform for making digital art. Paint and draw with a wide range of tools and special effects or add clip art and text. Sketchpad’s website can be used on a computer or a tablet.
Stereogranimator
Create weird, old-timey gifs with the New York Public Library’s own stereography site.
ReadWriteThink
An online reading and language arts hub jointly hosted by the International Literacy Association and the National Council for Teachers of English. Features printable activities, book recommendations, and interactive tools like a digital comic book creator!
Brightly
An online hub from Penguin Random House to “help raise kids who love to read.” Features reading tips, book recommendations, activities, and more.
Get Started With SimplyE
With your library card, it's easier than ever to choose from more than 300,000 e-books on SimplyE, The New York Public Library's free e-reader app. Library cardholders can gain access to an array of digital resources for all ages, including e-books, audiobooks, databases, and more.
If you don’t have an NYPL library card, New York State residents can apply for a digital card through the Library’s SimplyE app (available on the App Store or Google Play). Once you’ve received your barcode and PIN, explore SimplyE to discover hundreds of thousands of e-books, plus visit our website to find many more digital resources. You can also find your library card number by logging into your library account with your SimplyE username and pin. The 14 digit library card number is displayed underneath your name.
Patrons 13 years and older can apply for their own library cards. Patrons 12 and under will need a parent or caregiver to create an account. Note: These accounts cannot be restricted to only children’s materials.
After registering, it may take a few hours to receive your barcode in order to access the Library’s digital resources. Once you sign up for a card through SimplyE, you will need to select a home library after your barcode has been emailed to you. Log into your account and click on Settings to set your Preferred Pickup location.
If you have questions, please email schoolvisits@nypl.org
Note About Privacy & External Websites
Please note: This web page contains third-party links. By clicking on the website links above, you will leave NYPL’s website and enter a website not operated by NYPL. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of every third-party website or service that you visit or use, including those third parties with whom you interact through our Library services.
For more information about these third-party links, please see the section of NYPL's Privacy Policy describing "Third-Party Library Services Providers . Note that children under the age of 13 should not submit any personally-identifiable information (e.g., name, email address, etc.) to any online website, per federal COPPA requirements.