The #1 teaching resource for ELA

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WHY COMMONLIT

More than a text library

Browse thousands of texts today, teach complete ELA units, and bring in support when your school is ready.

Full units & novel studies, all free

Teachers get access to thousands of high-quality, accessible texts, full-length book pairings, and the complete CommonLit 360 curriculum. It’s free for teachers, always.

Get every class on the same page

Build Lasting Change

We offer your ELA teachers one shared curriculum and the support to use it well. That includes on-site and virtual PD and implementation support across the year.

Backed by people who care

Maximize Curriculum Impact

At CommonLit, former teachers write the curriculum, lead the training, and shape what we build. We believe in technology that serves teachers, and never replaces them.

for ELA teams

Everything you need in one place

Schools succeed when materials, vision, support, and data come together. We provide all four in one affordable ELA program.

Unit 1 The Art of Suspense for Grade 8 with lessons on writing, reading, and media exploration times.

High-quality instructional materials

Our ELA curriculum for grades 6-12 is aligned to state standards and built around full-length texts. Teachers get print and digital lessons to make it their own.

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Implementation support built to last

We guide your school step by step, from launch day through the whole year. Our team helps leaders plan, spot problems early, and keep teachers aligned.

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Three paired texts about Rosie the Riveter with images: women in military uniforms, soldiers boarding a landing craft in World War II, and two soldiers training with one carrying the other.

Professional development for educators

Our curriculum-based professional learning is built around the curriculum your teachers use every day. Sessions are virtual, in person, or on demand, and led by former teachers.

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Assessments and data you can use

Our three benchmark assessments track reading growth across the school year. Clear results show you where students are and what to teach next.

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CommonLit Text Library

Our Text Library gives teachers access to thousands of free works of literature and texts, created by diverse and contemporary authors. Always free for teachers. Explore some of our highlighted texts for your students.

3rd Grade

•

Fiction

The Champion of Quiet

A girl who is always picked last in gym class volunteers to be a team captain.

The Very Wicked Witch and the Village Play

A witch tries to enact an evil plan to turn an audience into newts.

All Saints' Day at Night

A boy visits a cemetery at night to celebrate All Saints Day.

At the Pumpkin Patch

In this poem, the speaker tries to decide which pumpkin is the right one to pick.

Jenny Whitehead

4th Grade

•

Fiction

Trail into Darkness

A boy gets lost while snowshoeing with his family.

Halloween's Scary Fairies

Many Halloween traditions today come from the ancient Irish holiday of Samhain Eve.

On the Day of the Dead / En el Día de los Muertos

In this poem in English and Spanish, a family visits a loved one's grave for Day of the Dead.

René Saldaña, Jr. / basado en "On the Day of the Dead" por René Saldaña, h.

4th Grade

•

Fiction

Pumpkin Head

A girl participates in cyberbullying and learns an important lesson about friendship.

Shelby Ostergaard

5th Grade

•

Non-Fiction

Lost in a Corn Maze

Laurie Wallmark describes how corn mazes became a popular form of fall entertainment today.

Laura's Key

A girl is determined to improve after being benched by her soccer coach.

The Lion and the Mouse

A classic fable in which a tiny mouse proves to a powerful lion that she is greater than she seems.

Diary of a Teenage Refugee

A 16-year-old Syrian girl living as a refugee in Lebanon recounts her experiences fleeing home.

Amira

6th Grade

•

Non-Fiction

Social Media: What's Not to Like?

This text explores the positive and negative consequences of social media.

Alison Pearce Stevens

6th Grade

•

Non-Fiction

Do People Really Change?

Jessica McBirney discusses how people change over time.

Inside the Eye of the Clumsy Dragon

A teenage boy learns an important lesson about perseverance after participating in a martial arts.

Theseus and the Minotaur

A brave young Athenian prince vows to take on a monster who has been terrorizing the people of hi...

E2BN.org

7th Grade

•

Fiction

The Medicine Bag

Martin's grandpa comes to visit and brings a medicine bag that is to be passed down to him.

Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve

7th Grade

•

Fiction

Examination Day

A boy is required to take an intelligence exam by the government once he turns 12 years old.

Herd Behavior

This text provides an overview of when and how individuals give in to herd behavior.

Middle School

In this podcast transcript, This American Life host Ira Glass interviews teens about middle school.

Ira Glass

8th Grade

•

Non-Fiction

Rumors of Facebook's Death May Be Exaggerated

Gina Rich explains why Gen Z has not completely abandoned Facebook.

A Meme is Not Just a Meme!

Internet memes are a modern version of a linguistic and cultural phenomenon.

The Monkey's Paw

A man makes a wish on a charm that is given to him by an old friend and suffers the consequences.

A House without a Gold Star

A young boy's close-knit community is torn apart during World War II.

Gary D. Schmidt

9th Grade

•

Non-Fiction

Conformity

Conformity is the act of matching one's beliefs or actions to the norms of a larger social group.

The Hero's Journey

Jessica McBirney discusses a common structure in stories known as "the Hero's Journey."

Someone Might Be Watching — An Introduction to Dystopian Fiction

Shelby Ostergaard discusses traits of dystopian fiction and how the genre comments on society.

Is Online Gaming Addictive?

Professionals disagree about whether excessive online gaming is a diagnosable disorder.

Gina Rich

10th Grade

•

Fiction

The Last Curiosity

After humankind is destroyed, artificial intelligence attempts to understand the human experience.

For Gen Z, TikTok Is the New Search Engine

TikTok's relevant and engaging search results make it the preferred search engine for young people.

More Teens Ditching Social Media?

Many teens have mixed feelings about their relationship with social media.

Age Limits on Your Favorite Apps?

U.S. legislators seek to address concerns about young people's social media use.

Ruben Brosbe

11th Grade

•

Fiction

The Cask of Amontillado

This is a classic and suspenseful tale of revenge told from the perspective of the murderer.

The Masque of the Red Death

Prince Prospero throws an extravagant party for his friends, but receives an unexpected guest.

The Myth of Daedalus and Icarus

In this myth, Daedalus attempts to escape imprisonment by crafting wings for himself and his son.

Allegory of the Cave

This piece of philosophy explains the importance of knowledge in society and for the human soul.

Plato

12th Grade

•

Fiction

The Cooking Lesson

A daughter struggles with the expectations of her Chinese American parents.

The World in Flames

A couple is stranded on an island when a fire engulfs Sydney, Australia.

Social Interaction is Critical for Mental and Physical Health

Research shows that social connectedness can be as or more important as healthy living habits.

Will the 'right' college major get you a job?

The author discusses the importance of your college major to future success.

Glenn Altschuler

Want to get more of the Text Library?

Create a free account to get full access to the CommonLit Text Library.

A cute illustration of a character with a book for a body giving a "thumbs up" gesture

Student working on CommonLit 360 lesson with an open book.

Our Guiding Principles

Our team of curriculum writers have carefully developed CommonLit 360 to align with four guiding principles, ensuring that each unit and lesson are designed to support the growth and success of all learners.

Learn more

Students can engage with and learn rigorous, grade-level content

Teachers drive student outcomes

Deep engagement fosters deep learning

Learning is fundamentally social

Based on evidence, built for impact

Everything we build is grounded in research and shaped by real classroom results.

See our impact

TESTIMONIALS

Loved by teachers, trusted by administrators

Get inspired by the experiences of educators who’ve seen the impact of our program.

Two teachers completing a CommonLit Professional Development module on a laptop.

"CommonLit has been a game changer. It provides a common language for teachers. The Professional Development is intentionally designed, and we’ve had more buy-in and success than we ever envisioned. We’ve even seen the level of instructional conversations increase across the district."

Angela Szakasits

Secondary Instructional Coach ELA

Pender County Schools, NC

Students completing CommonLit 360 lessons on their computers.

"Planning is so much easier, because now I’m not searching for something that matches the standard. CommonLit already aligns to the standard. By far, my lesson planning and data collection has been so much better than it’s ever been in the past. It’s because it’s all right there for you."

Sarah Johnson

Literacy Coach for Grades 7-12

Lakewood Middle School, NJ

Two students smiling while working together on a CommonLit 360 lesson.

"I was blown away with the opportunities CommonLit afforded our teachers to diversify what they were offering to students in their classrooms."

Tracy Hunt

Instructional Facilitator for ELA/Media

Mid-Del School District

Case studies

Learn how CommonLit makes a difference in student growth.

Two middle school students collaborating on a CommonLit 360 lesson on a laptop.

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An image of the interface of CommonLit's dashboard, with the "Text Library" tab open

The #1 teaching resource for ELA

More than a text library

Build Lasting Change

Maximize Curriculum Impact

High-quality instructional materials

Implementation support built to last

Professional development for educators

Assessments and data you can use

CommonLit Text Library

3rd Grade

The Champion of Quiet

The Very Wicked Witch and the Village Play

All Saints' Day at Night

At the Pumpkin Patch

4th Grade

Trail into Darkness

Halloween's Scary Fairies

On the Day of the Dead / En el Día de los Muertos

Pumpkin Head

5th Grade

Lost in a Corn Maze

Laura's Key

The Lion and the Mouse

Diary of a Teenage Refugee

6th Grade

Social Media: What's Not to Like?

Do People Really Change?

Inside the Eye of the Clumsy Dragon

Theseus and the Minotaur

7th Grade

The Medicine Bag

Examination Day

Herd Behavior

Middle School

8th Grade

Rumors of Facebook's Death May Be Exaggerated

A Meme is Not Just a Meme!

The Monkey's Paw

A House without a Gold Star

9th Grade

Conformity

The Hero's Journey

Someone Might Be Watching — An Introduction to Dystopian Fiction

Is Online Gaming Addictive?

10th Grade

The Last Curiosity

For Gen Z, TikTok Is the New Search Engine

More Teens Ditching Social Media?

Age Limits on Your Favorite Apps?

11th Grade

The Cask of Amontillado

The Masque of the Red Death

The Myth of Daedalus and Icarus

Allegory of the Cave

12th Grade

The Cooking Lesson

The World in Flames

Social Interaction is Critical for Mental and Physical Health

Will the 'right' college major get you a job?

Want to get more of the Text Library?

Our Guiding Principles

Students can engage with and learn rigorous, grade-level content

Teachers drive student outcomes

Deep engagement fosters deep learning

Learning is fundamentally social

Based on evidence, built for impact

Loved by teachers, trusted by administrators

Case studies

Lakewood Middle School’s Success with CommonLit 360

Pender County’s Success with our Professional Development

Evaluating Reading Growth for Students in CommonLit Classrooms

Ready to get started?