Our Mission is Your Toolkit: Welcome to CommonLit
How to Get Started With Your New Favorite (Free) Classroom Tool
As former teachers, we know how it feels to walk into a classroom with zero resources and a dream. Your passion for your students is what makes your classroom come to life, and after a busy day, curriculum strategy is the last thing you want to think about. That’s where we come in.
CommonLit is more than a tool for generating sub plans (though we’re here for that, too). We want to become your partner, whether you’re just starting out or you’re heading into year 20. We were founded by a former teacher as a nonprofit, and more than a decade later, we’re still committed to providing high-quality instructional materials to ELA teachers for free.
In less than a minute, you can create a free CommonLit account to unlock thousands of rigorous texts and high-quality lessons, plus actionable data to support your students.
Our Nonprofit Mission (And How It Impacts You)
We envision a world where students can read and write proficiently, where learning is joyful, and where teaching is sustainable. Every school deserves access to effective, evidence-based tools to get there, and we believe empowered, confident teachers get results.
This might sound like a pastel-hued poster in your school’s hallway, but it’s what shapes real decisions at CommonLit. As a nonprofit, we’re built for impact, and we aim to serve teachers and students through everything we do.
So how does that affect you?
- Free to start. Every text in the CommonLit library is free with an educator account. Accompanying each text, you’ll find reading questions, assessment questions, answer keys, and paired texts, which are also free. Gone are the days of coming up with questions the night before you teach, long after your caffeine has worn off.
- Free after you fall in love, too: Because we believe so strongly in the power of a cohesive curriculum, CommonLit 360 is also (you guessed it!) completely free. With ready-to-teach units, lesson plans, and aligned assessments, CommonLit 360 frees teachers from the hours of planning and prep it takes to piece a curriculum together—so your weekends can go back to being weekends.
- Built by teachers, for teachers. Our team is primarily made up of former classroom teachers, which means that the tools you’ll use in CommonLit are designed around your needs. We want you to feel “seen” and understood by our program, because we know that doesn’t always happen in the classroom.
- Customizable for your classroom. Whether you’re a wizard with a laptop or a proponent of going analog, CommonLit lessons can be easily adapted to your needs. We think you’ll appreciate our site’s clean, streamlined aesthetic and the simplicity of our lesson plans (without sacrificing an ounce of rigor). Beyond that, it’s up to you whether you assign lessons digitally or on paper.
How to Get Started with CommonLit
You can start using CommonLit in less time than it takes to microwave your lunch. There’s no plugin or app to install, and as a teacher, you already have all the training you need to begin.
Follow these steps to create your free educator account:
- Go to CommonLit.org, click “Sign up,” and choose “I Am an Educator.”
- Find your school by entering the type (public, private, charter, etc.) and your school’s zip code.
- Enter your name and school email—make sure to use your school email, and not a personal account!
- Answer three questions related to your classroom context (what grade(s) you teach, etc.).
- Start exploring our text library and CommonLit 360. The world is officially your oyster!
What Exactly Do You Get For Free in CommonLit?
Most teachers start out by accessing our free text library, so after you create an account, we recommend that you find your grade level and look around. Our texts and their resources can function as supplemental reading within novel studies, emergency sub plans, or independent standards-aligned lessons. Now, you can rest easier at night knowing that, with CommonLit, you’ll never have to fear another administrator walkthrough.
After you’ve gotten comfortable with our program, we recommend that you jump into a unit in CommonLit 360. CommonLit 360 is a comprehensive, knowledge-building ELA curriculum for grades 6-12, designed to drive student growth in reading, writing, speaking, and listening.
Here’s some of what you’ll find when you start exploring CommonLit 360:
- Reading, writing, vocabulary, grammar, multimedia, and speaking and listening lessons
- Slide decks and easy-to-print handouts
- Teacher copies
- One free baseline reading assessment
There is no trial period and no premium tier for lessons. CommonLit 360 is 100% free for teachers and students, forever.
Schools and districts that want extra support can add optional services through CommonLit Spark, Core, or Elevate. From assessments to on-site professional development, these extras are designed to work alongside our free curriculum. So go ahead, fall in love with us first! You can worry about begging your administrator for access to the Assessment Series later.
No matter what grade you teach or how long you’ve been in the classroom, we want to be your partner this school year. Create your free CommonLit account to get started, then let your creativity take the lead! We’re here for you every step of the way.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CommonLit really free?Yes. Every text in the CommonLit library is free with an educator account, including reading questions, answer keys, and paired texts. CommonLit 360, our full ELA curriculum, is also 100% free for teachers and students, with no trial period and no premium tier for lessons.
Do I need to install anything?No. There’s no plugin or app to install. CommonLit runs right in your browser.
What’s included in CommonLit 360?CommonLit 360 is a knowledge-building ELA curriculum for grades 6-12. It includes reading, writing, vocabulary, grammar, multimedia, and speaking and listening lessons, plus slide decks, printable handouts, teacher copies, and one free baseline reading assessment.
Can I use CommonLit without assigning everything digitally?Absolutely. Lessons are easy to adapt, so you can assign them digitally or on paper, depending on what works best for your classroom.
What are CommonLit Spark, Core, and Elevate?These are optional services for schools and districts that want extra support, such as assessments or on-site professional development. They’re designed to work alongside the free curriculum, and you don’t need them to get started.
