My Account Details
McGraw Hill AR
McGraw Hill AR
Bring learning to life
with our augmented reality app
McGraw Hill AR
McGraw Hill and Verizon have partnered to create McGraw Hill AR, a free app combining proven content with powerful technology to engage your students in unique and impactful ways. See what's possible in your classroom.
What is McGraw Hill AR
McGraw Hill AR provides a great supplement to any core curriculum by helping students learn challenging or abstract concepts through playful, bite-sized experiences.
Whether using our augmented reality app experience or our 3-D web-based experience, students are engaged through interaction, exploration, and multi-sensory experiences.
These activities open new opportunities for learning, especially for students who don’t learn well through more traditional methods. Subjects covered include math, science, social studies, and ELA!
Get to Know McGraw Hill AR
Two Experiences. Two Languages. Same Approach.
McGraw Hill AR has an augmented reality app experience for classrooms with access to tablets and smartphones for learning, as well as a 3D web-based experience for classrooms with laptops and Chromebooks. Both experiences are also available in Spanish and offer the same 3-part pedagogical approach.
- Observe: Students watch a narrated animation within the app.
- Explore: Students interact with 3D objects and experiment at their own pace.
- Evaluate: Students apply knowledge by answering interactive questions.
Augmented Reality App Experience
Using the power of augmented reality, students use their tablets or smartphones to layer 3D objects onto their real world—their desks, tables, floor, anywhere!
They can walk around the objects, interact with them, and see them from different angles for a more immersive, kinesthetic approach to learning.
Download the app for free from the App Store or Google Play. You can also scan the QR code to download McGraw Hill AR.
3D Web-Based Experience
No mobile devices in the classroom? No problem. Students can access web versions for use on Chromebooks, laptops, and desktops.
The web experience presents the 3D objects against a static classroom backdrop. Students get to engage with the objects and manipulate them using their trackpad, mouse, and/or keyboard controls.
Go to mharonline.com to access these free web experiences now!
NOTE: Web versions will not run on the internet browsers of smartphones or tablets. Use the app for those devices.
Math Activities
McGraw Hill AR helps students visualize math and see math in the world around them. From ski slopes to fireworks, from racing cars to desert islands, students can experience the fun in learning math and realize it’s not just about numbers and equations.
Topics Covered
- Cross Sections
- Rotations
- Nets
- Slope
- Solving Equations
- Game Theory
- Growth Functions
- Parallel and Skew Lines
- Reflections
- Pythagorean Theorem in 3D
- Graph Theory
- Quadratic Functions (Group)
- Coordinate Plane
- LCM
- Ratios
- Equivalent Fractions
Use the Content Progression Charts to review the grade levels appropriate for each activity. Use the Standards Alignment Chart to see which standards each activity supports. The App and Web Link Charts are handy for easily assigning direct links to each activity in your LMS or wherever you post assignments. And use the Correlations Chart to see how the activities align with our Reveal Math curriculum.
Science Activities
Your science students can now experiment with the impossible in the classroom like dissecting the human eye, taking apart a v8 engine, or playing mini golf to understand reflection.
Topics Covered
- Circulatory System
- Glaciers
- Human Eye
- Law of Reflection (Group activity included)
- Periodic Table
- Photosynthesis
- Respiratory System
- Simple Machines
- V8 Engines
Use the Content Progression Charts to review the grade levels appropriate for each activity. Use the Standards Alignment Chart to see which standards each activity supports. The App and Web Link Charts are handy for easily assigning direct links to each activity in your LMS or wherever you post assignments. And use the Correlations Chart to see how the activities align with our Inspire Science curriculum.
Social Studies Activities
With McGraw Hill AR, your social studies students can become time travelers, immersing themselves in the past by exploring events, making choices, and simulating strategies.
Topics Covered
- Boston Massacre
- CivicsTown
- Colosseum
- Grocery Go!
- Industrial Revolution
- Machu Picchu
- Parthenon
- Pyramids
- Silk Road
- Space Race (Group activity included)
- Stickball
- Trench Warfare
- Vikings
- Westward Expansion
Use the Content Progression Charts to review the grade levels appropriate for each activity. Use the Standards Alignment Chart to see which standards each activity supports. The App and Web Link Charts are handy for easily assigning direct links to each activity in your LMS or wherever you post assignments. And use the Correlations Chart to see how the activities align with our McGraw Hill Social Studies curriculum.
ELA Activities
Students explore narrative elements and literary devices within visual and spatial storytelling experiences to connect more deeply with plot, characters, setting, and the language that shapes them. The first activity Romeo & Juliet invites students to reimagine the balcony scene using the source material to create their own representation and watch their production come to life!
Topics Covered
- Shakespeare: Romeo & Juliet
- The Great Race
Use the Content Progression Chart to review the grade levels appropriate for each activity. Use the Standards Alignment Chart to see which standards each activity supports.
Tutorials
If you’d like to see demos of the app for different subjects, please visit the tab for those subjects. These tutorials are intended to help you learn how to use, plan, and implement the app.
Planning Your Implementation (App Experience)
These are helpful tips on what to do before you start using the app experience with your students.
Planning Your Implementation (Web Experience)
These are helpful tips on what to do before you start using the web experience with your students.
Navigating the App Interface
This video will go over navigating the libraries in the App experience (searching, adding, updating, and archiving activities) as well as well as the functionality of the buttons throughout all the activities.
Navigating the Web Interface
This video will go over the functionality of the buttons in the web experience, as well as different ways to move and rotate views (using keyboard buttons and/or trackpads).
Lesson Plans & Worksheets
This video shows how to access the lesson plans and worksheets for each activity. These teaching aids are housed in the Verizon Innovative Learning portal where educators can create a free account to access these free resources and more for other apps.
Setup & Anchoring (App only)
If you're using the app experience, this video gives tips on how to project the 3D images on to a surface during the "Setup" portion. Anchoring is not part of the web-based experience as that uses a built-in static backdrop for the 3D images.
Using the Tools (App & Web)
The Calculator and Draw tools can be valuable across many activities to support learning. This video will provide some suggestions on when and where to use them.
Changing Languages (App & Web)
Both the app and web experiences can be presented in Spanish, but the way you do it in each experience is different. In the app, you need to go to Settings, and in the web it’s a toggle in the upper right. Watch this video to learn more about changing languages.
Group Play (App & Web)
Select activities have options for Group Play. These are opportunities for students to collaborate to solve problems or compete against each other to achieve a learning objective. Watch this video to learn more.
Spatial Activities* (App only)
Select activities are made using a different technology called inside out spatial mapping. This only affects the app experience because it’s true augmented reality. Rather than projecting a single 3D object on one surface in front of you, the app projects all around you, so students feel more immersed in the activity. Watch this video to learn more.
*Students using the web experience can still access these activities; however, their experience remains the same because it’s web-based and doesn’t rely on augmented reality.
Guide your AR Integration with Standards-Aligned Lesson Plans
Professionally developed lesson plans include
- Learning objectives and standards
- Implementation tips
- Student worksheet (same Evaluate exercises from app)
- Extension activities (not in app)
- Enrichment activities (not in app)
You can access these lesson plans by creating a free account at verizon.com/learning.
See What’s Covered—By Standard and by Grade
See each discipline tab for these teaching aids:
- Standards Alignment Chart – Easily see which standards each activity supports
- Content Progressions Chart – Description of each activity, best-fit grade levels + modification tips
Learn How to Use McGraw Hill AR: Video Tutorials and Self-Paced Training
- Tutorial Videos – Short overviews to help you understand key tools and functions. See the Tutorials tab to the left.
- Self-Paced Video Course – Complete anytime and receive a participation certificate. Coming August 2025 within the McGraw Hill Educator Community.
Join Our AR User Group!
Join a dynamic community of forward-thinking teachers exploring the power augmented reality in classroom:
- Shape classroom learning through feedback on ideas in development
- Connect with like-minded educators on uses of AR in the classroom
- Access regular free training through webinars
- Have your success spotlighted by McGraw Hill in articles
- Earn digital badges to share achievements
- Earn free stuff like McGraw Hill swag
McGraw Hill AR activities are designed for grades 3 and up, though the ideal grade level varies by activity. We provide content progression charts to help you identify the best fit and any needed modifications. Many educators find that activities can flex up or down—advanced younger students often enjoy the challenge of higher-grade content, while older students may benefit from revisiting foundational concepts through younger-grade activities.
Yes! All McGraw Hill AR activities are aligned to national standards across Math (Common Core), Science (NGSS), ELA (Common Core), and Social Studies (NCSS and C3 Framework). Each experience is designed to reinforce key concepts and skills in a way that’s engaging and interactive. We have documents that show this alignment. Please click on the specific discipline tabs to the left for information on standards. We are currently working on select state standards alignment and they should be posted in Fall of 2025
These activities are designed to supplement any core curriculum. However, we do have a correlations document for how the activities correlate to our Reveal Math, Inspire Science, and Social Studies curricula. Please click on the specific discipline tabs to the left for information on correlations.
- App Experience: Apple or Android tablets or smartphones
- Web Experience: Laptops or Chromebooks
No, you do not. Headsets are typically used for virtual reality (VR) experiences, not augmented reality (AR).
Both versions include the same interactive activities—students can explore and manipulate 3D objects in either format. The key difference is how they experience them. With the app, the AR technology places digital objects into their real-world through the camera view—so it looks like the objects are sitting there on their desk or table, for example. It makes the experience feel more immersive. The web version shows the same 3D content on-screen against a digital background, making it ideal for laptops or desktops. Both are engaging—just in different ways.
It depends on what devices your students have access to in the classroom. Please see table below.
Classroom Setup
1:1
Device Type
Tablets
McGraw Hill AR Experience
App
Notes
Full AR experience
Classroom Setup
1:1
Device Type
Laptops/Chromebooks
McGraw Hill AR Experience
Web
Notes
Identical content to app, browser-based
Classroom Setup
1:1
Device Type
Mixed Devices
McGraw Hill AR Experience
App & Web
Notes
Tablet/smartphone students use app. Laptop/Chromebook students use web. If they do a Group Play activity, it supports cross-device collaboration.
Classroom Setup
Shared Devices
Device Type
Tablets
McGraw Hill AR Experience
App (in pairs/groups)
Notes
Full AR experience
Classroom Setup
Shared Devices
Device Type
Laptops/Chromebooks
McGraw Hill AR Experience
Web (in pairs/groups)
Notes
Identical content to app, browser-based
Classroom Setup
Shared Devices
Device Type
Mixed Devices
McGraw Hill AR Experience
App & Web
Notes
Tablet/smartphone students use app. Laptop/Chromebook students use web. If they do a Group Play activity, it supports cross-device collaboration.
|
Classroom Setup |
Device Type |
McGraw Hill AR Experience |
Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
|
1:1 |
Tablets |
App |
Full AR experience |
|
1:1 |
Laptops/Chromebooks |
Web |
Identical content to app, browser-based |
|
1:1 |
Mixed Devices |
App & Web |
Tablet/smartphone students use app. Laptop/Chromebook students use web. If they do a Group Play activity, it supports cross-device collaboration. |
|
Shared Devices |
Tablets |
App (in pairs/groups) |
Full AR experience |
|
Shared Devices |
Laptops/Chromebooks |
Web (in pairs/groups) |
Identical content to app, browser-based |
|
Shared Devices |
Mixed Devices |
App & Web |
Tablet/smartphone students use app. Laptop/Chromebook students use web. If they do a Group Play activity, it supports cross-device collaboration. |
McGraw Hill AR is free. Anyone can download the app from either the App Store or Google Play or access the web versions at www.mharonline.com.
To deploy it on school devices, you may need to involve an administrator, depending on your district. Please see tips in the table below.
How to Acces
App Experience (Tablets/Phones)
App installed on school tablets or mobile devices. If you can’t download directly from the App Store or Google Play to school devices, you need an Admin to deploy.
Web Experience (Laptops/Chromebooks)
Go to www.mharonline.com on school laptops or Chromebooks.
Admin Action
App Experience (Tablets/Phones)
Ask your admin or IT team to deploy app from Apple School Manager or Android Zero Touch Enrollment.
Web Experience (Laptops/Chromebooks)
If you can’t access the website on school WiFi, ask admin or IT team to “whitelist” the URL www.mharonline.com.
Timing Tip
App Experience (Tablets/Phones)
Allow 2–3 weeks for approval and deployment (varies by district)
Web Experience (Laptops/Chromebooks)
Allow 2–3 weeks for approval and deployment (varies by district)
Important to share
App Experience (Tablets/Phones)
“It’s free and doesn’t collect student data”
Web Experience (Laptops/Chromebooks)
“It’s free and doesn’t collect student data”
|
|
App Experience (Tablets/Phones) |
Web Experience (Laptops/Chromebooks) |
|---|---|---|
|
How to Acces |
App installed on school tablets or mobile devices. If you can’t download directly from the App Store or Google Play to school devices, you need an Admin to deploy. |
Go to www.mharonline.com on school laptops or Chromebooks. |
|
Admin Action |
Ask your admin or IT team to deploy app from Apple School Manager or Android Zero Touch Enrollment. |
If you can’t access the website on school WiFi, ask admin or IT team to “whitelist” the URL www.mharonline.com. |
|
Timing Tip |
Allow 2–3 weeks for approval and deployment (varies by district) |
Allow 2–3 weeks for approval and deployment (varies by district) |
|
Important to share |
“It’s free and doesn’t collect student data” |
“It’s free and doesn’t collect student data” |
Every McGraw Hill AR activity includes a Solo Play mode, which allows students to complete the activity independently at their own pace. Group Play is available in select activities as an additional option. It encourages collaborative or competitive learning within small groups. In Group Play, students might work together to achieve a shared goal or compete in a friendly challenge—either way, the experience is designed to make learning interactive, social, and game-like.
Spatial mapping activities use advanced AR technology to recognize and interact with multiple surfaces in a space—not just a single flat surface like a desk. This allows students to move around and view AR elements above, below, and all around them, creating a fully immersive experience. It’s designed to enhance engagement and make learning feel more dynamic and lifelike.
Nope! These activities are available for students to access on a tablet, phone, or laptop, anywhere with a stable internet / cellular connection.
Planning Need
Align with academic standards
Supporting Resource
Standards Alignment Chart – Easily see which standards each activity supports
Where to find
Planning Need
Choose the right content by grade
Supporting Resource
Content Progressions Chart – Description of activity, best-fit grade levels + modification tips
Where to find
Planning Need
Access lesson plans and worksheets
Supporting Resource
Lesson Plans – Overview, objectives, lesson duration, materials needed, standards covered, and tips. They also include Extension & Enrichment Activities and student worksheets (plus answer keys)
Where to find
Verizon Innovative Learning portal
Bookmark the homepage within the portal for McGraw Hill AR
Planning Need
Get familiar with app
Supporting Resource
Tutorial Videos – Short overviews to help you understand key tools and functions
Where to find
Planning Need
Get deeper PD and earn a certificate
Supporting Resource
Self-Paced Video Course – Complete anytime and receive a participation certificate
Where to find
McGraw Hill website (to come August 2025)
|
Planning Need |
Supporting Resource |
Where to find |
|---|---|---|
|
Align with academic standards |
Standards Alignment Chart – Easily see which standards each activity supports |
|
|
Choose the right content by grade |
Content Progressions Chart – Description of activity, best-fit grade levels + modification tips |
|
|
Access lesson plans and worksheets |
Lesson Plans – Overview, objectives, lesson duration, materials needed, standards covered, and tips. They also include Extension & Enrichment Activities and student worksheets (plus answer keys) |
Verizon Innovative Learning portal Bookmark the homepage within the portal for McGraw Hill AR |
|
Get familiar with app |
Tutorial Videos – Short overviews to help you understand key tools and functions |
|
|
Get deeper PD and earn a certificate |
Self-Paced Video Course – Complete anytime and receive a participation certificate |
McGraw Hill website (to come August 2025) |
Yes! McGraw Hill AR activities are available in Spanish in both the web and app experience.
No, the app does not collect student data as part of our agreement with Verizon. The app was built for Verizon’s Innovative Learning Initiative; as part of that, the app must not collect student data and must be free.
In the Verizon portal, the lesson plans include student worksheets that you can print, hand out, and collect or distribute digitally via an LMS. They are fillable PDFs so students can complete them on a device and submit them back to you digitally via an LMS or your preferred method.
Verizon has an education initiative called Verizon Innovative Learning that supports digital equity and inclusion in education. As part of it, the product is offered for free to all schools, no matter what curriculum they’re using. Educators can access the lesson plans for the product in the Verizon Innovative Learning portal, which provides free access to the latest in augmented reality and virtual reality educational materials.
Yes! These activities will always be free. It’s part of our partnership with Verizon.
Please send an email to mcgrawhillar@mheducation.com explaining what you are experiencing. A McGraw Hill employee will troubleshoot the issue and respond accordingly.
You can send an email to mcgrawhillar@mheducation.com with your thoughts or fill out the form here.
Web-based Experience (laptops & desktops)
General Requirements:
- The browser is WebGL 2 capable.
- The browser is HTML 5 standards-compliant.
- The browser is 64-bit and supports WebAssembly.
System Support (matches ALEKS requirements):
- Operating System: Windows 10+, Mac OS X 10.15+
- Chromebook Chrome OS 30+
- Screen Resolution: 1024x768
- Browsers: Chrome 105+, Firefox 105+, Edge 110+, No support for IE 11
App Experience (smartphones & tablets)
Apple Devices
Guaranteed to work on:
- iPhone 12 and later
- iPhone SE (latest)
- iPad (latest)
- iPad Air 2
- iPad Pro
Should work on:
- iPhone 6s and newer
- iPad 2017 and newer
- iPad Pro (all)
Android Devices
Guaranteed to work on:
- Samsung Galaxy S20 - S22
- Google Pixel 6
Stay Informed: Podcasts, Webinars, and Research on AR
Research on Augmented Reality
- We surveyed teachers, administrators and parents on their views about augmented reality in education. Read the results of our AR survey.
Podcasts Featuring McGraw Hill AR
- Forward to Different: "Finding Easy to Use VR, AR, and GAI Resources That Effectively Accelerate Learning"
- My EdTech Life: “The Future of AR/VR in Education”
- Shake Up Learning: “10 AR Math Lessons You Need to See”
Articles on Augmented Reality and/or Featuring McGraw Hill AR
- Renee Dawson, an ed tech specialist at Atlanta Public Schools, shares her experiences using augmented reality in the classroom, including using McGraw Hill AR: “How Augmented Reality Helps Teachers Reach More Students"
- Instructional technologist–and former teacher–Jaime Donally shares her thoughts in this review of McGraw Hill AR: “STEAMverse Day 20 - McGraw Hill ARC”
- Get behind the scenes with the authors and developers of McGraw Hill AR to learn about the pedagogical and technical decisions made: “Deepen Learning with McGraw Hill AR”
- In this Q&A, Heather Brantley, an instructional technologist and teacher at a Texas junior high school, discusses collaboration with McGraw Hill AR: “How Augmented Reality Fosters Student Curiosity and Collaboration”
- This teacher shares how augmented reality has given her students opportunities to actively engage with lessons and how our free app, McGraw Hill AR, can help you effortlessly integrate AR into your classroom: ”How One Teacher Uses Augmented Reality in the Classroom”
- Unsure about using augmented reality in the classroom? Read this blog post by an early adopter of augmented reality.
Watch this inspiring webinar featuring real stories from teachers using McGraw Hill AR. This dynamic panel discussion was moderated by Jaime Donally, renowned expert in immersive technologies for education and featured two educators using the app.
Jaime Donally, author, speaker, and instructional technologist, joins the McGraw Hill team to discuss tips for getting started with McGraw Hill AR from understanding all the support resources available to tips for implementing it in the classroom.
Jaime Donally, author, speaker, and instructional technologist, joins the McGraw Hill team to discuss the benefits of using the new 3D web-based experience in your classroom since so many schools are 1:1 with Chromebooks and don't necessarily have access to tablets. Also discussed are the new Drawing and Calculator tools and Spanish versions.
Jaime Donally, author, speaker, and instructional technologist on emerging technologies, speaks with Renee Dawson, Educational Technology Specialist from Atlanta Public Schools. They introduce you to the app, walk you through the app's features, and then dive into all of the lesson planning resources available for free in Verizon Innovative Learning HQ.
Jaime Donally, author, speaker, and instructional technologist on emerging technologies, speaks with Renee Dawson, Educational Technology Specialist from Atlanta Public Schools, as well as a panel of McGraw Hill content specialists. This webinar explores how McGraw Hill AR can transform traditional classroom lessons into engaging and interactive experiences that motivate students to learn through play.
Jaime Donally, author, speaker, and instructional technologist on emerging technologies, speaks with Renee Dawson, Educational Technology Specialist from Atlanta Public Schools, as well as a panel of McGraw Hill content specialists. Here they dive into the new unique group play feature that students can use in-person and remotely and how the solo activities can be used collaboratively to build up to the group experience. Discover how collaboration and AR technology truly benefit the overall learning experience.
Explore how a free, award-winning augmented reality app facilitates active learning in different ways within different subjects, including math, social studies, and science. Whether students learn on mobile phones, tablets, or laptops, speak English or Spanish, thrive learning solo or within groups, McGraw Hill AR expands opportunities for learning through immersive, bite-sized experiences.
In this engaging panel discussion, you’ll learn how AR can be a scalable way to create new, equitable opportunities for learning that engage even the hardest to reach students. Whether you’re an administrator looking to integrate innovative technology into your school or district or a teacher looking for free and engaging ways to supplement your curriculum, this webinar has something for you to learn and share with others.
While augmented reality (AR) deeply engages students through multimodal learning, it’s not widely used for instruction. Using a new, free AR app, participants will explore how AR can be powerful yet easy to integrate when experiences are bite-sized, aligned to learning objectives, and created with real classrooms in mind. Please plan to bring a mobile device to the session.
Latest Releases
Explore our newest activities in the 3D web version now or download the app to access them in augmented reality.
What Educators Say About Our Augmented Reality Experiences
The students found the app extremely easy to use. They were appropriately challenged by some of the exercises, but they weren’t discouraged at all. In fact, it was the opposite. They were so engaged that even when the bell rang, they didn’t want to leave the classroom and just wanted to figure out the current challenge.
I love how this is designed for the students to work collaboratively or independently. It allows for students to foster that sense of independence with a rich learning experience.
This app helps with the challenges that we experienced by giving the students a 3D representation of the concepts that we're learning. It's also super engaging so they're more interested in playing around with the concept.
Get McGraw Hill AR Now
App
The app is available on any Apple or Android tablet or smartphone.
Apple and the Apple Logo are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. Google Play and the Google Play logo are trademarks of Google LLC.
Web
Access the web versions at mharonline.com.
You need to use an internet browser on a laptop, desktop, or Chromebook, not a tablet or smartphone.
Scan the QR code to download
McGraw Hill AR for FREE today.