As teachers, we love solutions that allow children’s learning to meet their needs more effectively or efficiently, no matter where they read. When that solution supports children and families at home, it’s a double victory. Teachers and parents can find virtually any book in Bookshare’s collection of over 1.3 million titles. Supporting reading features such as audio, karaoke style highlighting, text enlargement, color adjustment, and braille reading allow students to customize their reading experience to their individual learning styles.
Bookshare is a huge time saving for teachers who need to personalize material for their school students. This tool becomes even more powerful by providing families with the opportunity to use Bookshare at home.
Bookshare is free to schools and families of qualified students through funding from the U.S. Department of Education’s Special Education Programs Office. It also comes with a free Bookshare Reader app that works with Chromebooks, laptops, iOS, Android smartphones, tablets and Alexa compatible speakers. You can also download the book in advance for offline fun. This means that readers can easily choose the best reading experience for them anywhere.
Remove guesswork from home reading materials
As teachers, we often get questions from caregivers who don’t know which reading material is best for children at home. Using books at home can help solve this problem for families of students who decode, understand, view or physically manage traditional books.
The Bookshare Library contains fiction and information e-books for readers from Pre-K to adult level. Bookshare’s huge collection ensures that students find many interesting titles, including books their friends are reading. Additionally, Bookshare librarians can easily discover new books from authors like Kate Dicamillo (for The Tale of Despeauax, for Winn-Dixie) and make it easier for children to find special collections on topics they love, like Minecraft and Fortnite.
Share your books at home to make reading happier and more confident
Many teachers hear from their families about how students respond to challenging tasks at home. (A teacher who is also a parent will definitely get this!) Trying to have your kids read at home can easily turn into a nightly drama. Worse, persistent difficulties in reading can lead to children developing negative attitudes towards reading and learning. Teachers can assign specific books that allow children to read at home. Alternatively, families can choose from the entire library.
The video above shares the story of Emery, a Texas sixth grader, and her family. Emery was diagnosed with dyslexia at the age of seven. With Bookshare’s audio and text highlighting capabilities, Emery was able to feel confident and confident in reading for the first time.
Emery and her family love the way Bookshare can be customized to suit Emery’s best. Kids using Bookshare at home can easily learn to set themselves independently with the ideal combination of accessibility features, such as audio and text highlighting.
A busy family needs flexibility
Children need consistent practice to maximize their reading success. The flexibility of using BookShare on a variety of portable devices helps kids continue reading school breaks and summer holidays, or whenever they leave school for illness or appointments. Around bulky adaptation readings there is no deviation from the typical child’s reading routine.
It’s especially useful that Bookshare doesn’t work like a traditional library. There is no need to “check out” and “return” the title. This means that you are not waiting for the title your kids want or need.
How can I start a student?
It’s easy to help families of qualified students sign up for Bookshare. Remember, in the US, it is free for students with documented reading assignments. Qualified students may have difficulty deciding or understanding dyslexia or another printing disorder, visual impairment, cerebral palsy, or simply deciphering or understanding what they have read. No IEP or 504 plans required.
Want to learn more about inviting your family to use Bookshare at home? Click the button below to start.
