As teachers, we love a solution that lets us meet kids’ learning needs more effectively or efficiently no matter where they are reading. When that solution also supports kids and families at home, it’s a double win. Teachers and parents can find virtually any book in Bookshare’s collection of over 1.3 million titles. Assistive reading features like audio, karaoke-style highlighting, text enlargement, color adjustment, and Braille reading allow students to customize their reading experience to their individual learning style.
Bookshare is a huge time-saver for teachers who need to individualize materials for students at school. Offering families the chance to use Bookshare at home makes this tool even more powerful.
Bookshare is free for schools and families of qualifying students through funding from the Office of Special Education Programs, U.S. Department of Education. It also comes with a free Bookshare Reader app that works with Chromebooks, laptops, iOS and Android smartphones and tablets, and Alexa-enabled speakers. Books can even be downloaded ahead of time to enjoy offline. This means readers can easily choose the reading experience that works best for them just about anywhere.
Take the guesswork out of at-home reading materials
As teachers, we often get questions from caregivers who don’t know which reading materials will work best for their kids at home—or that they don’t have the resources to get them. For families of students who have challenges decoding, comprehending, seeing, or physically managing traditional books, using Bookshare at home helps solve this problem.
The Bookshare library includes fiction and informational ebooks for readers from pre-K to adult levels. Bookshare’s huge collection ensures that a student will find many interesting titles, including the books their friends are reading. Plus, Bookshare librarians make it easier to discover new books from authors like Kate DiCamillo (The Tale of Despereaux, Because of Winn-Dixie) and special collections on topics kids love like Minecraft and Fortnite.
Happier, more confident reading with Bookshare at home
Many teachers hear from families about how students react differently to challenging tasks at home. (Any teacher who is also a parent absolutely gets this!) Trying to get kids to read at home can easily turn into nightly drama. Even worse, persistent difficulties with reading can cause kids to develop negative attitudes toward reading and learning. Teachers can assign specific books for kids to read via Bookshare at home, or families can choose from the entire library.
The video above shares the story of Texas 6th grader Emery and her family. Emery was diagnosed with dyslexia when she was 7. Using the audio and text-highlighting features from Bookshare made it possible for Emery to enjoy and feel confident with reading for the first time.
Emery and her family love how Bookshare is customizable to fit what works best for Emery. Kids who use Bookshare at home can easily learn to independently set themselves up with their ideal combination of accessibility features, like audio and text highlighting, making reading via Bookshare feel just like pulling the perfect book off the shelf.
Busy families need flexibility
For maximum success with reading, kids need consistent practice. The flexibility to use Bookshare on a variety of portable devices helps kids keep reading over school breaks and summer vacations, or anytime they’re out of school for illness or appointments. There’s no lugging around bulky adapted reading materials and no deviation from kids’ typical reading routine.
It’s especially convenient that Bookshare doesn’t operate like a traditional library. You don’t need to “check out” and “return” titles. That means no waiting for the titles kids want or need.
How can you get students started?
It’s easy to help families of qualifying students sign up for Bookshare. Remember, it’s free in the United States for any student with documented challenges in reading. Qualifying students might have dyslexia or another print disability, visual impairment, cerebral palsy, or simply struggle to decode or comprehend what they read. An IEP or 504 plan isn’t required.
Want to learn more about inviting families to use Bookshare at home? Click the button below to get started.