Fortunately, devices like tablets and e-readers make taking summer reading with you an easy task. And many app-makers out there have made apps that students (and in some cases, teachers too!) with summer reading. Keep reading to see a few such apps that we’ve checked out recently.
Gobstopper
Gobstopper is new ereading platform for schools.It is a free tool for assigning, monitoring, and leveraging summer reading in your classroom. Teachers can use it to assign books, look at students’ progress throughout the summer, and even benchmark data on your students’ mastery of Common Core Standards before the year starts. When students are reading, they see questions and get feedback, and can also earn badges to keep them motivated. Works on all devices that have a browser and internet access
MeMeTales
MeMeTales is a free app that offers a variety of children’s stories and picture books (with audio) – with something for every child at every reading stage. They offer a free book every week, with the option to buy others as well. Reading is gamified in this app, which awards badges and stickers to readers as they finish books, and are rewarded with a book-related game each time they finish a book. Parents can choose to be notified via email when their readers finishes books, which is an easy way to keep track of their progress.
Bookster
Bookster is another free app that offers a kid-friendly, easy to use interface that gets young readers learning. It is a read-along storytelling app that reads to your kids, records and plays their voices, and teaches vocabulary along the way. The downside is a limited range of stories available, but we found that the many features available outweighed the limited library. Available for iOs and Android devices.
Tales2Go
Tales2Go is the outlier here, in that it is an audiobook service geared towards kids rather than more of a digital reader. It streams on-demand access to over 1,000 stories, which help engage learners at all primary grade levels, and help them to develop their speaking and listening skills (Hello, Common Core Standards?). You can use it as an adjunct resource (with a book in hand, following along) or as a stand alone audiobook. There is a 30 day free trial, and after that you can choose either a monthly recurring or annual subscription to maintain unlimited access to the library. Five users on each account to are allowed access Tales2Go from multiple devices.
