Epic! – Kids’ Books and Videos is a free, expansive digital library that unlocks a treasure trove of books. Well, at this time, we are going to share some information about Epic Books. If you want to find out some information about Epic Books, do not go anywhere.
What is Epic – Kids’ Books and Videos?
Epic – Kids’ Books and Videos is a digital library and e-reader website and application which makes more than 40,000 children’s books available at the touch of a finger. When signing up for a free educator account, the teachers have to indicate the age of their students and several areas of interest so that the application can target which titles to suggest. Those choices can be changed later. And the teachers are also able to search through the entire catalog whenever they want. As a teacher, you are able to set up separate accounts for your students, either by hand or by linking to a Google Classroom account. After accounts are set up, the teachers are able to assign books or entire collections to one or more students and track what they’ve read. The students sign in with a code to browse or read what’s been assigned.
Books are originals and digital versions of published books, including several famous ones such as National Geographic Kids, The Magic School Bus, or A Series of Unfortunate Events. There is a built-in Merriam-Webster’s dictionary which is written accessible for kids, just tap and hold on any word to see its definition. Several books have a read-to-me choice, while others are just for traditional solo reading.
Also, there are books available only in audiobook form. Along with books are multiple-choice comprehension quizzes, short educational videos, badges to be earned, and other nice features to push engagement, customize experiences, and also track students’ activity. The teachers and students are able to sign in on an unlimited number of devices, including on a web browser. In addition, books are also able to be downloaded for offline reading to allow the students to read without a Wi-Fi connection.
How Can I Teach with Epic Books?
Use Epic Books as you would use a library. The students are able to read books which interest them during silent reading or free choice time. They are able to build their own collections, rate what they have read, and also report back to the teacher offline with a summary on what they learned or liked about the book. The teachers are able to assign a theme and let the students discover and read material on that theme. Also, the teachers are able to assign specific books based on reading level or by topic to earn students investigating a certain subject or literature theme.
As a teacher, you are able to check on each student’s progress via the dashboard. Given that it is a digital library, you are also able to project the book onto a smartboard and read to the class. After reading, you will be able to follow up with related activities. Theme, concepts of plot, character development, and so on will follow a work of fiction. Historical reenactments, reports, videos, or further research will deepen learning after reading a nonfiction book. To aid with assessment, the teachers are able to use the limited number of books which have multiple-choice quizzes already, or write and post their own to the community.
Ensure to check out Epic’s collection of educator resources. In fact, tons of helpful stuff which is clearly made with educator input, from getting started guides to monthly themed calendars to handouts for the parents and lesson plans. Also, there are video tutorials which go over all of the tool’s key features.
Is it Good for Learning?
Although the appeal and satisfaction of holding a physical book in your hands cannot be defeated, it can be costly and time-consuming to build and maintain a library. Here Epic Books offers the teachers an incredibly appealing compromise with its huge collection of high-quality, high-interest book titles including titles in French, Spanish, and Chinese. In fact, the library is so big that it can be initially overwhelming to navigate it. The web version will allow the users to search by age, however the app does not. On both platforms, areas of interest and search fields will be able to help narrow things down, even though it needs a little getting used to figure out how to discover exactly what you are looking for.
Options to assign single titles or entire collections will allow the teachers to assist students narrow down and focus. Reading level or age markers on each book will help match the students with books which challenge them where they need it. Although the library includes many books, selection is heavily toward books for lower and middle reading levels, with many picture and beginner chapter books; advanced readers will not discover much to challenge them. The quiz feature is a nice addition, but when they just have some multiple-choice questions, it is a fairly surface-level assessment tool.
Fortunately, the teachers also have the ability to make their own quizzes. Though it is good to have different reading options, those options are not typically within the same title. It means that it can occasionally be frustrating to discover a book you want to read, and find that it is only available as an audiobook. But there is enough here to really make Epic Books an invaluable addition to any classroom library, not to mention that it is free for the teachers for use at school.
Pros and Cons of Epic Books
Below are the pros and cons of Epic Books.
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- Pros
This seemingly boundless library includes famous, well-loved authors and series. - Cons
The assessment tools are limited. The app cannot search by age. It would be great to have multiple book styles for each book (read-to-me, audiobook, and solo reading).
- Pros
Bottom Line: This large collection of books and videos on a huge variety of topics is an easy and free enhancement to any classroom library.
AUTHOR BIO
On my daily job, I am a software engineer, programmer & computer technician. My passion is assembling PC hardware, studying Operating System and all things related to computers technology. I also love to make short films for YouTube as a producer. More at about me…
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