I have been a fan of Epic Digital Library for a number of years. With a teacher account, K-6 students can access thousands of high quality books during the school day. It has been recognized and awarded numerous times including a Common Sense Selection in 2020 by Common Sense Media and a Teachers Choice Award in 2020 as well.
Epic houses a robust collection of books of all genres including popular fiction titles such as the Scaredy Squirrel series as well as high-interest non-fiction such as one of my personal favorite series, Brands We Know. Students can choose to read independently, but the opportunity to have some stories read to them is available. Audiobooks and videos broaden the learning even further.
Teachers can sign up for a free account, create classes, and add students to a roster. Once a classroom has been created, students can visit it with a unique code, select their avatar, and enter a teacher generated password. Teachers can allow for independent book choice, or they can assign/share collections and titles for students to read. Reading time is automatically logged, so you can see what they have been reading, how many pages have been read, and for how long.
I use Epic in two ways. First, I create collections that coincide with the topics/units I am teaching. Many of my gifted goals include reading and research, and while I love using our school library, using Epic is often more convenient and meets the needs of all reading levels a little better. Second, I use Epic’s monthly calendars as enrichment. I print them out and place them in student binders for easy access. Each activity requires students to do a little research on Epic and then draw, write, or connect with peers. In the past, I have offered little incentives such as erasers, pencils, etc, for completing a specific number of activities per month. However, I have found that devoting a pull out class period to this resource excites the students enough to keep using it.
Reading on Epic at home, after 3:00pm, requires a subscription. I don’t push this product on parents, but I have shared that we use it in the classroom. It is well worth the annual $80 price, in my opinion, but I also love to encourage families to utilize their local libraries as they are a tremendous resource for communities.