Many educators are missing the experience of reading aloud in person to students right now. Not only is the read-aloud a critical part of reading instruction, but it is also a treasured time of the day for many classrooms, where kids can come together in shared delight to experience their favorite teacher reading fluently.
We know each teacher’s virtual classroom looks different. Access to technology and resources look different. Learning looks different. As a result, many educators have reached out to us during this time to ask whether they can record themselves reading books on Epic out loud. Unfortunately, Epic is not able to offer permission to record any of the content in our library.
The good news is, you can LIVE stream – share your screen and read aloud with your students in a setting like Zoom or video chat. You can use Epic in your virtual classroom in the same way you would use it in your physical classroom.
We have continued to be inspired by the creativity and resourcefulness of our amazing educator community during these unprecedented times. We’ve collected some innovative ideas below from teachers who have found ways to connect with their students and make reading come alive. We hope there are a few that inspire you and help you bring some virtual read-aloud joy to your students!
1. Live Stream Yourself Reading a Bedtime Story
Give your students an experience they won’t forget (and their parents a welcome break) by reading a story before your students head to bed.
2. Hold a First Chapter Friday
We loved the idea from one of our Master Teachers @readingwithmrsif who held a #firstchapterfriday during her Zoom Class Meeting. She read the first chapter of a book to her class and then sent the book to their mailbox on Epic so they could finish it over the weekend if it caught their interest.
3. Screen Sharing during Guided Reading
Educator @kinderkeating shared a great idea on Twitter to involve kids in reading-aloud during Guided Reading. She found books at just the right level on Epic for her different reading groups, shared her screen as she met with each group, and was able to call on students to read aloud in order to focus on developing specific skills with them.
4. Book Talks
While you cannot record yourself or your students reading a book on Epic out loud, you can record yourself giving a short presentation about an awesome book to get your students excited and interested in reading it. Check out We Are Teachers for some great resources on how to make book talks successful.
5. Read-To-Me, Audiobooks & Animated Storybooks
We know it will never take the place of hearing their favorite teacher read out loud, but if you are looking for ways for students to hear fluent reading or engage with stories remotely, check out Read-To-Me, Audiobooks or some of our animated storybooks on Epic.
Have you found a creative way to engage your students during remote read-alouds? Let us know on Instagram or Facebook using #EpicEducators and tagging @epic4educators!
For more inspiration on bringing your read-aloud experience to life, check out our posts “Take Story Time Online With Digital Read-Alouds” and “Best Read-Alouds for Kids!”
