- Buck Lake Elementary
- Alternatives to AR
Mrs. Mestre - Retired
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Dear Parents,
As I find alternatives to Accelerated Reader, I will share what I know on this web page. I value your input so please feel free to give me feedback!
Epic
(from Mrs. Mestre) When we first began Distance Learning, I created a class account for Epic and I sent an email to each parent. If you are interested in using this site and you do not have your username and password, first searh through your emails in late March. If you still can't find it, please email me and I will do what I can to find out the information you need.
Cora has been reading LOTS of books on Epic and Rhea has also been reading on that site! Way to go, ladies!
TumbleBooks
(from Ms. Young, media specialist) It seems like the direct links is the easiest way to access it-no user name or password has to be used. I have created a Buck Lake Media page earlier this year, and I have been sharing lots of resources for all ages, if you would like to share it.Take care and happy reading...Ms. YoungTumbleBooks’ databases are easy to use, and feature unlimited access from home! Your kids can read as many books as they want, when they want, and on any device. There are no check-outs, holds, or bulky downloads. Books are available instantly.
www.TumbleBookLibrary.com - K-6 children's ebook databaseDirect Link: https://www.tumblebooklibrary.com/auto_login.aspx?U=tumble735&P=books
Username: tumble735
Password: books
www.TumbleMath.com - K-6 math ebook database
Direct Link: https://www.tumblemath.com/autologin.aspx?U=tumble2020&P=A3b5c6
Username: tumble2020
Password: A3b5c6
www.TeenBookCloud.com - gr 7-12 ebook database
Direct Link: https://www.teenbookcloud.com/autologin.aspx?U=tumble2020&P=A3b5c6
Username: tumble2020
Password: A3b5c6
www.AudioBookCloud.com - This site is an audio book database for kids to adults, however the direct link below provides direct access to the children's section.
Direct Link: http://www.audiobookcloud.com/autologin.aspx?U=tumble2020&P=A3b5c6&categoryID=33
Username: tumble2020
Password: A3b5c6
Your access will continue until August 31, 2020.(from Ms. Rose, Cora's mom) I'm finding a lot of good content on Tumblebooks, and lots of chapter books at the 2nd grade level. That being said, I think it's very clunky to use. The search feature is difficult on the app, but a little easier to use on the computer. Similarly, the books are difficult to read in the app, but easier on the computer. The username/password seems to be generic, so although I am able to create a list of "favorites" I don't think I should. And there are quizzes, but again, without an individualized login, I'm not sure the results are tracked.In addition to ebooks, Tumblebooks has many "books on video" with someone reading the book aloud. These are true videos in that you have to play them from start to finish. You aren't able to mute the sound and click through the pages. Some students may like that, but it's not the same as "reading."I personally like Epic much better. The content on Epic is geared younger for sure, but the interface is much more user-friendly, in my opinion.(from Ms. Frederick, reading coach) Book Adventure is sponsored by Sylvan Learning and offers readers prizes for reading. Students earn points for taking quizzes and then spend their points in the Prize Library. Prizes range from temporary tattoos to ebooks, to candy. Parents can monitor their child's progress and even look for books for their child to read next. Book Adventure does not have as many quizzes as AR, but it is free and could still be a way to entice students to read.
(from Ms. Frederick, reading coach) If you like the quizzing option, then QuizWik might be the way to go. They developed a wiki of sorts to share and use short teacher made (TM) multiple choices quizzes for children's books and offer it for free. (You can read more abot QuizWik here.) As of the day of writing this post, there were 43,852 TM quizzes available on QuizWik and it's a free site, although there is a sister site that has started up that is subcription based. It's called ReadnQuiz, and boasts that it is a tenth of the cost of AR. It has 30,000 quizzes available.