Students in Mrs. Macie Cayot’s class are pictured participating in a “book tasting.” Cayot transformed her classroom into a restaurant, at which each table represented a genre of books. During their “reservations,” students ordered off a menu and read a few pages of books to get a taste of that genre.
(Photo submitted)
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Triad educators are excited about a new tool the district is using to expand the world of reading for its students.
Middle School Library Aide Jen Graham spoke to the Board of Education during its Thursday meeting about a program called Sora.
The online program allows students to rent eBooks and audiobooks from a selection of tens of thousands of titles.
Graham said there is no cost to the district or its students. Students simply log in with their school log-in information – they don’t need a library card and Sora does not charge late fees because the virtual books are returned automatically.
She said Sora can be used on the students’ Chromebooks, which are provided by the district, or their personal tablets and phones, and their personal library of books will seamlessly transfer between devices.
For instance, they could use their phone to read a few chapters while on the bus, then open their Chromebook at school and automatically resume where they left off.
Graham said she is particularly excited that students don’t need to be connected to the internet to access their virtual library. Students can download up to 20 books at a time, which will be saved to their device and accessible at any time.
She said there is a large population of Triad students who do not have internet access at home, so it was important to find a program like Sora that would include this group of students.
While Graham said she is still encouraging students to check out physical books at the school libraries, she said Sora is a great tool to offer in tandem.
Graham said Triad’s libraries are naturally limited in the number of books they can have on hand.
Graham reached out to officials at the Champaign County Public Library, who agreed to provide Triad students with their entire selection of books via Sora. She also connected Triad’s Sora access to the Ohio Digital Library.
Now, students who are more hesitant to read can find subject matter unique to their interests, which might not be popular enough to purchase for Triad’s physical libraries. Graham said more voracious readers are also benefitting.
She said one of her seventh grade students received a copy of “Anne of Green Gables” for Christmas and “loved it.”
The student came to Graham to check out copies of the rest of the series but, since the books aren’t currently very popular among young readers, she said it has been some time since Triad’s libraries stocked physical copies of the books.
Now, with Sora, Graham was still able to help the student download copies of the series so she can keep reading.
Likewise, Graham said students can search for books by genre or reading level.
She emphasized that Sora filters out inappropriate books and staff members also have access to the entire library. Younger students only have access to books deemed appropriate for adolescent readers (including full-color picture books), while older students can access young adult books as well.
Sora also offers valuable tools that can help improve students’ reading abilities, Graham said.
If students encounter a word they aren’t familiar with while reading, Graham said they can highlight the word and Sora will provide a definition and synonyms.
Students can also highlight portions of the book and take notes online, which Sora will save for them to access at any point. Graham said this can be helpful for students working on book reports or class assignments.
Along with audiobooks, Graham said Sora’s library includes a selection of “Read to Me” books.
These books combine an audiobook with an eBook, so students can listen to a narrator read to them while the corresponding text is highlighted in their eBook.
In response to a question from Board President Chris Millice, Graham noted that Sora also offers a number of books in different languages for Triad’s English-as-a-second-language (ESL) students. Similar to providing definitions of words within books, Sora will also translate words for readers.
Middle School Teacher Macie Cayot, who was honored at the meeting as a staff member of the month, praised Graham for implementing Sora in the district.
She said she is thankful Triad has librarians like Graham, who are going “above and beyond” to make sure “kids in our district have access to books all the time.”
Cayot said she is already seeing the benefits of Sora among her students.
She said she especially likes that it removes a barrier for students who are at lower reading levels, who might feel embarrassed or worried about checking out books at the library. Now, Cayot said they can work on reading at their own pace without fearing judgement.
Middle School Principal Vinnie Spirko also praised Cayot for the creative methods she is using to help her students become more interested in reading.
Cayot recently hosted a “book tasting” in her classroom. She transformed her classroom into a restaurant, complete with low lighting, tablecloths and menus, and told students they would need to make “reservations” at a table that appealed to them.
“It looks like you’re walking into a little romantic restaurant,” Spirko said.
Each table represented a genre of books. When students were seated at their tables, they were able to read a menu and order a book. “Diners” read the front and back cover of their book and the first few pages to “get a taste” of that genre.
Board members thanked both Graham and Cayot for their commitment to their students and said they are looking forward to seeing students take advantage of Sora.