School librarians play an essential role in developing literacy skills by creating an environment that values and encourages students to read for pleasure. In addition, school librarians are trained to vet, curate, and connect resources to the curriculum for maximum teacher support and student engagement. Even before the rapid transition of virtual learning due to the pandemic, school librarians connected educational technologies to support independent student learning and provide support resources for teachers.
The merging of several technologies to support a learning objective has been referred to as app or website smashing. Two of our favorite educational technologies to support reading development and reading for pleasure are Discovery Education and TexQuest database resources.
Discovery Education has over 1,500 audiobooks available, from classic children’s stories and fairy tales to science fiction and famous poetry to modern young adult favorites. Reading aloud is one effective model for teaching reading that has been found to be effective in increasing fluency and comprehension, especially for struggling readers (Montgomery, 2009). Discovery Education’s audiobook resources help teachers meet the needs of students who benefit from this approach to learning.
TexQuest is a statewide digital resources program that provides anytime, anywhere access to high-quality, authoritative digital resources to all educators, students, and students’ immediate families in Texas K-12 public schools and open-enrollment charter schools. TexQuest has full-text eBooks accessible in three TexQuest databases.
- EBSCO eBooks K-8 Collection
Full text, simultaneous access e-books to support grades K-8. - National Geographic Kids
Fun, substantive content takes kids 6-14 on adventures in science, nature, culture and space. - ProQuest SIRS Discoverer
News, magazines, and websites for K-8.
Another helpful TexQuest database is Teaching Books. Teaching Books provides resources to support teaching with books. Included are:
- About the authors
- Author interviews
- Book guides, activities & lessons
- Book readings
- Vocabulary lists
- Book & adaptation websites
- Awards & distinctions
Here are a few app/website smashed book combinations curated just for you! Pair these edtech book resources with the print version in your school library.
Kindergarten – 1st Grade
| Book | Discovery Education | TexQuest |
| Chato’s Kitchen By Gary Soto and Susan Guevara | Chato’s Kitchen Audiobook Chato’s Kitchen Video with Teacher’s Guide and Quiz Chato’s Kitchen Video (Spanish Version) Chato’s Kitchen Studio Activity | TeachingBooks Database |
| These Hands: My Family’s Hands/ Estas manos: Manitas de mi familia by Samuel Caraballo | Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Channel Resources in Spanish Channe | eBook Full-Text PDF TeachingBooks Database |
2nd Grade – 3rd Grade
| Book | Discovery Education | TexQuest |
| Geronimo Stilton: It’s Halloween You ‘Fraidy Mouse by Elisabetta Dami | Geronimo Stilton: It’s Halloween You ‘Fraidy Mouse Audiobook | TeachingBooks Database |
| Sidney & Sydney by Michele Jakubowski | Story Map Activity | eBook Full Text PDF TeachingBooks Database |
4th Grade – 5th Grade
| Book | Discovery Education | TexQuest |
| Goosebumps Horrorland: The Scream of the Haunted Mask by R. L. Stine | Goosebumps Horrorland: The Scream of the Haunted Mask Audiobook | TeachingBooks Database |
| National Geographic Kids: Animal Zombies! and other bloodsucking beasts, creepy creatures, and real-life monsters by Chana Stiefel | Animals Channel Insects Channel | eBook TeachingBooks Database |
6th Grade – 8th Grade
| Book | Discovery Education | TexQuest |
| The First Rule of Punk By Celia C.Pérez | Story Map Activity Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Channel | TeachingBooks Database |
9th Grade – 12th Grade
| Book | Discovery Education | TexQuest |
| The Wrath and the Dawn By Renée Ahdieh | Common Sense Education®: Media Balance & Well-Being | TeachingBooks DatabaseTeachingBooks DatabaseTeachingBooks Database |
Cole Bubenik is a Content Marketing Specialist here at Region 13.
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