One of my favorite technology resources for teachers to use in my classroom is Novel Effect. The first time I opened the app, I was surprised to see that several of my favorite titles were listed. Usually, when I look for read alouds on the internet, it’s always obscure titles that bore my students and myself. Novel Effect has an amazing collection of books that I favorite on my account so we can read them later. It’s a great mix of classic favorites and new titles to fall in love with!
Novel Effect in the Classroom
The first book I read to my students was Rosie Revere, Engineer.* You can watch my students’ reactions in this video! (They are priceless!)
I was blown away at their response. Immediately, I could see the benefits of having a program like this in my classroom. Now I want to shout the benefits of from the rooftops!
Click here to try Novel Effect or see a soundscape in action!
Why I love Novel Effect:
– Reading the story out loud with the effects in the background immediately improved my students’ comprehension. For example, the students were able to recall the events in the story with clarity and their retell scores were off the charts because they remembered the sounds they heard while reading.
– Furthermore, the soundscapes on Novel Effect help my students with learning disabilities or visual impairments visualize the story vividly.
– Listening to the stories this way is a perfect way to model the acronym EARs. (Expression, accuracy, and rate.) Download my EARS freebie on TPT here.
After telling the creators of Novel Effect my thoughts, they were able to show me a way that I could record my students reading with the effects in the app. This increased their engagement in guided reading and will be a great work sample to have at end-of-quarter conferences!
Watch a step-by-step tutorial of how to record your students reading with Novel Effect here. If you like this tool, try using Symbaloo in your classroom!
As you can see, I am so happy I found Novel Effect because it has been a great tool for my students to use! There is definitely a reason they got a deal on ABC’s Shark Tank! Learn more about them here.
Until next time, friend!
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