This article was updated in November 2023.
Epic! is a name now synonymous with children’s reading material, as it is one of the largest digital libraries for younger readers in the world. And with new titles added weekly, this is growing increasingly at a rapid pace.
While this is fine to use at home, across a wide range of digital devices, teachers can also use it for educational purposes. In fact, the app is so well developed that it now integrates well with Google Classroom to help make the teaching process even easier.
However, this platform is not just a simple library. You can also track progress, so teachers and parents can see how a child is doing with a book. Helpfully, there is also a built-in dictionary so children can refer to and learn new words to help make learning and reading a more independent process.
Read on to find out everything you need to know about Epic! for teachers, parents and students.
What is epic!?
Epic! It is a digital library, but it is also an online reader to access all that content. New books and videos are added weekly, with over 40,000 titles currently available.
The site allows teachers to track student progress and also offers recommendations for developmentally appropriate stories and novels for each student as their reading skills improve.
Students can read using the platform as it works as an e-reader, allowing them to read books using a tablet, laptop or smartphone – essentially anything that runs a browser. The app version is designed specifically for use on tablets and smartphones, both iOS and Android.
Since epic! It is a specific platform for children, it is very safe and has specific and age-appropriate content. The books are a mix of Epic! Original content and digital versions of already published works.
What’s new on Epic!?
Epic! It’s always adding news books and videos for students of different ages, so it’s worth checking back periodically to see what comes up. You can also subscribe to the company’s newsletter to receive updates directly to your inbox.
The company claims this is now the world’s largest digital children’s library, with more than 40,000 books, audiobooks, learning videos and other options. Therefore, receiving updates that help you get the best of everything could be helpful for you.
How does Epic! work?
Epic! It works like a digital library. Students can access the books they want and read whenever they want. They can also have their own accounts where they create a reading list and rate titles. This leads to personalization of content to help them discover new books and progress on their learning journey.
Parents can open an account for their children to read, but educators have access to specific tools that make it easy to assign and track work.
Once a teacher account is started, it is possible to create accounts for each student. The ability to upload a list makes this faster and easier than doing everything manually. Teachers can assign readings based on ability, age, category, and more.
The dashboard allows teachers to check the progress of each student.
What are the best Epics? characteristics?
Epic! uses reading levels and age markers as ways to help find titles for students to read. This not only helps in shaping the teachers’ work but also in monitoring the progress of students throughout the different levels.
As it is a digital platform, access to content is easy both on individual devices, in class and remotely, as well as on a smart screen. By putting the book on a large screen, the class can read together.
The quiz feature uses multiple choice questions to help students further integrate what they have read. This also acts as a useful assessment tool for teachers, although currently the number of tests is quite low. Perhaps a dedicated questionnaire creation tool like SurveyMonkey can help here.
You can download and print monthly calendars with activities for both the classroom and home. A customizable reading challenge is available to offer digital badges and rewards to help encourage student reading.
There are books to read, ideal for younger children to follow the written words while listening to the story being read.
How much does Epic! cost?
Epic! It is free to download and start trying with many books available, but for full Epic! service that you will have to pay for. There are three levels available: Free, School and Unlimited.
In Epic! Free, Students get two free hours of reading per week, outside of school hours, and this doesn’t even require a credit card to start using it.
epic school It is also free but offers students reading during class time. In this case, the teacher uses the dashboard to track reading, unlike the parent in the free variant. This version also includes learning videos and audiobooks.
For him Epic! Unlimited service, the price is $11.99 per month. Alternatively, you can pay annually and save a nice amount at $79.99, which works out to $6.67 per month. This gives you all of the above plus unlimited reading time, progress tracking, and interactive tools like Reading Buddy.
Epic! best tips and tricks
Research projects
Use Epic! Carry out mini research projects in class. Have students choose a nonfiction title and then report back on what they learned. Since many books can be listened to, this works even for younger students.
Work on fluency
Use Read Me books with headphones to have students in class work on their fluency and pronunciation. This also allows them to work independently.
Use comics
For those more reluctant readers, there are comics available that could act as a gateway to more word-based reading material as they progress.
