Whether new to using eBooks with students or a seasoned expert, educators know the value and many benefits of eBooks in the classroom to help support learners. Interactive eBooks engage readers with multimodal features, offer educators flexibility for differentiated instruction, provide accessibility for everyone in the classroom with multi-user, simultaneous access, and so much more. So how can teachers best use eBooks in their classroom to engage and support their students? Check out these 10 creative ways to use Capstone Interactive eBooks in your classroom to master key vocabulary, foster fluency, expand inquiry-based exploration, spark curiosity, and empower independent research.

 

1. Practice Reading Fluency  

Project an eBook for the class or reading group on your whiteboard, and have the sound connected. First, read the text aloud as a class. Then press the speaker button to listen and follow along. Lastly, turn the sound off and see if students can keep up with the highlighted text (fluency). To start, have students try silently in their heads, and then aloud. Assign independent practice. 

 

2. Share Interactive Choice Boards 

Empower your students to choose their own learning path! Create a choice board (a document with visuals and links to eBooks that makes it easy for students to access while allowing choice), focused on a particular unit or theme such as science or life cycles. Start by designing your choice board in PebbleGo Create or Google Slides, and add the links to different Capstone Interactive eBooks. You could even include additional links to other resources and activities if you choose. When you’re ready, share your choice board with your students. Students can then choose which books and activities they want to explore! Learn more about our auto-login direct link (using the copy link feature in Capstone Interactive is very similar to PebbleGo) or get inspired by librarian Shannon McClintock Miller's choice boards.

 

3. Create eBooks Based on Research 

Ask students to read any nonfiction Capstone Interactive eBook of their choice. Based on what they have learned, it is now their turn to create their own eBook! Students can write a nonfiction eBook, or build a fun story inspired by their learning. There are many wonderful apps that allow students to create their own eBooks to demonstrate understanding. For example, students can get creative with PebbleGo Create or Book Creator, using a variety of media assets to write, illustrate, and even narrate their own eBooks. They can even bring their story to life and code their characters using Scratch or ScratchJr. Using an app like StopMotion studio would allow them to create a video of their story. Guide students to think about the elements of writing their nonfiction eBook, such as a title and main points. If they are writing a fiction eBook, their story should have a setting, problem, solution, etc. Use the Main Idea Details Chart to help organize the story.

 

4. Develop Citation  Skills

Citation support is built into every Capstone Interactive eBook, so it’s the perfect place for students to develop correct citation skills. Encourage students to search for 5 facts that interest them from 5 different books. Then, have them practice using the citation button, copying the citation for each eBook they find, and collecting them into a works cited page. Get inspired by this PebbleGo Research Challenge.

 

5. Master Key Vocabulary 

Mastering vocabulary words within an eBook helps students gain a deeper understanding of key terms and concepts. Provide students with a list of key terms to look for as they read through a particular eBook. Additionally, you can encourage students to keep a list of words they don’t know or fully understand as they read. Many nonfiction books provide a glossary of key terms. When they’re ready, students can use the dictionary function to look up the definitions of these words. Students can record their words and definitions in their notes, a 3-Column Chart, using the labels “Word”, “My Definition”, “Dictionary Definition”, or in a vocabulary journal. They could also use a tool like PebbleGo Create to illustrate their vocabulary words. When students visualize key terms and practice illustrating them, it can aid in retention, and promote stickier learning. 

 

6. Create a Research Challenge 

For this challenge, have students take ownership of their learning with their own research journal! Students can use a traditional pen and paper notebook, or use PebbleGo Create to house their research.  They can use their research journal for class research projects as a place to organize and collect their thoughts about their learning, or as a space to record new information about topics that interest them. Looking for inspiration? Check out the PebbleGo Research Challenge.

 

7. Engage in Free Reading Time 

Capstone Interactive eBooks are an excellent choice for free reading time. Students can follow their interests or find out more about the subject of a book they are already reading. Have students write down a topic that interests them. At library time, or when students have some free time, have them search for an eBook to read about that subject. This is an especially effective technique for reluctant readers because allowing choice can lead to a positive reading experience and deep comprehension. Try the Concept Web graphic organizer for brainstorming.  

 

8. Interview a Character 

Put a fun twist on a traditional research project by having students “interview” an individual of their choice from their eBook, whether a real person or fictional character. You can have your students choose their own questions, or create an interview template for students to follow. Students can conduct their own research, and answer the questions as if they were the interviewee. It’s a great opportunity for students to put themselves in someone else’s shoes, especially if they are researching someone from a time period they’re not familiar with. Try the 2-Box Flow Chart graphic organizer for capturing the interviewee responses.

 

9. Practice Inquiry-Based Discovery 

Using a simple 4 Column Chart graphic organizer write: “I Know”, “I Want to Know”, “I Predict”, and “I Learned". For Example, introduce a topic like “light". Then, have students write 3 things they already know about light. Next, have them write 3 questions about light in the “I Want to Know” area, and make one prediction based on a question they have. Then, have them conduct their own research as they strive to fill in the “I Learned” section. 

 

10. Graphic Organizers  

Using one of our pre-made graphic organizers, ask your students to capture facts from what they’ve read, whether by writing on a printed piece of paper or embedding the pdf into another edtech tool. This will encourage their comprehension of the Capstone Interactive eBook.

 

Explore More

• Explore Capstone Interactive eBooks
• Discover 16 Creative Ways to Use PebbleGo in the Classroom
• Learn about 5 Things I Wish Educators Would Think About When Teaching Black History Month
• Recognize Reasons to Let Children Choose Their Own Books
• Incorporate Activities To Help Students Build Research Skills