Kind of like ordering “Animal Style” at In-N-Out, here are four lesser-known features in Bookopolis that help teachers turn a classroom of kids into a community of readers.
If you’re looking to learn more about the most commonly used features in Bookopolis, go here.
1. “Like” a Review
Students can “like” reviews from classmates or other Bookopolis readers by clicking on the thumbs-up button under the Bookopolis Community Reviews listed for a book. The reviews with the most ‘likes’ are shown at the top of the page.
Student Activity idea: Have students read three book reviews and assess the review. Did it help you decide if you wanted to read the book or not? Was the writing clear? Was it engaging? How would you improve this review? If it was a good review, “like” it!
2. Share “My Book List” with friends/family outside of Bookopolis
Students love to create custom book lists using our “My Book List” feature, but they might not know that they can share their lists by email. Click on the Share Book List button at the top of a Book List and add the email(s) of friends or family that would want to see your custom list. Many Bookopolis readers use this feature to create a “Wishlist” that they send to parents or grandparents.
Student Activity idea: Have students create a “My Book List” of their favorite books from their favorite genre or other topic area and then share it with a friend or family member.
Educator Activity idea: Create a Book List of books around a specific theme or topic and share it with your students and families. For example, here’s a list of the Texas Bluebonnet award nominees that lots of kids in my community are reading right now.
3. Enter for a chance to win one of our Book Giveaways
Every week we offer opportunities to win free books on our “Giveaways” page. Students must include a parent or teacher email to be considered as entrants. We typically add new books every Friday.
Student Activity idea: Once a week, have students go to “Giveaways” and see if there are any books that fit their interests and reading level.
4. Watch (or Make) a Book Trailer
Watching book trailers are a great way to get kids excited about a new book. Students can also make their own trailers after reading a book to solidify their comprehension and share their reading love with others.
Student Activity ideas:
1. Encourage students to browse the latest book trailers and add a book that looks good to their “Want to Read” list.
2. Have students make a trailer video of a book they completed, upload it YouTube, and send to us to post on Bookopolis. Get more tips for making a trailer.
5. Search for Missing Books from Teacher Dashboard
If students have trouble finding a book on Bookopolis, teachers can use the Search for Missing Books button in your Teacher Dashboard to access a database of books that includes children, YA, and adult books. You can send the book link to a specific student or a whole class and they can add it to their Bookopolis bookshelf. Learn more in this short tutorial video.
A few other tips to try if a student can’t find a book:
- Check the spelling of the title. For a series, try the title name and the series name.
- Use the Young Adult (YA) search option. There’s a toggle button between Kids and YA in the Bookopolis search bar.
- Send Bookopolis a Feedback message – Students or teachers can send us a request to add a book using the FEEDBACK button on the bottom of each page.
