It can be hard to find the time to read anything these days, much less a classic. Classic books can be scary to both students and adults. They sometimes look very long and dry; where are the pictures? But luckily, there’s an iOS app to help us conquer our fear of the classics.
The free Serial Reader app lets you select a classic book to “subscribe” to. Then, each day, it delivers a brief installment of the book that can be read in 20 minutes or less. That means you could finish a book like Frankenstein in just 28 days. That may sound daunting, but when are you going to read that classic on your own? New books are added every week.
The app also provides a game aspect. It keeps track of your reading “streak,” so you can be constantly trying to improve your percentages in three categories (day, week, and all time). Making reading a competitive sport may make it even easier for students to get involved.
This is a wonderful way to develop the habit of reading daily, something we all should embrace. And it works well with younger students/children as you share a short segment of a book, like The Wind in the Willows or Anne of Green Gables, to them each day, leaving them begging for more. It’s also a good method to expose secondary students to more difficult reading challenges without completely overwhelming them. You could even use just the short snippet provided to have them analyze the writing, find the main idea, or discuss personification or character development. The possibilities are endless!