HMH Readers

HMH Readers is a collection of picture books that users can select by level. Once selected, the books are downloaded to the app and stored locally. After downloading a book, users must swipe it to turn pages. Users can then read the book independently, or they can tap the “up” button on the bottom of the screen to access additional options, which include a “bookmark” and “horn” button. The “bookmark” button marks a page of interest for later review. By tapping the “horn” button, the app will read the page aloud. While the text is read by the app, it highlights the text being read. Once the “horn” button is tapped, users can tap the “microphone” button, which will record them reading the text. They can then hear their recording by tapping the “play” button. At the end of each book, the app provides review and comprehension questions and activities.

Instructional Ideas

1. Teachers can have all the students in a class or small group read the same book. Afterwards, teachers can check for comprehension and understanding by asking: (1) Who can retell me what happened in this book?, (2) What were the most important parts of this book?, (3) What did you learn from this book?, (4) What was your favorite part of this book?, and (5) If you were going to chat the ending, how would you do so?
2. To develop their fluency, students can use the “horn” and “microphone” options. First, students can tap the “horn” button to hear the app read them a page from the book. Next, they can tap the “microphone” button to read the page independently. They can then tap the “play” button to hear themselves read the book. They can continue this process until they have read the page flawlessly. When they have done so, they can call their teacher over to listen to the recording.
3. While reading a story, students can use the “bookmark” feature to mark their favorite page. After finishing the book, teachers can require students to write a justification that explains why they bookmarked the page as their favorite. Students can be required to incorporate text-based evidence in their response.
4. While reading a book, teachers can have students record the 5, 10, or 15 most important words on a separate sheet of paper. Next, teachers can require students to: (1) Write a sentence for each of the words, and the sentence must use the word contextually, (2) Write a brief justification that explains why they selected that group of words, and/or (3) Offer a synonym for each word that can be substituted in the story so the narrative is unchanged.
5. After completing a book, teachers can have students respond to each of the review questions and complete the comprehension activities. Teachers can require students to write their responses using the UX Write, Office Offline, Hanx Writer, or WPS Office app. Teachers can choose if they want students to work individually or in small groups when answering the questions. When finished, students can email their teacher their work.

Screenshots