Literary Website:Oxford Owl

Oxford Owl (https://www.oxfordowl.co.uk/) is an award-winning website based out of the United Kingdom.  It is home to a fantastic library of beautifully illustrated e-books, storytelling videos, and a wide range of paid subscriptions for primary schools.  Each e-book has an audio option, so that learners can listen and read at the same time, helping them to develop their reading, listening and pronunciation skills. With over 500,000 parents and teachers registered, it is absolutely a worthwhile site to visit. 

One of the few nuisances for a first time visitor is the registration requirement before attaining free access to the website.   In previous years, Oxford Owl did not require a login, but that it no longer the case.   Despite this requirement, what truly makes the registration valuable is direct access to their vast eBook Collection of over 200 free tablet-friendly eBooks and follow up activities.  Easily searchable by age, level and genre, the eBook Collection is designed to help teachers find the perfect book for all of their students.

In order for a class to access the eBook Collection, a teacher must first create a class login and password.  This is very easy to set up and can be done in under a minute.  Each class login allows up to 50 students to use the same credentials.   Once the class login information is set up, students will be able to view a digital bookshelf filled with a variety of selections appropriate for readers ages 3 to 11. 

Aside from its great eBook Collection, Oxford Owl also has a growing selection of free storytelling videos which include traditional tales, myths and legends, and contemporary stories.  Each one is accompanied by a set of teaching notes, which includes comprehension activities, as well as speaking and listening, grammar, writing and cross-curricular activities.

Oxford Owl can be very powerful tool and resource for both teachers and parents.   As primary teachers, it is important to strive to spark learner interest and give readers as many opportunities to acquire and develop literacy skills both in and out of the classroom. With a large library of free e-books, storytelling videos, and follow up activities, Oxford Owl certainly makes reading a bit more interactive and fun for students.