Scholastic has created a powerful online literacy resource with the introduction of BookFlix.  BookFlix pairs Weston Woods video storybooks by a wide range of authors with related nonfiction e-Books from Scholastic.    For example, Bark, George is paired with a nonfiction title called Pets at the Vet, while Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type is paired with Let’s Visit a Dairy Farm.

Designed for PreK-grade 3, the books are sorted into categories so that users can search by concept such as Animals and Nature, or Earth and Sky.  However, more advance search features are available in the Resources section.

I am fortunate to work in a school system that has purchased BookFlix for the coming school year after an impressive trial period which had teachers at my school, as well as other schools in the county, eager to subscribe.  Also, our subscription includes remote access, which allows children and their families to log on to BookFlix anywhere there is an Internet connection.

BookFlix can be used in sooooooooo many ways.  The teachers at my school used it primarily as a whole group activity with a projector and interactive whiteboard during the trial period.  It can also be used as a learning center or independent reading station with students rotating through in the classroom, library media center, or computer lab, as an interactive alternative at story time in the library media center, as a family literacy resource at a Parent Resource Center, or as a literacy connection in students’ homes for families with an Internet connection.  It is ideal for beginning readers, struggling and reluctant readers, and English Language Learners.

There are currently 80 fiction/nonfiction pairs categorized by theme.  Of these, 20 of these pairs are currently offered in a Spanish version as well.  Both the video fictional selection and the nonfiction e-book have a read-along option, with word by word highlighting during the narration of the fictional selection and the reading of the e-book.  In addition, users can click on key content-area words within the interactive eBooks for a definition in both text and audio clip format.

Each pair of stories have similar features that make the resource easy to use and adapt to classroom and library needs–a detailed lesson plan tied to national standards with lots of extra instructional activities and ideas for extending student learning and navigation allowing users to pick and choose the following activities:

1. Watch the Story (Fictional Selection)
2. Read the book (Nonfiction Selection)
3. Puzzlers! (Word Match-Vocabulary Practice, Fact or Fiction Activities, Sequence Activities)
4. Meet the Author (Photo & Brief Biography with Optional Audio/Link to Author Web Site for More Details)
5. Explore the Web (Select Web Sites Links)