Reading App Giveaway!

I'm so excited to share this awesome new app for both Apple and Android!

I was contacted by FarFaria at the beginning of August asking if I'd like to try out their app and have the chance to do a subscription giveaway. Uhm, duh! 

FarFaria is a reading app that has over 750 illustrated books and 5 new books are added each week! You can download it for free, and read 1 book per day for FREE! Unlimited monthly access is $4.99/month. FarFaria recommends their app for ages 2-9, but I would even use it with 5th and 6th graders. Each book is leveled P, Pre Readers, 1, Beginning Reader, 2, Progressing Reader, 3, Early Fluent Reader, and 4, Fluent Reader.

This is what it looks like when you open it up.

It gives you some recommendations, but you can also go to Explore to browse the map for specific "genres".

 Once you select a book, you can choose to read by yourself, or have the app read to you! That's what I like so much. I'm a firm believer that by having texts available for students to listen to, it really improves their comprehension skills and overall reading ability. I introduced this app with my class on our iPod touch 2 weeks ago, and they absolutely LOVE it. I do Daily 5 in my classroom, and for Listen to Reading, I have computers where they can listen to Tumble Books, iPods where they can scan QR codes that take them to videos of popular picture books being read or use FarFaria, and Playaways (but I haven't gotten them from our AEA yet). I asked my class if they liked the iPod or computer better for listen to reading. They unanimously liked the iPod better. When I asked if they liked the QR codes or FarFaria better, 12/15 (not everyone has been able to use it yet!) said they preferred FarFaria, where the other 3 said they liked them equally. When I asked my kiddos about what they liked most about the app, they ALL said the pictures. Let me explain this AWESOME feature.

After a student finishes reading a book, there's an option for a "photo finish". This enables the camera, and students can take a selfie! After taking the picture, they get to choose from 3 borders, all included the cover page of the book they just read. They then save the picture, and it goes straight to the photos. I love looking through the pictures at the end of the day to see what they read and see their pictures. I print them out and give them to the students to take home and share with their families. They LOVE it!

The only thing I don't like about FarFaria is that the books are written specifically for the app, so my kiddos can't take AR tests on them. Now, I have a soapbox for Accelearated Reader that I will save for another day, but one of the VERY few things that I like about AR is that it allows for some accountability for students to actually read the book. I know you all have those kids that would go to the library every 10 minutes, and take 15 minutes while they were there if they could. AR is a buffer for most of that. However, when I asked my STUDENTS if it bothered them that they couldn't take tests on the stories they read, they all said no!

So there you have it folks! FarFaria was classroom tested and student approved! It makes me one happy happy teacher!

AND! The fabulous people at FarFaria are giving one of YOU a free 3 month subscription!

Just enter below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

If you don't win, that's okay! You can still try it out before buying...you get 1 free story/day!

I'd love to know your thoughts if you try it out!

*I received a free 6 month subscription to review this app, but no other compensation was given to me.