Sign Up for a Free Trial
Learn More | Request Quote | Sign In
Organize, Access and Safely Share Personal Online Bookshelves Write Picture Books, Book Responses, Reports, and More Online Read Leveled Nonfiction and Fiction Children’s Books Online Home

The Big Universe
Comprehensive Literacy Platform

Reading, Writing, Publishing … and Much More!

Big Universe is a balanced literacy e-book platform, providing K-8 students and teachers, curriculum resources across subject areas. Our revolutionary website provides thousands of informational and literary digital texts from the best book publishers, online self-publishing, standards alignment, robust assessments, a global bookshelf sharing community, and robust management tools for educators.

With Big Universe, you can excite students about learning, expand your school/classroom library, differentiate instruction, support standards, access 24/7 anywhere, make reading and writing across the curriculum easy, enhance your school programs, and more.

Get a Price Quote                Request a Free Trial
Features
Ready-Made Personal eLibrary: Engaging Books From Best Publishers, 24/7 Anywhere

Ready-Made Personal eLibrary

Enjoy Books From The Best Publishers

  • 5,506* stunning nonfiction and fiction books for all subjects in PK-8
  • Lexile®, AR ATOS™, Fountas & Pinnell, and DRA leveled books
  • Common Core Standards Alignment (details)
*2,635 premium children’s publisher books; 2,871 member published books.

Creative Writing & Publishing

Discover The Author Within

  • Engaging online writing
  • Motivational publishing tools
  • Create custom books for any curriculum
  • Enhance creativity in writing through publishing, writing and open-ended assessments
Fun Online Writing and Self Publishing Tool
Fun Online Writing and Self Publishing Tool

Standards Alignment & Assessments

Maximize instruction time with standards aligned features

  • Find e-book using State/Common Core standards and assign them to students
  • Use quizzes that incorporate Bloom's Taxonomy levels (e.g. application, analysis, synthesis, evaluation), utilize inference strategies, and require interaction with informational text and literature

Robust Management Tools

Manage, Monitor, Personalize, and More

  • Add/import/manage sub-accounts
  • View quiz results, reading logs, books published, usage stats, and much more
  • Analysis and report generation for data tracking and RtI
  • Personal home page, bookshelf, sharing network, and more
Robust Management Tools
Global Bookshelf Sharing Network

Global Bookshelf Community

Safely Share Personal Bookshelves Worldwide

  • Excite students about literacy through safe e-book sharing
  • Anonymously browse and share personal bookshelves with fellow members
  • Current activity in community:
    554,956 members from 171 countries
    5,506 books read 9,986,717 times
    3,175,427 books in current personal bookshelves
    173,530 books created by members
Uses
  • Grades – Pre-Kindergarten through 8th
  • Subjects – Language Arts, Science, Social Studies, Math, Technology
  • Reading – Read-aloud, shared/guided/independent, research, assessment, summer/leisure
  • Writing – Independent/shared/guided, workshops, narrative/expository/persuasive, mentor texts
  • Models – Independent, one-on-one, small/whole group, differentiated, RtI, blended learning
  • Devices - Interactive whiteboards, desktops, laptops, tablets
  • Standards - Support the Common Core Standards (details)
  • Audience – Classroom teachers, students, reading specialists, special needs, Title 1, ELL, writing
  • Settings – Classroom, media lab, library, home, after school program
Benefits
  • Instant literacy and eLibrary solution
  • Large high quality collection of cross-disciplinary informational and literary digital texts
  • Convenient 24/7 access from anywhere
  • Engaging for students. Invaluable for teachers
  • Saves money, time and paper
  • Avoid wear & tear, storage and cost of print books
  • Perfect for differentiated instruction and RtI
  • Many uses in school/home/virtual settings, learning models ...
  • Great for 21st century and blended learning
  • Supports balanced literacy and Common Core Standards
  • Free online professional development
Funds and Buyers
Below are some examples of fund sources and typical buyers at schools/districts.
Funds
District/Director Level
  • Federal Program (e.g. Title I)
  • Curriculum/Instruction
  • Bilingual/ESL
  • Special Ed
  • Library/Media
  • Technology
  • Reading Supervisor
  • Asst. Superintendent
School/Building Level
  • Principal
  • Asst. Principal
  • Media Specialist
  • Librarian
  • Teachers
  • Reading Coach
  • Special Ed
  • Early Childhood
Testimonials
  • Testimonial-alinson
    Ann Linson
    Superintendent of Schools
    East Noble School Corporation

    Kendallville, IN – Big Universe is an outstanding tool that empowers our students to drive their own learning! The extensive selection of digital fiction and nonfiction books allows each student to select books of interest at a variety of reading levels that meet the needs of the student rather than the needs of a budget! Students feel more independent and confident because they have ownership of their literacy development. This is fueled by the quality book choices that are provided and the success they experience through differentiated instruction. Big Universe has created a love of learning in our students that continues to stimulate creativity and discovery!

  • Testimonial-lboone
    LaDonna Boone
    District Literacy Coach
    Johnson City Schools

    Johnson City, TN – Big Universe has been the key factor in motivating and increasing reading engagement among students across our district. Students naturally gravitate towards technology, and Big Universe provides the perfect venue for students to enhance their literacy skills using such innovative methods. It provides students with choice and independence in text selections, yet is flexible enough for educators to facilitate and manage, all of which is completely transparent for parents to view. With Big Universe, we can now place a leveled library complete with quality fiction and nonfiction texts in every elementary classroom across our district. Big Universe provides quality resources that make it easier to differentiate literacy instruction for an array of diverse learners. Text levels and assigned readings can be shared and viewed across literacy settings, making it easier to streamline instruction, allowing for a less fragmented curriculum. Without reservation, we can recommend Big Universe to any school or district!

  • Testimonial-jrobinson
    Julia Robinson
    Special Education Teacher
    Gloucester Township Public Schools

    Sicklerville, NJ – I am an Elementary Special Education teacher utilizing the beneficial features of the Big Universe reading program in a variety of ways. The text selections reinforce and exemplify a number of reading strategies and helps me as an educator both present and reinforce such reading strategies as Synthesizing, Inferencing, Making Connections, and Self-Monitoring. My students enjoy a wide array of book genre and formats that encourage independent reading success. Even struggling readers can appreciate easy access to leveled reading material and read-alouds that model oral reading fluency. I encourage my students to build up their personal bookshelves and to recommend high interest books to others. I am a big advocate of Big Universe in my school and constantly encourage students to take advantage of this valuable resource. The writing feature allows my developing authors to build the most amazing stories and share them weekly with the whole class in a interactive and creative way. Big Universe has allowed my students to recognize reading as a privilege, not a chore. Thank you for influencing young minds with the power of great books!

Read many more customer testimonials ...

More Information
Get a Price Quote                Request a Free Trial

Usage Photos

Screenshots

Quotes & Awards

Video Testimonials
Awards and Accreditations
Home    About    Contact    Link to Us    Careers    Help
Read blog posts from other educators Visit our Facebook fan page Follow us on Twitter Follow us on Pinterest View our videos on YouTube
© 2013 Big Universe, Inc. All rights reserved.