Initiating Kindle Use in the Classroom

A Teachers Guide to Kindles

Ms. Britaney Cosner
Follow these four activities to initiate the use of kindles in your classroom!

Activity 1: Introduce Kindles

Have a discussion with your students about what kindles are.
Ask and answer questions like
What is a kindle?
Who uses kindles?
What can kindles do?
How will we be using kindles in class?
Compare a kindle to some other electronics that students may have encountered at home, such as a touch screen
phone, iphone, tablet, ipad, ipod, etc .

Activity 2: How to Handle the Kindles

Before putting kindles in the students hands, do an activity where the students discuss how the kindles should
be used and how the kindles should not be used. This should not be a dont do this, dont do that lecture,
but instead have students express what they think it looks like when kindles are being used properly, and what it
looks like when kindles are not being used properly.
Have the students close their eyes, touch their brain, and think for 30 seconds.
Then, have them share some ideas with the person next to them.
Finally, work as a whole class to make a chart on the board of dos and donts / and / What It
Looks Like and What is Does Not Look Like. You could make the chart on poster paper and hang on the
wall as a reminder of this discussion throughout the school year.
Examples:
Touched with clean hands, gentle press on the turn-on button, gentle tap on the screen, held with two hands
and close to the body when walking, walking with it when taking it out or putting it away, used by the owner
only, patient when things are loading, raising hand and asking questions when they are confused
Held with dirty hands, sitting on a desk with a water bottle, running around the class with it, holding it with
one hand or fingers only, pressing the button a hundred times when it is not loading, giving your kindle to
someone else to use, holding it away from your body while walking, not asking questions when you are
confused, running up to the teacher when the kindle is not working
Finally, discuss the importance of keeping our kindles in good condition. Millions and millions of books can be
read on these kindles - for them, for their little brothers, and sisters, and cousins, and many other students that
come after them. They have the privilege of being the first Matafao students to use them, but they should not
take advantage of that privilege and ruin the opportunity for future students.

Activity 3: Set Up
Your students devices are already registered to them. The kindles should have a slight charge on them before
they are turned on for the first time. You can set up the kindles yourself, or you can have the students set up the
kindles with your assistance. If you would like the kids to set up the kindles themselves with your assistance

Hand students the kindles (for right now, dont worry about whose is whose). Ask them to show you how to
hold them properly. Practice holding with two hands and being gentle.
Then, have students feel on the bottom of the kindle. They will feel one button. Explain that this is the on, off,
and sleep button. Have students press and hold the button until the kindle turns on.
You will see a picture of someone sitting under a tree reading. Then, you will be asked what language you
would like (make sure you or the student clicks English United States). Then, click next. The kindle should
take less than a minute to load.
Have the student press Get Started. This will bring you to a screen to connect to the wifi. This is important to
do now because it needs the internet to automatically detect whose kindle it is. Connect to ERATE WiFi.
Once it is connected to the wifi, it will say Hello Students Name. Sometimes it takes a minute or two to
recognize that the device has already been registered. Let the screen sit for a couple minutes until it says
Hello Students Name.
I did all of the steps up to this point on my own, then I handed the kindle to the student it was registered to and
had them go back to his or her desk to finish the steps. If you have had students help you get to this point, take a
moment now to have the students swap kindles so that they have the kindle with their name on it.
Have the students click Continue Setup.
The kindle will ask if you would like to connect to social media. Have students click Connect Later.
Now, the kindle will take the students on a step-by-step hands on tutorial for using the kindle. I had the students
do this at their own pace. You will more than likely have to go over the steps again, because it can be a lot of
directions at once. But, this is a good opportunity for students to simply practice touching the kindle.
Once students have gone through the steps, there will not be any books on the kindle yet. Since students will
finish the tutorial at different times, I had my students come up with their kindle at this point so that I could set
parental controls.
Setting parental control (NOTE: Some students kindles may already have parental controls set. This step may
be unnecessary) On the students kindle, click the icon with three horizontal lines in the top right corner.
Then, click settings. From there, press Device Options. Then, click Parental Controls. Finally, click
Restrictions. Turn off Web Browser and Kindle Store. DO NOT turn off Cloud. It will ask you to set a
password for parental controls. I used matafao as the password on all kindles for consistency.
At this point, students will be ready to read some books! There are 11 Halloween themed books ready to be
synced to all of the kindles.
To access the books ordered on Whispercast
1. Click the icon with three horizontal lines.
2. Click on the last option, Sync and Check for Items.
3. It will say Checking on the top of the students device. It may take a few moments, but after a little bit
(depending on the internet), books will be sent to Cloud.
4. Click on cloud in the top right of the device to see these books. To read the books, students must have
them downloaded to their own device.
5. Have students choose the books that they would like and click on them. First, it will say, queued. This
means the book is ready to download. With time, the book will start downloading. It will give you a
percent of how much has been downloaded. Download time really varies with internet access. Once the
book is downloaded, though, the student can access the book with or without internet connection!

Congratulations! You now have students kindles set up and ready to use!

Activity 4: Familiarize the students with kindle features.

The kindles have very great features that can aid in reading when used correctly!
1. Practice turning on, sleeping, and turning off the kindles:
o Have the students feel for the button on the bottom of the device. Have them click the button once
quickly. A picture or add will appear. Tell them this is sleep mode and helps to save battery when
the devices are not being used immediately.
o Have the students feel for the button on the bottom of the device again. Have them click the button
once quickly again. The device will either go directly to the home screen or will ask the student to
swipe to unlock. Tell students this is called unlocking the device.
o Have students practice unlocking and sleeping the device 4-5 times. Saying, sleep your kindle and
unlock your kindle so that they understand what is expected of them when you ask them to do
that.
2. Practice reading a book:
o Have student select any Halloween book (press the cover of the book).
o To go to the next page, gently tap the middle of the page (have students do this with you).
o To go back a page, gently tap the far left side of the page (have students do this with you).
o Practice going forward and backward a few times.
o To go to the menu, gently tap the top of the screen
o To get out of the menu, gently tap the middle of the screen
o To exit the book, click on the house icon in the menu.
o Have students practice these basic skills, making sure they understand how to control the pages and
exit/enter a book
3. Practice changing font size:
o Have students select a Halloween book that has text (make sure they are not reading one of the comic
style books).
o Have students get to the menu (clicking on the top of the screen)
o Have students locate and click on Aa
o A new box will appear. Tell students that this gives them the option to change how big the words on
their page are.
o Click on new size to change the size of the text. Then, click outside the box to go back to the book.
o Have students change their text size 3 or 4 times until they are comfortable using this feature and
have a comfortable text size for reading (I told my students the biggest and smallest are off limits).
4. Practice jumping around in the book:
o Have students select a Halloween book that has text (make sure they are not reading one of the comic
style books).
o Have students get to the menu (clicking on the top of the screen)
o Have students click on Go To
o A new box will appear. Tell students that this gives them the option to go to a new chapter in the
book.
o Click on different chapters. This will immediately take you to that chapter.
o Have students practice going to different chapters 3-4 times or until they feel comfortable with this
feature.
5. Practice looking up words in the text:

o Tell students that if they dont know a word while they are reading, the kindle will look the word up
for them. It has a built in dictionary to help reading!
o Have students select a Halloween book that has text (make sure they are not reading one of the comic
style books).
o Have students gently put their finger on any word in the text (I would model this). Once the word is
highlighted in black, they may let go (it only takes a second).
o A definition will pop up for the word. Have students read the definition, and then click outside of the
box to go back to the text.
o Have students practice looking up words 5 or 6 times or until the feel comfortable with this skill.
Finally, have students practice turning off the kindle. Press and hold the bottom button until a box appears on
the screen. Click Screen Off. Go over your own personal procedures for putting away the kindles in an
orderly way.

How-To Teachers Guide:

Loging into Whispercast:
1. Create an amazon account and give Britaney the email address associated with that account. (If you already
have an amazon account, just give Britaney the email address already associated with your amazon account).
2. Once Britaney has entered your email into the system, go to https://whispercast.amazon.com/
3. Enter your amazon account email and password. You are now into whispercast!
Downloading and Distributing eBooks to Your Class:
1. Log into your Whispercast account
2. Click on ebooks on the top bar
3. Choose your ebook
Many ebooks cost money, but there are a plethora of free resources if you know how to find
them! Use the search bar to search for a specific book, or use the filters on the left side to search
by grade and topic. Then, when you have searched for the books, Click Sort by: Price: Low to
High This will give you all of the free versions of the books first. Also, there is a list of some
free books at the end of this document.
4. Once you have chosen the book you would like, click on Add to Cart. Repeat this process until you
have all of the books you would like on your students kindles at this time
5. Click on the Cart Icon in the top right hand side of the screen. This will take you to all of the books
you have chosen.
6. You will see a box that says Recipients (0). Click on where is says Select Recipients.
7. Click on the drop down menu next to Matafao. You will see your name. Check the box next to your
name.
8. Click OK. The box will disappear.
9. Click Preview Order on the right hand side of the screen.
10. Review that your order is correct. Then, click Place Your Order on the right hand side of the
screen.
11. The next time your students have their kindles on, have students click the icon with three horizontal
lines. Click on the last option, Sync and Check for Items. It will say Checking on the top of the
students device.
Using Whispercast Documents.
Instead of printing off worksheets or writing everything on the board, whispercast can send articles, readings,
and activity pages to the students kindles! This allows students to have worksheets and articles in front of them
where they can read with ease or copy with ease into their journals. This feature can also help to integrate math

and reading. For example, you could upload a document of math word problems onto the kindles for the
students to read and solve. With Whispercast documents, you can send different versions of the same document
to students. This will aid in differentiation in your classroom. For example, you could upload three versions of
one reading one below grade level, one on grade level, and one above grade level. Then, you can send the
appropriate document to the students who need extra support or extra challenge!
To upload a document to a students kindle
1. Log into your Whispercast account
2. Click on Documents on the top bar
3. Click Upload. A new box will appear. Choose the document from your computer that you would like
to send to the kindles.
4. Enter the document information into the bar that will appear
5. Click Done.
6. Once the document has loaded, check the box next to the document and click Distribute Documents.
7. Click on the drop down menu next to Matafao. You will see your name. Check the box next to your
name. You may also check specific students names for the document.
8. Click OK. The box will disappear.
9. The next time your students have their kindles on, have students click the icon with three horizontal
lines. Click on the last option, Sync and Check for Items. It will say Checking on the top of the
students device.
How to have students delete books:
You may choose to let the students collect all of the books sent to their device, building their own ebook library,
or you may have them delete the books they have already read to keep their device neat and organized. To
delete a book, start at the main menu. Have students press and hold the title/cover of the book they would like to
delete. A new box will appear. Click Remove From Device at the bottom of the list. The book is now deleted
from the students kindle!
Using Vocabulary Builder
Each device has a feature called Vocabulary Builder. Every time a student looks up a word (see 5. Practice
looking up words in the text for instructions on how to do this), it is sent to the students vocabulary builder.
From here, students can review the definitions of words they did not know and even test their knowledge of the
words using Flashcards.

Some Free Books

Use the Book Wizard to quickly figure out the reading level of an ebook: https://www.scholastic.com/teachers
(A note on the free books many times free books will have versions that cost money. Make sure that you sort
books Price: Lowest to Highest so that the free books will be listed first).

A Book of Discovery by M. B. Synge (Jr. High+)

The Story of the Greeks by H. A. Guerber (upper elementary+)
Stories of Siefried by Mary Esther Miller MacGregor (middle elementary)
The Heroes, or Greek Fairy Tales for My Children by Charles Kingsley (upper elementary+)
Famous Men of the Middle Ages by John H. Haaren and Addison B. Poland (upper elementary+)
Old Greek Folk Stories Told Anew by Josephine Preston Peabody (middle elementary)
Viking Tales by Jennie Hall (early-middle elementary)
Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm by Kate Douglas Smith Wiggin (middle-upper elementary)
The Birds' Christmas Carol by Kate Douglas Smith Wiggin (upper elementary)

The Story Hour by Kate Douglas Smith Wiggin (early elementary)

Squirrels and Other Fur-Bearers by John Burroughs (upper elementary+)
Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi (elementary)
Heroes Every Child Should Know by Hamilton Wright Mabie (upper elementary+)
The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame (early-middle elementary)
Heidi by Joanna Spyri
The Story of Doctor Doolittle by Hugh Lofting (early-middle elementary)
Black Beauty by Anna Sewall (middle elementary)
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll (middle elementary+)
Why the Chimes Rang by Elizabeth Apthorp McFadden (middle elementary)
The Little Duke by Charlotte M. Yonge (upper elementary+)
Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson (middle elementary+)
Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson (middle elementary+)
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett (middle elementary+)
Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving
Pollyanna by Eleanor H. Porter
Just David by Eleanor H. Porter
A Book of Golden Deeds by Charlotte Mary Yonge (middle elementary)
The Peterkin Papers by Lucretia P. Hale (middle elementary)
Hans Brinker by Mary Mapes Dodge
The Swiss Family Robinson by Johann Wyss
Call of the Wild by Jack London
Tell Me Another Story by Carolyn Sherwin Bailey (early elementary)
The Aesop for Children (early elementary)
More Jataka Tales by E. C. Babbitt (early elementary)
The Cricket on the Hearth by Charels Dickens (middle-upper elementary)
Charles Dickens' Children Stories
Rootabaga Stories by Carl Sandburg (middle elementary)
The Book of Nature Myths by Florence Holbrook (early elementary)
Peeps at Many Lands: Ancient Egypt by James Baikie (upper elementary)
My Father's Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett (early elementary)
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
Alices Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery
Black Beauty by Anna Sewell
Call of the Wild by Jack London
Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz by Frank L. Baum
The Enchanted Castle by Edith Nesbit
Fairy Tales by The Brothers Grimm
The Happy Prince and Other Tales by Oscar Wilde
Heidi by Johanna Spyri | Kindle
Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling
Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie
Raggedy Ann Stories by Johnny Gruelle
Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm by Kate Douglas Smith Wiggin
Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
The Story of Doctor Dolittle by Hugh Lofting
The Swiss Family Robinson by Johann David Wyss
The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter
Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams

 The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame