Funding resources for Novel Effect
Our resources below will help you ask for funding and share the value with colleagues, parents, and more.
Please don’t hesitate to reach out or email us at support@noveleffect.com. We’ll figure out a way to help!
- An individual educator plan includes summer months for free plus 20% off the regular Premium plan making it about $3.33 per month.
- Novel Effect school plans are priced within many principals discretionary funding limit:
- $499 for all teachers at one school
- $899 for all teachers & students at one school*†
- $99 for 1 teacher & students in one classroom*†
We’ve created the resources available on this page for your use to request funding for a Novel Effect subscription. If any of these plans are outside your budget or you need additional help to secure the funds, please don’t hesitate to reach out or email us at support@noveleffect.com.
Novel Effect is now available for purchase through Scholastic Book Fairs.
†Devices authorized by the teacher as a student or classroom device are logged in anonymously and no personally identifiable information is collected. Learn more about Novel Effect’s Classroom Plan privacy policy.
Dear Principal ,
I encourage you to swing by my classroom during story time when we read aloud one of the picture books from our library. You’ll see the children on the edge of their seats, giggling uncontrollably, because we are using a mobile app called Novel Effect. Novel Effect uses voice-recognition to follow along with interactive music, sound effects, and character voices as we read aloud from our favorite stories. Kids are more engaged and enjoy reading more because of the immersive experience. So if you hear the kids rambling about jungles dancing, dragons roaring or kittens meowing, you’ll know why.
One teacher says her students call them “magical books” when they read aloud with Novel Effect. See short video here.
Others say…
“In a world where a teacher must compete with video games… this is a game changer.”
“I’ve never seen my students more engaged. A great way to encourage a love of reading”
“The librarian is hiding books in her desk so she can read them [with Novel Effect] to kids first.”
Unlimited access to the app is quite affordable at $3.33/month per teacher or $499 for every teacher at our school (for the full year).
I would love to show you Novel Effect in action. Can I set up a 15-minute meeting with you to demo and discuss funding?
Thank you,
Your Name
p.s. If you find yourself doing read alouds, I highly recommend you download the app (see below) to check it out. You’ll love it!
Download Novel Effect by clicking on one of the buttons here…
Dear ,
I have discovered something magical. It’s called Novel Effect and I need your help bringing it into our school to use with our students. Novel Effect is an award-winning app that uses voice-recognition to follow along with interactive music and sound effects as a teacher (or parent) reads aloud from a children’s book — books that we already have on our bookshelf, our library, and in our curriculum.
Check out how this amazing teacher uses Novel Effect in her classroom.
A school subscription is only $499/year and that will give every single teacher at our school his/her own Novel Effect login! (Individual teacher subscriptions are $39.99, so this would be such a tremendous gift to us all!) The best part is that every student at every grade level and in every class will benefit from the most engaging, immersive, magical read aloud stories they’ve ever experienced!
If this is something you would be willing to consider purchasing this for us, please visit Novel Effect’s website to see School Plan subscription options. There are also options to gift a single subscription to a deserving teacher.
(They also have free and paid unlimited plans for parents if you want to create magical moments with your child at home when you snuggle-up with a great book. Be forewarned, they will ask to read more and more!)
Thank you,
Your Name
p.s. You can check out Novel Effect yourself by clicking on one of the buttons below…
If you weren’t able to get the funding from your principal, PTA, etc., there are grant options out there. Here is a template with the answers to most of questions that you’ll have to answer in a grant submission.
Download as PDF | Download as Google Doc | Download as a Word Doc
Grant Title:
Novel Effect “read aloud” subscription
Cost of request (pick one):
- $499 for all teachers at one school
- $899 for all teachers + students at one school
- $99 for 1 teacher + students in one classroom
- More details: Novel Effect school plans
Grade Levels:
Pre-K through 5th
How will funds be used:
This grant will be used to purchase subscriptions to Novel Effect which is an iOS and Android app that adds interactive music, sound effects, and character voices to the books we already read aloud in our classrooms.
Project Description:
Novel Effect delivers interactive music, sound effects, and character voices that are perfectly tuned to respond as we read aloud from our library books during regular read aloud time. As we read, Novel Effect gives students a more immersive experience so they’ll be on the edge of their seats with their focus on the teacher or librarian. And it offers story effects for the books we already use in our curriculum and have in our libraries.
NOTE: Novel Effect does not replace the books we use in our classroom. The app follows along using voice recognition and adds story effects as the teacher reads aloud from existing library books.
Situation and student outcomes:
Children are falling behind in reading but read alouds can help.
- “Two thirds of American students can’t read at their grade level.” (Source: National Assessment of Educational Progress (2019).
- “Reading aloud to a child is the single most important activity….for eventual success in reading. And if children develop a love of reading early on, they are much more likely to become lifelong readers.” (Source: Becoming a Nation of Readers. 1985)
- “Only 50% of children have read alouds more than 5 days a week” (The Rise of Read-Aloud from scholastic.com) which has been exacerbated by the pandemic and the inequality of our children who have been overly burdened in families with lower income.
In order for our teachers to overcome these challenges through reading aloud, they must…
- Keep students engaged during read alouds
- Inspire children to love to read
- Reduce screen time
Novel Effect has been shown to increase a child’s love of reading. In fact, according to Novel Effect’s subscriber survey, teachers say…
- Books are more engaging (89%)
- Kids are more confident reading (83%)
- Kids ask to read more often (81%)
When a teacher reads aloud to a student or classroom with Novel Effect, there are many benefits identified including…
- Promotes literacy and engagement
- Supports imagery and visualization
- Provides multi-sensory experience
- Motivates reluctant and shy readers and encourages public speaking
- Supports fluency and accuracy with beginning readers and English Language Learners
- Promotes a multi-modal approach to storytime for children enrolled in special education programs
How does this address equity and inclusion?
According to The Rise of Read-Aloud from scholastic.com, “reading aloud peaks at age five. While a majority of families read aloud 5–7 days a week before a child enters kindergarten (55%), this percentage begins to decline dramatically with each additional year of age. Lower-income families with children ages eight and under read aloud less frequently; 39% among families with household incomes less than $35,000 and 62% among families with incomes of $100,000 or more. Lower-income families with kids ages five and under are also less likely, at 46% compared to about seven in 10, to have received information on the importance of reading aloud from birth when their children were babies.”
What are others saying about this “project”?
“Today we used Novel Effect…I’ve never seen my students more engaged! If you have not checked out Novel Effect yet, you definitely need to!” – Teacher on Instagram
“This is the perfect app to bring each story to life and to keep learners engaged. My students are absolutely amazed every time I utilize @novel_effect.” – Teacher
“Whether you are reading aloud to your class, a parent reading to his/her child, or a student reading aloud to his or herself or a small group, Novel Effect is a clever tool that follows your lead and makes reading (and listening) that much more fun.” – Dr. Bruce Ellis, Take Reading to the Next Level with Novel Effect from TCEA technotes
Does the solution collect student-specific, personally identifiable information?
No. Devices authorized by the teacher, or classroom account lead, as a classroom or student device are logged in anonymously – no personally identifiable information is collected. For maintenance and operational purposes some anonymized usage statistics are kept by Novel Effect. No usage-statistic data is shared with 3rd party providers.
Learn more about Novel Effect’s Classroom Privacy Policy for Novel Effect Classroom subscribers.
Project timeline:
Novel Effect is an app that can be downloaded to an iOS (iPhone or iPad) or Android device. Once registered, there is limited to no time needed to learn how to use the app. We grab an existing book from our library, search for the same book in the Novel Effect app, press Get Started button and the app will start listening for the teacher to read the book aloud. The teacher will immediately see the children’s enjoyment of the book and engagement increase exponentially.
How will success be measured?
Reading assessments should improve over time.
How much does the project cost? Are there different options?
- $499 to give all teachers unlimited access (at one school)
- $899 to give all teachers + students unlimited access (at one school)
- $99 to give 1 teacher + students unlimited access (in one classroom)
- More details: school plans – Novel Effect
How do we procure your project?
Novel Effect takes all forms of payment including purchase orders, checks or credit card, if preferred. School Plans are available and quote requests can be submitted at www.noveleffect.com.
If you and your students are enjoying Novel Effect in the classroom, tell your students’ parents about it with this sample email. Copy the text below and paste it into an email.
Dear Parents,
In case your child comes home rambling about jungles dancing, dragons roaring, or kittens meowing, please know that they’re probably talking about our read alouds. We’ve been using a new mobile app called Novel Effect which uses voice-recognition to follow along with interactive music, sound effects, and character voices as we read aloud from our favorite stories. Kids are more engaged and enjoy reading more because of the immersive experience. I highly recommend you download the app (see below) to use during your normal reading routine at home. You’ll love it!
Please note that I am not getting anything to send this to you. I am just a fan of Novel Effect and believe it will help your child enjoy reading even more.
Happy Reading,
Your Name
Download Novel Effect by clicking on one of the buttons below…