Sora eBooks & Audiobooks
Sora is a digital reading platform for families to access eBooks, audiobooks and Read-Along books for education and enjoyment.
- Intro to SORA Recording
- Logging In
- Book Formats
- Profiles & Badges
- Assistive Technology
- Changing the Loan Period
- Adding Public Library Accounts
- Troubleshooting & Support in Sora
Intro to SORA Recording
Logging In
Step 1: Go to https://soraapp.com/library/heritageca and click on "Heritage Christian Online School."
Step 2: Click "Sign in using Heritage Christian Online School."
Step 3: Sign in with your Encom account.
Sora is also available as an app from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.
Book Formats
There are three main book formats in Sora: eBooks, audiobooks, and read-along books.
eBooks
eBooks have text and images, but no audio.
View the eBook Reader Tutorial for more information about navigating this type of book in Sora.
Audiobooks
Audiobooks are fully audio files. They have a cover image for the book, but no text or images. The headphones symbol 
beneath the cover image indicates audiobook availability.
View the Audiobook Reader Tutorial for more information about navigating this type of book in Sora.
Read-Along Books
Read-along books have text, images, and audio. Some titles will highlight the text as the audio plays. In Sora, read-along books are available in both fiction and non-fiction genres.
Profiles & Badges
Users can set up their Sora profile to add personalization and collect badge rewards.
Go to https://soraapp.com/profile. At the top left-hand corner, click "Edit profile" to add your nickname and change your image.
Sora allows students to earn achievement badges as they learn about and use the program. Scroll down to view badges on your profile page.
Badges that have been earned will show a coloured image of the badge. When the badge is earned, there will be a pop-up on the screen showing the badge and congratulating the student.
Badges that still need to be earned will tell the badge's name in bold and how to earn the badge beneath the name and the empty badge placeholder. Can you collect them all?
Assistive Technology
Different fonts and formatting styles are available to meet many reading needs.
OpenDyslexic
OpenDyslexic is a font created by Abbie Gonzalez and made available for public use. Its goal is to help dyslexic readers overcome some of the most common stumbling blocks. The benefits of using OpenDyslexic include:
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All letters are spaced further apart so individual letters can be more easily seen.
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The lines used in the lettering change thickness in different areas so readers can more easily distinguish between similarly structured letters.
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The first letter of the first word in a sentence is always bold to help readers know where the sentence starts.
There are two steps to turn on OpenDyslexic in your browser or app:
Step 1: Click on the hamburger menu (three lines) to open the dropdown menu.
Step 2: Use the "Dyslexic Font" toggle switch to turn this feature on and off.
High Contrast
High contrast mode reverses the colours of background and texts while adding yellow accents, creating a stark contrast that some users desire.
There are two steps to turn on High Contrast Mode in your browser or app:
Step 1: Click on the hamburger menu (three lines) to open the dropdown menu.
Step 2: Use the "High Contrast Mode" toggle switch to turn this feature on and off.
Changing the Loan Period
The standard load period in Sora is 14 days, however, there are options for 7, 21, and 28 days. Some readers may benefit from longer loan periods for larger projects.
There are four steps to adjust the loan period in your browser or app:
Step 1: Click on the hamburger menu (three lines) to open the dropdown menu.
Step 2: Click on "All Settings."
Step 3: Click on "Lending Periods."
Step 4: Adjust the lending periods as desired, then click on "Done."
Adding Public Library Accounts
You can use Sora to access eBooks, audiobooks, and read-along books through HCOS and your local public library.
There are two steps to add your local library to Sora in your browser or app:
Step 1: Click on the hamburger menu (three lines) to open the dropdown menu.
Step 2: Click on the "+Add library" button, then search for your local library and sign in using the information found on your library card.
Troubleshooting & Support in Sora
Discovering Reading and Learning Success (November 2023)
Sora: A Treasure of Digital Resources & Curriculum (October 20, 2021)
Slide deck: bit.ly/HCOS-Sora