"Reading" an Audiobook

A few years ago, in the era of emerging e-readers, I was a book purist. I would proudly proclaim my dislike for digitized texts and their cult like following. That Christmas, I received a Kindle Fire. Now I am a hypocrite. I rarely go to the book store (unless it is for the a new Percy Jackson book or Janet Evanovich which I MUST have to keep the set complete). New releases are delivered to my Kindle any time of day or night and....I LOVE IT! Not only is it convenient, but it also forces me to try books from authors who would otherwise be unpublished. Does this mean they are all good, no, but neither are all tangible books (how many publishers rejected J.K. Rowling? It seems now all the rage is audiobooks. A good friend and teacher, Dee, is CONSTANTLY heralding the benefits of an audiobook with a great narrator. I roll my eyes dramatically, and she laughs off my impertinence. However, recently, as Summer Break inspires me to do things I would otherwise not consider, I decided an audiobook might be the ticket. A few weeks ago, I had to attend a Gentle Stretch session for another class at the St. Johns County Public library. The class was great and ended early enough in the day that I had a chance to peruse around the library (to which I have a card and have not utilized in far too long). I spotted a great summer read co-authored by Janet Evanovich (though from the style I suspect her co-author, Dorien Kelly, did most of the actual writing and she slapped her name on it) called "Love in A Nutshell." Granted, not the most literary feat, but it's summer and my brain is mush and Shakespeare would make my mush mind explode! I pushed in the first CD when I got in my car. The reader seemed to have a nice enough voice, and I found myself listening more carefully and gathering more information than if I were to read the book. I tend to read more quickly than I should, missing key things from time to time. When it comes to audiobooks, glossing over is nearly impossible (unless you are REALLY focused on driving). The reader kept the tempo nice and even, and far slower than the pace at which I would read. Unfortunately, I live about 10 minutes from the library, which means I did not get very far in the story. I tend to not listen to music or stories in my home, so for the first few days, I limited my experience to listening in the car. I still remembered the story well, but I found myself sitting in the driveway far longer than need be just to get to a good stopping point (the infamous "just one more chapter" as applied to audiobooks). Then, while walking through the gym - EPIPHANY! I saw all of the fit people (who never smile back at you) with their iPhones attached to their arms with these band things and earbuds firmly in place (as to avoid social interaction, I am sure) and it occurred to me to do the same. Instead of hitting the treadmill with the latest from my favorite band, I could load the story on my phone!! So I did. One benefit of digital media is the lack of skipping. Kids today will never understand the bless that is being able to jog without worrying about the portable CD player skipping. As it is summer, and my gym schedule is every day (because I have time to exercise in the morning), I was able to get through the story quite quickly. A few hours a day can really help get through an audiobook and the earbuds helped to keep me focused on the plot and my exercising became more enjoyable. Before this experience, I was not quite as sold on audiobooks as I should have been. Although I use them sporadically in my classroom, I believe there to be greater uses for differentiation than before. Children who struggle to decode may not necessarily have comprehension issues, and audiobooks can help to foster a love of reading which I was ignorant of before diving into an audiobook myself.

Classroom Text Sets

I love sharing the love of reading and books with my students.  There is something beyond powerful in the written word.  With the increase of technology and the ease of access to books, sharing with our students has never been better.  But where to go?  Here are some of my favorite selections based on the theme 'friendship' which can be used to study many different concepts in reading.

Enemy Pie
on www.storylineonline.net
This is a story about a boy who cannot stand the new kid in the neighborhood.  His father convinces him to "trick" the new boy into thinking that he is his friend so that his son will spend time with the new boy.  As the main character begins to get to know the new kid in town, he finds out he likes him and does not want to feed him "enemy pie".  This story would be good to use with foreshadowing and predictions



The Wizard of Oz
(retrieved from http://www.read.gov/books/oz.html; there was a download PDF link that seemed to be unworking).
Instead of using strictly picture books, students need to learn to build their own mind movies as they listen or read a story.  The few visuals in this version help to aide that process without taking away the students' opportunity to try.  In this story, friends are the only way that Dorthy is able to return home. 



Aesop's Fables
(retrieved from http://www.umass.edu/aesop/content.php?n=21&i=1 )
This is a traditional retelling of the Lion and the Mouse.  In this story, the mouse is saved by the lion, and in the end, ends up saving the mighty king.  The moral is that small friends can do great things.  A fable is a great way to discuss themes as well.  While the story may not be complex, it does provide examples of symbolism that even the students can relate to.


 Recording of the Lion and the Mouse
 (retrieved from http://librivox.org/aesops-fables-volume-1-fables-1-25/)
This is a recording of the story about the lion and the mouse.  This could be a great way to provide visuals and auditory opportunities for students. 
Koko's Kitten by Dr. Francine Patterson
(retrieved from http://www.amazon.com/Kitten-Reading-Rainbow-Francine-Patterson/dp/0590444255/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&qid=1335487420&sr=8-13#reader_0590444255 )
Friendships can develop in a variety of ways.  For example, Koko loved her kitten friend.  This would be an excellent story for students to work on Point of View.  The students could create thinking maps identifying how Koko felt before and after she friends.  Also, this would be a a good example to use for Author's purpose.  ( I would actually have this book in hardcopy form in addition to having access online.)


 Friendship Photograph
(retrieved from http://www.morguefile.com/archive/display/173251 )
This photograph would be an excellent way to preview vocabulary.  Students could come up with all the words that they associate with friendship and place then on a bubble map.  These vocabulary words could be added to as the students have more experience with the other sources.  (This photo is downloaded locally as to assure access).


Letter from Ronald Regan to Michael Jackson
(retrieved from http://tumblr.chicagoreader.com/ )
Students are enamored with celebrities.  These two celebrities are considered opposites, and yet, here we find a letter (a friendly one) between the two.  This letter would be excellent to use in discussion with structure of a writing and also could be used as a writing prompt: If you could write a letter to any one, who would it be and why?"  (This photo would be downloaded locally as to assure access for students).

Elements of Interactivity

As teachers, we are always trying to find something that works for our students.  We are constantly on the look out for the cutting edge of learning.  Sometimes, we look too far.  In some cases, we needn't look past our desks.

The ways that students interact with texts can affect their understanding.  A simple way to help some of our struggling kiddos is to bring in color.  It is a commonly held belief that changing up color draws attention to the important stuff.  Uniball pens are a great way of helping our students to draw attention to their own learning.

Uniball pens also offer the added benefit of not being very wide and don't bleed too badly.  Students can make simple lines or underline without the ink taking up half the line!

According to the Florida Department of Education ESE Accommodations (http://www.fldoe.org/ese/pdf/accomm-educator.pdf), adding color is an acceptable accommodation for students with special needs.  We often hear how if it is good for ESOL or ESE, it is pretty much good for everyone.  I tend to agree. 

We are programed to notice changes and color helps students to identify what they need to remember.  By giving our students the opportunity to learn how to take notes by using color and drawing their attention, we are equipping them with a life long skill.

Reading an eBook: The Velventeen Rabbit

 The value of the book for education.

The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams Bianco (http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/11757)

As a child, I was effectively disheartened by the story The Velveteen Rabbit. I missed the end really, now I understand that.  


In order to review this book, I chose to send it to my Kindle and view it in that format.  I have to say, that the experience was very similar to being read to as a child.  I downloaded the file with the pictures and found that they were just as colorful and vibrant as they would have been in the story.  The only minor issues I had was a little bit of formatting issues (didn't really detract), and the idea that you can't judge how far you are in the book based on how many pages are being moved from the right side to the left side bothers me, but I doubt a student would care.  Also, I am the kind of reader who remembers what part of the page a particular word or phrase is on (like the word "chartreuse" on the bottom left of the left page) which helps me find it later (especially with fictional works) when I need to show someone else.  On a Kindle, you can't have that kind of information.


When I was browsing for a book to read, I found many selections for students.  They are generally classic books, but books nonetheless.  All for free!  I teach students who do not have access to many books in their lives and I just could not get over the amount of books I could get into their hands if they had eReaders.  Instead of buying individual class sets of novels (which can be costly) a class set of Kindles could hold HUNDREDS of novels for novel studies.  My mother was once told that if there were a piano in our house, someone would learn how to play it.  I spent most of my childhood reading (as it turns out, we had lots of books too), so the role of playing went to my little sister.  I feel the same way about books.  Give kids the access and the love will come (kind of like the theory behind arranged marriages :) ).  Our students are at a disservice by not having access to these classics at no cost!

eTextbooks from CK12.org

Textbook publishers make a mint ripping out trees and printing textbooks for students to draw mustaches on monkeys.  There is another way, however.  Another way that involves no paper and no need to have students to lug fifty pounds of textbooks around in their backpacks to finish their homework.  The era of the eBook is being (slowly) ushered in.  While this movement meets resistance (shocking!), there are those who are bravely pioneering for our students.

The state of California has hired a group to create texts for them...online.  These texts may be accessed by students and even us.  Even better, they are FREE!  They are also able to be downloaded in iPad, Kindle, and Android formats.  That means textbooks on cell phones.  No excuses!  Additionally, these texts can be EASILY altered so that new and updated information can be added as needed.

The five that I found had the same quality as textbooks sitting in desks or on shelves in classrooms.

The first was Commonsense Composition (http://www.ck12.org/flexbook/book/2513).  This book contained chapters on the different essays that students are to be capable of writing.  Also, this book included chapters on other documents as well as rules for writing (parts of speech, grammar, etc.).  Meant for high school students, there are some chapters that can be used for lower grades as well with some minor adaptations.

The next was Earth Science for Middle School (http://www.ck12.org/flexbook/book/2534).  This text, given the title, is meant for the lower secondary crew.  This book is set up where individual chapters can be clicked on (no shuffling around for page numbers).

Life Science for Middle School (http://www.ck12.org/flexbook/book/2536) is also designed for use with Middle School students, but with some alterations can also meet standards for lower grade levels.

Algebra Explorations, Pre-K through Grade 7 (http://www.ck12.org/flexbook/book/13152) is more of a compilation of mini-texts for all of the grades listed.  There is a chapter devoted to the exploration of algebra for each grade.  I am looking forward to trying the fourth grade section with my own students!

Last, but never least, is CK-12 Middle School Math - Grade 6 (http://www.ck12.org/flexbook/book/2832).  This text (meant for sixth graders) and covers multiple areas such as decimals, geometry, and fractions.  Some of these topics are also studied in lower grades and could have potential uses in them as well. 

As I said, free is good!  These possibilities are revolutions in textbook history.  Hopefully they pave the way for other states to do the same.

I forget I was a kid too...

Sometimes, my predominately ten-year old class does things I just can no longer comprehend because I am old now.  For example, last week, a student of mine asked me if I was alive when the world was black and white (he had seen photographs and assumed the world was black and white, not photography).  Tonight, I began thinking about me as a kid and realized, I too, was once someone thinking outside the box.  Even more embarrassing, my blunder involved technology.  So, I confessed it to the digital world...

Visiting an ESOL Class

This assignment gave me the opportunity to do something that I do not often have the chance to attempt: see another (fabulous) teacher in action.  The assignment asked for me to visit an ESOL class.  What luck?!  The school where I have taught for almost five years is the ESOL center for Clay County.  One of my best teacher friends, Toni,  is the Kindergarten teacher for the ESOL program at my school.  It was a privilege to see what she can do with her students!

The focus, very clearly, of Toni's lessons is to prepare her students for first grade.  The students that Toni get are from a variety of backgrounds and speak several languages.  Her purpose on top of preparing the students for first grade is to help them become more fluent with academic English, as well as their conversational English.

I find that in Toni's classroom there is a LOT of talking.  Not just from Toni to the students, but also the students trying to use their English with each other (often the only language that they share).  There is also a LOT of singing.  The students have a routine working with the calendar and the math skills involved.  There is also a LOT of moving.  Dancing is a typical part of their day.  Also, Toni is VERY expressive with her gestures and facial expressions, helping add another strategy for student comprehension of English.  There is a lot of repetition and annunciation in Toni's class during her teaching.

Toni's classroom is full of colors, centers, and words (things are labeled).  Books line the walls and can be found in bin after bin.  There are quite a few computers in the classroom with various programs the students use for learning.  Toni has also personally bought Leap Pads and other Leap Frog products for her students. In addition, she purchased individual CD players for students to use with the read aloud stories that accompany the reading series.

Toni has access to an aid for a small period of time a day (she used to be staffed with an aid all day every day, but budget cuts made that impossible).  Other than the additional products that Toni supplies, her kindergarteners have a very similar experience to their peers in regular educational classes.

Toni's commitment to her students, her ability to bring fun into the classroom, and her concern for the success of her students make me proud to work with her and to call her a friend.  Watching Toni work is a great pleasure due high level teaching she does day in and day out.