TeachersFirst's Audio Books
These educator-reviewed resources from TeachersFirst offer audio books so all students, including emerging readers and ESL/ELL learners, can experience literature and other reading selections in audio form to reinforce and inspire literacy skills and enjoyment. Be sure to explore each site, as many include multiple categories of books and different download or listening formats. Some selections are audio only. Others include text to follow on the site as you listen, while others include options to interact with the book by clicking, responding, and watching animations. The helpful reviews suggest ideas for ways to use the audio books in the classroom or outside of school to reinforce literacy skills, improve English skills, or study literature in new ways. Narrow your search by choosing TeachersFirst's specialized collections of audio books with accompanying text or audio books with interactive features.
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Loud Lit - Loudlit.org
Grades
1 to 12tag(s): audio books (23), declaration of independence (15), gettysburg (15), gettysburg address (11), literature (214), poetry (189)
In the Classroom
This site is helpful for many subjects and grade levels. Have students use this website when they have to memorize poetry, the Gettysburg Address, or the Declaration of Independence. multilingual students and many learning support students will benefit from the option of "reading" in multi-media format. Use the audio stories with younger students for listening skills. During a poetry unit, why not have students choose one of the poems to read and listen to? Have the students analyze and write in their journals about what they think the poem means. Replace paper journals by using a blog tool like edublogs, reviewed here. Then have the students share the original poem and their own opinions with the class, making this activity a listening, reading, writing, and speaking lesson. If you are into podcasting, enhance learning by encouraging students to create some of their own poetry readings with commentary.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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TaleTrove - TaleTrove.com
Grades
K to 5tag(s): audio books (23), digital storytelling (150), guided reading (32), preK (261), reading comprehension (142)
In the Classroom
View and listen to stories by opening up two tabs in your browser. Choose one to listen in mp3 format and the other to view using either PDF format or the flipbook reader. View and listen to stories together on your interactive whiteboard or create a link on classroom computers for students to read independently. You could even submit a "review" written by your entire class or have your more able students write one you can submit using a teacher account. Browse for other reading-related activities and crafts. Be sure to include this site on your class web page for students to access both in and outside of class for reading practice.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Starting Harry Potter - Wizarding World Digital LLC
Grades
3 to 12tag(s): audio books (23), digital reading (16), harry potter (9)
In the Classroom
In addition to just reading the books, young students can explore the magical creatures section on the website and then use a drawing app like Google Drawings, reviewed here to design their magical creature, complete with a description of its abilities and habitat. Not familiar with Google Drawings? Watch an archived OK2Ask session to learn how to use this tool:OK2Ask Google Drawings, here. After reading a portion of a Harry Potter book, students can use the character profiles to analyze a character's traits and development. They can then create their own fictional character using a tool like Storyboard That, reviewed here or for younger students Story Map, reviewed here incorporating elements inspired by the Harry Potter series. Older students can explore the series' themes and its impact on popular culture. They then create a podcast episode or a blog post using tools like Podbean (for podcasting), reviewed here or Straw.Page (for blogging), reviewed here to discuss their analysis.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Grades 6-8 eBooks Resources for Teaching Remotely on Short Notice - TeachersFirst
Grades
6 to 8tag(s): audio books (23), ebooks (39), podcasts (95), professional development (402)
In the Classroom
Take advantage of your remote teaching lessons to offer a variety of reading suggestions to your students. Browse through the free books offered and create a list of suggestions based on your knowledge of student interests and abilities. Encourage communication and collaboration between your students through the use of Padlet, reviewed here. Use Padlet to share links to your book suggestions, then ask students to add comments and reviews.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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K-2 eBooks: Resources for Teaching Remotely on Short Notice - TeachersFirst
Grades
K to 2tag(s): audio books (23), ebooks (39), listening (86), professional development (402)
In the Classroom
Use this collection to share digital and audiobooks with parents to encourage reading at home. Curate a collection of books for your students and share it with parents using Symbaloo, reviewed here. Symbaloo is an excellent bookmarking tool to use with young students due to the easy to use design and use of icons for identifying information readily.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Crawford the Cat - Perennial Pictures Film Cooperation
Grades
K to 2tag(s): audio books (23), dental health (15), hygiene (9), preK (261), social skills (22)
In the Classroom
This site works really well with an interactive whiteboard or projector. Students can view the videos on the board and then play the games on the interactive board. The printables can be used by an entire class or for individual students who need skills reinforcement, and the books can be used as a center. The students have the choice of having the books read to them or reading on their own, so the site addresses the abilities of all students. During times of remote or distance learning, put a link to this site on your class web page for parents and students to use at home, with directions for what you want them to do, of course. Then ask students to create a video response about what they learned using Gravity, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Ada Lace, Take Me to Your Leader - StoryTime from Space
Grades
1 to 5tag(s): audio books (23), ebooks (39), space (214)
In the Classroom
This ebook could be used as a whole-group activity by sharing the video on your projector. Students could also view the video on individual devices (don't forget the earbuds). This is a great book to use to connect science and language arts. After each part of the story, extend the learning, and have students answer a teacher-directed question or summarize the main events. After parts one or two, you could have students write predictions about what they think will happen next. Challenge your students to create simple blog posts using edublogs, reviewed here. If students are too young for writing, have them create video responses using a tool such as Gravity, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Unite for Literacy Library - Unite for Literacy
Grades
K to 8tag(s): audio books (23), independent reading (86), interactive stories (21), preK (261)
In the Classroom
This site is one you must bookmark if you work with young readers! Create a link to the site on classroom computers for students to explore and listen to books on their own. Unite for Literacy is perfect for use with ENL/ESL students for reading and hearing books in both English and their native language. Share a link to the site on your website or newsletter for use at home or use during remote learning. During remote learning, consider assigning your elementary students reading and follow up activities using Symbaloo, reviewed here. Symbaloo is an excellent bookmarking tool to use with elementary students due to the easy to use design and use of icons for identifying information readily. World language teachers can use this site to have students listen to books in the language they are learning.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Mighty Book - Mighty Book
Grades
K to 3This site includes advertising.
tag(s): alphabet (51), independent reading (86), preK (261), sight words (21), songs (44), video (260)
In the Classroom
Use this site for learning as a whole group, learning centers, or individual laptops for reinforcement or enrichment. First, introduce Mighty Book on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Since there are extensive ads, you may want to bookmark or create shortcuts directly to the activity you want children to use and avoid having them get "lost" in the many links that take you off the site. Share the songs and discuss the lyrics and what they are teaching. Use this site in art class to introduce famous artists to even the youngest of learners. After listening to the jokes, have students make up their own jokes. Poems with activities offer a kinesthetic approach to poetry. Songs about colors and the days of the week catch your auditory learners. Share this link on your class website for students to explore (and enjoy) both in and out of the classroom.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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We Do Listen Foundation - We Do Listen Foundation
Grades
K to 3This site includes advertising.
tag(s): bullying (50), character education (76), preK (261), social skills (22)
In the Classroom
All primary classrooms should take advantage of this wonderful tool. Share the songs on your projector and interactive whiteboard. Use the songs, stories, and lesson plans to teach about various character traits: honesty, anti-bullying, good sportsmanship, courage, and more. Use these stories during class meetings to discuss issues happening in your own classroom. Share a link to the site with parents as a resource for use at home. Share the songs with your PE teacher to reinforce the concepts during movement activities.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Learn English Kids - British Council
Grades
K to 8This site includes advertising.
tag(s): interactive stories (21), preK (261), songs (44), vocabulary development (87)
In the Classroom
Primary grade and preK teachers will find many useful interactives for basic skills like colors and phonics on this site, even though it is intended for learning English. Share the activities as a center or for extra practice for struggling students. Check with your administration about whether students can register individually for the site. Introduce this site to your class on an interactive whiteboard or projector. Make a shortcut to this site on classroom computers and have your ELL/ENL students use it as one of your learning stations. Teachers can print flashcards for survival English vocabulary such as clothes, food, parts of the body, jobs etc.; accompanying activities provide reinforcement for vocabulary. Learn English Kids changes weekly, offering weekly activities, opinion polls, learning through songs, playground fun, and more. The read-aloud stories are a wonderful option for beginning readers and even non-readers. Speech/language clinicians will join ESL and primary teachers in using the many activities on this site. It even has sorting activities such as fruits/vegetables (see "Food"). Although the interface is graphically appealing, by clicking on "Topics," you can find activities, songs, and games all organized by subject. There is also a large section for parents to help their child at home. Short stories and other interactive features of the site would work well with special education students, too. Be sure to share this link with parents of your ELL students if they have Internet access at home.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Digital Books - librophile.com
Grades
2 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): audio books (23)
In the Classroom
Make a shortcut to this site on classroom computers as a reference. Suggest it to students as something they can use on their digital notebooks and lap tops. Share a story on your projector or interactive whiteboard (with speakers for audio). Provide this site on your class blog, wiki, or website for students to access both in and out of the classroom. Learning support and ESL/ELL teachers can suggest this as an alternative source of books for book reports. Students can listen and read instead of feeling saddled by tough text.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Books Should Be Free - Loyal Books
Grades
K to 12tag(s): DAT device agnostic tool (148), ebooks (39), fluency (25), french (75), german (48), independent reading (86), literature (214), spanish (105)
In the Classroom
Upgrade your literature circles and include e-readers that are speech enabled. Share the stories (or full text) on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Books Should Be Free - Loyal Books provides links to the free text that accompanies the audio track. Sites such as Project Gutenberg, reviewed here, contain free versions of the full text. Students can simultaneously listen and read books on either a classroom computer, iPad, Kindle, Nook, Sony Reader, iPhone, Android, or other mobile or cell phone. These recordings will also boost fluency instruction by serving as an oral reading model. Audio-assisted books will encourage students to read with expression, improve reading comprehension, stimulate vocabulary development, and provide a way for students to read text beyond their reading level.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Audio Books with Text Resources - TeachersFirst
Grades
K to 12tag(s): audio books (23), preK (261)
In the Classroom
Mark this one in your professional favorites AND share it on a class web page for access by students and parents. The helpful reviews suggest ideas for ways to use the books in the classroom or outside of school to reinforce literacy skills, improve English skills, or study literature in new ways.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Interactive Audio Books Resources - TeachersFirst
Grades
K to 12tag(s): audio books (23)
In the Classroom
Mark this one in your professional favorites AND share it on a class web page for access by students and parents. The helpful reviews suggest ideas for ways to use the audio books in the classroom or outside of school to reinforce literacy skills, improve English skills, or study literature in new ways.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Just Free Books - justfreebooks.info
Grades
2 to 12tag(s): audio books (23), book lists (161), ebooks (39), literature (214), reading lists (78), search engines (49)
In the Classroom
Offer this site to students who wish to use digital devices to read. Keep in mind that many of the selections are older, in the public domain due to the expiration of copyright. ENL/ESL and SPED students may benefit from being able to hear or see books in a different way. Use the texts you find as language to analyze or manipulate on your interactive whiteboard to teach reading comprehension skills, parts of speech, transition words, vocabulary study, and writing style. Allow students to copy/paste text into the whiteboard software so they can "work with words" from literary works instead of worksheets.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Thought Audio - thoughtaudio.com
Grades
K to 12tag(s): audio books (23)
In the Classroom
Make a shortcut to this site on classroom computers as a reference. Suggest it to students as something they can use on their mp3 players. Share this link on your class website for students and parents to access at home. Learning support teachers may want to use selections from this site as alternatives to reading print literature selections. Play a story on your computer speakers as a listening activity in younger grades.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Signed Stories
Grades
K to 5tag(s): sign language (10)
In the Classroom
Use stories on the interactive whiteboard or projector to teach story elements - pause as the story is read to allow students to retell details to the stopping point then make predictions of what will happen next. Help students understand disabilities and adaptations to disabilities through watching the stories being told in sign language. This is also a great resource for students with deaf/hearing impaired parents or students/teachers trying to learn or practice sign language. In sign language classes, consider creating your own signed story videos for children's books using a tool like Adobe Express Video Maker, reviewed here, and share them with a tool such as TeacherTube, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Online Audio Stories - Abbey Rice
Grades
K to 3tag(s): air (104), audio books (23), folktales (34)
In the Classroom
Download stories onto a mp3 player for students to listen to during reading time. Play the audio version of stories while following the written version on the interactive whiteboard. Use the stories during a fairy tale unit to compare and contrast characters. Share this link on your class web page for families to enjoy at home. These stories are worth playing over and over. Be sure to provide this link on your class website for students to explore both in and out of the classroom.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Reading is Fundamental - Family Literacy Resources - Reading is Fundamental (RIF)
Grades
K to 8tag(s): audio books (23), authors (104), literacy (110), summer (29)
In the Classroom
Provide this link to parents in support of your in-school reading program. Be sure to share this link before school breaks so parents can support literacy at home to prevent "summer slide."Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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