In the article titled, The Book Trailer: Engaging Teens Through Technology, Sara Kajder made a point that I have thought about at length, but have never been able to say, “When we expand our idea of what counts as valued communications, we value our students.” (Kadjer, 2008) In reading it, it seems so simple, but then why is it so hard to believe. Education is a field that is constantly changing, and in the beginning it seemed that teachers had the knowledge and students had to simply tap into that knowledge in whichever ways said teacher made it accessible for them. Throughout constant inventions and reinventions of the education system that idea has changed, in theory, but not always in practice. With technology advancing and dizzying rates, sometimes the tools used to educate change fast than teachers know how to use them…and that is simply unacceptable. If, as teachers, we continue to value only the core facets of traditional education, that we are sending the message that innovation, creativity, and independent learning are simply unnecessary. While technology may seem to get in the way sometimes (students accessing AIM from their phones during a lecture, focusing more on MySpace than literature, etc.) we should do everything possible to incorporate the skills our students have into the curriculum, and applaud them for the abilities they have in fields that, sometimes, they grasp much fast than we do.
Kajder, S (2008).The book trailer: Teaching teens through technology. Educational Leadership. Vol. 65.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Fostering Good Readers and Writers
Book Trailers
“These students are reading and writing, but in modes and media that are different from the print literacies valued in schools. Classrooms that value these 21st-century literacies provide students with opportunities to create, think critically, genuinely collaborate with participants around the globe, and communicate through a variety of modes and media” (Kajder, 2008, p.1).
It is amazing how we seem to push the traditional means of reading and writing in schools. Book trailers as an alternative means of engaging students in the reading and writing process will definitely work in my classroom. Kajder has definitely found a “hook” to capture the interest of these students. Most of my students seem to be more technologically inclined than I am. These students are waiting to be reached in a medium that is familiar to them. I often complain about the lack of creativity from my students, technology is a means to bring student-creativity back in the classroom. The only set back I foresee in some schools is the lack of computers for students to accomplish these goals. All hope is not lost because students can collaborate with their peers and create their projects. The book trailers could also be completed from home or the library. Once the teacher provides a model of what is required then students can always work outside of the class.
Kajder, S. (2008). The book trailer: engaging teens through technologies. Educational Leadership 65 (6), pp. 1-4.
Literature Circles
“You can have a written conversation while sitting side by side in real time, passing notes back and forth, or in letter form, where writers send “mail” for readers to answer when they get time” (Daniels, 2006, p.14).
I happen to use literature circles in my classroom. I also assign different roles for each student in the group; this is my way of making sure that everyone participates. I do not give students a standard worksheet or prompts of what they should write or talk about, but I allow them to explore the novel and put their ideas on post-its. I do like the idea of writing little notes to each other. I think this strategy is an excellent means to get reluctant and reserved students to participate in their group. I will expand this strategy to other areas of my English class. I also like the idea of creating a partnership with students and having them write about what they do and don’t understand about the lesson. This is a terrific way to assess student-understanding as I read or have students share their notes. What a great way to keep students engaged!
Daniels, H. (2006). What’s the next best thing with literature circles?. Voices from the Middle 13 (4), pp. 10-15.
“These students are reading and writing, but in modes and media that are different from the print literacies valued in schools. Classrooms that value these 21st-century literacies provide students with opportunities to create, think critically, genuinely collaborate with participants around the globe, and communicate through a variety of modes and media” (Kajder, 2008, p.1).
It is amazing how we seem to push the traditional means of reading and writing in schools. Book trailers as an alternative means of engaging students in the reading and writing process will definitely work in my classroom. Kajder has definitely found a “hook” to capture the interest of these students. Most of my students seem to be more technologically inclined than I am. These students are waiting to be reached in a medium that is familiar to them. I often complain about the lack of creativity from my students, technology is a means to bring student-creativity back in the classroom. The only set back I foresee in some schools is the lack of computers for students to accomplish these goals. All hope is not lost because students can collaborate with their peers and create their projects. The book trailers could also be completed from home or the library. Once the teacher provides a model of what is required then students can always work outside of the class.
Kajder, S. (2008). The book trailer: engaging teens through technologies. Educational Leadership 65 (6), pp. 1-4.
Literature Circles
“You can have a written conversation while sitting side by side in real time, passing notes back and forth, or in letter form, where writers send “mail” for readers to answer when they get time” (Daniels, 2006, p.14).
I happen to use literature circles in my classroom. I also assign different roles for each student in the group; this is my way of making sure that everyone participates. I do not give students a standard worksheet or prompts of what they should write or talk about, but I allow them to explore the novel and put their ideas on post-its. I do like the idea of writing little notes to each other. I think this strategy is an excellent means to get reluctant and reserved students to participate in their group. I will expand this strategy to other areas of my English class. I also like the idea of creating a partnership with students and having them write about what they do and don’t understand about the lesson. This is a terrific way to assess student-understanding as I read or have students share their notes. What a great way to keep students engaged!
Daniels, H. (2006). What’s the next best thing with literature circles?. Voices from the Middle 13 (4), pp. 10-15.
Newmark: Navigating between YA & Classic Lit
Although I am still a firm believer in teaching classic literature to adolescents, I have seen my students yearn for a “mirror” to better understand their lives, and classic literature, unless explicitly tied to other texts, cannot provide this “mirror” for urban adolescents to explore their identities and the communities to which they belong. Gibbons et al. (2006) argues that Young Adult literature is, in fact, the mirror students long for, and finds that “part of the problem, as most teachers are fully aware, is that the classics are often too distant from our students’ experiences or the reading level is too difficult” (Kaywell in Gibbons et al., 2006, p. 56). When students do not read at grade level and we ask them to analyze a text that is levels above—and too far from their own lives—are we asking something unreasonable of our students? Perhaps.
Yet, “part of the problem of students’ dislike of classic literature may—I’m hedging here—lie in outmoded and uninspiring methods of teaching that literature (Hipple, 1996, p. 16). If we choose classic texts that are at or near our students’ reading level, and we manage to develop lessons that evoke thought and feeling, that allow for reflection and interaction with peers, perhaps, the teaching of classic literature can be saved. Its purpose will be two-fold: students will learn to work within a community to problem-solve, to ask for help, to teach one another, and students will learn to value “windows” to people, cultures, and language other than their own.
In a unit on Romeo and Juliet, my students adapted scenes to contemporary settings, and to do this, they had to understand and appreciate Shakespearian language—they had to “translate” his language into their own and to navigate the similarities and differences. They saw the usefulness of each discourse and learned to travel between two vastly different times and people. Not only did they have a ball developing and performing their plays, they also learned the value and purpose of multiple discourses. Although they had difficulty reading the play at certain points, when working as a group, they took to the challenge. Furthermore, what appeared as “vastly different” people became as real and relevant to them as characters from their own lives.
Teaching Romeo and Juliet was not all fun and games. When we were not role-playing, there was some moaning and groaning, especially because we read the play slowly and they began to lose interest over time. Next year, I would pair it with Street Love by Walter Dean Myers, and in doing so, my students will once again be able to connect their own lives, their own language, to that of Shakespeare. They will come to see that poetry is poetry, no matter what century it is written in. I think the key to reviving classic literature is to ensure that students are involved in authentic and “inspiring” projects while also providing that “mirror” adolescents so desperately need in their search for the self.
References
Gibbons, L. C., Dail, J. S. & Stallworth, B. J. (Summer, 2006). Young adult literature in the English
curriculum today: Classroom teachers speak out. The Alan review, 33 (3), 53-61.
Hipple, T. (March, 1996). It's the THAT, teacher. English journal, 86 (3), 15-17.
Yet, “part of the problem of students’ dislike of classic literature may—I’m hedging here—lie in outmoded and uninspiring methods of teaching that literature (Hipple, 1996, p. 16). If we choose classic texts that are at or near our students’ reading level, and we manage to develop lessons that evoke thought and feeling, that allow for reflection and interaction with peers, perhaps, the teaching of classic literature can be saved. Its purpose will be two-fold: students will learn to work within a community to problem-solve, to ask for help, to teach one another, and students will learn to value “windows” to people, cultures, and language other than their own.
In a unit on Romeo and Juliet, my students adapted scenes to contemporary settings, and to do this, they had to understand and appreciate Shakespearian language—they had to “translate” his language into their own and to navigate the similarities and differences. They saw the usefulness of each discourse and learned to travel between two vastly different times and people. Not only did they have a ball developing and performing their plays, they also learned the value and purpose of multiple discourses. Although they had difficulty reading the play at certain points, when working as a group, they took to the challenge. Furthermore, what appeared as “vastly different” people became as real and relevant to them as characters from their own lives.
Teaching Romeo and Juliet was not all fun and games. When we were not role-playing, there was some moaning and groaning, especially because we read the play slowly and they began to lose interest over time. Next year, I would pair it with Street Love by Walter Dean Myers, and in doing so, my students will once again be able to connect their own lives, their own language, to that of Shakespeare. They will come to see that poetry is poetry, no matter what century it is written in. I think the key to reviving classic literature is to ensure that students are involved in authentic and “inspiring” projects while also providing that “mirror” adolescents so desperately need in their search for the self.
References
Gibbons, L. C., Dail, J. S. & Stallworth, B. J. (Summer, 2006). Young adult literature in the English
curriculum today: Classroom teachers speak out. The Alan review, 33 (3), 53-61.
Hipple, T. (March, 1996). It's the THAT, teacher. English journal, 86 (3), 15-17.
Monday, July 28, 2008
Book Trailers and Literature Circles, gee I've got a lot to learn--Jeannine Green
About Book Trailers
Throughout the process, I guide students in how to ensure their product conveys their intended meaning. I teach multimodal composition—ways of working with multiple modes to create a rich compelling product…. Once they have a clear plan for their trailers, students receive written “entrance tickets” for the computer lab. Instructional time within the lab, or in the classroom if we’re lucky enough to gain access to a cart of laptops, is not about where to point and click. This is not because I believe that our students are digital natives (Prensky, 2001) who already know the tools and will be successful with the taks because it involves a computer. It is because our planning leads students to…focus on content as opposed to bells and whistles. (Kajder, 2008, p. 13)
Kajder, S. (2008). The book trailer: Engaging teens through technologies. Educational
Leadership: 65 (6), 1-4
The process this Kajder’s quote speaks of is the process of creating book trailers. Initially when I learned about the process of creating a book trailer as a form of giving a book talk, I thought of it simply as a way to utilize computer technology; hence, I thought it was simply a gimmick. Kajder says that the usage of the computer is not the objective of the lesson; instead, the idea is to help students have an alternate way to present the take away message about a book they have read or to give their inner thoughts about a book. I am among those teachers who complain about the lack of access to technology my students have. Kajder says in essence that the meat of the work of the book trailer project occurs away from technology. Technology becomes the minor end process.
As I look as Kajder’s preparation process for the book trailer, I recognize multiple entry points to touch on those items required by the New York State Performance Standards for English Language Arts. Likewise, I can imagine how engaged the students will be in building a blueprint for the final result while improving writing skills, reading skills and persuasive skills. This preparation process for the final book trailer project can actually be thought of as a disguise for the hard part of the job without students realizing it since ultimately their focus is on the final end product. It’s like walking up a demanding hill not thinking about the journey itself but what you expect to find at the top. It’s the thought of the top that makes the journey less daunting.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
About Literature Circles
In the early days, Literature Circles were promoted…as a kind of if-you-build-it-they-will-come proposition. If you trained the groups properly, kids would do the reading….We now realize that peer-led reading groups need much more than a good launching; they require constant coaching and training by a very active teacher who uses minilessons and debriefings to help kids hone skills…. (Daniels, 2006, p. 13)
Daniels, H. (2006). What’s the next big thing with literature circles. Voices from the Middle
13(4) 10-15.
As a new teacher, I am still learning how to design literature circles for my tenth grade English classes. What I take away from Daniels’ quote is that the learning process of how to utilize literature circles effectively is continual. Learning how to function in a literature circle is not something that is understood instantly and can thus function on its own. It is a continual work in progress for the students and for the teacher. Visiting a You Tube video of how literature circles work, what struck me the most was the outrageous comments written beneath this video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SykNmAFrFY4). At first I was angered by the comments then I realized as I read these comments that there is an assumption that people (teachers) should know everything they need to know by the time they reach the classroom. This made me think that there is this belief that learning is stagnant, that it reaches one specific point and from there it does not go any further. I realize that I initially suffered from this same sort of thinking as a first year teacher. I believed that once I taught a lesson, or a unit, then the lesson was learned for life; therefore, I never needed to revisit it. My goal was to just cover as much stuff as possible. I have since learned to drop this thinking. Likewise, I think literature circles need room for expansion and exploration.
Response to Readings" Sophia is too liberal
Suzanne M. Kauer explores the issue of censoring adolescent literature. Her position seeks to invite and encourage parental involvement while maintaining that certain literature is simply too imporant to remove from the classroom. She attempts to reconcile the families' belief systems with her desire to teach literature. I take this quote very seriously because I often find myself pushing the envelope with some of the texts that I read aloud in the classroom. She writes:
"A book in which an adolescent hires a prostitute would definitely fall under the category of "not part of Mormon values."
I find the balance between literary merit and smut to be precarious because I read Henry Miller, Anais Nin, and such for both. I have to realize that my love of certain literature does not translate into a middle school classroom, but the reality is that of the greatest works of literature, sex, sexuality, human development, love, regret, and despair are always present. That is the attitude that I take with me into the classrooms. I understand, and agree with Kauer that we must "concede that parents have a right to decide what their children will or will not read." Moreover, Kauer notes that the "dark side of humanity" is important for adolescent readers to experience. I think parents should be involved with their child's education, but I would have to argue that teachers should be the judges of what is taught in the classroom, ultimately. It is easier for me to argue this from my position, though, because my experience with parental involvement is nearly nonexistent. Yet, for those parents that want to stand at a schoolboard meeting and argue against Catcher, (Ulysses, Tropic of Cancer, and "Howl"), I say its a relevant and important debate to have over literature; it speaks to the ultimtae lesson that I hope my students would learn: texts, in historical contexts particularly, have power, a power to change the way people think in a certain time period or culture. I am resisting the urge to enter into a discussion of the canon vis-à-vis Guillory or Greene because I do not think it is a teacher's responsibility to defend the literary canon to a parent nor do we often control what is in our secondary curriculum let alone what students face once they enter college. Despite my similar concerns to Kauer, I think she is right to pose an alternative and reflect on the question: Why do we choose to teach certain texts in the classroom?
"A book in which an adolescent hires a prostitute would definitely fall under the category of "not part of Mormon values."
I find the balance between literary merit and smut to be precarious because I read Henry Miller, Anais Nin, and such for both. I have to realize that my love of certain literature does not translate into a middle school classroom, but the reality is that of the greatest works of literature, sex, sexuality, human development, love, regret, and despair are always present. That is the attitude that I take with me into the classrooms. I understand, and agree with Kauer that we must "concede that parents have a right to decide what their children will or will not read." Moreover, Kauer notes that the "dark side of humanity" is important for adolescent readers to experience. I think parents should be involved with their child's education, but I would have to argue that teachers should be the judges of what is taught in the classroom, ultimately. It is easier for me to argue this from my position, though, because my experience with parental involvement is nearly nonexistent. Yet, for those parents that want to stand at a schoolboard meeting and argue against Catcher, (Ulysses, Tropic of Cancer, and "Howl"), I say its a relevant and important debate to have over literature; it speaks to the ultimtae lesson that I hope my students would learn: texts, in historical contexts particularly, have power, a power to change the way people think in a certain time period or culture. I am resisting the urge to enter into a discussion of the canon vis-à-vis Guillory or Greene because I do not think it is a teacher's responsibility to defend the literary canon to a parent nor do we often control what is in our secondary curriculum let alone what students face once they enter college. Despite my similar concerns to Kauer, I think she is right to pose an alternative and reflect on the question: Why do we choose to teach certain texts in the classroom?
Writing as a "Communicative Act"
“Writers who have real audiences listening and responding to their writing learn firsthand how writing is a communicative act; they learn to take responsibility for their words, to defend and modify them based on reactions from the real people sitting around them.”
I must admit that blogs seem to be supplanting older methods of introducing writing in the classroom. Such an activity could be invaluable to the growth of a student in terms of stimulating learning, and notably writing, beyond an academic setting. My one concern is that it would be dangerous to tell students that writing is a “communicative act.” While I fully understand the point that Kadjer is trying to make in saying that students take a more active role in the writing process if they feel valued, I am not sure that it is beneficial to think of writing as a “communicative act.” Surely students take responsibility for their words and learn to defend their statements, but my fear in treating writing as an act of communication is that students will provide personal opinions based on impulse rather than justifying the answer with textual support or other evidence. Without constant monitoring of a blog, students will have free reign to write as they please. I suppose that through direct instruction, students will learn how to compose well-written responses. In any event, it takes a highly motivated group to run an efficient blog that demands students to work on the craft of writing. The majority of blogs that I see on the web deal almost exclusively with personal reflection and venting societal, political, or economic concerns. To successfully transition students from these kinds of blogs to perhaps a more structured blog, provided within the English class, it would be important to teach students the importance of defending arguments based on rational explanation derived from sources rather than allow them the freedom to speak their minds without justifying statements with direct evidence.
Kajder, S. (2008). The book trailer: engaging teens through technologies. Educational Leadership 65(6).
“All trailers have to include the title of the book, the author’s name, and a presentation that is both authentic to the text and that works to ‘hook’ readers. I also require students to submit their trailers with a piece of writing that explores the choices they made, with an analysis of the book that shows they made decisions on the basis of the text, and not just by using the aspects of technology that would best captivate an audience.”
This notion of a “hook” reminded me of thesis statements. This process of getting students to captivate an audience could provide vital insight into understanding how to formulate effective thesis statements, which is incredibly difficult to teach adults let alone teens. As for the piece of writing that students must submit, I feel that if this assignment is framed in the proper light, most students will invest the time and energy in ensuring its completion. That is to say, if the teacher makes this writing task seem like a laborious process rather than one that is meant to supplement the book trailer, students are likely to become displeased with the assignment. My advice for introducing this assignment is to tell students that they are architects of a master plan and they must provide the blueprint for future architects. In getting them to explore the choices they make, I would ask them write a kind of manual in documenting each and every step leading up to the book trailer. Not only would this be more enjoyable for the students, but it would solidify in their minds that they have mastered the process of making a book trailer.
Kadjer, S.B. (2007). Unleashing potential with emerging technologies. In K. Beers, R.E. Probst, and L. Rief (eds.), Adolescent literacy: turning promise into practice (213-229). Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
I must admit that blogs seem to be supplanting older methods of introducing writing in the classroom. Such an activity could be invaluable to the growth of a student in terms of stimulating learning, and notably writing, beyond an academic setting. My one concern is that it would be dangerous to tell students that writing is a “communicative act.” While I fully understand the point that Kadjer is trying to make in saying that students take a more active role in the writing process if they feel valued, I am not sure that it is beneficial to think of writing as a “communicative act.” Surely students take responsibility for their words and learn to defend their statements, but my fear in treating writing as an act of communication is that students will provide personal opinions based on impulse rather than justifying the answer with textual support or other evidence. Without constant monitoring of a blog, students will have free reign to write as they please. I suppose that through direct instruction, students will learn how to compose well-written responses. In any event, it takes a highly motivated group to run an efficient blog that demands students to work on the craft of writing. The majority of blogs that I see on the web deal almost exclusively with personal reflection and venting societal, political, or economic concerns. To successfully transition students from these kinds of blogs to perhaps a more structured blog, provided within the English class, it would be important to teach students the importance of defending arguments based on rational explanation derived from sources rather than allow them the freedom to speak their minds without justifying statements with direct evidence.
Kajder, S. (2008). The book trailer: engaging teens through technologies. Educational Leadership 65(6).
“All trailers have to include the title of the book, the author’s name, and a presentation that is both authentic to the text and that works to ‘hook’ readers. I also require students to submit their trailers with a piece of writing that explores the choices they made, with an analysis of the book that shows they made decisions on the basis of the text, and not just by using the aspects of technology that would best captivate an audience.”
This notion of a “hook” reminded me of thesis statements. This process of getting students to captivate an audience could provide vital insight into understanding how to formulate effective thesis statements, which is incredibly difficult to teach adults let alone teens. As for the piece of writing that students must submit, I feel that if this assignment is framed in the proper light, most students will invest the time and energy in ensuring its completion. That is to say, if the teacher makes this writing task seem like a laborious process rather than one that is meant to supplement the book trailer, students are likely to become displeased with the assignment. My advice for introducing this assignment is to tell students that they are architects of a master plan and they must provide the blueprint for future architects. In getting them to explore the choices they make, I would ask them write a kind of manual in documenting each and every step leading up to the book trailer. Not only would this be more enjoyable for the students, but it would solidify in their minds that they have mastered the process of making a book trailer.
Kadjer, S.B. (2007). Unleashing potential with emerging technologies. In K. Beers, R.E. Probst, and L. Rief (eds.), Adolescent literacy: turning promise into practice (213-229). Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
The Sometimes Hidden Power in Book Trailers and Audiobooks
“Having students create trailers instead of giving traditional presentations opens up the modes and media students can use to communicate. Students can use images, motion or special effects, a recorded soundtrack, and print text to share their thinking, their interpretations, and their critiques of the books they read.”
One of the key skills that can be developed in English class is communication. By giving students the opportunity to create book trailers, communication is emphasized in multiple modes. As an English teacher, I want my students to be proficient in communicating in a variety of ways. The use of book trailers not only enables the classroom environment to be more engaging and interactive but also calls upon students to demonstrate several skills. In addition to developing their communication skills, students also will inevitably access their creative, critical, and independent thinking skills when producing a book trailer. Students essentially have to identify key aspects of literature, piece together the aspects in somewhat cohesive ways, and accompany the aspects with images, sounds, and text to capture the interests of others. If students were simply asked to interpret or analyze novels that they read, there would likely be some resistance and the activity may not fully access the students’ thinking. However, with a book trailer, it is possible that students will be so interested in the dynamism of the activity that they will not be as resistant to the process and will freely access their creative and critical thinking skills without being entirely aware of it. In short, this technology would allow for students to expand their creative, critical, and independent thinking skills while communicating with their peers in multiple modes.
Kajder, S. (2008). The book trailer: engaging teens through technologies. Educational Leadership, 65(6), 20.
“Students should be able to listen and find the magic of interpretation as actors read aloud or participate in dramatizations based on the finest young adult literature.”
Audiobooks can be highly effective in classrooms because reading is modeled for students and the emotions of characters are on display. I found that an audiobook for Romeo and Juliet was especially effective because it enabled students to better understand Shakespeare’s language and to improve their pronunciation skills. Also, allowing students to focus on the actions of characters rather than the language helped to clarify difficult moments in the plot. Overall, I feel that students felt more comfortable with reading Shakespeare after they were repeatedly exposed to the language.
However, I have also found that the pacing in other audiobooks is too fast for students and does not allow them to fully process the reading. After realizing that an audiobook for The Color of Water had fast pacing, did not follow the exact words of the text, and, at times, omitted large passages of the text, I used it only in a supplementary way. In fact, I have never fully replaced my reading and my students’ readings of a text with an audiobook because I want students to improve their own reading skills and not rely on the readings of others. Thus, I typically use audiobooks in a supplementary way. Interestingly, I found that since the audiobook for The Color of Water omitted large passages, I could use this as a learning tool to question my students as to why certain passages were left out. I wanted students to recognize that the audiobook was focusing on main ideas and discarding some of the smaller details, and I had students look at a chapter and identify the main ideas and then observe whether or not the audiobook focused on the same pieces of information.
Weiss, M.J. (2008). The sounds of stories. The Alan Review, 35(3), 79.
One of the key skills that can be developed in English class is communication. By giving students the opportunity to create book trailers, communication is emphasized in multiple modes. As an English teacher, I want my students to be proficient in communicating in a variety of ways. The use of book trailers not only enables the classroom environment to be more engaging and interactive but also calls upon students to demonstrate several skills. In addition to developing their communication skills, students also will inevitably access their creative, critical, and independent thinking skills when producing a book trailer. Students essentially have to identify key aspects of literature, piece together the aspects in somewhat cohesive ways, and accompany the aspects with images, sounds, and text to capture the interests of others. If students were simply asked to interpret or analyze novels that they read, there would likely be some resistance and the activity may not fully access the students’ thinking. However, with a book trailer, it is possible that students will be so interested in the dynamism of the activity that they will not be as resistant to the process and will freely access their creative and critical thinking skills without being entirely aware of it. In short, this technology would allow for students to expand their creative, critical, and independent thinking skills while communicating with their peers in multiple modes.
Kajder, S. (2008). The book trailer: engaging teens through technologies. Educational Leadership, 65(6), 20.
“Students should be able to listen and find the magic of interpretation as actors read aloud or participate in dramatizations based on the finest young adult literature.”
Audiobooks can be highly effective in classrooms because reading is modeled for students and the emotions of characters are on display. I found that an audiobook for Romeo and Juliet was especially effective because it enabled students to better understand Shakespeare’s language and to improve their pronunciation skills. Also, allowing students to focus on the actions of characters rather than the language helped to clarify difficult moments in the plot. Overall, I feel that students felt more comfortable with reading Shakespeare after they were repeatedly exposed to the language.
However, I have also found that the pacing in other audiobooks is too fast for students and does not allow them to fully process the reading. After realizing that an audiobook for The Color of Water had fast pacing, did not follow the exact words of the text, and, at times, omitted large passages of the text, I used it only in a supplementary way. In fact, I have never fully replaced my reading and my students’ readings of a text with an audiobook because I want students to improve their own reading skills and not rely on the readings of others. Thus, I typically use audiobooks in a supplementary way. Interestingly, I found that since the audiobook for The Color of Water omitted large passages, I could use this as a learning tool to question my students as to why certain passages were left out. I wanted students to recognize that the audiobook was focusing on main ideas and discarding some of the smaller details, and I had students look at a chapter and identify the main ideas and then observe whether or not the audiobook focused on the same pieces of information.
Weiss, M.J. (2008). The sounds of stories. The Alan Review, 35(3), 79.
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