TeachersFirst's Audio Books with Text
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These educator-reviewed resources from TeachersFirst offer audio books with accompanying text so all students, including emerging readers and ESL/ELL learners, can experience literature and other reading selections in audio form as they reinforce and inspire literacy skills and enjoyment. Be sure to explore each site, as many include multiple types of activities, including the audio books and texts. 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. See TeachersFirst's full collection of audio book resources and interactive audio book resources for other options.
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Unite for Literacy Library - Unite for Literacy
Grades
K to 8
5 Favorites
0 Comments
The Unite for Literacy Library offers many online books for young readers with audio. Browse through the home page to choose books to read from the library shelves. Narrow down ...more
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The Unite for Literacy Library offers many online books for young readers with audio. Browse through the home page to choose books to read from the library shelves. Narrow down your choices using picture icons for different themes such as animals or families. Select and click a book to read. Click the speaker icon to hear each page. The narration is also available in many languages from Arabic to Vietnamese.
tag(s): audio books (28), independent reading (129), preK (290)
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 ESL/ELL 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. World language teachers can use this site to have students listen to books in the language they are learning.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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Mighty Book - Mighty Book
Grades
K to 3
2 Favorites
0 Comments
Engage young children in this colorful site, packed with songs, interactive books, art and music interactives, and emergent reading activities. Reaching a wide range of grades, this...more
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Engage young children in this colorful site, packed with songs, interactive books, art and music interactives, and emergent reading activities. Reaching a wide range of grades, this site offers over 50 different engaging activities. Visit the stories made by children. The free part of this site includes a great variety of topics: Boston Tea Party, alphabet, making mistakes, metamorphosis, Mars, a variety of popular children's songs, nouns, upper case and lower case, Beatrix Potter, jokes, Bach & Van Gogh, Mona and Beethoven, and much more! Some of the activities are also available in Spanish. There are extensive advertisements, so adults will need to help guide children away from them!
This site includes advertising.
This site includes advertising.
tag(s): alphabet (86), independent reading (129), preK (290), sight words (36), songs (53)
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.
This resource requires Adobe Flash and PDF reader software like Adobe Acrobat.
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Open Culture - Open Culture
Grades
4 to 12
8 Favorites
0 Comments
Explore 900 free audio books. Scroll to below the ads to see the actual booklist. This collection includes classics and contemporary literature. Books come in a variety of formats,...more
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Explore 900 free audio books. Scroll to below the ads to see the actual booklist. This collection includes classics and contemporary literature. Books come in a variety of formats, from e-files to MP3's to Youtube. The alphabetical list indicates which format or formats each book is available. This easy-to-read site is, however, cluttered with ads and links to other resources.
This site includes advertising.
This site includes advertising.
tag(s): audio books (28), independent reading (129)
In the Classroom
Students could download independent reading books onto their portable devices. This is perfect for a BYOD or 1:1 classroom. Remind students of this great collection before breaks and summer vacations! Provide this link on your class website. Begin a classroom review magazine. Have students create mindmaps about characters or the plot. Challenge students to write summaries and other types of responses to the books they read. Have the students use a tool like Zoho Show (similar to Powerpoint, but easier and free) - reviewed here. ESL and special education students may find it useful to listen to books they are reading in class, if those titles are available.
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Listen and Read: Reading Activities for Early Learners - Scholastic
Grades
K to 3
2 Favorites
0 Comments
This site offers short, non-fiction readings at two beginning levels of difficulty. You can read the story yourself or click to hear it line by line as you read. After ...more
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This site offers short, non-fiction readings at two beginning levels of difficulty. You can read the story yourself or click to hear it line by line as you read. After reading, choose a review activity such as hearing the vocabulary words again. The subjects include Community Workers, Animals, Environmental Studies, Social Studies, History, Civics & Government, and Plants & Flowers.
tag(s): audio books (28), guided reading (47), preK (290), vocabulary development (124)
In the Classroom
Use this site in early elementary grades to help students begin to read and interpret informational text (a key piece of Common Core). Because of its multiple levels, you can easily use this site to differentiate. Share the stories on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Assign each student a different community worker to learn about. Have the students learn three new facts about their community worker to share with the class during a social studies lesson on communities. Have your ESL/ELL or learning support students write their own comprehension questions and answers based on the information to check their own comprehension and to exchange with their classmates.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 3
1 Favorites
0 Comments
Songs, audio books, lesson plans, songs, and more abound at this fabulous site for young children! At We Do Listen you will find activities to build character traits (such as...more
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Songs, audio books, lesson plans, songs, and more abound at this fabulous site for young children! At We Do Listen you will find activities to build character traits (such as honesty) and social skills (such as anti-bullying). There are many audio books, with text included. Choose the lessons link to find printable lessons to accompany each book to teach character traits and social skills. There is also online coloring and a place to write and color your own story! Download song videos to your computer for use at any time. Choose the color and print your own book to color on paper, computer, and create stick and paper puppets.
This site includes advertising.
This site includes advertising.
tag(s): bullying (52), ebooks (42), preK (290), social skills (22)
In the Classroom
All primary classrooms should take advantage of this wonderful tool. Share the interactive books and 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. Shera the songs with your PE teacher to reinforce the concepts during movement activities.
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SMART Technology Sites - Arlys Peterson
Grades
K to 8
4 Favorites
0 Comments
This is an extensive "hotlist" of sites and lessons to be used on the SMART Board. In addition there are many tutorials to help you learn about the SMART Board. ...more
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This is an extensive "hotlist" of sites and lessons to be used on the SMART Board. In addition there are many tutorials to help you learn about the SMART Board. This collection covers mainly grades K-5 and all subject areas. However, there are also some resources for secondary level. The topics vary greatly, and the quantity of websites is impressive. Some items will require you to have Smart Board software installed on your computer to open the files. Some files will work using the SMART Notebook Express online viewer reviewed here. Some of the resources shared are created in the United Kingdom. American English speakers may notice some slight spelling differences. Please note: some of the resources are websites that could be used on any brand of interactive whiteboard (or computer) and are not strictly Smart Board resources.
tag(s): alphabet (86), audio books (28), grammar (210), human body (133), iwb (32), manipulatives (36), maps (298), money (186), order of operations (40), poetry (221), preK (290), probability (141), problem solving (295), resources (106), rounding (19), states (165)
In the Classroom
These lessons are great for the new SMART Board user or the seasoned pro. Stop and think before you start about how to use them in a student centered lesson, trying some of the lesson formats that help you avoid being "Vanna." View the lessons as is or use them to help you create your own lesson. Use the training videos to help your teaching peers and new SMART Board users learn how to use the SMART Board. Many of these tools could be used on any brand of Interactive Whiteboard.
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MeeGenius - David Park
Grades
K to 6
2 Favorites
0 Comments
MeeGenius has a free collection of on-line (audio) classic picture books for children. Listen to the stories read aloud or read them independently. The audio playback and word highlighting...more
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MeeGenius has a free collection of on-line (audio) classic picture books for children. Listen to the stories read aloud or read them independently. The audio playback and word highlighting makes these books perfect for the beginning reader. The currently available platforms for this online library include the Web, the iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Android, and Google TV. MeeGenius invites aspiring authors and illustrators to submit their own stories. Older students can use this site as a way to create books themselves.
Be aware: There are books for sale at this site. This review is for the "Free Books" only.
Be aware: There are books for sale at this site. This review is for the "Free Books" only.
In the Classroom
Expand your classroom library with MeeGenius digital books. Make a shortcut to MeeGenius on classroom computers and use the site as a listening and reading center. Let students practice reading independently while simultaneously building fluency skills. If you teach a world language, have your class listen to a story and then translate it into the language they are learning. Ask your students to visit the site and create their own personal versions of these classic tales. Be sure to include this site on your class web page for students to access both in and outside of class for further practice and enjoyment.
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Little Animation for Kids - Kids' Stories International
Grades
K to 2
0 Favorites
1 Comments
Little Animation for Kids provides children with resources to make them better stewards of the environment and citizens of the world while learning many other topics. This site has...more
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Little Animation for Kids provides children with resources to make them better stewards of the environment and citizens of the world while learning many other topics. This site has songs, games, stories, and activities to teach children how they can save the earth. Stories come from 'round the world. Even non-readers can navigate using the sound prompts.
tag(s): audio books (28), conservation (127), earth day (105), environment (323), preK (290), recycling (62)
In the Classroom
Use the story section to model how to write a story. Have students create their own environmental stories and submit them to the website. Using an interactive whiteboard, have students play one of many games. Bookmark the site on your classroom computer, and use it as a center during language arts time. Be sure to click Guide for additional classroom activities.
This resource requires Adobe Flash.
Comments
Magic Town is no longer available, as of 5 May 2013 when I looked. There is a new App called My Story World for ipad.Donna, IN, Grades: 0 - 8
Note from the editor: we checked this site on May 6, 2013 and it appears to be working fine. Thank you for your comment and we will keep our eyes on this site to make sure all is working properly.
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Zoodles - Mark Williamson & Rich Humphrey
Grades
K to 3
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0 Comments
Zoodles offers a safe web platform for kids that includes fun and educational games, videos, and activities. The BASIC membership to this tool includes countless activities in a variety...more
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Zoodles offers a safe web platform for kids that includes fun and educational games, videos, and activities. The BASIC membership to this tool includes countless activities in a variety of subject areas. Many of the activities come from other sites (Starfall, PBS kids, etc.). But this is a nice compilation of subjects and activities. The safety in this program is that once it is downloaded and opened, children don't view the regular computer toolbars anymore. Thus they can't search the web on their own. To exit the program, click QUIT and OK.
There is a parent play-along mode that helps guide learning experiences in a more personal way. Zoodles has been created to work on virtually any type of computer, including tablets and smart phones. Games are searchable by age (toddler to 8 yrs old), and subject. Many games will also have parent ratings with the educational and fun value of the activity. Creating an account is easy and requires simple user information including email and the child's age. This is used to populate age-appropriate games. There is a premium membership with more features.
This site includes advertising.
There is a parent play-along mode that helps guide learning experiences in a more personal way. Zoodles has been created to work on virtually any type of computer, including tablets and smart phones. Games are searchable by age (toddler to 8 yrs old), and subject. Many games will also have parent ratings with the educational and fun value of the activity. Creating an account is easy and requires simple user information including email and the child's age. This is used to populate age-appropriate games. There is a premium membership with more features.
This site includes advertising.
tag(s): addition (227), body systems (57), constitution (88), counting (113), grammar (210), numbers (197), operations (123), phonics (70), preK (290), subtraction (187)
In the Classroom
Create 2 or 3 (or more, as needed) classroom accounts with different age levels to provide diversity for students. Each account then be bookmarked on classroom computers for student use. Share this site through your classroom blog or newsletter as a resource for learning games at home. Use activities from the site on your interactive whiteboard or projector as a classroom activity. Provide this link to parents to use on rainy days or during the summer.
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Cookie - Cookie.com
Grades
K to 3
5 Favorites
0 Comments
Cookie is a large collection of learning games, videos, worksheets, and arts&crafts for preschool to early elementary. Find math, science, art, and language activities in many different...more
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Cookie is a large collection of learning games, videos, worksheets, and arts&crafts for preschool to early elementary. Find math, science, art, and language activities in many different formats. Search by subject, top games, and new releases. Pre-school and early elementary teachers will appreciate the many videos on the site for learning to write numbers and letters, learning body parts, and days of the week. There are interactives for students related to addition, colors, alphabet letters, and more.
tag(s): alphabet (86), audio books (28), colors (77), geometric shapes (173), matching (24), numbers (197), preK (290), puzzles (203), songs (53), worksheets (64)
In the Classroom
These interactives make great center activities to support learning. Or if individual computers aren't available, use your interactive whiteboard or projector. Consider using the IWB as a student-run center for pairs to take turns. There are numerous activities to choose from and differentiate for your students' needs. This is definitely one to save in your favorites (or bookmark). Be sure to share this link via your newsletter or list it on your class website, blog, or wiki. Use your TeachersFirst public page (part of free membership) to share with a single click!
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Highlights Kids Story Player - Highlights Magazine
Grades
1 to 5
5 Favorites
0 Comments
This site offers several original stories from Highlights Magazine. The stories feature audio, text, and beautiful illustrations. There is a wide variety offered, and the stories...more
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This site offers several original stories from Highlights Magazine. The stories feature audio, text, and beautiful illustrations. There is a wide variety offered, and the stories include both prose and poetry. You can also print page by page. Elementary aged ESL students and emerging readers will benefit from the double presentation of the stories both in text and orally. At the time of this review, there were five audio stories. All current stories are related to recent holidays and weather. Check back frequently as story choices may change along with the seasons. Don't miss the "Poetry Player" under the "Read it" tab for more readaloud options, including a Martin Luther King poem in January.
tag(s): audio books (28), holidays (141), martin luther king (36), reading comprehension (127)
In the Classroom
Share the stories on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Build oral reading expression with these examples, as well. Following this model, have your students select a favorite story or poem. After they make original pictures and/or graphics to go with the stories, have them record themselves reading the story page by page. Have students create an online book using a tool such as Bookemon reviewed here. Another options, have groups create videos and share them on a site such as TeacherTube reviewed here. Share the Bookemon books or videos on your class website. (Be sure to get parent permission.) Share the Highlights site on your class webpage for families to read together.
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Reep World - Arlilngton Education and Employment Program
Grades
1 to 5
1 Favorites
0 Comments
This site offers simple stories about real people for ESL/ELL students. You can listen to the story, look at the text, print out colorful story cards, and practice vocabulary. Although...more
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This site offers simple stories about real people for ESL/ELL students. You can listen to the story, look at the text, print out colorful story cards, and practice vocabulary. Although the focus is on immigrants, the simplicity of the stories makes them good models for ESL/ELL writing practice and project development. In addition to the stories, there is an extensive section on health issues, including lessons on the body, emergencies, healthy lifestyles, medicines, food, and health problems. The curriculum for adults page contains useful information on lesson planning, reading and writing integration, family literacy, performance objectives, goal-setting, and assessment.
This site includes advertising.
This site includes advertising.
In the Classroom
To help your weaker readers and ESL/ELL students, share the vocabulary words prior to reading, either on a handout or by projecting on an interactive whiteboard. Highlight the words in the text as you come to them. Use this site when teaching health issues to newly arrived ESL/ELL students and special education students. Use the personal stories, story cards, and photos on this site as models for projects your students may do about their family members.
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My Young Child - Early Parenting Foundation
Grades
K to 3
0 Favorites
0 Comments
Find online stories to read with young children and help build values. Each title states the value taught: honesty, patience, self-esteem, respect, forgiveness, and fairness. Stories...more
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Find online stories to read with young children and help build values. Each title states the value taught: honesty, patience, self-esteem, respect, forgiveness, and fairness. Stories can be read together or children can watch a video and follow along with the story. The site includes a section for parents with tips on reading with children and promoting good values. The educators section of the site has tips for using the site in the classroom and includes more ideas for parents.
tag(s): bullying (52), child development (26), literacy (107), parent conferences (23), parents (57)
In the Classroom
These short videos/audio books are perfect to share on your interactive whiteboard or projector during class meeting or lesson on honesty or other character values. Share this site on your classroom website or newsletters for students to access at home and to share reading tips with parents. Videos can be embedded on your website or blog for review. This is a winner to share at parent conferences in primary grades!
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ESL Bits - Skip Reske
Grades
5 to 12
3 Favorites
1 Comments
Don't let the title mislead you! Find listening and reading activities for any listener who enjoys audio stories at a teen and adult level, including the advanced English language learner....more
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Don't let the title mislead you! Find listening and reading activities for any listener who enjoys audio stories at a teen and adult level, including the advanced English language learner. There are short stories, books, radio scripts, and songs to listen to and read, as well as English idioms, sayings, and slang. You'll also find a Reading Comprehension and Test Preparation area with interactive activities to help students read and understand English and prepare for reading exams. Unlike many audio book sites, this one includes recent and popular selections for almost anyone, including teachers and parents! Don't miss classic radio shows perfect for discovering life in 20th century decades past.
tag(s): listening (88), radio (26), reading comprehension (127), short stories (25), test prep (98)
In the Classroom
Project a story or song on an interactive whiteboard or projector for group listening, reading along, and discussion. Literature teachers can use the site for a class novel, so lower readers can have audio support at home for listening and review. You could have small groups of students listen to different short stories, and make up Bloom's type questions for the next group of students to answer, or they could turn the story into a Reader's Theater piece and video tape it, or perform it live for the class. Share the videos using a tool such as SchoolTube reviewed here. This is a terrific site to list on your class website for students to use for at-home practice or enjoyment. For elementary and middle school students, you will want to provide the specific url for the selection you want them to use so they are reading articles appropriate in content for their age group. If you supervise a study hall, keep this link handy as a listening option for students who "don't have any homework."Comments
Excellent resource!alma grimaldi, , Grades: 7 - 9
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ABCya - ABCYA.com, l.l.c,
Grades
K to 5
12 Favorites
0 Comments
ABCya.com, developed by a web developer turned computer teacher, provides educational games, videos, and activities for elementary students. Nearly every subject is included. Simply...more
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ABCya.com, developed by a web developer turned computer teacher, provides educational games, videos, and activities for elementary students. Nearly every subject is included. Simply click on your grade level (K-5) and find what is available under language arts, math, and other subjects. Specific topics range from basic typing activities to creating word clouds to grammar games (at all levels) and so much more. The interactives are teacher approved and offer colorful and attention grabbing ways for learning. Opportunities for sharing on Facebook, tweeting, and sharing on social bookmarking sites are incorporated. This is a MUST SEE site for elementary teachers looking for some great practice sites for basic skills!
tag(s): alphabet (86), decimals (125), drawing (75), fractions (229), game based learning (138), geometric shapes (173), keyboarding (40), latitude (15), literacy (107), longitude (15), number sense (96), numbers (197), operations (123), preK (290)
In the Classroom
Share this site on your interactive whiteboard or projector, demonstrate how to use the specific tool/activity. Create a learning center AT the whiteboard or on individual laptops and allow students to try it out on their own. List this as a student and parent resource on your classroom website. Use this site to informally assess skills to tell you which students to allow to do alternative work or go ahead. Allow your gifted students to explore new concepts while providing necessary reinforcement for those learners that need a technology-inspired method to help master learning goals. This is an excellent tool for differentiating. Provide as an anticipatory guide for new units.
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News English Lessons - Sean Banville
Grades
4 to 12
5 Favorites
0 Comments
This site, created by Australian Sean Banville of "Breaking News English" (reviewed here), has high interest, "easier" news for students to read and...more
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This site, created by Australian Sean Banville of "Breaking News English" (reviewed here), has high interest, "easier" news for students to read and many teaching materials to go with them. Though the look of the site is cluttered with advertising and plain text, the content is worthwhile. Developed for ESL/ELL students and teachers, the site would also work well in a subject area, learning support, or reading classroom. There are MANY articles "ready to go," including mp3 audio files to listen to the articles. At the time of this review there were 200+ new additions! Each article includes several types of activities such as "online gap fill" (a Cloze reading activity), vocabulary flashcards, and hangman, and matching. A full script is available in pdf form. There is also an online, interactive quiz for students. The articles, and a lot more activities, can be downloaded and printed, too.
This site includes advertising.
This site includes advertising.
In the Classroom
The articles are short and interesting, a perfect match for non-fiction reading comprehension. With so many different activities to choose from, it will be easy for the classroom teacher to differentiate. There is an mp3 audio version of each article so students can listen as they read. Assign small groups of students to present the news each week, using the interactive whiteboard to show others the country and city from which the article originated. Make the newscasting experience even more real by having students read scripts of these news stories or their own original stories using a Easyprompter, reviewed here. Students can then go to another news source such as 4 News Wall, reviewed here, to see what else is happening in the news. For a project, have the small groups create a "talking map" using a site such as Zeemaps, reviewed here. This site allows students to create audio recordings AND choose a location (where their article/story took place). What a fabulous way to share the article with the rest of the class!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Little Lilly Polka Dot - Wendy Grimm
Grades
K to 1
0 Favorites
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This site offers several resources for early readers including alphabet learning tools, number matches, and a story book. In Learning Tools, students roll over letters of the alphabet...more
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This site offers several resources for early readers including alphabet learning tools, number matches, and a story book. In Learning Tools, students roll over letters of the alphabet to hear the letter names (turn up the speakers). The games portion has a very simple number puzzle to put numbers 1-4 into place. The activities section has printable coloring pages. Be sure to check out the book, a story about Lilly Polka Dot and her fear of going to the doctor. The book provides audio or the sound can be turned off for someone else to read.
In the Classroom
Share the book on your interactive whiteboard or projector during a health unit for students to learn that going to the doctor isn't scary. Create links to the alphabet and number activities on classroom computers for students to practice. Write (and decorate) your own Lilly Polka Dot stories. Provide this link on your class website for students (and parents) to easily access at home.
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22Frames.com - 22frames.com
Grades
5 to 12
5 Favorites
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This site aggregates all types of videos from around the world. Captioning makes these enhanced YouTube videos accessible to English language learners, speakers of different languages,...more
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This site aggregates all types of videos from around the world. Captioning makes these enhanced YouTube videos accessible to English language learners, speakers of different languages, and those who need language support in general. You can search for videos by categories which are constantly being updated. Find current events, music, and more. In addition to offering the captioning with the news clips, all news items offer "tags" to provide some important vocabulary. Also, there are separate sections on the website for common mispronunciations, idioms, and slang, targeted specifically at ESL/ELL students. You should preview and preselect the videos rather than allowing students to randomly search at this site, since some content may not be fitting for your classroom. Many schools block YouTube, so verify availability at school.
This site includes advertising.
This site includes advertising.
tag(s): hearing impaired (6), news (260)
In the Classroom
If filtering blocks your at-school access, use a tool such as KeepVid reviewed here to convert online videos such as the ones you find on YouTube into a portable format you can play at school. World language students will enjoy hearing the news in other languages, but also seeing the English translations. If you have students in your classroom who are reading below grade level, have them watch the video twice: once to listen to the words, and the second time to read along with the dialog. Have students view these sample videos and then work in cooperative learning groups to create their own videos on topics they are currently learning in science, current events, or nearly any other subject area. Share the videos using a site such as TeacherTube reviewed here. High school social studies classes can compare news coverage from different countries/cultures about the same event to analyze the "spin" or bias.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Audio Stories - Beenleigh State School
Grades
K to 5
1 Favorites
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This massive collection of links to 221 audio stories includes tales, poems, music, fairy tales, riddles, and folk tales. Presented by an Australian school, the selections target listeners...more
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This massive collection of links to 221 audio stories includes tales, poems, music, fairy tales, riddles, and folk tales. Presented by an Australian school, the selections target listeners From Year 1 to Year 7 in the Australian educational system. Once listeners select a story, the link goes to any number of other sites with recorded stories, so the load time and type of graphics vary; some stories also feature related activities. Given the sheer size of the collection, it would not be surprising if a few links did not work, but most seem to be functional.
tag(s): listening (88)
In the Classroom
Share these audio stories on your interactive whiteboard or projector(with speakers!). Allow students to explore this site during reading centers. (Don't forget the headsets.) Offer this link on your class website for students to visit at home. Use this site to share stories from around the world as listening activities or as tie-ins to geography study.
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Just Free Books - justfreebooks.info
Grades
2 to 12
4 Favorites
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This site is an aggregator for most of the known digital libraries including Gutenberg, Google Books, Wikibooks, and archive.org. Entering search terms like "children's books," for...more
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This site is an aggregator for most of the known digital libraries including Gutenberg, Google Books, Wikibooks, and archive.org. Entering search terms like "children's books," for example, leads to a list of links that offer free online reads. Other features include books in other formats including those that upload to many different players including PDF, TXT, MS Reader, MS Word and ODT, RTF, Palm Reader eBooks, Html, Epub, Kindle, Mobipocket, Isilo, Audio books, Plucker, and more. Besides searching in "only English," you can also select Spanish, French, and/or Portuguese to search for books in those languages. In addition to the digital collection, there are also featured, donated books.
tag(s): literature (272)
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. ESL and SPED students may benefit from being able to hear or see books in a different way. Use these texts 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.
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