TeachersFirst's Interactive Audio Books
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These educator-reviewed resources from TeachersFirst offer audio books in interactive form so all students, including emerging readers and ESL/ELL learners, can experience reading with audio and visual prompts or interactivity to reinforce and inspire literacy skills and enjoyment as they read. Be sure to explore each site, as many include multiple types of activities, including the interactive books. The helpful reviews suggest ideas for ways to use the interactive 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 collection of audio books with accompanying text.
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Ziggity Zoom - Ziggity Zoom LLC
Grades
K to 3This site includes advertising.
tag(s): crafts (39), digital storytelling (151), interactive stories (30), preK (284), puzzles (205), video (269)
In the Classroom
Introduce Ziggity Zoom on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Then have students explore this site independently. Be sure to show them how to AVOID the many advertisements! Make a shortcut to individual activities on classroom computers and use it as a center. Include this site on your class web page for students and parents to access at home. Explore this site to find crafts and activities for classroom use.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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Mighty Book - Mighty Book
Grades
K to 3This site includes advertising.
tag(s): alphabet (84), independent reading (123), preK (284), 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.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), ebooks (39), preK (284), social skills (23)
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. 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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SMART Technology Sites - Arlys Peterson
Grades
K to 8tag(s): alphabet (84), audio books (22), grammar (208), human body (133), iwb (32), manipulatives (25), maps (292), money (184), order of operations (40), poetry (222), preK (284), probability (135), problem solving (294), resources (103), rounding (18), states (161)
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.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Little Animation for Kids - Kids' Stories International
Grades
K to 2tag(s): audio books (22), conservation (122), earth day (104), environment (321), preK (284), recycling (59)
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.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 3There 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 (224), body systems (59), constitution (89), counting (110), grammar (208), numbers (191), operations (119), phonics (68), preK (284), subtraction (186)
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.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Cookie - Cookie.com
Grades
K to 3tag(s): alphabet (84), audio books (22), colors (78), geometric shapes (167), matching (23), numbers (191), preK (284), puzzles (205), songs (53), worksheets (62)
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!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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BookRix - Gunner Siewert
Grades
3 to 12tag(s): audio books (22), creative writing (170), writing (364)
In the Classroom
There are several ways you can use this site. For young readers and writers: Select a story from the children's book area. Use your whiteboard or projector and select a story to read with your students. Then as a class, have the students change the ending of the story, or write a sequel. You can then publish this class book on BookRix. Older students can publish their poems, short stories, current event articles, persuasive writing for an issue they are into... for free. Some teachers have their students write novels for National Novel Writing Month, and at BookRix they will be able to publish them. Don't miss the great collection of audio books at TeachersFirst, found here.Books are tagged, so you can search by keywords. You can also go to the "Books" tab and search by "Popular Categories." Click on the "See all" to find the "Children's Books" category. If your intent is to publish yours or your student's writing, then you will need to know how to navigate the site. You have three choices for the book format: text only, illustrated book, and audio book.
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Library of Congress Read.gov - Library of Congress
Grades
K to 12A special feature of the site is an exclusive story, called "The Exquisite Corpse Adventure." The Exquisite Corpse was a game in which someone would start a story, fold over their part, and the next person would add to the story and on it would go until the last person ended the story. For this Exquisite Corpse, Jon Scieszka started the story and passed it on to Katherine Patterson, who passed it on . . . and so it goes for 18 episodes. The entire story will take a year to write to the finish. There is an illustration that goes with each segment.
In the Classroom
Check out "The Exquisite Corpse Adventure" and have students listen to the stories. As a challenge ask students to look at the differences in writing style for each of the authors. Project a chart about the plot and the writing style on your interactive whiteboard or projector, and have students list the differences and similarities in writing style. Students could also keep a chart of similarities and differences for the illustrators. Another idea for an activity is to have the students read the poem "If" by Rudyard Kipling and then have them read the very touching national contest winner letter to the author about his poem. Students could then write their own letters to an author of a favorite book or poem. Extend student learning and have students create podcasts to read their letters to the authors using a site such as PodOmatic,reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Tar Heel Reader - University of North Caroline
Grades
K to 12** This site does contain some materials NOT suitable for all classrooms. Be sure to read the "rating" system, and contribute your own opinions (as the ratings are only as reliable as the pool of contributing voters). Books rated 'E' are meant for everyone but a 'C' means to use caution as it may not be proper material for some. Determine what titles are suitable and save them to the favorites file for students to access.
tag(s): literacy (104)
In the Classroom
Increase your big book collection ten fold by projecting Tar Heel Readers onto an interactive whiteboard or projector. Use interactive shared reading lessons to strengthen student recognition of common sight words, concepts of print, decoding skills, and use syntax cues and unlock the meaning of text. Ask students to circle known sight words, count the number of words in a sentence, trace capital letters, or point to the first letter of a word during a choral read. Help ESL/ELL students by creating books out of photos from class field trips, events, or experiments. Integrate text that uses key vocabulary words and creates reading materials that are both relevant to grade level curricular standards and match your student's readability level. All books you publish on the web site are public domain and available to all other users. Be sure to get parent permission before publishing student books on-line. In order to create a book, users will need to register. Unfortunately, this requires users to email gb@cs.unc.edu to request of an invitation code. With this code, simply create a username, submit your name, and email address. Set up a single teacher account and have all the students use that login to avoid safety concerns. Be sure to include this site on your class web page for students to access both in and outside of class for further reading practice.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Kinder Site - Joel Josephson & Ziv Avidor
Grades
K to 6Kindersite collaborates with outside institutions to develop educational projects that compile resources, generate new curriculum models, create training materials, and implement teacher-training seminars. Researchers can gather user data from Kindersite that represents varying population sizes, geographical groupings, and languages.
General Tips and Reminders: Some sites originate from the UK, so some of the pronunciations and spellings may differ from those in American English. There is some advertising on the right side of the page. Some links may direct students to sites that also contain advertising. Warn your students to avoid them.
tag(s): literacy (104)
In the Classroom
Invigorate shared reading with Kindersite's songs and stories. View the colorful illustration and text on an interactive whiteboard or projector. Some stories and songs highlight the tracking of words. Other sites provide character voices when you click the text in quotations. The animation will definitely engage everyone even those who wiggle on the carpet. Differentiate computer centers with the "my page" function. Save interactive tasks that target the instructional needs of students. Make a shortcut to the "my page" site collections on classroom computers and use it as a center. Be sure to take advantage of the professional resources Kindersites provides as well. Post a link to this site on your school website for parents to access at home.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Signed Stories
Grades
K to 5In 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 and share them on 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 (144), audio books (22), folktales (49)
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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Crawford the Cat - Perennial Pictures Film Cooperation
Grades
K to 2tag(s): dental health (22), hygiene (10), preK (284), social skills (23)
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.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Professor Sneeze - Marie, Muriel, and Myriam Dielemans
Grades
K to 6tag(s): arctic (46), climate (93), climate change (71), environment (321), polar (18)
In the Classroom
Use these stories to learn about climate change as well as the organisms that live in colder regions affected by climate change. Read aloud to students or allow students to read together in small groups. Create story organizers to keep track of the basics of the story. Determine characteristics of the principal character in the story. Discuss what students know about that type of animal and discuss other information or stories that allow students the opportunity to understand more about the animal. Use some of the suggested activities to create ice floes or make paper ice crystals. Discuss other animals that may be affected and create conventional or multimedia posters that enlighten and inform others. Modify learning and have your students create an interactive online poster using Canva, reviewed here. Use this story to help children find a voice and create their own stories or poems. Transform learning and share the stories by creating an online book using a site such as Bookemon, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Reading is Fundamental - Parent Literacy Resources - Reading is Fundamental (RIF)
Grades
K to 8In the Classroom
Provide this link to parents in support of your in-school reading program. Struggling students can use RIF's Reading Planet, reviewed here, or Leading to Reading, reviewed here, activities both at home and at school to provide the repetition and review they need for skill mastery. 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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RIF Kids: Reading Planet - Reading is Fundamental (RIF)
Grades
K to 5In the Classroom
Many of the games would be terrific as literacy centers or on an interactive whiteboard or projector to reinforce basics. Make this link available on your class web page for parents, students, and younger siblings to access from home. Parent notifications on games and contests with prizes and required parental consent for students to join make this a very safe site. Teachers may want to offer some of the writing contests as regular classroom activities or for enrichment or to adapt them for use with newer technologies. The visual poetry idea, for example, would work well as an interactive book created using Bookemon, reviewed here. Each student could make a visual poem and illustration in a whole-class book.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Toon Book Reader - Paws
Grades
K to 4tag(s): comics and cartoons (61)
In the Classroom
Introduce this site on a projector or interactive whiteboard. Have students read aloud together to practice choral reading. Use this site for D.E.A.R. reading or other free time reading (be sure to provide headsets). Allow students to choose from the books. Even non-readers can use this site! Identify information, story lines, and grammar components within the stories as groups. Create story boards that outline the telling of the stories. Enhance learning and use a graphic organizing (online) tool such as bubble.us, reviewed here. Compare and contrast stories or characters using an online Venn diagram creator, reviewed here. Students can re-write endings or the sequels that would follow these books. Redefine learning and use these books as inspiration for student-made cartoon books in world language classes using Write Comics, reviewed here. Modify learning and have the class or individuals create online books to share using a site such as Bookemon, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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U.S.A. Learns - U.S. Dept of Ed
Grades
2 to 12tag(s): pronunciation (41), spanish (108)
In the Classroom
What a fabulous site for ESL, ELL, learning support, and students learning Spanish! Introduce this site on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Share this site with Spanish students who do well at working on learning independently. ESL and ELL students will also benefit from going through the lessons, individually or in pairs. Teachers can register independently from their students and keep track of learner progress and participation. As students learn new vocabulary words, challenge cooperative learning groups to create an online book sharing their newfound vocabulary. Use a tool such as Bookemon (reviewed here).Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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