Browse our resources to integrate Tales2Go and specific audiobooks in your classroom instruction.
Tools for Learning
Tales2Go is a 21st Century literacy tool designed to complement reading instruction. Since oral language precedes written language, students are naturally and effectively able to build vocabulary by listening, which is why it's so important to read to kids. Parents and educators can work together to surround students with sophisticated vocabulary with Tales2Go. Students with larger vocabularies tend to better comprehend what they read and teachers know reading is a function of both decoding and comprehending words.
Tales2Go can be used in a variety of ways, depending on the educational setting or age of the student, ranging from just listening—individually or in groups—to listening paired with the print versions of their favorite titles. Teachers working towards achieving goals outlined in the Common Core Standards in any area or grade level will appreciate the suggested Tales2Go classroom activities sorted by literacy skill for simple customization to meet the specific needs of students. And—we haven't forgotten—kids love listening to stories.
Click on one of the five key areas to review specific activities to engage with students in your classroom.
What the Research Says
Casbergue, Renee Michelet, and Karen H. Harris. "Listening and literacy: audiobooks in the reading program." Reading Horizons 37 (1996): 48-59. Print.
Available in PDF format through the APA: http://www.audiopub.org/resources/Casbergue_ReadingHorizons1996.pdf
This article explores both the benefits of reading aloud to younger children and how older children can use audiobooks to tackle literature that might be too challenging to decode and comprehend on their own, motivating them to read more as they develop skills. Choosing the best audiobooks for individual students is also discussed. Tales2Go includes fables, mysteries and folktales that will challenge students to listen for new words and develop more background knowledge.
Wolfson, Gene. “Using Audiobooks to Meet the Needs of Adolescent Readers.” American Secondary Education 36.2 (2008): 105-14. Print.
Available online through LM_NET: http://lmnet.wikispaces.com/file/view/EJ809473.pdf
When middle and high school students struggle to become active participants in classroom discussions, audiobooks can help to improve fluency, expand vocabulary, and increase their background knowledge, so all can be included. Comprehension and motivation are also positively impacted. Models of best practice incorporating audiobooks into classroom programs and the middle or high school curriculum are explored. Tales2Go includes hundreds of titles for the pre-teen and middle school audience.
Yokota, Junko, and Miriam Martinez. "Authentic Listening Experiences." Book Links 13.3 (2004): 30. Web.
Available through ALA: http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklinks/resources/authenticlistening.cfm
This article offers ideas on how to use audiobooks to integrate multicultural stories into the curriculum, and outlines the benefits of using audio when the teacher is less experienced or comfortable reading in a language or with a rhythm that is new to them. The article explains how good narrators make comprehension possible for all learners. Tales2Go features a variety of authentic storytelling opportunities for classroom use.
