Reading with our ears

After this week, I will continue to swear by audiobooks for students - they are SO good. (And they seriously aid in classroom management.)

Quite honestly, with four mystery novels going on at once in the classroom, it's difficult to sometimes keep all of our kiddos on track. Constant reminders and gentle proddings of "Are you ready for group tomorrow?" and "Have you finished all of your summaries?" generally fill the classroom. And still, some students don't quite make it to literature circles prepared.

Enter audiobooks: new voices that free students of trying to decipher harder words on their own and, instead, allow them to enjoy the content of the novel. Listening to books on CD allows students to sit close together, read at the same pace, and respond as a group with laughter, disappointment, confusion, or excitement when the mood fits. It's a whole new world - and, admittedly, it's hard to break them away to move on to the next subject. (Guess that's a downside? Ha ha.)

So, as for me and my classroom, we will continue to listen and enjoy...