Free Pass to NMSA Exhibit Hall

Thinking about visiting this year’s National Middle School Association Conference in Baltimore, but don’t have a show pass? Check out the exhibit fall for free and see what’s new with a free exhibit hall pass from Recorded Books! We’ll be featuring one of our curriculum products, Dr. Janet Allen’s Plugged-in to Reading. lf you use our pass, be sure to come to booth 521 and let us know!

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FREE EXHIBIT PASS

Free PD from RB

As you may have seen if you receive our email newsletter, we’re kicking off our fall season of free professional development webinars with some exciting opportunities. Register today! And look for a “webinars” tab coming to the blog soon.

Upcoming webinars from RB K-12:

How Do You BookJam?
Hosted by Rod Pavao
Wednesday 9/8/2010
3:00-4:00PM EDT


Prepare Your Students for Standardized Test Success with a Proven Method
Wednesday 9/22/2010
Hosted by Karl Schellscheidt of ePrep
3:00-4:00PM EDT


How Do You BookJam?
Hosted by Rod Pavao
Thursday 9/23/2010
3:00-4:00PM EDT


Podcasting 101 for Education
Hosted by Lee Ann Spillane
Wednesday 09/29/2010
3:30-4:30PM EDT


Sensibly Incorporating Technology in Today’s Classroom: It’s All About the Writing!
Tuesday 10/12/2010
Presented by Alan Sitomer
2:00PM EDT

What Gets Your Students MOTIVATED?

We want to know what gets your students MOTIVATED to read! Do they love the best-sellers? Is there a title that gets them talking? Do your booktalks leave them wanting more? Will they pick up anything on a Playaway? Do they love listening to downloadable One-Click Audio audiobooks on iPods, or reading eBooks on an eReader?

Tell us what gets your students motivated on the RB K-12 Facbook page and you’ll get a chance to win a free audiobook from Recorded Books! The contest runs from 8/12/2010 through 8/14/2010. We’ll pick up to 10 winners per day, and you can enter as many times as you’d like. Spread the word and tell your fellow teachers and librarians to enter, too!

NOTE: To enter, you must leave your comment on the Facebook page. We appreciate comments here, too, but only those on the Facebook page will be entered to win!

Common Core Standards Suggest Use of Audio

The Common Core State Standards Initiative, an effort coordinated by the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), has just published their recommendations for standardizing core curriculum across the United States. How many States will ultimately sign on remains to be seen, but the administration is offering some powerful financial incentives for States to get on board. 
 
The following passage from Appendix A to The Common Core Standards for the Language Arts & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science and Technical Subjects should be of particular interest to audiobook users (emphasis ours):

The research strongly suggests that the English language arts classroom should explicitly address the link between oral and written language, exploiting the influence of oral language on a child’s later ability to read by allocating instructional time to building children’s listening skills, as called for in the Standards. The early grades should not focus on decoding alone, nor should the later grades pay attention only to building reading comprehension.Time should be devoted to reading fiction and content-rich selections aloud to young children , just as it is to providing those same children with the skills they will need to decide and encode.

The focus on oral language is of greatest importance to children most at risk—children for whom English is a second language and children who have not been exposed at home to the kind of language found in written texts (Dickinson & Smith, 1994). Ensuring that all children in the United States have access to an excellent education requires that issues of oral language come to the fore in the elementary classrooms.

Audiobooks are a great way to address this part of the Common Core Standards. We have long been a champion of using audiobooks in the classroom using a Listen and Read method. This research-proven method is a great way to engage readers and increase comprehension, motivation, and vocabulary acquisition. If you’d like to find out more about the standards, there is a webinar later today that you can still sign up for.

Winners of the Best Children’s Audiobooks Contest Announced

It was definitely not an easy task to pick the winners of the Top 20 Children’s Audiobooks post. We had 35 commenters and all had wonderful suggestions and comments. There were many great suggestions that did not make it into the final top 20 lists, so please check out all the comments for some great reading suggestions.

In the end, by tallying up titles with repeat votes, I compiled two lists: one of the top 20 Recorded Books children’s audiobooks, and one of the top 20 audiobooks from Recorded Books and other publishers combined. The winners are in no particular order. I also included some descriptive quotes from some commenters on why they chose the book.

So…drumroll please!…

Top 20 Recorded Books Children’s Audiobooks
(Titles included in the Grand Prize Giveaway are italicized)
The Bears on Hemlock Mountain – Narrated by John McDonough
Blackbringer – Narrated by Davina Porter
Bridge to Terabithia – Narrated by Tom Stechschulte
City of Bones – Narrated by Ari Graynor
Clementine – Narrated by Jessica Almasy
Dragon Rider – Narrated by Brendan Fraser
Flight #116 Is Down – Narrated by George Guidall – “This put me on the edge of my seat! I was literally breathless through some parts.”—Maggi (Mama Librarian)
Island of the Blue Dolphins – Narrated by Christina Moore
No Talking – Narrated by Keith Nobbs
Poppy – Narrated by John McDonough
Rules – Narrated by Jessica Almasy
A Series of Unfortunate Events (series) – Narrated by Lemony Snicket and Tim Curry
Stuck in Neutral – Narrated by Johnny Heller – “The audiobook gives voice to the voiceless Shawn.”—Lee Catalano
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian – Narrated by Sherman Alexie – “The “Rez” accent is not essential to appreciate this adolescent chronicle of straddling two worlds, but is sure doesn’t hurt.”—DaNae
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time – Narrated by Jeff Woodman
Good Masters, Sweet Ladies – Narrated by a full cast – “Sure I’d read the book before it won the big award, and sure I was mighty impressed with Schlitz’s skill with words. But hearing it how it was meant to be heard, moved it from a grand award-winner to pure genius.”—DaNae
The Graveyard Book – Narrated by Neil Gaiman – “I’m not sure if a children’s book should sound this sexy, but I will happily take my ghost stories with this kind of verbal velvet.”—DaNae
The Last Apprentice (series) – Narrated by Christopher Evan Welch – “Even though Christopher Evan Welch isn’t British, he skillfully creates some scary times out in the English countryside.”—Lee Catalano
The Ranger’s Apprentice – Narrated by John Keating
The Whipping Boy – Narrated by Spike McClure

Top 20 Children’s Audiobooks
(Starred titles are Recorded Books-produced titles)
Bridge to Terabithia* – Narrated by Tom Stechschulte
Charlotte’s Web – Narrated by E.B. White – “I can just imagine Mr. White telling the story to a group of kids. His voice takes the listener right into that intimate circle.”—Katrina Johnson
Good Masters, Sweet Ladies* – Narrated by a full cast
The Harry Potter Series – Narrated by Jim Dale
Hatchet – Narrated by Peter Coyote
Beverly Cleary’s books narrated by Neil Patrick Harris
Holes – Narrated by Kerry Beyer
The Inkheart Trilogy (series) – Narrated by Brendan Fraser – “I understand why Brendan Fraser was cast as Mo in the movie, he has got a great reading voice.”—Jana Warnell
Maniac Magee – Narrated by S. Epatha Merkeson
Rules – Narrated by Jessica Almasy
Saffy’s Angel – Narrated by Julia Sawatha
A Series of Unfortunate Events* (series) – Narrated by Lemony Snicket and Tim Curry
Stargirl – Narrated by Mandy Siegfried
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian* – Narrated by Sherman Alexie
The Giver – Narrated by Ron Rifkin
The Golden Compass – Narrated by the Author and a Full Cast
The Last Apprentice* (series) – Narrated by Christopher Evan Welch
The Lightning Thief – Narrated by Jesse Bernstein
Where the Red Fern Grows – Narrated by Anthony Heald – “I listened to this with my sons and they loved the story. Anthony Heald did a great job, but I am still more fond of my fourth grade teacher’s narration (good memories).”—Jana Warnell
Year Down Yonder – Narrated by Lois Smith – “I don’t know who this Lois Smith is, but in my world she will have closet full of Lane Bryant dresses and a passel of shenanigans up her sleeve that would do Grandma Dowdle proud.”—DaNae

So, who is the winner of the grand prize? Jana Warnell of Montana! Congratulations! I will be contacting you by email so you can claim your prize.

Celebrate National Poetry Month

In celebration of National Poetry Month, we’re again sharing excerpts and accompanying activities for some of our favorite poetry on audio for K-12. Poetry on audio is a great way to introduce students to poetry—they hear proper meter, diction, and pronunciation, allowing them to more easily analyze complex figurative language. If you use this or other audio in your classroom, leave a comment to this post telling us how and you’ll be entered to win a copy of one of the books below on CD! (See the end of this post for details.) All of the audiobooks mentioned in this post are available unabridged from Recorded Books.

The Spoken Arts Treasury Volume 2: 100 Modern American Poets Reading Their Poetry
AudioFile Earphones Award Winner
Bonus Audio Download!: “Falling Asleep Over the Aeneid” by Robert Lowell (text version)
Audio Excerpt: “The Negro Speaks of Rivers” by Langston Hughes (text and additional audio)
Lesson Plan: Narration Comparison and Close Reading

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Locomotion by Jacqueline Woodson
AudioFile Earphones Award Winner, National Book Award Finalist (Young People’s Literature), Coretta Scott King Honor Book
Audio Excerpt: List Poem
Lesson Plan: Write Your Own List Poem

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Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices by Paul Fleischman
Newbery Award Winner
See our past posts for four sets of complete lesson plans, plus the entire downloadable audiobook!
Lesson Plans 1: Identify how form influences function.
Lesson Plans 2: Descriptive Verbs, Alliteration, Metaphors and Similes
Lesson Plans 3: Point of View
Lesson Plans 4: Meter, Rhythm, and Tempo

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If You’re Not Here, Please Raise Your Hand: Poems About School by Kalli Dakos
An International Reading Association Children’s Choice
Audio Excerpt: Hiding in the Bathroom & A Lifetime in Third Grade
Lesson Plan: Point of View and Figurative Language (2 pages)

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CONTEST RULES:

* Leave a comment below (be sure to enter a valid email address, or we won’t be able to contact you if you win!) telling us how you share poetry with your students or what your favorite National Poetry Month activity is. We’ll pick our favorite response to win!
* Tweet (we’re @recordedbooks) or blog about the contest using the hashtag #rbk12 and you can leave a second comment linking to your tweet or post—you’ll get another contest entry. Spread the word!
* Again, be sure you leave a valid email address with your comment so we can contact you. If you’re picked as a winner and we can’t contact you, the prize will got to the next winner. (You don’t need to re-enter your address within the body of the comment, though. Just be sure it’s in the form when you leave your comment.)
* Drawing will be held on April 30, 2010 at 12:00PM Eastern time. Winners will be contacted by email to get mailing information. The winner will receive one copy of one of the titles mentioned above (winner’s choice) on CD.

Read Across America

Tomorrow, March 2, is Read Across America day this year. Celebrated each year on the birthday of Dr. Seuss, the aim is to create lifelong readers by having every child in America read to. Teachers, parents, and volunteers take part every year to bring fun books to kids around the country. What is your school doing to celebrate?

Recorded Books has several books that have been honored by the Theodor Seuss Geisel Award—AKA the Dr. Seuss Award. The award, started in 2006, is given annually by the ALA to the best book for beginning readers. Each of the Recorded Books titles that have won the award are part of a series, so we highly recommend you check out the rest of the series’ offerings as well! Any of these would make great read aloud choices for Read Across America day and would be wonderful additions to any audiobook library.

Zelda and Ivy: The Runaways by Laura McGee Kvasnosky – 2007 winner
Henry and Mudge and the Great Grandpas by Cynthia Rylant – 2006 winner
Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa by Erica Silverman – 2006 honor book

If you’re talking about your school’s plans for Read Across America, be sure to use the #readacross hash tag!

Katherine Paterson: “Read out loud!”

After reading the New York Times piece “New Envoy’s Old Advice for Children—Read More” this morning, I was glad to see that the newly named and soon-to-be-crowned National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, Katherine Paterson encourages parents to read aloud to their children.

Long-touted as a tool for reading readiness, reading aloud to children at least three times a week has been shown to help children identify letter-sound relationships, have sight-word recognition, and understand words in context (Denton and West, 2002). The 1985 Report of the Commission on Reading, Becoming a Nation of Readers, states that, “the single most important activity for building the knowledge required for eventual success in reading is reading aloud to children.” But reading aloud is also a great tool for older students. SLJ has lauded it as a way to get teens hooked on books: “students who are read to are more motivated to read themselves—increasing the likelihood that they will one day become independent, lifelong readers.” And Education World reminds us that “since children listen on a higher level than they read, listening to other readers stimulates growth and understanding of vocabulary and language patterns. ”

Audiobooks are a great partner for read alouds. While teacher and parent read alouds are valuable, audiobooks offer kids the chance to read aloud independently, following along with the text while listening to a professional narrator read aloud to them. With independent listening to audiobooks, students are also given the power to stop, start, and relisten as necessary. Whole-class audiobook read alouds offer the same benefits as a teacher read aloud, but allow you, the teacher, to walk around the classroom, monitor understanding, and give individual attention to students who may need it.

We applaud Katherine Paterson for bringing reading aloud to the forefront of her campaign, and we hope that she spreads the word that read alouds aren’t just for beginning readers—they’re for everyone!

For more information on how reading aloud and using audiobooks can improve literacy, check out our Teacher Resources tab on the website or request a Recorded Books Work! research guide.

Do you use audiobooks for read alouds in your classroom? Tell us how and why!

Also, check out our FREE lesson plans and audio for Bridge to Terabithia – Part 1 and Part 2.

Send us your audiobook tips and you could be featured!

First of all, don’t forget to enter our January contest to win a free audiobook! We’re currently hard at work on the 2010 Recorded Books K-12 catalog, and we love including stories and testimonials from our customers. If you use audiobooks in your classroom or school, send us a quick statement telling us what you think of them. We don’t need anything too fancy—just jot down your experiences with audiobooks and send them our way via email, blog comment, or twitter.

Some ideas:
1. Share a story about a particular student who has shown improvement since being introduced to audiobooks.
2. Tell us about a teacher/librarian audiobook partnership or intervention program that uses audiobooks.
3. Share your favorite lesson plan using audiobooks.
4. Tell us why you and your students like audiobooks.
5. Tell us what your favorite RB audiobook is.
6. Tell us how you use audiobooks in your classroom.
7. Tell us how you found out about using audiobooks to improve fluency, comprehension, and motivation.

Be sure we can contact you via twitter or email if we choose your story or quote!

P.S.—We appreciate you sharing with us, so if you are featured in the catalog, we’ll provide you with a freebie or two!

Katherine Paterson Named National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature

Hans Christian Andersen Medal and Newbery Award-winning author Katherine Paterson has been named the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, replacing previous ambassador Jon Scieszka. Paterson has chosen “Read for Life” as her platform and will serve a two-year term as ambassador.

Recorded Books is proud to offer 12 of Paterson’s works on audiobook, including Newbery Medal winner Bridge to Terabithia. Also be sure to check out our free lesson plans (both part 1 and part 2) and audiobook excerpts for the book.