Teachers and librarians have long extolled the virtues of how listening to audiobooks enhances a host of literacy skills in children. The Audio Publishers Association wants to put some muscle behind that message and recently partnered with a team of education experts to produce the Sound Learning toolkit, a free online resource that explains the benefits of using audio with students and provides examples of how to integrate audiobooks into the curriculum.
The toolkit was designed by a trio of teachers and librarians who have extensive experience working with audio: Mary Burkey, Sharon Grover, and Liz Hannegan. Lesson plans, annotated lists of recommended audiobook titles for grades K-12, activities, tips for incorporating audio across a range of subjects including language arts, science, and math; and suggestions for integrating audio into library programming are among the many features at the Sound Learning site. Videos depicting how to use audio in the classroom, and testimonials from students are also included.
