An Audio Book Collection to Enhance Learning at the Stratford Landing Elementary School Library, Alexandria, Virginia

Transcription

1 An Audio Book Collection to Enhance Learning at the Stratford Landing Elementary School Library, Alexandria, Virginia Sarah Van Pelt INFO 520 Grant Proposal December 6, 2009

2 Audio Book Collection Proposal 2 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Stratford Landing Elementary School Library, located in Alexandria, Virginia, proposes to acquire a collection of audio books and listening equipment to augment the library resources and the education of the students. Audio books enhance the literary experience for all students and make literature more readily available to students with special needs. They can be used by both individual readers and by full classrooms and encourage reluctant readers by allowing students to follow along in the text of books that are above their present reading level. Currently, the library has no audio books or listening equipment and plans to begin a collection with a variety of literature both popular and classic, fiction and non-fiction. The library seeks $8,000 in funding to establish a well-rounded starter collection of 100 playaways audio books and listening equipment combined in one durable package. THE STRATFORD LANDING ELEMENTARY SCHOOL LIBRARY The School Community Stratford Landing Elementary School was established in 1966 and has continued to grow and thrive along with its surrounding community. The students at Stratford Landing are a socially, economically, and ethnically diverse group of young people from around the Alexandria and Fairfax, Virginia areas. With roughly 750 students ranging from preschool to sixth grade, the school is host to one of the county s gifted and talent education programs, emphasizing critical thinking and creativity and preparing students to pursue honors classes and upper level course work in junior high

3 Audio Book Collection Proposal 3 and high school. A network of approximately 50 teachers and a number of other specialist, administrators, and support staff provide the foundations of learning for the students. Interaction and collaboration between general education, English Speakers of Other Languages, special education, preschool, the gifted and talent education programs, and the school library are all highly encouraged. Stratford Landing is fully accredited by the Virginia Department of Education and maintains a high passing rate on all sections of the Virginia Standards of Learning state tests at all grade levels tested. In addition, a very interested and proactive Parent-Teacher Association supports the students and school (Stratford Landing ES, 2006). The Library The Stratford Landing Library strives to be a direct extension of the classroom programs and supports all areas and levels of study. The library currently contains approximately 16,000 books and no audio books. However, the collection is in great need of modernization and updating to reflect the current standards in non-fiction, classic fiction, and popular fiction, as well as advances in technology and learning. The current librarian is in the process of updating this collection to include newer works in all areas with information and resources reflective of our ever changing and expanding society. In addition, the library is making a concerted effort to introduce and incorporate new technology that will improve and augment student achievement in all areas and hopes to include audio books as a part of this initiative. The library provides group instruction, independent study, research, and recreational reading instruction, and orchestrates creative activities for the school. In

4 Audio Book Collection Proposal 4 addition, the library sponsors several school-wide activities each year, including the annual book fair, a book swap program, the Virginia Reader s Choice program, and three Reading is Fundamental distributions in which students are given books to take home and keep through a Federal grant. In conjunction with the school s technology instructor, the library also hosts and produces Channel 6 News, the school s televised morning announcements (Stratford Landing Elementary Library, 2009). Patrons The students, teachers, staff, and parents of the school community patronize the library. Students from preschool through first grade each have a library card and are encouraged to check out books on a weekly basis to help them learn library skills and responsibility for borrowed resources. Students in second through sixth grade participate in the Open Library Policy, which allows students to enter the library at any time with a library pass to check out books, read, or do research in addition to their regularly scheduled classroom library time. Teachers and staff are also encouraged to utilize library resources and to collaborate with the library staff to enhance their classroom instruction. Parents, too, are welcome to participate and volunteer in library programs to augment their children s education. Staff The library s staff consists of only two members, the Librarian who is a Virginia certified School Teacher Librarian, and the Library Assistant. The library is also supported and supervised by the school and county administration. Parents, students,

5 Audio Book Collection Proposal 5 and teachers are also encouraged to volunteer their time in the library to assist with shelving, organization, and general upkeep. STATEMENT OF NEED Audio books offer a number of benefits that augment and enhance the literature and learning experience for students and readers of all ages, but especially for younger minds just learning or continuing to develop reading, comprehension, listening, and critical evaluation skills. As the availability of audio books in numerous formats and from many publishers has continued to expand and their popularity has grown over the last ten years or so, many educators have begun to incorporate these resources into their classroom teaching and library programs. Audio books are now used to introduce students to literature above their current reading level, to teach critical listening skills, to model good narration and interpretive reading skills, to illuminate the humor in literature that children often miss in silent reading, to expand vocabulary, and to sidestep such obstacles as unfamiliar dialects, old-fashioned writing styles, and nonstandard English (Johnson, 2003). Audio books also help pave the way for a lifelong love of reading and introduce students to genres they would otherwise avoid. Through listening, literature becomes something to be enjoyed rather than a puzzle to be solved, encouraging reluctant or struggling readers and introducing students to the intricacies of story telling (Varley, 2002). A good narrator or cast of performers can bring literature and imagination alive for students in a way they have not yet learned to do themselves. Listening to audio books as a whole class also helps level the playing field between students of different

6 Audio Book Collection Proposal 6 abilities. Audio books, literally, put every student on the same page so that students progress through the book at the same pace (Learning with Audiobooks, para. 4). Special needs students and gifted students alike also reap the benefits of audio books. Visually or physically impaired students can more easily access literature through sound. Low-functioning students also more easily comprehend by listening and following along in the text rather than trying to decipher the text alone. And students not fluent in English gain pronunciation, cadence, and vocabulary benefits from listening to audio books. Likewise, gifted students can access a greater volume of literature by listening when traditional reading would be impossible (i.e., in the car, to and from school, etc.) and can expand their narrative comprehension by listening to different narrators interpretations of the text (Learning with Audiobooks, para. 3). Audio books continue to become an ever more valuable addition to any comprehensive library collection, particularly for school libraries. The addition of audio books and listening equipment to school libraries benefits students both during school hours and classroom instruction as well as at home. Teachers and librarians can incorporate audio books into class time through full-class listening and instruction time, listening corners in which students can listen during free time, and audio book check out privileges so that students can listen at home to literature of their choice. Audio books can also stimulate constructive conversation between listeners, whether that conversation occurs between several students, teachers and students, or students and parents. In order to offer students a complete, comprehensive, and engaging educational literary experience, audio books should be available in every school library.

7 Audio Book Collection Proposal 7 PROPOSED INITIATIVE The Stratford Landing Elementary School library proposes to acquire, circulate, track, and continue to develop a collection of audio books in the form of playaways to enhance and update the current library resources. Project Goals 1) To acquire, include, and increase the use of technology by students, teachers, and parents. 2) To increase the availability and use of up to date fiction and non-fiction for all reading levels. 3) To encourage reluctant readers, readers with special abilities, and second language English speakers to experience and participate in reading and literature. Materials Needed The library proposes to acquire approximately 100 audio books in the form of playaways. Playaways are audio books and listening equipment contained in one package that is compact, durable, and suitable for an elementary school environment where students from kindergarten through sixth grade will have access to these materials. Playaways come with the recorded audio of the book in a self-contained format, the headphones for listening, and, for certain titles, the read-a-long text format of the book. Playaways operate on standard or rechargeable AAA batteries, which are generally included with the purchase of the book. One AAA battery provides

8 Audio Book Collection Proposal 8 approximately 12 hours continuous play. There are no separate CDs, cassettes, or other equipment required. Planning and Implementation The library proposes to order, catalog, and include the 100 playaways into the library collection by the start of the school year. The library staff will use the intervening time to conduct a thorough catalog search in order to determine the playaway titles and formats that will offer the most diverse fiction and non-fiction collection suitable for their student population and that will enhance the classroom curricula of the school. At the beginning of the Fall 2010 semester, the Library will use book talks and classroom library sessions to teach the students about books in audio format, the rules for use of the playaways, and the methods through which students can find and check out playaways. Teachers will be given advanced notice regarding the playaways so they may use them in their classrooms if desired. Evaluation Once the library has obtained and implemented the starter collection of 100 playaways, the library staff will use the library s computerized checkout system to track and monitor the use of the playaways by students and teachers and request feedback from students, teachers, and parents regarding the use of, satisfaction with, and reaction to the audio format. This data will be used to determine and plug holes in the collection, improve communication regarding audio format books, and expand the collection for future school terms.

9 Audio Book Collection Proposal 9 PROPOSED BUDGET Playaways range in cost from approximately $35 to $60 dollars depending on length of the book, type of audio recording (i.e., narration, dramatization, etc.), and the popularity of the title. The library requests $8,000 dollars with which to purchase approximately 100 playaways plus shipping and handling fees, which vary based on distributing company. Any remaining funds after the purchase and shipping of the 100 playaways will be used to purchase additional rechargeable AAA back-up batteries and charging stations. CONCLUSION Audio books provide numerous benefits to readers of all ages, reading levels, and interests. Listening to literature encourages reluctant readers, allows students to access materials above their current reading level, benefits special needs students who may struggle with traditional text, stimulates critical thinking and conversation, and integrates technology with traditional literary products. The Stratford Elementary School Library believes that audio books, in the form of playaways, will make an excellent addition to their collection as they continually strive to update their resources and incorporate new and expanding technology to benefit their students. While the library currently has no audio books in its collection, 100 new playaway titles will form an excellent starter collection upon which the library can continue to expand based upon the needs and interests of its students and teachers.

10 Audio Book Collection Proposal 10 REFERENCES Johnson, D. (2003, April). Web watch audiobooks: Ear-resistible! Reading Online, 6(8). Retrieved from: audiobooks/index.html Learning with audiobooks. (n.d.). Audio Bookshelf. Retrieved October 27, 2009 from: Stratford Landing ES. (2006, July 11). Fairfax County Public Schools School Profiles. Retrieved from: Stratford Landing Elementary Library. (2009, November 3). Stratford Landing Elementary School. Retrieved from: Varley, P. (2002, May). As good as reading? Kids and the audiobook. The Horn Book Magazine. Retrieved from: