Listen up using audio books to help improve reading By: Brett Cooper Imagine a typical fifth grade classroom during self-selected silent reading time. You probably imagined students sitting quietly at their desks or perhaps on the floor against some cushions on the carpet area. It is unlikely you envisioned fourteen radios playing audio books with some students listening in small groups. This was the approach I took to my twenty minutes of silent reading each day. After reading about the effectiveness of books on tape from researchers such as Marie Carbo (2001), I decided to put some of the ideas into action. I was aware of the benefits for younger children, but curious as to how it would appeal to students in fifth grade. About two years ago, I had a student who had a difficult time during silent, selfselected reading. He always wanted to go to the bathroom, library, or disrupt others from reading. I decided to have him listen to a book on tape during silent reading with headphones on so he would not disturb others. To my surprise, he did great! He was on task, craving new books to listen to, and passing Accelerated Reader (Renaissance Learning, n.d.) tests. Soon, other students wanted to listen. I scrounged around the school for unused radios and headphones. I checked out many books on tape from the library as well as purchased some with my own money. Pretty soon, I had about ten students at a time listening to books on tape and it was the favorite time of the day for many students. This year, I decided to write a grant to purchase more headphones, radios, and books on tape. The idea was to see how well students reading improved based on the number of books read, how often they met their reading goals, and most important, the
scores on reading tests such as the Scholastic Reading Inventory (SRI) (Scholastic, Inc., n.d.) and the Georgia Criterion Referenced Competency Test (CRCT). My plan was to have students spend about twenty minutes per day listening to books on tape during selfselected reading time. This year was also a special year in fifth grade because promotion to sixth grade depended upon scoring above 300 on the CRCT. In August, I began collecting my initial data from my students. I recorded the number of Read Counts (Scholastic, Inc., n.d.),a program similar to Accelerated Reader, from the previous year. I also tested the students using a program called SRI (Scholastic, Inc., n.d.) which gives a lexile level that can be translated into an approximate grade level. I also began setting reading goals with my students for the number of points they hoped to accumulate per marking period. These goals were set by the student and I based on previous reading goals, attitude towards reading, and their ability. Each goal was an individual goal that ranged from ten points up to 150 points in a given nine-week period. The most important data I focused on was the performance levels of the students. There were four levels: Advanced, Proficient, Basic, and At Risk. I focused on the extremes because this showed the number of students well above average as well as the number well below average. In August, I had two students above level and five significantly below grade level. (See chart below) In January, I assessed my students using the SRI (Scholastic, Inc., n. d.) reading level. At this point, I had seven students who were significantly above grade level and only two who were significantly below grade level. Most students had shown improvement since the assessment in August. Five students showed tremendous growth of almost two grade levels. Seventeen students showed improvement between half a
grade level, up to one and a half grade levels. Four students showed no growth or slight decrease. In May, as the research concluded, I continued to collect data such as the final SRI assessment, the number of reading goals met, and the number of points students collected through Reading Counts (Scholastic, Inc., n.d.). At the end of the school year, ten students were reading significantly above grade level and one was significantly below grade level. This student qualified for additional services through the special education department. Fifteen students increased more than one and a half grade levels. Nine students increased about one grade level and two students showed limited growth. Six students showed growth of more than two grade levels. The students took a reading test in the computer lab three times throughout the school year. The test takes about 30 minutes and the students are allowed to pick the general topic such as mystery, sports, or nature. Approximate fifth-grade level is in the 700 1000 range. Below 450 is considered significantly below grade level while over 1000 is considered significantly above grade level. After compiling the data, I placed students on a chart based on their SRI (Scholastic, Inc., n.d. ) scores. The performance levels are the same as in the previous chart. Above 1000 is considered Advanced and below 450 is considered At Risk. Based on the results, I was able to conclude that books on tape do have a positive impact on students test score results. At-risk students were able to improve up to the basic level and a few up to the proficient level. The basic and proficient students were able to increase their levels, with many improving to the advanced level.
Students also showed improved attitudes toward reading. This data was gathered through interviews and informal surveys. As I conferenced with individual students, I asked them about their favorite books and authors, the types of books they enjoyed, and how their attitude had changed since they started using books on tape. I found the greatest improvement in attitude was with students, both boys and girls, who were reading below grade level. Boys who were reading on level but who did not enjoy reading (reluctant readers) indicated a much improved attitude towards reading. Students who were reading significantly above grade level showed the least improvement since many already had a positive attitude towards reading. From talking with students about their favorite books on tape, I learned that many of the books were similar to the most popular books checked out from the media center. The most popular series included: Lemony Snicket s (1999) A Series of Unfortunate Events, Hatchet by Gary Paulsen (1986), Magic Tree House by Mary Pope Osborne (1992), Stormbreaker (Horowitz, 2000) and Harry Potter (Rowling, 1998). The amount of increase in Reading Counts (Scholastic, Inc., n.d.) points also indicates that students were reading more often. Many students increased the amount of points by five to ten times their total from fourth grade. The most positive experience for me as a teacher was seeing my students who were previously reading below level now able to read books closer to grade level. Student who were below grade level but really wanted to read Harry Potter (Rowling, 1998) or Lemony Snicket (1999) were able to read them with the help of audio books. Books on tape allowed students to read above grade level and comprehend at a higher level. Students showed greater interest towards reading. They developed favorite
authors, favorite series, and an all around greater knowledge as a reader. This is a project I will surely continue in the future. Performance Level August January May Advanced 2 7 10 Proficient 12 11 12 Basic 6 6 3 At Risk 5 2 1 25 students 26 students 26 students Note The Georgia CRCT (Criterion Referenced Competency Test) results showed similar results. One student failed the CRCT and this was the same student who remained at risk in May. All other students met the mandatory 300 score for promotion to 6 th grade.
References Carbo, Marie L., (2001). Teaching struggling readers with passion, focus, and style. Syosset, NY: National Reading Styles Institute. Horowitz, Anthony, (2000). Stormbreaker. New York : Scholastic Inc. Osborne, Mary Pope, (1992). Magic Tree House Series. New York : Scholastic. Paulsen, Gary, (1986). Hatchet. New York: Simon Pulse. Rowling, J.K., (1998). Harry Potter. New York: Levine Books. Snicket, Lemony, (1999). A Series of Unfortunate Events. New York: Harper Collins. Scholastic, Inc., (n.d.) Reading Counts, New York: Scholastic, Inc. Scholastic, Inc., (n.d.) Scholastic Reading Inventory, New York: Scholastic, Inc.