Free Audio in the Transliterate Classroom
Posted by: Mary Burkey
The Princess and the Pea & transliteracy. Naxos Audio’s free MP3 file can be played on your computer, or dragged & dropped on any player (just scroll down, right-click link & save). Perfect for your little princess! And perfect timing for me. I’m developing a transliteracy unit for gifted 6th graders, examining the concept of theme in folk & fairy tales, looking at how different formats affect the message and address personal learning styles. This audio will be a perfect addition to the traditional picture books, retold modern versions, graphic novel adaptations, poetry, short novelizations, reader’s theater, novels in verse, video, and long-form literature. A short audio listen-aloud is a wonderful addition to the classroom (or family room!), no matter the students’ age.
Pass out some 11×17 blank paper, fold into frames, turn out the lights and press play. Encourage the kids to visualize as they listen. At predetermined plot points, press pause and have the students illustrate the audio segments in sequential frames focusing on a particular literary element such as setting, character, mood. Later, cut apart the frames and create posters that have the enlarged text of the audio selection as a heading, with all of the different visual interpretations below. Voila! Instant concrete example of transliteracy 
