Did you know that you can easily create your own listening library to use in your classroom or in your school library? If your students have access to an iPad or google classroom, you can create a listening library in just a few steps! Here is what you will need:
- A link to the read aloud
- The Safe Share link (20 links are free, $50 a year for unlimited links)
- The QRStuff QR Code Generator link (free)
- 60 pack self adhesive label holder 3.5x3.5 (affiliate link)
- The book that is being read aloud
1. Choose a book and a read aloud.
There are so many great read alouds out there that are already made! My favorite go-to places for free read alouds are Story Time With Ryan and Craig (they are hilarious!) and Storyline Online. Just copy the link to the video. You can always make your own read aloud too, or ask parent volunteers to create them at home. It's a great way for parents to help at school, even if they can't be there to volunteer in person. You can also have students create read alouds to share with other students!
2. Make a Safe Link
Many of the read alouds you will find are published on Youtube. Unfortunately, Youtube is not a very kid-friendly place, and it's blocked in many schools. But there is a work-around if you have found a safe video to share! First create a free account with Safe Share (if you don't, your link will only last 1 hour. I found out the hard way! 😔) Then click 'Add SafeView' and paste your Youtube link. This creates a new link for your video without the ads or commercials that pop up. You will have to check with your school technology or IT department to make sure your Safe Share links are not blocked. Click on the share button (it looks like a less than sign with 3 dots) and copy the new url. You can even share this link to your google classroom if you have older students and want to skip the QR code step. (If you're not using a YouTube link, you can skip this step and move to step 3.)
3. Create a QR Code
Go to QRStuff, choose website link, and paste the link you copied from Safe Share. It will create a QR code that you can download or take a screenshot. (No need to save on qr stuff once you have your QR code.) I use a google slides template with squares that are 3.5x3.5 with the title of my book on it. I add the QR code to my template (either insert picture after you have downloaded the QR code in the step above or take a screenshot of the QR code and slide it onto your template). Now print out the QR codes you made and cut out the 3.5x3.5 squares. Stick a self adhesive label holder on the inside cover of your book and slide your QR code in. Now students can scan the QR code in the book and listen to the read aloud. If you ever want to change the read aloud video, or if the link breaks, you can just slide the paper out of the label holder and add a new one. Now your classroom library or school library can also be a listening library!
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