Are you a teacher or homeschool parent looking to supplement your curriculum with awesome audio?
We’re producing a series for educators showing you how it’s possible to teach almost ANY subject with Pinna. In today’s post, we’re breaking down how you can teach reading with Pinna.
* Pro tip: when you see an asterisk, it signals that there are complementary extension activities and printable worksheets in the educator resource section of the Pinna website.
How to Teach Almost ANY Subject With Pinna: Part 1 — Reading
- Make Story Time With Benny & Buddy* a weekly ritual in your classroom. Each exciting new episode is a story within a story! Benny uses classic children’s books to teach his dog, Buddy, all about how the world works.
- Teach the alphabet with Quentin and Alfie’s ABC Adventures*. Each episode Quentin and Alfie journey down a magical sidewalk where they explore letter sounds, sing songs, and make new friends. Be sure to give Mixie’s La-La-La Letters a listen too — it’s the Quentin and Alfie soundtrack!
- Re-discover many classic children’s picture books on the Pinna platform.
- Stories are more than solid writing! Teach your students about all of the different elements that go into creating a compelling narrative. Audio stories are unique and it’s fascinating to take a peek behind the curtain. A fun class project would be writing and recording your own podcast. Kids can work together to write the script, cast and play various roles, create cool sound effects, work the recording equipment, edit the audio, and more.
- Listen to LMNO Peas to reinforce letter names and sounds. This engaging story even includes an exclusive interview with author Keith Baker!
- Find seasonal or holiday themed stories to supplement your current lesson plans without dropping a wad of cash on new books or supplies. So much is already included with your Pinna membership! Need help funding a classroom subscription? Check out some ideas we’ve put together.
- Join beloved movie icon Julie Andrews and her daughter, author and educator Emma Walton Hamilton, as they invite you into their family library to read their favorite children’s books. Each episode of Julie’s Library features a new story brought to life with music, activities, and super special guest interviews!
- Hey Story Go!* gets kids up and moving in the classroom. This podcast teaches both story sequencing and critical listening while providing a multi-sensory educational experience. Listening to an episode of Hey Story Go! is also the perfect activity for transition times or helping busy bodies get their wiggles out in order to better focus.
- Audiobooks are an incredible tool in your teaching toolbelt — especially for struggling readers. The benefits of audiobooks are too many to list, but you can read more here and here about why they’re so awesome (and here’s a handy guide to get started listening to audiobooks with kids!). Check out Pinna’s growing library of audiobooks included with your subscription.
- Want a fun, low-key way to infuse some vocabulary learning into your students’ day? Check out HiLL-LaRRy-Us: Word of the Day* podcast.
- Inspire a love of reading by listening to The Kid Lit Show* hosted by 10-year-old Olivia Van Ledtje. According to the show description, Liv “uncovers the magic of books through conversations with bestselling children’s book authors, interviews with kids on the street, lists of favorite books, and much more!”
- Complete a fairy tale unit and supplement with Pinna’s epic collection of classic and reimagined fairy tales.
- Take time to listen to The Adventures of Wordgirl for a vocabulary lesson in story form. Preview the highlighted words before each book and have kids keep an ear out as you listen to the story together. As you work your way through the collection, start a “word wall” showcasing all the new words your students have learned.
- Celebrate World Storytelling Day every day with hundreds of hours of binge-worthy audio content available on Pinna!
The Wrap-Up
No matter what subject you’re looking to teach, Pinna can help you make it fun and get. it. DONE!
We’re all ears!
What new ways will you use Pinna in the classroom this fall? We’d love to hear from you! Find us on all our social platforms – Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest – or email us at contact@pinna.fm.
