Kozlowski 1

Amber Kozlowski
CP English 12
October 25, 2015
Period 3
Audio Books For the World
Upon starting at Santa Susana High School, students are aware, or are quickly informed, of a
major project that they must do in their senior year; this is called a Senior Project. As most
adults know, interests change quickly throughout high school, as well as college. The goal of the
senior project is for students to get to look into the profession that they would like to pursue, and
use the information gathered to decide if they would like to continue on that path, or maybe see
that its not for them and go along a different path.
My current goal in life is to become a voice actor. So I decided to combine that with a hobby
of mine, reading, to make an audiobook. The book I chose to make this for is The Little Prince.
It is a childrens story written by Antoine de Saint-Exupry (1900 - 1944) after he was exiled
from France to The United States of America during World War II. We are currently reading this
book in French AP, as the author is French and the book was originally written in French. The
Little Prince is a popular book, and has been translated into many languages. Once I realized
this, I further realized that I could combine my want to voice act with my love of languages. I
plan on making an audiobook for The Little Prince in French, German, and Spanish; nine
chapters in each language, as the book is twenty-seven chapters.
I have only voice acted once before, and it was for an ongoing YouTube project that a friend of
mine is creating. So, I am going to be providing research that I have done showing the
differences between auditory, visual, and tactile/kinesthetic learners. Then I will provide

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information on the benefits of audiobooks in a classroom environment. Lastly I will be
providing information on how to keep your voice healthy when in constant use for people who
might want to follow in my footsteps later in life.
Why It Is Important
The most difficult challenges that all educators are forced to overcome on a regular basis is
improving the level of student complacency within the programs and school environment
(Murphy, Robert et al). Students have different strengths and weaknesses in how they learn, also
known as learning strategies (Felder and Spurlins). Learning strategies aid students in acquiring
new information and then adding said information into their new understanding and knowledge
(Pei-Shi). Some students prefer working with the hard facts, others prefer working with theories
and models, some are partial to pictures and diagrams, while others understand better with a
verbal explanation (Felder and Spurlins). Education researchers presuppose that everyone has a
different way of learning and, if teachers adequately adapt to accommodate these differences, it
is predictable that increased learning will occur (Murphy, Robert et al). For visionary and
auditory learners, scientists agree that these have been viewed as spatial and temporal sensory
styles, respectively (Conway). Auditory learners prefer to concentrate on lectures, not take
notes, and discuss with classmates afterwards to have complete clarification and understanding
of the topic (Murphy, Robert et al). The different styles have attained a greater influence than
expected within modern education, and are constantly experienced at grades ranging from
primary to graduation. There are many books based solely on teaching teachers how to present
lessons in the different styles that have earned quite a bit in revenue (Pashler, Harold et al).
However, not all educators are in agreement that coordinating teaching methods to a students
method of learning or style improves education; some scientists have even suggested that

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teaching with the preferred style is not the leading way to learn a topic (Murphy, Robert et al).
Many places conclude that at the current time, there is no satisfactory evidence available to
justify assimilating learning-style programs into everyday educational practices (Pash).
Audiobooks have many uses in classrooms. Audiobooks have routinely been utilized
with non-native speakers, students with learning disabilities, and struggling readers or nonreaders (Reading Rockets). Hearing stories being read aloud also helps youth to recognize the
concealed formation of written tradition which can be markedly different from oral tradition; for
example ...said the cat or ...the mom answered are structures that are not used in spoken
English (Casbergue). It might also be benign to list the benefits of audiobooks for every student.
Audiobooks can be used to:

Introduce students to books that are above their regular reading level
Model good interpretive reading
Teach critical listening skills
Highlight the humor in books that might be difficult to understand upon first

reading
Introduce new genres that students might not otherwise consider
Introduce new vocabulary or difficult proper names or locales
Sidestep unfamiliar dialects or accents, such as Old English and Mark Twain
Provide a read-aloud model
Provide a way to begin a discussion on important topics for parents and their
children who can listen to audio books together (Reading Rockets).

The main benefit is that students reading comprehension skills will increase, leading to a more
educated generation (Google Books). In our time, new technology is challenging a written
tradition; people fear that the new technology will weaken reading and writing. However, it is
argued that it will not weaken it, but strengthen it, due to the fact that dyslexic and blind people
who cannot comprehend braille will be able to listen to books as well (Rose, Bridget). Long

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before children are able to read on their own, their general understanding of the world can and
will also be enriched by the stories that are read to them (Casbergue).

Voice over professionals work obviously revolves around their voice, making it vital to
maintain good vocal health and to not stress their voices. Actors and singers who abuse their
voices can develop nodules, polyps, contact ulcers, and/or contact granuloma (Feder). Vocal
cord nodules and polyps are types of small growths that can develop on the vocal cords of some
speakers due to overuse of the voice and vocal cords (healthcentral.com). Ulcers and/or contact
granuloma are also growths on the vocal cords, but they can be more dangerous; treatment of
these involve relaxing the voice by talking as little as one can for a minimum of 6 weeks
(entandallergy.com). The larynx/vocal cords consist of four anatomic components: intrinsic
muscles, extrinsic muscles, cartilaginous skeleton, and a mucus lining; the larynx is what most
people know as their adams apple (Drplace.com). When talking, one must relax; the voice cant
be free in voice acting if it isnt free in speaking (Oren L. Brown). One of the main causes of
vocal strain is hoarseness: Hoarseness can range from a simple upper respiratory tract infection,
like a cough, to something more serious like an ulcer. The most common and simplest remedy is
to gargle lukewarm or room temperature saltwater; another is drinking lots of water and getting
plenty of bedrest. (speedyremedies.com, health.com, Everyday Roots). If a person uses these
methods, then the best way to read aloud for a long period of time are these points: dont rush -the director will get what they want easier; expand the chest cavity -- all breaths should expand
the chest and diaphragm, and dont worry about how it will turn out immediately -- the technical
producer does that for the actor (Voice).

Applications

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Using the information that I found, despite most of it being supplementary to my
project instead of contributing to, I will be making the audiobook while thinking of the benefits
of this project. Once I am finished recording, I will edit the audio together with music in the
background, and smooth all the recordings out to make it sound as if I had recorded it all at once,
After everything is said and done, I will be giving the recordings to the teachers here at Santa
Susana High School who teach the higher level language courses; these teachers being Madame
Mortine, Frau Newell, and Seor Agredano. I expect to run into some set-backs, such as finding
adequate time to record the audio for said project in my noisy environment. This as well as
reading aloud for several hours in a language that is not my native tongue can cause serious
stress on my vocal cords. I can avoid this damaging my throat by keeping in mind everything I
researched about vocal health to maintain a safe work habit.

Works Cited

Conway, Christopher M.; Christiansen, Morten H. Modality-Constrained Statistical

Learning of Tactile, Visual, and Auditory Sequences. Journal of Experimental
Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, Vol 31(1), Jan 2005, 24-39.

Drplace.com,. 'Evaluating Hoarseness: Keeping Your Patient's Voice Healthy'. N.p., 1998. Web.
31 Oct. 2015.

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Entandallergy.com,. 'Vocal Cord Contact Ulcers | Voice And Swallowing Center | ENT &
Allergy Associates'. N.p., 2015. Web. 31 Oct. 2015.

Everyday Roots,. '22 Natural Sore Throat Remedies To Help Soothe The Pain'. N.p.,
2013. Web. 2 Nov. 2015.

Feder, Robert. 'Varix Of The Vocal Cord In The Professional Voice User'. Otolaryngology
-- Head and Neck Surgery 91.4 (2015): 435-436. Web. 31 Oct. 2015.

Felder, Richard M., and Joni Spurlin. Applications, Reliability And Validity Of The Index Of
Learning Styles. 1st ed. Raleigh, North Carolina: Tempus Publications, 2005.
Web. 29 Oct. 2015.

Google Books,. 'The Benefit Of Utilizing Audiobooks With Students Who Are Struggling
Readers'. N.p., 2015. Web. 31 Oct. 2015.
Healthcentral,. 'Vocal Cord Nodules And Polyps'. N.p., 2015. Web. 31 Oct. 2015.

Health.com,. '10 Ways To Soothe A Sore Throat'. N.p., 2015. Web. 2 Nov. 2015.

Murphy, Robert et al. 'Student Learning Preferences And Teaching Implications'. Journal of
Dental Education 68.8 (2004): 859-866. Web. 29 Oct. 2015.

Pei-Shi, Weng. 'The Effect Of Learning Styles On Learning Strategy Use By EFL Learners Proquest'. Search.proquest.com. N.p., 2015. Web. 28 Oct. 2015.

Reading Rockets,. 'Benefits Of Audiobooks For All Readers'. N.p., 2010. Web. 31 Oct. 2015.

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Casbergue, Renee Michelet and Harris, Karen (1996) "Listening and Literacy:
Audiobooks in the Reading Program," Reading Horizons: Vol. 37: Iss. 1, Article 4.
Rose, David, and Bridget Dalton. Plato Revisited: Learning Through Listening In The
Digital World. 1st ed. 2007. Print.
Speedyremedies.com,. 'How To Get Rid Of A Sore Throat | Home Remedies By
Speedyremedies'. N.p., 2015. Web. 2 Nov. 2015.

Voice, How. 'How To Read Out Loud Without Tiring Your Voice'. wikiHow. N.p., 2015.
Web. 3 Nov. 2015.