Readers Theatre in Early Childhood Ed – Podcast Episode 134

Readers Theatre in Early Childhood Ed – Podcast Episode 134 | Classnotes Podcast 134

Classnotes Podcast (February 6, 2014) It’s never too early to engage children in exploring science and math. And in bilingual classrooms where children are learning English, science and math can be deliberately integrated to support language learning. In this Classnotes episode, Rosana G. Rodríguez, Ph.D., IDRA director of development, and Juanita García, Ph.D., an IDRA education associate, talk about how early childhood teachers can weave activities grounded in inquiry that develop bilingual skills and oral language in bilingual classrooms by simultaneously introducing mathematics concepts at very young ages.

Using a story from IDRA’s Semillitas de aprendizaje supplemental curriculum Rosana and Juanita demonstrate how teachers can use Readers Theatre to engage students in developing oral fluency, a critical factor necessary for reading comprehension. Rosana and Juanita are interviewed by Laurie Posner, MPA, an IDRA senior education associate.

Show length: 14:30

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Resources

Building Interest in STEM through Language Development and Storytelling
Rosana G. Rodríguez, Ph.D., and Juanita García, Ph.D., IDRA Newsletter
http://www.idra.org/resource-center/building-interest-in-stem/

Semillitas de aprendizaje
http://www.idra.org/Quality_Early_Education/Semillitas/

Along Came a Spider: Exploring the Tangled Web! – Exciting Interest in STEM via Language Development: Powerpoint Download
PowerPoint presentation by Dr. Juanita C. García & Dr. Rosana G. Rodríguez
http://www.idra.org/images/stories/LaCosecha_2013.pptx

Readers’ Theatre: A Viable Reading Strategy?
G. Tranin and N. Andrzejeczak.

Using Semillitas de aprendizaje™ in the Early Childhood Classroom
Juanita García, Ph.D., and Rosana G. Rodríguez, Ph.D., IDRA Newsletter
http://www.idra.org/resource-center/using-semillitas-de-aprendizaje/

Oral Reading in the School Literacy Curriculum
T.V. Rasinski and J.V. Hoffman, Reading Research Quarterly
http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/4151839?uid=3739920&uid=2&uid=4&uid=3739256&sid=21103233503863

Oral Reading Fluency as an Indicator of Reading Competence: A Theoretical, Empirical, and Historical Analysis
L., Fuchs, D. Fuchs, and M.K. Hosp, Scientific Studies of Reading

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Show Notes

Rosana talks about the underrepresentation of girls and minority students in STEM fields, and the importance of building excitement for science at an early age by linking STEM to literacy development.

Juanita and Rosana discuss how the Semillitas de Aprendizaje can be used for language learning in a way that honors a child’s home language and culture.

Juanita and Rosana explain how Readers Theatre helps English language learners to develop and improve their oral fluency through deep and expressive reading.

Juanita shares an example from a group of fourth graders who read Semillitas de Aprendizaje in both English and Spanish.

Rosana expands on how students benefit from the linking of science with language learning, from developing a sense of self-efficacy and expression to improving their listening skills.

Rosana and Juanita read an excerpt from Jesusita y las Arañas ~ Jesusita and the Spiders, a story that challenges students to talk about scientific concepts around spiders that they already know and would like to learn.

Resource Center