Copei VI International Congress
Foreign Language Teaching
Poster Session 2013
Language Immersion through Reading in Pre-School
Our pre-school has a 100% English Program for two to four year old children. We implemented Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Program “Splash into Pre-K”. Children are immersed in an English environment. Spanish is learned at home and English is learned at school. By First Basic the goal is to be bilingual.
Children easily learn English by reading stories and participating in related meaningful activities. Comprehension is clear when they can connect the stories to their real life experiences.
This poster session shares an experience with story learning in pre-school. One story introduces English, Social Studies, Science, Math.
We use Whole Language, a method of teaching that emphasizes literature, where language is treated as a complete meaning-making system.
Reading Process
Pre-Reading Five Huge Dinosaurs
Educator introduces front and back covers. Shows pictures while children watch, react, ask questions, share prior knowledge.
Immersion, Whole Language and Constructivism
Reading
Modelling
The educator uses corporal gestures.
Responding
Children retell the story through ludic activities. They can respond to questions asked by the educator or a peer.
Comprehension
Children are able to produce chunks of language, building upon prior knowledge the new words, structures, phrases, verbs, adjectives.
Science Children learned about the different types of dinosaurs. Watched a video about dinosaurs and saw a powerpoint presentation. Sang “Diggin up Dinosaur Bones”.
Social Studies Children learned about huge animals and habitats, oceans, mountains, volcano. Sang the song “I love e mountain”.
Math Children will compare small, medium and large. Sang “Math Attributes”. Rhyme Five Huge Dinosaurs.
Art & Drama Children played pat-a-cake and made a different landscapes.
