Tested and fine-tuned in K-2 classrooms, this book provides engaging lessons and materials for teaching the three genres of writing--opinion, procedural, and story--that provide a foundation for beginning writers' persuasive, informative, and narrative writing skills. The authors' approach integrates strategy instruction, self-regulated learning,…

In unprecedented times, the global community is calling for greater knowledge and engagement in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) to support the decision making and practices of the general community. COVID-19 has highlighted this pressing need and inviting a 'new normal'. But STEM is not the core business of early childhood.…

We explore our experiences with roleplaying games across learning environments, chasing communal questions such as: how can teachers engage with the possibilities of roleplaying in classroom spaces, and how can we leverage such practices to open up spaces for youth to bodily experience texts, express identities, and imagine new worlds? This…

The aim of the study was to examine whether participation of academic students in experiential activities during their semester lessons could facilitate their learning and improve their exam performance. The study involved 68 students of an Early Years Learning & Care Department, who volunteered and committed to attend all semester lessons.…

Early years of a child, especially during Early Childhood Education (ECE), is a critical period facilitating the formation of gender identity and stereotypes, which could affect the appropriate development of a child. Yet, to date, most studies on gender and pedagogy in ECE have been done outside Africa, and so far none in Kenya. The aim of this…

Using creative and performative methods is central to engaging children in fun and inspiring learning. This hands-on guide provides activities, quick tips and advice for developing performance and creative skills to support delivery of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). Each chapter focuses on a particular method, including storytelling,…

The "Fun with..." series is a set of six booklets published by the Basic Skills Agency. All are aimed at providing parents, childminders and carers of 3-5-year-olds with practical ideas and activities to support the development of young children through play and games in the Early Years Foundation Stage. This leaflet contains ideas on how to use…

Oral storytelling supports young children's learning and development differently than stories read aloud from picture books. It gives children an opportunity to exercise their imagination, communicate effectively, enhance their social literacy, and build community in a different way. Oral storytelling encourages a heightened and more sophisticated…

Learning a FL [foreign language] may be frustrating for some young learners; however, integrating fun in learning would encourage them to develop positive attitudes towards learning a language (Ellis & Brewster, 1991). Stories are an effective and enthusiastic technique in teaching young learners; they inject lots of amusement and help…

Clay's Reading Recovery has been one of the most effective one-to-one tutorial sessions. To make the daily lesson more interesting and fully engage the at-risk readers, the author modified Clay's Reading Recovery Program by conceptualizing phonics and semiotics into early intervention. In this case study, three at-risk first graders formed an…

This second edition of "The Excellence of Play" encapsulates all of the many changes that have taken place in early childhood in the last decade. It examines the vital importance of play as a tool for learning and teaching for children and practitioners, supporting all those who work in early childhood education and care in developing and…