Projects With Young Learners

Contains practical, tried-and-tested ideas and materials for planning, organizing, and carrying out project work with children aged between 5 and 13. Combines language and skills development with activities which challenge young learners and motivate them to be independent.

Educating children and leading them towards the path of bilingualism is a valuable and challenging task for any educator. Effective language teaching can contribute to young learners’ cognitive growth, develop their problem-solving skills, enhance their comprehension abilities, and provide children with the satisfaction of succeeding in the challenge of learning a foreign language. All these issues must be taken under consideration when researching children and their teachers. The current literature indicates that further material is needed to provide professionals with different classroom situations and enhance the art of teaching children. Teaching Practices and Equitable Learning in Children's Language Education focuses on various perspectives of efficient practices, approaches, and ideas for professional development in the field of young language learners. The chapters in this book link the theoretical understanding and practical experience of teaching children languages by concentrating on teaching practices, material design, classroom management, reading, speaking, writing, and more. This book is designed for inservice and preservice teachers, administrators, teacher educators, practitioners, stakeholders, researchers, academicians, and students interested in the field of early language learning and applied linguistics at large.

This bestselling book has been completely updated and expanded to help teachers use the project approach in child care centers, in preschools, and in kindergarten, 1st grade, and early childhood special education classrooms. For those new to using projects, the book introduces the approach and provides step-by-step guidance for conducting meaningful projects. Experienced teachers will find the teacher interviews, children's work, photographs (including full colour), and teacher journal entries used to document the project process in actual classrooms very useful. This popular, easy-to-use resource has been expanded to include these new features: explicit instructions and examples for incorporating standards into the topic selection and planning process; a variety of nature experiences, with examples that show how project work is an excellent way to connect children to the natural world; an update of the use of technology for both documentation and investigations, including use of the Web as well as and video and digital cameras; and more toddler projects that reflect our increased knowledge from recent mind/brain research about toddler understanding and learning.

This new edition incorporates many insights and strategies the authors have learned while working extensively with teachers to implement the project approach. Since the popular first edition was published in 1989, the authors have continued to help teachers around the world understand the benefits of this approach. Katz and Chard discuss in great detail the philosophical, theoretical, and research bases of project work. The typical phases are presented and detailed suggestions for implementing each one are described. Using specific examples, this book clarifies and articulates the process and benefits of the project approach. These specific examples outline how children's intellectual development is enhanced. Years of working with teachers and young children from preschool to primary age provide the authors with first hand experience for employing the project approach. Helpful guidelines will aid teachers in working with this approach comfortably in order to gain the interset of children and in order for those to grow and florish mentally.

This popular series gives teachers practical advice and guidance, along with resource ideas and materials for the classroom. The tasks and activities are clearly presented, and offer teachers the information they need about level, time, preparation, materials, classroom management, monitoring, and follow-up activities. Each book offers up to 100 ideas, as well as variations that encourage teachers to adapt the activities to suite their individual classrooms.

This new edition of Free Spirit’s best-selling youth service guide includes a refreshed “Ten Steps to Successful Service Projects” plus hundreds of up-to-date ideas for projects—from simple to large-scale. At a time when U.S. President Barack Obama has called for increased participation in community service, this revitalized book is sure to find a whole new audience of eager young change-makers.

With more than 3 million fans, TheDadLab has quickly become an online sensation by creating a solution for parents when they hear the dreaded 'I'm bored' complaint, and now, for the first time, Sergei Urban has transferred his most popular experiments to print in this beautifully illustrated and mind-blowing book! Using everyday ingredients that you can find in your kitchen cupboard, Sergei shows experiments that are not only fun for children, but fun for adults too! With 40 wonderful activities, including 15-never-before-posted, TheDadLab includes additional information not found on his online posts: each activity will feature a detailed explanation simplifying the information that stems from the fields of Science, Technology, engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) for a parent to help explain their curious child and answer the questions 'how' and 'why.'

"The Project Approach for All Learners: A Hands-On Guide for Inclusive Early Childhood Classrooms provides early educators with an in-depth understanding of how to implement the Project Approach with all students. A practical resource, it is designed with an Implementation Checklist, illustrative videos, training materials, Powerpoints, and downloadable forms to support application in inclusive settings"--

Young Investigators has been expanded to guide today’s teachers through the process of conducting meaningful investigations with young children. This fourth edition of the bestseller begins with a new chapter, “How Children Really Learn,” which summarizes insights from mind-brain education research, showing how experiences firmly rooted in children’s curiosity and interest build intellectual capacity. The book then introduces the Project Approach with step-by-step guidance for incorporating child initiation and direction into curriculum while simultaneously addressing content standards. A new focus on critical Teacher Decision Points uses fresh-from-the-classroom examples to show how teachers think through project work. The emphasis on STEM experiences has been expanded to include STEAM through a new chapter, “The Role of Project Work in the Arts” This book makes project-based learning possible with the youngest children (toddlers through 2nd grade) who are not yet proficient in reading and writing, but capable of deep, focused thinking. Throughout, readers empathize with teachers’ concerns, witness how they find solutions to challenges, and feel the excitement of children during project work. Young Investigators is appropriate for teachers new to using the Project Approach, as well as for those who already have experience. Book Features: Examples of projects from child care centers and preschool, K–2, and special education classrooms.Instructions for incorporating standards and STEAM skills into project work.A variety of experiences to help children connect to the natural world. Toddler projects that reflect knowledge from recent mind-brain research.Tools for integrating required curriculum goals and for assessing achievement.A Teacher Project Planning Journal that leads teachers through the major decision points of project work.Full-color photographs of children engaged with projects. A study guide for pre- and inservice teachers (available at www.tcpress.com).

"Give kids practice with 26 fun forms of writing, including alphabet books, pet tales, weather reports, super silly recipes, book reviews, color descriptions, character comparisons, and everything in between!"--Page 4 of cover