Teaching Young Children – serie

By linking theory to practice with an emphasis on national and state standards, Head Start Performance Standards, No Child Left Behind, and IDEA, the authors coherently combine principles of child development and social studies content to create a solid program for preschool through grade three. The authors maintain the overriding idea throughout the Teaching Young Children series—that strategies derived from knowledge of child development are used to teach content knowledge. It is this concern that makes this volume an excellent resource for teachers and parents. In addition to specific discussions of how to build and conduct a social studies curriculum, the work includes vignettes of teachers and children in the classroom; graphics illustrating concepts and methods; and matrices, charts and tables to enhance understanding. The authors effectively intertwine social learning in young children and development of self-concept with the theme-based curriculum of the National Council for Social Studies, the principles of multicultural education, parent collaboration to support learning, and creating connections between classroom and community.

This volume addresses a gamut of questions of interest to teachers of young second language learners. Why do immigrant children leave their home countries, and what are their journeys to the United States like? How do young children adjust to the new culture? What sort of dynamic prevails in immigrant families? What are young immigrants' schooling experiences like? What are language learning processes like in young children? The first part of the book contains an overview of recent ethnographic, sociological, and psycholinguistic research concerned with answering these questions. The second half of the volume focuses on classroom practice. Gordon provides an extensive overview of activities that have been proven to be effective with young language learners. Practical recommendations contained in these pages flow directly from the classroom. Gordon describes innovative second language lessons developed and implemented by ESL teachers who work with language learners enrolled in primary grades. The book places special emphasis on those instructional strategies that stir young language learners' interest while stimulating their linguistic and cognitive development.