Kindergarten teachers use a variety of strategies that focus on vocabulary development. A common and effective practice to introduce new vocabulary to kindergarteners is reading storybooks to children, what is commonly known as "read-alouds" (Bus, van Ijzendoorn, & Pelligrini, 1995; Christ & Wang, 2010; Newton, Padak &…

In this article, Shelly Hudson Bowden, a kindergarten teacher for 14 years, offers her observations of peer-to-peer mentoring relationships among her kindergarten students that they formed and maintained. These mentoring relationships supported students' learning as they mentored one another in both "social" and "academic"…

Early education programs in the United States are experiencing an increase in the number of English learners and, consequently, an increase in dual-language programs that best serve the needs of these children. Dual-language programs enable children to communicate orally and in written forms in both their native languages and in English. This…

Mathematical, scientific, and technological knowledge is critical for people in a 21st Century world that is dependent upon a global interconnectedness and a knowledge-based economy. This is the kind of knowledge that will power innovations and drive decision making in the years ahead. Schools are therefore being called upon to devise a…

This article discusses how Book buddy reading activities can help to develop interpersonal relationships between younger and older students, increase all children's reading levels and abilities, and foster their positive self-esteem and confidence. Teachers, families, and other caregivers often seek techniques to improve children's reading…