research topics kindergarten

126 Kindergarten Research Topics & Essay Examples

📝 kindergarten research papers examples, 🎓 simple research topics about kindergarten, 👍 good kindergarten essay topics to write about, 🏆 best kindergarten essay titles, ❓ kindergarten research questions.

Early Childhood Education: Studies Review Studies on early childhood education have been conducted in various countries. This paper reviews three studies that were conducted in Germany, Netherlands and the USA.
Bilingual Education and Preschoolers' Development There are several theories in child development that directly or indirectly discuss the implications of bilingual education and show the importance of bilingual education.
Engaging the Learner in the Early Years of Schooling The following project report is preparation of education plans for five- year-old Indonesian children who are now growing up in the alien lands of Sydney in Australia.
Curriculum for Kindergarten Pupils The article presents a mini fitness lesson suitable for kindergarten children, as well as a plan for an interactive family event.
Developmentally Appropriate Activities for Toddlers The study sample includes a book aimed at developing toddlers’ cognitive skills and gross motor behavior, a go-get interactive game, and a video on learning colors.
Sloth Sky Preschool: Curriculum Context Sloth Sky Preschool offers center-based care for preschool/kindergarten children as a part of a school. Based on the location, the school is near Penguin Ocean Primary School.
Special Education for Children of Kindergarten and Third-Grade Levels Special education is designed to address the needs of students with specific disabilities in a very individual manner.
Literacy Development for Preschoolers The article focuses on the importance of early literacy development in preschoolers and methods that will help teachers in this.
An Ethical Dilemma With a Child in a Preschool Classroom An ethical dilemma with a child in a preschool classroom stemming from a situation when a child does not want to comply with a particular EC institution’s standard schedule.
Influence of Teachers’ Attitudes on Student Behavior and Achievement This article is about a study that aims to determine how teacher attitudes affect student behavior and performance in grades kindergarten through fifth.
How Teacher Attitudes Affect Students' Behavior and Performance in Grades The aim of conducting this study is to determine how teacher attitudes affect student behavior and performance in grades Kindergarten through fifth.
The Aspects of Purposeful Preschool Program The article argues class management is one of the key components of teaching practice as it can ensure the proper development and academic achievement of preschool children.
Preschool Teacher Practice Rotation Experience Preschool experience plays a pivotal role in a person’s development, as it lays the foundation for their character
Using Data in Preschools: Data Collection Data drives every aspect of teaching, especially when there is a need to teach young children. Teachers need to see where the kids are thriving and the gaps that need to be filled.
Preschooler Education Overview The article "Preschoolers (3-5 years of age)" describes preschoolers' development milestones aged between 3 to 5 and suggests some positive parenting tips.
"Teaching Strategies for Preschool Educators" Analysis The article focuses on the main teaching strategies used in preschool education. The first strategy is the promotion of early literacy.
Preschoolers Education and Activities for Children The activities for children should be appropriate for everyone within the class. Preschoolers must be encouraged to play and learn.
Language Acquisition in Toddlers and Infants Language acquisition in toddlers starts from their communication with the environment. A friendly environment and proper materials allow for simplifying the language learning process
Importance of the Assessment in Kindergarten and Its Types Assessment in kindergarten is essential in building future generations, building the pupils' strength and giving them the confidence is the joy of a teacher.
“Investigating Pathways”: Toddler Learning Setups “Investigating Pathways” video examines two toddler learning setups: the blue room and the green room, each using different investigation concepts.
Infant and Toddler Development and Programming The set of materials presented in this essay provides a beneficial learning process for babies and toddlers because their usage is organized around educational principles of belonging.
Examination of Books and Interactive Content for Numbers Learning This paper identifies 12 textbooks that teach pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, and second-grade children to understand numbers, counting, and sets.
Integrated Co-Teaching and Impact on Learning Integrated co-teaching (ICT) is an emerging method of teaching students with learning disabilities. This system is implemented in different levels of educational institutions.
Number Sense and Learning Centers in Preschool To improve Number Sense in preschool, the educator will have to adopt new learning strategies. The expectations of the learning outcomes are shaped by curriculum.
The Quality of Learning Programs in Preschool Establishments The paper research and summarizes the article "Quality 101: Identifying the core components of a high-quality early childhood program" about high-quality child care programs.
Visiting a Preschool Class as Reflective Practice This report provides a detailed reflection of the activities, environment, and knowledge obtained during a visit to a preschool class in one of the local public schools.
Strive Preschool: Using Information Systems in a Preschool The school should start by establishing the necessary roles and activities and using IT budget to buy, maintain, and update software and hardware.
Special Education Curriculum Issues and Their Solutions in the USA There are many potential improvements that can transform the special education programs across the US to become more efficient, inclusive, and appropriate for the stakeholders.
Lesson Plan for Pre-Kindergarteners Learning activities have to be divided into relevant categories to help the educator pick a small number of developmental milestones and focus on individual elements of learning.
A Fire Safety Class Held in a Preschool The paper states that the case illustrates a fire safety class held in a preschool. Children were taught the basics of emergency case information.
Froebel’s Kindergarten Philosophy Friedrich Froebel is a renowned philosopher whose influence on childhood education is evident in the contemporary world.
Planning and Teaching in a Preschool Setting The teacher's job is to plan learning activities that begin with the development of learning objectives and continue through implementation and evaluation in a preschool setting.
Physical Development in Florida Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program The observed Pre-K program had an emphasis on physical development, which incorporated elements of math, reading, music, and arts.
Lesson Plans for Preschool and Second Grade During the math lesson, it is necessary to observe whether children show increased use of part-whole skills, and division of things into smaller objects.
Preschool Education in China and Japan Preschool education in China serves several purposes, from child care to educational preparation. Meanwhile, the Japanese preschool system is more directed toward socialization.
Education System: Building a Class The learning process aims to develop professional skills and develop tolerance and create a picture of the world.
Importance of Research-Based Curriculum The Fireflies is both a developmentally appropriate and engaging curriculum that allows the teacher to promote learning through play and help children.
Literacy in Elementary Schools After COVID-19 Pandemic The level of literacy the students of kindergartens and first three grades of elementary schools possess is lower than it was before the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Preschool Program's Design Analysis This paper aims to design a preschool daycare program for children aged three to five and discuss the activities to enhance their social, emotional, physical, and cognitive skills.
Early Childhood Education in India Today's preschool education system in India is designed so that parents can rest assured of their children who have been trained in such groups.
Social-Emotional Skills Program for Preschoolers During the early 21st century, it was reported that the ability to regulate behaviors and emotions could be seen as the fundamental skills showcasing a child’s school readiness.
Comparison of the Two Early Childhood Educational Institutions in Hong Kong This paper examines the educational and administrative management aspects of two kindergartens in Hong Kong: HKYWCA Athena and The Salvation Army Shui Chuen O Kindergarten.
Research in the Field of Childhood Literacy This paper contains an annotated bibliography of the two articles devoted to the topics of childhood literacy and education.
Social-Emotional Skill Program to Enhance Learning in Preschoolers This research studies the relationship between three variables, the learners' socio-emotional skills and their academic and behavioral outcomes in pre-schoolers.
Me and Others: Observation of Preschool Children This paper analyzes the video “Me and others”, which shows an experiment on suggestibility performed with preschool children (5 years old).
“The Kindergarten Program”: Visible Learning in Early Childhood Education Visible learning is particularly significant since children learn from experience and should be exposed to real-life situations.
Interventions and Letter & Sound Recognition Students who experience difficulties in recognizing letters and sounds in words and reading face challenges in writing and isolation of alphabetical sounds.
Dyslexia in Young Children: Developmental Language Disorder ADHD, autism spectrum disorder, depression, anorexia, Tourette's, and bipolar are among those conditions that have various symptoms.
Early Childhood Education Programs Comparison Relying on the two videos on Early Childhood Education Programs, this paper compares various programs that are critical for the proper development of children.
Preschool Activity: Introducing Multicultural Awareness The world is a place of many cultures and nations, which is why it is essential to introduce multicultural awareness to children.
The Lingua Globe Educational Toy The Lingua Globe toy represents a globe that features multiple buttons corresponding to different countries. The toy addresses primarily the linguistic aspect of development.
Early Childhood Education: Pedagogical Skills Understanding each child as a unique individual with their own psychological characteristics and structure of thinking seems to be a necessary competence of any children's teacher.
Positive Behaviour Support Framework in Preschool The School-Wide Positive Behaviour Support framework promotes acceptable behavior expectations for children in schools to facilitate a safe learning culture.
The Overall Expectations in the Kindergarten Program The documentation The Overall Expectations in the Kindergarten Program supports the idea that the cup-stacking activity addresses the two overall expectation frames.
Mutual Storytelling in the Baby's Edcuation Communicating with your child is an essential aspect of learning because from a very early age, children try to copy the behavior of adults.
The Montessori Method and Its Benefits The Montessori Method of education is an influential teaching method to ensure that students are equipped with the best practical skills in the learning process.
Expanding Existing Programs and Services in Preschool The expansion of the existing program and service in preschool is a good project which needs to be implemented in the West Bronx neighborhood.
DIBELS: The Cognitive Foundations of Reading and Its Acquisition DIBELS is a literacy assessment program that helps identify and offer assistance to lagging students. The key tests in the DIBELS program are the LNF, ISF, PSF, and NWF tests.
Early Childhood Education Aspects Early childhood is considered the most crucial time of child development because it is a period of fast physical and mental development.
Family Partnerships to Help Needy Preschooler Students Family and parent partnerships are essential to ensuring that students build strong relationships that can help in boosting their success.
Educational Assistant: Roles and Responsibilities Educational assistants monitor and record learners' needs, strengths, behavior, and achievements during their time in school and report crucial incidents.
Should Pre-K Be Made Available to All Children? Preparing children for elementary school can benefit them because preschool improves their cognitive abilities and gets them used to a regimented schedule.
A Description of the Student Observation The paper includes a description of the setting, including one's first impressions, suitability for children, and the school environment and atmosphere.
English Language Learners and Kindergarten Entry Age: Achievement and Social-emotional Effects
Preschool and Kindergarten Best Practice Curriculum
Language Acquisition and Expected Developmental Differences for Children of Preschool, Kindergarten, and Primary Ages
The Lesson Plan Created for Kindergarten Students Based on Next Generation
The Need for Universal All Day Pre Kindergarten
Intervention and Theoretical Paper Kindergarten Age
Full-Day vs Half-Day Kindergarten: Which Is Better? This research used an experimental method to point out the cause and effect of having children enrolled in a full-day or half-day kindergarten program.
The Literacy Improvement Program for Pre Kindergarten
Teacher Quality and Learning Outcomes in Kindergarten
Kindergarten Children’s Attachment Security, Inhibitory Control, and the Internalization of Rules of Conduct
Getting Mom Ready for Kindergarten
Developmental Differences That Can Be Expected in Language Acquisition for Preschool, Kindergarten and Primary Aged Children
The Challenges Facing Kindergarten Teachers for Deal With Children Whom English Is an Additional Language
Teaching English Language in Saudi Arabia Kindergarten
This research will primarily explore the significance of integrating English in Kindergarten, which have started emerging in Saudi Arabia, in both private and public schools.
Team Work, Connection and Cooperation Among Two Institutions – School and Kindergarten
Shared Book Reading Promotes Not Only Language Development, but Also Grapheme Awareness in German Kindergarten Children
Factors Affecting the School Readiness of Public Kindergarten Pupils in Lanao Del Sur I–B
High-Quality Pre Kindergarten Classroom Look Like
The Kindergarten Attendance Allowance in Hungary
Using Kindergarten Number Sense To Predict Calculation Fluency in Second Grade
The Full Day Kindergarten Program
Kindergarten Enrollment and the Intergenerational Transmission of Education
Procedures for Sampling Texts and Tasks in Kindergarten Through Eighth Grade
Relationship Between Kindergarten Organizational Climate and Teacher Burnout
Parents and Kindergarten Decisions To Be Made
Kindergarten and Education Expansion Programme Analysis
Kindergarten for All: Long-run Effects of a Universal Intervention
Teacher Interview and Observation of a Kindergarten Math
Learning Activity That Has Been Designed for the Kindergarten
Investigation Into Developed Sabis Curriculum in Kindergarten
Teaching Young Children and Becoming a Kindergarten Teacher
Residential Mobility Across Early Childhood and Children’s Kindergarten Readiness
Young Children’s Developmental Ecologies and Kindergarten Readiness
Kindergarten and Child Primary Education
Technology and the Classroom Starting With Kindergarten
Kindergarten Through Sixth Grade Writing Effectiveness Instruction
Children and Home Reading Before Kindergarten
Early Kindergarten, Maternal Labor Supply, and Children’s Outcomes: Evidence From Italy
Physical and Technological Resources in Kindergarten
Full-Day Kindergarten Versus Half Day Kindergarten Reading Achievement
Efficiency and Fair Access in Kindergarten Allocation Policy Design
Student Engagement and Student Motivation in a Reading Classroom for the Kindergarten Level
Why Is Partnership Between Parents and Kindergarten Teachers Necessary?
What Is the Relationship Between Kindergarten and Primary School Teacher?
How Does the Developed Sabis Curriculum Affect Children in Kindergarten?
Why Should Foreign Language Teaching Begin in Kindergarten?
How Non-native Speaking Children Learn the Chinese Language in Kindergarten
Does Delaying Kindergarten Entrance Give Children a Head Start?
What Is the Difference Between Elementary School and Kindergarten?
Can Universal Pre-kindergarten Programs Improve Population Health and Longevity?
What Are Free Kindergarten Educational Programs?
Sharing Responsibility: What They Didn’t Teach You in Kindergarten?
Why Do Kindergarten Teachers Need To Have at Least a Basic Degree?
What Is the Relationship of Environmental Instability and the Behavior of Children in the Classroom in Kindergarten?
What Do Kindergarten Teachers and University Professors Have in Common?
Do Kindergarten Students Need Computer Science Classes?
Why Does the Montana School System Require Sex Education for Kindergarten?
How Do Preschool Programs Improve Literacy and Achievement?
What Are the Duties of Kindergarten Teachers?
How and Why Does Age at Kindergarten Entry Matter?
What Is the Importance of Full-Day Kindergarten?
How Do Kindergarten Prep Skills Contribute to Academic Achievement?

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8 Genius Research Projects for K–2 Students You Will Definitely Want to Try

Turn your K–2 students into researchers and detectives with these fun classroom projects.

PebbleGo is the award-winning database for reading and research for K-2. It makes learning fun while improving reading and research skills. Learn more about the six different databases—Animals, Science, Biographies, Dinosaurs, Social Studies and the Spanish-language Animals.

Research-based learning is often reserved for students in upper elementary or middle school, but this is a skill that kids can and do learn at an early age. Yes, you can teach kindergarteners how to do proper research (i.e. be awesome detectives and readers) .

Here are eight inspiring research projects on subjects common for the K–2 age group. For each one, we give tips for LEARNING about the specific subject first with key research questions and tasks. Then, we offer a creative project idea, inspired by teachers and educators around the country, for DOING with your students.

1. The World of Bugs

7 Genius Research Projects for PreK-3 Students You Will Definitely Want to Try

SOURCE: Plain Vanilla Mom

It’s a big, enormous world out there—and there are lots of bugs in it. This is a good one to start with if you’re teaching young elementary students how to research. Spiders, insects, and bugs will forever be fascinating subjects for kids. So this project should generate a lot of excitement.

LEARNING: Assign each of your students a different bug and have them answer very simple questions like: How many legs do they have? Where can you find them? How big are they?

DOING: This bug fossil activity is fantastic! All you need is modeling clay, plastic insects (which you can get at the dollar store), a magnifying glass, and tweezers or tongs. Your students will love making the little molds, and it will really encourage them to pay attention to detail!

2. Money, Money, Money

Source: 123 Homeschool 4 Me

Understanding the value of a dollar, counting, and even doing small math problems with money are all skills that your students will be doing for years to come. Here’s how you can get them going on concepts now.

LEARNING: Start with the basics and make sure your students know the value of each bill and coin. Once they understand this, talk to them about earning money, saving, and even the purpose of banks.

DOING: Get inspired by this money minibook. Either download a free one (see link above) or create your own version to meet your classroom needs. Create several books for your class or one for each student as a quick reference to help them really understand the value of money.

3. History and Fame

Source: Let’s Explore

Every grade level has history and biographies as part of its curriculum. It’s essential for students to learn about historymakers, inventors, artists, and other important people of the past, and there are lots of fun ways to do this.

LEARNING: The research comes first, so it’s a good idea to assign a famous person to each of your students. Have them do a little biography, answering questions like: When were they born? Why are they famous? Where did they live?

DOING: Now it’s time for the fun part, where students get to be creative in reporting their results. Some teachers have the students get up in front of the class to present on their specific person, while others make it an art project. We love biography poster collages, like the one pictured above, because they really encourage students to focus on the most essential biographical facts.

4. Learning Plant Life Cycle

Source: The Imagination Tree

Learning about plant life is always a popular classroom activity. It’s such a great opportunity to show students how things grow, and help them understand where their food comes from.

LEARNING: Students can research farming and agriculture, and learn about where food comes from, both locally and around the world. Discover where tropical fruits like bananas and pineapple come from compared to crops in the United States like corn, potatoes, and beans. Help students understand that all plants have a similar start like the beans you will grow in class.

DOING: Plant your bean plants in a clear container like a jar. You can use paper towel or cotton balls for the planting so students will be able to see the roots grow and develop. Have students track the plant’s progress. They can measure it, take photos, or draw pictures every few days. Your students will love seeing how it changes so quickly.

5. Animal Tracks

Source: Green Kids Crafts

Animals are such a big interest area for younger elementary students, and they make lessons instantly more popular. This really useful lesson covers animals, human anatomy, and animal habitats.

LEARNING: When your class studies animal tracks, students can learn a lot about animals. For instance, they can learn about an animal’s size. They can also compare the size of the animal track to their own handprints or footprints for an anatomy lesson. And students can learn about animal habitats, too! We can help our students understand how all of these items are connected.

DOING: Now that your students have learned about animal tracks, have them recreate the tracks using cardboard scraps and sponges. This will give them a real idea of the actual size and shape of different tracks in the wild.

6. Digging into Dinosaurs

Source: Inquiring Minds

Even though they’re now extinct, dinosaurs remain some of the most popular animals with kids. Once you get your students researching, they can learn so much about these magnificent animals that came before us.

LEARNING: Help your students define the words “paleontology” and “paleontologist.” Next, encourage your kids to research different types of dinosaurs. Have them answer questions like: What were some of the big ones? Which ones could fly? What did different types of dinosaurs eat? These will all be important questions to answer before you dive into a project.

DOING: You can steal the sponge idea mentioned above to also create dinosaur tracks. Or for the ambitious teacher, create your very own giant dinosaur skeleton. This teacher outlined the shape for her students and then let them use packing peanuts and empty cardboard tubes to fill the inside.

7. Environment and Pollution

Source: The Owl Teacher

Whether you’re looking for a good Earth Day activity or you just want to teach your students more about environmental issues we are facing around the world, you can bring home the message by studying water pollution. This is a topic that affects millions every single day.

LEARNING: First, learn about the different types of pollution with your students. Air and water pollution are two big ones to start with. Help your kids learn the difference between these two and what they look like. Then ask them a question like, how could pollution affect animals, humans, and the future? Questions like this might seem too big for little minds, but they can handle it!

DOING: It really helps to see this lesson firsthand, and this Freddie the Fish activity is perfect. You’ll definitely want to see this teacher’s step-by-step instructions describing how she did it, but the basics involve a fish-shaped sponge, plastic containers, and adding different toxins to the water. Your students will really start to see how a little bit of water pollution can really get out of hand quickly.

8. Color Mixing

Source: Preschool Inspirations

Color mixing is always a popular activity, and it’s great for hands-on research. Your students will love being in charge of the colors and watching them change before their eyes.

LEARNING: Talk to your students about primary colors and go over the basics of what happens when you blend colors together. Depending on age, talk to them about why this happens and/or what they are seeing. Work with them to come up with a list or anchor chart about the most common color combinations.

DOING: There are so many great color-mixing activities out there, including mixing colorful ice cubes or having a color mixing station in the classroom. We also love this project from Preschool Inspirations, where they make sensory bottles with color mixing.

Make research for your K–2 students easier by using PebbleGo , a reading and research database specifically targeting younger elementary students.

The Ultimate Checklist For Setting Up Your Second Grade Classroom

Reading, writing, and arithmetic ... and more! Continue Reading

5 Research-based Practices for Kindergarten and First Grade

Here's what every kindergarten and first grade teacher should be doing..

Posted June 1, 2017

[Note: In this guest post, two renowned former kindergarten teachers who wrote about the extraordinary literacy successes of children in their classrooms (Feldgus & Cardonick, 1999) show how today’s cutting -edge research in cognitive psychology and neuroscience supports the best practices they and their colleagues have advocated and honed for three decades. What they discovered intuitively and through reflection and collaboration is now cutting-edge best practice in 21st century kindergartens.]

5 Powerful Research-Based Techniques for Exemplary Kindergartens Today

By Eileen Feldgus PhD and Isabell Cardonick MEd

The recent high-profile spotlight on a landmark study in Developmental Psychology has drawn attention to research by Canadian cognitive psychologists Gene Ouellette and Monique Sénéchal (2017). In some respects Ouellette and Sénéchal discovered what we, Eileen and Isabell, have advocated for decades: a powerful connection to improved end-of-first-grade reading scores through the use of early writing and invented spelling. The study’s title, “Invented Spelling in Kindergarten as a Predictor of Reading and Spelling in Grade 1: A New Pathway to Literacy, or Just the Same Road, Less Known?”(Ouellette and Sénéchal, 2017), reflects what exemplary kindergarten teachers have known about the powerful writing/reading connection for years—kid writing is a pathway to reading success. But this work is still not well known or universally practiced. This less-known pathway is the one we traveled. Starting out as passionate kindergarten teachers in the 1960’s and 70’s, we were ardent about creating classrooms that worked for children. We devoured the research of that era and became life-long learners throughout our careers. Early on we discovered better outcomes for children as we focused more on writing, encouraged invented spelling, developed innovative strategies for teaching phonics and eliminated boring worksheets. Today in 2017 five best-practice techniques we discovered in our practice are now wholly supported by research and recommended for today’s kindergartens and first grades.

1. Use Invented Spelling (Ouellette & Sénéchal, 2017). We found invented spelling to be joyful, motivational for our students, and wonderful in terms of providing opportunities for scaffolding and systematically teaching almost all important aspects of the kindergarten literacy curriculum including phonics, phonemic awareness, knowledge of the alphabet, writing conventions, and vocabulary development. But perhaps the most amazing discovery throughout our journey was that kids had remarkable capacities to make meaning if we supported them in the process and allowed their creative juices to flow. Early on we learned as we had read in Don Graves’ research (1983), that kids write best when we step back and allow them to choose their own topics and give them ownership and autonomy. We called our teaching model, “Kid Writing” (1999). Our model fit perfectly with a growing model now called Guided Reading for differentiated reading instruction (Fountas & Pinnell, 2012) and we put in a whole layer underpinning Lucy Calkins work (2003) by showing teachers exactly how to get started and how to move forward with writing workshop and formative assessment. Here are a few samples that illustrate kids’ capacity to grow and flourish as writers in kindergarten:

When I was born my mommy and daddy used to pay a lot of attention to me. But now they don’t pay a lot of attention to me. They pay a lot to Conner.

2. Abandon teaching “Letter of the Week (Reutzel, 1992, 2015). Teaching one letter per week was standard practice in kindergarten when we began teaching. We tried our best to jazz up our teaching of the alphabetic principle because we knew it was essential to breaking the code and reading. Our students sang for the letter, danced for the letter, cooked for the letter, and cut and pasted for the letter. We took elaborate measures to teach the alphabet and sounds because we knew it was important. One fond memory was our “P” Party:” we served foods beginning with P—pizza, pretzels, popcorn, pepperoni, and the like. But with letter of the week the pace was too slow, and as far back as 1992 researchers were noticing the same problem and cautioning teachers to “break the letter-a-week tradition.” (Reutzel, 1992)

So in our classrooms we began to use children’s names on the first day of kindergarten—from Albert to Zoie—and learned to focus on all the sounds and letters from the very beginning. In contrast to when we were using letter of the week our students mastered letters and sounds far sooner.

Today, as reported by Reutzel (2015), “research has identified six evidence- based alphabet letter learning orders through which young children may acquire knowledge of alphabet letter names and sounds (Justice, Pence, Bowles, & Wiggins, 2006 ).” And guess what? “The first learning order is called the own-name effect.” (Reutzel, 2015) We got it right before the research proved it!

3. Use Invented Spelling and a Developmental Writing Scale to monitor progress (Gentry, 2006, 2000). Even before we published the first book on Kid Writing, we were collaborating with Richard Gentry on how to use a developmental spelling/writing assessment along with a developmental rubric to show how young children’s progression through five phases of developmental spelling revealed—among other things—the individual child’s understanding of phonics and his or her invented spellings as evidence of what the child knew or did not know. We found this work to be much more powerful for targeting instruction and monitoring kindergartners’ progress than traditional spelling tests or even measures of phonemic awareness and alphabet knowledge. Progress monitoring by phase observation is now supported by empirical research! (Ouellette & Sénéchal, 2017)

When we started out as neophyte teachers, kids were simply memorizing words that we gave them on a list. We learned to scaffold what they were using in their invented spelling and to show them how English spelling works. Our teaching went from giving lists of what to spell to showing kids how to spell and invented spelling was our vehicle! Without getting into the particulars of an analysis, look at the following samples that show one kindergarten child’s remarkable progress from fall to spring of her kindergarten year.

September sample: It was a sunny day.

June sample: Tuesday my tooth was wiggling. When it was in my mouth, it bled. When it fell out, it stopped bleeding. My mom gently pulled it out with a paper towel and I was happy that it fell out.

4. Let go of worksheets! (Palmer & Invernizzi, 2015). We found that teaching and learning in our classrooms improved when we abandoned worksheets. Remember those nonsensical work sheets where children were to write the letter that the word for each picture would begin with? When we first began teaching we remember students who squirmed with sit-at-the-desk busy worksheets and struggled over the Y is for Yak worksheet wondering why Y was the match for the first sound in “goat” which is the picture they saw on the worksheet.

5. Teach children to stretch though a word with a moving target. (Feldgus, Cardonick, & Gentry, 2017) Research by Ouelette, validated our Stretching Through a Word with a Moving Target teaching methodology. Their research, “confirmed that facilitating invented spelling within a Vygotskian teaching approach can bring about benefits in learning to read and spell, and these benefits go beyond the expansion of alphabetic knowledge and phonological awareness.

Our stretching through technique, for example, helped kids move from l for lady in Phase 2 to lad in Phase 3 to ladee in syllable chunks in Phase 4 on the way to conventional lady . The stretching through technique met kids where they were and supported them in moving to higher levels of spelling sophistication from phase to phase.

Keep the Faith—Keep the Passion—Keep Your Kids Writing

One thing that hasn’t changed over the years is our passion for literacy-learning classrooms for beginners. Today as staff developers and authors, we continue to encounter kindergarten teachers all over America and beyond who share our passion, devotion to children, and vision for joyful, play-based, academic kindergarten and first grade classrooms. We believe implementing these five research-based strategies surrounding kid writing will be transformational in America. It is the answer to reversing the decades-old trend of flat-lined first grade reading scores!

For details on these five strategies and creating joyful kid-writing classrooms that work, check out our comprehensive guide for kindergarten and grade 1 teachers: Kid Writing in the 21st Century: A Systematic Approach to Phonics, Spelling and Writing Workshop (Hameray, 2017).

Link to Kid Writing to learn more.

Dr. J. Richard Gentry is the author of Raising Confident Readers, How to Teach Your Child to Read and Write–From Baby to Age 7 . Follow him on Facebook , Twitter , and LinkedIn and find out more information about his work on his website .

Calkins, L. M. (2003). The Nuts and Bolts of Teaching Writing. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Feldgus, E., Cardonick, I. & Gentry, J. R. (2017). Kid Writing in the 21st Century . Las Angeles, CA: Hameray Publishing Group.

Fountas, I. and Pinnell, G.S.(2013). The Reading Teacher. 66 (4) 268-284.

Gentry, R. (2006). Breaking the code: The new science of beginning reading and writing . Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Gentry, R. (2000). A retrospective on invented spelling and a look forward. The Reading Teacher . 54 (3) 318-332.

Graves, D. H. (1983). Writing: Teachers and Children at Work . Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Justice , L.M. , Pence , K. , Bowles , R.B. , & Wiggins , A. ( 2006 ). An investigation of four hypotheses concerning the order by which 4- year- old children learn the alphabet letters. Early Childhood Research Quarterly , 21 ( 3), 374 – 389 .

Ouelette, G. & Sénéchal, M. (2017). Invented spelling in kindergarten as a predictor of reading and spelling in grade 1: A new Pathway to literacy, or just the same road, less known? Developmental Psychology . 53 (1) 77– 88. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/dev0000179

Palmer, J. & Invernizzi, M. (2015). No More Phonics and Spelling Worksheets . Portsmouth NH: Heinemann.

Reutzel, D. R. (2015). Early literacy research: Findings primary-grade teachers will want to know. The Reading Teacher . 69, (1), 14–24. DOI: 10.1002/trtr.1387 © 2015 International Literacy Association

Reutzel , D.R. ( 1992 ). Breaking the letter- a- week tradition: Conveying the alphabetic principle to young children. Childhood Education , 69 ( 1 ), 20 – 23 .

J. Richard Gentry, Ph.D. , is an expert on childhood literacy, reading, and spelling. He is the author of Raising Confident Readers: H ow to Teach Your Child to Read and Write—Baby to Age 7 .

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79 Kindergarten Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

🏆 best kindergarten topic ideas & essay examples, 🎓 simple & easy kindergarten essay titles, 📝 good essay topics on kindergarten.

Lev Vygotsky: Educational Implications of Sociocultural Theory The sociocultural theory is more responsive to the learning process of children with special needs since it argues that ideas and concepts are socially mediated and exist in collectives rather than in individuals.
Full-Day Kindergarten Program: Advantages and Disadvantages The educational stakeholders seek to determine the effect of this program to the parents, teachers, and the pupils undertaking it. In this regard, the full-day kindergarten program provides time for the students to practice the […]
Kindergarten English Language Proficiency Standard 1 It is important to develop an appropriate set of ELP standards for English learners at the kindergarten level in order to create a solid background for basic learning and the linguistic demands that will be […]
Using Technologies in Kindergarten Classrooms Integrating modern technologies into the educational process in kindergartens helps educators transmit knowledge to the children and influence their emotions and perception of the materials.
A Day’s Outing for Kindergarten Children The client, who is a school, wants the kindergarten children and their children to have a days picnic and outing. The event would help to break the tediousness of regular schoolwork and provide some entertainment […]
Reading Aloud in Kindergarten: Lesson Plan The approximate age of learners should be four to five years. The group should consist of approximately 15-20 students.
The Superkids Reading Program in the Kindergarten The purpose of this paper is to overview the program components, evaluate it in terms of advantages and disadvantages, and discuss the details of the program implementation in the classroom setting with the focus on […]
Kindergarten Classroom Environment Design The design of the classroom environment should reflect the demographic characteristics of learners. The desks of children will be placed right in the center of the room, and at least, four students will sit at […]
Pre-Schooling Before Kindergarten Admission The strategy needs the involvement of the student, and the teacher as the pre-schooling students are young and thus delicate to handle.
Kindergarten Transition: The Key Difficulties Sheridan et al.offer a good source to explore KT as their study systematically assesses and summarizes almost 250 parents’ practices in the pre-KT and KT periods and such activities’ implications for children’s success.
Social-Emotional Learning for Kindergarten Education To set adequate goals for social-emotional learning, researchers must quantify and contextualize the behaviors and attitudes of large samples of subjects.
American Federal Holidays: Essential Knowledge for Kindergarten Their bravery gave a start to the history of our country, as the first European settlers followed Columbus quite soon and established their colonies on American soil. The Fourth of July has become a symbol […]
Impact of Social Media on Instructional Practices for Kindergarten Teachers General Context of the Problem Despite the increase in the use of social media in teaching, there is still a significant lack of research done on the impact of social media integration in teaching techniques […]
The Conflicts in Organizations: Experiences in the Kindergartens The conflicts indicate the latent negative processes, the real existence of disagreements, and the tendency to change them. The nature of the conflict was destructive and contributed to the inability to operate in the workplace.
Monitoring Success of Kindergarten Students Thompson and Thompson emphasize the development of creativity as a criterion for engaging instruction. Therefore, to ensure that the curriculum is fun and meets the developmental requirements of children, it is essential to pay attention […]
Services for Students Who Are Transitioning Into Kindergarten The importance of a transfer program aimed at reducing students’ exposure to challenges associated with communication and learning.
Weather and Climate for Kindergarten This lesson sequence is the introductory step towards learning the basic concept of weather and climatic changes in the Earth Science curriculum.
Lead Exposure in Pre-Kindergarten Children Lead poisoning is as a result of accumulation of lead metal in the blood caused by inhalation or ingestion of lead over a period of time.
Phonemic Awareness and Word Recognition in Kindergarten Blachman and Ball define phonemic awareness as the awareness that spoken words are made up of individual sounds; the ability to identify the individual phonemes of a word.
Effects of Full-day Kindergarten on Achievement These changes in the American culture and in schooling over the past 2 decades have had their impact on the reputation of full-day, all-day-a-week kindergarten education in a number of communities.
Grouping at the Kindergarten and Secondary Levels Researchers have established that group or cooperative learning improves the academic grades of students and helps in building high self-esteem, good social skills, and enhanced the comprehensive ability of their content and skills of the […]
Kindergarten Inclusion Classroom A kindergarten inclusion classroom needs to meet a number of requirements to be classified as such: it should be aesthetically pleasing, challenging, age-appropriate, and safe for differently-abled children.
Emergent Writing in Abu Dhabi Kindergartens This major variable will be achieved through a sequential implementation of various interactive writing strategies with an emphasis on play-based learning and an active learning approach.
Learning for Kindergarten: Five Senses Objective: By the end of the lesson, the students will be able to define the key five sense and explain, which body organ is responsible for sensing a corresponding signal, as well as define the […]
Learning Second Language in Kindergarten Online Storyland is a section of the Reading Eggs program that allows it to be used with a small group. The program allows teachers to choose from 44 available lesson plans that include student worksheets for […]
Reading Unit Plan for Kindergarten Students The aim of the lesson plan is to teach the students to read and write by the end of the course.
A Pre-Kindergarten Teacher Analysis When speaking about the prestige and relevance of the profession of a pre-kindergarten teacher, it is possible to say that at the national level, this occupation is encouraged, and jobs can be found almost always.
Pre-Kindergarten Education: Program and Resources The challenge that is proposed to be reviewed within the framework of the current letter is the universalization of pre-K education.
Kindergarten Business Venture: La Trobe University The staff members and students with kids in the university’s kindergarten will be in a position to put more effort into their studies or roles within the institution.
Teacher Career: Staff Development in Kindergartens The level of professional development of the teachers at the kindergarten stage plays a key role in the general development of pupils and the quality of education they receive at the end of the day.
Education: Bilingual Kindergarten A major problem with bilingualism in kindergartens is that it leads to a lack of mastery in either of the languages.
The Comparison of Montessori Education and a Regular Mathematics Program in Kindergarten Classroom Furthermore, it will compare the strengths and the weaknesses of the Montessori system with a regular mathematics program in order to determine the extent to which it benefits students.
Student Engagement and Student Motivation in a Reading Classroom for the Kindergarten Level The tasks have to be short and able to stimulate the curiosity and creativity of the children This strategy requires that the tasks offered are short enough to allow the children to complete them.
Benefits of Bilingualism Among Kindergarten Children The purpose of this report is to show the benefits of learning more than one language among kindergarten children. The purpose of this report is to analyse the benefits of learning two languages among kindergarten […]
Separate Schooling for the Sexes from Kindergarten to University Level in Saudi Arabia A notable attribute of Saudi Arabia’s education system is that it is highly centralized in nature and the overall supervision is done by the Ministry of Education This ministry is also charged with the training […]
Learning To Read With Rubrics. Assisting Kindergarten Learners To Improve Reading Skills The teacher arranges these levels according to the complexity of the content to be taught and evaluated. At the end of this level, the learners should be able to read simple words from a wall […]
Vygotsky’s Social-Historical Theory: Towards Facilitating Learning in Kindergarten-Age children It is the object of this paper to demonstrates how Vygotsky’s theory can be used to assist kindergarten students and others with special needs to cope with the learning process It was the perception of […]
Counting and Number Line Trainings in Kindergarten: Effects on Arithmetic Performance and Number Sense
Designing for Human Behavior: The Elementary Kindergarten
Factors Affecting the School Readiness of Public Kindergarten Pupils
Elementary vs. Kindergarten Teacher
Elementary School Ranges From Kindergarten
Ecological Instability and Children’s Classroom Behavior in Kindergarten
Pedagogics of the Kindergarten by Friedrich Frobel (1782-1852)
Computer Science Classes for Students as Early as Kindergarten
Psychodynamically-Oriented Early Prevention for “Children-at-Risk” in Urban Areas
Elena Developed Chicken Pox When She Was in Kindergarten
China Pre-school Education (Kindergarten) Industry Overview 2014
Children and Home Reading Prior to Kindergarten
Autobiography: High School and Kindergarten Aged Children
Early Childhood Education and Kindergarten
Early Kindergarten, Maternal Labor Supply and Children’s Outcomes: Evidence From Italy
Does Full-Day Kindergarten Matter? Evidence from the First Two Years of Schooling
Can Universal Pre-kindergarten Programs Improve Population Health and Longevity? Mechanisms, Evidence, and Policy Implications
Book: Kindergarten and Bibliographic Citation
Foreign Language Instruction Should Begin in Kindergarten
Better Beginnings: The State of Early Learning and Kindergarten Readiness in White Center
Kindergarten Classroom Observation
Mathematics Education vs. Kindergarten Education
Kindergarten Teachers Should Have at Least Basic Degree
How and Why Does Age at Kindergarten Entry Matter
Math Kindergarten Standard K-4: 2D and 3D Geometric Shapes and Relative Positions in Space
Lesson Plan For Kindergarten English Learners
How Does Your Kindergarten Classroom Affect Your Earnings? Evidence From Project Star
How Non-Native Speaking Children Learn the Chinese Language in Kindergarten
Observing the Kindergarten Classroom at Pine Meadow Elementary
Kindergarten Readiness Skills Promotes Academic Achievement
Full-Day vs. Half-Day Kindergarten
Investigation into Developed SABIS Curriculum in Kindergarten
Preschool and Kindergarten Best Practice Curriculum
Lesson Plans Kindergarten First Grade
“A Kindergarten Teacher Like Me”: Social-Emotional Development in Early Childhood Education “A kindergarten teacher like me” focuses on the relationship between racial and ethnic backgrounds of students and teachers in the social-emotional development of children.
Pre-Kindergarten Impacts Over Time: An Analysis of KIPP Charter Schools
Kindergarten Duties and Work Place
Full Day Kindergarten Programs
Reading Activity For Kindergarten
Kindergarten Children and Reading Aloud
High Quality Pre Kindergarten Classroom Look Like
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This Is What 16 Research Articles Say About Literacy, Kindergarten, And Entrance Times

I was chatting with a group of friends about kindergarten recently, and realized that there’s been a lot of hype around how kindergarten should be run. Should we be teaching reading in kindergarten? How long should young children be at school? Are private schools with more play time better for development? Has full day kindergarten even helped our struggling readers?

It doesn’t take a lot of looking to find articles pointing out areas that are lacking with our current kindergarten practices. For instance, students in Finland are waiting until later to learn literacy, and their test scores are historically higher than the United States. Another article by the Atlantic shows that our test scores really haven’t increased in 20 years, most likely due to our lack of teaching foundational knowledge for understanding subject matter (or background knowledge).

So… Are literacy skills in kindergarten actually helping students long term?

The Controversy

The research below is by no way all inclusive. These articles are peer reviewed, were published in high quality journals, and are respected in the education community.

Research that shows increased rigor in kindergarten increases student success:

Bruiss (2000) found mixed results whether full day kindergarten resulted in increased academic success, but did find higher test scores for students with disabilities or disadvantages (from poverty, less reading at home, etc.).
Elicker (2000) was able to imply full day kindergarten gives academic achievement for longer periods of time with students from low economic status.
Northwestern University is one of the only studies that I have found that finds a direct correlation between early skills leading to later academic skills. (However I wonder if this is just is pointing out that students who are “good” at school will still be “good” at school? Again more support that higher income families tend to continue to be successful at school.)
Moore was able to find that more preschool increased student’s “emotional knowledge” in grade school when rated from their teachers.

Research that shows increased kindergarten rigor has no effect:

Milligan (2012) found that full day kindergarten had no significant effect on reading or math success vs. half day kindergarten. Study was completed in California on a varied sample of students.
Barnett (1987) used an economic analysis (widely accepted as the most credible statical methods) on several studies. They wanted to determine if it was cost effective to have early interventions. They found that very few research studies had sound enough statistical models to prove that interventions were cost effective. They did point out that these is still a lot of research left to be done.
Hildebrand (2001) studied three different kindergarten schedules and found that length of time in school did not ensure greater test results.
Cooper (2010) found that full day kindergarten has a significant effect on academics up until 3rd grade. At that point the effects become negligible. (This was sound similarly on a Head Start research in the 1980’s)
Limited conclusions were drawn in Chicago after a long-term study on early interventions. The data was trending in the right direction, but they could not say conclusively if their interventions increased student success.
Leow’s (2016) results found that full time head start preschool students did not fair better than half day head start preschool students in kindergarten.

Research that shows increased kindergarten rigor could be problematic:

Shephard’s research does NOT point towards rigorous curriculum as causing a negative effect, rather they point out that rigorous academics are inappropriate for young children and that policies such as retention, pre-screening, and moving the age of kindergarten entrance, do more harm because they cause inflated academic rigor.
A Special Report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation lays out the numbers and reading scores thoroughly. While this report says that early intervention CAN help students who are disadvantaged, it also points out that raising standards without increasing the quality of education and appropriate education actually widens the gap in performance between high income families and low income families.

Please note: These article’s results do not show direct harm from learning literacy in kindergarten. These found that there were in-advert consequences that could be negative. This is important to note so as not to make conclusions that kindergarten, early academic interventions, or literacy skills are inherently harmful.

Since publishing this article, I have found some research from the Alliance For Children saying that play based learning could actually harm children in the long term. However, I am not sure of the quality of their statical models since I was unable to access the actual research. To look at their reviews check out their article on play gaps and reading instruction. Both articles site peer reviewed research on increased play time increasing academic success into adulthood.

Research that found increased student success when children wait to start kindergarten:

Datar (2006) found that delaying kindergarten by one year boosts test scores. (student enters school at kindergarten level though)

Research that found no difference when children wait to start kindergarten:

Narahara, May (1998) was unable to find any difference in academic success by 2nd grade in students who started kindergarten between 4-6 years old.
Using the National Education Longitudinal Survey, Lincove found no long term advantages to delaying kindergarten.
Lubotsky (2016) found that while older kindergarten entrants tend to grow both cognitively and non cognitively (books smart and emotional smarts) quicker than their younger peers, everyone’s scored tend to even out by second grade.

Research that found waiting too long to start kindergarten could be harmful:

Deming was able to conclude that there was no positive effects from delaying kindergarten when using IQ, earnings, and educational attainment as the test. They did however find evidence that delayed kindergarten can hurt outcomes by increasing the likely hood of high school drop out, and overall earnings by a delayed start into the labor market (statistical models were economics based).

Research that found harmful effects of starting kindergarten early:

I do not have a link to the original research, but the Foundation for Economic Education reported increased ADHD diagnosis for students who entered school as the youngest were more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD. ( However this research is not causal, it’s pointing out a correlation. This means that adults could be over diagnosing children who are still developing.)
A study from Australia done by Narahara found that early schooling helped students from low income families cognitively (or academically), but that early schooling hurt all (both low and high income) students in non-cognitive areas.

What Does This Research Mean?

After a lot of reading, I have formed a few opinions from our current understanding of rigorous academics in kindergarten :

We do not have enough research with the most accurate statistical models that prove positive or negative results from increasing time and rigor of kindergarten. Most of these studies say their conclusions are limited.
Early interventions in academics are most beneficial to students who are disadvantaged or have disabilities. However, it appears that these gains might even out by third grade. One scholar proposed placing more supports for those grade levels instead of early interventions.
Overall, rigorous kindergarten is not harmful to students’ future academics, but could take away from other developmental skills like creativity, experiences that increase background knowledge of our world, and social/emotional skills. Background knowledge is leads to greater reading comprehension, and social/emotional skills have direct predictions for adult success. This implies that increased non cognitive skills teaching (like how to speak to an adult, work out problems, and other skills in a way that is most accepted in our country) is just as or more beneficial for disadvantaged students than academic interventions.
Early academic interventions do not negatively impact students in the course of their life time. However there is research that could point to negative impacts when students miss out on creative and play based learning as children.
Student success is still ultimately tied to family income and child exposure to vocabulary, books, and experiences to build on. No research has shown preschool, kindergarten timing, or rigor, to out weigh those family cultural effects on achievement. There is some evidence that play based learning could be a better early intervention.

If The Research Is Somewhat Inconclusive, Why Is The United States Pushing Early Academics?

First, since the United States was first organized, public education was a viewed as an equalizer and a way to allow those in poverty to move up into a higher economic situation.

These ideals have not changed within the US. When Head Start was originally created, it showed huge IQ jumps for students who came from poverty. However they found later that these gains evened out by third grade. Today there is still a large achievement gap between students who are white verses a minority, and students who come from high income families verses low income families.

Research also shows that students who struggle reading in third grade are at much higher risk for negative adult outcomes. A fantastic review of statistics around third grade reading, implications, and how to fix it, can be found from the free Annie E. Casey Foundation Report. Another easy read about the danger of low reading scores is from HuffPost and the Atlantic .

These facts coupled with the realization that SAT scores haven’t increased in 30 years , 4th grade reading scores have not significantly increased in the past 15 years, and that students who go to college are typically from middle class to upper class families , our government leaders are very concerned about our children who are disadvantaged. And up until this point, providing early interventions for those children is the “low hanging fruit.”

There’s also considerable research done on the amount of vocabulary a child is exposed to while young, directly impacts their academic achievement for the rest of their life. Providing early interventions help young children who are disadvantaged have access to the vocabulary they may be missing.

What do we choose?

Unless your student is showing early delays, you should feel comfortable making an early education decision that works best for your family. Most research is showing no quantifiable negative or positive effect of kindergarten and preschool on achievement.

Research looking at the amount of time spent at kindergarten or preschool did not show any difference in student success. It seemed that the intervention its self was more beneficial for students who were delayed, not the actual amount of time spent in the classroom. This implies that half day kindergarten or preschool is enough for children. On the other hand, full day kindergarten is not harmful, so feel comfortable doing what works best for your family.

The academic success in Finland may have more to do with their culture and less to do with their illiterate kindergarteners. Since wealth is such a strong predictor of success, it’s important note that in Finland, struggling families have more government programs to rely upon. Socialized programs may be allowing citizens less stress about “working their way out of poverty,” and more learning just for the love of it. (This is not a political statement for or against socialized programs or nations)

Other high scoring countries, like Singapore , highly encourage preschool and kindergarten schooling. The big difference between the US and Singapore is the length of the school day. Their school day is shorter than ours but schools typically go year round with about a month long break in the summer. Singapore also has a lot of wealth in their nation. Wealthy families produce situations where students can succeed easier.

Learning to read doesn’t harm our young students, but neglecting time to explore and experience our world could reduce long term comprehension and non cognitive/emotional skills. Additionally, as research on achievement and income point out, our culture puts an emphasis on middle class behaviors (talking “sassy” is disrespectful, looking people in the eye and shaking their hand is encouraged, etc.).

Families who emphasis these “norms” within their own homes are inherently going to help their children be successful. That said, we should still advocate for more non cognitive skills within our schools (or choose to put our children in a different setting that puts an emphasis on this), and include non cognitive skills within whole family interventions.

Implications for our country

Adding play and experiences into early education could help struggling students understand text easier. Comprehension is more tied to linking the text with our understanding of the world, rather than understanding the words we are reading (although, students first need foundational reading skills to even access the print). Increasing those experiences earlier could show overall gains for our disadvantaged students. (refer to this article for more information on changing our teaching for comprehension)

Focusing more on exposure to vocabulary, text and early literacy skills can help students catch up, but these interventions do not need to be in place for the entire day. The time spent in various settings did not show any gains for students. Early academic interventions have not shown to harm students.

Multiple scholars mentioned the need for non cognitive skills in early schooling, and that these skills are predictors for adult success. College graduates all similarly share these skill sets: interact/connect with others, deal with stress, and advocate for themselves. Since the length of time did not show increased achievement, the US education system should be able to find time to incorporate those skills. These skills should especially be emphasized with students who are disadvantaged.

Ultimately, what children need more than anything else, is a home where their parents are engaged and able to provide a safe environment. Families in poverty typically are unable to do that because they constantly in survival mode. If our nation really wants to increase student achievement, we need to focus first on educating and supporting our families who have disadvantages by giving whole family interventions.

Lastly, as a word of caution to parents, I would be careful about getting too tied to any new research claiming a correlation in education. Often times the statistics are not the most accurate and can have very limited results (they cannot be generalized to the entire nation).

As always, I invite comments, questions, and new ideas. 🙂

Research Citations

Barnett, W., & Escobar, C. (1987). The Economics of Early Educational Intervention: A Review. Review of Educational Research,57 (4), 387-414. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/1170429
Christine Leow & Xiaoli Wen (2017) Is Full Day Better Than Half Day? A Propensity Score Analysis of the Association Between Head Start Program Intensity and Children’s School Performance in Kindergarten, Early Education and Development, 28:2, 224-239, DOI: 10.1080/10409289.2016.1208600
Clark, P., Kirk, E., & Burriss, K. G. (2000). Review of research: All-day kindergarten. Childhood Education , 76 (4), 228-231.
Cooper, H., Allen, A. B., Patall, E. A., & Dent, A. L. (2010). Effects of Full-Day Kindergarten on Academic Achievement and Social Development. Review of Educational Research , 80 (1), 34–70. https://doi.org/ 10.3102/0034654309359185
Datar, A. (2006) https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econedurev.2004.10.004
Deming, D., Dynarski, S. (2008) The Lengthening of Childhood. The Journal of Economic Perspectives. 22(3) starting on page 71. Retrieved from http://content.ebscohost.com/ContentServer.asp?EbscoContent=dGJyMNLr40SeqLA4yNfsOLCmr1Gep7JSrqy4SK6WxWXS&ContentCustomer=dGJyMPGuskyurK5IuePfgeyx43zx1%2BqE&T=P&P=AN&S=R&D=buh&K=35061946
Elicker, J. (2000). Full-Day Kindergarten: Exploring the Research. From Inquiry to Practice . Phi Delta Kappa International, PO Box 789, Bloomington, IN 47402-0789.
Hildebrand, C. (2001). Effects of three kindergarten schedules on achievement and classroom behavior. Phi Delta Kappa Center for Evaluation, Development, and Research. Research Bulletin, no. 31. Bloomington, IN: Phi Delta Kappa.
Jones D., Greenberg, M., Crowley, M. (2015) Early Social-Emotional Functioning and Public Health: The Relationship Between Kindergarten Social Competence and Future Wellness. AM J Public Health. 105(11). 2283-2290. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4605168/
Milligan, C. (2012). Full-Day Kindergarten Effects on Later Academic Success. SAGE Open . https://doi.org/ 10.1177/2158244012442677
Moore, J., Cooper, B., Rhoades, et al, The Effects of Exposure to an Enhanced Preschool Program on the Social-Emotional Functioning of At-Risk Children. Early Childhood Research Quarterly. 32 starting on page 37.
Narahara, M. (1998) The Effects of School Entry Age and Gender on Reading and Math Achievement Scores on Second Grade Students. The US Department of Education Educational Resources Information Center.
Shepard, L., & Smith, M. (1988). Escalating Academic Demand in Kindergarten: Counterproductive Policies. The Elementary School Journal,89 (2), 135-145. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/1001920
Suziedelyte, A., Zhu, A. (2015) Does Early Schooling Narrow Outcome Gaps For Advantaged and Disadvantaged Children? Economics of Education Review. 45, 76-88. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econedurev.2015.02.001
Vinovskis, M. (1993). Early Childhood Education: Then and Now. Daedalus,122 (1), 151-176. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/20027154
Northwestern University brief: https://www.northwestern.edu/newscenter/stories/2007/11/duncan.html

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Preparing early learners: Considerations for supporting the kindergarten class of 2021

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Among the many ways in which schools are being transformed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the change in public school kindergarten enrollment is one likely to have important consequences in classrooms across the nation. Because the academic and nonacademic skills students develop in their preschool and early elementary school years are foundational to important longer-term outcomes, understanding these changes and finding ways to effectively support our youngest students’ learning is critical for educators and leaders. Drawing on recent research, we offer four timely considerations for district, school, and classroom leaders.

Topics: Equity , COVID-19 & schools , Early learning

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Research Projects In Kindergarten

Greg Smedley-Warren
October 13, 2023
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When Common Core standards were introduced several years ago, one of those standards was research and writing. The standards said students should participate in shared research and writing. I found this standard to be terrifying. I mean, what could go wrong with kindergartners researching something on Google?! That’s where our research projects were born. While the standards might have changed, these research projects still meet state standards and, thus, are still applicable in all classrooms! And they help make research and writing fun and developmentally appropriate!

Research Projects In The Classroom

As a teacher, I believe in doing what’s best for my students, but I also do what my district asks of me. This means providing tools and scaffolding so my students can be successful. So, if research and writing are standards, I want to find a way to make that goal accessible to my students in ways that they can be successful. I decided that research projects should be a fun, engaging way to research and write in kindergarten. So here’s how it works in our classroom!

The research projects are completed during our ELA time or literacy block. This allows us to integrate science and social studies standards while meeting ELA standards such as research and writing. The actual research is done through read-alouds and videos. The information is discussed and recorded on graphic organizers. Students then use the graphic organizers to do their writing. Our ELA block is designed for a 30-minute whole-group lesson. Our research projects use that time to be completed. The read-aloud/video and graphic organizers are done in 15-20 minutes, and the students then work on their research journals independently. We do one activity or graphic organizer each day.

Research Journals

Each research project includes a research journal. The research journals are where students record their learning. They write, do labeling, sorting, etc. The journals give students ownership of their learning and are a source of pride.

Schema Maps

Each research project begins with a schema map. Students share their schema or what they already know about the topic. Every piece of schema they share is recorded on a post-it note and placed on the schema map. The post-it notes allow us to organize our thinking much like our brains organize information.

When creating our schema map, I always draw a fun picture. This helps introduce the topic and makes the learning fun!

We add our new learning to the schema map as we progress through our research projects. At the end of the research project, we re-visit our schema and address misconceptions. Misconceptions might be wrong, or they might be something where our thinking needs to be adjusted. We move misconceptions to the misconceptions area of the schema map while discussing why it’s a misconception.

Graphic Organizers

The research portion of our research projects uses read-alouds and videos. As we read, we record our learning on graphic organizers. We use turn-and-talk strategies and questioning to access the information. The students also have to share the information in complete sentences. Our research projects include can/have/are charts, t-charts, circle charts, Venn Diagrams, and more. Note: each research project includes suggested read-aloud books and some research projects include video suggestions!

We record the information DURING the read-aloud. We do not wait until the end of the read-aloud because doing it after the read-aloud makes it an assessment, and we don’t want it to be that.

The students take the information from our graphic organizers and use it to write in their research journals. Differentiated journals use sentence frames for student writing. Students copy information from the charts, and they are encouraged to write on their own. As the year goes on and they build their writing skills, independent writing becomes much more natural for them. It’s also important to note that students might not be ready to write or copy so they can draw pictures and dictate their learning to you!

We also use the writing to work on the mechanics of writing. I use one-on-one conferences to help them improve their writing. Students are encouraged to use inventive/phonetic spelling when writing.

Vocabulary And Higher Order Thinking

We use labeling as part of our research projects to work on vocabulary. We label a class chart, and then students label their pictures in their research journals. The labels allow for conversations about adaptations and how each part helps or works. Our research projects are aligned with the science of reading and are a powerful tool to teach vocabulary explicitly. We know vocabulary is a MUST-have piece of the reading puzzle, and these research projects bring vocabulary instruction to the forefront!

For higher-order thinking, we use a true-false sort. This higher-order thinking activity allows students to discuss what they’ve learned. For false statements, we discuss why it’s false, and we change it into a truth statement. Students then use the true statements to write about their topic.

Additional Activities

Each research project also contains activities specific to that topic. There might be clothing sorts for seasons. A lesson on the water cycle or a life cycle activity. For push and pull, we drew things we could push and pull. The students make a forecast for our weather research project. These additional activities allow us to target specific science and social studies standards.

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The Internal Structure of China's Policy Texts on Inclusive Preschool Education From a Grounded Theory Perspective Provisionally Accepted

1 Yancheng Teachers University, China
2 Chengdu Normal University, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

Providing education that satisfies the people and strengthening the inclusive development of preschool education has been an unchanged policy of the Party and the state for the development of preschool education in China since 2010.This article uses Nvivo 12plus qualitative analysis software and content analysis method of lexical measurement as research tools to comprehensively analyze the internal structure of China's inclusive preschool education policy texts from 2010 to 2022 from three dimensions: policy objectives, policy measures, and policy guarantees. It is found that the policy objectives always revolve around the construction of a high-quality preschool education public service system that covers urban and rural areas, has a reasonable layout, and is public welfare inclusive; The policy measures mainly involve the layout and planning of preschool education structure, the supply of inclusive resources, the guarantee of preschool education funds, the construction of teaching staff, the improvement of childcare quality, and the improvement of regulatory system; Policy guarantees strengthen the leadership of the Party and the implementation of responsibilities by governments at all levels. In the future, policy development will pay more attention to achieving the goal of satisfying the people in preschool education, focusing on implementing policy measures for inclusive childcare integration, and strengthening the responsibility implementation and supervision accountability of governments at all levels.

Keywords: inclusive preschool education, policy objectives, Policy measures, Policy guarantee, grounded theory

Received: 02 Mar 2024; Accepted: 13 May 2024.

Copyright: © 2024 Guihong and Wang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) . The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence: Mx. Chunyan Wang, Chengdu Normal University, Chengdu, China

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People without an inner voice have poorer verbal memory

Between 5-10 per cent of the population do not experience an inner voice.

The vast majority of people have an ongoing conversation with themselves, an inner voice, that plays an important role in their daily lives. But between 5-10 per cent of the population do not have the same experience of an inner voice, and they find it more difficult to perform certain verbal memory tasks, new research shows.

Previously, it was commonly assumed that having an inner voice had to be a human universal. But in recent years, researchers have become aware that not all people share this experience.

According to postdoc and linguist Johanne Nedergård from the University of Copenhagen, people describe the condition of living without an inner voice as time-consuming and difficult because they must spend time and effort translating their thoughts into words:

"Some say that they think in pictures and then translate the pictures into words when they need to say something. Others describe their brain as a well-functioning computer that just does not process thoughts verbally, and that the connection to loudspeaker and microphone is different from other people's. And those who say that there is something verbal going on inside their heads will typically describe it as words without sound."

Harder to remember words and rhymes

Johanne Nedergård and her colleague Gary Lupyan from the University of Wisconsin-Madison are the first researchers in the world to investigate whether the lack of an inner voice, or anendophasia as they have coined the condition, has any consequences for how these people solve problems, for example how they perform verbal memory tasks.

People who reported that they either experienced a high degree of inner voice or very little inner voice in everyday life were subjected to one experiment that aimed to determine whether there was a difference in their ability to remember language input and one about their ability to find rhyme words. The first experiment involved the participants remembering words in order -- words that were similar, either phonetically or in spelling, e.g. "bought," "caught," "taut" and "wart."

"It is a task that will be difficult for everyone, but our hypothesis was that it might be even more difficult if you did not have an inner voice because you have to repeat the words to yourself inside your head in order to remember them," Johanne Nedergård explains and continues:

"And this hypothesis turned out to be true: The participants without an inner voice were significantly worse at remembering the words. The same applied to an assignment in which the participants had to determine whether a pair of pictures contained words that rhyme, e.g. pictures of a sock and a clock. Here, too, it is crucial to be able to repeat the words in order to compare their sounds and thus determine whether they rhyme."

In two other experiments, in which Johanne Nedergård and Gary Lupyan tested the role of the inner voice in switching quickly between different tasks and distinguishing between figures that are very similar, they did not find any differences between the two groups. Despite the fact that previous studies indicate that language and the inner voice play a role in these types of experiments.

"Maybe people who don't have an inner voice have just learned to use other strategies. For example, some said that they tapped with their index finger when performing one type of task and with their middle finger when it was another type of task," Johanne Nedergård says.

The results of the two researchers' study have just been published in the article "Not everybody has an inner voice: Behavioural consequences of anendophasia" in the scientific journal Psychological Science .

Does it make a difference?

According to Johanne Nedergård, the differences in verbal memory that they have identified in their experiments will not be noticed in ordinary everyday conversations. And the question is, does not having an inner voice hold any practical or behavioural significance?

"The short answer is that we just don't know because we have only just begun to study it. But there is one field where we suspect that having an inner voice plays a role, and that is therapy; in the widely used cognitive behavioural therapy, for example, you need to identify and change adverse thought patterns, and having an inner voice may be very important in such a process. However, it is still uncertain whether differences in the experience of an inner voice are related to how people respond to different types of therapy," says Johanne Nedergård, who would like to continue her research to find out whether other language areas are affected if you do not have an inner voice.

"The experiments in which we found differences between the groups were about sound and being able to hear the words for themselves. I would like to study whether it is because they just do not experience the sound aspect of language, or whether they do not think at all in a linguistic format like most other people," she concludes.

About the study

Johanne Nedergård's and Gary Lupyan's study comprised almost a hundred participants, half of whom experienced having very little inner voice and the other half very much inner voice.

The participants were subjected to four experiments, e.g. remembering words in sequence and switching between different tasks. The study has been published in the scientific journal Psychological Science.

Johanne Nedergård and Gary Lupyan have dubbed the condition of having no inner voice anendophasia, which means without an inner voice.

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Story Source:

Materials provided by University of Copenhagen - Faculty of Humanities . Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Journal Reference :

Johanne S. K. Nedergaard, Gary Lupyan. Not Everybody Has an Inner Voice: Behavioral Consequences of Anendophasia . Psychological Science , 2024; DOI: 10.1177/09567976241243004

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