Articles About Semillitas de Aprendizaje

Margarita’s Necklace – Beads, Patterns and Algebraic Thinking for English Learners

Children as early as kindergarten benefit from practicing the skills and building comprehension and knowledge that lead to mastery in algebra. Juanita C. García, Ph.D., and Rosana Rodríguez, Ph.D., describe how stories like El Collar de Margarita ~ Margarita’s Necklace can lead children to explore and analyze patterns, count and make predictions that are essential skills in developing math literacy, thereby increasing their ability to identify, describe and foster algebraic reasoning in the early elementary grades. (April 2015)

The Philosophy Behind Semillitas de Aprendizaje™

This article, excerpted from Semillitas de aprendizaje Teacher Guide (Manual del maestro), outlines what we believe about diversity, the literacy connection, family involvement, effective teaching in early childhood education, children, assessment and essential life skills. (January 2014)

Building Interest in STEM through Language Development and Storytelling

Rosana G. Rodríguez, Ph.D., and Juanita C. García, Ph.D., describe how to use Semillitas de Aprendizaje stories with Readers’ Theatre to further engage students in developing oral fluency, a critical factor necessary for reading comprehension. (January 2014)

Access, Equity and Excellence in Early Childhood Education

When teachers make a concerted effort to continuously value students’ perspectives and knowledge of science as they plan and deliver their lessons, they will lower students’ affective filter and increase their willingness to engage with the subject (Alsop, 2005). Veronica Betancourt, M.A., answers the question of how to create this type of lesson. (February 2013)

Semillitas Project Supports Tribal Language Preservation

Rosana G. Rodríguez, Ph.D., and Della Warrior, M.Ed., describe how IDRA is collaborating with Native American tribes in Oklahoma in supporting language preservation by translating and creating children’s books for learning key concepts. (September 2014)

Using Semillitas de Aprendizaje™ in the Early Childhood Classroom

Juanita C. García, Ph.D., and Rosana G. Rodríguez, Ph.D., give an overview of Semillitas de Aprendizaje and its literacy connection, then they a classroom setting where one of the stories is introduced. (April 2011)

Family Engagement in Early Childhood – IDRA’s New Semillitas de Aprendizaje™ Cartitas Letters Home Series

Laurie Posner, MPA, describes how the Cartitas or “letters home” series is designed as a companion piece to these books – fostering school-family partnerships around storybooks that speak to children. She gives several examples the Cartitas in use. (March 2012)

Responding to the Need for Bilingual Early Childhood Education Literacy Development – Semillitas de Aprendizaje New Curriculum in Development

Abelardo Villarreal, Ph.D., Rosana G. Rodríguez, Ph.D., and Bradley Scott, Ph.D., provide a brief description of the Semillitas de Aprendizaje early childhood curriculum that is currently being developed by IDRA to address this need. (March 2008)

Quality Professional Development Creates ‘Classrooms of Excellence’

José L. Rodríguez, M.A., describes how IDRA worked with 13 Head Start classrooms at four Parent Child, Inc., centers to transform them into classrooms of excellence. (May 2006)

Creating Centers of Learning at Home and School for Early Learners

Rosana G. Rodríguez, Ph.D., and Abelardo Villarreal, Ph.D., describe a bilingual guide developed by IDRA with targeted activities in two parts to enhance learning: the first part, for parents and families, and the second part, for teachers and staff at the early childhood level. (March 2005)