Reimagining Early Childhood Education for Dual Language Preschoolers: Enhancing Children's Agency Through Inquiry, Writing, and Reading

This practical guide introduces the Interdisciplinary Biliteracy Sequence (IBS), a framework designed to support bilingual learning in preschool classrooms. The IBS unfolds in three phases: Phase 1 involves a direct inquiry experience. Phase 2 allows teachers and children to reflect and write about the experience. Phase 3 incorporates read-aloud activities directly tied to the initial experience.
Throughout all phases, listening and speaking activities play a central role. During playful interactive activities, children engage in conversations, songs, formal and informal discussions, and intentional language production. These oracy activities foster language acquisition alongside content learning. The authors provide clear, step-by-step guidance, exploring both the rationale and practical methods for daily instruction. They emphasize practices that support the unique needs of emergent bilinguals, promoting bilingualism and biliteracy through meaningful learning experiences. Each phase of the IBS is enriched with real-life classroom examples to make implementation accessible and relatable.
The book underscores how teachers can build on the linguistic strengths and cultural knowledge children bring to the classroom. It takes a holistic approach to children's learning and development. Drawing on data from a year-long research project where dual language teachers implemented the IBS with three-four- and five-year-old emergent bilinguals, the authors detail how this innovative approach connects active exploration, knowledge-building, and biliteracy development.
The authors portray teachers as central figures supporting language growth, using academic vocabulary to label actions, objects, and events through joint activities. Finally, the authors advocate for equitable learning practices, highlighting the importance of leveraging students' cultural and linguistic wealth and offering multimodal opportunities for children to learn and demonstrate their knowledge.