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THERESEARCHBEHINDPEEKAPAK’SPROGRAMDEVELOPMENT

Peekapakwasdesignedtosupporteducatorsandparentsindevelopingthesocial,emotionalandliteracyskillsofchildreninearlychildhoodandelementaryschool.Bybuildingthesecriticalskills,childrenarebetterpreparedtolearninaclassroomsettingandaremorelikelytograduatefromcollegeandgainmeaningfulemploymentlaterinlife1.ToensuretheeffectivenessofPeekapakinreachingtheseaims,researchhasbeenincorporatedintoeachstepandelementofPeekapak’sprogramdesign.ThefollowingdescribestheresearchbehindPeekapak’sprogramdesignaswellastheresearchunderwaytoassesstheefficacyofthePeekapakprogram.

OURTOPICS

Basedonextensiveinterviewswithteachersandeducationexperts(n=300),Peekapakidentified10coretopicseducatorsandexpertsagreearecriticaltoayoungchild’scharacterandsocial-emotionaldevelopment,andwhichshouldbetaughtbeginninginthepre-kindergartenyears.The10coretopicsare:Self-Regulation,Respect,Gratitude,Kindness,Perseverance,Teamwork,Empathy,Honesty,Optimism,andCourage.Peekapakexploreseachofthesetopicsindepthusingstoriesandlessonsfortheclassroomandthehome,andbackedbyexternalresearchstudies.Intheintroductionofeachunit,wecitetheresearchonwhythetopicisimportant.AnexamplefromourSelf-Regulationunitisincludedbelow:

Figure1:Exampleofresearchsupportingunittopics

1Borenstein,David.“TeachingSocialSkillstoImproveGradesandLives.”July24,2015,TheNewYorkTimes2http://csefel.vanderbilt.edu/modules/module2/handout6.pdf

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ORIGINALSTORIES&EMOTIVEILLUSTRATIONS

OriginalstoriesareattheheartofthePeekapakprogram.Everystoryintroducesthelearningtopicinaninterestingandrelatableway,anddrawsstudentsintothelessons,whiledevelopingstudents’empathyandTheoryofMind(ToM).AsKiddandCastano(2013)discoveredintheirstudy,“ReadingLiteraryFictionImprovesTheoryofMind,”readingfictionleadstobetterperformanceonaffectiveToMandcognitiveToM(theabilitytocomprehendthatotherpeopleholdbeliefsanddesiresandthatthesemaydifferfromone'sown).

TheillustratedemotionsandexpressionsdisplayedbyPeekapakcharactersweredesignedcloselywithresearchersfromGeorgeBrownCollegeinToronto,Ontario,andreflecttheresearchofNikolajeva(2013)fromthestudy,PicturebooksandEmotionalLiteracy,highlightingtheimportanceofvisualimagestotrainyoungpeople’sTheoryofMindandempathy.

Figure2:Peekapakillustrationhighlightingcharacteremotionsandexpressions

DESIGNINGCHARACTERSWITHEMPATHY

Peekaville,theworldinwhichourstoriestakeplace,isafictionaltownfilledwithadiversesetofcharacters,includinganimalsandchildrenfromdifferentethnicities.Thedecisiontouseanimalsasmaincharacterswasadeliberateone.Studies,suchasMaruyama(2010)“TheEffectsofAnimalsonChildren'sDevelopmentofPerspectiveTakingAbilities,”foundthatstudentswhoshowedstrongerattachmentwithanimalshavehigherlevelsofsocialcognitivedevelopment(i.e.,perspectivetakingabilities)thanstudentswhoshowedweakerattachment.Havinganimalcharactershelpchildrenseeandunderstandhownon-humansmightactandlive,thushelpingthemdevelopamoreempatheticworldview.InPeekaville,animalsliveinnaturalanimal“homes”(withatwist).Intheimagebelow,LeotheHedgehog’shomeisaburrow.

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Figure3:LeotheHedgehog’sburrow

WRITINGOURLESSONS&ACTIVITIES

The80classroomlessonsandactivitiesfoundinour10unitsweredesignedbasedonexternalresearchandfurthervettedbyPeekapak’steacheradvisors.Weuse3rdpartyresearchandorganizationsliketheCollaborativeforAcademic,Social,andEmotionalLearning(CASEL),theOntarioEarlyYearsContinuumofDevelopment,andtheIllinoisSocialEmotionalCurriculumtoguideourthinking.

EveryresearchstudyreferencediscitedwithineachPeekapakactivity.Forinstance,aspartoftheSelf-Regulationunit,oneoftheclassroomactivitiesistousebreathingexercisesasatooltoregaincalm.Inthisexample,we'vebasedthatactivitydesignontheresearchofDusek,Otu,Wohlhueter,Bhasin,Zerbini,JosephandLiebermanfrom2008andtheirarticleentitled"GenomicCounter-StressChangesInducedbytheRelaxationResponse."

Figure4:Exampleofsupportingresearchforlesson

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PEEKAPAKINTHEHOME

OneofthecoreanduniqueelementsofPeekapakishoweasywemakeitforteacherstoinvolveparentsintheirchild’ssocialandemotionallearning.Peekapakprovidesteacherswithresearch-based,ready-to-sendtoolsandactivitiestohelpparentsreinforceclassroomlearningathome.

In2016,PeekapakwasawardedagrantbytheOntarioCentresofExcellencetoresearchanddesignfamily-appropriateactivitiesforthehome-componentofourprogram.Thedetailsofthisstudyarebelow:

• Thestudy,titled“DesigningFamily-PlayActivitiesforanOnlineLearningPlatform”wasledbyDr.KimberlyBezaire,EarlyChildhoodEducationexpertandprofessoratGeorgeBrownCollege,andsupportedbyGeorgeBrownCollege’sDepartmentofResearchandInnovation.

• Dr.Bezaireresearchedanddesignedfamily-playactivitiesforPeekapak’sprogrambasedonPeekapak’sunitsandstorybooks,conductedtests,andprovidedrecommendationsforfutureactivitydesignsthatsupportandenable‘familyplay’(Bezaire,etal.,2015).

TheCriticalFamilyInvolvementLink

Agrowingbodyofresearch,includingtheHarvardFamilyResearchProject(2006)’s“FamilyInvolvementMakesaDifference,”showsthatfamilyinvolvementisacriticallinkinthedevelopmentofsocialandemotionalskillsinchildren.BelowisanexampleofaPeekapakparentactivity(sentthroughemail)supportingtheclassroomlessontaughtatschool.Notonlydoweinviteparentstoparticipateintheirchild’slearningviaeasyandinteractiveactivitiesanddiscussionquestions,wealsoprovideparentswithaccesstoPeekapak’sdigitalstoriestoreadwiththeirchildathome.

Figure5:Exampleofaready-to-sendtoparents

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BuildingaSharedVocabulary

Anotherpredictorofachild’slearningisthereinforcementofnewwordsbothinthechild’shomeandintheirclassroom.Studiesshowthatparents’explanationsofchallengingwordstokindergartnersintheirhomes,andteachers’useofthesewordsinpreschool,arepredictorsofachild’svocabularyandreadingcomprehensionoutcomes(Weizman&Snow,2001andDickinson&Porche,2011).

Furthermore,whenPeekapakconductedourownqualitativeinterviews,onecommoncommentfromparentswasthattheydidn’tknowwhatwasbeingtaughtintheirchild’sclassroom.Parentssaidthatiftheyknew,theywouldbeabletoasktheirchildaboutitandtalktothemusingthevocabularytheirchildwasbeingexposedtointheclassroom,reinforcingthelearningathome.

Peekapakhasmeticulouslyincorporatedthesestudyoutcomesandideasintoourprogramdesigntoensurethatparentsareinformedandtaughtthewordsusedintheclassroomsothattheycanreinforcethemathome.

PEEKAPAK’SPROPRIETARYSTUDIES

Toensureprogramease-of-useandeffectiveness,Peekapakiscontinuallyundergoingproprietaryresearchonourprogram.Ourresearchstudiesareexecutedwiththemoststringentduediligenceandaredesignedandexecutedbyreputablethirdpartyresearchers.

ElizabethPublicSchoolsDistrict(2016-2017SchoolYear)

Tomeasuretheimpactoftheprogram,Peekapakconductedthreelarge-scalequantitativesurveys(pre-mid-andpostusingthePeekapakprogram)duringthe2016/2017schoolyearwiththeElizabethPublicSchoolsDistrictinNewJerseytoobtainusabilityandteacherperceptiondatafrom250teachers.

AfterthreemonthsofusingPeekapak,teachersagreedthatthePeekapakprogramprovedtobeaneffectivetoolinhelpingthempresentadifficultcurricularareaandthattheprogramhadtrulyhelpedtheirstudentsgainimportantsocial-emotionalcompetencies.Findingsinclude:

• 92%ofteacherssaidtheirstudentslovePeekapakstories• Over84%ofstudentsusethetechniquesandvocabularytaughtbythePeekapakprogram• 83%ofteacherssaidPeekapakhelpedthemteachimportantlessons• 80%ofteacherssaidtheirstudentsgainedimportantsocialandemotionalcompetencies

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Furthermore,ElizabethPublicSchoolsstudentsshowedexcitingprogressinidentifying,regulatingandcontrollingtheiremotions.

• Teachersreporteda35%increaseinthestatement:“Mystudentsfeelcomfortablesharingtheirthoughtsandfeelingswithothers.”

• Teachersreporteda46%increaseinthestatement:“Mystudentshavethevocabularytodiscusshowtheyarefeeling.”

ElizabethPublicSchoolsstudentsalsoshowedprogressonanumberofskillsincluding:

MileHighEarlyLearning(2016-2017SchoolYear)

FundedbyGaryCommunityInvestments(Colorado,USA),CharlesIgel,AssistantProfessoratRegisUniversityandProgramCoordinatorforElementaryTeacherEducation,conductedresearchontheusabilityofthePeekapakprogramatMileHighEarlyLearningCenters.ThisstudyprovidedrecommendedchangestoPreKmaterialsincluding:

• Introducinganewlowerlevelofreadingforyoungreaderswithsimplervocabularyandlesscontenttoholdachild’sattentionspan

• introducingnewphysicalstorybooks(bigandsmallbookformats)andshortlessonsonPeekapak.comforPre-K

UsageandEfficacyStudies(2017-2018SchoolYear)

DenverPublicSchools

FundedbyGaryCommunityInvestments(Colorado,USA),MatthewFarber,Ed.D.isanAssistantProfessorofTechnology,InnovationandPedagogyattheUniversityofNorthernColorado.Hisresearchisattheintersectionofteachereducation,learningtechnologies,andgame-basedlearning.Hepondershoweducatorsusegamesintheirclassroomstograntstudentsagencywhilealsoteachingskillsof

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empathy,design,andsystemsthinking.Dr.FarberhasbeeninvitedtotheWhiteHouse,tokeynoteforUNESCO,andhehasbeeninterviewedaboutgamesandlearningbyNPR,FoxNewsRadio,EdSurge,TheDenverPost,USATODAYandTheWallStreetJournal.HeisaUNESCOMGIEPScientificAdvisoryBoardMember,anEdutopiablogger,aCertifiedBrainPOPEducator,andheisintheiCivicsEducatorNetwork.

WithKarenSchrier,Ed.D.,heco-authoredtheUNESCOMGIEPworkingpaper,TheLimitsandStrengthsofUsingDigitalGamesas“EmpathyMachines.”Dr.Farber’sbook,GamifyYourClassroom:AFieldGuidetoGame-BasedLearning—RevisedEdition(2017)featuresaforewordfromGregToppo.Heisthealsoco-editorofTheGameJamGuide(2017).Hislatestbook,Game-BasedLearninginAction:HowanExpertAffinityGroupTeacheswithGames(2018),hasaforewordfromJamesPaulGee.

Dr.FarberiscurrentlyconductingresearchontheuseandefficacyofthePeekapakprogramatDenverPublicSchoolswithintheirAfterSchoolProgram.Dr.Farberhelpeddesignedtheresearchscopesandwilladministerandanalyzetheresearchfindings.Dr.FarberisstudyingtheeffectofPeekapakonsocial,emotional,andlearningoutcomes,lookingspecificallytheimpactofPeekapakonthesocialandemotionalskilldevelopmentofstudents.ThisstudywillconcludeinOctober2019.

ElizabethPublicSchoolsDistrict(2017-2018SchoolYear)

PeekapakobtainedInstitutionalBoardReview(IRB)approvalforasecondyearofresearchwiththeElizabethPublicSchoolsDistrictinElizabeth,NewJersey.Thisresearchwasacombinationofquantitativemethodologies,examiningstudentacademic,social-emotionaldata.Thestudywillassessteacherperceptionofthechangeinstudentbehaviorandsocialandemotionalskilldevelopment.Theresearchincludeddatafrom117teachersand1945students.

• 3rdPartyResearcher:Dr.ShalomFisch,presidentandfounderofMediaKidzResearch&Consultingoversawtheresearch.Dr.FischwaspreviouslythevicepresidentforprogramresearchatSesameWorkshop,producersofSesameStreetandothereducationalmedia.

• SecureDataCollection:AnonlinesurveywillbeadministeredtoparticipatingteachersinSeptember2017(priortobeginningPeekapakintheclassroom)andinMay2018(attheendoftheprogram).Theonlinesurveywillmeasureateacher’sperceptionofstudentsocial-emotionallearningpre/post,alongwiththeeffectstheprogramhashadonacademics.Otherfactorssuchaslengthofusage,easeofimplementation,andtheelementsoftheprogramthatwerealsoevaluated.

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ResultsFromtheStudy:• VirtuallyalloftheteachersintheposttestratedPeekapakpositively,considereditscontent

developmentallyappropriatefortheirstudents,andsaidtheywouldrecommendPeekapaktootherteachers.Approximately3⁄4oftheteachersfeltthatPeekapakwaseasytouse,and/orthatitsavedthemtimeandeffort.

• TeachersreportedthattheirstudentsenjoyedPeekapakandthePeekapakPalscharacters.Nearly1⁄2reportedthattheirchildrenmimickedorroleplayedthecharacters.

• AlloftheteachersbelievedPeekapakhelpedthembringimportantlearningtotheirstudents.

Morethan3⁄4saidthatPeekapakhelpedtheirstudentsgainimportantsocial-emotionalcompetencies,andalmost3⁄4reportedseeingimprovementsinstudents’social-emotionalbehaviorsincetheybeganusingPeekapak.Morespecifically,mostteachersreportedthattheirstudentsusedbothtechniquesandvocabularytaughtinPeekapak.

• Intheprestestandposttest,teachersratedtheirstudentsonseveraldimensionsofprosocialbehavior,whichrevealedastatisticallysignificantincreaseinthenumberofstudentswhosharedwithothers.Severalotherdimensionsalsoshowedgrowth,butthetrendswerenotstrongenoughtoattainstatisticalsignificance(althoughsomemighthavereachedsignificanceifmoreteachershadcompletedbothsurveys).Theseincluded:havingthevocabularytodiscusstheirfeelings,showingkindness,showinggratitude,demonstratingunderstandingofpeers’feelingsorthoughts,speakingrespectfullytootherstudents,sensitivitytootherstudents’feelings,persistinginthefaceofchallenges,andstandingupforpeers.

• Ananalysisofstudents’standardizedPARCCEnglishLanguageArtsscoresfoundthatstudentswhousedPeekapakfiveormoretimesscoredsignificantlyhigherthanstudentswhodidnotusePeekapakatall.AsignificantcorrelationwasalsofoundwithuseofmyPeekaville,inthatchildrenfromclassroomsthataccessedmorepagesofmyPeekavillealsoachievedhigherPARCCscores.Similarly,studentswhousedPeekapakmorethanoncealsotendedtoreceivesignificantlygreaterELAgradesfromtheirteachers.WecannotbecertainthatPeekapakwasresponsibleforthehigherPARCCscores(sinceitisalsopossiblethatstrongerELAskillsledthesestudentstousePeekapakmore),buttheconsistencyofdataacrossmeasuresissuggestive.

• Thus,useofPeekapakwasassociatedwithbothenhancedsocial-emotionalbehaviorandbetteracademicperformance.Takeninisolation,limitationsinthedatawouldmakeitdifficulttodrawdefinitiveconclusionsaboutPeekapak’simpactfromanyoneofthesefindingsalone,buttheconsistencyofeffectsacrossmultiplemeasuressuggeststhatPeekapakhasthepotentialtocontributetochildren’sgrowth,bothsociallyandacademically.

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FeasibilityStudy,April2019ConductedundertheNewSchoolsIgniteEarlyLearningChallengeRyanBurke,M.Ed.RosanneLuu,MarkLoveland,PhD• Overview:FromFebruarytoMarch2019,WestEdconductedafeasibilitystudyontheuseof

Peekapak’ssupplementalgame,myPeekaville,intheclassroom.ThepurposeofthestudywastogatherqualitativedataaroundtheuseofmyPeekavillebyteachersandtheirclassrooms.Specifically,thisstudycollectedandexamineddataonhowsecondgradeteachers’usemyPeekavilleandthepotentialimpactsthesupplementalgamemayhaveonstudents’socialemotionallearningbehavior.

ImageofmyPeekaville’sstudentinterface

• StudyIntervention:ThestudyfocusesontheintegrationofmyPeekavilleintotheclassroomasa

supplementaltoolforPeekapakandSEL.TeachersreceivedanonboardingtrainingfromPeekapakstaffonthefeaturesandtoolsavailabletothemthroughoutthecourseofthestudy.Two-secondgradeteachersfromtwodifferentschoolsitesparticipatedinthestudybetweenFebruaryandApril2019.TeacherswereaskedtointegratePeekapak’sself-regulationunitandsupplementalgameintotheirregularcurriculumoverthecourseof4-6weeks.Eachteacherparticipatedintwoclassroomobservationsandoneteacherpost-interviewtoprovideParticipatingteachersprovidedfeedbackontheiruseofPeekapak’ssupplementalgame,myPeekaville,throughweeklyteacherlogs,twoteacherobservations,andone-on-oneinterviewswithaWestEdresearcher.Feedbackwascenteredaroundtheteacherandstudent’suseoftheproductandreflectedonpossiblechangestostudentsocialemotionallearningbehavioroverthecourseofusingmyPeekaville.

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DoteachersfeelPeekapak’ssupplementalgameprovideaddedvaluetotheclassroom,whencomparedtohowcontentistraditionallytaught?

• Overall,teachersfeltthatimplementingthemyPeekavillesupplementalgamewasaveryvaluableexperience.Thefactthattheplatformwasonlinewasvaluablebecauseitwasabletoexciteandengagestudents.TeachersadditionallyfeltthatthegamesallowedstudentstoreinforcethecontentandvocabularytheywerelearningfromthePeekapakcurriculuminafunandexcitingmanner.

myPeekavillewasabeneficialtoolforsupplementingandreinforcingthesocialemotionallearningfromthecurriculum.

• BothoftheteachersfoundthatmyPeekavillewasavaluablecomponentofPeekapakbecauseitgavestudentsthechancetoreflectuponthelessonsorstrategiestheylearnedthroughthePeekapakcurriculum.Onteachermentioned;“Ithinkthatitsupplementedthelessonwellandgavethestudentsachancetodemonstratetheirnewskillsindependently.”Thisteacheremphasizestheimportanceofgivingstudentsanopportunitytoapplytheirlearningduringalow-stakesindividualizedgameenvironment.Anotherteacherremarkeduponherandherstudent’sabilitytorelatetheirexperiencesinmyPeekavilletootherclassroompractices:

Weusealotofsocialemotionalcomponentsinourclasswithmindfulnessandgrowthmindset,soitworkedreallywellwiththatandsowhenwewouldbedoingothercomponentstheywouldrememberlike"thisislikePeekaville."Theylikecleaningupatmyschoolbecausetheygetcorefourticketswhichistheirwewerehelpfultickets.So,theywereconnectingIgotalotofberriesjustlikeIgotcorefourtickets.

• TeachersvaluedmyPeekavillebecauseitwasabletosupplementboththePeekapakcurriculumaswellastheirtraditionalwayofteachingsocialemotionalskillsinafunmanner.Additionally,itwasaproductiveoutletthatallowedstudentstomakeconnectionsbetweentheiractionsandwhattheyhavelearnedthroughthesocialemotionallearningcurriculum.

TeachersfeltthathavingmyPeekavilleasacomputergameandonlinetoolwasvaluable.

• HavinganonlineexperienceinwhichstudentscaninteractwithdifferentsocialemotionallearningskillswasperceivedtobeabeneficialattributeofthemyPeekavillegames.Oneteachercommented;“Mystudentsarecontinuingtoloveandgrowfromthisprogram.Ilovethewaythatitissetuponline.Itiseasytofollow,engaging,andwillbenefitstudents!”Thisteachergavefurthercontextandmentionedthatherstudentsareverytechsavvyandhavingagame-likelearningtoolonlineisaveryeffectivewaytoreachherparticularstudents.Anotherteachersharedasimilarsentimentexpressing;

So,Ithinkitwasreallyhelpfultohaveitonthegamealsobecausethey’resointotechnologythatitwasnicethatthegameisreinforcingwhatthey’relearningoutintheplaygroundandout

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inreallife.There’slikeatechnologygamethey’reexcitedaboutthatisteachingthesamelessons.

• TheseteachersemphasizethatoneofthemostvaluablefeaturesofmyPeekavilleissimplythefactthatitisanonlineplatformforstudentstoengageindifferentsocialemotionallearninggamesandscenarios.Havinganonlinetooladdsanexcitingandmotivatinglayertosocialemotionallearning.

Studentswereengagedwhenplayingthroughthegames.

• ItwasacommonthemeacrossclassroomsthatstudentswereactivelyengagedwhenworkingwithinmyPeekaville.Studentswerefocusedandinterestedthroughouttheirtimeusingthetool.Oneteacherexpandeduponthismentioning:“Mystudentsreallyaremotivatedtoplayandwanttogetoneverychancethattheycanget.”Overall,myPeekavillewasobservedtobeamotivatingtoolandstudentswereexcitedbytheopportunitytoplay.

• Studentengagementwasperceivedbyteacherstoincreaseovertime.Oneteacherstated:“ThestudentsLOVEgoingthroughthelessonsandtheyarestartingtobecomemorecomfortablewithit.Theyplay,discusswitheachother,andreallyenjoygainingberries.”TeachersenjoyedthatstudentswerenotonlyindividuallyinterestedintheirownexperiencesplayingthroughmyPeekaville,buttheywereactivelydiscussingtheirexperienceswiththeirpeers.Thiscreatesanopenenvironmentfordiscussionarounddifferentsocialemotionallearningtopics.

• Additionally,theabilityforstudentstocreatetheirownavatarsastheyworkthroughtheprogramincreasedstudentengagementandinterestintheprogram.Oneteachermentioned:“[Thestudents]reallyenjoyedcreatingtheircharacterandmakingitlooklikethem—orjustcreateacoolcharacter.”Oneofthemostcaptivatingpartsoftheprogramforstudentsishavingthechancetodesigntheirowncharacter.ThisallowsstudentstofeelmorepersonallyconnectedwhiletheyareexploringthroughmyPeekaville.

Overall,studentsenjoyedplayingmyPeekaville.

• Teachersreportedthatwhentheplatformwasworkingsmoothly,studentsenjoyedtheirtimeusingmyPeekaville.Oneteacherelaboratedfurtherremarking,“WhenIgivethemchoiceforcomputersmanystudentsasktoplaymyPeekaville.”Anotherteacherexpandeduponthisandmentionedthatstudentswantedtoplaythroughtheprogramontheirowntimeandshareitwithothers,“I’vehadsomestudentswhosaidthattheywenthome,andtheywantedtoshowtheirbrothersandsistershowtoplayit.”Fromtheobservationdata,teacherswereabletoaskstudentswhetherornottheyenjoyedthesession.Bymajority,studentsfoundmyPeekavilletobeanentertainingandfunexperience.Teachersfoundthatonlythestudentsthathaddifficultiesloggingin(didnothavepermissionfromtheirparents)orfacedlongloadingtimesindicatedthattheydislikedthesession.

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myPeekavillewasviewedasabeneficialtoolforreinforcingsocialemotionallearningconceptsandgivesstudentstheopportunitytopracticetheskillstheyarelearning.

• StudentswereabletousemyPeekavilleasaplaceinwhichtheycanreflectupontheirsocialemotionallearninginstruction.myPeekavilleprovidedstudentswiththeopportunitytostrengthentheirunderstandingofsocialemotionalskillslearningskillsandidentifyandrecognizetheirownbehaviors.Oneteacheremphasizedthispointrevealing:

Ithoughtthattheactivitiesthattheyhadwithinthegamewe’rereallysuccessful.Itreallyhelpssupportkidswhostruggleaboutsocialandemotionalissues.Inoticedalotofmyverywellputtogetherkidsthoughtitwasreallyeasy,buttheystilllikeditbecausetheyweregettingtheirberries.Then,Inoticeditwasalotmorechallengingforstudentswhostruggleinthatarea.Theyreallyhadtositandthinkaboutit.Iwouldsitwiththemandaskthemsomequestionsandtheywerelike,"Idon’tknowwhatfeelingthatis."Ithoughtthatwasreallyinterestingjusttobeabletoseelike,"Wow,theyreallydon’tknowwhatthatisandwhatthatlookslike."Thatwasreallyeye-opening,anditjustshowedandconfirmedhowmuchmoreofthatinstructionweneed.Thatwascool.

• BothteachersrecognizedthattheirstudentswereabletomakeconnectionstothebooksorlessonsfromthePeekapakcurriculumandhadanunderstandingofhowtheyrelatedtosituationspresentedwithinmyPeekaville.

Teachersobservedagreateruseofsocialemotionallearningvocabulary.

• myPeekavillepromptedstudentstousethevocabularyfromthePeekapakcurriculumandlessons.Thisledtomorein-depth,studentdriven,conversationswhiletheywereplayingthroughmyPeekaville.Oneteacherreflectedonthisstating,“Thevocabularyusedinthebookwasbeingrepeatedinconversationsthatthestudentswerehaving.Wetalkedaboutthemeaningofcalm,regaincalm,refocus,feelings,breathe,control,andregulate.”Anotherteacherexpandeduponthisandspoketoitseffectontheirlargerclassroomenvironment:

Justtheywereabletocommunicate[theirfeelings]evenmoresothannormal...Ithinkthespecificvocabularywascooltoseethemstartingtousethat.EvenlikewritingIsawthemusingsomeofthosewordsintheirwriting,sothatwasprettycooltootosee.Iwouldsaythosethings,butIwasn’tusingthevocabulary,whichIalwaysforgetlike,‘NowIneedtobeusingthevocabularywiththem.’Thentheysawthewordstoo,sothatwasnicebe-causebeforeIwasn’tlikewritingthosewordsdown.Beingabletocommunicatethosethingsreallyhelps.

• Studentswerenotonlyusingthevocabularymorefrequently,butteacherswerealsoincorporatingitmoreintotheirdailylanguagetohelpperpetuatethesocialemotionallearningskillsstudentswerelearningfromthecurriculum.myPeekavilleofferedstudentsanopportunitytopracticeusingthevocabularyfromthelessonswhichhelpedcreateanenvironmentinwhichmoresocialemotionallearninglanguagewasbeingused.

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RESEARCHGUIDINGPEEKAPAK’SSTORY&LESSONDEVELOPMENTTheimportanceofstoriesinachild’slearninganddevelopmentiswellestablished(AmericanAcademyofPediatrics).Notonlydoesithelpchildrendevelopcriticalthinking,creativityandboostimagination,italsohelpschildrengraspnewconcepts,developempathyandimprovelanguageskills.Infact,studiesshowthatreadingtochildrenamplifiesthelanguagetheyhearandstrengthenstheirunderstandingofnewvocabulary(“TheWordsChildrenHear,”J.Montag,M.Jones,L.Smith,2015).Plus,storiesarefun!

AtPeekapak,weplacedstoriesattheheartofourprogramtoachievesomeveryimportantobjectives:Toteachthroughmodelingandexamples,toaidachild’semotionalvocabularyunderstandinganddevelopment,tointroducemodern-dayrolemodels,andofcourse,toinspireanddelight.

Peekapakworkscloselywithateamofeducationexperts,advisorsandresearcherstoensureourstoriesandresourcesusethebestpracticesinearlychildhoodlearning.ThefollowingindividualshaveplayedkeyrolesinshapingPeekapak’sstoryandlessondevelopment:

• Dr.CharlotteCole:Dr.ColeistheExecutiveDirectorofBlueButterflyCollaborativeandformerlyservedasSVPofGlobalEducationatSesameWorkshop.Dr.ColereceivedherdoctorateinHumanDevelopmentandPsychologyfromtheHarvardGraduateSchoolofEducation.

• Dr.KimberlyBezaire:AnEarlyChildhoodEducator,researcherandprofessor,Dr.Bezaire’steachingcareerincludesworkinearlyyearssettings,labschoolsandteachereducationprograms.

• RoniHabib:ThefounderofEQSchools,RoniearnedhisMastersofEducationandteachingcredentialfromHarvardUniversity.

• DianaTruong:DianaisaregisteredEarlyChildhoodEducatorandelementaryschoolteacher.SheholdsaMastersinChildStudy&EducationfromtheDr.EricJackmanInstituteofChildStudyattheUniversityofToronto.·

• KellyKernaghan:KellyholdsaB.Ed.inPrimaryEducationandCurriculumDesignandaB.A.inChildStudies.Shehasbeenteachingforover20years.

• MorganRusso:MorganisanexperiencedelementaryschoolteacheratChicagoPublicSchools.

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IDENTIFYINGLEARNINGTOPICSFOREACHSTORY&UNIT

Basedonextensiveinterviewswithover300teachersandeducationexperts,Peekapakidentified10coretopicseducatorsandexpertsagreearecriticaltoayoungchild’scharacterandsocial-emotionaldevelopment,andwhichneedtobetaughtfromPre-Kindergartenyears.Theyare:Self-Regulation,Respect,Gratitude,Kindness,Perseverance,Teamwork,Empathy,Honesty,Optimism,andCourage.

EXPANSIONOFEMOTIONALVOCABULARY

Emotionalliteracyistheabilitytorecognize,label,andunderstandfeelingsinone’sselfandothers.Itisaprerequisiteskilltoemotionalregulation,successfulinterpersonalinteractionsandproblemsolving,andisoneofthemostimportantskillsachildistaughtintheearlyyears(Denham,1986;Webster-Stratton,1999).Understandingthatinorderforchildrentocorrectlyperceiveandreacttofeelings,theyneedwordsconsistingofamorerobustfeelinglexiconbeyondsimply“happy”or“mad.”Itiscriticalforcaregiverstohelpchildrenidentifyallthesubtlegradationsoffeelingsandthatstartswithteachingthemdefinitionsforarangeofemotions.Alargeandmorecomplexemotionalvocabularyallowschildrentomakefinerdiscriminationsbetweenfeelings;tobettercommunicatewithothersabouttheirinternalaffectivestates;andtoengageindiscussionsabouttheirpersonalexperienceswiththeworld(“EnhancingEmotionalVocabularyinYoungchildren,”GailE.Joseph,Ph.D.&PhillipS.Strain,Ph.D.).Thebestwaytoteachemotionalvocabularyisforyoungchildrentobeguidedbyteachersandparents.Peekapakintroducesnewemotionalvocabularyineachunitandhelpsteachersandparentsteach,reinforceandpracticeusingdifferentfeelingwordswithstudents.Thisisdonethroughexamples(inthecontextofconversationandplay)andthroughengagingactivities.Peekapak’sclassroomandhomelessonsweredesignedtoworkhand-in-hand.Firstweensurethatteachersandparentsshareaconsistentemotionalvocabularybyinformingparentsofthenewwordstaughtintheclassroom.Parentswillreceiveanupdateabouttheday’slesson,newwordsanddefinitions,andanactivitytodoathomewiththeirchildtoreinforcethelearningathome.

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DEVELOPMENTALLYAPPROPRIATESOCIAL-EMOTIONALVOCABULARY&TEACHING

Ourselectionofsocialandemotionalvocabularywascarefullyresearchedandselectedtobeage-appropriateandenhancelearning.Sourcesthatourteamofeducatorsandwritersdrewfromincludethefollowing.

• CenteronEvidenceBasedPracticesforEarlyLearning,UniversityofColorado2o Inareporttitled“EnhancingEmotionalVocabularyinYoungChildren”(GailE.Joseph,

Ph.D.&PhillipS.Strain,Ph.D.),four-year-oldswereobservedforunderstandingofemotionalstates,abilitytoobservesocialcues,andvocabularyoffeelingwords.Itwasfoundthatclassroomsdevotingplannedattentiontohelpingchildrenacquirearichandvariedfeelingvocabularyexperiencedfewerchallengingbehaviors,weremoredevelopmentallysophisticatedandenjoyedhealthiersocialinteractions(Denham,1986).

o Childrendeveloppowerfulfeelingvocabulariesbyusingvariedandcomplexfeelingwords.Thefigurebelowshowsalistofmorecomplexfeelingwordsthat3to5yearoldswhoaredevelopinglanguagenormallyknow(Joseph,2001;Ridgeway,Waters&Kuczaj,1985).

(Joseph,2001;Ridgeway,Waters&Kuczaj,1985)

2http://csefel.vanderbilt.edu/modules/module2/handout6.pdf

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• OntarioEarlyYearsContinuumofDevelopment:TheContinuumofDevelopmentoutlinesthesequenceofskillsthatchildrencanbeexpectedtoacquireastheydevelop.Itcoversabroadrangeofdevelopmentaldomains(physical,social,emotional,communication/languageandcognitive).Itisabaseforobservationanddiscussionofchildren'sgrowthandlearning.

• TheIllinoisSocialandEmotionalCurriculum:ThesestandardsdescribethecontentandskillsforstudentsingradesK-12forsocialandemotionallearningandhavebeendevelopedinaccordancewithSection15(a)ofPublicAct93-0495.

• EmotionWordComprehensionfrom4to16yearsold:ADevelopmentalSurvey3o PublishedbyFrontiersinEvolutionaryNeuroscience(SimonBaron-Cohen,OferGolan,

SallyWheelwright,YaelGranaderandJacquelineHill,AutismResearchCentre,DepartmentofPsychiatry,CambridgeUniversity,Cambridge,UK,2010),thissurveyexaminedtherangeofemotionalwordsunderstoodbydifferentagegroups.Peekapakusedtheresultsasaguidetointroducingemotionalvocabulary.Seeanexampleofthestudy’sfindingsbelow.

(SimonBaron-Cohen,OferGolan,SallyWheelwright,YaelGranaderandJacquelineHill,AutismResearchCentre,DepartmentofPsychiatry,CambridgeUniversity,Cambridge,UK,2010)

SELECTIONOFAGE-APPROPRIATEGENERALVOCABULARY

Youngchildrenlearnlanguagefromthespeechtheyhear.Studiesshowthatgreaterstatisticaldiversityofwordsandlinguisticcontextsisassociatedwithbetterlanguageoutcomes.Astudytitled“TheWordsChildrenHear,”foundthatpicturebooksgenerallycontainedmoreuniquewordtypesthanlength-matched,child-directedconversations.Thetextofpicturebooksisanimportantsourceofvocabularyforyoungchildren,andthesefindingssuggestamechanismthatunderliesthelanguagebenefits

3https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2996255/pdf/fnevo-02-00109.pdf

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associatedwithreadingtochildren(J.Montag,M.Jones,L.Smith,2015).OtherrelevantstudiesPeekapakreviewedinclude,butarenotlimitedto,thefollowing:

• Overwhelmingevidencedemonstrateschildren’soralvocabularydevelopmentasessentialtotheirlong-termreadingcomprehension(Ricketts,Nation,&Bishop,2007;Sénéchal,Ouellette,&Rodney,2006;Snow,Burns,&Griffin,1998).

• Anotherstudy4focusedonkindergartenasacriticalyearforearlylanguageandliteracyinstruction,showingthatyoungchildrenlearnvocabularyprimarilythroughincrementalexposuretotheorallanguageofadultsintheirenvironmentduringinformalconversationsandsharedbookreading(Beals&Tabors,1995;Huttenlocher,Haight,Bryk,Seltzer,&Lyons,1991;Nagy&Scott,2000;Sénéchal,&LeFevre,2002).

• Becketal.(2002)usedtheterm‘richvocabularyinstruction’todescribeteachingthatincludesexplanationsofwordmeaningsinchild-friendlylanguage,useofawordinavarietyofcontexts,andopportunitiestoexplainappropriateandinappropriateusesofaword.Theyfoundchildrenwhoreceivedrichinstructionofchallengingwordslearnedsignificantlymorewordsthanchildreninacontrolgroup(Beck&McKeown,2007).

• Thesizeofachild’svocabularyisoneofthestrongestpredictorsofreadingcomprehension(Stahl&Nagy,2006)soitisalsonotasurprisethatastrongvocabularybaseisassociatedwithreadingperformance(Biemiller,2006;Hirsch,2003).

• Byfourthgrade,childrenwithlimitedvocabularyknowledgearelikelyto“slump”inreadingcomprehension(Chall&Jacobs,2003)andwilloftencontinuetostruggleasreadersthroughouttheirschooling(Catts,Adlof,&Weismer,2006;Cunningham&Stanovich,1997;Stanovich,1986),indicatingtheneedforattentiontovocabularywellbeforechildrenreachthispoint.

• Studieshaveshownthatwhenoralvocabularyinstructionischallenging,conceptuallybased,andmultidimensional,at-riskyoungchildren(e.g.,low-income;dualLanguageLearners;specialeducation)canmakesuchgainsinvocabularyknowledgeastonarrow,andinsomecases,close,thegapwithsame-agepeers(Coyne,McCoach,&Kapp,2007;Neuman,Newman,&Dwyer,2011).

Basedontheabovestudiesandothers,Peekapakbelievesinintroducingandteachingarichvocabularytoyoungchildreninordertoenhancetheirgeneralvocabularyandreadingcomprehension.However,studentsarenotexpectedtolearnnewvocabularyindependently.Peekapak’sstoriesaredesignedtobeteacherandparent-directedandPeekapakguidesteachersandparentsindefiningandmodelingnewwordstostudents.

• InreviewingSilverman(2007),Peekapakbuiltinexplicitwordexplanations(tobeprovidedbytheteacher),andcontextualinstructioninstorydiscussionsandlessonstoengageyoungchildrenintheanalysisofwordmeaningstopromotedepthofprocessing(e.g.,comparingandcontrastingwords).

4http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1086296X14551474

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• PeekapakusedtheDolchandFryhighfrequencywordlistsasguidesforcreatingworksheetsorwhenanticipatingstudentsreadingontheirown.

• PeekapakconsultedtheSELFVocabularyMeasureTargetWordsperGradeLevellist.Seeexamplebelow.

• Peekapakalsoreferredtothe‘CaliforniaTreasures,ScopeandSequence:Vocabulary’listonMacmillan/McGraw-Hill.Thewordsinthislistwerechosenusingthefollowingresearch-basedfrequencylists:

1) LivingWordVocabularylistsbygradelevel2) AvrilCoxheads’slistofHigh-IncidenceAcademicWords3) AndrewBiemiller’sWordsWorthTeachinglists

(CaliforniaTreasures,ScopeandSequence:Vocabulary)

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TEACHINGTHROUGHREAD-ALOUDS

TheteachingformatandintentofPeekapak’sstoriesareasreadalouds–bothintheclassroomasinthehome.Thebenefitsofyoungchildrenhearingastoryreadtothemareimportantandplentiful.Notonlyarereadaloudsthemoststudiedcontextforteachingvocabularytoyoungchildren(Bus,VanIjzendoorn,&Pellegrini,1995),thereisalargecorpusofresearchshowingthatyoungchildrenlearnwordsthroughlisteningandinteractingwithstorybooks(e.g.,Dickinson&Smith,1994;Elley,1989).In“EnhancingEmotionalVocabularyinYoungChildren,”researchersGailE.Joseph,Ph.D.andPhillipS.Strain,Ph.D.discusshowteacherscanusereadaloudstoteachchildrentothinkabouthowsomeonemightfeelincertainsituations.Children’sliteratureisaveryeffectivetoolforteachingandpracticingthisskill.Readastoryaloud,pickasituationinthestoryandaskthechildrentoconsiderthecharacter’sreactionsandfeelings,promotingfurtherconversation.NeumanandDwyer(2011)foundthatHeadStartpreschoolerscouldretainchallengingacademicvocabularywords(e.g.,habitat;camouflage)wheninstructionincludedparticularattentiontoreviewingwordmeaningsandpractice.Peekapakmadeadecisiontopromotereadalouds,especiallywithyoungchildren,anddesignourstoriesandlessonstomaximizelearning.Weguideteachersandparentswithdiscussionquestionstoaskchildrenalongtheway(e.g.,pre-mid-poststorydiscussionquestions,andinvitationsforstudentstopointtofacialexpressionsandbodylanguageseenintheillustrationsprojectedonascreen–seeimagebelow)andwaystodefineandmodelnewemotionalvocabulary.Peekapakalsobuiltininstructionstoincludemultipleopportunitiestointeractwithtargetwordsoutsidethecontextofthestorytoenhancedepthofprocessingandwordlearning(Coyneetal.(2009)).

(ImageofaPeekapakstorybeingreadaloudanddiscussedinakindergartenclassroom)FormoreinformationonPeekapak’sresearch,methodologies,resourcesorreferences,pleasecontacthello@peekapak.com.