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Through hands-on exploration with magnifying glasses, specimen collection, and guided discussion, young learners connect prior home-language experiences to new academic vocabulary and inquiry questions. The approach emphasizes theory-building through observation, scaffolds bridging first and second languages, and uses interactive reading and low-stress English practice to deepen academic register development.",{"@graph":69,"@context":122},[70,84,105],{"@type":71,"itemListElement":72},"BreadcrumbList",[73,77,79,82],{"item":74,"name":75,"@type":76,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":78,"name":9,"@type":76,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":80,"name":35,"@type":76,"position":81},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/healthcare/",3,{"item":83,"name":65,"@type":76,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/talking-science-in-an-esl-pre-k-theory-building-with-realia/600636/",{"url":83,"name":65,"@type":85,"image":86,"author":91,"headline":65,"publisher":94,"fileFormat":97,"inLanguage":63,"description":67,"dateModified":98,"datePublished":99,"encodingFormat":97,"isAccessibleForFree":100,"interactionStatistic":101},"DigitalDocument",{"url":87,"@type":88,"width":89,"height":90},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/talking-science-in-an-esl-pre-k-theory-building-with-realia/600636.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":92,"@type":93},"dhado","Person",{"url":74,"name":95,"@type":96},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-16","2026-10-15",true,{"@type":102,"interactionType":103,"userInteractionCount":8},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":104},"ViewAction",{"@type":106,"mainEntity":107},"FAQPage",[108,114,118],{"name":109,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":111},"What does “realia” mean in an ESL pre-K science classroom?","Question",{"text":112,"@type":113},"Realia refers to objects found in the real world. Students use these real objects to learn scientific ideas and build related vocabulary.","Answer",{"name":115,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":116},"How does realia support theory-building for young learners?",{"text":117,"@type":113},"By handling objects and comparing features, students draw on prior experiences and ask questions that help them form explanations and scientific theories.",{"name":119,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":120},"Why is first language support important for English learners in science?",{"text":121,"@type":113},"Research cited in the text states that learners do better when they can use their first language to support meaning-making in science while also being supported in the academic register of school English.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":83,"og:type":124,"og:title":65,"og:site_name":95,"og:description":67},"article",{"robots":126,"canonical":83},"index,follow",{"doc_id":128,"site_id":62},600636,1792145319,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":131},{"doc_id":128,"user_id":132,"nickname":92,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":34,"category_name":35,"doc_title":65,"doc_description":67,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":8,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":8,"is_downloadable":8,"audit_status":8,"page_count":44,"language":139,"language_code":63,"site_id":62,"html_lang":63,"table_of_contents":140,"faqs":141,"seo_title":142,"seo_description":67,"update_tm":143,"read_time":144},5909893218464,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_085a072bc5b1113ac321206ff7593b45","Talking Science in an ESL Pre-K: Theory-building with Realia  \n\n| What is realia and theory-building? Read on to find both a definition and strategies to employ in your classroom. | Tim Kinard & Jesse Gainer |\n| --- | --- |\n\nOn a sunny Texas morning a prekindergarten class serving a diverse group of students, including those who are learning English as a second language (a pre-K ESL class), has left the glossy floors and artificial light of its classroom to explore in the dappled sunlight beneatha leafy tree. This public elementary school class has just finished listening to their teacher read a colorfully illustrated book titled Leaves. Following the directions of their teacher, they leave the circle and dart about the grassy space in groups of two, collecting specimens in plastic baggies, eyeing them with magnifying glasses, describing the features of each to one another. One student holds up an interesting leaf to show his teacher. The teacher says,“Hey, look at this! This one has tiny hairs on it. It’s a furry leaf!” He turns back to the 4-year-old who found it. “You make sure you tell us about this when we’re talking about them together, OK?”The boy nods vigorously, and they all turn simultaneously to see what other leafy marvels grow beyond the confines of the school’s walls.  \nConversations and Realia  \nOngoing research focuses on integrated instruction to promote science and literacy learning that also includes a focus on multicultural perspectives for ESL early childhood classrooms (Cervetti, Pearson, Bravo, & Barber, 2006) . This type of instruction allows students to build on the knowledge that they already have about the world by combining non-fiction books and other texts to explore vocabulary that is specific to science content and processes. But it also includes language support through hands-on activities where students are able to carry on conversations about the real world in their home language with peers and teachers (Bruna & Gomez, 2008; Fathman & Crowther, 2006; González, Moll & Amanti,  \n16  Vol 43, No 1, 2015  \n2005; Rosebery & Warren, 2008) . Integral to these linguistically rich experiences is the use of “realia,” another word for objects found in the real world (Spycher, 2009, p. 366) . When a student explores using realia, she is not just being exposed to abstract concepts or text on a page, she is using real-life objects to build understandings of the natural world while she builds vocabulary about it. This can be both a multicultural and scientific event.  \nRealia: Objects found in the real world.  \nAs students learn vocabulary words by handling reallife objects, they build theories about how the realia work in the world based on their previous experiencesand the deep understandings forged in their home language such as when they wonder:  \n• why honeycombs might be hexagonal  \n• what happens to water in the sun  \n• about the patterns of clouds and erosion (Ballenger, 2008; Cummins & Schecter, 2003)  \nIn inquiry and exploration like this, students are using their emerging cultural and linguistic expertise (learned within their families and out-of-school communities) in combination with the new language and academic knowledge that is being introduced at school (González, et al., 2005; Rosebery & Warren, 2008) .  \nImagine a pre-K classroom where acorns, pinecones, cicada exoskeletons, flowers, bones, antlers, dirt and all  \nDimensions of Early Childhood  \nTalking Science in an ESL Pre-K: Theory Building with Realia  \nsorts of other objects are handled and discussed in both the first language of the students as well as a second language. In such a setting vocabulary builds quickly, because teachers provide opportunities for students to engage in meaningful communication with scaffolds bridging first and second languages (Goldenberg, Hick & Lit, 2013) .  \nResearchers focused on the learning of those acquiring a second language have long stated that “English language learners are in stronger positions t","cbCaibKfpNVOHzyg","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaibKfpNVOHzyg","pdf",313895,"English","# Conversations and Realia\n## Realia: Objects found in the real world\n## Dimensions of Early Childhood","[{\"question\":\"What does “realia” mean in an ESL pre-K science classroom?\",\"answer\":\"Realia refers to objects found in the real world. Students use these real objects to learn scientific ideas and build related vocabulary.\"},{\"question\":\"How does realia support theory-building for young learners?\",\"answer\":\"By handling objects and comparing features, students draw on prior experiences and ask questions that help them form explanations and scientific theories.\"},{\"question\":\"Why is first language support important for English learners in science?\",\"answer\":\"Research cited in the text states that learners do better when they can use their first language to support meaning-making in science while also being supported in the academic register of school English.\"}]","Talking Science in an ESL Pre-K - Theory Building with Realia | PDF",1792091086,23]