Curriculum: Overview
Overview and Framework | Preschool | K-3
Our mission at Between the Lions is to show children the tremendous power and pleasure of literacy, and to provide instruction in the skills that will help them learn to read well.
Based on recommendations from leading reading experts, many of the episodes of Between the Lions follow a whole-part-whole approach to instruction in early literacy. This approach establishes a meaningful context for learning, and then guides kids to explore specific details such as text structure, individual words, and other print features (Strickland, 1998). Knowledge becomes anchored and accessible, the skills make more sense, and young children understand why they need to practice them.
The whole-part-whole sequence begins with a story, poem, or other form of text that the Lion family reads together. Reading aloud to their children is the most important experience parents can provide to prepare preschoolers for success in school. The Lion family's discussions about the featured stories, word meanings, and real-life connections show viewers how to foster language development and build background knowledge. Often, the read-aloud text is chock full of rhythm and rhyme—designed to trigger phonological awareness. Viewers can see the words of the text on screen, and a highlighting bar moves across to show that we read from top to bottom and left to right (book and print awareness).
After the read-aloud portion, a Key Word emerges from that text and is examined and compared to other words with similar spelling patterns. The letters and sounds in Key Words take center stage throughout a series of animated, live-action, and puppet-filled sketches. These skill-building segments deliver valuable information to preschoolers and beginning readers, preparing them for kindergarten and the five key areas of instruction in reading. Then the featured letters, sounds, and words are used in context again, by revisiting the original text or in a new example, such as a Cliff Hanger adventure or an easy-reader book read by Arty Smartypants.
In fall 2007, Between the Lions introduced several episodes that focus more specifically on building vocabulary. These also begin with a story or other text that the Lion family reads together. Instead of highlighting a Key Word and letter sounds, the segments that follow explore the meaning and use of a series of related vocabulary words. For example, after the Lion family reads the story "Not Afraid of Dogs," the show introduces synonyms for being afraid and the concept of being brave. A new segment, Synonym Sam, illustrates the shades of meaning in the words scared, terrified, and petrified.
Evidence-Based Curriculum Framework
During the creation of Between the Lions, the producers consulted early literacy experts from across the country, including Marilyn Adams, Gerald Lesser, Robert Slavin, Catherine Snow, Dorothy Strickland, and Jeanne Chall.
After some debate, these experts recommended a balanced, comprehensive approach—one that would feature meaningful reading events and phonics lessons delivered in a systematic way.
Snow, Burns, and Griffin—who at the time served on the National Research Council's committee—were also conducting a review of the reading research field. Their study, "Preventing Reading Difficulties in Young Children" (1998), describes the environments, critical skills, and developmental processes instrumental in the acquisition of early literacy. The recommendations of the NRC committee—which formed the foundation for the work of the National Reading Panel—also became the framework for the show's curriculum, which presents key experiences for viewers of different ages:
Preschool
For preschool children, activities in the following areas are known to play a key role in the development of early literacy:
- Language and Vocabulary Development
- Phonological Awareness
- Book and Print Awareness
- Letter Knowledge
K-3
For students in grades K to 3, Between the Lions systematically addresses the five key areas of instruction in reading:
- Phonemic Awareness
- Phonics
- Fluency
- Vocabulary
- Text Comprehension
Adults
For adults, the series provides some priceless moments of fun and silliness. In addition, the Lion family shows how to make reading aloud a central part of family life. By enjoying books together and getting involved with stories and words, the Lions model the power and pleasure of literacy and introduce key reading skills. Their joyful experience with reading is well summarized in the theme song for the Between the Lions series:
"Hey, now
Hey, wow
Here's how
Come and read
Between the Lions.
Come on
Come in
Begin
The world awaits..."
Next: Preschool
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