Promoting Academic Language Acquisition, Literacy, and Equity through Playful Learning Institute Protocols

Our district is in its third year of the Playful Learning Institute initiative, with protocols now embedded in classroom practice. This interactive workshop explores how intentionally designed playful learning experiences can advance equity within a structured literacy framework. Two Bernardston Elementary educators, Renee Keir, a kindergarten teacher, and Lindsay Skelton, third-grade teacher, will share classroom-based strategies that develop academic vocabulary, oral language, and conceptual understanding through studios and storytelling. Participants will explore how developmentally appropriate, play-based instructional routines provide multiple entry points for students to engage with academic language. These practices are particularly beneficial for multilingual learners and students who require explicit opportunities to rehearse and apply language in meaningful contexts. Presenters will demonstrate how the Playful Learning Institute protocol can be a helpful tool.