Oxford University Press Joins Forces with PAW Patrol to Inspire English Learning From As Young As Three

Oxford University Press joins forces with PAW Patrol™ to inspire English learning from as young as three

Oxford University Press (OUP) and Nickelodeon will be launching 20 new books for children learning English as a foreign language globally, offering fun and action-packed adventures with much loved PAW Patrol characters, just as the series hits the big screen this week. PAW Patrol airs on Nickelodeon and Nick Jr. channels globally and is produced by Spin Master Entertainment.

With PAW Patrol: The Movie set to capture the attention of children worldwide, OUP’s PAW Patrol Reading Stars are designed to build on the popularity of the series and enable the heroic PAW Patrol pups to now provide the first steps to reading success for children. In every PAW Patrol reader, children are invited to help Chase, Marshall and friends through interactive storytelling and activities, supporting the development of their problem solving and thinking skills, at the same time as encouraging them to practice new vocabulary in fun and playful ways.

The graded reader books, which are available now through leading ELT bookstores and distributors as paperback books or as e-books from October, have been carefully designed by early years experts to meet the needs of 3–6-year-olds learning English as a foreign language. The reader books work by using simple vocabulary and grammar, and large, colourful illustrations which play an integral part in telling the story and making the vocabulary clear to the learner. They offer gradual progression over three levels and vocabulary repetition that teaches children to recognize, remember and understand common words.

The animated preschool series PAW Patrol, produced by Spin Master Entertainment and airing on Nickelodeon, has become a global phenomenon since it first aired in 2013 – and was enjoyed by many younger viewers over the last year during a spate of lockdowns in different countries. The new OUP resources now take these well-loved TV characters off-screen to help boost educational outcomes around the world.

While the pandemic may have had an impact on the emotional wellbeing of young children, research shows that reading for pleasure can have a positive impact on wellbeing and happiness because stories can be funny, exciting, or moving, and children can relate to the emotion or to their own experiences. OUP hopes that Reading Stars will foster a lifelong love of reading as learners enjoy seeing their favourite characters working together on rescue missions across Adventure Bay. This, in turn, will enable very young children to become immersed in the language without even realizing it. 

OUP recently launched a paper offering guidance on ‘Using Graded Readers with Very Young Learners’ to support teachers and parents. It highlights how graded reader books offer children far more benefits than traditional story books for language acquisition in non-native speakers.

Alex Choi, Parent said:

“Over the last 12 months, as parents, we’ve faced new challenges we couldn’t have predicted when it comes to keeping our kids engaged with learning at home – especially when they can’t tear themselves away from the TV! Having high quality education resources that are about characters our children love, makes it so much easier to get them learning English, at the same time inspiring a love of reading. I love that I can use the reader audio to get my kids to follow the words as they listen, pausing as often or as little as they like.”

Series author Hannah Fish, commented:

“What could be more motivating for a small child than helping their favourite characters out of a tight spot and ensuring that they successfully complete their mission? Whether it’s helping Ryder choose the best pup for the job, selecting the right tool for Rubble, or spotting something from up high for Skye, the children are placed at the very heart of the action, and the exciting stories unfold around them.

These readers help children to develop their English language skills and build their confidence in reading while having fun. The simple language combined with carefully crafted illustrations ensure that all children are taken on a journey across Adventure Bay, regardless of their previous exposure to English.”

OUP’s Reading Stars is the only comprehensive library for 3–6-year-olds learning English as a foreign language, with 65 readers in total. The Reading Stars Videos and Parent’s Guide downloadable with every book give parents practical tips on how to read with their child, helping them to make the most of the storybooks. They also include an audio recording of the story, as well as a picture dictionary or extra activities to support children’s understanding of the vocabulary and the story.

OUP previously partnered with Nickelodeon in 2018 to release a English Language Teaching (ELT) programme for young students featuring flagship Nickelodeon characters, including Dora the Explorer, Team Umizoomi, and Blaze and the Monster Machines. 

Oxford University Press (OUP) is a department of the University of Oxford. It furthers the University's objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education by publishing worldwide. OUP is the world's largest university press with the widest global presence.

It currently publishes thousands of new publications a year, has offices in around fifty countries, and employs approximately 6,000 people worldwide.

It has become familiar to millions through a diverse publishing program that includes scholarly works in all academic disciplines, bibles, music, school and college textbooks, children's books, materials for teaching English as a foreign language, business books, dictionaries and reference books, and academic journals.

More Nick: 'PAW Patrol: The Movie' Toys Roll Into Stores!

Originally published: August 17, 2021.

Press release via Mynewsdesk; Original source: The PIE News.

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