Our Watch-Learn-Play® Methodology

Little Sponges uses a unique Watch, Learn, Play® methodology that derives from our belief that language learning should be playful, creative, and accessible to different types of learners.

Our culturally responsive curriculum is packed with scaffolded supports that utilize visual, audio, sensory, graphic, and interactive elements, aligned with Universal Design for Learning principles.

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How Watch, Learn, Play® Works

Watch

Children watch learning adventures led by our main characters, Mishka and Frog, experiencing authentic content through real-world visuals, native audio, and subtitles. Students see actual farms when learning about animals, real space footage when exploring the solar system.

What students do:

Watch, listen, sing and read along with immersive video adventures that bring each story to life.
Experience authentic content with real people and places
Receive comprehensible input with built-in scaffolds that make language accessible and meaningful.

Learn

Students practice multilingual comprehension using interactive games, vocabulary cards, and hands-on activities that reinforce new concepts across all four language domains.

What students do:

Practice new skills and vocabulary via play-based activities
Build literacy skills via interactive alphabet and literacy games
Strengthen their language production skills by recording themselves speaking and by writing or typing in the target language

Play

Children actively engage with content through multi-sensory lesson plans, skills-based activities, peer dialogue, and online assessments that make learning feel natural and enjoyable.

What students do:

Play listening and reading games to master high-frequency words and earn stars
Color, label pictures and write in their graphic organizers
Engage in conversations with Mishka and Frog puppets

Universal Design for Learning Integration

Our approach provides young children with multiple means of:

Engagement

Culturally relevant, playful content that connects to students’ experiences and interests

Representation

Multimodal input through visual, audio, sensory, graphic, written text, hands on activities and interactive elements

Action and Expression

Varied practice opportunities and assessment formats that allow different ways to demonstrate learning

Strategic Language Use

Little Sponges exemplifies strategic use of English and the partner language during instruction. Both languages are valued and respected equally, with each language presented in its own linguistic space using distinct audio and visual cues.

Language Connection

In some activities, languages are connected and analyzed to help students gain deeper meaning and transfer knowledge between languages. Our characters Mishka and Frog mirror each other in their dialogue to help students quickly recognize similarities and differences between languages.

Language Separation

In other activities, languages are kept separate to allow independent practice in each language, building fluency and maintaining program integrity. Each language track is designed to stand on its own with authentic content.

Adventure Map

Our visually engaging Adventure Map strategically positions each of the 16 adventures so children can learn and practice vocabulary in a sequential or flexible manner according to your program’s instructional philosophy.