Guided Observation
Teacher builds and maintains meaningful relationships with families
For example:
- Teacher gathers and uses information from families about the child’s home life, family activities, personal interests, as well as the families’ expectations for their children, teachers, and the preschool program. (PCF, p. 207; PEL, p. 16)
- Family members are invited to share cultural practices, skills, and talents. (PEL, p.16; PCF,p. 204)
- Communication with parents is in their home language on an individual basis, during parent meetings, through bulletin boards, and/or newsletters. (PCF, p. 204)
- Families are involved in determining the ways they would like to be supported and generate ideas for ways in which they can both lead and implement those supports. (PEL, p.16)
- Teacher encourages families to read to children in their home language, and uses parent meetings as an opportunity to model dialogic reading. (PCF, p. 223)
Teacher recognizes and builds on the home language as a foundation for learning
For example:
- Teachers share information about second language acquisition and help families understand that by using their home language they are supporting second language development. (PEL, p. 43; PCF, p. 204)
- The home language is used to provide preschool English learners with immediate access to the entire curriculum, concept development, and high levels of interaction. (PCF, p. 180; PEL p. 43)
- When introducing new vocabulary in English, teachers connect the word with one or more related words in the child’s home language. (PEL. p. 31)
- The home language is incorporated into the daily classroom activities through song, poetry, dances, rhymes and counting. (Espinosa, 2010, p. 96)
Teacher creates and maintains a culturally and linguistically responsive environment
For example:
- Teacher and staff greet each child individually using the child’s primary language to say “hello.” (ECERS, p. 22)
- All children have opportunities to learn words from other children’s home languages. (Preschool Learning & Development Guidelines, p. 107).
- Consistent, predictable routines supported by photographic or pictorial cues are posted and followed to foster a sense of safety and security. (PCF, p. 182; PEL, p. 28; ECERS, p. 63)
- Each area of the classroom (e.g., bulletin boards, dramatic play, etc.) reflects the cultures, customs, and languages of the children. Family artifacts and pictures of special talents are displayed prominently throughout the classroom. (PCF, p. 183; PEL, p. 28; Preschool Learning & Development Guidelines, p. 38)
- Items and learning centers are labeled in both English and the children’s home languages, including sign language, picture symbols, and Braille, when appropriate. (PCF, p. 183; PEL, p. 85)
- High quality, authentic multicultural books and other printed materials are available in the children’s home languages as well as in English. (PCF, p. 183; PEL, p. 85)
- There are “safe havens,”—small spaces with a choice of manipulatives such as play dough, puzzles, or interlocking blocks—where children can be physically engaged in an activity that they intuitively understand and be near peers who speak English without high demands for producing a language they have not yet mastered. (PCF, p. 182; ECERS, p. 16; Preschool Learning & Development Guidelines, p. 36; PEL, p. 54).
Teacher uses intentional, individualized strategies to support children in English language development across learning domains
NOTE: Many of examples below are categorized to mirror the categories of English language development described in the California Preschool Learning Foundations, Volume One (CDE, 2008) and the California Preschool Curriculum Framework, Volume One (CDE, 2010). However, listening, speaking, reading and writing are inextricably interrelated. Therefore, categories in which examples are placed may not be mutually exclusive. In addition, it is critical that the strategies used are individualized to respond to the individual child’s current stage(s) of second language acquisition. These distinctions are more clearly articulated in the "Professional Development Toolbox."
Support for Listening
For example:
- Teacher models and teaches good listening skills; she/he is at the child’s level, makes eye contact, listens patiently, and responds positively, both verbally and nonverbally. (PCF, p. 190; PEL, p. 40)
- Teacher uses consistent listening cues (e.g., a signal such as “freeze” or a timid puppet who needs a quiet classroom to enter) to indicate when children need to pay attention. (PCF, p. 191)
- Teacher breaks down directions into short, sequential steps supported by pictures, visual cues, and graphic prompts whenever possible. (PCF, p. 190).
- Teachers scaffolds communication by combining English words with some type of body gesture or visual cue such as pointing to an object or showing a picture. (PCF, p. 199)
- Teachers and staff avoid side-by-side translation. (PEL, p. 59)
Support for Speaking
For example:
- Teacher allows trial-and-error speech and accepts mistakes in pronunciation. (PEL, p. 41)
- When a child begins to use words or phrases in English, teacher extends and expands upon the child’s utterance. (PCF, p. 199)
- Teacher accepts code switching as natural process and of language development. (PCF, p. 181; PEL, p. 59)
- Teacher identifies the stage(s) of individual children’s second language acquisition and responds with appropriate strategies. (PCF p. 199; PEL, p. 53; World Full of Language)
Support for Literacy
1. Support for developing vocabulary
For example:
- Teacher identifies key vocabulary words and how those key vocabulary words will be used in both formal and informal activities prior to use. (PCF, p. 199)
- Teacher presents new vocabulary in a context that allows children to determine the meaning rather than in isolation, as in lists of words. (PEL, p. 31).
- Teacher uses authentic props (realia) and multisensory approaches to introduce and reinforce new vocabulary in English. (PCF, p. 192; World Full of Language)
- Teacher explicitly teaches the meanings of idioms. English, like all languages, has specific idiomatic phrases that need to be pointed out to all children but particularly second-language learners who may never have heard the idiom before. Phrases such as “it is raining cats and dogs,” “two peas in a pod,” or "Mommy is going to be late because she is tied up at work” need to be explained to young children. (PCF, p. 203)
2. Support for interest and understanding of literacy activities
For example:
- Teacher and other adults create a warm, positive climate for individual and small-group book reading and storytelling. (PCF, p. 207; ECERS, p. 34; Preschool Learning & Development Guidelines, p.101)
- Teacher invites family and community members to read and/or tell stories in the children’s home languages. (PCF, p. 208)
- Printed materials reflect children’s interests and home culture. (PCF, p. 208; ECERS, p. 34)
- Small group storybooks are interactive and supported with realia, pictures, gestures and movement. (PCF, p. 199; PEL, p. 82; World Full of Language)
- Teacher encourages children to dictate, retell, and create their own books. (PCF, p. 210; ECERS, p. 36)
3. Support for understanding print conventions
For example:
- During shared reading (morning message, big books, daily schedules, etc) teacher draws attention to each word, emphasizing the directionality, the way the print is organized on the page and how the author is identified. (PCF, p. 211)
- While recording dictated messages, teacher provides a running commentary about where to begin writing and the way writing begins and ends. (e.g., Once upon a time, The End) (PCF, p. 211)
4. Support for print knowledge
For example:
- Teacher points out the meaning of and ways to use print around the classroom and in the community. (PCF, p. 212)
- Teacher uses a variety of printed materials (e.g., labels, posters, pictures and signs) in English and the children’s home languages to help children begin learning individual letter names and connect print with specific meanings. (PCF, p. 213)
- During writing activities, teacher draws attention to letters, sounds, and words. (PCF, p. 213)
- Throughout the day, teacher uses the children’s names as a springboard to practice letter recognition and letter-sound connections. (PCF, p. 214)
- Staff, during different periods of time, read alphabet books in multiple languages and help English learners attend to, discriminate among and identify the sounds of language. (PCF, pp. 214-215)
5. Support for phonological awareness
For example:
- Teacher encourages children to play games that emphasize the first sound of common words (e.g., letter bingo, body freeze). (PCF, p. 216)
- Teacher identifies common English words with sounds that are not found in the child’s home language and uses these words throughout the day, emphasizing the English sounds. For example, teacher might emphasize the sh sound in shoes when helping a child who is Spanish-speaking tie his shoes. (PCF, p. 216).
- Teacher includes songs, poems, clapping rhythms, and finger plays in the daily routine that highlight the sounds and rhythm of language. (PCF, p. 215; Preschool Learning & Development Guidelines, p. 100).
6. Support for writing
For example:
- Each learning center/interest area (e.g.,dramatic play, blocks and cooking) is equipped with a variety of writing materials. (PCF, p. 21; ECERS, p. 34; Preschool Learning & Development Guidelines, p. 100)
- Children are engaged in purposeful writing activities (e.g., signing in for the day, writing letters or notes to friends or family, etc.). (PCF, p. 213; ECERS, p. 36)
- Children have opportunities to express themselves in writing through drawing, dictation and emergent writing, both in English and their home language. (PCF, pp. 220, 221)
- Lesson plans include intentional opportunities for adult and peer-mediated conversation about writing by using the child’s home language to initiate the discussion. (PCF, 220)
TEACHER UTILIZES ASSESSMENT DATA TO PLAN INSTRUCTION
For example:
- Teachers examine what the child can do in both the home language and in English for curricular planning across domains. (PCF, p. 179)
- Information from a variety of sources, including prompted responses, work samples, observations and observations are collected and analyzed to identify the child’s strengths and needs. (Tabors, 2008, p. 151)
- Observations are ongoing and include what children can do and cannot do at different times, in different contexts, and teacher adjusts instruction accordingly. (Tabors, 2008, p..151)