PKG Final 3

Appr oved by t he Commi ssi oner of Educat i on, May 21, 2008
REVISED
TEXAS
PREKINDERGARTEN
GUIDELINES
2008

TEXAS EDUCATION AGENCY
1701 NorthCongressAve.*Austin,Texas78701-1494* 512/463-9734* FAX:512/463-9838* http://www.tea.statc.tx.us
Robert Scott
Commissioner
OfficeoftheCommissioner
Texas Education Agency
StatementofIntent/TermsofUse
PrekindergartenGuidelines
October8,2008
InMay,2008,theTexasEducationAgency (TEA) releasedtheTexas Prekindergarten
Guidelines. ItismyintentthattheseGuidelines bemadeavailabletoanyentity
developing aproductforuseinanyTexasPrekindergarten(Prek) environment,asa
"royalty-freeright andlicense."Anycompanywishingtodevelopaproduct supporting
theTexasPrekGuidelinesforuseinTexas,mayaccessandcopythoseguidelinesfrom
theTEAwebsiteathttp://www.tea.state.tx.us/ed init/pkquidelines/index.html.
Whenprintedordownloaded,theGuidelines willcontainthejoint copyright noticefrom
TEAandtheUniversityofTexasSystemaspartofthedocument.Anyuseofthese
Guidelinesfor purposesoutside oftheStateofTexasisprohibited. Anyentitywishingto
obtainalicenseforuseoftheTexasPrekGuidelines outsideofTexasmustcontactthe
UniversityofTexasHealthScienceCenteratHouston,OfficeofTechnology
Management, at713-500-3369, orat otm@uth.tmc.edu.
RobertScott
Commissioner of Education
RS/rg
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Texas Prekindergarten Guidelines
Copyright Notice
Copyright 2008 The University of Texas System and Texas Education Agency.
Permission for in-State, Texas uses: These Guidelines were developed at public expense to benefit
Texas public school districts, Texas approved charter schools, Texas regional education service
centers and other Pre-K Texas entities. Residents of and entities operating within the State of Texas
may freely copy, distribute, create derivative products based on and publicly display and perform these
Guidelines (use the Guidelines) for the intended beneficiaries.
All other uses (non-Texas uses) require the express permission of the copyright owners. For
information, please contact the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Office of
Technology Management, by telephone at 713-550-3369, or by email at otm@uth.tmc.edu.
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TABLEOFCONTENTS
Introduction
i. WelcometotheTexasPrekindergartenGuidelines 4
ii. Families:CriticalPlayersinChildrensSchoolReadinessandPrekindergartenExperience 6
UtilizingtheTexasPrekindergartenGuidelinesintheClassroom
iii. HowTexasPrekindergartenGuidelinesSupportInstructionforEnglishLanguageLearners(ELL) 9
iv. HowTexasPrekindergartenGuidelinesSupportInstructionforChildrenwithSpecialNeeds 13
v. TheLearningEnvironment:PhysicalArrangements,Activities,andSocialRelationships 17
vi. MonitoringChildrensLearningandDevelopmentinWaysthatProvideFeedbackand
EvidenceofSuccess 24
LinkingtheTexasPrekindergartenGuidelinestoSchoolReadiness
vii. DevelopmentalApproachtoPromotingSchoolReadiness 27
viii. EffectivePracticesforPromotingSchoolReadiness 29
ix. ProfessionalDevelopment:TheKeytoHighQualityPrekindergartenPrograms 34
SkillDomains
I. SocialandEmotionalDevelopment 37
II. LanguageandCommunication 49
III. EmergentLiteracyReading 67
IV. EmergentLiteracyWriting 78
V. Mathematics 83
VI. Science 96
VII. SocialStudies 101
VIII. FineArts 106
IX. PhysicalDevelopment 110
X. Technology 114
Appendices 116

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Introduction
i.WelcometotheTexasPrekindergartenGuidelines
Thelearningexperiencesofthepreschoolyearsprovideafoundationthatguideschildrenacademically,socially,
andemotionally.Theseexperiencescaninfluencetherestofachildslife.Childrenslearningandintellectual
growthareaffectedbythespecificexperiences(e.g.,instruction,guidance)theyhaveinapreschoolclassroom.
Informedeffortsbyfamiliesandteacherstobuildonchildrensmotivationtolearnplayacriticallyimportant
roleinprovidingchildrenwiththeproperfoundationsforschoolsuccess.TheTexasPrekindergartenGuidelines
offerdetaileddescriptionsofexpectedbehaviorsacrossmultipleskilldomainsthatshouldbeobservedin4to
5yearoldchildrenbytheendoftheirprekindergartenexperience.Theguidelinesaredevelopedtobeusefulto
abroadaudienceincludingschooldistricts,HeadStartprograms,childcareandmostimportantlybychildrens
families.Theguidelinesalsooffersuggestionsonwaystodeliverdevelopmentallyappropriateexperiencesfor
thelearningneedsofallchildrentohelpensureaneffective,efficientprekindergartenyear.Theguidelinesalso
provideinformationonresponsiveteachingpractices,thephysicalarrangementofaprekindergartenclassroom,
professionaldevelopmentasthekeytohighqualitypreschoolprograms,theinvolvementoffamiliesforbetter
readinessofchildrenforschool,andmethodsofmonitoringchildrensprogress.Specificattentionisgiventoa
discussionoftheimportanceofadoptingadevelopmentalapproachinordertoeffectivelypromoteschool
readinessfor3and4yearoldchildren.Theguidelinescanandshouldbeusedtosupportlearninginabroad
rangeofskillsforchildrenwhoareEnglishlanguagelearners(ELL),includingthosechildrenreceivinginstruction
intheirhomelanguage.Adiscussionofhowthiscanbedonesuccessfullyandinstructionalstrategiesto
considerareincluded.Whenplanningfortheeducationofchildrenwithspecialneeds,useoftheguidelinesis
describedinrelationtothemanyconsiderationsthatneedtobetakenintoaccountforspecialneedschildrens
successfulinclusionintheclassroom.Togetherthesediscussionsshouldprovideacomprehensiveframeworkfor
effectiveuseoftheTexasPrekindergartenGuidelines.
Researchconfirmsthevalueofearlyeducationforyoungchildren.Prekindergartenprogramsthatsupport
effectiveteachingpracticesandopportunitiesforchilddiscoverythroughplayhavebeenshowntoleadto
significantgrowthinchildrensintellectualandsocialdevelopment,bothofwhicharecriticaltotheirfuture
academicsuccess.Qualityprogramsprovidechallengingbutachievablecurriculumwhichactivelyengage
childreninthinking,reasoning,andcommunicatingwithothers.Withteacherdirectionandguidance,children
respondtothechallengeandacquireimportantskillsandconcepts.
Thepurposeofthisdocumentistohelpeducatorsmakeinformeddecisionsaboutcurriculumcontentfor
prekindergartenchildren.Theguidelinesarebasedoncurrentknowledgeoftheoryandscientificresearch
abouthowchildrendevelopandlearn;theyreflectthegrowingconsensusamongearlychildhoodprofessional
organizationsthatagreateremphasisbeplacedonyoungchildrensconceptuallearning,acquisitionofbasic
skills,andparticipationinmeaningful,relevantlearningexperiences.Theguidelinesdelineatethebehaviorsand
skillsthatchildrenaretoexhibitandachieve,aswellasinstructionalstrategiesfortheteachers.Finally,the
guidelinesprovideameanstoalignprekindergartenprogramswiththeTexasEssentialKnowledgeandSkills
(TEKS).
Theguidelinesdescribespecificoutcomesforprekindergartenchildrenineachdomainskillarea.Theintentof
thisorganizationaldesignistoensurethatall4yearoldchildrenhavetheopportunitytostrivetowardthese
outcomes.Duetoagedifferencesandpreviousexperiences,however,childrenwillhaveagreatrangeofprior
knowledge.Somechildren,regardlessoftheiragelevel,willbeatthebeginningofthelearningcontinuum,
whileotherswillbefurtheralong.Childrenwithdisabilitiesmayneedaccommodationsandmodificationsofthe
guidelinesinordertobenefitfromthem.
UnderTexasEducationCode28.005,thestatespolicyistoensurethemasteryofEnglishbyallstudents,
specificallyinsituationsinwhichBilingualinstructionisnecessarytoensurestudentsreasonableproficiencyin
theEnglishlanguageandabilitytoachieveacademicsuccess.TexasAdministrativeCode,Chapter89further
emphasizesthegoalofBilingualeducationprogramstoenablelimitedEnglishproficientstudentstobecome
competentinthe[understanding],speaking,reading,and[writing]oftheEnglishlanguagebydeveloping
literacyandacademicskillsintheprimarylanguageandEnglish.Suchprogramsshallemphasizethemasteryof
Englishlanguageskills,aswellasmathematics,scienceandsocialstudies,asintegralpartsoftheacademicgoals
forallstudentstoenablelimitedEnglishproficientstudentstoparticipateequitablyinschool.Childrenwho
speakalanguageotherthanEnglishathomecometoschoolwithvaryingdegreesofbilingualismandatleast
somelevelofproficiencyintwodifferentlanguages.Thestudentshomelanguageshouldserveasthe
foundationforsecondlanguageacquisition,ascognitiveskillstransferfromonelanguagetoanother.Children
whoareEnglishLanguageLearners(ELL)shouldreceiveinstructioninamannertheycanunderstandandthatis
commensuratewiththeirproficiencylevelinEnglish.Childrenscurrentstrengthsandskillsshouldserveasthe
startingpointfornewexperiencesandinstructionratherthanbecomealimitation.Tousetheseguidelinesto
thebestadvantageandtoextendthelearningofskillsandconcepts,teachersmustbuildonchildrensexisting
competencies.
Theseguidelinesaredesignedasaresourcetohelpteachersdefineandimplementacomprehensive
curriculum.Suchacurriculumhelpstobuildconnectionsbetweensubjectmatterdisciplinesbyorganizingthe
largeamountsofinformationchildrenmustlearnintoasetofmeaningfulconcepts.Usingconceptsfromthe
guidelines,teacherscanworkacrosssubjectmattertoprovidemanyopportunitiesforchildrentoachieve
knowledgeandskills.Theguidelinesareorganizedtoprovidedescriptionsofchildrensbehaviorand
developmentatthebeginningoftheprekindergartenyear.Thesedescriptionsarebasedonanaveragechildin
thisagerange.Ofcourse,itiswellunderstoodthatnotallchildrenshowthislevelofdevelopmentwhenthey
enterthe4yearoldprekindergartenyear.Also,theguidelinesdescribedevelopmentandlearningfor4year
oldchildren.Astherearemany3yearoldchildreninprekindergartenprograms,thesechildrenwillnotbe
expectedtoreachtheseoutcomesfortwoyears.Finally,descriptionsofchildrensskillsatthebeginningofthe
4yearoldprogramarenotincludedforseveraldomains(science,socialstudies,fineartsandtechnology)as
thereisnotanadequateresearchbasetoguidethesedescriptions.
ThisdocumentpresentstheCommissionersguidelinesforprekindergartencurriculum.Becausethereisno
staterequiredprekindergartencurriculum,useoftheseguidelinesisvoluntary.TexasEducationcode29.153
containsstatutoryrequirementsconcerningprekindergarten.
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6

Introduction
ii.Families:CriticalPlayersinChildrensSchoolReadiness
andPrekindergartenExperience
Familiesareachildsfirstandmostimportantteachers.Theyrepresentperhapsthesinglemostinfluential
factorintheirchildrensdevelopment.Whilecurricula,educators,andearlycaresettingsallcontribute
significantlytochildrenslearninganddevelopment,thefactremainsthatprekindergartenprogramscannot
affordtooverlooktheimportantimpactthatfamilieshaveontheirchildren.
Recommendedwaystoinvolvefamiliesintheirchildsprekindergartenprogramincludesbutarenotlimitedto:
Encouragefamiliestoreadtotheirchildrenandtotakethechildrentothelibrarytopick
outtheirownbooks,aswellasattendspecialprogramsforyoungchildrenasafamily.
Helpfamiliesconnectwithvoluntarylocalfamilyeducationcourses,suchasParentsas
Teachers,HomeInstructionforParentsofPreschoolYoungsters(HIPPY),andFamilyLiteracy
Programsthathelpfamiliesdeveloplanguageandpreliteracyskillsintheiryoungchildren.
Encouragefamiliestotaketheirchildrenforregularvisitstothedoctorandfor
immunizations.
Urgelocalpediatricianstouseperiodiccheckupstoprescribereadingandtomodel
effectiveparentingtechniques.
Helpfamiliesfindhighqualityearlycareandeducationprograms.
Encouragefamiliestogetearlyassistanceforchildrenwithdisabilitiesanddevelopmental
delayssotheymayreceivethespecialservicestowhichtheyareentitledinordertohelp
thembereadyforschool.
FamiliesShouldBeResponsivetoTheirChildren
Warm,acceptingrelationshipsbetweenfamiliesandchildrenproducehappier,lesswithdrawnchildrenwith
fewerbehaviorproblems.Also,familieswhotalkwithandrespondtotheirchildrenmakethemfeelasifthey
havesomecontrolovertheirownenvironment,boostingtheirselfesteem.
TheFamilyIsaCognitiveAgentintheChildsLearning
Thefamilyprovidesvariouslearningopportunitiesthatadvancethechildsdevelopmentand
capabilitiesasalearner.Theextenttowhichfamiliesprovidetheseexperiencesisrelatedtotheir
perceptionoftheirownroleintheirchildrenscognitivedevelopment.
OpportunitiesforLearningwithAppropriateModelingofLanguage:Childrenwhosefamiliesreadto
themregularlybeginninginearlychildhoodaremorelikelytohaveageappropriatelanguageskills.Modeling
languagebyaskingquestionsthatrequirechildrentothinkpredictshighercognitivelevelsandaidslanguage
andliteracydevelopment.Earlyliteracydevelopmentisenhancedwhenfamiliesprovideaccesstoand
experienceswithbooksintheirhomesandinteractionsthatfocuschildrensattentiononlettersandsoundsin
words.Richlanguageexperiencesinthehomepromotecognitivereadinessforchildrenwithdifferentbiological
riskfactors,andarerelevantacrossdifferentethnicitiesandeconomicgradients.
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OpportunitiesforEngagementwithObjects:Thisexperiencegoesbeyondtoystohouseholditems,
playgroundequipment,furniture,andmore.Theintentistoallowthechildtoexploreanddiscovertheuseof
objects,improvingcognitiveandmotorskillswitheachnewlearningencounter.
AnArrayofExperienceswithTheirEnvironment:Givingchildreninformationabouttheirenvironmentalso
predictshighercognitivelevels.Forexample,familieshelpchildrenunderstandtheirsurroundingsandbroaden
theirworldbysayingnamesofobjectsandanimals,explaininghowthingswork,goingtoavarietyofplacesand
describingwhatthechildencounters,allowingthechildtofeeldifferenttexturesandtastevariousfoods,andso
forth.Oncefamiliesunderstandtheimportanceoftheirrolesandoffamilymodeling,theycanpreparetheir
childrenforlearningbythefrequencyandtypeofstimulationtheygiveandbyafocusoninstructionalactivities.
TheFamilyIsaSocializationAgentintheChildsBehavior
Afamilybecomesasocializationagentthroughbehaviorsthatincludeappropriatemodeling,responsiveness,
andsettingappropriateboundarieswithawarmstyle.Thequalitativeaspectsofwarmresponsivenessand
specificinteractivestyles,suchasmaintainingfocus,demonstratesensitivitytochildrenssignalsandneeds
relatedtogreatergainsinsocialcompetency.Furthermore,whenfamiliesprovideclearandconsistent
boundariesfortheirchildrensbehaviorinwarmandsensitiveways,thechildrenaremorelikelytolearnhowto
selfregulatebehaviorintermsofemotions,reactivitytotheenvironment,andsocialinteractions.These
boundariescanbeestablishedwithadisciplinaryapproachthatisacooperativegiveandtakeinteraction
betweenfamilyandchild.Whenchildrenareabletocontroltheirownbehavior,theybecomemoresocially
competentwiththeirpeersandteachers,arelessimpulsiveandemotionallyreactive,andtakeinitiativemore
often.Intheclassroomandingroupproblemsolvingactivities,theseattributesenablechildrentomoreeasily
developtheircognitiveskillsaswell.
FamilyInvolvementIsaNeededComponentforaChildsSuccessinSchool
Understandingthatfamiliesarechildrensfirstandmostimportantadvocates,thequalityandeffectivenessof
programsforyoungchildrenarecontingentonthedegreetowhichfamiliesneedsaremetandtothedegree
thatfamiliesunderstand,demand,andareengagedinhighqualityearlycareandeducation.TheNational
AssociationfortheEducationofYoungChildrenrecommendsthefollowingguidelinesforfamiliesandeducators
workingtogether:
Reciprocalrelationshipsbetweenteachersandfamiliesrequiremutualrespect,cooperation,shared
responsibility,andnegotiationofconflictstowardachievementofsharedgoals.
Earlychildhoodteachersworkincollaborativepartnershipswithfamilies,establishingand
maintainingregular,frequenttwowaycommunicationwithchildrensfamilies.
Familiesarewelcomeintheprogramandparticipateindecisionsabouttheirchildrenscareand
education.Familiesobserveandparticipate.
Teachersacknowledgefamilieschoicesandgoalsforchildrenandrespondwithsensitivityand
respecttofamiliespreferencesandconcernswithoutabdicatingprofessionalresponsibilityto
children.
Teachersandfamiliessharetheirknowledgeofthechildandunderstandingofchildrens
developmentandlearningaspartofdaytodaycommunicationandplannedconferences.
Teacherssupportfamiliesinwaysthatpromotemaximumfamilydecisionmakingcapabilitiesand
competence.
Toensuremoreaccurateandcompleteinformation,theprograminvolvesfamiliesin
assessingandplanningforindividualchildren.
Theprogramlinksfamilieswitharangeofservices,basedonidentifiedneeds,resources,
priorities,andconcerns.
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Teachers,families,programs,socialserviceandhealthagencies,andconsultantswhomay
haveeducationalresponsibilityforthechildatdifferenttimesshould,withfamily
participation,sharedevelopmentalinformationaboutchildrenastheypassfromonelevel
ofaprogramtoanother.
Theprogramprovidestranslationservicesforfamilieswhenneeded.
Itisbeneficialforchildrensschoolsuccesstoencouragefamiliestocommunicateclosely
withschoolsabouttheirchildrensschoolprogramsandactivities.
Teacherscaninitiateimprovedcommunicationwithfamiliesiftheyinformandinvolvefamiliesand
encouragethemtotalk,listen,andreadtotheirpreschoolchildren.Theuseofhomevisits,teacher
conferences,andfamilytrainingclassesareeffectivewaystokeepfamiliesinformed.Besides
impressinguponfamiliestheimportanceofreadingaloudtotheirchildrendaily,teachersalsocan
informfamiliesintheirnativelanguagewhenpossibleabout:
Whattheirchildrenshouldlearninpreschool,
Theirchildrensprogress,and
Specificideasconcerninghowtheycanhelpoutathome.
Sincefamilyexpectationsandsupportforlearningcontributesignificantlytoachildsschool
adjustment,earlychildhoodeducatorsneedtocontinuetoexplorewaystohelpshape
familygoalsandbehaviorsthatwillresultinbeneficialoutcomesforchildren.
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iii.HowTexasPrekindergartenGuidelinesSupportInstruction
forEnglishLanguageLearners(ELL)
Languageacquisitionisoccurringinall4yearoldchildren.ManychildrenwhoareEnglishLanguageLearners
cometoschoolalreadyBilingualtosomedegree.ABilingualchildhasatleastsomelevelofproficiencyintwo
differentlanguages.(LEERMAS,2001)AccordingtotheTexasAdministrativeCode,publicprekindergarten
programsareboundbythefollowingrules:
Chapter89.AdaptationsforSpecialPopulations,SubchapterBB.Commissioner'sRules
ConcerningStatePlanforEducatingLimitedEnglishProficientStudents
89.1205.RequiredBilingualEducationandEnglishasaSecondLanguagePrograms
(a)Eachschooldistrictwhichhasanenrollmentof20ormorelimitedEnglishproficientstudentsinanylanguage
classificationinthesamegradeleveldistrictwideshallofferabilingualeducationprogramasdescribedin
subsection(b)ofthissectionforthelimitedEnglishproficientstudentsinprekindergartenthroughthe
elementarygradeswhospeakthatlanguage."Elementarygrades"shallincludeatleastprekindergartenthrough
Grade5;sixthgradeshallbeincludedwhenclusteredwithelementarygrades.
(b)Adistrictshallprovideabilingualeducationprogrambyofferingaduallanguageprograminprekindergarten
throughtheelementarygrades,asdescribedin89.1210ofthistitle(relatingtoProgramContentandDesign).
89.1201.Policy
(b)ThegoalofbilingualeducationprogramsshallbetoenablelimitedEnglishproficientstudentstobecome
competentinthecomprehension,speaking,reading,andcompositionoftheEnglishlanguagethroughthe
developmentofliteracyandacademicskillsintheprimarylanguageandEnglish.Suchprogramsshallemphasize
themasteryofEnglishlanguageskills,aswellasmathematics,scienceandsocialstudies,asintegralpartsofthe
academicgoalsforallstudentstoenablelimitedEnglishproficientstudentstoparticipateequitablyinschool.
(c)ThegoalofEnglishasasecondlanguageprogramsshallbetoenablelimitedEnglishproficientstudentsto
becomecompetentinthecomprehension,speaking,reading,andcompositionoftheEnglishlanguagethrough
theintegrateduseofsecondlanguagemethods.TheEnglishasasecondlanguageprogramshallemphasizethe
masteryofEnglishlanguageskills,aswellasmathematics,scienceandsocialstudies,asintegralpartsofthe
academicgoalsforallstudentstoenablelimitedEnglishproficientstudentstoparticipateequitablyinschool.
TexasprovidesdifferentmodelsofinstructionforstudentswhospeakalanguageotherthanEnglishintheir
homes.EnglishasaSecondLanguage(ESL)programsprovideEnglishinstruction,whileBilingualprograms
provideinstructioninboththechildshomelanguageaswellasEnglish.Whileinstructionalprogramsdiffer
throughoutthestateofTexas,theoutcomesprovidedintheTexasPrekindergartenGuidelinesaremeanttobe
implementedandmetwithallstudentsregardlessofhomelanguageandinstructionalcontext.
ChildrenwhoenterprekindergartenwithahomelanguageotherthanEnglishareinanenvironmentinwhich
theyaredevelopingtwolanguagessimultaneously.Acquisitionofasecondlanguage(English)canhappenin
tandemwiththedevelopmentofachildshomelanguage.Childrenshomelanguageservesasthefoundation
forEnglishlanguageacquisition.Cognitiveskillstransferfromonelanguagetoanother.InorderforELLchildren
tohavelongtermsuccess,theymustacquirebothsocialandacademiclanguageproficiencyinEnglishsocial
proficiency=languagefordailyinteractions;academicproficiency=languageneededtothinkcritically;
understandandlearnnewconcepts;processcomplexacademicmaterial;andinteractandcommunicatein
Englishacademicsettings.Childrenliterateintheirfirstlanguagewillapplytheseskillstothesecondlanguage.
TeachersshouldusethelanguageandliteracyskillsELLchildrenhavewhenenteringprekindergarten.Effective
teachersunderstandthatforELLchildren,languageandliteracyskillsinthechild'shomelanguagemustbeused
todevelopEnglishlanguageandliteracy.(LEERMAS,2001)
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InitspositionstatementRespondingtoLinguisticandCulturalDiversityRecommendationsforEffectiveEarly
ChildhoodEducation,theNationalAssociationfortheEducationofYoungChildren(NAEYC)stresseshow
importantitisforearlychildhoodeducatorsto:
Understandthat,withoutcomprehensiveinput,secondlanguagelearningcanbedifficult.
Recognizethatallchildrenarecognitively,linguistically,andemotionallyconnectedtothelanguage
andcultureoftheirhome.
Acknowledgethatchildrencandemonstratetheirknowledgeandcapabilitiesinmanyways.
ChildrenwhoareEnglishlanguagelearnersdifferintheirratesofEnglishacquisition.Itisimportanttobe
supportiveofachildsemotionalaswellasacademicneedsduringsecondlanguageacquisition.Itisalso
importantfortheteachertounderstandthatsomechildren,whenlearningasecondlanguageexperience
silentperiodsduringthistime,theyarelisteningactivelyandgatheringinformationaboutthenewlanguage.
AstheyacquiresufficientEnglishbylistening,childrenenterastageofearlyproductioninwhichtheyuse
telegraphicspeech.Telegraphicspeechreferstochildrensuseofoneortwowordphrasestocommunicate
muchlongerideas.Forexample,achildatthislevelmaypointandsaysimplyBall,meaning,CanIplease
havethatball?Subsequently,childrenbeginproductivelanguageuse.Inthisphaseofsecondlanguage
acquisition,childrenusenewvocabularyandtheirgrowingknowledgeofEnglishgrammar,andbegintogain
confidencetobuildsentencesandexpresstheirunderstandingandmotivationindifferentways.Childrenwho
areEnglishlanguagelearnersshouldbeencouragedtoexpresstheirunderstandingintheirhomelanguage,
whileteachersactivelyincreasethechildsuseoftheEnglishlanguage.
InstructionalRecommendations
ChildrenwhoareEnglishLanguageLearnersinaprekindergartenclassroomshouldreceiveinstructionina
mannertheycanunderstandandattheirEnglishproficiencylevel.Languageproficiencylevelsofbeginning,
intermediate,advanced,andadvancedhigharenotgradespecific.ChildrenwhoareEnglishlanguagelearners
mayexhibitdifferentproficiencylevelsinlistening,speaking,reading,andwriting.Theproficiencylevel
descriptorsoutlinedinsubsection(d)ofthissectionshowtheprogressionofsecondlanguageacquisitionfrom
oneproficiencyleveltothenextandserveasaroadmaptohelpcontentareateachersinstructchildrenwho
areEnglishlanguagelearnerscommensuratewithchildren'slinguisticneeds(see19TexasAdministrativeCode
(TAC)74.4EnglishProficiencyStandardsforfurtherinformationrelatedtochildrensproficiencylevel).
http://www.tea.state.tx.us/rules/tac/chapter074/ch074a.html.Achild'scurrentstrengthsandskillsshould
serveasthestartingpointfornewexperiencesandinstruction.
Recommendations:
Provideanenvironmentthatissensitivetocultural,language,andlearningdifferencesamongall
childrenserved.
AligntheinstructioninESL,Bilingual,andGeneralEducationClassrooms.
EnsurethatchildrenwhoareEnglishlanguagelearnersparticipateinsupplementalprogramsas
warranted.
InsettingswherechildrenarelearningEnglish,wheneverpossible,providebooks,environmental
print,andotherprintresourcesrelevanttochildrenslinguisticandculturalbackgrounds,alongside
richEnglishlanguageprintresources.
Instructionispresented:
Inanexplicitmannerwithmodeling(explain)
Systematicallywithappropriatescaffolding(explain)
Useincidentallearning(naturalcourse,repetition,motivation,novelty).
Learningshouldbeinteractiveandcognitivelychallenging.
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Provideavarietyofinstructionalstrategiesandinstructionthatconnectsschooltothelivesof
children.
Holdhighexpectations.
Useknowledgeofthestagesoflanguagedevelopmentinplanninginstructionwithemphasisonoral
languagedevelopmentandvocabularydevelopmenttointegrateintoallinstruction.
Facilitatethedevelopmentofessentiallanguageandearlyliteracyskillsatthechildsleveloforal
proficiencyinEnglish.
Providemultipleopportunitiesforchildrentorespond:
Immediateandcorrectivefeedback,
Appropriatepacing,and
Useongoingprogressmonitoring
One Child, Two Languages by Patton Tabors provides the following strategies to facilitate language
development:
1. Provideopportunitiesforlanguageuseandinteraction:
Providerichandinterestingactivities.
Allowquiettimestoprovideopportunityforchildrentoinitiateconversation.
Arrange the environment so all materials are not readily accessible in order to encourage
childrenseffortsatinteraction.
2. Provide focused stimulation on particular language features, such as targeted sounds, words, or
formstobeusedwithparticularchildren.
3. Developroutinestohelpchildrenconnecteventsandlanguage.
4. Stimulatesocialinteractionamongchildren.
5. Otherpotentiallyusefulstrategiesmayinclude:
Expandingandextendinglanguageinput,
Usingrepetitiontosupportunderstanding,
Talkingaboutthehereandnow,
Usingrunningcommentary,
Providingscripteddramaticplay,
Completingthephrase(Clozetechnique).
Childrentendtofunctionataslightlyhigherlevelinreceptivelanguageskills(listening)thaninexpressive
languageskills(speaking).HomelanguageandliteracyskillspromoteEnglishlanguageandliteracy
development.OptimallanguagedevelopmentoccursforchildrenwhoareEnglishlanguagelearnerswhenthey
haveopportunitiestouselanguagefrequently.
AneffectiveinstructionaldesignforyoungEnglishlanguagelearnersshouldincludethefollowingtenets:
1. Holdhighexpectationsforallchildrenslearning.
2. Ensure children feel safe and secure in their environment and in their attempts to communicate
withothers.
3. Create opportunities for children to interact with others using their new language in playful and
purposefulways.
4. Facilitatethedevelopmentofessentiallanguageandearlyliteracyskillsatthechildsleveloforal
proficiencyinEnglish.
(Tabors,1997)
TosupportaliteracyframeworkinachildsnativelanguageforthedevelopmentofEnglishliteracyconceptsand
skills,teachersmustprovideforESLandELLinstruction,intheareasof:
Wordanalysis
Vocabulary
Comprehension
Fluency
Writing
StrategicuseofachildshomelanguageforEnglishinstructionincludes:
Emphasisonuniversallyacceptedtermsorlabels
Activeknowledgeofprimarylanguage(L1)priortosecondarylanguage(L2)instruction
Abilitytousepropernouns
Abilitytoclarifyacertainpoint
Abilitytoexpressatermorconceptthatdoesnothaveanequivalentinthecultureoftheother
language
Theprocessoflanguagetransfer(withliteracybasedESLandorallanguagebeginninginprek)requiresthatwe
takewhatstudentsalreadyknowandunderstandaboutliteracyintheirprimarylanguageandensurethatthis
knowledgeisusedtohelpthemgainEnglishlanguageandliteracyskills.
HowtousetheTexasPrekindergartenGuidelineswithChildrenwhoareEnglishlanguage
learners(ELL)
Thegoalforchildren,whoareEnglishlanguagelearners(ELL),aswithallchildreninprekindergarten,isto
providelanguageandliteracyrichenvironmentsthatfosterthemasteryofalltheTexasPrekindergarten
Guidelines.Embeddedwithintheguidelinesareinstructionaltechniquesandchildbehaviorsthatarespecificto
ELLchildren.Thesectionsareindicatedbythefollowingicon andaremeanttoprovidefurtherguidance
whenworkingwithELLchildrenduringinstructioninEnglish.Itshouldbenoted,however,thattheTexas
PrekindergartenGuidelinesaremeantforallprekindergartenchildrenregardlessofthechildshomelanguage;
theadditionalinstructionalstrategiesandchildbehaviorsindicatedbythe iconaresupplementstotheTexas
PrekindergartenGuidelines.
* Texas Education Agency. Accessed May 02, 2008. LEER MAS I,
www.tea.state.tx.us/curriculum/biling/tearesources.html. Texas Education Agency. Accessed May 02, 2008.
LEER MAS II, www.tea.state.tx.us/curriculum/biling/tearesources.html. Texas Education Agency, Accessed May
02, 2008. Implementing the Prekindergarten Curriculum Guidelines for Language and Early Literacy,
www.texasreading.org/utcrla/materials/prek_language.asp Texas Family Literacy Resource Center. Accessed
May 02, 2008. www.tei.education.txstate.edu/famlit/EarlyChildhood/earlychildhood.html
12
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iv.HowTexasPrekindergartenGuidelines
SupportInstructionforChildrenwithSpecialNeeds
Thesuccessofinclusionreliesonthebeliefoftheearlychildhoodteacherthatthechildwithadisabilityisa
valuedmemberoftheclassroomwiththesamerightsandneedsastheirtypicallydevelopingpeers.Preschool
InclusionManual,CircleofInclusion,2002.
TheAmericanswithDisabilitiesAct(ADA)andtheIndividualswithDisabilitiesEducationAct(IDEA)requirethat
allearlychildhoodprogramsmakereasonableaccommodationstoprovideaccessforchildrenwithdisabilitiesor
developmentaldelays[DivisionforEarlyChildhoodoftheCouncilforExceptionalChildren(DEC/CEC)&National
AssociationofEducatorsofYoungChildren(NAEYC1993)].Thislegalrightreflectsthegrowingconsensusthat
youngchildrenwithdisabilitiesarebestservedinthesamecommunitysettingswheretheirtypicallydeveloping
peersarefound(DEC/CEC1994).
Preschoolteachersareincreasinglypresentedwiththechallengeofincludingchildrenintheirclassroomswho
mayhaveorthopedicdisabilities,specialmedicalconditions,visualorhearingimpairment,seizuredisorder,
speechandlanguagedelays,and/ordevelopmentaldisabilitiessuchasDownSyndromeoranAutisticSpectrum
Disorder.Teachersshouldapproachtheinclusionofthesechildrenasapositiveopportunityforgrowthand
learninginthemselvesasteachers,inthechildwithadisability,andintheirtypicallydevelopingpeers.While
teachersmayinitiallyfeelapprehensiveabouthowbesttomeettheirstudentsspecialneeds,studieshave
shownthattheinclusionofchildrenwithspecialneedscanaccruebenefitstoeveryoneinvolved,andthatthe
attitudeoftheclassroomteachersetsthetoneforsuccess.
Inplanningfortheeducationofachildwithspecialneeds,itisusefultoviewthisprocessasanextensionofthe
needtoviewallchildrenasindividualswiththeirownuniquelearningstylesandneeds.Thedifferenceinachild
withadiagnoseddisabilityordelaymaysimplybemoreimmediatelyobviousandmay,ormaynot,require
significantadaptationstosupportsuccessfullearning.Teacherswhoareeffectiveinincludingchildrenwith
specialneedsintheirclassroomsseethisprocessaspartofacknowledgingandwelcomingdiversityinthe
classroominitsmanyforms,includingethnicity,homecultures,languages,physicalappearance,etc.Theyare
abletocultivateapositiveattitude,remainopentolearningnewskills,andengagecollaborativelywiththe
familyandotherprofessionalmembersoftheteamtomeettheneedsofthechild.
TheImportanceofaTeamApproach
Itisessentialforteacherstotakeateamapproachinordertoachievesuccessfulinclusionofachildwithspecial
needsintheclassroom.Thisincludesfirstandforemost,openandongoingcommunicationwiththechilds
family.Asthechildsprimarycaregivers,familieswillhavevaluableknowledgeaboutthischildwhatshecan
do,howshecommunicates,whatassistancemaybeneeded,andwhatstrategiesandadaptationshavebeen
foundeffective.Thefamilyalsowillhavebeliefs,goals,anddesiresrelatedtotheirchildsschoolexperience,
anditisimportanttosharetheseopenlysothatthefamilyandschoolstaffarealignedinhelpingthechildwork
towardmeetingthosegoalsduringthecourseoftheschoolyear.Specialeducationandalliedhealth
professionalsarealsovaluablemembersofthecollaborativeteam.Specialeducators,speechandlanguage
pathologists,occupationalandphysicaltherapists,orientationandmobilityspecialists(forchildrenwithvisual
impairment),and/orbehaviorspecialistsmaybepartofaparticularchildsteamasthechildsneedsdictate.
Theseprofessionalsofferawealthofpracticalinformationandexpertisethatcanbeofgreathelptothe
classroomteacher.Theskillfulteacherwilltakegoodadvantageoftheirassistanceinplanningforthechilds
successfulinclusionandforassistancewithproblemsolvingaschallengesarise.Ongoingcommunication
betweenthefamilyandallotherteammembersiscriticallyimportanttoensuresuccessfuloutcomes.Thiscan
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beaccomplishedthroughregularmeetings,phonecalls,emails,and/oracommunicationnotebookthattravels
withthechild.
Childrenwhohavebeenpreviouslyidentifiedashavingadelayordisabilitywilloftenenterthepreschool
classroomwithanIndividualizedEducationProgram(IEP)whichoutlinesspecificlongtermandshortterm
goals,specifiesprovisionoftherapeuticservices,andrecommendsadaptationsandinstructionalstrategies.
ChildrentransitioningfromEarlyChildhoodInterventionprogramsmayhaveanIndividualizedFamilyService
Plan(IFSP)whichservesasimilarpurposeforinfantsandtoddlerswithspecialneeds.Theeffectiveclassroom
teacherwillbeproactiveinreadingthesedocuments,participatinginteammeetingstoupdateormodifythem,
andaskingquestionsandrequestingassistancewithaspectsoftheplanthattheydonotunderstandorare
uncertainabouthowtoimplement.Whentheteacherhastakenthetimetoeducateherselfregardingthe
childsdisabilityorcondition,needs,strengths,goals,ancillaryservices,andfamilyperspective,shecanfeel
preparedandconfidenttomoveforwardinaddressingthechildsneedswithintheclassroomsetting.
Allchildrenneedtofeelthattheyarewelcomedandincludedasintegralmembersof
theirclassroomcommunity.
Feelingfullyacceptedandvaluedisparticularlyimportantforchildrenwithdisabilitiesordelays,astheir
differencesmaybemorenoticeable.Theteachersroleistosupportthechildwithspecialneedsinwaysthat
facilitatetheiractiveparticipationinallaspectsofclassroomlife.Beingpresentintheroomorobservingtheir
peersisnotsufficientchildrenwithspecialneedsneedtobeengagedtothegreatestextentpossiblewiththeir
peers,teachers,andclassroommaterialsthroughouttheschoolday.Researchindicatesthatmanychildrenwith
disabilitiesmaytendtotakeamorepassiveapproachunlesstheyareencouragedandhelpedtoparticipate.
Theymaynotknowwhattodowithtoysormaterials.Theymaybeaccustomedtoobservingmorethan
participating.Theymayhavemotororlanguageimpairmentsthatmakeitdifficultforthemtoinitiateorsustain
participationandinteractionwithotherchildren.Itisimportantforteacherstoobserveeachchildsstyle,note
thefactorsthatseemtobehinderingactiveparticipation,andworkwiththechildsfamilyandotherteam
memberstodevisestrategiestoaddresstheseissues.Examplesofsuchstrategiesmayincludemodificationsof
materials(e.g.,addingahandleortexturedmaterialtoanobjecttomakegraspingeasier),changesinthe
environment(e.g.,creatingmorespaceinthedramaticplaycenterforachildwithawalkertomovearound),
providingexplicitinstructionanddemonstrationofhowtousematerials,makinguseofthechildsassistive
technologydevices(e.g.,aspeechgeneratingcomputer),orhelpingtypicallydevelopingpeerstocommunicate
withandincludethechildwithspecialneeds.Thelistofpotentialmodificationsandstrategiesismuchlonger
thanspacepermitsinthisdocument,butthereaderisreferredtopublicationsandwebsitessuchasthoselisted
intheEarlyChildhoodInclusionbibliographyavailableatwww.ctserc.organdtheresourcesprovidedat
www.circleofinclusion.orgaswellasbeingencouragedtomakeuseoftheexpertiseoftheotherprofessionals
providingservicestothechild.
Effectiveteachershelptypicallydevelopingpeerstobuildcomfortandfriendshipswith
theirclassmateswithdisabilities.
Preschoolagechildrenarefullofcuriosityandinterestintheirpeers,includingthosewithobviousdifferences.
Inasafe,supportivesetting,theywillfeelfreetoaskquestionsandexpressinterestsandconcernsabouttheir
classmates.However,typicallydevelopingpeersmaynotknowhowtoapproachorrespondtothechildwitha
disability.Theymayacceptthechildspresencebutnotinitiateinvitationstoplaytogetherwithoutteachers
assistanceandsupport.Withappropriateinformationandguidance,teacherscanhelptypicallydeveloping
childrentounderstand,accept,welcome,andincludethechildwithspecialneedsintheclassroomcommunity.
Theeffectiveteacherstrikesabalancebetweenprovidinginformationandnotoveremphasizingdifferencesand
disabilities.Forexample,teacherscanexplaininsimplelanguagewhyachildisbehavingormovingor
communicatinginanunfamiliarmanner:Charlieuseshiswalkertohelphimbalancewhenhewalks.Miranda
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wearsherhearingaidestohelpmakesoundslouder.Stevenisstilllearningtotalk.Hemakesthatsigntosay
yes.Theyalsopointoutcommoninterests,similarities,andstrengthsinthechildwithadisability.For
example,teachersmaysay:Abby,Fernandoreallylikescarstoo.Maybeyoucouldbuildagarageforyourcars
together.Hey,IjustnoticedthatRafaelandSammyhaveonthesameshoestoday!Youbothlikethosespecial
onesthatlightupwhenyouwalk.Tonya,didyouknowthatYolandaisreallygreatatpuzzles?Letsseeifshe
canhelpyoufindthatmissingpiece.Teachersshouldalsolookforopportunitiestoplacethechildwitha
disabilityinaleadershiporhelpingrole,sothatthechildisnotviewedbypeersasonlybeingtherecipientof
help.
Teachersmayparticularlyneedtofacilitateinteractionswithchildrenwhohavecommunicationdifficulties
whicharetypicallyrelatedtodiagnosessuchasspecificlanguageimpairment,autism,cerebralpalsy,hearing
impairment,etc.Whenachildcannotexpresshimselfverballytootherchildren,moreadultsupportisoften
neededtohelpinterpretthechildscommunicativeeffortsforhispeersandtohelpchildrenengageinactivities
thattheycandotogetherwithouthighdemandsforverbalization.Teachersshouldalsorecognizethatchildren
withcommunicationdifficultiesaremorelikelytoexperiencefrustrationandconfusionintheclassroom.These
feelingsmayleadtoactingoutoraggressivebehaviors(e.g.,pushing,biting,throwingobjects,etc.).When
teacherscanviewthesemaladaptivebehaviorsastheresultoffrustrationandlimitedcommunicationskills,
theycanfocusonteachingthechildmoreacceptablewaystocommunicate,andcanhelpotherchildreninthe
classroomtosetlimitsandcommunicatemoreeffectivelywiththechild.
ArechildrenwithspecialneedsexpectedtomeettheTexasPrekindergartenOutcomes?
Theanswertothisquestionis,Itdepends.Somechildrenwhosedisabilitiesareprimarilyorthopedicorwho
havespecialhealthneedsthatmaynotbeaccompaniedbysignificantcognitiveimpairment(e.g.,type1
diabetes,epilepsy)canbeexpectedtoworktowardthesameleveloutcomesastheirtypicallydevelopingpeers.
Otherchildrenmaybeabletomeetthesestandardswithadaptationsinmaterialsorinstructionalstrategies.
Therewillalsobesomechildrenwhosecognitiveorlanguageimpairmentsaresignificantenoughthatgoalswill
needtobemodifiedinordertoberealisticallyachievableforthatindividualchild.Itisimportant,however,not
toassumethatachildcannotmeettheoutcomesineachdomainwithoutundertakingacarefulappraisalofthe
individualchildscapabilitiesandneeds.Ifthechildhasacurrentdevelopmentalevaluationreport,anexisting
IEP,oranIEPwhichisintheprocessofbeingrevised,thesedocumentscanbeusedtocarefullyreviewthe
TexasPrekindergartenGuidelinesanddeterminewhicharepossibleforthechildtoworktowardwithout
modificationsoraccommodations,whichareattainablewithsomeaccommodations,andwhichwillrequire
modifications.Thesedecisionsrequirethoughtfulconsiderationandshouldbeconductedaspartoftheteam
process,includingthechildsfamilyandotherprofessionals.Decisionsresultingfromthisprocessshouldbe
documentedinwritingsothatallmembersoftheteamareclearabouthowthechildsneedswillbemet,what
typesofaccommodationsandmodificationswillbemadeindifferentdomains,andhowhisorhereducational
goalswillalignwiththePrekindergartenGuidelines.
Skillfulteachersobserveallchildrenforsignsindicatingtheneedfordevelopmentalor
medicalevaluation.
Aclassroomteachermaybethefirstpersontonoticeunusualbehaviorsorpossibledelaysinachildwhohas
notyetbeenidentifiedashavingadisabilityorspecialneed.Sinceearlyidentificationandinterventionaremost
effective,teachershavearesponsibilitytosharetheirobservationsandconcernswiththechildsfamilyandto
encouragethemtoseekoutanappropriateevaluation.Teachersshouldstartbyobservingandrecordingthe
behaviorswhichseemunusualorwhichconcernthem.Theteachershouldthenmakeatimetositdownwith
thechildsfamilyorguardianandsharetheseobservationsandconcerns.Theteachershoulddescribethese
behaviorallyratherthansuggestingadiagnosis.Forexample,theteachermightsayIhavenoticedthatAlaina
oftentunesoutanddoesnotrespondwhenIcallhername.Shealsoavoidseyecontactwithmeandwithother
children,ratherthanIthinkAlainaisautistic.Teachersshouldencouragefamiliestopursueanevaluation,
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andpreferablyprovidethemwithinformationabouthowtolocateanappropriateproviderofsuchevaluations
intheircommunity(e.g.,throughlocalschooldistrictand/orprivatedevelopmentalspecialists).Familiesshould
alsobeencouragedtodiscussdevelopmentalconcernswiththeirpediatrician,whoshouldbeabletoguide
themthroughtheevaluationandinterventionprocess.
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v.TheLearningEnvironment:
PhysicalArrangements,Activities,andSocialRelationships
Thereisstrongconsensusinthefieldofearlychildhooddevelopmentthatitisimportanttoconsiderthe
mutualityofinfluencesbetweenchildrenandtheirenvironmentthepeopletheyinteractwith,andthe
characteristicsoftheactivitiesandphysicalspacetheysharewithothers.
Definitionsofhighqualitypreschoolsettingsoftenincludecharacteristicsoftheadultchildinteractions,suchas
sensitivityandstimulation,e.g.,responsivenesstothechildrensneedsandsignals,positiveaffect,andfrequent
verbalandsocialinteraction.Factorsimportantforschoolreadinessalsoincludetheamountoftimebeingread
to,onetooneteachinginteractions,engagementwithfunctionalandenvironmentalprint,useofwellplanned
lessons,andincorporatingmaterialsinplaythatpromoteliteracy,math,andscienceinplaysettings.Inaddition,
othersignificantfactorsdescribedaskeyforaneffectivelearningenvironmentincludethephysicalsetupand
richnessofachildsclassroomorhomecareenvironment.
PhysicalArrangementofSpaces:PromotingPositiveEarlyChildhoodOutcomes
Effectiveclassroommanagementcansetthestageforexcitingpossibilitiesforchildrenslearning.Thisincludes
attentiontotheorganizationofthespaceandfurnishings,predictabledailyroutines,andresponsive
interactionsbetweenteachersandchildren.Whilethesefactorsoftenaredescribedasdistinct,their
interconnectioniscriticalforpromotingeffectiveteaching.
Successfulteachersknowthatthearrangementandmanagementoftheearlychildhoodclassroomhavedirect
effectsonthekindsofbehaviorschildrenexhibitastheyliveandworktogether.Thedifferencebetweenchaos
andanorderlyatmospherethatfacilitateslearningdependsingreatpartonhowtheteacherpreparesthe
environment.Thatpreparationinvolveswhathappensbeforeschoolbegins,whenchildrenarriveanddepart,
whenscheduletransitionsoccur,whenchildreninteractfreelywithequipmentandmaterials,andwhen
conflictsarise.
Atthebeginningofeachschoolyearbeforethechildrenentertheclassroom,tobesuccessfultheteachermust
setuptheenvironmentproperly.Awellplannedphysicalroomarrangementrichwithenvironmentalprint
impactslanguagedevelopmentandtheinteractionsamongthechildren.Childrenenjoysmall,cozyspaceswith
easilyaccessiblematerialsandbooks.Muchmoretalkingcanoccurwiththisarrangementandmanyfewer
accidents.
Componentsofsuchanenvironmentinclude:
Protectingchildrenshealthandsafety;
Supportingchildrensphysiologicalneedsforactivity,sensorystimulation,outdoorexperiences,
rest,andnourishment;
Providingabalanceofrestandactivemovementthroughouttheday;
Materialsthatreflectthechildrenscultureandbackground;and
Protectingchildrenspsychologicalsafety(e.g.,childrenfeelsecure,relaxed,andcomfortablerather
thandisengaged,frightened,worried,orstressed).
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SettingUpthePhysicalSpace
Teachersmustconsideranumberoffactorsandcomponentsofthephysicalspacewhensettingupthe
classroom.Thestrongconsensusregardingthesefactorsishighlightedinthe2000reportEagertoLearn:
EducatingourPreschoolers.
TrafficPatterns:Furnitureandplaycenterarrangementshouldconsiderwhichareaschildrenuse
mostoftenandwhichplaycentersorareasshouldlogicallybelocatedclosetothedoor,tothesink,
totheteachersdesk,etc.
MaterialsPlacedattheChildrensLevel:Thingsthechildrenuseshouldbeputwheretheycan
reachthem.Whenthechildrencanaccessneededmaterialswithouthavingtoasktheteacherto
getthem,theybecomemoreindependentandactivitiesproceedmorequicklyandsmoothly.
OrganizedStorage:Theoldadage,Aplaceforeverythingandeverythinginitsplace,strictly
appliesintheearlychildhoodclassroomiftheteacherhopestoavoidchaos,confusion,andamessy
room.Childrenneedthesecuritythatorganizationprovides.Allmaterialsshouldbelabeledtoassist
withorganizationandtoreinforceliteracyskills.Itisdocumentedthatwhenchildrenarehelpedto
organizetheirworld,theylearnclassificationskillsandasenseofsatisfactionfrombeing
independentandselfsufficient.
AdequateEquipmentandSupplies:Centersshouldhavecertainbasicequipmentandanever
changingvarietyofmaterialstointriguethechildren.
ClearlyDelineatedAreas:Eachareashouldhavelowandwelldefinedboundaries.Lowboundaries
allowtheteacheranunobstructedviewofthechildrenatalltimesandgivetheroomamoreopen,
interactivefeel.
CoordinatedPlacementofCenters:Teachersshouldseparatenoisyareasfromquietareasand
placeinterlinkedcenters,suchasthedressupandkitchenareas,neareachothertoencourage
creativeinteraction.
SmallGroupandIndependentWorkAreas:Separatelearningareasareimportantforfacilitating
selfdirectedbutteacherguidedhandsonactivitiesonavarietyofsubjectsandskilllevels.Insmall
groups,achildhastheadditionalbenefitofinteractingwithotherchildrenonamorepersonaland
rotatingbasis.
LargeGroupAreas:Earlyeducationclassroomsneedanopenarealargeenoughtoaccommodate
allthechildrenatonetimeforwholegroupmeetings.Specificconsiderationsforthisspaceinclude
whetherthechildrencansitcomfortablyorperformlargemusclemovementswithoutfeeling
crowdedandmakingtheareafreeofdistractionssothatthechildrenwillfocusonthelargegroup
activity.
Classroomfurnitureshouldbechildsized,andlabelsandobjectsplacedstrategicallywherechildrencanread
them.Theclassroomshouldbeclean,wellmaintained,interesting,andattractive.Theclassroomshouldbe
colorfulandwelllitandshouldconsistprimarilyofexamplesofchildrensandteachersworkdisplayedatthe
childseyelevelandwhenpossible,supplementedwithculturallyandlinguisticallydiverseposters,pictures,and
books,depictingrealpeopleofdifferingabilities.
UsingPhysicalSpacetoPromoteLanguageandLiteracy
Creatingaclassroomthatpromoteschildrenslanguageandliteracydevelopmentshouldfocusprimarilyon
ensuringthatlanguageandliteracymaterials(suchas,books,writingutensils,andprintedmatter)arelocated
throughouttheclassroom.Theenvironmentandteachingmaterialsshouldbereflectiveofthechildrensneeds,
culture,andlanguageofinstructionwhetheritisaBilingual,EnglishasaSecondLanguageorEnglishonly
instruction.Techniquescommontotheearlyclassroom,suchasthematicunitsanddramaticplayactivities,can
promoteliteracydevelopmentwhenintegratedacrossclassroomactivities.Ahighqualityorallanguageand
literaturerichenvironmentaddressesafewkeyresearchbasedfindings.
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First,studiesshowthatprovidingeventhemostbasicprintrichenvironmentrequiresaminimumoffivebooks
perchildintheclassroom.Accesstoawidearrayofprintprovidesopportunitiesandtoolsforchildrentosee
andusewrittenlanguageforavarietyofpurposes.Secondly,forhandsonreinforcementoflanguageand
literacyskillschilddirectedlearningareasshouldhavemultiplematerialsthatmakeconnectionstorelevant
literature.InclassroomswithchildrenwhoarelearningEnglish,itisimportantfortheenvironmentalprinttobe
familiarprintthatisfoundintheplaces,objects,andmaterialsthatchildrenencountereverydayoftenserving
astheearliestsourceofprintawarenessforyounglearners.Labelswithwordsandpicturesareeverywherein
theclassroomsothatchildrenconstantlyconnectwrittenlanguagewiththethingstheyrepresent.
OrganizationandRoutineofActivities:PromotingEffectiveLearning
Classroommanagement,orthemannerinwhichactivitiesareconductedthroughouttheday,iscloselylinked
withthephysicalarrangementinachievingasuccessfulenvironment.Childrenneedanorganizedenvironment
andanorderlyroutinethatprovidesanoverallstructureinwhichlearningtakesplace.Avarietyofmaterials
andopportunitiesforchildrentohavemeaningfulexperiencesshouldbecarefullyplanned.
Classroommanagementisimportantforthepurposeofsettingroutines.Componentscanincludecolorcoding,
dailyplans,andclassroomrulesexpressedwithclearexpectations,consistentuseofrules,andfrequent
feedback.Childrenfeelmoresecurewhenthereisstructure,soawellplanneddaywithbuiltinsupportsis
criticaltothechildrensbehavior,wellbeing,andreceptivenesstolearning.
Useofchartscanhelpwithclassroommanagement.Chartshelporderthedailyroutine,allowchildrentouse
printinameaningfulway,andprovideexamplesofprintaroundtheclassroom.Managementchartsthat
incorporatepicturesoriconshelpmakeavisualimpressionuponchildren.Someexamplesinclude:
RulesChart:Usestrategiestoensurethatchildrenunderstandexpectationsaboutclassroomrules,
activities,anddirections.
HelpersChart:Aspectsofthedailyroutinecanpromotesocialcompetencebyproviding
opportunitiesforchildrentohelpwithtasks.Encouragechildrentoreadthechartbylistingasmany
jobsaspossibleandchangingthejobsfrequently.Childrenshouldbeinvolvedinthinkingupthe
jobsandwatchingtheteachercreatethechart.
AttendanceChart:Anothermeansofteachingindependenceandresponsibilitywhilefreeingthe
teacherformoresubstantiveactivitiesistohaveanattendancechartduringlargegrouptime;the
attendancehelpercancountthenumberpresentandabsent.
DailyScheduleChart:Whileanintuitivepractice,theuseofadailyschedulecharttogivechildrena
visualplanofwhattheirroutinewillbeonanygivendayissupportedbyresearch.Theteachercan
explainthechart,pointingoutthewordsandthematchingiconorpictureoftheactivity,sothatthe
childrencanassociatetheactionwiththeprintedword.
LearningAreaPlanningChart:Planningchartshavewordsandpicturestoillustratethepurposeof
eachlearningarea.Thechartsprovidechildrenwithanopportunitytomakechoicesandtoactively
participateintheirownlearning.Eachplanningchartcouldincludethenameofthelearningarea,
aniconrepresentingit,andanumberthattellsthechildrenhowmanycanusethatareaatone
time.
Teachersplayacriticalroleinhelpingchildrenlearnclassroomroutines,throughmodeling,thinkingoutloud
and,initially,sharingtheresponsibility.Thesesupportscontinueforseveralweeks,withtheteacheractingas
thechildrensmemoryofwhattheyaresupposedtodo,praisingearlyattempts,andencouragingchildrento
graduallytakemoreownershipoftheseroutines.Theinitialtimeputintothiseffortpaysoffinthelongrun
withchildrenbeingmuchmoreindependent,allowingtheteachertospendtimeteachingandinteractingwith
children.Alongwiththisgradualincreaseinwhatchildrenareaskedtodoindependently,teacherscansetup
theenvironmentforsuccessbydoingsuchthingsasopeningonecenteratatimeinthebeginningoftheyear,
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continuingtoexplainnewmaterialsastheyareplacedinthecenters,andusinglabelstoclearlyhelpchildren
knowwhereitemsbelong.
ClassroomActivityPlanning:CreatingOpportunitiesforInteractionasWellasSelf
Discovery
Decisionsaboutcurriculumandadultinteractionwithchildrenshouldbeasindividualizedaspossible.Itis
importantforteacherstobeattentivetothemannerandpaceofindividualchildrenslearningsoitcanbe
maximallysupported.Atthesametime,interaction,understanding,andcooperationwithotherchildrenand
adultsarecrucialskillsforchildrentodevelopatthisage.Supportingchildreninlearningtoadaptandfunction
successfullyinaclassroomsettingisakeycomponentofearlychildhoodeducation.Withthesetwoprinciplesof
individualinstructionandinstructionwithadultsandpeersinmind,preschoolprogramsshouldinclude
opportunitiesforbothindividualandgroupactivitiestoallowforindependentexplorationandplay,aswellas
socialization.
LargeGroupInstruction:Therearemanytimeswhenateachermaygathertheentireclassofchildrentogether
toprovideinformation,supportcollaboration,andlistentotheirideas.Largegroupsessionsshouldoccurtwo
tothreetimesperdayandlast1520minutes.
Duringthistime,theteachercan:
Deliveramorningmessage,
Goovertheschedulefortheday,
Conductareadaloud,
Allowthechildrentosharenews,
Engagethechildreninalanguageorphonologicalawarenessactivity,
AnnounceaSpecialPersonoftheWeekorabirthday,
Leadthechildreninamusicalactivity,suchasasong,or
Introduceaninstructionaltheme.
SmallGroupInstruction:Smallgrouplearningactivitieswiththeteacherprovidingintentionalinstruction
aboutnewconceptsmaybeoneofthemosteffectivewaystopromoteyoungchildrenslearning.Recent
researchshowsthatchildrenlearnmath,literacy,andlanguageconceptsbestwhenteacherssupporttheir
attentionandgrowthingainingnewknowledgeinsmallgroups(aboutsixchildren).Theseareeffectiveifthe
teacherengageschildrenwithtargetedactivitiesforshortperiodsoftime(1015minutes).Theactivities,
whethertheyaremeanttofacilitatethelearningofspecificcognitive(suchasmathorliteracy)orsocialskills,
needtobeengagingwithchildrentakinganactiveroleusingmanipulatives,books,andpictures,asopposedto
worksheetsorflashcards.
IndividualLearningAreas:Childrenalsolearneffectivelywhenworkinginseparate,setapartlearningareas.
Thesearenotplacestogoforplaytimeactivitiesaftertheimportantinstruction.Insmallgrouplearningareas,
thechildrencementtheinstructionwithguidedexplorationandhandsonexperience.Withalittlecreativity,
evenhomecareenvironmentscanhaveeffectivelearningcenters.Everylearningareashouldhave:
Fun,playfulandpurposefulactivities,
Aliteracyconnection,
Writingmaterials,and
Anopportunityforconversation(language)withanadultoranotherchild.
Developmentallyappropriateprogramsprovideopportunitiesforchildrentobroadenanddeepentheir
behavioralknowledge.Theyprovideavarietyoffirsthandexperiencesandhelpchildrenacquiresymbolic
21
knowledgebyrepresentingtheirexperiencesinavarietyofmedia,suchasdrawing,painting,dramaticplay,and
verbalandwrittendescriptions.Furthermore,whilesmallgrouplearningschedulesinvolvealotoftimefor
childdirectedlearning,theteacherisasactiveasthechildindirectinglearningandsupportingdiscovery.Infact,
theteacherprovidesandencouragesthecriticalinteractionsthatturnplayintolearning.Researchsuggeststhe
sevenfollowingtypesofcenters:
1. PretendandLearnCenter
2. WritersCorner
3. LibraryandListeningCenter
4. ConstructionCenter
5. MathandScienceCenter
6. CreativityStation
7. ABCCenter
Theseareasshouldintegrateavarietyofdifferentlearningconcepts,includingmathematics,science,
phonologicalawareness,readingaloud,motivationtoread,letterknowledge,writtenexpression,printandbook
awareness,andlanguagedevelopment.Wellstockedlearningareassuppliedwithbooksandothereducational
materialswillhelppromotetheintegrationoftheseacademicconcepts.Itisimportantthatchildrenhave
experienceswithbooksthathelpthemunderstandtheworldtheyliveinaswellasthosethatreflecttheirown
culture.Wheneverpossible,classroomsshouldincludebooksthatareculturallyandlinguisticallyrelevantin
childrenslearningcenters.
Datafromthebehavioralscienceliteraturehavelongpointedtotheneedtocreatesafe,secure,supportive
environmentsforinfantsandyoungchildren.Overall,apositiveandeffectiveclassroomenvironmentmakes
classroommanagementeasier,giveschildrenownershipoftheclassroomandthepowertomanagethemselves,
respectseachchildsindividuality,andrecognizesandpromoteschildrentakingresponsibilityintheclassroom
community.Thistypeoflearningconduciveenvironmentwillcreatepositiveimpactsonyoungchildrens
development,preparingthemtoacquireskillsneededinbothschoolandinlife.Aproperlysetupand
maintainedclassroomprovidestheessentialfoundationuponwhichateachercanbuildtoeffectivelypromote
childrenssuccessandschoolreadiness.
EstablishingaSchedule
Schedulesgivechildrenasenseofstructurethroughouttheirdaysotheycananticipatewhenspecificactivities
willoccurandhowlongtheywillbeengagedintheseactivities.Thissenseofanticipationfacilitateschildren
beginningtoregulatetheirattentionandemotions.Itgivesthemaplanoftheirdailyroutine.
Whenmakingadailyschedule:
Listeachactivitywithapicture(timeisoptional)
Drawchildrensattentiontothescheduleasactivitieschange
Havechildrenrefertothescheduletoidentifywhatactivitycomesnext
Postthedailyscheduleatthechildrenseyelevel
Whathappensdailyinaprekschedule?
Everydayshouldinclude:
Phonologicalawarenessactivities(minutesthroughouttheday)
Readingaloud(twiceadayperhalfdaysession,threeormoretimesperfulldaysession)
Writing(teachermodeled,shared,interactive,andindependent)
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Mathconceptdevelopment
Languagedevelopmentincorporatedthroughouttheday,especiallyduringthereadaloudsession.
Thefollowingareexamplesofsuggestedschedules:
HalfDaySchedule
Time Activity
ChildArrival&IndependentActivities
10min Opening(forexample,Pledge,HelperChart,Calendar(23minutes),SongswithMovement
15min CircleTime(forexample,ReadAloud,introducingcenteractivities,talkingaboutchildrens
experiences)
60min Centers/SmallGroupTime(includeschilddirectedplayinplaycenters)
15min SnackTime
15min CircleTime(forexample,scienceandmathactivities,ReadAloud)
30min OutdoorTime(forindependentplayandteacherchildconversations)
15min CircleTime
10min Closing/Reflection
FullDaySchedule
Time Activity
ChildArrival&IndependentActivities
10min Opening(forexample,Pledge,HelperChart,Calendar(23minutes),SongswithMovement
15min CircleTime(forexample,introducingcenteractivities,talkingaboutchildrensexperiences)
6090min Centers/SmallGroupInstructionTime(includeschilddirectedplayinplaycenters)
15min SnackTime
15min ReadAloud
15min CircleTime(forexample,science,mathactivities)
30min LunchTime
15min ReadAloud
RestTime
15min Movement/LargeMotor/Music
15min CircleTime
30min Centers(forexample,childdirectedplay,sciencediscovery,childdirectedreadingorwritingtime)
10min Closing/Reflection
Inadditiontoteacherguidanceandconversationduringlearningactivities,teacherscanassistchildrens
learningduringothertimesoftheday,suchasoutdoortimeandsnackormealtime.
DuringOutdoorTime
Moveclosetoagroupofchildrenanddescribewhattheyaredoing(IseeJoshandWilliamrunning
veryfast!;JuanandSandraarebuildingabigsandcastletogether.)Thisisagoodtimetoteach
actionwordsanddescriptivewordssuchas:climbing,swinging,running,building,shouting,chasing,
racing,riding;fast,quick,powerful.
Askthechildrenopenendedquestionsastheyareplaying(Marvin,howdoesitfeelwhenyou
swinghigh?;Keshia,whatareyoumakingwithyoursandpile?)
Pointoutinterestingthingsoutdoorsthatchildrenmightnothavenoticed,suchasabirdsnestina
tree,abugcrawlinginthegrass,orworkersbuildingahouse.Invitechildrentotalkaboutwhat
23
theyseeandwhattheythinkishappening.
DuringMealTime
Showchildreneachpartofthemealtheywillbeeating,andaskthemiftheyknowwhatitis.Iftheydont
recognizeornameitcorrectly,
Nameitforthemandencouragethemtosaythenameofthefoodordrink.
Labelutensilsandotheritemsonthetable.Usethesewordsthroughoutthemeal:plate,cup,
spoon,fork,napkin,bowl,pitcher,servingspoon.
Encouragethechildrentodescribeandtalkaboutthefoodtheyareeating(notwiththeirmouths
full).Forexample,theymaybeeatinground,orangecarrots;long,skinny,greenbeans;soft,white
bread.
Makethesedescriptionsspontaneousandcreativeratherthanjustencouragingrepeatingphrases.
Encouragethechildrentocomeupwiththeirowndescriptionsoftheirfood,suchas,Mytomato
lookslikeaball!Mygingerbreadissquishylikeasponge.
Takeopportunitiestotalktothechildrenabouttablemanners,suchasstayingseatedwhileeating
andnottalkingwithfoodintheirmouths.
Usemealtimeasatimetoreflectontheactivitieschildrendidearlierintheday.Askaboutwhatthechildren
didorplayedwithorbuilt.Byparticipatinginaconversationwiththechildren,ratherthanjusttellingthemto
eat,mealtimecanbeatimefordevelopingrichlanguageandconversationalskills.
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vi.MonitoringChildrensLearningandDevelopmentin
WaysthatProvideFeedbackandEvidenceofSuccess
Thesystematicmonitoringofchildrensprogresshasanimportantroletoplayinrevealingachildsprior
knowledge,developmentofconcepts,andwaysofinteractingwithandunderstandingoftheworld.
Progressmonitoringisawayofdiscoveringwhatchildrenareinterestedin,whattheyarelearningandhaving
difficultylearning,andhowtheyarechangingovertime.Armedwiththisknowledge,teacherscanchoosea
pedagogicalapproachandcurricularmaterialsthatwillsupportthechildsfurtherlearninganddevelopment.
Schoolreadinessbehaviorsareimportanttoassessbecausetheyareauthenticandlegitimateskills.Theyare
tooimportantforteacherstoignoreoronlyguesstimate.
Continuedassessmentprovidesteacherswiththefeedbacktheyneedtoidentifywhichpartsofthecurriculum
needmodificationthisconstantfeedbackmechanismallowsteacherstoprovidethemostmeaningfuland
effectiveeducationalexperiencepossible,asitallowsthemtoconstantlyfocusonandrespondtothechildrens
changingneeds.Classroomassessmentisacriticalcomponentofeffectiveteaching.Preschoolteachersmust
basetheirinstructionalchoicesonwhateachchildbringstotheinteractioninordertoeffectivelypromote
learning.Broadlyconceived,assessmentconsistsofasetoftoolsforidentifyingeachchildsskilllevel,learning
howchildrensolveeverydayproblemsandconflicts,howtheychangeovertime,andwhatmotivatesthem.
Thequestionofhowtoassesschildrenismultifaceted,asitisinfluencedbyanumberoffactors.Forexample,if
ateacherwishestodetermineifachildhasageappropriateschoolreadinessskills,sheneedstousea
standardizedmeasure.Thismeanstheassessmenthasacommonsetofquestions,tasks,andmaterialsandthe
childsscoreisbasedonanormativesampleofchildren.Thisisimportantbecausethechildsperformancecan
berelatedtotheperformanceofalargenumberofotherchildrenofthesameage.Sometimesstandardized
measuresarereferredtoasformalassessmentapproachesandincludeavarietyofengagingtasksusedfor
differentpurposes.
Wheneverpossible,skilllevelsofchildrenwhospeakalanguageotherthanEnglishshouldbeassessedinboth
theirhomelanguageandEnglish.Measurementofhomelanguageskilllevelisessentialwhenchildrenare
enrolledinBilingualinstructionalprograms.
Formalassessmentapproachesinclude:
ScreeningMeasures:Briefassessmentofskillsthatareimportantearlyindicatorsoflaterschool
competence.Theseprovideinformationonentrylevelskillsatthebeginningofthepreschoolyear.
ProgressMonitoringMeasures:Briefmeasuresthatareconductedonaroutinebasistoprovide
informationonwhatchildrenarelearningandratesofimprovementacrossthepreschoolyear.
Resultsofprogressmonitoringmeasuresshouldbepredictiveofmorelengthy(e.g.,comprehensive)
standardizedmeasures.Asprogressmonitoringmeasuresarebrief,teacherscanconductthemat
leastthreetimesacrossaschoolyearandlearnwhoisorisnotdemonstratingadequateprogress.
Withthisknowledge,teachersreportthattheynolongerhavetoguesstimatewhatchildrenare
learningandcanadapttheircurricularactivitiesandinstructionalapproachestobemoreresponsive
tothechildrensneeds.
DiagnosticAssessments:Thisapproachisusedtoobtainamoreindepthanalysisofachilds
strengthsandweaknessesinordertodeterminewhatlearningsupportsareneeded.Childrenwith
mental,physical,oremotionaldifficultiesthatmayrequirespecialservicesbenefitgreatlyfromearly
detectionanddiagnosis.Forsuchchildren,diagnosticassessmentscanbeveryhelpful.While
diagnosticassessmentsdonotdeterminetheunderlyingreasonsforachildslackofprogress,they
25
cansuggestaspecialneed.Therearemanyreasonswhyachildmayhavedifficultywiththeearly
acquisitionofacademicorsocialskills.Anyorallofthefollowingcanexplainproblemsinlearning:
health,unidentifieddisabilities,familyconcerns,orsocialandemotionaldifficulties.Fortunately,
specificassessmentsdesignedtoidentifyunderlyingproblemsanddisabilitiesexistandshouldbe
usedifnecessary.Onceteachersdiscovertheunderlyingcausesforachildsdifficultiesinlearning,
theycanseekappropriateassistanceforthechildandthechildsfamily.
Effectivepreschoolprogramsshouldusemultipleformsofassessment,trackindividualchildrensprogressina
scientificallyreliableway,anduseassessmenttoinforminstruction.Assessments,whenusedcarefullyand
appropriately,canresolveratherthancreateeducationalproblems.Becauseyoungchildrenexperience
incrediblegrowthandlearningatanunevenandsometimesunpredictablepace,itisimperativethatteachers
andcaregivershavethenecessarytrainingtothinkaboutanduseassessmentwell.
InformalAssessments:TrackingChildrenoverTime
Earlychildhoodteachershaveanumberofinformalassessmentsattheirdisposal,includingobservation,
reflection,collectionofchildrensworkinportfolios,andchecklists.Numeroususesofportfoliosincludeguiding
instructionaldecisions,encouragingchildrensreflectionsontheirownlearning,andsharinginformationabout
childrenslearningwithfamilies.Comprisedofsamplesofachildswork,teacherobservations,andcopiesof
developmentalchecklists,theportfolioprovidesanoverviewofthechildsdevelopment.However,while
informalprogressmonitoringprovidesimmediatefeedbackforteachers,thistypeofassessmenthasanumber
oflimitations.
Informalassessmentscannot:
Effectivelyindicatewhetherornotpreschoolersarelearningatratesthatwillassuretheyareready
forformalschooling,
Determinebaselineleveloffunctioning,
Providenormreferencedinformation,
Determineifthechildhasageappropriateskills,
Determineifachildhasalearningproblem,or
Offerclearlyreliableandvalidassessmentresults.
Thesegoalsrequireformalassessment.
Overall,educatorsandprogramdirectorsmustkeepanyassessmentsmanageablebyplanningareasonable
timeframeforcollectingassessmentinformation,selectingonlyafewofthemostinformativeassessments,and
collectinginformationonasystematicbasis.Theseassessmentsshouldalignwithboththespecificcurriculum
usedintheclassroomandthestatesearlychildhoodguidelines.
Resultsfromassessmentsshouldbeusedforpurposefulplanningofachildspreschoolexperience.Forexample,
teacherscanrespondtothefeedbackreceivedfromassessmentbychangingorenrichingplaycenterswith
activitiesthatbetterservetheneedsofthechildrenorbyprovidingadditionalreadaloudsessionsifthe
assessmentpointstoaneedforsuchchanges.Furthermore,assessmentcanindicatewhichchildrenneedmore
oneononeattentionforparticularskills,oritmaymotivateateachertoconsultwithotherteachersand
supervisorsforsuggestionsonfurtherinstructionalstrategies.Whatevertheresults,theyshouldbesharedwith
families,andtheassessmentsshouldberepeatedperiodicallytoevaluatethechildrensprogress.
Skilledearlychildhoodteachersembedsystematicobservationsandotherassessmentsinchildrenseveryday
activitiesandinteractions;childrenunderskilledteachersdonotfeelexaminedortestedbutratherwillbenefit
fromatailormadeeducationalexperience.Withtheknowledgederivedfromassessments,teachersandothers
26
canmakecertainthatyoungchildrenreceiveessentialservicesandsupports,includingfurtherassessmentand
interventionwhennecessary.
27
vii.ADevelopmentalApproachtoPromotingSchoolReadiness
Childrenbuildcompetenciesastheyprogressalongtheirindividualdevelopmentalpathways.
WhenreviewingandimplementingtheTexasPrekindergartenGuidelines,itisimportanttokeepinmindthat
childrenmasternewknowledgeandskillsthroughaseriesofdevelopmentalprocessesthatevolveovertime.
Whileeffectiveteachersplanlessonsandstructuretheirclassroomswithanawarenessoftheultimategoals
theywantchildrentoachieve,theyalsorecognizethatchildrenatdifferentdevelopmentallevelshavedifferent
capabilities,thereforeexpectationsneedtobeadjustedaccordingly.Preschoolchildrenarematuringovertime
inparallelareassuchas:lengthofattentionspan,expressivevocabulary,behavioralselfcontrol,problem
solvingskills,finemotorcoordination,andworkingmemoryskills.Thesediverseaspectsofdevelopmentimpact
directlyandindirectlychildrensabilitytounderstandparticularconceptsandcarryoutspecificactivities
successfully.Forexample,a3yearoldmaybelearningtosortandclassifyobjectsbycolororsize,whilea4
yearoldcanlearntosortobjectsbasedontheirbeginningsound(suchas/pig/,/pot/,/puzzle/).A3yearold
maybeworkingonmotorskillssuchasjumping,standingononefoot,andthrowingaball,whereasa4yearold
canlearntofollowdirectionssuchasHop2timesorWalkquickly,andislearningtothrowaballwithaim.
Inthesocialemotionaldomain,youngerpreschoolersarestillpracticingbasicskillssuchastakingturnsand
sharingtoyswithouthittingorgrabbing.Olderpreschoolersaremoreabletoresolveconflictsverbally(though
theyoftenstillneedteachersupporttodoso)andtoengageincooperativeplay.Thus,whatmaybe
appropriatefor4and5yearoldsmaynotbeappropriatefor3yearolds.Thisattentiontochildrensvarying
developmentalneedsiscriticallyimportant.Also,asmanyearlychildhoodclassroomshavechildrenofmixed
ages(3to5yearolds)flexibilityinlearningandplayactivitieswithinaclassroomwilloftenbenecessaryto
optimallysupporteachchild.
Teachersindividualizeinstructiontofacilitatechildrensdevelopmentalprogress.
TeachersareencouragedtotakeadevelopmentalperspectiveinimplementingthePrekindergartenGuidelines.
Teachersshouldmeetchildrenwheretheyareandprovideinformationandactivitiesatalevelthatchildren
canreadilyunderstandandengagewith.Thiswillmeanbuildingchildrensskillsovertime,workingtowardthe
schoolreadinessoutcomesstepbystepaschildrendemonstratemasteryofbeginninglevelskills.Teachers
shouldhavetheoutcomeskillsinmind,butwillneedtopreparechildrentomeetthesegoalsthrough
scaffoldingexperiencesandactivitiesthatareappropriateforindividualchildrenscurrentdevelopmentallevels
andcapabilities.
Effectiveteachersknowthateachchildisuniqueandcanbeappreciatedasanindividualwithauniquestyle,
temperament,setofinterests,andaptitudeforlearning.Teachersshouldhavehigh,positiveexpectationsforall
children,butthisdoesnotmeanthatallchildrenshouldbeexpectedtolearnatthesamerateorinthesame
way.Theremaybesomeadvanced3yearoldswhoarereadytomeetsomeofthePrekindergartenGuidelines
outcomesrightnow,whilethereare4yearoldswhoseemfarfromattainingtheseoutcomes.Teachersshould
makeuseofavailableassessmentsanddailyobservationstodeterminewhereeachchildisintermsof
masteringskillsinthevariousdomains.Theycanthenusethisinformationtoplanlessonsandprovideactivities
thatcanbeindividualizedtotheneedsofchildrenwhoareatvaryingskilllevels.
Integrationofdevelopmentaldomainsandcurriculumcontentsupportschildrens
learning.
Developmentalresearchalsotellsusthatchildrensacquisitionofconceptsandskillsisnotalwayslinearand
evenlypaced.Childrenneedtobeexposedtonewconceptsmultipletimesandacrossavarietyofcontextsin
ordertosolidifytheirunderstanding.Ateachermodels,demonstrates,andthinksaloudsothechildren
28
understandthethoughtsbehindwhattheteacherisdoing.Then,childrenareprovidedopportunitiestopractice
theskillorconcept,withtheteacherbesidethemtoguidetheirpractice,scaffoldingorsupportingthechildrens
learningsotheyaresuccessful.Theteacherprovidesmanyopportunitiesforpracticingtheconcept,movingthe
conceptfromsomethingthechildcandoslowly,tosomethingthathe/shecandoquicklyandeasily.Thoughtful
planningisrequiredforchildrentohavethemultipleopportunitiesneededforthistransitionfromsomething
beinghardtosomethingbeingveryeasyforachildtoaccomplishwithoutassistance.
GradualReleaseModel
1.Teachermodels,demonstrates
andthinksoutloud.
Childwatches.
2.Teacherdoestask.
Childhelps.
3.Childdoestask.
Teacherhelps.
4.Childcompletestask
independently.
Teacherwatches.
(PearsonandGallagher,1983)
Childrenalsomusthavesufficientopportunitiestopracticenewskillsinavarietyofwaysandindifferent
settings.Arichcurriculumthatintegratesmaterialsandconceptsacrossdifferentpartsofthedayprovidessuch
opportunities.Forexample,achildlearningaboutshapesmaycompleteashapepuzzleduringcentertime,sort
andcountbeadsofdifferentshapesduringasmallgroupmathlesson,andthenuseamagnifyingglassduring
outdoortimetospyshapesofobjectsontheplayground(suchasarectangularslide,atriangularroofona
playhouse,acircularwheelonaridingtoy).Whenconceptsandvocabularywordsarereinforcedacross
contextsandovertime,childrencanmakeuseoftheirattention,memory,vocabulary,visualobservation,and
motorskillstobuildinternalmentalrepresentationsofcomplexconceptssuchasshapes.
Finally,effectiveteachersrecognizethereciprocal,interactiverelationsamongthedifferentareasof
development.Theyrecognize,forexample,thatwhenachildisemotionallyanxiousorfrustrated,s/hewillhave
moredifficultyusingadaptiveproblemsolvingskillsorfollowingdirectionsinagroupactivity.Whenchildren
arepresentedwithactivitiesthataretoofarbeyondtheircapabilities,theyaremorelikelytoshowavoidance,
passivity,oractingoutbehavior.Ontheotherhand,whenchildrenareprovidedwithactivitiesthatare
interesting,challenging,andmanageableforthem,theyexperienceprideintheirsuccessandareeagertolearn
more.
Promotingprekindergartenchildrensschoolreadinesswillbestbeachievedwhenteachersintegratethe
followingguidelinesandoutcomesintotheirinstructionalapproach,whilemaintainingaperspectivethatviews
thechildasanactivelearnerwhoiscontinuallydeveloping,adapting,synthesizingnewinformation,andstriving
towardcompetence.
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viii.EffectivePracticesforPromotingSchoolReadiness
Keyconceptsinvolvedineachdomainofpreschoollearningmustgohandinhandwithinformationandskill
acquisition.
Akeytodevelopingeffectivepracticesforpromotingschoolreadinessistheintegrationintheclassroomoffive
keyelements,eachknowntobeimportanttoyoungchildrenslearninganddevelopment.Whileeachaddstoa
teachersabilitytobuildastrongfoundationforchildrenslearning,theirinfluencewhencombinedintoan
integratedandcomprehensivewholeisgreaterthanthesumoftheparts.
Thefiveelementsthatarekeytoeffectivepreschoolprogramsare:
ConsistentuseofaResponsiveInteractionStyletosupportlearning,
Contentthatbuildscognitiveandsocialskillsknowntopredictschoolreadiness,
Planningthattakesadvantageofrecentbrainresearchformemorydevelopment,
Abalanceofteachingstrategies,and
Flexiblegroupingsofchildrenforlearningactivitiesincludingonetoone,smallgroups,andlarge
groups.
ResponsiveInteractionStyle
Thesocioculturaltheoryprovidesanexcellentframeworktoguideteachersintheireffortstosupportyoung
childrenslearning.Ahallmarkofthistheoryistheimportanceitplacesonthechildsabilitytolearnathigher
levelswithspecializedsupport,referredtoasscaffolding,frommorecompetentothers(e.g.,families,teachers)
thanoccurswhenchildrenattempttolearnontheirown.Whentheresponsiveinteractionsoccur,young
childrenssocialandcognitiveskillsareplacedonmorepositivetrajectories.
Aconsiderablenumberofstudieshaveexaminedteacherbehaviorandtheirinteractionsandrelationshipswith
children.Thatliteraturesupportstheteachersanecdotalassertion:Thewayinwhichteachersinteractwith
youngchildrenaffectsthechildrenssocialandemotionaloutcomeseithernegativelyorpositivelydependingon
thequalityoftheinteractions.Inlightofthis,theNationalCenterforChildreninPoverty,alongwithnumerous
otherinstitutions,recommendsapolicyofqualityearlychildhoodcareandlearningexperiencesinclassrooms
withwarmteachersandapredictable,stimulatingatmosphere.
Responsiveinterpersonalrelationshipswithteachersnurtureyoungchildrensdispositionstolearnandtheir
emergingabilities.Goodteachersacknowledgeandencouragechildrensefforts,modelanddemonstrate
behaviors,createchallengesandsupportchildreninextendingtheircapabilities,andprovidespecificdirections
orinstructions.Childrenareeagerandexcitedtolearn,andencouragingthisexcitementgeneratespositive
resultsinlearningnewvocabulary,letternamesandsounds,andnumberandscienceconcepts.Infact,close
teacherchildrelationshipsinprekindergartenarerelatedtogreaterphonemicawarenessandbetterlanguage,
communication,andmathskills,aswellasmorepositiveattitudesandperceptions,bettersocialandthinking
skills,andfewerproblembehaviors.
30
Responsiveandappropriateinteractionsthatscaffoldchildrenslearningrequire:
Sensitivitytoachildslevelofunderstanding,
Responsescontingentonachildssignals,
Anabilitytomaintainandbuildonachildsfocus,
Richorallanguageinput,
Avoidingexcessiverestrictionsonbehavior,and
Providingchoicesandadaptingtoachildschangingneeds.
Byvigilantlyobservingandevaluatingchildrensneedsandhappinessintheirenvironmentandbyproviding
responsibleandresponsivecare,ateacherestablishesawarmandcaringenvironmentthathelpsthechildfeel
comfortableandfacilitatesthelearningprocess.
Aneffectiveteachershowsrespectforeachchildsindividuality.
ResponsiveInteractions:Warm,Sensitive,andContingentonChildrensSignals
Earlychildhoodeducatorssetthetoneforeveryinteractionthatoccurswithintheirclassrooms;itfollows,then,
thatcultivatingawarm,caringatmospherewillallowchildrentoexploreanddiscovertheirworldwithoutfear
ofpunishmentorridicule.Increatingthisenvironmentandbolsteringchildrensselfesteem,teachersmake
hugestridesinhelpingchildrenachieveschoolreadiness.
Teacherscancultivateresponsivenessandwarmthintheirinteractionswithchildrenwhenthey:
Listenandrespondwithwarmthandsensitivitytochildrensfeelings,ideas,andopinions;
Usepositivelanguagethatbuildschildrensselfesteem;
Showrespectforchildslinguisticandculturalindividuality;
Helpchildrenlearnselfcontrolbysupportingemergingemotionalcopingskills;
Offervariedopportunitiesforchildrentomakechoicesanddecisions;
Giveoraldirectionsafterusinganestablishedsignaltogainchildrensattention,makingsure
childrenunderstandwhatisbeingrequiredofthem;
Encouragechildrentomanagetheirbehaviorbysettingupasupportiveenvironment(room
arrangement,managementcharts,etc.);
Establishclassroomrulesthatareclear,simple,anddevelopmentallyappropriate;
Usecreativeproblemsolvinginallpartsofthecurriculum;and
Usetheproblemsthatnaturallyoccurthroughoutthedaytomodelaconstructiveproblemsolving
approach.
Aresponsivestyleneedstobecombinedwithaneffectiveplanforteachingthecontentcriticalto
schoolreadiness.
ResponsiveStyle+ContentPlan
Aworkingknowledgeofthemajorcognitiveandsocialareasofdevelopment,alongwiththeTexas
PrekindergartenGuidelines,shouldserveasaguidefortheplanningofpreschoolcurricula.Acontentplan
needstotakeadvantageofopportunitiestobuildmultipleareasoflearning(e.g.,math,social,language)within
asinglelesson,activity,orexperience.Forexample,inaneffectivereadaloud,theteacherbuildsvocabulary
andbackgroundknowledgeasshehighlightscharactersorkeyconceptsinthebook.Herquestioningpromotes
languageexpressionasthechildrenattempttodescribetheirthoughtsaboutthebook.Thegiveandtake
amongthechildrenandtheirabilitytocooperateassherequeststhattheywaittheirturnandlistentoeach
31
othersresponsessupportstheirdevelopmentofsocialcompetence.Asthebookmaybeaboutearlymath,
science,history,orliteracy(suchasanalphabetbook),thereadaloudactivitybuildslearninginanyoneofthese
importantareas.
Ofcourse,thechildrensabilitytolearnfromthismultidimensionalactivityisdependentontheteachersuseof
thekeycomponentsofaresponsivestyleaspreviouslydescribed.Inthisexample,thechildrenslearningcanbe
advancedtoagreaterextentwithinthisteacherguidedbookreadingactivitythanitcaninanindependent
activity,suchasachildlookingatabookonhisorherown.Thisonlyoccurs,however,iftheteachersreactions
are:contingentlyresponsivetothechildssignals;incorporaterichandappropriatelypacedlanguageinput;
considerateofELLdevelopment;usedinwaysthatbuildonthechildsfocusofattention;andarewarmand
supportive.Thus,whenthecontentareasknowntopredictschoolreadinessarepresentedinthisresponsive
style,childrenmakelargestrides,andthelevelofachievementnecessaryforschoolreadinesscanoccur.
ResponsiveStyle+Content+PlanningEffectivelyBuildNewMemories
Beforeoutlininggeneralwaystobuildlanguage,literacy,math,andsocialskills,theteachercanbetterassure
thatchildrenlearnbuildknowledgethatsustainsthrougheffectiveplanningandimplementationofactivities
thatprovidenewinformation.Itiswelldocumentedthatchildrenlearnanewconcept(suchasthenameand
characteristicsofanewobject)iftheyhavecloselyrepeatedexperiences.
Forexample,achildmighthearforthefirsttimeaboutanobjectduringascienceorareadaloudactivity.Inthe
firstexposure,thechildhearsaboutandseescharacteristicsoftheobject.Touchingtheobjectalsohelpsthe
childremembermoreaboutit.Thisnewvocabularywordandwhatitmeanswillbemorelikelytobelearnedif
thechildhasmultiplerelatedexposuresorexperienceswithitthatoccurcloseintimetothefirstexposure.As
earlychildhoodteachersplantheactivitiesacrossaday,week,andmonth,attentiontothisshouldsupport
moreeffectiveteaching.Theuseofrichthemes(e.g.,underwatersealife,thingsthatfly,gardens,or
construction)makesiteasiertobuildrepeatedrelatedexperiencesforchildren.So,whenchildrenlearnabout
gardensacrossmanydaysthroughrelatedbutvariedactivities,theybegintomakeconnectionsbetweenthe
toolsneededtoplantinagarden,theflowersandvegetablesthatgrowingardens,gardeningclothes(gloves,
hats,boots),andthepurposeofsoil,nutrients,sun,andwater.
Itseasytoseefromthisexamplehowmuchfunateachercanmakelearningaboutgardens.Withthoughtful,
intentionalplanningandplayfulactivities,newvocabularyskillsarepromoted.Aschildrenthinkaboutthe
beginninglettersandsoundsinthenewwords,theyareexposedtoliteracy,andmathoccursastheycountout
theseedstheywillplant.Ofcourse,social/emotionalskillsaresupportedastheysharetheirgardentoolswith
theirclassmates,taketurnsdiggingordescribingplants,laughtogetherastheymakeupsillyalliterationsorsing
rhymingsongs(Mary,Mary,quitecontrary,howdoesyourgardengrow?).
Thisapproachassureseffectivelearning,inpart,becauseitincorporatesthethreePs:
Purposeful
Planful
Playful
WithattentiontothethreePs,teacherswillalwaysaskWhatisthepurposeofthis?beforetheyputan
activityintheirlessonplan.Theanswershouldbe:
Itbuildsoneormoreoftheskillsnecessaryforschoolreadiness,
Itexpandsandbuildsonchildrenscurrentlevelofunderstanding,and
Itencouragestheunderstandingofnewinformationthathasdirectlinkstowhatchildrenwillneed
tosucceedinkindergarten.
32
Aftermeetingthesecriteria,carefulplanningoccurs.Thisincludes:
Selectionoffictionandnonfictionbooksforgroupreadingsandtheirplacementinthecentersso
thatnewknowledgeisencouraged;
Selectionofactivitiesthattakeadvantageoftheoverlapamonglanguage,literacy,andmathskill
domains;
Identifyingfunphonologicalawarenessgamestousewhenmovingchildrenfromoneactivityto
another;and
Beingsurebooks,materials,activities,games,andconversationsareengaging.
ImplementingEffectivePlans+aBalanceofTeachingStrategies
Twoteachingstrategiesthatoftenarecontrastedaredirectandindirectinstruction.Direct,orexplicit,
instructionoftenhasbeendiscouragedinearlychildhoodsettingsbecauseitisfrequentlyassociatedwithhigh
structureorwithscriptedapproaches.Thisisunfortunate,sincedirectlyinstructingchildrenaboutthemeaning
ofnewwordsorhowsomethingworksisanimportantaspectofsupportingtheirlearning.Ratherthanassume
thatthismoreexplicitformofinstructionequateswithaskillanddrillapproach,earlychildhoodteacherscan
observeanddeterminethosetimeswhenchildrenwillbenefitfromdirectinstructionaboutinterestingnew
areas.Giventheyoungageandlimitedattentionspanof4yearolds,thistypeofinstructionneedstobe
relativelyshort.Itshouldencouragechildparticipationthroughquestioning,theuseofhandsonmaterials
(ratherthanworksheets),andphysicalmovement.
Indirectinstructionhasbeeninterpretedinnumerousways:
Tosomeitmeansthatchildrenhavethefreedomtochoosewhattheywanttodo.Withthis
interpretation,childrenoftenspendalotoftimeinavarietyofcenters,exploringthematerialson
theirownorwithotherclassmates.Sometimesthosecenterslookthesameacrosstheyear,orthey
mightberefreshedwithnewmaterials.
Forothersteachers,guidedinstructionofchildrenseffortsinthecentersisincludedintheir
interpretationofchilddirectedlearning.Inthiscase,theteacherwouldobserveandcommenton
conversationaltopicsoractionswithobjectsormakelinksbetweenthechildsplayandaliteracyor
mathconcept.
Althoughthisisaneffectivewaytoscaffoldchildrenslearning,manyteachersdonotperceivethattheyhavea
roleinchildrensexplorationsandplay.Inadescriptivestudy(McLaine,J.B.1996)examiningearlychildhood
teachersbeliefsandpracticesoftheirroleinchildrensplay,mostsawthemselvesasobserversonlythereto
keepchildrensafe.Ofthe65teachersinthestudy,onlyfoursawplayasanopportunityformakingconnections
withliteracy,andasfewas15vieweditasatimetopromotethinking.Theteachersroleinchildrensplayand
explorationofmaterialshasbeendescribedasmultifaceted,includingbeinganorganizeroftheenvironment,
facilitator,amanager,andascribe.Asmoreteachersacceptthisrangeofroles,childdirectedlearningshould
enhanceteacherdirectedactivitiestoprovidethebestbalanceforschoolreadiness.
Justasateachermustaskquestionsaboutthepurposeofteacherdirectedactivities,thepurposeandmanner
withwhichchilddirectedactivitiesoccurmustalsoreceiveattention,carefulplanning,andteacherinvolvement.
Thus,itisimportanttostrikeabalancebetweenteachervs.childdirectedlearninginearlychildhood
classrooms.Inchilddirectedapproaches,theteachermayestablishlearningcentersthatincorporatebooksand
materialsthatassurethataschildrenplay,theywillhaverepeatedexposuretoconceptsorinformationthe
teacherhaspreviouslyshared.Teacherdirectedactivitiesmayleadtochilddirectedlearning.Thedirection,
however,couldbereversedsuchthatchildrensexplorationsandobservationsmayleadtotheteachersetting
upanexperimentoramathtasktobuildonthechildrensinterest.Theimportantpointisthatitisnotonevs.
theotherapproach,butacomplementarybalanceofthetwo.
33
IncorporatingFlexibleGroupings+BalancedStrategies+EffectivePlanning+Content
+aResponsiveStyle
Thefifthkeyelementistheinclusionofdifferenttypesofgroupings(oneonone,smallgroup,largegroup)of
childrenacrosstheday.Childrenreceivehigherqualityrelationswithteacherswhenthereisasmallerteacher
tochildratio.Thismayoccurbecausetheteacherismorelikelytorespondsensitivelytochildrenssignals,
includingtheirattemptstoverbalize,whensheisinteractingwithsmallernumbersofchildren.
Aspreschoolclassroomsoftenhaveasmanyas20children,itischallengingforteacherstoprovidethis
individualizedresponsiveness.However,foractivitiessuchasreadaloudsessions,smallgroupingsofchildren
aremorelikelytoencouragechildrenstalkthanlargegroupreadings.Thepresenceofateachingaideoran
assistantteacheroftenallowsformoreopportunitytouseflexiblegroupingsofchildren.Withateamteaching
approach,oneteachercanworkwithasmallgroupofchildren,whiletheotherteachermovesaroundthe
centersscaffoldingthelearningoftheotherchildrenorpossiblycarryingoutanactivitywiththeminalarge
group.Itisimportantthatallchildrenbenefitfromparticipationinflexiblegroupings.
Oneonone:
Providestheteachertheopportunitytoindividualizeinstructionandmeetspecialneeds.
Smallgroups:
Allowschildrenmoreopportunityfortalking,
Providestheteacheropportunityforscaffolding,and
Encourageshandsonactivitiesandchilddiscovery.
Largegroups:
Buildasenseofcommunity,and
Setthestagefortheintroductionofthemes,informationaboutnewconcepts,andreview.
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ix.ProfessionalDevelopment:TheKeytoHighQualityPrekindergartenPrograms
Akeytoassuringthatyoungchildrenhaveeffectiveteachersistoassurethatteachershaveeffective
professionaldevelopment.Goodteachersprovideappropriatelevelsofchallenge,helpchildrenquestiontheir
ownassumptions,andencouragethemtothinkaboutandrecognizerelationshipsbetweenobjects.
ProfessionalDevelopment:ContinuingImprovementandSupportforTeachersImproves
QualityinPreschoolExperiences
Teacherscanlearnanddevelopappropriateandeffectivetechniquesforpositiveteacherchildinteractions.
Throughcarefulandcontinueddevelopment,teacherscanbuildtheireffectivenessaseducatorsovertime.
Therefore,professionaldevelopmentcomprisesanessentialelementinachievingqualitypreschoolprograms.
Teacherstrainedinearlycareandeducationaremoreresponsivetochildrensneedsandbetterequippedto
helpchildrensucceed.
AccordingtotheNationalPartnershipforExcellenceandAccountabilityinTeaching,professionaldevelopment
activitiesregardlessoftheircontentandgoalsaremorelikelytobeeffectivewhen:
Thecontentfocusesonwhatchildrenshouldlearnandhowtoaddressthedifferentproblems
childrenmayhaveinlearningthematerial;
Professionaldevelopmentisbasedonanalysesofthedifferencesbetweenactualstudent
performanceandgoalsandstandardsforstudentlearning;
Professionaldevelopmentinvolvesteachersinidentifyingwhattheyneedtolearnandindeveloping
thelearningexperiencesinwhichtheywillparticipate;
Professionaldevelopmenttakesplaceprimarilyintheclassroomandisintegratedintothedayto
dayworkofteaching;
Mostprofessionaldevelopmentisorganizedaroundcollaborativeproblemsolvinginsmallgroupsof
teachers;
Professionaldevelopmentiscontinuousandongoing,involvingfollowupandsupportforfurther
learning,includingbuildingsupportnetworksbetweenmultipleschoolsandgarneringsupportfrom
sourcesexternaltotheschoolthatcanprovidenewperspectives;
Professionaldevelopmentincorporatesevaluationofmultiplesourcesofinformationonoutcomes
forchildrenandtheinstructionandotherprocessesinvolvedinimplementinglessonslearned
throughprofessionaldevelopment;
Professionaldevelopmentprovidesopportunitiestounderstandthetheoryunderlyingthe
knowledgeandskillsbeinglearned;and
Professionaldevelopmentisconnectedtoacomprehensivechangeprocessfocusedonimproving
studentlearning.
Allearlychildhoodstakeholders(publicschool,HeadStart,childcare)shouldhaveopportunitiestobecome
wellversedintheTexasPrekindergartenGuidelines.Professionaldevelopmentwithafocusontheimportance
ofusingtheseguidelinesasatoolforplayful,wellplanned,andpurposefulinstructioninprekindergarten
classroomsshouldbeavailableforalladministratorsanddirectors.
Inaddition,teachersplanninginstructionalapproachesusingtheguidelinesasafoundationwillexposechildren
toexperienceswithemergentliteracy,math,andsocial/emotionalskills.Theseteachersaremorelikelytohave
childrenwhoshowcognitivegainsthatcarryintokindergarten.(Whitehurst&Lonigan,1998;Zevenbergen,
Whitehurst,Payne,CroneHiscott,Nania,et.al.,1997)Afirststepinreachingthisgoalisevidencethatteachers
35
canbeprovidedwithprofessionaldevelopmentthatpromotestheirabilitytoutilizetheguidelinesinproviding
theearlylearningexperiencesnecessaryforthedevelopmentoftheseskills.
Aresearchbasedpracticeforprofessionaldevelopmentishandsonwithvideosofclassroommodels.Web
basedprofessionaldevelopmentormoduletypedistricttrainingswithongoingupdatesassupportcanprovide
costeffectiveformatstoassistteachersinbalancingteachingstrategiesbasedonresearchregardingcognitive
readinesswithdevelopmentalresearchabouthowchildrenlearnmosteffectively.Theinclusionofthese
guidelinesinanymodelofprofessionaldevelopmentwillensureabalancebetweenintegrityoftrainingand
cost.
36
OrganizationoftheGuidelines
Thereare10Domains:
I. SocialandEmotionalDevelopment
II. LanguageandCommunication
III. EmergentLiteracyReading
IV. EmergentLiteracyWriting
V. Mathematics
VI. Science
VII. SocialStudies
VIII. FineArts
IX. PhysicalDevelopment
X. Technology
EachDomainincludesSkillAreas.
SixDomainAreasincludethesecolumns:
Byaround48MonthsofAge,
EndofPrekindergartenYearOutcomes,
ExamplesofChildBehaviors,and
ExamplesofInstructionalStrategies.
FourSkillDomainAreasdonotincludethecolumnofByaround48MonthsofAgeasthereisnoresearchto
guidetheinclusionofthisinthosefourareas.
Withinthedocument,childandteacherarereferredtobyhisorherandheorsheinterchangeably.Thisisfor
easeofreading,notasaspecificgenderreference.
Outcomesarenumberedinthefollowingmanner:
DomainsareindicatedwithRomannumerals.
Withineachdomain,separateskillsarelistedwithanalphabeticindicator.
Undereachskill,theoutcomesarethennumberedsequentially.

37
I.SOCIALANDEMOTIONALDEVELOPMENTDOMAIN
Whileapreschooleducationshouldincludeactivitiesthatstrengthencognitiveskills,itmustprovideforthe
developmentofthesocialandemotionalcompetenciesrequiredforschoolreadiness.Thevastmajorityof
social/emotionaldevelopmentoccurswithlittleornoformalinstructionbutwithappropriateteacherguidance
surroundingsocialandemotionalsituationssuchasseparatingfromfamilies,sharingspaceandmaterialswith
peers,resolvingconflicts,anddevelopingempathyforothers.Thedevelopmentofthesepersonalandsocial
skillsenableschildrentobuildasenseofwhotheyareandwhattheycando.Childrenestablishpositive
relationshipswithteachersandpeerswhichenablethemtoparticipateeffectivelyintheclassroomcommunity,
assertindependenceinappropriateways,andaccomplishtasksthataremeaningfultothemwithoutinfringing
ontherightsofothers.
A.SelfConceptSkills
Centraltounderstandingemotionaldevelopmentistheideaofselfconceptanincreasinglevelofconscious
awarenessofonesfeelings,thoughts,abilities,likes,anddislikes,aswellasawarenessofonesbodyinspace.
Preschoolchildrensemergingabilitytoperceivetheseaspectsofthemselvesataconsciousleveldistinguishes
themfromtoddlers,wholacksuchawareness.ChildrenbegintogeneratemultipleanswerstothequestionWho
amI?whichisanessentialaspectofbecomingcompetentinrelatedareassuchasselfcontroland
social/friendshipskills.
Byaround48
monthsofage
Endof
Prekindergarten
YearOutcomes
ExamplesofChildBehaviors ExamplesofInstructional
Strategies
Childisbuilding
competencein
controllingown
bodymovements
(suchasbalancing,
sittingstill,starting
andstoppingin
responseto
requests).
I.A.1.
Childisawareof
whereownbodyisin
space,respects
personalboundaries.
Thechild:
isabletostayindesignated
personalspacewithout
intrudinguponothers(stays
inownseatatlunchtable
withoutkickingfeetor
leaningagainstneighboring
children).
canmovearoundthe
classroomwithoutstepping
onmaterialsordisrupting
othersactivities.
Theteacher:
arrangesclassroomfurniture
inamannerthatallows
childrentoengageinclass
activities.
conductsactivitiesinspaces
thatareadequatefor
childrensspaceneeds.
usespositivecuestoremind
childrenwhattodowith
theirbodiesatcertaintimes
(handsinyourlap;quiet
feet).
Childcanidentify
ownphysical
characteristicsand
indicatesomelikes
anddislikeswhen
prompted.
I.A.2.
Childshows
awarenessofareasof
competenceand
describesself
positivelyinwhatheis
abletodo.
Thechild:
describesselfusingbasic
characteristics(haircolor,
eyecolor,gender).
describesselfusingpersonal
preferences(favoritecolor;
favoritefood;Iliketo).
describesselfusingspecific
competencies(Icanbuckle
myshoes.Imgoodat
Theteacher:
acknowledgeschildrens
efforts,providingsupport
whenneeded.
engageschildrenin
conversationsabout
themselves.
providesopportunitiesfor
childrentodrawself
portraitsanddescribe
38
Byaround48
monthsofage
Endof
Prekindergarten
YearOutcomes
Strategies
drawing.).
describesselfintermsof
beingamemberofdifferent
communities(family;
classroom;school).
themselves.
readsaloudanddiscusses
booksaboutselfawareness.
pointsoutobservationsof
progressinchildrens
growingcompetence.
Childmay
overestimateor
underestimateown
abilities.
I.A.3.
Childshows
reasonableopinionof
hisownabilitiesand
limitations.
Thechild:
exercisesappropriate
cautioninclearlydangerous
situations.
requestshelpfromadults
whenappropriate.
declineshelppolitelywhen
notneeded(No,thanks,I
candoitmyself.).
Theteacher:
setsappropriatesafetylimits
forchildrensagelevel.
provideshelpkindlywhen
requested.
encourageschildrentodoas
muchastheyareable
independently.
pointsoutandcompliments
childrenwhentheyusegood
judgment(Jasmine,Imglad
toseeyoucarryingthose
scissorssocarefully.Thank
you,Derrick,forwipingup
thatspilledwatersonoone
willslipandfall.).
modelsandencourages
practiceofselfhelpskills
childhasnotyetmastered.
Childshows
initiativeintrying
newactivities,but
maynotpersistin
solvingproblems.
I.A.4.
Childshowsinitiative
inindependent
situationsandpersists
inattemptingtosolve
problems.
Thechild:
iseagertotryoutnew
activitiesandmaterials.
participatesinavarietyof
individualactivitiesand
tasks.
selectscentersoractivities
basedonpersonal
preferences.
plansandsustains
independentplaysequences.
triesseveralstrategiesto
solveaproblembefore
seekingadultassistance.
Theteacher:
providesavarietyoflearning
centersandactivitiesthat
meettheneedsandinterests
ofdifferentchildren.
giveschildrenopportunities
tomakeindependent
decisionsaboutwhich
learningcenterormaterials
toworkwith.
modelsappropriateuseof
materialsforindependent
workorplay.
commentsonthe
contributionsofchildrenin
activities,tasks,andplay.
teachesandencourages
childrentosolveproblems
andpersistatchallenging
tasks.

39
B.SelfControlSkills
Preschoolchildrenfeelsaferandfunctionmoresuccessfullyintheclassroomwhenrulesandroutinesare
consistentlyfollowed.Awellorganizedclassroomwithwellpreparedactivitieshelpschildrenextendtheir
attentionspanandbuildselfcontrolandpersonalresponsibility.Astheyencounterandovercomenewand
varioussocialobstacleswhenplayingwithpeers,guidancefromteacherswillenablethemtolearnacceptable
andunacceptablewaysofdealingwithsocialandemotionalstressand/orexcitement.
1.BehaviorControl
Byaround48
monthsofage
Endof
Prekindergarten
YearOutcomes
Strategies
Childfollowssimple
rulesandroutines
whenassistedby
adults.
I.B.1.a.
Childfollows
classroomrulesand
routineswith
occasionalreminders
fromteacher.
Thechild:
participatesinthe
developmentofclassroom
rules.
transitionsfromoneactivity
toanother.
commentsonthesequence
ofthedaysevents(After
centersitstimetogo
outside.).
goestothedailyschedule
chartandpointsoutwhat
comesnext.
Theteacher:
involveschildrenincreating
classroomrulesand
expectationssotheyfeel
senseofownership.
consistentlyreferstoand
usestherulesandroutines
tostructuretheday.
establishessignals(finger
plays;songs;chants,etc.)to
helpchildrentransition
fromoneactivityto
another.
usesadailyschedulechart
tohelpchildrenfollowthe
daysactivities.
Childisableto
manageasmall
numberof
materialswith
support.
I.B.1.b.
Childtakescareofand
managesclassroom
materials.
Thechild:
appropriatelyhandles
materialsduringactivities.
cleansupandputs
materialsawayin
appropriateplaces(placesa
puzzlebackintoitslabeled
spot).
putsawayhisbelongingsin
hispersonalspace.
Theteacher:
providesdemonstrations
andremindersof
appropriateuseof
materials.
establishessignals(clean
upsong)tohelpchildren
cleanup.
providesadequatetime
forcleaningupmaterials.
labelsmaterialstomake
themaccessiblefor
children.
providesaspaceforeach
childtostorehispersonal
belongings.
introducesnewmaterials
andshowschildrenhowto
usethembeforeplacing
thematerialsinalearning
center.
40
Byaround48
monthsofage
Endof
Prekindergarten
YearOutcomes
Strategies
Childneedsadult
guidancetohelp
manageher
behavior.
I.B.1.c.
Childregulateshis
ownbehaviorwith
occasionalreminders
orassistancefrom
teacher.
Thechild:
respondstosignalsfor
transitioningfromone
activitytoanother.
communicates
appropriatelytomake
needsknown.
waitsforherturn(waits
patientlyatthewater
fountainforaclassmateto
finishdrinking;selects
anotherlearningcenter
whenthelearningcenterof
herfirstchoiceisfull).
refrainsfromimpulsive
responding(waitsturnto
becalledonduringgroup
discussion;requests
materialsratherthan
grabbingthem).
refrainsfromaggressive
behaviortowardpeersor
self.
Theteacher:
establishesanduses
signalstohelptransition
fromoneactivityto
another.
respondstoachilds
requestforassistanceina
timelymanner.
usescentersignstohelp
structurethenumberof
childreninacenter.
booksthatshow
charactersregulating
behavior.
intervenespromptlywhen
childsbehaviorbeginsto
escalate.
2.EmotionalControl
Byaround48
monthsofage
Endof
Prekindergarten
YearOutcomes
Strategies
Childexpressesa
rangeofemotions.
I.B.2.a.
Childbeginsto
understanddifference
andconnection
betweenfeelingsand
behaviors.
Thechild:
expressesemotionsthatare
congruentwithsituations
(disappointmentwhenplans
arechanged;happinessand
prideatmasteringa
challengingtask).
useswordstoexpress
feelingsaboutspecificevents
(Itmakesmemadwhenyou
takemytoy!Iloveto
paint!).
verbalizesunderstanding
thatallfeelingsareokay
eventhoughsomebehaviors
maynotbeokay.
usessignlanguage,apicture
systemoran
adaptive/assistivedeviceas
appropriate.
Theteacher:
usesactivitiesthatinvolve
childrenindiscussionsabout
emotionsandhowtoreact
tothem(books;roleplaying;
puppets).
engageschildrenin
discussionsofdifference
betweenfeelingsand
behaviors(Itisgreattofeel
excited,butyoumaynot
jumpofffurniture.Itis
okaytofeelangry,butyou
maynothitpeoplebecauseit
hurtsthem.).
modelsandencourages
childrentoexpressandact
outdifferentfeelingsinthe
dramaticplaycenterwhile
roleplaying.
modelsappropriate
verbalizationofemotions
41
Byaround48
monthsofage
Endof
Prekindergarten
YearOutcomes
Strategies
duringeverydayevents.
acknowledgeschildrens
emotions.
Childbecomes
familiarwithbasic
feelingwords
(happy,sad,mad,
scared)andbegins
tobeableto
identifyfaces
reflectingbasic
feelings.
I.B.2.b.
Childisawareofown
feelingsmostofthe
time.
Thechild:
isfamiliarwithavarietyof
feelingwords(happy;sad;
mad/angry;scared;proud;
worried;excited).
canidentifyfeelingsof
charactersinstorybooks.
canusuallylabelownfeelings
whenprompted.
Theteacher:
providesclassroom
materialsthatintroduce
feelingwords(posters;
books).
helpschildrenlabeltheir
ownfeelings.
modelslabelingofown
feelings(Maria,Iamso
proudofyouYouwrote
yourwholenametoday!;
PleasesitdownDiego,Iam
worriedthatyoumight
fall.Wecannotgooutside
becauseitisraining.).
readsbooksandsingssongs
thatpertaintofeelings.
promptschildrentoidentify
charactersfeelingsin
storybooks,andtoexplain
whycharactersmightbe
havingthosefeelings.
Childneedsadult
assistanceto
modulatelevelof
emotional
intensity.
I.B.2.c.
Childisableto
increaseordecrease
intensityofemotions
moreconsistently,
althoughadult
guidanceissometimes
necessary.
Thechild:
usesappropriatestrategies
todecreaselevelofdistress
(requestshelpwhenfeeling
frustratedwithatask;seeks
comfortfromteacherwhen
feelingsad).
respondspositivelytoadult
guidanceinusingcalming
strategies(suggestionsto
separateselffrom
frustratingsituation;takesa
deepbreath;etc.).
enjoysparticipatingin
activitiesthatstimulate
positiveemotions
(playgroundgames;musical
andsingingactivitiesthat
requirealternationof
loud/quiet,fast/slow).
Theteacher:
establishesconsistent
signalstopromptchildren
tobecomequietandlisten
toinstructions.
modelsandprompts
childrentouseeffective
strategiesforcalmingdown
whentheyaretooexcited
(introducingquietgameor
activity;spendingtime
aloneinquietareaofthe
room;breathingslowlyand
deeply).
createsadailyschedulethat
balancesquietandactive
times,andallowschildren
opportunitiestoexpend
physicalenergyandbe
noisy.
arrangestheclassroomto
provideareasforquiet,calm
activities.
providessupportive
assistancetochildrenduring
situationsthatmaybe
42
Byaround48
monthsofage
Endof
Prekindergarten
YearOutcomes
Strategies
emotionallychallenging,
suchasseparatingfrom
familymembersinthe
morning.
childrentopractice
modulatinglevelsof
emotionandintensity,such
assongsandgamesthat
alternatefast/slow,
loud/soft.
3.ControlofAttention
Byaround48
monthsofage
Endof
Prekindergarten
YearOutcomes
Strategies
Childfocuses
attentiononone
taskatatimebut
maynotstaywithit
tocompletion.
I.B.3.a.
Childsustains
attentionto
personallychosenor
routinetasksuntil
theyarecompleted.
Thechild:
selectsanactivityorbook
tolookatandcompletesit
beforeselectingadifferent
activity.
makesandcarriesouta
sequenceofdramaticplay
planswithapeer.
followsfamiliar/routine3
stepdirectionscorrectly
(Gowashyourhands,get
yourlunchkit,andfinda
seatatthetable.).
Theteacher:
arrangestheclassroomto
facilitatechildrensaccess
to,andselectionof,setsof
materialswithwhichto
completeatask(accessto
paint,paper,smock,and
paintbrushesinthe
creativitycenter;accessto
pencils,paper,letter
stamps,andinkpadsinthe
writingcenter).
encourageschildrento
continuewiththeirplanned
activityuntilitiscompleted.
refrainsfromdistractingor
redirectingchildrens
attentionfromtheirchosen
activity/playunlessitis
clearlynecessarytodoso.
providesassistancetoa
childwhoneedssupportto
continuefocusingonatask
oractivity(praisingeffort;
offeringencouragement;
offeringhelpifneeded;
suggestingexpansionsto
childsplayidea;offering
additionalrelatedpropsor
materials).
providesopportunitiesto
practicefollowingmultistep
directions.
43
Byaround48
monthsofage
Endof
Prekindergarten
YearOutcomes
Strategies
Childsitsand
listenstostories
and/orparticipates
inlargegroup
activitiesforupto
1015minutesata
time.
I.B.3.b.
Childremainsfocused
onengaginggroup
activitiesforabout20
minutesatatime.
Thechild:
listensattentivelytostories
andinstructionsduring
circletimes.
contributesverbal
responsesthatare
appropriatelyrelatedtothe
topicduringgroup
discussion.
attendstopeerresponses
duringsmallandlarge
groupdiscussion.
Theteacher:
scheduleslargeandsmall
groupactivitieswith
durationsmatchedto
childrensattentionspans.
preparesaheadforgroup
activitiessothatchildren
arenotleftwaitingwith
nothingtodo.
useslivelypacingofgroup
activitiesandencourages
childrensactive
participationtohelp
childrensustainattention.
attendtoeachothers
contributionsratherthan
attendingonlywhenitis
theirturn.
minimizesdistractions
(extraneousnoise;toysleft
withinchildrensreach;
adultsenteringandleaving
theroomfrequently)during
timeswhenchildrenare
expectedtoattendtogroup
activities.
C.SocialCompetenceSkills
Aspreschoolchildrenenterschooltheystartformingrelationshipswiththeadultsandotherchildrenintheir
environment.Teacherscanhelpchildrendevelopmeaningfulandrewardingrelationshipsbyofferingthem
facilitativesupport.Duringthisdevelopmentalperiod,childrenoftenbegintodevelopspecialfriendshipswith
particularpeerswhichincreasetheirfeelingsofcomfort,pleasure,andconfidenceintheirsocialworld.These
experiencesalsohelpbuildasenseofempathyandcaringforothers.
Byaround48
monthsofage
EndofPrekindergarten
YearOutcomes
Strategies
Childformswarm
relationshipswith
teachers.
I.C.1.
Childusespositive
relationshipsas
modeledbyhisteacher
forherownprosocial
behaviors.
Thechild:
greetsteacherinthemorning
andsaysgoodbyewhen
leaving.
coordinateseyecontactwith
communication(looksat
teacherorpeerduring
communicativeexchanges).
engagesinconversationswith
anadultaboutwhatheis
doing(e.g.,discusseswhathe
ispaintingattheeasel).
takesmultipleturnsduringa
Theteacher:
displaysawarm,welcoming
attitudetowardallchildren.
greetschildrenbynameat
arrivaltimesandsays
goodbyeatdeparturetimes.
recognizesthatincertain
cultures,childrensaverting
eyecontactfromadultsmay
beconsideredasignof
respectforauthority.
establishesconsistent
classroomroutinesandrules.
44
Byaround48
monthsofage
YearOutcomes
Strategies
conversation.
viewsteacherasahelpful
resourceforinformationas
wellassocialsupport
(approachesteachertoask
questionsorsolicithelpwhen
needed).
enjoyssharingstoriesand
experiencesfromoutsideof
theschoolwiththeteacher.
respectsteachersauthority
(acceptslimitsandrulessetby
teacher).
engagesinconversationswith
eachchildthroughoutthe
day.
asksquestionstoscaffold
conversationswithchildren.
allowsamplewaittimefor
childrentorespondortoask
questions.
getsdowntochildslevel
(seatedonfloororchair)
duringconversationasoften
aspossible.
remembersandrespondsto
informationspecificto
individualchildren(Laurens
momisabouttohaveababy;
Jakesgrandfatherdiedlast
week.Shanaisadjustingto
beinginanewhome.).
Childfeels
comfortableand
confidentwithin
classroom
environment.
I.C.2.
Childassumesvarious
rolesand
responsibilitiesaspart
ofaclassroom
community.
Thechild:
caresforclassroommaterials
appropriately.
recognizesthatclassroom
materialsbelongtoeveryone.
readilyacceptsandcarriesout
classroomhelperjobs.
respectsothersworkspaces
andtimewithshared
materials.
takesturnswithmaterialsand
inactivities.
participatesinindividual,
small,andlargegroup
activities(singsalongwiththe
groupduringcircletime;plays
cooperativelyintheblock
centerwithclassmatestobuild
atower).
takesresponsibilityfor
cleaningupownspillsand
messes.
enjoysseeingownworkandself
representationsdisplayedinthe
classroom(artworkonthewall;
nameandpictureonchartsand
cubbies).
Theteacher:
teacheschildrenhowto
properlycareforclassroom
materialsandtocleanup
afterthemselves.
makeschildrenpartof
decisionmakingprocesses
(namingtheclassroompet).
providesmeaningful
classroomhelperjobsthat
alloweachchildtoparticipate
intheclassroomcommunity.
providestime,space,and
materialsthatallowchildren
toworktogetherinsmalland
largegroups.
providesinteractivesongsand
activitiestoengagechildren
duringcircletime.
displayschildrenswork,
names,playproducts,and
picturesintheclassroom.
Childshowsinterest
injointplaybutmay
belessskilledat
initiatingandjoining
unstructuredpeer
play.
I.C.3.
Childshows
competencein
initiatingsocial
interactions.
Thechild:
participatesspontaneouslyin
avarietyofgroupactivities,
tasks,andplay.
activelyseeksoutplay
partnersandappropriately
invitesthemtoplay(startsa
gamewithclassmatesonthe
playground).
Theteacher:
encourageschildrentoshow
initiativeratherthanpassivity
(invitingchildrentoshare
theiropinionsand
preferences;sayingJesse,
whydontyouaskMarkifhe
wantsarideinyour
wagon?).
45
Byaround48
monthsofage
YearOutcomes
Strategies
materialsthatencourage
childrentoworkandplay
togetherinsmallandlarge
groups.
bookswherethecharacters
dealwithavarietyofsocial
situations.
Childenjoysparallel
andassociativeplay
withpeers.
I.C.4.
Childincreasingly
interactsand
communicateswith
peerstoinitiate
pretendplayscenarios
thatshareacommon
planandgoal.
Thechild:
sharesspaceandmaterials
withotherchildren
comfortably.
followstheleadofothers
(entersacenterandadapts
totheongoingplayof
others).
generatesjointplaygoalsand
carriesthemoutwithatleast
oneotherchildatatime.
demonstratesabilityto
negotiate&compromise
withpeerstoachievea
cooperativegoal.
Theteacher:
modelspositiveinteractions
byengaginginplaywiththe
children.
arrangesclassroomto
providespacefor
cooperativeaswellas
individualplayactivities.
assistschildrenin
communicatingeffectively
witheachotherandresolving
conflictsappropriately.
encouragesquieter/shy
childrentoconnectwith
others,providingassistance
todosowhenneeded.
Childseeksadult
helpwhen
experiencing
conflictswith
anotherchild.
I.C.5.
Childinitiatesproblem
solvingstrategiesand
seeksadulthelpwhen
necessary.
Thechild:
attemptstoworkout
problemswithapeer
independentlybeforeseeking
adulthelp.
asksanadultorpeerforhelp
whenneeded(Willyoupush
meontheswing?).
askstheteacherforhelpin
resolvingaconflictwitha
classmateafterattemptingto
solvetheproblemherself
(Marywontgivemeaturn
ontheswing!).
followsconflictresolution
stepswithteachersguidance
tosolveadisputewitha
classmate.
Theteacher:
communicatedirectlywith
eachotherinrespectful
ways.
modelsappropriatewaysto
askforassistance.
involveschildrenin
discussionsandactivities
abouthowtogetownneeds
metwhilerespectingthe
needsofothers(books;role
playing;puppets).
helpschildrenlearnstepsto
takeinconflictresolution.
Childrespondswith
concernwhena
childoradultis
distressed.
I.C.6.
Childdemonstrates
empathyandcaringfor
others.
Thechild:
showsemotionsrelatedto
anothersexperience
(expressessadnessfora
characterinabook;shows
excitementwhenaclassmate
crossesthefinishlineina
race).
demonstratesadesiretobe
helpful(volunteerstohelpa
classmatecleanupaspill).
demonstratesconcernfora
Theteacher:
modelsconcernforothers.
acknowledgeswhenchildren
helpeachother.
usesactivitiesthatintroduce
childrentotheconceptof
perspectivetaking(theidea
thatothersmayseeorfeel
thingsdifferentlythanthey
do).
usesactivitiesthatinvolve
46
Byaround48
monthsofage
YearOutcomes
Strategies
classmate(comfortsa
classmatewhoiscrying;
slowsdowntowalkwitha
classmatewithaphysical
disability).
interactswithavarietyof
peersregardlessofrace,
gender,orability.
thefeelingsofothers(books;
roleplaying;puppets).
providesactiveopportunities
forchildrentobehelpfuland
caring(makinggetwellcards
forasickclassmate;making
giftsforfamilyandfriendsat
holidaytimes;takingcareof
aclassroompet;pairinga
childwithadisabilitywitha
peerwhocanhelp).
Childinteractseasily
withavarietyof
playmates,may
havepreferred
friends.
I.C.7.
Childbeginstohave
meaningfulfriends.
Thechild:
talkswiththefriendtoplan
theirplay(planningtoplay
houseinthepretendand
learncenter).
seekshelpforthefriend
(goingtotheteacherforhelp
whenafriendfallsdown).
talksaboutthefriend.
choosestoworkwiththe
friend.
copiesthefriendsideasor
behaviorsattimes.
expressespleasureat
spendingtimewiththe
friend.
followsfriendspreferences
ornoticesconcernsattimes.
expressesinterestinplaying
withthefriendoutsideof
school.
Theteacher:
materialsthatallowchildren
toworkandplaytogetherin
smallandlargegroups.
leadsactivitiesthatinvolve
friendship(books;role
playing;puppets).
acknowledgesclassmates
whoareworkingtogetheror
helpingeachotherasdoing
whatfriendsdo.
respectschildsdesirefor
proximityorpairingwitha
specialfriendwhen
appropriate(wantingtosit
togetheratlunchtime;
partneringforagame).

47

D.SocialAwarenessSkills
Preschoolchildrenstillneedadultsupportandguidanceinlearninghowtooperatesociallywithothers.In
additiontofacilitatingpeergroupandadultchildinteraction,teacherscanhelptoreinforceunderstandingof
socialsituationswithrich,sociallyrelevanteducationalmaterialandthoughtprovokingquestions.

Byaround48
monthsofage
Endof
PrekindergartenYear
Outcomes
Strategies
Childnotices(with
limited
understanding)
howpeoplearethe
sameanddifferent.
I.D.1.
Childdemonstratesan
understandingthat
othershavespecific
characteristics.
Thechild:
describesothersusing
specificcharacteristics
(Mrs.Smithwears
glasses.Calvinisthe
tallestchildintheclass.).
Theteacher:
usesgraphicorganizersto
compareandcontrast
childrenscharacteristics.
modelsusingdescriptive
wordstodescribeothers.
scaffoldschildrens
drawingsofeachotheror
dictateddescriptionsto
includemore
characteristics.
Childisinterested
inotherpeopleand
theirfeelings.
I.D.2.
Childdemonstratesan
understandingthat
othershave
perspectivesand
feelingsthatare
differentfromher
own.
Thechild:
usesvisualcuesfromother
childrentoidentifyhowhe
isfeeling.
useswordstoexpressown
andotherspreferences(I
liketopaintwithred,and
Marylikestopaintwith
blue.).
useswordstoexpressown
andothersfeelings
(Michaelthinksthats
funny,butIdont!).
asksquestionsthatindicate
understandingthatpeers
mayhaveadifferent
perspectivethan
themselves(Doyoulike
raisins?Wereyouscared
ofthatmovie?).
Theteacher:
modelsacceptanceof
someonesdifferent
perspective.
booksthatshowcharacters
withdifferingperspectives.
haschildrenidentifythe
feelingsofdifferentstory
charactersduringread
alouds.
providesactivitiesthat
promoterespectfor
diversity(culture;ethnicity;
specialneeds;and
language).
introducesactivitiesthat
givechildrenconcrete
experienceswiththe
conceptofdifferent
perspectives(takingturns
lookingaroundthrough
differentcoloredlensesor
throughbinoculars;having
childrenpairupandsit
backtobackwiththeir
partneranddescribewhat
theycanseefromtheir
position,thentradeplaces).
48
Byaround48
monthsofage
Endof
PrekindergartenYear
Outcomes
Strategies
usesagraphtocompare
andcontrastchildrens
preferences(favoritefood,
color,book).
II.LANGUAGEANDCOMMUNICATIONDOMAIN
Duringtheprekindergartenyears,childrensexperienceswithlanguagebegintoformthebasisfortheirlater
schoolsuccess.Explainingwordsandsounds,talkingtochildrenaboutobjectsandtheirnames(labeling),and
usingexpandedvocabularyareallwaysinwhichteacherscanhelptobuildchildrensorallanguageskills.Given
adequateopportunitiestointeractwithresponsiveadultsinlanguagerichclassrooms,youngchildrens
languageskillsusuallyexpandrapidlyduringtheseyears.ForchildrenwhosefirstlanguageisotherthanEnglish,
thenativelanguageservesasthefoundationforcommunicationamongfamilyandcommunitymembers,and
buildingconceptsandunderstandingoftheworldaroundthem.ThisproficiencyalsoassistsinEnglishlanguage
acquisition.ManychildrenwhoareEnglishlanguagelearners(ELL)enterourschoolswitharemarkable
knowledgeoftheirnativelanguage,alinguisticknowingthattheyutilizeinstinctivelyintheirdaily
communications.Theprocessoftransfer(withliteracybasedESLandorallanguagebeginningin
prekindergarten,requiresthatwetakewhatstudentsalreadyknowandunderstandaboutliteracyintheirhome
languageandensurethatthisknowledgeisusedtohelpthemgainliteracyskillsinasecondlanguage.The
languageskillsincludelisteningandspeaking,expandingbothchildrensunderstandingofwhattheyhear,as
wellastheirabilitytocommunicatetheirownideasandexperiences.Theselanguageskillsinturnhavea
tremendousimpactuponreadingandwritingaschildrenprogressthroughschool.Languageisoptimally
supportedbyprovidingalargeamountoftimethroughoutthedayfororallanguagecommunicationincluding
timeforauthentic,purposefulchildinitiatedorallanguageopportunities.Prekindergarteneducatorsshould
provideopportunitiestopromotelanguagelearninginchildrenwhospeakalanguageotherthanEnglish.
ChildrenwhoareEnglishlanguagelearnersmayhavedifficultieswiththepragmatics(theappropriateuseof
languagetocommunicateeffectivelyinmanydifferentsituationsandformanydifferentpurposes)ofEnglish.
Theseincluderulesofpoliteness,conversationalskills,andextendeddiscourse(tellingstoryandgivingan
explanation).PragmaticskillsareimportantforchildrenwhoareEnglishlanguagelearnerstounderstandwhat
teacherssayintheclassroom.Scaffoldingiseffectiveforbuildingyoungchildrenslanguageandliteracy;thisis
alsotruefortheEnglishLanguageLearner.Exceptwherespecified,thefollowingguidelinesoutlinelanguage
accomplishmentsfor4yearoldchildrenintheirnativelanguage.Thestatedoutcomesshouldbeusedasa
guideforchildrenwhohavelimitedEnglishproficiencyandareappropriateforallchildrenwhoareEnglish
languagelearners,providingguidanceforteachersinstruction.Additionalspecificguidelinesforthesupportof
languagedevelopmentofprekindergartenchildrenwhosehomelanguageisnotEnglishinEnglishonlysettings
appearbelowandareindicatedbythisicon. (LEERMAS,2001)

49
50

A.ListeningComprehensionSkills
Frombirth,childrenbeginlearningbylisteningtotheworldaroundthem.Astheirexposureincreases,sodoes
theirunderstanding.Prekindergartenagechildrenareabletocomprehendwithincreasingaccuracywhatthey
hearinconversationsandinstoriesreadaloud.Childrendemonstrateunderstandingthroughtheirquestions,
comments,andactions.Accordingtostatelaw,prekindergartenchildrenwhoareEnglishlanguagelearnerscan
beinaclassroomenvironmentthatiseitherEnglishasaSecondLanguageinstructionorBilingual.Childrenwho
areEnglishlanguagelearnersarriveatschoolwithlisteningcomprehensionskillsintheirhomelanguage.These
skillscanbeusedtosupportthechildsdevelopmentinEnglish.ChildrenwhoareEnglishlanguagelearnerslisten
purposefullytobothEnglishspeakingandSpanishspeakingteachersandpeerstogatherinformationabout
boththeirhomelanguageandtheirnewlanguage(English).(LEERMAS,2001)

Byaround48
MonthsofAge
Endof
Prekindergarten
YearOutcomes
ExamplesofChild
Behaviors
ExamplesofInstructionalStrategies
Childrespondsto
situationsinways
thatdemonstrate
heunderstands
whathasbeensaid.
II.A.1.
Childshows
understanding
byresponding
appropriately.
Thechild:
hasamultipleturn
conversationwith
anotherperson,
listeninginorderto
extendorconnecttoan
ideaexpressedbythe
otherperson.
respondstostoriesby
askingandanswering
questions.
makescomments
relatedtothetopic
beingdiscussed.
respondsbefore,
during,andafterstories
readtothewholeclass,
aswellasresponding
whenreadtoinasmall
group.
followsachangeinthe
morningactivity
scheduleasdescribed
bytheteacher.
followsverbal
directions.
listenstoaudiotaped
storiesandshows
understandingthrough
bodylanguage,pointing
totheappropriate
pictures,orretelling
whatsheheard.
Theteacher:
engageschildrendailyin
conversationsrelatedtothemesor
contentwherechildrentake
multipleturnslisteningand
responding,eitherorallyor
physically.
providesfeedbackwhen
conversingwithachildtomodel
listeningandencourages
additionalcommentsfromthat
child.
askschildrentorecallandadd
detailstoexpandtheirresponses
whileengagedingroupactivities,
suchasreadaloudtime,showand
tell,authorschair.
askschildrenwho,what,where,
andwhyquestionstoengage
childreninthereadaloud
experience.
providesmulticultural,culturally
relevantbooksforchildren.
Byaround48 Endof
51
MonthsofAge Prekindergarten
YearOutcomes
ExamplesofChild
Behaviors
Childfollowssimple
singlestep
requests.
II.A.2.
Childshows
understanding
byfollowingtwo
steporal
directionsand
usuallyfollows
threestep
directions.
Thechild:
followsdirectionsgiven
bytheteacherto
Pleaseputyourthings
away,andthensit
downonthecarpet.
respondsto
instructionsgivento
thewholeclass(Please
getyourjackets,put
themon,andgetin
line.).
repeatsaninstruction
toafriend.
followsdirectionsona
tapeorCDtoperform
variousmovements,or
gestures.
participatesingames
suchasFollowthe
Leader.
Theteacher:
instructschildrenindailyroutines,
suchassettingthetable,goingto
centers,goingoutsideandtothe
restroom,bygivingtwoand
threestepdirections.
providestwoandthreestep
directionsforchildrentocomplete
specifictasksduringtransitions
suchascleaningupandgettingin
line.
playsorsingssongsrequiring
childrentoactoutmultiple
behaviorsandmultistepdirections
(Hokey,Pokey;IfYoureHappy
andYouKnowIt).
Childdemonstrates
basic
understandingof
followingclassroom
routines.
II.A.3.
Childshows
understandingof
thenew
languagebeing
spokenby
Englishspeaking
teachersand
peers(ELL).
Thechild:
followsasetofroutines
foractivitiesandcan
makesenseofwhatis
happening.
respondstoconsistent
andsimplifiedlanguage
wheninstructedin
literacyactivitiesand
assignments.
turnstoapartnerand
repeatsinstructions
Think,TurnandTalk.
respondstoquestions
byusingthefollowing
torepresentanswers:
popsiclesticks(with
green/redends);white
socksvs.coloredsocks;
yesnocards;thumbs
upthumbsdown;
beanbag;beachball.
Theteacher:
providesscaffoldsinhowtouse
strategies,skills,andconcepts.
adjustsownuseofEnglishtomake
conceptscomprehensible.
acceptsresponsesinchildsnative
language.
selectsandincorporateschildren's
responses,ideas,examples,and
experiencesintolesson.
alwaysgiveschildrenthinktime
beforeaskingforaresponse.
ensuresqualityofindependent
practice.
asksquestionstoensure
comprehension.
providesextrainstruction,
practice,andreview.
maintainscloseproximityto
children.
usesthechildshomelanguageas
basetosupportthedevelopment
ofEnglishorallanguage(in
BilingualandESLprograms).
allowschildrentorespondintheir
homelanguage(inBilingual/ESL
instructionalsettings).
52
B.Speaking(Conversation)Skills
Prekindergartenchildrengaintheabilitytouselanguageinavarietyofsettingsandforavarietyofreasons.
Theybecomeincreasinglyabletodescribewantsandneeds,carryonaconversationwithothers,andshare
informationwithbothpeersandadults.Theskilltoengageothersinconversationsinvolvesaskingquestions,
listening,andresponding,aswellasusingverbalandnonverbalexpressions.ChildrenwhoareEnglishlanguage
learnersmayrequiremoretimetorespondandgreaterwaittime,becausetheyarelearningandprocessingtwo
languagesatonce.Thisisanormalpartofsecondlanguageacquisition.ChildrenlearningEnglishshouldbe
encouragedandexpectedtodemonstratetheirspeaking/communicationskillsintheirhomelanguageaswellas
inEnglish.
Byaround48
MonthsofAge
Endof
Prekindergarten
YearOutcomes
ExamplesofChild
Behaviors
Childsometimes
useslanguagefor
differentpurposes.
II.B.1.
Childisableto
uselanguagefor
different
purposes.
Thechild:
requestshelpfroma
teachertogetaball
thatwentoverthe
playgroundfence.
tellsafriendthatsheis
angryaboutbeing
pushed.
usespleaseand
thankyou
appropriately.
participatesina
discussionabout
magnets,making
predictionsaboutwhat
thingsthemagnetwill
attract.
tellstheclassabouta
familytriptothezoo.
Theteacher:
modelsappropriatelanguageusage.
engageschildrenverballyincenter
activities,roleplaying,andmodeling
desiredlanguageskills.
providesexperiencesthatrequire
childrentotalk,playandwork
cooperatively.
engageschildreninactiveproblem
solvingsituations(Whatdoyouthink
willhappenif?Howwouldit
changewhathappenswhen?).
Childsometimes
usesaccepted
languageandstyle
during
communication
withfamiliaradults
andchildren.
II.B.2.
Childengagesin
conversationsin
appropriate
ways.
Thechild:
entersanexistingplay
situation,joininginto
theconversationsin
progress(outside,
dramaticplay,or
constructioncenter,
etc.).
respondstobothopen
endedquestionsand
questionswithspecific
answers(Whatdoyou
thinkabout?What
isyourfavoritekindof
pizza?).
initiatesorterminates
Theteacher:
createsaplayenvironmentthat
encourageschildrentoengagein
conversationsduringplay.
providesinterestingandchanging
materialsandsettingsforchildrento
talkabout.
engagesinconversationalexchanges
witheachchildeveryday.
noticesthechildrenwhodonot
engageintalkaseasilyandlooksfor
waystoinitiateconversationorto
haveanotherchildinitiatea
conversationwiththosechildren.
53
Byaround48
MonthsofAge
Endof
Prekindergarten
YearOutcomes
ExamplesofChild
Behaviors
conversations
appropriately.
engagesinappropriate
greetinganddeparting
conversations.
Childisableto
communicatebasic
informationin
familiarsocial
settings.
II.B.3.
Childprovides
appropriate
informationfor
various
situations.
Thechild:
answersquestionsfrom
adultswithinthe
school,otherthanthe
classroomteacher,such
asanurse.
askstheteacherfor
helpinproblemsolving
orwithtaskssuchas
tyingashoe.
introducesherselftoa
newchildintheclass.
Theteacher:
modelsclassroomexpectationsfor
greetingandrespondingtonew
people.
teacheschildrentoaskforhelpwhen
necessary.
helpschildrenlearntheirpersonal
informationandappropriatepeople
tosharethatinformationwithina
safemanner.
Childsometimes
usesaccepted
languageandstyle
during
communication
withfamiliaradults
andchildren.
II.B.4.
Child
demonstrates
knowledgeof
verbal
conversational
rules.
Thechild:
participatesina
conversationwitha
peeroradult,taking
turnstalkingandnot
interrupting.
waitsuntilateacher
finishesaconversation
withanadultbefore
talking.
usestheappropriate
toneofvoiceforthe
situation(araisedvoice
toshowexcitement
whentalkingabouta
newpetoroutside;a
quietvoicewhen
inside).
Theteacher:
modelsconversationaletiquette
duringwholegrouptime,suchas
sharingajournalentryorduringshow
andtell(Jamesissharingnow.Your
turnisnext.).
modelsandexplainswhenandhow
tousethephrase,Excuseme,when
achildneedstointerruptanongoing
conversation.
providesassistancetochildrenin
learningtowaittheirturntotalk,
throughtheestablishmentof
classroomrulesandexpectations.
Childsometimes
usesappropriate
nonverbal
standardsin
conversationswith
others.
II.B.5.
Child
demonstrates
knowledgeof
nonverbal
conversational
rules.
Thechild:
looksataclassmateas
hediscusseswhatheis
goingtobuildinthe
constructioncenter.
showsexcitementby
displayingwideopen
eyesandasmilewhen
talkingaboutafamily
experience.
sitsorstandsan
appropriatedistance
fromafriendasthey
talk.
talkstothepeoplein
hervicinity,athertable
Theteacher:
readspartsofabookusingdifferent
facialexpressionsanddiscusseshow
thisaffectsthestory.
modelsandexplainsdifferent
nonverbalconversationalrules
(Whenyoulookatme,itshowsme
thatyouarelistening.).
roleplaysconversationsusing
appropriatenonverbalbehaviors
(WatchmyfacewhileIamtalkingto
Maria.SeehowIwatchherwhileshe
istalking,smilingifshetellsme
somethinggood,lookingsadifshe
tellsmesomethingthatissad.)
Then,haveaconversationwiththe
54
Byaround48
MonthsofAge
Endof
Prekindergarten
YearOutcomes
ExamplesofChild
Behaviors
orbesideheronthe
carpet.
child.
Childsometimes
usesappropriate
volumeand
intonationfor
differentsituations.
II.B.6.
Childmatches
languageto
socialcontexts.
Thechild:
movesclosetoa
teacherandspeaks
quietlyasclassmates
settledownforanap.
usesthetitle,Mrs.Or
Mr.beforea
teachersnameand
referstoclassmatesby
firstnames.
followstheclassroom
ruleregardingquiet
voices.
Theteacher:
modelsappropriatelanguageand
toneindifferentsocialsituations
(usingdifferentquietandloud
voices).
providesvaryingsocialsituationsfor
childrentopracticelanguageusage
(teaparties;assemblies;fieldtrips).
remindschildrenofappropriate
languageandtoneduringdifferent
timesoftheday(incenters;meal
time;inthehall;etc.).
55

C.SpeechProductionSkills
Youngchildrenmustlearntovocalize,pronounce,anddiscriminateamongthesoundsofthealphabetandwords
oflanguage.Althoughmostchildreninprekindergartencanaccuratelyperceivethedifferencebetweensimilar
soundingwords,theycontinuetoacquirenewsoundsandmaymispronouncewordsintheirownspeech.The
abilitytoproducecertainspeechsoundssuchas/s/and/r/improveswithage.Justasinfantsandtoddlers
developcontroloverthesoundsoftheirfirstlanguage,youngchildreninELLsettingsgraduallylearnto
pronouncethesoundsoftheEnglishlanguage.(LEERMAS,2001)
Byaround48
MonthsofAge
Endof
Prekindergarten
YearOutcomes
ExamplesofChild
Behaviors
Childsspeechis
understoodby
familiaradultsand
children.
II.C.1.
Childsspeechis
understoodby
boththeteacher
andotheradults
intheschool.
Thechild:
speaksclearlyenough
sothattheotheradults
intheschooloravisitor
canunderstandwhat
heissaying.
accuratelygivesa
messagefromhometo
theteacher.
communicatesinaway
thatothersunderstand
whatisbeingsaid
withoutconstantly
havingtoask,What
didyousay?
Theteacher:
speaksatacomfortablepace(nottoo
fastnortooslowly)andaneasily
heardvolumeinsideandoutdoors.
expectschildrentouselanguage
whenmakingrequestsratherthan
onlypointingorgesturing.
playsgameslikeTelephonethat
requiresclearspeech.
modelscorrectexampleswhenachild
overgeneralizesrules(Childsays,
Myfootsarecold.Teacher
responds,Yourfeetarecold.Why
areyourfeetcold?).
Childmayconfuse
wordsthatsound
similar.
II.C.2.
Childperceives
differences
betweensimilar
soundingwords.
Thechild:
followsdirections
withoutconfusionover
thewordsheard.
pointstothe
appropriatepicture
whenprompted(when
shownapictureofa
goatandacoat,points
tothepicturethat
matchestheword
spoken).
Theteacher:
modelspointingtoappropriate
picturesastheobjectsinthepictures
aresaid.
modelssayingwordsdistinctly
enoughtohearthedifferences
betweensimilarsoundingwords.
providespictureswithsimilar
soundingnamesforthechildrento
interactwith.
Byaround48 Endof
56
YearOutcomes
ExamplesofChild
Behaviors
Childjoinsinsongs
andfingerplays.
II.C.3.
Child
investigatesand
demonstrates
growing
understandingof
thesoundsand
intonationofthe
Englishlanguage
(ELL).
Thechild:
participatesinplanned
orallanguageactivities.
playswithfamiliar
songsusingsounds
substitution(thesong
"Twinkle,Twinkle,Little
Star"canbesubstituted
using"la,la,la,la"
throughout).
insertssoundplayinto
thelyricsofafamiliar
song(highlightsa
particularsound,
example/k/;works
withtherhymesinthe
"CatandtheFiddle"
and"HickoryDickory
Dock".)
usesphonograms(cat,
hat,sat,mat,fat,pat)
whenplayingwith
rhymes.
Theteacher:
understandstheimportanceof
languagedevelopmentandthesound
structureoflanguageacquisition.
selectswordsthatincludesounds
commontobothlanguagesand
separatessimilarsounds.
askschildrentorepeatwordsbefore
attemptingatask.
hasawarenessofdifferencesin
pronunciation.
acceptsoralapproximations.
includesrhymesthatfocusonpairing
movementandactionwithrhythmic
passages.
useschoralresponses.
usesphonograms(cat,hat,sat,mat,
fat,pat).

57

D.VocabularySkills
Childrensvocabularyacquisitionislargelydependentuponinteractionswithadults.Thesemaybeoccurringin
oneormorelanguagesthroughtalkingaboutexperiences,readingfamiliarstories,singingfamiliarsongs,and
playingwordgames.Prekindergartenchildrenexperiencerapidgrowthintheirunderstandingofwordsand
wordmeanings.Vocabularyknowledgereflectschildrenspreviousexperiencesandgrowingknowledgeofthe
worldaroundthemandisoneofthemostimportantpredictorsoflaterreadingachievement.Aschildrenlearn
throughexperiences,includingplay,theydevelopconcepts,acquirenewwords,andincreasinglyrefinetheir
understandingofwordstheyalreadyknow.EnglishlanguagelearnersmayneedextensiveEnglishvocabulary
instruction.ChildrenwhoareEnglishlanguagelearnersarriveatprekindergartenwithavocabularyknowledge
baseintheirhomelanguage.Thisknowledgebaseshouldbeusedtodevelopvocabularyinthechildssecond
language.WhenintroducingvocabularytochildrenwhoareEnglishlanguagelearners,teachersshouldusea
varietyofapproachestoteachimportantnewwordsandusereallifeobjectsorpictureswhenappropriate.
Byaround48
MonthsofAge
Endof
Prekindergarten
YearOutcomes
ExamplesofChild
Behaviors
Childunderstands
andusesaccepted
wordsforobjects,
actions,and
attributes.
II.D.1.
Childusesa
widevarietyof
wordstolabel
anddescribe
people,places,
things,and
actions.
Thechild:
explainshisfavorite
partofafictionor
nonfictionbookthat
wasread.
relatesexperiences
fromafieldtrip,using
specificwordsto
describewhatshesaw
anddid,suchasnaming
thetoolsthefirefighter
usesandhowthesiren
sounded.
useswordsto
communicatehowheis
feeling.
useslanguageto
expresscommon
routines.
usesthenewwords
introducedbythe
teacherwhileengaging
inthemeorcontent
relatedactivitiesand
play.
usesthenewwords
whileengaginginchild
initiatedplay.
usesthenewwords
duringroleplayinthe
Theteacher:
providesandreadstochildrena
varietyofconceptrelatedbooks
(farm/zooanimals,vegetables/fruits,
thebody,transportation).
provideswaysforchildrentointeract
withandusenewvocabularywords
inmeaningfulcontextsusingreal
objectsorpictures(suchasmakinga
grocerystoreforchildrentointeract
withnewvocabulary).
modelsawidevarietyofrich,rare
vocabularywordsincludingvaried
nouns,adjectives,andverbs(These
flowersarecalledazaleas.Theiredges
arefrilly,likelace,butverysoft.).
definesnewwordsforchildrenwhen
readingaloudbyconnectingwhat
childrenalreadyknowtothenew
wordandencouragesdiscussionof
wordmeanings(Thisisashovel.Itis
likeagreatbigspoonthatscoopsup
thedirt.).
describesandexplainsconcepts
duringoutdoorplay,andmealtimes
(Astheweatherbeginstogetcold,
theleavesarestartingtoturncolors.
Soon,theywillfalloffthetrees.).
createscategorylistsofwords
(peoplewhoworkinourschool;
58
Byaround48
MonthsofAge
Endof
Prekindergarten
YearOutcomes
ExamplesofChild
Behaviors
dramaticplaycenter
whileassumingtherole
ofacashier(scripts).
tellsaclassroomvisitor
abouthisexperiences
withthematerialsin
thesciencecenter,
usingappropriate
terminology.
followsdirectionsthat
usedescriptivewords
(Hopslowly;Run
fast;Drawasmall
square).
animalsinthebookweread)tohelp
childrenmakemeaningful
connectionsbetweenwordsand
concepts.
Childrespondsto
instructional
languageofthe
classroom.
II.D.2.
Child
demonstrates
understandingof
termsusedin
theinstructional
languageofthe
classroom.
Thechild:
followsdirections
duringtransitional
times(Pleaselineup
behindMaria.Put
yourcoatonthehook
nexttoRhondas.).
followsdirectionsin
songstoputyourhand
overyourhead,then
putyourhandbehind
yourback.
understandsdirections
givenatcentertime
(Puttheitemsthatare
thesametogether.).
pointstoappropriate
picturesorobjects
whenprompted.
Theteacher:
providesdirectionstochildrenusing
veryspecificlanguageforlocations,
sizes,shapes,andrelationships(Look
forthelong,brownblockinsidethe
cabinet.).
playsISpyandscavengerhunt
gamesusingspecificlocation,action,
anddescriptorwords(Findtwo
crayonsthesamecolorandonethat
isdifferent.).
createsadaptationsofsongs,poems,
andnurseryrhymestoincorporate
usinganddemonstratingpositional
words(LittleMissMuffetsatonher
tuffet.Wherewouldshesitifshesat
infrontofhertuffet?Haveachild
demonstrateandallthechildren
describewherethechildissitting.).
identifiestheattributesthatmake
objectsthesameordifferent(These
crayonsarethesamecolorbut
differentlengths.)Demonstrates
differenceinlengthsbyplacing
crayonssidebysidewithoneendthe
same,sochildrencanobservethe
difference.
includeslanguageaboutpositionand
descriptivecharacteristicsofthings
andactionswheninteractingwith
childrenorcommentingontheirplay,
duringbothinsideandoutsideplay
(Lookatthebirdsittingonthe
fence.).
providesactivitiesthatengage
childreninusingpositionaland
59
Byaround48
MonthsofAge
Endof
Prekindergarten
YearOutcomes
ExamplesofChild
Behaviors
descriptivecharacteristicsduring
independentplay(centerswhere
childrendescribeactionsastheyput
avarietyofanimalsinfrontof,
behind,besideatree;sortshapes
intogroupsofsameanddifferent,
suchastrianglesandnottriangles).
Childshows
understandingof
manywordsanda
steadyincreasein
vocabulary.
II.D.3.
Child
demonstrates
understandingin
avarietyofways
orknowingthe
meaningof
3,000to4,000
words*,many
morethanheor
sheuses.
Thechild:
usesanewwordwhen
describingapictureina
book(Thatboatis
floatingonthewater.).
demonstrates
understandingofnew
wordsbyusingthenew
wordappropriately
(Therocksank,butthe
boatfloats.).
demonstrates
understandingofnew
conceptbyusing
simplerwordsto
explainconcept(The
rocksanktothe
bottom,buttheboat
stayedontopofthe
water.).
addsaconnectedidea
toanotherchilds
comment(ChildOne:
Myrockwenttothe
bottom.ChildTwo:
Yourrocksank!).
usesnewwordswhen
engagedinchild
initiatedplay.
Theteacher:
usesandexplainsnewwordsdaily
whenspeakingwithchildren.
discussesnewwordmeaningsbefore,
during,andafterbookreading,
makingconnectionstowhatchildren
alreadyknow.
createsopportunitiesforchildrento
experiencethenewwordsinmultiple
waysacrossmultipleexperiences.
(Thenewwordfloatisreadinabook,
usedinascienceexperiment,placed
inacenterforchildrentointeract
with,andusedtodescribethecereal
inthemilkduringbreakfast.).
listensforchildusageofnewwords
thatareintroduced.
identifies,labels,anddiscussesthe
meaningandfunctionofthepictures
andobjectsplacedaroundtheroom
whenchangesaremadeinthe
environmentintheclassroomto
supportanewtheme.
Childuses
increasinglylarger
vocabulary.
II.D.4.
Childusesa
largespeaking
vocabulary,
addingseveral
newwordsdaily.
Thechild:
useswordsto
communicateher
feelings,needs,and
wants.
addsarelevantideato
apreviouscommentby
anotherperson.
asksquestionsandadds
informationrelatedto
thecurrenttopicof
conversationorbook.
usesdescriptivewords
(Mybabysisterlaughs
loudly.Thatsafunny
Theteacher:
askschildrentotellhowtheyare
feelingorwhattheyneed/want.
providesnumerousdaily
opportunitiesforchildrentotalkto
otherchildrenandadultsinthe
classroom.
providesfeedbacktoencourage,
clarify,andevaluatechildrens
responses.
encourageschildrensverbalinput
duringbookreading,includinghaving
themrespondtoquestionsorrelate
thebooktotheirownexperiences.
providesnewexperiencesand
Byaround48 Endof
60
YearOutcomes
ExamplesofChild
Behaviors
story.).
usesnewwordsin
retelling/actingouta
storyreadbythe
teacher.
tellsasimplepersonal
narrative,focusingon
favoriteormost
memorableparts.
contentforthechildrentodiscuss
andinteract.
Childusescategory
labelscommonly
encounteredin
everydaylife.
II.D.5.
Childuses
categorylabels
tounderstand
howthe
words/objects
relatetoeach
other.
Thechild:
answersquestionsat
circletimeabout
constructionusinga
newwordlearnedfrom
thepretendandlearn
hardwarestore.
labelsanddescribes
differentkindsof
insects.
identifieswhichobjects
areinaspecific
categoryandwhichare
not.
Theteacher:
connectsnewwordsintogroupsor
categoriessothatchildrenbeginto
understandhowthewords/objects
relatetoeachother.
labelsbyprovidingthecategoryname
ofthedifferentideasorobjectsthat
appearinstorybooksandother
writtentext(Theseareflowers,
thosearetrees.).
modelsuseofandteachescategory
grouplabelssuchasvehicles,
clothing,andfurniture.
providesopportunitiesforchildrento
manipulateitemsintodifferent
categories,andhaschildrenshare
theircollectionsbyverballylabeling
eachitemandthecategoryname.
observeschildrensortingandlabeling
materialsduringchildinitiatedplay.
Childparticipates
throughactionsto
begintodevelop
commonobject
namesandphrases.
II.D.6.
Child
increases
listening
vocabularyand
beginsto
develop
vocabularyof
objectnames
andcommon
phrasesin
English.(ELL)
Thechild:
participatesasa
speakerandlistenerin
groupactivities
includingchildinitiated
imaginativeplay(plays
theroleofthestore
clerkorawaiterina
restaurant).
followsdirectionswhen
introducedtoa
situation.
respondsappropriately
tosimpleinstructions
givenbytheteacher
(followstwo
consecutive
instructions,orchooses
twoflowersfromthe
trayanddrawspictures
ofthem).
followsacommand
Theteacher:
findsoutifnewwordslearnedin
Englishareonlynewlabelsfor
conceptsalreadyknownorifthe
conceptitselfmustbetaught.
illustratesmeaningswithpicturesor
diagrams.
usesartifactsandhandson
manipulatives.
usesanchorcharts,graphic
organizers,andsemanticmapping.
roleplaysorpantomimes.
makesdrawingsonthedryerase
board.
makesuseofhowthingsaresaid
(volume,pitch,rate,andemphasis),
usingasmanycuesaspossibletohelp
childgainthemeaning.
usestheSpanishwordandhasthe
childrepeatthenewwordinEnglish,
ifnecessary.(e.g.,Eltienehambre.
Heishungry.Hungry).
61
Byaround48
MonthsofAge
Endof
Prekindergarten
YearOutcomes
ExamplesofChild
Behaviors
usingactions.
sequencesstorypicture
cards.
retellsastoryinhis
ownwords.
roleplaysor
pantomimesstories.
listensattentivelyand
respondstostoriesand
poems(tellsastory;
enactsapoem;drawsa
picturetoillustratea
storyorpoem).
usesfacialexpressions,handgestures
oractsoutstoriestopromotechild's
understanding.
restatesimportantinformationby
usingsynonyms,cognates,
paraphrasing,andvisualcues.
usesthechildshomelanguageas
basetosupportthedevelopmentof
listeningskillsinEnglish.
providesinstructionorcommandin
thechildshomelanguagefollowed
bythecommandinEnglish(as
needed).
62

E.SentencesandStructureSkills
Effectivecommunicationrequiresthatchildrenusetheirknowledgeofvocabulary,grammar,andsenseof
audiencetoconveymeaning.Fouryearoldsbecomeincreasinglyadeptatusinglanguagetoexpresstheirneeds
andinterests,toplayandpretend,andtoshareideas.Childrensuseofinventedwordsandtheover
generalizationoflanguagerules(forexample,sayingfootsinsteadoffeetor[Spanish]yonocaboinstead
ofyonoquepo)isanormalpartoflanguageacquisition.Sentenceandgrammaticalcomplexitydevelopsin
youngchildrenwithplentyofopportunityforrichconversation.Itisimportantthattimeisspentinauthentic
speakingopportunities.Also,teacherscansupportEnglishlanguagedevelopmentthroughmorespecificplayful
languagebuildingactivities.(LEERMAS,2001)
Byaround48
MonthsofAge
Endof
Prekindergarten
YearOutcomes
ExamplesofChild
Behaviors
Childusessimple
sentencesofthree
tofourwordsto
expressneeds.
II.E.1.
Childtypically
usescomplete
sentencesof
fourormore
wordsand
grammatical
complexity
usuallywith
subject,verb,
andobject
order.
Thechild:
tellsaboutafamily
experienceusinglonger
andmorecomplex
sentences.
participatesinalong
conversation(staying
ontopicandtaking
turns)aboutthe
structureheisbuilding
intheblockcenter.
answersquestionsand
addsideasusing
completesentences
whiletheteacherleads
theclasstocreatea
chartdetailingwhatthe
childrenknowandwant
toknowaboutan
upcoming
topic/concept.
Theteacher:
playsawordsubstitutiongamethat
expectseachchildtorepeatthe
sentencewithadifferentending(I
wenttothezooandsawa
____________.).
helpschildrentellonesentenceabout
theirdrawingsorfavoriteobjects
(Mybigsisterplaysbasketball.
Heresapictureofmyteddybear.).
modelshowandencourageschildren
toplayGuessWhatIAm?by
describingafamiliarobjecthiddenin
aclothbaginordertoguessits
identity(Ifeelsomethinghard.Ithas
fourlegs.Ithasalongneckanda
smallhead.).
demonstratesbydoingathink
aloud,tellinghowtothinkabout
whatyouwanttowriteordrawina
journal,writing/drawingit,andthen
sharingaboutonesownjournal.
Childmayover
generalize
grammaticalrules.
II.E.2.
Childuses
regularand
irregularplurals,
regularpast
tense,personal
andpossessive
pronouns,and
subjectverb
agreement.
Thechild:
usesthecorrecttense
whendescribing
somethinghedid
yesterdayorlastweek.
sayswentalthougha
youngerclassmatesays
goed.
identifiestheworkthat
ishers,usingmyand
mineandthosethat
belongtofriends,using
hisorher.
Theteacher:
modelsandhelpschildrendescribe
setsofmultipleandsingleobjectsto
practicetheuseofcorrectsubject
verbagreement.
playswordgamestoencourage
childrentosayphrasesandsentences
withirregularplurals(foot/feet,
mouse/mice,child/children).(Hereis
onefoot,nowtherearetwo______.
Nowthereisone______.).
demonstrateshowtotellaboutones
ownpictureandaboutanotherchilds
63
Byaround48
MonthsofAge
Endof
Prekindergarten
YearOutcomes
ExamplesofChild
Behaviors
picturebeginningwiththewordsmy
picture,hispicture.
Childlinkstwo
ideastogetherby
combining
sentences
II.E.3.
Childuses
sentenceswith
morethanone
phrase.
Thechild:
talkswithafriendas
theyplayusing
sentenceswithmore
thanonephrase(Lets
gotothestoreandget
milkforthebaby.).
participatesinacircle
timediscussion,adding
informationinmultiple
phrases(Birdsbuild
nestsinthetreesand
thenlaytheireggs.).
describesafamily
event,combining
phrasestoshow
sequence(Wewentto
thegrocerystoreand
thendroveback
home.).
Theteacher:
pairschildrentogetherwithpictures
toplayasillysentencegamewith
onechildsayingthefirstpartofthe
sentenceandtheotherchildaddinga
phrasetoit(Myyellowcatclimbed
upthetreetocatchafallingstar.).
encourageschildrentoshare
informationduringshowandtell
abouttheobjects.
modelsdescribingtheeventsofthe
daybyusingmorecomplexsentence
structures.
describesnewobjectsbyusingthe
nameoftheobjectandwhat,how,or
whereitisused(Thisisabulldozer
anditisusedtopushtreesand
bushesintoabigpile.).
Childusessimple
sentencestructures
withusuallyone
idea.
II.E.4.
Childcombines
morethanone
ideausing
complex
sentences.
Thechild:
describeswhat
happenedwhenshe
putthelastblockon
thetoweranditfell.
tellsafriendwhattodo
whentakinganorder
forpizzainapretend
restaurant.
remindstheteacher
thathehastogoget
thenotestogohome
fromtheofficeand
handthemouttothe
children.
Theteacher:
providessimplescienceexperiments
andencourageschildrentotellwhat
happened(Thepaperclipsankto
thebottomwhenIputitinthewater.
Ithinktherockwillsink,too.).
helpsthechildrenusecomplex
sentenceswhenretellingfamiliar
stories(WhenGoldilockswokeup
andsawthethreebears,shewent
runningbackthroughtheforest.).
encourageschildrentodescribe
commonoccurrencesusingcomplex
sentencestructures(Whenwefirst
cometoschoolinthemornings,we
havetoputourthingsaway.).
Childunderstands
anduses
increasinglylonger
sentences.
II.E.5.
Childcombines
sentencesthat
givelotsof
detail,sticksto
thetopic,and
clearly
communicates
intended
meaning.
Thechild:
describesafamilytrip,
combiningsentences
andgivinglotsofdetail
(Whenmygrandpa
cameover,wewentto
thepark.Wehadfried
chicken,andplayedon
theswings.).
participatesinacircle
timediscussionof
butterflies,andbuilds
ontheinformation
Theteacher:
providesaninterestingnonfiction
bookandpromptsthechildrento
discusswhattheyareseeingand
hearinginthebook(Whatisthe
caterpillardoing?Howdoyouthink
hefeelsinsidethecocoon?).
modelsandusesguidingquestionsto
helpchildrenadddetailstotelling
aboutapersonalevent(This
weekendmyfamilyhadapicnic.My
childrenwerethereandsowasmy
mom.Weatesandwichesandplayed
Byaround48 Endof
64
YearOutcomes
ExamplesofChild
Behaviors
fromnonfictionbooks
theteacherhasread
andpreviousdiscussion
bytalkingtothe
teacherwhenthechild
seesbutterfliesoutside
laterintheday.
asksmanyquestions
aboutthepoliceofficer
whenhecomestothe
classroomforavisit.
ontheplayground.Iwassotired
whenIwenthomebutwehadsucha
goodtime.).
promptsformoredetail,clarification,
andelaborationasthechildrenrelate
storiesorshowandtellitems(e.g.,
Juan,wheredidyougetthatstuffed
dog?Wherehashegonewithyou?).
II.E.6.
Child
engagesin
variousformsof
nonverbal
communication
withthosewho
donotspeakher
homelanguage
(ELL).
Thechild:
usesgestures,orpoints
toobjectsorpeople.
respondstogreetings
withsimplewords,
gestures,andother
nonverbalbehavior.
usesgesturesto
communicatebasic
needs(pointstoward
doorwhenneedingto
gototherestroom).
Theteacher:
isawarethatEnglishlanguage
learners,dependingontheircomfort
levelwithEnglishwhentheyenter
theprekindergartenclassroom,may
passthrougha"silent"stagebefore
theybeginspeakinginEnglish.This
silentperiodshouldnotbeseenas
areflectionofthechildsabilitiesor
willingnesstoparticipate.
providesanoninvasiveenvironment.
engageslearnersincognitivelearning
strategies,choralresponses,group
discussions.
createsmultipleopportunitiesfor
childrentouseEnglishinbothEnglish
asaSecondLanguageandBilingual
classroomsettings.
II.E.7.
Childuses
singlewordsand
simplephrases
tocommunicate
meaningin
socialsituations
(ELL).
Thechild:
identifiesbynamea
fewfamiliarobjects,
people,andevents(
familymembers;body
parts;clothing;pets;
foods;common
occupations;seasons;
commonschool,
classroom,andhome
objects).
speaksinisolated
words(usuallyasingle
nounorverb),
dependingheavilyon
gesturestoexpress
meaning.
Theteacher:
beginsalllessonsbypreteachingthe
vocabularyandlanguageobjective.
focusesonthelanguagefunctionthat
thechildwillneedtousetocarryout
thelesson.
focusesonmeaningfulactivitiesthat
involve"handson,"choralreadings,
andsinging.
preteachesnewvocabularywordsin
thechildshomelanguageandalso
English(asneeded).
Byaround48 Endof
65
YearOutcomes
ExamplesofChild
Behaviors
II.E.8.
Child
attemptstouse
newvocabulary
andgrammarin
speech(ELL).
Thechild:
comprehendsalimited
numberofcommon
wordsandsimple
phrasesin
conversationsheldon
topicsofpersonal
relevance(basic
greetingsand
courtesieswhenspoken
slowlyandwith
extensiverephrasing,
repetitions,and
contextualclues).
comprehendsand
followssimpleroutine
instructionsfor
classroomactivities
thatdependon
gesturesandother
contextualclues("Let's
lineupforthe
restroom.").
Theteacher:
groupschildrenofsimilarproficiency
levelsingroupsoftwotothreeto
facilitateinstructionalconversations.
groupsEnglishlearnerswithEnglish
nativespeakerssotheycanhear
Englishspokenregularly(English
phonemesandvocabulary).
* Temple, C., Ogle, D., Crawford, A., & Freppon, P. (2005). All children read: Teaching for literacy in todays diverse
classroom. Boston, MA: Pearson. 6000 spoken words by kindergarten.
66
III.EMERGENTLITERACY:READINGDOMAIN
Becomingliterateisoneofthemostimportantmilestonesforyoungchildrentoachieve.AccordingtoNational
ResearchCouncilestimatesfrom1998,ifchildrenreceiveproperexposureandsystematicopportunitiesto
developfoundationallanguage,reading,andemergentwritingskillsduringearlychildhood,asfewasfive
percentmayexperienceseriousreadingdifficultieslater.Theliteracyexperiencesprovidedduringthe
prekindergartenyearformthebasisforlearningtoread.Childrendeveloptheunderstandingoftheeveryday
functionsofprint,gainthemotivationtowanttolearntoreadandappreciationofdifferentformsofliteracy,
fromnonfictionandfictionbooks,topoems,songs,andnurseryrhymes,bybeingreadtoandinteractingwith
storiesandprint.
Astheywatchadultsengageinreadingandwritingactivities,theywanttobeabletoreadandwriteaswell.
Whenchildreninteractwithlanguageintheseformats,theirabilitytorespondtoandplaywiththesoundsin
languageincreases.Thisawarenessofthesoundsinlanguage,orphonologicalawareness,isoneofthekey
predictorsoflaterreadingsuccess.Childrendevelopthisawarenessthatwordsaremadeupofsoundswhich
canbeputtogetherandtakenapart.Recentresearchhasprovidednewinsightsintotheorderinwhichchildren
acquirethisawareness.Intheearlystages,childrenareabletodetectlargerphonologicalunitssuchaswords
andsyllables.Astheirawarenessdeepens,theyareabletomanipulatethesmallestmeaningfulunitsofsound.
Printawarenessandletterknowledgemustalsobedevelopedthroughplanned,playfulactivitiesthatengage
childreninnoticingthelettersintheirnamesandthenamesoftheirclassmates.Astheirlanguageabilities
increase,theirunderstandingofwhatisreadaloudtothemalsoincreases,asdemonstratedthroughthe
questionstheyaskandanswer,andtheirreenactingorretellingofstories.Theprocessoftransfer(withliteracy
basedESLandorallanguagebeginninginprekindergarten)requiresthatwetakewhatstudentsalreadyknow
andunderstandaboutliteracyintheirprimarylanguageandensurethatthisknowledgeisusedtohelpthem
gainEnglishlanguageandliteracyskills.ForELLchildrendifficultiesintransfermayappearinsyntax,
homonyms,inference,culturalnuances,idioms,andfigurativelanguage.ForstudentswhoarelearningEnglish,
effectivesecondlanguagereadinginstructionrequiresanunderstandingofandisguidedbyknowledgebased
on:assessment,culturalresponsiveness,gradualrelease,strategicuseoflanguage,andappropriateinstruction.
(LEERMAS,2001)
Thisisanimportanttimefor4yearoldstodeveloptheirsenseofselfandethnicidentity.Onestrategyto
supportthisdevelopmentistheuseoflinguisticallyandculturallyrelevanttextswheneverpossible.Teachersof
Englishlanguagelearnerscanhelpchildrenunderstandwhotheyareandwheretheycomefromwhenthey
connecttochildrenslivesinameaningfulway,giventheirculturalandlinguisticdiversity.
67
III.EMERGENTLITERACYREADINGDOMAIN
A. MotivationtoReadSkills
Toensurethatallchildrenenterschoolreadytolearn,earlyeducationeffortsmustencourageemergentliteracy.
Whenoptimalconditionsexistinachildsenvironment,literacydevelopsnaturally,andoneofthegoalsofearly
educationmustbecultivatingthatoptimalenvironment.Prekindergartenchildrenbenefitfromclassroom
activitiesandenvironmentsthatcreateanassociationbetweenreadingandfeelingsofpleasureandenjoyment,
aswellaslearningandskilldevelopment.Theseearlyexperienceswillcometodefinetheirassumptionsand
expectationsaboutbecomingliterateandinfluencetheirmotivationtoworktowardlearningtoreadandwrite.
Childrenmayhavedifficultycomprehendingreadaloudsorlisteningtostorieswithoutanybackgroundsupport,
particularlyiftheyhavelimitedexperienceswiththeconceptsincludedinthestoryortext.Childrenwhoare
Englishlanguagelearnersbenefitfromrepetitiveexposuretopicturesandothermediapertinentorassociated
withthecontentofstoriesreadaloudinEnglish.ELLchildrenalsowillbenefitfrommakingconnectionstotextin
theirhomelanguageforbettercomprehensionwhenBilingualstrategiesareusedtofacilitatecomprehension
duringreadingsofEnglishtext.(LEERMAS,2001)
Byaround48
MonthsofAge
Endof
Prekindergarte
nYear
Outcomes
Strategies
Childenjoysbeing
readtoandknows
whenafavorite
storyhasapartleft
out.
III.A.1.
Childengages
inprereading
andreading
related
activities.
Thechild:
repeatsorchimesinon
repeatedpartsofpredictable
stories.
engagesinactingoutaread
aloudduringcircletimeor
smallgroupinstruction.
selectsthereading/library
centerduringfreeplay.
reenactsafavoritestorywith
puppets,props,orfeltboard
characters.
readsabooktoadollorstuffed
animalatthelibraryor
dramaticplaycenter.
asksateachertorereada
favoritebook.
listenstobooksontapesor
CDs,followingalonginthe
bookandturningthepagesat
theappropriatetime.
Theteacher:
readsbookswithstorylinesand
charactersthatareeasyforthe
childtounderstand,remember,
andreenact.
readsbookswithrepeated
partsandencouragesthechild
tojoininduringthereading.
includesbothfictionand
nonfictionbooksinreadaloud
selections,andreading/library
center
placesbooks(and
manipulatives)thathavebeen
readandactedoutincenters
forchildrentohaveaccessto
duringindependentplay.
placesconceptortheme
relatedbooksineachcenterto
supplementcenterandproject
activities(booksonbuildingsor
bridgesintheblockarea;
menusandcookbooksin
dramaticplay;booksonplants
inthesciencecenter).
rereadsfavoritebooksthatthe
childengagesandinteracts
with.
68
Byaround48
MonthsofAge
Endof
Prekindergarte
nYear
Outcomes
Strategies
Childenjoyslooking
atbooksandtelling
astoryfromthe
picturesorfrom
memory.
III.A.2.
Childuses
booksand
otherwritten
materialsto
engageinpre
reading
behaviors.
Thechild:
choosesabookindependently
andreturnsittotheshelfwhen
thereadingiscomplete.
holdsabookrightsideupand
turnsthepagesoneatatimein
awaythatwillnotdamagethe
book.
imitatesreadingbehaviors
(repeatingwhatis
remembered;pointingto
words;movingtoptobottom
andlefttoright;returnsweep)
oncharts,lists,bigbooks,etc.
choosesabookinasoftware
programbyclickingonthe
appropriateicon,moving
throughtheprogramand
closingtheprogramwhen
finished.
handlesandcaresforbooksin
arespectfulmanner.
Theteacher:
modelsanddiscusses
appropriatebookhandling
behaviorsinanongoingway.
demonstratesanddiscusses
appropriatereadingbehaviors
(startinglocation;lefttoright
movementacrossprint;return
sweep;voice/printmatching)
onmaterialssuchaslists,
menus,songs,signs,andcharts
(withprintlargeenoughfor
childrentosee).
createsawarmcomfortable
placeforchildrentoengagein
independentpretendreading.
teacheschildrentouse
technologybasedtext
materialsandprovides
opportunitiesforuse.
Childnotices
environmental
printandconnects
meaningtoit.
III.A.3.
Childaskstobe
readtoorasks
themeaningof
writtentext.
Thechild:
requestsafavoritebookbe
read.
askswhatissaidonpostersor
chartsthroughoutthe
classroomorschool.
askswhatanotefromhome
says.
asksthemeaningofthewriting
onafoodcontainer.
understandsthatprintcarriesa
message.
Theteacher:
modelsusinginformation
gainedfromprint(makesplay
doughbyfollowingarecipe;
talksaboutinsectshavingsix
legsandspidershavingeight
legsafterreadinganonfiction
bookaboutspiders).
encourageschildrentoask
questionsaboutwhat
informationcanbelearned
fromprintandthepurposesof
writtenlanguage.
modelsusingprinttofindthe
answerstoquestionschildren
ask(Letslookinthisbookto
seeifwecanfindouthowthe
caterpillarturnsintoa
butterfly.).
discusseswhatishappeningin
pictures,butemphasizesthat
theprintiswhatisread.
discussesmeaningsof
new/unusualwordsand
passagesbeforeandafter
readingtext.

B.PhonologicalAwarenessSkills
Phonologicalawarenessisanauditoryskillthat
involvesanunderstandingofthesoundsof
spokenwords.Itincludesbeingabletorecognize
individualwordsinaspokensentence,blending
anddividingwordsintosyllables,beginningwith
compoundwordswhich,becauseeachsyllable
hasmeaningconnectedto,itiseasierforchildren
toworkwith,addingandtakingthose
meaningfulunits,recognizingandproducing
rhymingwords,identifyingwordsthatsoundthe
sameatthebeginning,andforsomechildren,
blendingwordsatthephonemeorsinglesound
level.Becausephonologicalawarenessbegins
beforechildrenhavelearnedasetoflettersound
correspondences,encouragingphonological
awarenessdoesnotrequireprint.Phonological
awarenessrepresentsacrucialsteptoward
understandingthatlettersorgroupsofletters
canrepresentphonemesorsounds(the
alphabeticprinciple).Thisunderstandingis
highlypredictiveofsuccessinbeginningreading.
SomebasicproficiencyinEnglishmaybeprerequisitetothedevelopmentofphonologicalawarenessinEnglishfor
secondlanguagelearners;however,achildshomelanguagecanhelpsupportthedevelopmentofphonological
awarenessinEnglish.ResearchdemonstratesthatphonologicalawarenessinEnglishandSpanisharehighlyrelated;
therefore,childreninBilingual/ESLinstructionwillbetaughtphonologicalawarenessskillsintandemwiththeir
primarylanguagewhilesimultaneouslydevelopingEnglishlanguageskills.Workingwithindividualsoundsinwordsis
thehighestlevelofphonologicalawareness.Althoughsomeprekindergartenchildrenmaybeabletoworkwith
soundsatthislevel,itisnotappropriatetoexpectallchildrentobeabletoachievethislevelofsensitivitytothe
soundsinlanguage(suchascat=cat).TheabovePAContinuumrepresentsthemostcurrentresearchin
PhonologicalAwarenessstatesabouthowchildrenlearnlanguagesounds.AnotherrepresentationisthePhonological
AwarenessContinuumfoundintheTexasSpanishReadingAcademy,LEERMAS,andtheTexasCenterforReadingand
LanguageArts.
*Anthony,JasonL.;C.J.Longian;K.Driscoll;B.M.Phillips.2003.PhonologicalSensitivity:Aquasiparallel
progressionofwordstructureunitsandcognitiveoperations.ReadingResearchQuarterly,Vol.38,470487.
TheSpanishPhonologicalAwarenessContinuum
69
Blending and Segmenting Individual

Phonemic Awareness
Onset-Rime Blending and Segmenting
Syllable Blending and Segmenting
Sentence Segmenting
(LEER MAS, 2001)
Rhyming/Alliteration
70
Byaround48
MonthsofAge
Endof
Prekindergarten
YearOutcomes
Strategies
Note:Phonological
awarenessisjust
beginningto
developbetween
theagesof36and
60months.
Childrenshouldbe
engagedin
listeningtobooks,
poems,nursery
rhymes,andsongs
thatfeaturerhyme
andalliteration.
III.B.1.
Childseparatesa
normallyspoken
fourword
sentenceinto
individualwords.
Thechild:
repeatsasentencespokenby
theteacher,steppingforward
asthewordheisassignedis
spokeninthesentence.
says(andrepeats)asentence
soshehasthesentenceinher
head,segmentseachword
onefromtheotherusing
objects,fingers,oreven
bodiestostandforeach
individualwordinthe
sentence(e.g.,asthechild
says,Ilikepettingdogs,he
holdsupafingerormovesa
counterforeachwordasitis
said.).
Theteacher:
modelssentencesegmenting
withtwowordsentences
(e.g.,Ijump.).
segmentmoredifficult
sentenceswithmorewords,
andwordswithmorethan
onesyllable.
connectsachildsnametoa
singlemovement(word)to
helpchildrenunderstandthe
conceptofword(Vanessais
oneperson,oneword,sowe
moveonetime.).
III.B.2.
Childcombines
wordstomakea
compoundword.
Thechild:
createsanewwordbyputting
twowordstogethertomake
compoundwords(dog+
house=doghouse;
Spanishexample:lava+
manos=lavamanos;
toca+discos=
tocadiscos;arco+iris=
arcoiris;saca+puntas=
sacapuntas).
usespicturecardstocreate
compoundwords.
makescompoundwordsby
respondingwithasecondpart
aftertheteacherhasprovided
thefirstpart.
namesthetwowordsthatare
saidinacompoundword
whenpromptedbythe
teacher.
Theteacher:
demonstratesusing
compoundwordpuzzlesand
picturecardswhenpracticing
blendingandtakingapart
compoundwordstheysay
aloud.
providescompoundword
puzzlesandpicturecardsfor
childrentousein
independentplaypractice.
encourageschildrentomake
avarietyofcompoundwords
byaddingdifferentendingsto
thebeginningshesays(say
fire,endingresponsessuch
asfly,man,works,
house).
givesexamplesoftwowords
thatwhenputtogether
becomeacompoundword.
III.B.3.
Childdeletesa
wordfroma
compoundword.
Thechild:
takescompoundwordsapart
bydeletingeitherthefirstor
secondpartandstatingthe
wordthatisleft(e.g.,
sunflowersun=flower;
inSpanish,arcoirisarco
=iris).
Theteacher:
sayscompoundwordsand
thenleavesofffirstorsecond
half(saysunshine,thensay
sun;childresponds
shine).
III.B.4.
Childcombines
syllablesinto
words.
Thechild:
clapswiththeteacherasthey
saychildrensnames
together,segmentingthe
parts.
Theteacher:
modelsclappingonetimefor
eachsyllableinchildrens
names.
encourageschildrentoclap
71
Byaround48
MonthsofAge
Endof
Prekindergarten
YearOutcomes
Strategies
combinestwosyllables
togethertosayaword(e.g.,
pa+per=paper;Spanish
example:pa+pel=
papel;li+bro=libro).
providessecondsyllableof
themerelatedobjectswhen
theteachersaysthefirst
syllable,thenentireword
(teachersaysbuck,child
sayset=bucket).
clapsthesyllablesinherown
names,andclassmates
names.
hearsafamiliarword(upto
threesyllables)andclapsthe
syllables.
hearsaclassmatesname
segmentedandblendsitback
together.
oncewhilesayingeach
syllableinchildrensnames.
modelsputtingpictures(and
thesyllablesthatgowitheach
part)offamiliartwosyllable
objectscutintotwopieces
togethertoformaword.
practiceputtingpicturepieces
(andwords)togetherwhile
alsoputtingthesounds
togethertosaytheword.
saysthefirstsyllableina
familiartwosyllablewordand
encourageschildrentofillin
thesecondsyllable.
III.B.5.
Childcandeletea
syllablefroma
word.
Thechild:
hearsthepartsoftwosyllable
wordsandfillsinthe
remainingsyllablewhenthe
teacheraskswhatisleftwhen
thefirstsyllableisremoved
(ladderladd=eror
puzzlepuzz=le
Spanishexample:rbol
r=bol;camaca=
ma).
choosesathemerelated
object(withfromonetothree
syllables)anddeletesthe
initialorfinalsyllablefrom
thatword.
participatesinwordgames
thatfocusonplayingwith
syllables.
Theteacher:
modelsandplayssyllable
levelwordgames(saysa
childsname,andthensays
thenamewithoutthefirst
syllable).
encourageschildtorepeat
syllablelevelmanipulation
withherownnameandthe
namesofherfriends.
providespicturescutinto
threepiecesoffamiliarthree
syllablewords;models,then
engageschildinpracticing
takingthepicturesapartwhile
sayingthewordaloudleaving
outthefirstorlastsyllable.
Childcan
distinguishwhen
twowordsrhyme.
III.B.6.
Childcanproduce
awordthat
rhymeswitha
givenword.
Thechild:
pointstothepicturethatdoes
notrhymewiththeothertwo
pictures.
givesthepairsofwordsfrom
anurseryrhymethatrhyme.
identifiesthewordsthat
rhymeinareadaloudbook
writteninrhyme.
identifiestwoobjectsoutofa
rhymingbasketthatrhyme.
generatesnonsensewords
Theteacher:
recitesnurseryrhymesthat
havewordsthatrhymeand
drawschildsattentiontohow
thosewordshavethesame
soundsattheend.
readsbooksthathavewords
thatrhymeandhelpschild
noticethesoundsinthose
words.
playsrhyminggameswith
objectsandpicturesthat
72
Byaround48
MonthsofAge
Endof
Prekindergarten
YearOutcomes
Strategies
thatrhymewithagivenword.
participatesinwordplay
gamesthatfocusonmaking
rhymingwords(Willoughby,
Walloughby,Woo;in
Spanish:to,mo,so).
rhyme.
Childcan
distinguishwhen
twowordsbegin
withthesame
sound.
III.B.7.
Childcanproduce
awordthat
beginswiththe
samesoundasa
givenpairof
words.
Thechild:
pairspicturesthatbeginwith
thesamesound.
identifieswordsintongue
twistersthatbeginwiththe
samesounds.
sortsobjectsintopilesthat
beginwiththesamesounds.
gamesthatfocusonwords
thatbeginwiththesame
sound(MappyMirthdayMoo
Moo).
Theteacher:
providescommonobjectsthat
childrencannameandsort
intogroupsthatbeginwith
thesamebeginningsounds.
playswordgamesfocusingon
wordsthatbeginwiththe
samesound.
III.B.8.
Childcombines
onset(initial
consonantor
consonants)and
rime(vowelto
end)toforma
familiarone
syllablewordwith
pictorialsupport.
Thechild:
selectstheappropriate
picturefromseveralpictures
whentheteachersaysaword
segmentedbetweenthe
onsetandrime(e.g.,when
shownseveralpictures,and
adultsaysr+ug,child
selectsthepictureoftherug.
Spanishexample:p+ala,
childselectsapictureofa
shovel).
sortsobjectsbyallthatbegin
withagivenonset,likepaper
andpencil.
Theteacher:
modelsusingtwopiecesofa
pictureofafamiliarone
syllablewordwhileorally
blendingandtakingthewords
intoonset
(consonant/consonants)
rime(restoftheword)
segments.
providestwopiecesofa
pictureofafamiliarone
syllablewordforchildrento
practicemanipulatingduring
playwhileorallyblendingand
takingthewordsintoonset
(consonant/consonants)
rime(restoftheword)
segments.
displayspicturesorobjects
andhaschildpointtoor
selectpicture/objectthat
teachersayswithapause
betweenonsetandrime.
III.B.9.
Childcombines
onsetandrimeto
formfamiliarone
syllablewords
withoutpictorial
support.
Thechild:
saysthenameoffamiliarone
syllablewordswhenthe
teachersaysthewordwitha
briefpausebetweenthe
onsetandtherime.
sayshisownnamewitha
shortpausebetweenthe
onsetandtherestofthe
Theteacher:
saysfamiliarwordswithclear
separationbetweentheonset
andtherime(say,Letsplay
thegameorTouchyour
head).
demonstratessegmentingand
blendingnamesusingthe
onsetandrestoftheword.
73
Byaround48
MonthsofAge
Endof
Prekindergarten
YearOutcomes
Strategies
sounds(Fred;
Lisa).
gamesthatfocusonmaking
rhymingwordsorwordsthat
beginwiththesamesound
(Willoughby,Walloughby,
Woo;MappyMirthdayMoo
Moo).
III.B.10.
Childrecognizes
andblendstwo
phonemesinto
realwordswith
pictorialsupport.
Thechild:
selectsapictureandsaysthe
lettersoundsfortheword
(k+e=key;b+e=
bee;n+e=knee).
Theteacher:
modelsusingpicturesto
identifyandblendphonemes
intowords.
displayspicturesandhasthe
childblendthephonemesto
maketheword.
74
B. AlphabetKnowledgeSkills
Letterknowledgeisanessentialcomponentoflearningtoreadandwrite.Youngchildrenlearnbestwhen
informationispresentedincontextandwheneducatorsprovideopportunitiesforchildrentocreateexperiences
thatmakethematerialmeaningful.Rotepractice(ortheskillanddrillmethod)canresultinfrustrationand
negativeattitudestowardlearning.Knowinghowlettersfunctioninwritingandhowtheselettersconnecttothe
soundschildrenhearinwordsiscrucialtochildrenssuccessinreading.Combinedwithphonologicalawareness,
letterknowledgeisthekeytochildrenunderstandingthealphabeticprinciple.Childrenwillusethissound/letter
connectiontobegintoidentifyprintedwords,suchastheirnamesandotherfamiliarwords.
Byaround48
MonthsofAge
Endof
Prekindergarten
YearOutcomes
ExamplesofChild
Behaviors
Childnamesthe
letterherfirst
namebeginswith.
III.C.1.
Childnamesat
least20upper
andatleast20
lowercaseletters.
Thechild:
namesletterson
namecards,posters,
books,andsigns
aroundtheroom.
participatesincircle
timealphabet
identificationgames
(IfYourNameStarts
With;namecheers).
manipulateslettersin
avarietyofways
(findslettersburiedin
sand;lettersorts,
matchingupper/lower
caseletters).
Theteacher:
nameslettersinavarietyof
situations,helpingchilddistinguish
oneletterfromanother,making
meaningfulconnectionsforchild
(connectingwithachildsnameor
otherimportantwords;similarities
anddifferencesbetweenletters).
giveschildmanyopportunitiestosay
thenamesofletterswhenworking
withbooks,charts,letterwalls,or
alphabetmanipulatives(magneticor
plasticletters;puzzles;stamps;etc).
haschildnamethefirstletterina
wordoraspecificletterwhenreading
books,charts,orpoems.
haschildmatchplasticletterstoan
alphabetarrayonamatandsayeach
letterasitismatched.
playsgameswithchildsnameprinted
largeenoughforchildtoseetheprint
(namepuzzles;namesorts;fishingfor
names).
75
Byaround48
MonthsofAge
Endof
Prekindergarten
YearOutcomes
ExamplesofChild
Behaviors
Childidentifiesthe
letterassociated
withthesoundof
thefirstlettersof
hisname.
III.C.2.
Childrecognizes
atleast20letter
sounds.
Thechild:
identifiestheletter
thatmakesagiven
sound.
participatesincircle
timesound/letter
identificationgames
(Ispysomethingthat
startswith/s/.What
letteristhat?Whatdo
Isee?).
pointstotargetsound
whenshown24
letters.
Theteacher:
connectsthesoundthataletter
makesassheiswritingawordin
frontofthechild.
instructschildinmatchingletter
soundstotheletternameandthe
printedlettershape(Thestorysays,
Hereisthedog.Letsfindtheword
doginthebook.Dogstartswith/d/.
Thatistheletterd.Hereistheword
thatstartswiththatletter.).
modelswritingchildrensnames
makinglettersoundsashewrites
eachletter(Johnstartswith/j/.
Whatlettermakesthatsound?).
modelswritingforauthenticreasons,
sayingwordsslowly,andmatching
soundtotheletterbeingwritten.
engageschildrenininteractive
writing,encouragingchildrentowrite
theinitialsoundsofwordswith
letterstheyarebeginningto
recognize.
Childproducesthe
correctsoundfor
thefirstletterofhis
name.
III.C.3.
Childproduces
thecorrect
soundsforatleast
10letters.
Thechild:
makesthesoundsin
herfirstnameasshe
attemptstowritethe
letters.
producesthecorrect
soundwhenshown
thefirstletterofher
name.
makesthecorrect
lettersoundwhile
pointingtoaletterin
abookoronaposter.
sortsobjectsinletter
container(findthe
itemsthatstartwith
B).
Theteacher:
connectsthesoundthataletter
makeswiththatspecificletter
(Matthewstartswithm.Mmakes
the/m/sound).
models,explicitly,goingfromthe
letterthatchildrencanseetothe
soundthatthelettermakes(Cat
startswithc.Csays/k/).
pointstoaletterinawrittenwordin
aprintedtext,suchasachart,poster,
book,song,sign,etc.,andasks
childrentomakethesoundofthat
letter.
giveschildasmallset(35)lettersand
askshertoproducethesoundsof
eachletter.
provideschildwithopportunitiesto
practicemakingletter/sound
connectionswithnamesandother
targetedwordsinindependentplay.
76

D.ComprehensionofTextReadAloudSkills
Frequentbookreadingrelatesstronglytoschoolreadiness:childrenwhoarereadtoonaregularbasishavea
higherlikelihoodofacquiringageappropriatelanguageskills.Exposuretomanykindsofbooks,bothfictionand
informationbooks,helpsprekindergartenchildrenbecomefamiliarwiththelanguageofbooksandstoryforms.
Childrendevelopconceptsofstorystructures,characteractions,andknowledgeaboutinformationaltext
structurewhichinfluenceshowtheyunderstand,interpret,andlinkwhattheyalreadyknowtonewinformation.
Aschildrenbecomereaders,thisunderstandingofhowstoriesworkfacilitatestheirreadingcomprehension
whichistheendgoalofreading.ReadingbooksinEnglishwithELLchildrenwillincreasetheirknowledgeof
Englishlanguageandvocabulary.InclassroomswithchildrenwhoarelearningEnglish,itisalsocriticalthat
childrenreadliteratureintheirhomelanguage,wheneverpossible.Conceptsofstorystructure,character
actions,andinformationaltextcanbelearnedthroughbothhomelanguagetextaswellasEnglishtexts.
Byaround48
MonthsofAge
Endof
Prekindergarten
YearOutcomes
Strategies
Childinteractswith
astoryasitisbeing
readaloud.
III.D.1.
Childretellsorre
enactsastory
afteritisread
aloud.
Thechild:
participatesinactingouta
storysheisfamiliarwith,
eitherincircletimeorina
smallgroup.
retellsandsequencesthe
maineventsofastory.
connectspersonal
experiencestoaneventina
story(suchasrelatinga
personaltriptothezooafter
azoostoryhasbeenread).
readsusingthepicturesinthe
bookstorecallthewordsof
hisfavoritestories.
createsoriginaloralternate
endingsforstories.
tellswhatmighthappennext
ifthestorycontinued.
Theteacher:
providesprops,puppets,felt
characters,etc.,forchildren
tousewhileactingouta
familiarstoryorfairytale.
helpschildrenconstructa
storymapwithaclear
beginning,middle,andend.
providesstorycardstoassist
childreninsequencing
retellingsofstories.
providesoundeffectsthrough
musicalinstrumentsor
environmentalnoisesthatfit
whatishappeninginthe
stories.
extendsthestoryintocenters
forchildrentocontinuethe
storyline,characters,or
conceptsinotherways(draw
apictureaboutthestoryin
theartcenter;plantcarrot
seeds/topinthescience
center).
placesitemsusedduring
circletimeincentersforthe
childrentouseandinteract
withduringindependentplay.
readstextsthatareculturally
relevanttochildrenona
regularbasis.
77
Byaround48
MonthsofAge
Endof
Prekindergarten
YearOutcomes
Strategies
invitesstorytellersintothe
classroom.
Childinteractswith
booksbydescribing
whatisseen/read
inthebook.
III.D.2.
Childuses
information
learnedfrom
booksby
describing,
relating,
categorizing,or
comparingand
contrasting.
Thechild:
relatesownexperiencesto
factsreadinbooks(WhenI
wenttothedoctor).
demonstrateshowtoplant
seedsafterhearingabook
aboutplantingseeds.
describesthereasonsfor
sortingairplanesand
helicoptersseparatelyfrom
boatsorcars.
Theteacher:
readsinformationalbooks.
engageschildinactivities
afterreadinganinformational
textthathighlightsthe
contentlearnedfromthe
story(createsagraphic
organizerthatseparates
spidersfrominsectsbased
uponphysicalcharacteristics).
extendsinformationaltexts
intocentersbyproviding
materialsforchildrento
interactwith(magnifyingglass
toexamineplantparts).
Childasksand
answersage
appropriate
questionsabout
thebook.
III.D.3.
Childasksand
answers
appropriate
questionsabout
thebook.
Thechild:
asksquestionsregardingthe
storyorinformationinthe
text(Whatjusthappened?
Whatmighthappennext?
Whatwouldhappenif?
Whatwassosillyabout?
Howdidthatwork?).
identifiesthecoverofthe
bookandwheretobeginto
read.
discusseswhattheauthorand
illustratordo.
makescommentsaboutthe
charactersoractionswithina
story.
activelyparticipateswhile
beingreadtobypredicting
whatmighthappennextin
thestory.
discussesotherwaysastory
mightend.
discusseswhatmighthappen
ifdifferentcharacterswerein
thestory.
Theteacher:
providesexperiencesthat
connecttospecificaspectsof
astoryplot(making
gingerbreadmenafter
readingastoryabouta
gingerbreadman).
engageschildinthinking
aboutthestorybystoppingat
strategicpointsinastoryand
havingchildpredictwhat
mighthappennext.
helpschildcreatenew
endingstofamiliarstories
usingprops,puppets,and/or
dictation.
haschildparticipatein
creatingclassmadebooks
withalternateendings.
IV.EMERGENTLITERACYWRITINGDOMAIN
Prekindergartenagechildrengeneratehypothesesabouthowwrittenlanguageworksandbegintoexplorethe
usesofwritingforthemselves.Theyalsobegintoaskadultstowritesignsandlettersforthem.Childrenloveto
thenimitatetheseadultsbywritingaletterorwritingnotesontherefrigerator.Thispretendwritingbeginsa
childsdevelopmentofskillswiththewrittenword.Throughtheseearlywritingexperiences,youngchildren
developinitialunderstandingsabouttheforms,features,andfunctionsofwrittenlanguage.Overtime,
childrenswritingattemptsmorecloselyapproximateconventionalwriting.Childrenlearntowritethrough
manysuchexperiences.
DevelopmentalStagesofWriting(English)
1.
RandomscribblingChild
writeswiththestartingpoint
anyplaceonthepage.
2.
Controlledscribbling
Progressionisfromlefttoright.
3.
CircularscribblingCirclesor
ovalsflowonthepage.
4.
DrawingPicturestellastoryor
conveyamessage.
5.
MocklettersThesecanbe
personalorconventional
symbols,suchasaheart,star,
orletterswithextralines.
6.
LetterstringsThesemovefrom
lefttorightandprogressdawn
thepageofactualletters.They
havenoseparationsandno
correlationwithwordsor
sounds.
7.
SeparatedwordsGroupsof
lettershavespaceinbetween
toresemblewords.
8.
PicturelabelingApicture's
beginningsoundismatchedtoa
letter(Dog).
9.
Awarenessofenvironmental
printEnvironmentalprint,
suchasnamesoncubbies,is
copied.
10.
Transitionalstagespellingor
inventedspellingFirstletterof
awordisusedtorepresentthe
word(Iwenttothenature
museum.).
11.
Beginningandendingletters
areusedtorepresentaword
(cat).
12.
Medialsoundisaconsonant
(grass).
13.
Medialsoundisincorrect
position,butthevowelis
wrong(grass).
14.
Achildhearsbeginning,medial,
andendingletters(Iliketopick
flowers.).
15.
Phrasewritingdevelops(rabbit
inthesun).
16.
Wholesentencewritingdevelops
(Thispumpkinismine.).
17.
WholeSentenceWritingChildwritesacompletesentence.

78

79
A.MotivationtoWriteSkills
Aschildrenwatchadultswriteformanypurposes,theydeveloptheunderstandingthatprintconveysmeaning.
Initially,childrenengageindrawingasawaytocommunicate.Thisistheearlieststageofwriting.Young
childrensketchlinesandscribblenotesinanattempttoimitateadultswritingbehaviorsandbegintomake
connectionsbetweenprintandspokenwords.Withthisunderstandingofthefunctionandmeaningofprint
comesthemotivationtouseprintinthesamemanner.Keepinmindthatitisnotimportantwhatchildrenwrite
butthattheywritesomethingtoconveymeaning,intheformofscribbles,letterlikeforms,orstringsofletters.
Byaround48
MonthsofAge
Endof
Prekindergarten
YearOutcomes
Strategies
Childengagesin
freedrawingand
writingactivities.
IV.A.1.
Childintentionally
uses
scribbles/writing
toconvey
meaning.
Thechild:
signshernameonsigninsheets,
artwork,graphs,letters,lists,etc.
usesletterlikeshapeswhen
takinganorderatarestaurant
duringdramaticplay.
writesafewlettersormock
lettersasacaptionundera
drawing.
makeslettersinshavingcream.
buildsablockstructureto
representthehouseofthethree
bearsfromastoryandasksthe
teacherforhelpwritingkeep
out.
leavesamessagefortheteacher
onthemessageboard.
sendsalettertoafriendinthe
classroommailbox.
Theteacher:
engagesinthinkingoutloud
whilewriting,includingwhysheis
writing,howshethinksabout
whattowrite,andthe
conventionsthatsheisusingas
shewrites,suchasstartingatthe
topleft,movingfromlefttoright,
leavingaspacebetweenwords,
returnsweep,andpunctuation.
includesavarietyofwriting
materialsinallareasofthe
classroom.
promptschildtosignhernamein
meaningfulsituations(toshow
ownership,opinions,
membership,etc.).
modelswritingasameansof
communicatingwithoneselfand
others(writingnotestoremind
herselfofthingstodo).
writesdailynewssharedbyone
ortwochildrenperday.
engageschildinmakingclass
madebooksinresponseto
literature,fieldtrips,andchilds
interests.
encourageschildtowriteaspart
ofauthenticplaysituations,such
ascreatingsignsforblockplay,
grocerylistsforthedramaticplay,
recordingobservationsinthe
sciencecenter.
sendstakehomejournal
activities,suchasabirthday
journaloramascotjournal.
80
B.IndependentlyConveysMeaningSkills
Childrenengageinusingprintinwaystoconveytheirmeaningsindifferentsituations.Aschildreninteractwith
eachotherinplay,theymakelists,takeorders,labelandleavenotestoconveywhathasoccurredduringtheir
play.
Byaround48
MonthsofAge
Endof
Prekindergarten
YearOutcomes
Strategies
Child
spontaneously
writesinvarious
ways.
IV.B.1.
Child
independently
useslettersor
symbolstomake
wordsorpartsof
words.
Thechild:
writeslinearscribblesorshapes
andidentifiesitaswriting(Look
whatIwrote.orWhatdidI
write?).
labelsapicturewithshapeswhich
areletterlikeinform.
writesspontaneouslettersthey
know,suchasintheirnames.
engagesinwritetheroom,
copyinglettersfromposters,
charts,letterwalls,books,etc.
foundaroundtheroom.
takesasurveyoftheclassforthe
QuestionoftheDay,suchasDo
youhaveapet?
Theteacher:
engageschildtonoticehow
lettersaremadebytalkingabout
thefeaturesoflettersashe
writesthem.
encourageschildtoconnect
meaningtoherdrawingbyasking
whatshewrote.
providesopportunitiesforchild
tousemagneticorplasticletters,
oralphabetstampstocreateher
ownnames.
providesjournals,regular
opportunities,andaccessfor
childtowriteinhisjournal.
hasanauthorschairto
encouragechildtoreadfrom
herjournal.
provideschildwordcardswith
picturesonwhichhecanmatch
letters.
Childrecordsown
nameinwhatever
mannersheisable.
IV.B.2.
Childwritesown
name(firstname
orfrequent
nickname),not
necessarilywith
fullcorrect
spellingorwell
formedletters.
Thechild:
writeshisfirstnamefrommemory
oncenterwaitinglistsandart
work.
labelsabuildinginthe
constructioncenterusingher
name.
signsathankyounotewrittento
thefiremenforbringingthefire
enginetoschool.
Theteacher:
providessigninsheetsonwhich
childcanprinthisname.
createsgraphsusingquestionsor
promptsforchildtorespondto
bywritinghernameunderthe
appropriateheading,suchas,
Whichisyourfavoritekindofice
cream?Vanilla,chocolate,or
strawberry?Howareyou
feelingtoday?Happy,sad.
haschildsignhernameonart
work,graphs,letters,lists,daily
news.
81
C. FormsLettersSkills
Whengivenopportunitiesandmeaningfulsituations,childrenmovethroughthestagesfromscribblestoconvey
meaning,toletterlikeshapes,withperhapssomeconventionalletters.
Byaround48
MonthsofAge
Endof
Prekindergarten
YearOutcomes
Strategies
Childwritesupon
request.
IV.C.1.
Child
independently
writessome
lettersonrequest
(notnecessarily
wellformed).
Thechild:
writeshisnamewithletters,may
notbewellformedandcouldmiss
someletters.
copieslettersfromfoodlabels.
copieslettersonthegelbag
(baggiefilledwithhairgel).
writesaboutfavoritepartof
visitingthezoo.
makesabirthdaywishlist.
labelsbuildingintheconstruction
centerasapolicestation.
Theteacher:
modelsformationoflettersand
providesopportunitiesforchild
towriteonblankunlinedpaper.
haschildwritethelettersfor
initialsoundsheardinwording
writtenoncharts,lists,daily
news,etc.
talksaboutthefeaturesofletters
asshewritestheminfrontofthe
child.
providesavarietyofmaterialsto
practicewriting,suchassand,
shavingcream,andfingerpaint.
providesmaterialsinallplay
areasforchildtowriteon.
createsaclassnewsletterhaving
childdictatestoriesandideas,
contributedrawingsandwritings,
andmakeheadingsorcaptions.
82

D.ConceptsaboutPrintSkills
Justaschildrenlearntotalkbytalking,childrenlearnconceptsaboutprintthroughinteractingwithprint.To
children,itmayappearthatwritingissimplytalkthathasbeenwrittendown.However,therearerulesthat
applytowritingthatdonotapplytospeaking.Thesespecificrulesthatgovernhowtorecordthoughtsinwriting
mustbelearnedsochildrencanbecomemoreproficientatconveyingtheirthoughtsandactions.
Byaround48
MonthsofAge
Endof
Prekindergarten
YearOutcomes
Strategies
Childnoticesprint
andrealizesthat
printiswhatisread
ratherthanthe
picture.
IV.D.1.
Childusessome
appropriate
writing
conventionswhen
writingorgiving
dictation.
Thechild:
scribblesaliststartingatthe
topofthepage.
dictatesastoryand,when
finished,says,theend.
participatesinwritingaletter
toacharacterinastoryand
makingasuggestionbasedon
whathashappenedinthe
story.
writeshisfirstname.
showsinterestinwritingher
lastname.
scribblesand/orwrites
startingontheleftsideof
paperandprogressestothe
right.
scribblesorwritesmoreor
lessinahorizontalline.
Theteacher:
modelsconceptsaboutprint
andthinksoutloudashe
writesinfrontofthechild
(topleftstartingplace,
movinglefttoright,leavinga
spacebetweenwords,return
sweep,toptobottom,
punctuationmark).
writesthankyouletterswith
childtotheappropriate
peopleafterfieldtripsor
specialevents.
promptschildtotellorretell
storieswithabeginning,
middle,andendwhentaking
dictation.
83
V.MATHEMATICSDOMAIN
Prekindergartenchildrensmathematicalunderstandingsarebuiltoninformalknowledgeaboutquantitythat
theydevelopevenbeforeanyinstruction.Youngchildrenknowimmediatelyifsomeonegetsmorecookiesthan
theydo.Theyliketellingtheirage,suchasbyholdingupfourfingerstotellanadulthowoldtheyare.Children
typicallyusequantityduringplaytoknowwhoscoredagoal.Teacherscanusethisearlyinterestin
communicatingmathrelatedideastofostergreatermathematicalcompetenciesinthepreschoolenvironment.
Teacherscanplanrichenvironmentsandoffersequencedopportunitiesforpreschoolchildrentoexploremath
skills.Effectivelysupportingearlymathematicalcompetenciesrequirescreativeuseofinstructionaltools,
includingplay,drawing,andcomputertechnology.
Thecoreofanyearlyeducationmathematicscurriculumshouldfocusondevelopingyoungchildrensabilityto
problemsolvedevelopingtheircapacitytoaskthoughtfulquestions,torecognizeproblemsintheir
environment,andtousemathematicalreasoningwithfamiliarmaterialsintheclassroom.Teachersmust
recognizethatearlymathinstructionisnotlimitedtoaspecificperiodortimeofdayinpreschool.Insteaditisa
naturalpartofanyqualitypreschoollearningenvironment.Teachersenhancechildrensmathematicslearning
whentheyaskquestionsthatprovokeclarification,extension,anddevelopmentofnewunderstanding.For
example,aschildrenbuildwithblocks,theirteachercanintroducesuchconceptsashigher,lower,infrontof,
behind,larger,andsmaller.Duringanartproject,suchasputtingbuttonsonanoutlineofaperson,theteacher
mightsaythepersonneedsfivebuttonsonhisshirt.Onechildmayplacetwobuttonsandasecondchildputs
onthree.Duringsharedreadingactivities,theteachermightask,Howmanybirdsdoyouseeonthispage?
Accumulatedresearchevidenceindicatesthatpreschoolersarereadytoreceiveinstructionthatbuildsonarich
setofinformalmathematicalskills.Teachersshouldbesensitivetowhatisknownaboutindividuallearner's
developmentalstatusandskills.Forexample,somechildrenmaynotbereadyfororalcommunicationofsome
mathematicalideasduetodelayedspeech.Otherchildrenmayshowdifficultieswithfinemotorcoordination
skillsneededtoworkeffectivelywithmanipulatives.Speechdelayedchildrenmaybeabletolearnandexpress
mathematicalideasinwaysthatreducedemandsonoralvocabulary,suchasbyusingconcretematerials.These
outcomesareprovidedtohelpfosteraqualitymathematicscurriculumforpreschoolchildreninTexas.The
TexasPrekindergartenGuidelinesaredividedintotheseskillareas:counting,mathsymbols,addingandtaking
away,geometry,measurement,andclassificationandpatterns.
Duetothehighuseoflanguageformathinstruction,teachersshouldexhibitpatienceandaccommodationfor
greaterwaittimeforresponsesfromELLchildren.Thesechildrenoftenwillacquiremathvocabularyinboththe
homelanguageandinEnglish.Forthisreason,itmaybebeneficialforchildrenwhoarelearningEnglishtolearn
newconceptsandvocabularyintheirhomelanguagewithmathpracticeconductedinboththechildrenshome
languageandEnglish.
84
V.MATHEMATICSDOMAIN
A. CountingSkills
Prekindergartenagedchildrenshowbasiccountingreadinessandcountingbyusingnonverbalandverbal
means.
Byaround48
MonthsofAge
Endof
Prekindergarten
YearOutcomes
Strategies
Childidentifies
objects.
V.A.1.
Childknowsthat
objects,orparts
ofanobject,can
becounted.
Thechild:
placesobjectstobecounted
inarowandbeginscounting.
saysthatthenumberofpolka
dotsinapicturecanbe
counted.
Theteacher:
modelsobjectsthatcanbe
counted,suchasitemsinside
oroutsideinnature.
usespuppetnarrativeto
explainwhenitemsshouldbe
counted,suchasinTheThree
LittlePigs,saying,Letscount
thepigs.
modelswhentocountto
determineifthereareenough
materialsforanactivity.
Childrecites
numberwordsin
orderupto10.
V.A.2.
Childuseswords
torotecount
from1to30.
Thechild:
recitesnumberwordsinorder
upto30.
recitesnumberwordsinorder
bystartingfromanumber
otherthan1.
Theteacher:
modelscountingoutloudby
startingwiththenumber1.
modelscountingoutloudby
startingwithanumberother
than1.
incorporatescountinginto
everydayactivities,suchas
countingsongsandphysical
activities.
Childcountsupto4
objectswithone
countperitem.
V.A.3.
Childcounts110
items,withone
countperitem.
Thechild:
moves,touches,and/orpoints
toeachobjectwhilecounting,
usingonetoone
correspondence(onecount
peritem).
knowsthateachfinger
representsonecount(2
fingersrepresenttwocounts;
3fingersrepresentthree
counts,etc.).
Theteacher:
providesavarietyofobjects
thatcanbeusedforcounting.
questionschilds
understandingofquantityby
asking,Howmanydoyou
have?
usesapuppettomodel
correctcountingofindividual
objects.
Childidentifies
itemsthatcanbe
counted.
V.A.4.
Child
demonstrates
thattheorderof
thecounting
sequenceis
alwaysthesame,
regardlessofwhat
Thechild:
demonstratesthecounting
sequencewhencountingdoes
notchange(Whencountinga
setof3bears,counts1,2,3.
Thenwhencounting3
monkeys,counts1,2,3).
countsleavesontheground,
Theteacher:
providesavarietyofobjects
(cubes,bears,shapes,etc.)
andteachesthatthecounting
sequenceremainsthesame.
usespuppetstodemonstrate
thatcountingalwaysproceeds
inthesamesequence.
85
Byaround48
MonthsofAge
Endof
Prekindergarten
YearOutcomes
Strategies
iscounted. numberofgrapesonatray,or
numberofchildreninlibrary
center.
demonstratescounting
sequenceusingpuppets.
singsacountingsongwithout
support,forexample,1little,
2little,3littlechildren.
providestoolstohelpchild
organizenumbersetssuchas
eggcartonscuttoholda
specificnumberofeggs(a4
eggcartonholding4plastic
eggs).
modelscountingsongs
throughouttheday.
Childcountsupto4
items,and
demonstrates
understandingthat
thelastcount
indicateshowmany
itemswere
counted.
V.A.5.
Childcountsupto
10items,and
demonstrates
thatthelastcount
indicateshow
manyitemswere
counted.
Thechild:
counts8plasticcowsand
says,Ihave8cows.
countsthenumberofchildren
inacenterandsays,Threeof
myfriendsarehere.
countsthenumberofballson
theplayground.
countschildreneatingapples
duringsnack.
countsfingersandsaysI
have5fingers.
Theteacher:
questionschildrenwhilethey
count(asks,Ian,howmany
doyouhavenow?orHow
manyapplesarethere?).
usesapuppettomodel
countingchildreninasmall
group.
askschildrentorepeatand
emphasizethelastnumber
saidwhencounting.
playsgamesinwhichchildren
demonstratethatthelast
countindicatesthenumberin
thegame.
childrentocountandstate
thelastnumber.
Childbeginsto
understandthat
itemscanbe
counted.
V.A.6.
Child
demonstrates
understanding
thatwhen
counting,the
itemscanbe
choseninany
order.
Thechild:
counts210objectsin
differentorders(lefttoright;
righttoleft;toptobottom;
bottomtotop;etc).
countsobjectsthatwere
placedinacontainerand
dumpedtoformasetof
randomlyplaceditemsonthe
table.
countsthesamepileofitems
onatableinmorethanone
order.
Theteacher:
modelscountingofobjectsin
differentordersbyusinga
puppet(puppetstarts
countingfromrighttoleft
thencountslefttoright,etc.).
encourageschildrentocount
objects(suchasbearsor
buttons)indifferent
arrangements(vertically,
horizontally,straight).
providesopportunitiestoplay
gamessuchasbeanbagtoss,
popcorn,etc.duringwhich
tossedobjectsaretobe
counted.
modelscountingstrategies
(movingtheobjectafteritis
counted,placingobjectsin
severalrows,etc.)toshow
thatitemscanbecountedin
differentorder.
showschildrenthata
collectionofobjectscanbe
linedupinarowandthen
86
Byaround48
MonthsofAge
Endof
Prekindergarten
YearOutcomes
Strategies
counted.
Childdemonstrates
properuseofthe
wordfirst.
V.A.7.
Childusesthe
verbalordinal
terms.
Thechild:
usesordinalnumbers(first,
second,third,fourth,fifth)to
countobjects.
tellsafriend,Yourefirstin
line.Imsecond.Johnis
fourth.
identifiesingameswhowasin
firstplace,secondplace,etc.
usesordinalnumbersto
describetheorderofwhat
happenedinashortstory,
includingthenextandlast
eventinthestory.
usesordinaltermstodescribe
sequenceofdailyactivities
(describesdailyschedule).
pointstocardwhenasked,
Whichcardisfourth?;
Whichcardisfifth?
Theteacher:
demonstratesandusesthe
verbalordinaltermsusing
variedcontexts,suchas
games,standinginline,etc.
emphasizeswhoisfirstplace,
etc.,inagame.
readsstoriestochildrenthat
provideaclearsequenceof
events(suchasTheThree
Bears),usingquestionsto
engagethechildrenin
summarizingthestory(What
happenedfirst?;What
happenedsecond?).
modelsopportunitiestouse
ordinaltermsthroughoutthe
daysuchasliningup,sittingat
thelunchtable,etc.
Childverbally
identifieswithout
countingthe
numberofobjects
from1to3.
V.A.8.
Childverbally
identifies,without
counting,the
numberofobjects
from1to5.
Thechild:
looksatasetof15objects
andquicklysaysthenumber
ofobjectswithoutcounting
(looksat3redcubesonthe
tableandsaysthreewithout
counting).
looksattwoseparategroups
ofobjectswithoutcounting
andsayswhichgrouphas
more,less,orequalnumbers.
usesthewordsequal,
more,less,orfewerto
describesetsofupto5
objects.
saysthenumberofdotson
onesideofadominowhen
shownquickly.
looksatapageinastoryand
saysthenumberofdots,
animals,orobjectsonthe
page.
pointsto4blocksandsays,
Thereare4blockswithout
counting.
Theteacher:
providesgamesthatinvolve
rapidresponsestosmallsets
ofobjects,suchasusingcards
with15dotstoplayGo
Fish.
shows,briefly,asetofcubes,
andhasthechildrensaythe
numberrepresented.
shows,briefly,halfofa
dominoandhasthechildren
decidewhatnumberis
shown.
providesopportunitiesto
comparesetsofupto5
objects.
asks,Whichsethasmore?
Whichsethasless?when
showing2setsofobjects.
providesasetofobjectsand
hasthechildrenmakeaset
withthesamenumber,or1
moreor1less.
provides2groupsofcubes
andasks,Howmanycubes
areineachgroup?Then,Do
thesehavethesamenumber
ineachset?
87
Byaround48
MonthsofAge
Endof
Prekindergarten
YearOutcomes
Strategies
Childrecognizes
onedigitnumerals
14.
V.A.9.
Childrecognizes
onedigit
numerals,09.
Thechild:
saysthenumbernamefor
numeralsfrom0to9thatare
writtenonpaper,cards,game
pieces.
hopscotchesthenumberof
timesindicatedbyawritten
numeral.
separatescardsthathave
printednumeralsfromother
cardswithprintedletters.
playsgamestofindhidden
numeralsintheclassroom,
suchasISpy.
Theteacher:
tellschildrenthedifference
betweenlettersand
numerals.
providesopportunitiestoplay
gamesthatusenumeral
cards,numberedpieces,or
dicewithnumerals09.
engageschildreninlooking
throughprintitemstolocate
numerals09.
B.AddingTo/TakingAwaySkills
Prekindergartenchildrenuseinformalandformalstrategiestomakeacollectionlargerorsmaller.Thisincludes
teachershowing(modeling)childrenamathematicalbehaviorandaskingthechildrentodothesame.
Byaround48
MonthsofAge
Endof
Prekindergarten
YearOutcomes
Strategies
Childunderstands
thataddingoneor
moreconcrete
objectstoasetwill
increasethenumber
ofobjectsintheset.
V.B.1.
Childuses
concretemodels
ormakesaverbal
wordproblemfor
addingupto5
objects.
Thechild:
createsverbalwordproblems
(tellsastory)involvingadding.
shows1finger,thenadds3
more.
showsjoining(adds)1more
cubetoaset(upto5).
playsnumbergameslike
ChutesandLadders.
sayshowtheyusedadding
onemoreobjecttosolvea
problem.
Theteacher:
modelssimplewordproblems
suchas,Thereis1bearina
cave.If2morebearswalkin
thecave,howmanybearsare
inthecavealtogether?
usesfingerstoshowchildren
howtoputtogetheran
additionproblem(holdsup2
fingersandadds1more
fingertoshow3).
setsuparowofobjectsand
askschildtodeviseastory
usingtheobjects.
modelsadditionusingasetof
objects(e.g.,usescountersto
puttogetheranaddition
problemshows2counters
andadds1morecounterto
show3).
playsboardgameswith
childrenduringcentertime.
Childunderstands
thattakingawayone
ormoreobjectsfrom
asetwilldecrease
thenumberof
objectsintheset.
V.B.2.
Childuses
concretemodels
ormakesaverbal
wordproblemfor
subtracting15
Thechild:
createsverbalwordproblems
involvingsubtraction.
shows4fingers,thentakes
away1fingertoshow3are
left.
Theteacher:
modelssimpleword
problems,suchas,IfIhave4
carsandItake2away,how
manywillIhaveleft?
usesfingerstoshowchildren
88
Byaround48
MonthsofAge
Endof
Prekindergarten
YearOutcomes
Strategies
objectsfroma
set.
removesobjectsfromaset
andsayswhatisleft.
playsnumbergamesthat
showtakingaway.
sayshowtheyused
subtractiontotakeawayfrom
asetofobjects.
howtotakeawayfora
subtractionproblem(holdsup
3fingersandthentakesaway
1toshow2areleft).
modelssubtractionusingaset
ofcounters(teachershows4
countersandtakesaway2to
show2areleft.)
Childidentifiestwo
groupsofobjects
placedsidebyside
asbeingequalor
nonequal.
V.B.3.
Childuses
informal
strategiestoshare
ordivideupto10
itemsequally.
Thechild:
usesinformalstrategiesto
producedivvyupfairsharing
opportunities(takesaway1
itematatimetodistribute
equallyamong2friends).
tradesseveralsmallitemsor
setsforalargerone(4small
TootsieRollsthatappear
equalto1longTootsieRoll).
demonstratessharingupto
10itemswithafriend.
useslanguageassociatedwith
fairsharingoneforme,
oneforyou.
actsoutliteraturethatshows
sharingitems.
Theteacher:
demonstratesfairsharing
between2childrenbydividing
1longTootsieRollinto
smallerpieces.
modelsandobserveschildren
usingfairsharestrategy(the
childisgivenasetofobjects
andistoldtoshare.Thechild
dividesthesetsaying,one
foryou,oneformeinorder
tofairshare.).
usesliteraturethatincludes
storiesaboutchildrensharing
items.
hasachildhelperprovide
eachchildintheclassa
certainnumberofbuttons,
suchasforaclassartproject.
itemswhenshownasetof
objects.
asetofhiddenobjects
coveredwithapieceofpaper.
Thechildthentakesthe
objectsoneatatimeand
sharesthemwithafriend.
demonstrateshowtodivide
intoequalpartsbytakinga
containerofpopcornand
dividingthepopcorninto
smallercontainers.
89
V.MATHEMATICSDOMAIN
C.GeometryandSpatialSenseSkills
Prekindergartenchildrenrecognize,describe,andnameattributesofshapes.
Byaround48
MonthsofAge
Endof
Prekindergarten
YearOutcomes
Strategies
Childrecognizes
commonshapes.
V.C.1.
Childnames
commonshapes.
Thechild:
identifiesshapesusingher
senseoftouchwhen
blindfolded(Thisshapehas4
sides.Itsasquare.).
identifiescommonshapes,
suchascircle,square,
rectangle,triangle,and
rhombus.
knowsthenumberofsidesfor
shapes,suchassquare,
rectangle,triangle,and
rhombus.
describesattributesofshapes
usinghisownlanguage.
usesmathematicalvocabulary
todescribeshapepictures
(Thistrianglehas3sidesand
3corners.).
identifiescommonsolids
informallyasballs,boxes,
cans,andcones,thenpossibly
usingmoreformallanguage,
sphere,cubes,cones.
Theteacher:
teachesnamesofcommon
shapes(circle,square,
triangle,rectangle)when
showingpicturesorinthe
classroomenvironment.Also,
thesebasicshapescouldbe
taughtasformaloreveryday
descriptorsforrhombus
(diamond)orellipse(oval).
useshidinggamesor
scavengerhuntsforchildren
tolocateshapes.
usescommonobjectsto
modelshapes,suchas,paper
plates,placemats,clocks,etc.,
indramaticplaycenter.
childrentoidentifyshapes
bothprovidedamongvarious
shapesonatable,and
identifiedinreallifesettings
(playground,etc).
encourageschildrentouse
theattributesofshapesto
describeartwork(Mycarhas
adoorwith4sides.).
Childmanipulates
shapesusingfine
andgrossmotor
skills.
V.C.2.
Childcreates
shapes.
Thechild:
putstogethershapestomake
realworldobjectsandother
shapes(usingasquareanda
triangletomakeahouse).
breaksapartshapestomake
realworldobjectsandother
shapes(cuttingahouse
pictureintoatriangleanda
square).
createsnewshapesbyputting
together2ormoreshapesto
makeanewshape(2triangles
togethermakeasquare).
usesmathematicalvocabulary
todescribeshapespictures
Theteacher:
providesshapes
(manipulativesor
constructionpaper)that
childrencancombine(a
triangleandasquaremakea
house).
providesmaterialstomake
shapessuchasplaydough
andtoothpicks.
modelsavarietyofsolidsto
manipulate(playdoughand
toothpicks,usingtheplay
doughtoidentifythecorners
andthetoothpickstoidentify
thesides).
90
Byaround48
MonthsofAge
Endof
Prekindergarten
YearOutcomes
Strategies
(Thishousehas4sidesand4
corners.).
putstogetherorbreaksapart
solidstomakerealworld
objectsandothersolids(a
sphereandaconemakean
icecreamcone).
createsshapesbyusingpuzzle
pieces.
modelsappropriatelanguage
todescribeshapes(This
squarehas4sidesand4
corners.).
appropriatemathematical
languagetodescribeshapes.
providesavarietyofsolidsto
manipulate.
takeschildrenoutsideto
identifysolidsinnature(seeds
asspheres).
Childbeginstouse
languageto
describelocationof
objects.
V.C.3.
Child
demonstratesuse
oflocationwords
(suchasover,
under,above,
on,beside,
nextto,
between,in
frontof,near,
far,etc.).
Thechild:
usesnearandfarto
describeplayonthe
playgroundandinthe
classroom.
followsdirections(placesa
stuffedanimalon,
around,orunderachair).
followsdirectionswhen
playinggameslikeFollowthe
Leader.
tellsafriendwheretofindthe
writingpaperinthewriting
center(Thepaperisinfront
ofthemarkers.).
actsoutstories,poems,and
nurseryrhymesusing
positionalwords.
Theteacher:
modelspositionalwordsusing
apuppet(puppetplacesa
smallobjectonachilds
knee).
singssongsaboutpositional
words(HokeyPokey).
providesgamesand/or
activitiesthatinvolveplacing
objectsincertainlocations(a
chairandateddybear).
playsgameslikeFollowthe
Leaderwiththechildren.
positionalwordstodescribe
wherethingsareinthe
classroom.
readsstoriesandidentifies
positionsofcharactersand
objects.
Childmovesobjects
duringinformal
play.
V.C.4.
Childslides,flips,
andturnsshapes
todemonstrate
thattheshapes
remainthesame.
Thechild:
recognizesthatashapestays
thesameacrossvarious
orientations(sliding,flipping
orturningageoblockshape
onatable).
slidesatrianglefromone
placetoanotherandsaysthat
thetriangleisthesame
(Look,mytriangleisthe
samehereandhere.)
turnsoverashape(flips)to
showthatitisthesame(turns
overasquareandsays,This
isastillasquare.).
turnsatrianglegeoblock
clockwiseorcounterclockwise
andsaysthatthetriangleis
thesameshape.
Theteacher:
pointsoutplacementof
objectsfoundinclassroom
andnature.
modelssliding,flipping,and
rotatingtoshowthatthe
shaperemainsthesame.
engageschildrentomake
shapeswithhandsorlegs(2
childrensitdownandjoinfeet
tomakeasquareonthe
floor).
engageschildreningames
thatinvolvemovingshapes
(childrenmovetheirown
shapegamepiecearounda
gameboard).
91

V.MATHEMATICSDOMAIN
D. MeasurementSkills
Prekindergartenchildrenverballydescribeordemonstrateattributesofpersonsorobjects,suchaslength,area,
capacity,orweight.
Byaround48
MonthsofAge
Endof
Prekindergarten
YearOutcomes
Strategies
Childunderstands
thatlengthsof
objectscanvary
andbecompared.
V.D.1.
Childrecognizes
andcompares
heightsorlengths
ofpeopleor
objects.
Thechild:
tellswhoistallerwhen
comparingtheheightof2or
morefriends.
places210objectsfrom
shortesttotallestortallestto
shortestonthetable.
usesmeasurementwordsthat
candescribeheight(taller,
shorter,longer,
smaller).
draws210objectsorpeople
ofvaryingheightsorlengths
(drawsherfamilyandhasa
tallerpersonasMomanda
shorterfigureasherself).
usesbuildingblockstoshow
that1longblockcanbemade
upof2ormoresmaller
blocks.
Theteacher:
comparestheheightof
childrenbymeasuringeach
childonaheightchartinthe
classroom.
usesmeasurementvocabulary
forheight(Children,whois
tallerBoborSusie?).
encourageschildrentodraw
objectsandpeoplevaryingin
heightorlength(Today,boys
andgirlsintheartcenter,
paintapictureofyour
family.).
modelsthat1longblockcan
bemadeupof2ormore
smallerblocks.
usesnonstandardunitsof
measureincludingeveryday
objectstomeasurelength
(links,paperclips,inchworms,
etc.).
Childbeginsto
recognizehow
muchcanbeplaced
withinanobject.
V.D.2.
Childrecognizes
howmuchcanbe
placedwithinan
object.
Thechild:
comparestheamountof
spaceoccupiedbyobjects
(placesasmallblockontopof
alongerblocktodetermine
whichoccupiesmorespace).
demonstratescapacityusing
sandandwater(atthesand
andwatertablefills
containerswithsandor
water).
comparescapacityof
containersbysize(fills2or
moredifferentsized
containerscup,quart,etc.
placesthemfromthelargest
tothesmallestorthesmallest
tothelargest).
Theteacher:
askschildrentoplacesmaller
cupsintolargerones.
predicthowmanybucketsof
waterareneededtofillthe
fishtank.
guidesandquestionschildren
usingsandandwaterto
determinewhichcontainers
holdmoreorless(Whichof
theseholdsthemostsand?
Whichoftheseholdsthe
leastsand?Howdoyou
know?Showmehowyou
cancomparethesetwo
containerstoseehowmuch
theyhold?).
92
Byaround48
MonthsofAge
Endof
Prekindergarten
YearOutcomes
Strategies
arrangesteacupsinthe
dramaticplaycenterfrom
smallesttolargestorlargest
tosmallest.
Childunderstands
thatweightsof
objectscanvary
andbecompared.
V.D.3.
Childinformally
recognizesand
comparesweights
ofobjectsor
people.
Thechild:
usesarockerbalanceorsee
sawscaletodetermineheavy
andlightobjectsorobjectsof
equalweight.
useshandstocompareweight
ofobjects(holdspumpkinsof
varioussizesandsayswhichis
heavierorlighter).
describeswhichweighsmore
usingmathematicalterms
(heavy,light,morethan,etc.).
comparesweightofselfwith
weightofotherobjects,such
asdolls,stuffedanimals,etc.
(Iamheavierthanmydoll.).
Theteacher:
modelsusingabalancescale
tocompareitems(places2
bearsin1bucketanda
handfulofcottonballs,asks
Whichweighsmore?and
recordsthechildrens
answers.).
provideschildrenobjectsof
differingweightstocompare
andasks,Whichweighs
less?Whichweighsmore?
andrecordsanswerson
charts.
modelsusingcomparison
wordslikeheavier,lighter,
morethan,etc.
explainwhichitemsare
heavierorlighter(Whichis
lighter,thisfeatheroryour
toycar?Howdoyou
know?).
Childshows
awarenessofthe
passageoftime.
V.D.4.
Childuses
languageto
describeconcepts
associatedwith
thepassingof
time.
Thechild:
describesthedailyschedule
bytellingwhathappensnext
intheday.
talkswithfriendsaboutwhat
happenedyesterday,whatis
happeningtoday,andwhat
mighthappentomorrow.
associatestimelanguageto
describeeventsoftheday(in
themorning;aftersnack;
tomorrow;and
yesterday).
usesthetermsfasterand
slowertodescribetimeor
motion.
Theteacher:
engageschildrenindaily
newsdialogueandrecords
todays,tomorrows,or
yesterdaysevents.
discussesdailyscheduleusing
termslikebeforelunchwe
will;afterrecesstodaywe
willhaveavisitor;etc.
encourageschildrentomake
aclassbookabout
experiencesthathappenedin
thepast.
encouragesplaythat
demonstratesfasterand
slower,suchasracesat
recess.
engageschildreninactivities
thatcanbeusedtodirectly
comparehowlongevents
occur(Howlongdoesittake
tolistentoasongonaCD?
Howlongdoesittaketoeat
mysnack?).
93

V.MATHEMATICSDOMAIN
E. ClassificationandPatternsSkills
Prekindergartenchildrensortandclassifyobjectsusingoneormoreattributes.Theybegintouseattributesof
objectstoduplicateandcreatepatterns.(TypicallyreferredtoasalgebraicthinkingsuchasdescribedinNCTM
focalpoints.)Withformalinstruction,theywillparticipateincreatingandusingreal/pictorialgraphs.
Byaround48
MonthsofAge
YearOutcomes
ExamplesofChild
Behaviors
ExamplesofInstructional
Strategies
Childsortsobjects
thatarethesame
anddifferent.
V.E.1.
Childsortsobjectsthatare
thesameanddifferent
intogroupsanduses
languagetodescribehow
thegroupsaresimilarand
different.
Thechild:
putsallthecarsina
boxandallthetrucks
inadifferentboxand
sayswhy.
organizesobjectswith
acommonattribute
(allthetigersinapile
andallthegiraffesin
anotherpileandsays
why).
organizesblocksinthe
constructioncenter
accordingtoshape
andsizeandexplains
sameanddifferent.
sortsavarietyof
objects(fruitsand
vegetables;vehicles;
animals;etc.)andtells
why.
sortsobjectsinto
groupsandexplains
basesofgrouping.
Theteacher:
modelsanddiscusses
attributesofobjects(size,
colors,types,etc.).
askschildtosortavarietyof
materialsforclassification
(bears,shapes,buttons,
vehicles,toys,etc.)and
recordstheirclassification
decisions.
modelssortingandlabeling
groupsofmaterials(sorts
andlabelstheredandblue
fruits).
promptschildrentodescribe
whymaterialsaresortedinto
specificgroups(Whydidyou
putallthesetogether?
Whydidyouputthese
here?Howarethesethe
sameordifferent?).
askschildrentodescribewhy
materialsaresortedinto
groups(Whydidyouputall
thesetogether?Whydid
youputthesehere?How
arethesethesameor
different?).
usescleanupactivitiestosort
wherecenteritemsaretobe
placed.
94
Byaround48
MonthsofAge
YearOutcomes
ExamplesofChild
Behaviors
Strategies
Childrecognizes
thatdatacanbe
organizedintoa
graphic
representation.
V.E.2.
Childcollectsdataand
organizesitinagraphic
representation.
Thechild:
placesconcrete
objectsorpicture
representationsona
floorgraph(usesan
appleororangeto
showhisfavorite
fruit).
answersquestionof
theweek(Doyou
haveacat?)and
placesacheckonthe
yesornograph.
comparesdataon
graphsorcharts(e.g.,
talksabouttheclass
madegraphshowing
howchildrengetto
schoolwalk,car,
bus,vansLookJuan
walkstoschool.See
hisnameishere.).
usesmathematical
languagetodescribe
data(more,less,
same,longer,shorter,
etc.).
Theteacher:
modelsanddiscussesthe
informationcollected(Who
worethesameshoesto
schooltoday?).
encouragescomparing;
recordsinformation(records
childsaying,Ourclasseats
morefruitsthanvegetables!
etc.).
modelsanddiscussesthe
informationcollectedon
chartsandgraphs(Which
flavoroficecreamdomost
ofyoulike?).
Childbeginsto
recognizepatterns.
V.E.3.
Childrecognizesand
createspatterns.
Thechild:
identifiesrepeating
patternsinnature.
recognizesand
createspatternsin
clothing,carpeting,or
otherpatternsinthe
classroom(polkadots,
squaresoncarpet).
contributespictures
forthepatternclass
book(cutsout
picturesforthe
patternclassbook).
usesdifferent
materials(buttons,
beads,colorcubes)to
createpattern
necklaces(2buttons,
2beads,2buttons,2
beads).
recognizesrepeating
patternsina
predictablebookand
saysthenextline
Theteacher:
createspatternsoundsand
physicalmovementforthe
childrentoimitate(clap,
stomp,clap,stomp).
usesbeadsand/orother
objectstodemonstrate
patternsandaskschildrento
describethepattern.
modelsandallowschildren
tocreaterepeatedpatterns
withthechildren
(interlockingcubesmake
A,B,A,BandAA,BB,AA,BBand
ABC,ABCpatterns).
readsliteraturetochildren
thatcontainsobvious
repetitivepatterns.
askschildrentodescribea
patternusingmanipulatives
(atowermadeofalternating
yellowandredcubescanbe
presentedwithquestionsto
promptchildrentodescribe
therepeatingcolorpattern.)
95
Byaround48
MonthsofAge
YearOutcomes
ExamplesofChild
Behaviors
Strategies
beforeturningthe
page.
createsarepeated
patternusingdifferent
colorblocks.

96

VI.SCIENCEDOMAIN
A.PhysicalScienceSkills
Prekindergartenchildrenlearntoexplorepropertiesofmaterials,positions,andmotionofobjectsthrough
investigationswhichallowthemtonoticetheattributesofeachofthese.Theseexplorationscontinueas
childrenuseattributestoclassifyandsortobjects,makeobservationsandpredictions,problemsolve,compare,
andquestion.Childrenlearnaboutsourcesofenergybyinvestigatinganddiscussinglight,heat,electricity,and
magnetism.
Endof
Prekindergarten
YearOutcomes
ExamplesofChildBehaviors ExamplesofInstructionalStrategies
VI.A.1.
Childdescribes,
observes,and
investigates
propertiesand
characteristicsof
commonobjects.
Thechild:
usessensestoexploreandsensory
languagetodescribepropertiesof
naturalandhumanmadematerials
(wood,cotton,fur,wool,stone,
magnetic,leather,plastic,Styrofoam,
paper)tolearntheircharacteristicsand
capabilities.
examinesanddescribesthetextureof
materials(salt,flour,andsugarduring
cookingprojects;roller,sponges,and
featherswhenpaintingusingvarious
tools;surfacesoffoil,freezerpaper,and
sandpaper).
sorts,groups,orclassifiesobjectsin
meaningfulwaysbasedononeormore
properties(hard/softorheavy/light;
materialsthataremadeofwood,
plastic,rock,color).
predictswhethermaterialswillsinkor
float;investigatesthehypothesisand
drawsconclusionsbasedonprior
experiences.
describesandcomparestheeffects
magnetshaveonotherobjects(attract
tosomethingsbutnottoothers).
Theteacher:
modelsdescribingavarietyofmaterials
usingpropertiestodiscusssimilarities
anddifferences
askschildrentodescribeavarietyof
naturalandhumanmadematerialsusing
theirsenseoftouch,smell,sound.
engageschildrenincomparingand
exploringhowobjectsormaterials
respondwhentheycomeincontactwith
otherthings,suchasbeingplacedin
water,setonanincline,ordroppedona
table.
promptschildrentoobserveand
describechangesinnature(icemelting
onawindowsill,waterfreezinginthe
freezer,steamrisingfromakettle).
VI.A.2.
Childinvestigates
anddescribes
positionand
motionofobjects.
Thechild:
observes,measures,describes,and
demonstratesthevariouswaysobjects
canmove(straight,zigzag,roundand
round,fast,slow).
investigatesandstatesconclusionsafter
movingavarietyoftoyvehicleson
differentsurfaces.
Theteacher:
encourageschildrentoexploremotion
bothinsideandoutsideoftheclassroom
(carsonramps,wagonstobepushedor
pulled).
playsgamesthatusemotionand/or
sound(FollowtheLeader).
providesavarietyofmaterialsfor
makingsounds.

97
Endof
Prekindergarten
YearOutcomes
VI.A.3.
Childusessimple
measuringdevices
tolearnabout
objects.
Thechild:
investigatesanddiscussesthemassofa
varietyofitems(rocks,feathers,metal
chain,etc.)usingabalanceorscale;
categorizesweightedobjects
(heavy/light);andlengthofobjects
(long/short).
measuresvolumeofwater,sand,etc.
usingnonstandardmeasures(4cupsto
fill1smallbucket).
measureslengthusingnonstandard
units.
observesanddescribestemperatureof
materials,includingoutdoorair
temperature(colder/warmer/hotter).
Theteacher:
modelsanddiscussesthemassofa
varietyofmaterialsusingascaleor
balance.
modelsandrecordsfindingswhen
makingmasscomparisons.
providesopportunitiesandavarietyof
materialstoexploreweight,length,and
volume.
VI.A.4.
Childinvestigates
anddescribes
sourcesofenergy
includinglight,
heat,and
electricity.
Thechild:
describessourcesofheatandlight(sun,
wind,waterasenergysources)andthe
safetyissuesassociatedwiththese.
identifiestoysthatneedbatteriesand
equipmentinthehomethatneeds
electricitytofunction.
Theteacher:
modelsappropriatevocabularyfor
sourcesofenergysuchason/offfor
light(electricity).
discussesandmodelssafetyissues
associatedwithheatandelectricity.
modelsanddiscusseshowtoinvestigate
thechildrenspredictions.
B. LifeSciencesSkills
Prekindergartenchildrenarenaturallycuriousaboutthecharacteristicsoforganisms.Childrenunderstand
differencesinlivingandnonlivingthings.
YearOutcomes
VI.B.1.
Childidentifiesand
describesthe
characteristicsof
organisms.
Thechild:
describescolor,size,andshapeof
organisms.
describesanimalsneedsforfood,
water,air,andshelterorplants
needsforwater,nutrients,air,and
light.
comparesdifferencesandsimilarities
ofanimals(fishliveinwater,dogsand
catshavefur,allbirdshavefeathers).
usesthetoolsofscience(handlens
andmeasurementtools)toobserve
anddiscussplantsandanimals.
Theteacher:
modelsandprovidesopportunities
(comparingflowers,insects,and
animals)andtools(handlens)for
childrentomakecomparisonsof
livingcharacteristicsandnonliving
characteristics.
discussesandprovidesorganismsfor
observationsofanimalhabitats,
movements,andcharacteristics(ants,
pillbugs,earthworms,mealworms,
andcaterpillars).
VI.B.2.
Childdescribeslifecycles
oforganisms.
Thechild:
plantsseeds,thenobserves,
discusses,andrecordsplantgrowth.
observes,records,anddiscussesthe
stageofthelifecycleofanorganism
(baby,dog,cat,andchicken).
Theteacher:
modelsandprovidesopportunities
forchildrentoplaninvestigationsof
lifecycles(plansaclassroomor
playgroundgardenforobserving
seedsgrowing).
98
YearOutcomes
describescharacteristicsand
differencesbetweenlivingandnon
living.
observesanddiscusseshuman
growth(growthchartsatthe
beginningoftheyearandagainatthe
endofyear).
modelsandprovidesopportunitiesto
recordobservationfindingswhen
observinglifecycles.
providesdiscussionopportunitiesto
comparelifecyclesincludingpets
(humanlifewithadogslife).
providesopportunitiesand
discussionsforchildrentoobserve
humangrowth(childrenbringinbaby
picturesandcomparewhattheylook
likenowtothepictures).
VI.B.3.
Childrecognizes,
observes,anddiscusses
therelationshipof
organismstotheir
environments.
Thechild:
discusseshowanimalsandhumans
dependonplants(birdseatseeds,
cowseatgrass,humanseat
vegetables).
observes,discusses,andrecordsliving
organism(spiders,insects,worms,
snails,birds)intheirnatural
environmentstolearnabouttheir
habits.
observes,discusses,andrecords
seasonalchangesinthe
neighborhoodtreesandorganisms
(watchesforbirdsinthespringas
theycollectnestingmaterials).
discusseshowseasonsaffecthisdaily
life(clotheshewearsoractivitieshe
plays).
describesandexplainsanimal
behaviors(abirdbuildinganest).
Theteacher:
modelsandassistschildrenwith
creatingschedulesforthecareoflive
animals/plants(discussesinsmall
groupswhatyoumightneedtohave
fishorarabbitintheclassroom).
providesahabitatforchildrento
observe,discuss,andrecord
creaturesintheirnatural
environment(fishinanaquarium,a
wormorbutterflyhouseindoors,ant
farm,terrariumforsnails/hermit
crab,abirdorbutterflygarden
outdoors).
providesoutdoorexperiencesfor
observing,exploringanddiscussing
animalsintheirnaturalhabitats(a
birdnestinabush,butterflygarden,a
rottinglog,orapond).
C. EarthandSpaceScienceSkills
Prekindergartenchildrenareenthusiasticlearnersaboutearthandspace.Theyareintriguedbytheirlocal
environment.Discoveringtheirplaceintheworldisexcitingandfunforthem.
YearOutcomes
VI.C.1.
Childidentifies,
compares,discusses
earthmaterials,andtheir
propertiesanduses.
Thechild:
observes,discusses,andcompares
earthmaterials(rocks,soil,andsand)
usinghandlenses,sieves,water,and
balances.
identifiestheimportanceofsoil,
sunlight,air,andwatertoplant
growth.
discussesandexplainswaysearth
materialsareusedforbuilding
houses,roadconstruction,and
decorativepurposes(theusesof
Theteacher:
engageschildreninexamining,
comparing,anddiscussingrocks,soil,
water,andsandusingtoolssuchas
handlenses,sieves,andbalances.
providesoutdoorexperiencesfor
childrentoobserve,explore,and
discusshowrocksandothernatural
materialsareusedbyhumans(soilin
flowerbeds,rocksforconstruction).
99
YearOutcomes
rocks).
VI.C.2.
Childidentifies,observes,
anddiscussesobjectsin
thesky.
Thechild:
observesanddiscussescharacteristics
ofcloudsandmakesrepresentations
(fingerpaintingthecloudsinthesky).
asksquestionsand/ormakes
commentsaboutthesun,stars,and
moon.
investigateswhathappenstothings
exposedtothesun(childrenget
warmer;colorsarecreatedwhena
prismhangsinawindow).
Theteacher:
engagesindiscussionsabout
observingvariousobjectsinthesky
(cloudsandtheirshapes;theposition
ofthesunduringrecesstime).
discussesthenightskyandcompares
theobjectswiththedaysky.
VI.C.3.
Childobservesand
describeswhathappens
duringchangesinthe
earthandsky.
Thechild:
observesanddescribeshowdifferent
items(rock,metal)respondtothe
warmthofthesunoutsideonasunny
dayoracold/cloudyday.
explainswhathappensaftera
weatherevent(erosionafterarain
storm;movementsofleavesaftera
windstorm).
observes,records,andpredictsdaily
weatherchanges(weathercharts).
investigateswithobjectstoobserve
whathappensduringawindyday
(flyingakite).
observesshadowsanddescribesthe
relationshipbetweentheshadowand
alightsource(sun,flashlight,lamp).
investigatesanddrawsconclusions
aboutshadows.
observesseasonalchanges.
Theteacher:
discussesweatherandchangesinthe
weather;includesdiscussionsabout
whattowearwhentheweather
changes(rain,sleet,snow,sun,
seasonalchanges).
observationsanddiscussions
followingaweatherevent.
engageschildrenininvestigatingwith
objectsduringawindyday(flyinga
kite).
asksquestionstopredictwhat
happenswhenthingsareexposedto
thesun.
providesopportunities,materials,and
discusseswhenyouseeyourshadow
andwhy(insidewithaflashlightor
outsidewiththesun).
V1.C.4
Childdemonstratesthe
importanceofcaringfor
ourenvironmentandour
planet.
Thechild:
discussesgreenpractices(water
conservation,cleanair,recycling,etc.)
engagesinconservationorrecycling
projects(notusingasmanypaper
towels,usingbothsidesofthepaper).
goesonatrashhunttocleanthe
schoolyard.
Theteacher:
engagesindiscussionsaboutwater
conservation(duringhandwashing,
teethbrushing,etc).
discussestheschoolsorcommunitys
recyclingprogramandencourages
familiestopracticerecycling.
100
D.PersonalSafetyandHealthSkills
Prekindergartenchildrendemonstrateanunderstandingofhealthandsafetyissuesasitrelatestotheirdaily
routinesandactivities.Childrenlearntomakehealthychoicesinnutritionandunderstandtheimportanceof
wellbeingthroughexerciseandrest.
YearOutcomes
VI.D.1.
Childpracticesgood
habitsofpersonalsafety.
Thechild:
follows/usessafetyprocedureswhile
usingcommontoolsandmaterials
(glue,scissors,rulers,pencils,
hammers,wood,safetygoggles).
dramatizes/demonstratesan
understandingoffiresafetyand
shelterinplaceprocedures(stop,
drop,roll;walkingtoanexitduring
firedrills,etc).
describespetsafetyandcare.
Theteacher:
discussesandmodelssafety
proceduresintheclassroomand
duringoutdoortime.
engageschildrenindramatizing
safetyprocedures(practicesfireand
emergencydrills,practicesholding
scissorscorrectly,shelterinplace).
discussespetownershipandsafety
(wheneverpossibleprovidea
classroompetforchildrentohelp
withcaretakingresponsibilities).
VI.D.2.
Childpracticesgood
habitsofpersonalhealth
andhygiene.
Thechild:
coughsandsneezesintotheirelbows
(notcovertheirmouthwiththeir
hands).
washeshandsafterusingthetoilet
andbeforesnackandlunch.
Theteacher:
discussesgoodhabitsofpersonal
health.
modelsgoodhabitsofpersonal
health.
VI.D.3.
Childidentifiesgood
habitsofnutritionand
exercise.
Thechild:
identifiesanddiscussesnutritious
healthysnacks.
participatesinpreparinghealthy
nutritioussnacks.
discussesthefactthatsome
substancesarenotgoodforthebody.
demonstratesanunderstandingthat
foodscanbegroupedasgo(good
toeat),slow(sometimesfoods),
andwhoafoods(leasthealthy).
demonstratesanddiscussestheneed
forexerciseandresttostayhealthy.
Theteacher:
engageschildrenincreatingcharts,
classmadebooks,andcollagesof
healthyandnotsohealthyfoods.
modelsandprovideshealthysnacks
andcookingexperiences.
engageschildreninactiveplay,
games,andexercise.
101
VII.SOCIALSTUDIESDOMAIN
Socialstudiesconcentratesonthenatureofpeopleandtheirworld,theheritageofthepast,andcontemporary
livingandculture.Socialstudiesisintegralbothtoyoungchildrenslivesandisofgreatinteresttothem.Driven
byadesiretoknowandachievemasteryoverselfandtheirenvironment,childrenareeagertogain
understandingofthemanyaspectsoftheircultureandenvironmentalworld,beginningwiththeirfamily,then
movingtotheworldaroundthem.Throughsocialstudies,childrenbegintodeveloptheselfunderstandingthat
willserveasafoundationforlearningaboutothersandtheworld.Although,allaspectsofeducationhavethe
goalofpreparingchildrentobecomecontributingmembersofsociety,socialstudiesisparticularlywellsuitedto
fostertheskillsandattitudesnecessaryforparticipationinademocracy.Skillssuchasproblemsolving,
decisionmaking,andworkingindependently,aswellaswithothersinaclassroom,preparechildrentobecome
fullyfunctioningcitizens.
Prekindergartenchildrencomefromavarietyofculturalandlinguisticsettings;therefore,theirunderstanding
oftheworldaroundthemcanbeuniqueandverydiverse.Itisimportanttorealizethatchildrenbringdifferent
backgroundknowledgetotheclassroom,andthiswillundoubtedlyinfluencetheirunderstandingofsome
conceptsinthesocialstudiesdomain.Therefore,itisimportanttoincorporateandhonorthechildshome,
community,anddiversityintheirunderstandingandworldview.
102
VII.SOCIALSTUDIESDOMAIN
A.People,PastandPresentSkills
Prekindergartenchildrenareawareoftimeandbegintoorganizetheirlivesaroundit.Fouryearoldchildren
learntodependoneventsandroutinesthatoccurinaregularandpredictableorder.Theybegintounderstand
pasteventsandhowtheseeventsrelatetopresentandfutureactivities,demonstratingevidenceoftheir
growingunderstandingoftime,change,andcontinuity.
Endof
Prekindergarten
YearOutcomes
VII.A.1.
Childidentifies
similaritiesand
differencesin
characteristicsof
people.
Thechild:
draws,paints,orcolorsabodyoutlineof
herselfandaddscolorsforclothing,hair,
andeyesthatmatchherown.
sharesthatpeoplespeakdifferent
languagesbyrespondingtotheteacher
whilemakingagraphaboutdifferences
theyhaveobserved(Howmanyspeak
Korean?HowmanyspeakEnglish?
HowmanyspeakSpanish?Howmany
speaktwolanguages?).
talksaboutfamilymembersandhowthey
aredifferent,suchassomearetalleror
olderthanothers.
identifiessimilaritiesamongpeoplelike
herselfandclassmatesaswellasamong
peoplefromothercultures.
Respectspeoplefromothercultures.
Theteacher:
incorporatesculturalandethnicactivities
andmaterialsintothecurriculumonan
everydaybasisthroughreadingaloudor
pretendplay.
usesphotographsandpicturestodiscuss
howpeoplearealikeanddifferent.
providesaculturallysensitiveclassroom
(asksfamiliestolistcelebrationsthey
observe).
invitesfamiliestosharefamily
celebrationswiththeclass.
VII.A.2.
Childidentifies
similaritiesand
differencesin
characteristicsof
families.
Thechild:
roleplaysavarietyoffamilymembersin
thepretendplaycenterusingwordsand
actions.
duringcircletime,sharestheirfamily
membersjobs.
looksatpicturesorphotographsabout
familiesandmakescommentssuchas,I
have2sistersandyouhave1.
Theteacher:
providesopportunitiesforplayordressup
likemom,sister,dad,etc.
encourageschildrentobringphotosof
theirfamiliesanddiscusseswiththe
childrenhowfamiliesarealikeand
differentbymakingachart.
encourageschildrensfamiliestovisitthe
classroomandsharetheircustoms,music,
andtraditions.
VII.A.3.
Childorganizestheir
lifearoundevents,
time,androutines.
Thechild:
identifiescommoneventsandroutines
(snacktime,storytime).
categorizestimeintervalsusingwords
(today,tomorrow,nexttime).
connectspasteventstocurrentevents
(linkingyesterdaysactivitywithwhatwill
happentoday).
Theteacher:
discussesdailyroutinesandeventswith
children(postingadailypictureschedule).
askschildrentodescribetheirdayusing
wordsliketoday,tomorrow,ornexttime.
encourageschildrenduringmorning
messagetolinkyesterdaysactivitieswith
whatishappeningtoday(Look,boysand
girls,itscloudytodaylikeyesterday.
Whatdoyouthinktheweatherwillbelike
today?).
103
B.EconomicSkills
Inprekindergarten,childrenlearnabouttheworldintheircommunity.Theyexploretherolesandrelationships
ofconsumersandproducers,andbecomeawarethatpeopleproduceservicesaswellasgoods.Childrenlearn
thattheircommunitybenefitsfrommanydifferentpeopleworkinginmanydifferentways.
Endof
Prekindergarten
YearOutcomes
VII.B.1.
Childdemonstrates
thatallpeople
needfood,
clothing,and
shelter.
Thechild:
looksatbooksofdifferentkindsof
shelterandmakesajournalentryofa
pictureofhisshelter.
looksatbooksofdifferentkindsoffood
andmakesajournalentryofpicturesof
foodssheatefordinner.
looksatbooksofdifferentclothingand
makesajournalentrypictureofthe
clothesheworetoschoolthatday.
Theteacher:
discussesandquestions,Whattypesof
sheltersdopeoplelivein?Whatdoes
shelterprovidetous?recording
answersonchartpaper.
showspicturesanddiscussesfoodsthat
originatedfromdifferentculturesand
asksthechildreniftheyhaveeaten
thesefoods.
readsabookduringcircletimeabout
clothinganddiscusseswhyweneed
clothing.
VII.B.2.
Childparticipatesin
activitiestohelp
thembecome
awareofwhatit
meanstobea
consumer.
Thechild:
participatesinbuyingitemsfoundinthe
store/restaurantinthepretendplay
center(Ihadenoughmoneytobuy2
apples,butnot3.).
sharesexperienceswiththeother
childrendetailingshoppingexperiences
withtheirfamily.
Theteacher:
providesappropriatematerials(cash
register,receiptpad,plasticfooditems,
hardwaregoods,etc.)tocreateastore
orrestaurant.
recordstheshoppingexperienceson
chartpaperanddisplaysforthechildren
tointeractwithlater.
VII.B.3.
Childdiscussesthe
rolesand
responsibilitiesof
community
workers.
Thechild:
identifiesschoolhelpers
(principal/director,secretary,nurse,
custodians,etc.)andexplainshowthey
helpthechildorschool.
pretendstobedifferentschoolhelpers
duringplay.
identifiescommunityhelpers(police
officers,firefighters,paramedics,bus
drivers,etc.)
pretendstobedifferentcommunity
helpersduringplay.
participatesinthecreationofclass
booksaboutschoolandcommunity
helpers.
Theteacher:
invitesschoolshelperstocomeinor
takestheclasstovisitthemsothe
helperscantellthechildrenabouttheir
roleintheschool.
Providesappropriateitemsforthe
childrentopretendtobeschoolhelpers
suchasbroom,mop,phone,notepads,
bandaids,andcoldpack.
invitescommunityhelperstocomeinor
takestheclasstovisitthemsothe
helperscantellthechildrenabouttheir
roleinthecommunity.
assiststhechildrenincreatingclass
booksaboutschoolandcommunity
helpers.

104
C.GeographySkills
Prekindergartenchildrenbegintothinkaboutgeographyusinglocationanddirection.Childrenusedirectiontolocate
theirrelativepositioninspaceandtolocatetheirhomeandschoolintheircommunity.
Endof
Prekindergarten
YearOutcomes
Vll.C.1.
Childidentifiesand
createscommon
featuresinher
immediate
environment.
Thechild:
identifiescommonfeaturesinthehome
andschoolenvironment(Thelibraryhas
books.Theplaygroundhasaswing.).
createssimplerepresentationsofhome,
school,orcommunity(drawingsorblock
constructions).
identifiescommonfeaturesofthelocal
landscape(houses,buildings,streets)
bringsitemsrepresentingfamily
heritagefromhomeforshowandtell.
Theteacher:
discussescommonfeaturesinhome
andschoolenvironment(Whatare
thingsthatwehavebothathomeand
atschool?Thechildrenrespondwith
sinks,carpet,etc.).
questionschildrenscreationsofhome,
school,andcommunity(askschildrento
describetheirblockconstructionofthe
playground.).
encourageschildrentobuildtowns
usingblockstorepresentbuildings,
houses,etc.
discussesfamilyheritagesofstudentsin
class,school,andcommunity(providing
timeforshowandtell).
D.CitizenshipSkills
Thechildbeginstounderstandimportantcustoms,symbols,andcelebrationsthatrepresentAmericanbeliefs
andprinciplesandcontributetoournationalidentity.
Endof
Prekindergarten
YearOutcomes
VII.D.1.
Childidentifies
flagsoftheUnited
StatesandTexas.
Thechild:
identifies(bypointing)theUnitedStates
flagwhenasked.
identifies(bypointing)theTexasflag
whenasked.
comparesthesimilaritiesbetweenthe
UnitedStatesflagandtheTexasflag.
discussesthedifferencesbetweenthe
UnitedStatesandtheTexasflags.
Theteacher:
displaysandidentifiestheUnitedStates
andtheTexasflag.
encouragesthechildrentopaint/draw
theUnitedStatesflagandtheTexasflag
onplainpaper,helpslabelwith
childrenshelpanddiscussesthe
featuresoftheflags,labelsanddisplays
theflags.
readsaloudappropriatebooksonflags
andasksquestions(Wheredoyousee
flags?Whatcolorsdoyouseeonthe
flags?Whatshapesdoyousee?).
encouragesvisitorstotheclassroom
whoknowabouttheflag[suchas
VFW(VeteransofForeignWars);
representativesofcommunity
organizations]todiscusstheimportance
oftheflaganditspropercare.

105
Endof
Prekindergarten
YearOutcomes
VII.D.2.
Childrecitesthe
PledgeofAllegiance
totheUnitedStates
flagandthestate
flagandobservesa
momentofsilence*.
Thechild:
participatesindailyPledgeofAllegiance
activities.
discusseswhythePledgeofAllegianceis
said.
discussesplacestheyhavesaidthepledge
outsideofschool(ballgames,assemblies,
etc).
Theteacher:
modelsthePledgeofAllegiancewiththe
children,rememberingtosaythewords
slowlyandclearly.
discussesthemeaningofthePledgeof
Allegiancewithafocusonthatthepledge
showsloveandloyaltytothecountry.
encouragesvisitorstotheclassroomwho
willpointouttheimportanceoftheflag
suchasVFWrepresentatives.
makesagraphofthedifferentplacesthe
childrenhavesaidorheardthepledge
recited(classroom,ballgames,
assemblies,orTVevents).
VII.D.3.
Thechildengagesin
votingasamethod
forgroupdecision
making.
Thechild:
votesinclassroomsdecisions(playing
insidevs.playingoutside;singing
Twinkle,TwinkleLittleStarvs.Five
LittleMonkeys).
reportstothegroup,timestheirfamily
hasparticipatedinvoting.
createsvotingsituationsindramaticplay
center(askstheirfriendstovotewhether
theywanttoplayhospitalorrestaurant).
Theteacher:
modelsandprovidessituationsforvoting
(choosingabookforreadaloud;whereto
haveplaytime;whichsongfordancing).
sendsaletterhometofamiliestodiscuss
theirvotingparticipation.Havechildren
reporttotheclasswhileteacherrecords
onchartpaper(Childsays,Mymom
votedformayorlastyear.Shewenttomy
sistersschooltovote.).
reinforcestheideaofvotingasawayto
resolveconflictduringcentertime.
VII.D.4.
Thechildidentifies
similaritiesamong
peoplelikehimself
andclassmatesas
wellasamong
himselfandpeople
fromothercultures.
Thechild:
explainsanddemonstratesfamily
celebrations(drawsandwritesabout
familyholidaysandcelebrations).
participatesinclassdiscussesoffamily
customsandtraditions(CincodeMayo,
ChineseNewYear,etc).
Theteacher:
discussesfamilycustomsandtraditions.
invitesfamiliesandcommunityvolunteers
toclasstodemonstrateandexplain
customsandtraditions.
*TEC25.082.SCHOOLDAY;PLEDGESOFALLEGIANCE:MINUTEOFSILENCE.(a)Aschooldayshallbeatleast
sevenhourseachday,includingintermissionsandrecesses.(b)Theboardoftrusteesofeachschooldistrictshall
requirestudents,onceduringeachschooldayateachschoolinthedistrict,torecite:(1)thepledgeofallegiance
totheUnitedStatesflaginaccordancewith4U.S.C.Section4,anditssubsequentamendments;and(2)the
pledgeofallegiancetothestateflaginaccordancewithSubchapterC,Chapter3100,GovernmentCode.(c)On
writtenrequestfromastudentsparentorguardian,aschooldistrictshallexcusethestudentfromrecitinga
pledgeofallegianceunderSubsection(b).(d)Theboardoftrusteesofeachschooldistrictshallprovideforthe
observanceofoneminuteofsilenceateachschoolinthedistrictfollowingtherecitationofthepledgesof
allegiancetotheUnitedStatesandTexasflagsunderSubsection(B).Duringtheoneminuteperiod,each
studentmay,asthestudentchooses,reflect,pray,meditate,orengageinanyothersilentactivitythatisnot
likelytointerferewithordistractanotherstudent.Eachteacherorotherschoolemployeeinchargeofstudents
duringthatperiodshallensurethateachofthosestudentsremainssilentanddoesnotactinamannerthatis
likelytointerferewithordistractanotherstudent.
106
VIII.FINEARTSDOMAIN
A.ArtSkills
Childrenexploreawidevarietyofmaterialsandmakediscoveriesaboutcolor,shape,andtexturethroughart
experiences.Theylearntoexpresswhattheyknowandbegintorecognizehowothersexpressthemselves
throughart.Theyalsobegintogaincontroloffinemotormusclesandpracticehandeyecoordination.
Endof
Prekindergarten
YearOutcomes
VIII.A.1.
Childusesavariety
ofartmaterialsand
activitiesforsensory
experienceand
exploration.
Thechild:
investigateswithavarietyofmaterials
(crayons,paint,clay,markers).
manipulatesmodelingclaybyrolling,
pinching,squeezing,patting,andcutting.
mixescolorstomakeothercolors(redand
yellowfingerpainttomakeorange).
usesdifferentsizesofbrushestopaint.
selectsavarietyofmaterialsintheart
centerforexploration(paintingwith
cottonswabsonpaper).
commentsoncolors,shapes,space,
textures,andobjectsintheenvironment.
createsartworkinspiredbymusic.
Theteacher:
providesartmaterialsthatcanbeeasily
adaptedforindependentparticipation
(differentsizesofbrushes,differentcolors
ofpaint,markers,modelingclay,cotton
swabs,straws,etc.).
rotatesmaterialsintheartcenterona
regularbasis.
providesopportunitiesforexplorationof
therelationshipofspaceandobjectsas
wellascolor,balance,texture,anddesign
(opportunitiestoconstruct3dimensional
designs).
callschildrensattentiontoartwithinthe
environment(colorsofaflower,markings
onabutterflyswing,texturesonthe
leavesofatree).
providestimeduringthedayforchildren
toindependentlyparticipate,engage,and
experimentusingavarietyoftexturesof
materials(centers).
scaffoldschildrensthinkingaboutartistic
explorationsbyaskingopenended
questions(Whathappenedwhenyou
mixedredandblue?).
providesaspaceintheclassroomfor
childrentodisplaytheirwork.
VIII.A.2.
Childusesartasa
formofcreativeself
expressionand
representation.
Thechild:
talksaboutwhatheisgoingtocreate(Im
goingtopaintapictureofmyfamily.).
describesownwork(Thisismeridingmy
bike.).
demonstratesstepsofcreatingownwork
(FirstIrolledtheclayintoaball.ThenI
).
createsdrawingsandpaintingsthat
graduallybecomemorerealisticand
detailed.
usesavarietyofmaterialstocreateart
forms.
developsavocabularytoshareopinions
aboutartisticcreationsandexperiences.
Theteacher:
providestimeinthescheduleforchildren
todescribeanddemonstratework(show
andtellatcircletime).
scaffoldschildrensthinkingaboutartistic
creationsbyaskingopenendedquestions
(Tellmeaboutyourpainting.).
exposeschildrentodifferentexamplesof
art(collages,paintings,mosaics,
sculptures,posters).
allowschildrentouseavarietyof
materialsforindividualcreativepiecesof
art.
incorporatesartvocabulary(forms,
meanings,colors,textures,andshapes).
107
Endof
Prekindergarten
YearOutcomes
VIII.A.3.
Childdemonstrates
interestinand
showsappreciation
forthecreative
workofothers.
Thechild:
commentsontheartworkofaclassmate.
respondstocommentsmadeby
classmatesaboutapicture(Yes,Idrewa
greenhousebecausethatismyfavorite
color.).
recognizesbooksillustratedbythesame
illustrator.
commentsonpicturesinbooks.
exploresartfromavarietyofcultures.
Theteacher:
displaysmanyexamplesofchildrens
artwork.
displaysart,sculptures,andartifactsthat
arerepresentativeofvariouscultures.
providesbooksandphotographsthat
depictavarietyofartmedia(paints,
pencils,paper)andartistsstyles.
takeschildrentoartmuseumsorinvites
localartiststotheclassroom.
readsaloudandcallsattentiontothe
illustrationsinbooks.

108

VIII.FINEARTSDOMAIN
B.MusicSkills
Fouryeaoldchildrenexpressthemselvesthroughsingingandmovement,andbyplayingsimpleinstruments.
Likeart,musicisaformofexperiencing,learning,andcommunicatingwithothers.Childrenlearntoexperiment
withmusicconcepts,volume,tempo,andsound.Theybegintoappreciatedifferenttypesofmusic.
Endof
Prekindergarten
YearOutcomes
VIII.B.1.
Childparticipatesin
classroommusic
activities.
Thechild:
singsalongwithfamiliarsongsduring
circletime(OldMcDonaldHada
Farm).
singssongsaboutconceptslearnedin
thecurriculum(singingaboutplanting
seedswhenthethemeisgardening,
transportationsongs,etc.).
joinsinwithfamiliarfingerplays
(EencyWeencySpider).
playstheclassroommusical
instruments(usesinstrumentstohelp
retellastory,usesinstrumentsto
representacharacterinastory).
choosestolistentomusicduring
centers.
makesupandsingssongsduringthe
day.
createsownmusicalinstrumentsusing
boxes,strings,rubberbands,andcans
(propscanbeaddedtodramaticplayor
inothercenters).
sings/playssongsfromdifferent
cultures.
Theteacher:
providesrepetitionofsongsandfinger
playstopromotefamiliarity.
usesmusicorfingerplaysasasignalfor
transitiontoanewactivity.
exploremusicalinstruments(drums,
cymbals,triangles,maracas,etc.).
experiencedifferentstylesofmusic(
jazz,rock,classical,andsongsfrom
otherculturesandinotherlanguages).
providesmaterialsforchildrentocreate
owninstruments(boxes,strings,rubber
bands,andcans).
VIII.B.2.
Childrespondsto
differentmusical
stylesthrough
movementand
play.
Thechild:
usesprops(scarves,streamers)to
createmovementstomusic.
followsthebeatusingbodyandmusical
instruments(walksorjumpstothe
beat).
distinguishesbetweendifferenttypesof
music(loud/soft,fast/slow,happy/sad,
etc.).
startsandstopsplayingofmusical
instrumentswhenthemusicstartsor
stops.
describesandexpressesmoodswitha
varietyofmusic.
talksaboutdifferentstylesofmusic.
Theteacher:
exposeschildrentodifferentstylesand
temposofmusicthroughgamesand
activities.
providesvariousprops(scarves,
streamers)andopportunitiesfor
musicalexploration.
exposeschildrentomusicalexperiences
throughconcerts.
readsaloudbooksaboutmusic.
providesmusicalopportunitieswitha
varietyofmoodsforexpression.
109

VIII.FINEARTSDOMAIN
C.DramaticExpressionSkills
Creativedramainprekindergarteninvolvesyoungchildreninexpressiveandspontaneousproductions.Children
demonstratetheiruniqueinterpretationofmusic,songs,andstoriesthroughmovementanddramatic
experiences.Theseexperiencescontributetochildrensabilitytocommunicatemoreeffectivelyandengagein
cooperativeactivitywithothers.
Endof
Prekindergarten
YearOutcomes
VIII.C.1.
Childcreatesor
recreatesstories,
moods,or
experiences
throughdramatic
representations.
Thechild:
dramatizesastoryreadaloud(afamiliar
fairytale).
engagesindramaticplaywith
classmates(playsthepartofdifferent
charactersinafamiliarbook).
createspropstodramatizeastoryread
aloudorrepresentmood.
recreateseventsfromhisownlife.
usesmovementstopantomime
movementsofvariousanimals(moves
likeanelephant,sneakslikeamouse)
andtodevelopmotorskills.
usesvoicetorepresentsoundtoactout
charactersinastory(highandlow
pitches).
Theteacher:
rereadsbookstopromotefamiliarity.
providesprops(cookingutensilssuchas
tortillapresses,ladles,woks,steamers,
chopsticks,baskets,etc.)fordramatic
expressionthatreflectdiversityin
gender,culture,andoccupations.
actoutfamiliarstories.
providesavarietyofmaterialsfor
childrentocreateownpropstorecreate
storiesordramaticrepresentations.
participatesindramaticplaywith
children.
exposeschildrentodramatic
presentationsbycommunitytheater
groupsorstudentgroups.
110
IX.PHYSICALDEVELOPMENTDOMAIN
Learningisinextricablytiedupinactionsimplyperformingmotorskillsactuallyaltersbrainfunction.Research
documentsdevelopmentalrelationshipsbetweenperception,action,andcognitioninwhichchildrens
knowledgedevelopsfromtheiractions.Thus,learningrelatesdirectlytomobilityandmotorskills.Themotor
developmentaldomaininfluencesmanyaspectsofchildrenssuccessincognitive,perceptual,andsocial
developmentthatcasualobserversmightnotconsider.Movementisatthecenterofyoungchildrenslives.The
developmentofcertainmotorskillsisthoughttodetermine,inpart,theemergenceofparticularperceptualand
cognitiveabilities.Teachersshouldencouragechildrentodevelopgrossandfinemotorskillsandtostretchthe
limitsoftheirphysicalcapacity.Physicalachievementshelpchildrentogainandmaintainselfconfidence,
stability,andevencontributetosuchactivitiesasholdingapencilorcrayonandwriting.Running,hopping,
startingandstopping,changingdirection,andcatchingandthrowingaretheprerequisitesforthegamesof
middlechildhoodthatfurtheradvancechildrenscognitiveandsocialdevelopment.Theteachershouldbea
goodrolemodelbyparticipatingasmuchaspossiblewiththeseactivities.Vigorouslyinteractingwithchildren
notonlysetsagoodexampleofphysicalactivity,butalsoresultsinchildrensshowingsignsofimprovedmental
healthandemotionalstatusandcloserteacherchildrelationships.Activitiestodevelopphysicalskillandrefine
motordevelopmentcanbeincludedinearlychildhoodeducationanddevelopmentenvironmentsthrough
gamesandgroupplay.Rhythmic,stability,locomotor,andmanipulativeskillsareimportantandcanbe
addressedinanumberofways.Mostimportantly,though,theseactivitiesshouldmakeameaningfullinkwith
social,emotional,andcognitivedevelopment.Physicalactivitynotonlypromotescognitionbutalsocan
enhancechildrenssocialskillsandselfesteemthroughgroupparticipation.Free,unstructuredoutdoorplayas
ameansofdevelopinggrossmotor,finemotorandsensoryskillsisvaluabletochildrensoverallwellbeing.
111
IX.PHYSICALDEVELOPMENTDOMAINAREA
A.GrossMotorDevelopmentSkills
Childrenexploretheirphysicalspaceandunderstandhowtheirbodiesfunctioninspacethroughactive
movementexperiences.Locomotorskillsaredevelopedfirst,followedbystability(turning,twisting,balancing,
dodging)andmanipulative(throwing,catching,kicking,striking)motorskills.Grossmotordevelopmentrequires
thoughtanddeliberatemovement.Fouryearoldchildrendevelopgreatercontrolofgrossmotormanipulative
movementsthatinvolvegivingforcetoobjectsandreceivingforcefromobjects.
Byaround48
MonthsofAge
Endof
Prekindergarten
YearOutcomes
Strategies
Childhasmastered
basicskillsof
running,jumping,
climbing,and
pedaling.
IX.A.1.
Child
demonstrates
coordinationand
balancein
isolation(may
notyet
coordinate
consistentlywith
apartner).
Thechild:
maintainsbalancewhile
walkingonabalancebeamor
standingononefoot.
hopsononefoot,walks,jogs,
jumps,andgallops.
carriesabowlorplateof
objectsfromonespotto
another.
coordinateslegandbody
movementstosustain
swingingonaswing.
movesandstopswithcontrol
overspeedanddirection
(movesbackandforth,sideto
side).
Theteacher:
providestimeandspacefor
physicalactivities.
modifiesactivitiesand
equipmentaccordingtothe
needsofindividualchildren.
providesactivitiesthatcross
themidlineofthebody
(huggingoneselfbycrossing
arms;reachingforobjects
withonlyonehandatatime;
etc.).
participateswithchildrenin
movementgames.
playsgamessuchasRed
Light,GreenLight."
Childengagesin
movement
sequenceswithadult
prompts.
IX.A.2.
Childcoordinates
sequenceof
movementsto
performtasks.
Thechild:
moveswithinaspaceof
definedboundaries,changing
bodyconfigurationto
accommodatethespace
(movingthroughanobstacle
course).
movesbodyintopositionto
catchorkickaball.
usesaxialmovementssuchas
reaching,twisting,turning,
andbending.
participatesingroupgames
involvingmovement(Hokey,
Pokey).
movesfromonespaceto
anotherinavarietyofways
(running,jumping,hopping,
skipping).
movesinrhythmtosimple
tunesandmusicpatterns.
Theteacher:
providesavarietyof
movementactivities.
providestimeandspacefor
childrentoparticipatein
grossmotormovements.
modifiesactivitiesand
equipmenttomeettheneeds
ofindividualchildren.
playsgamesthatinclude
motoractivities(Followthe
Leader;FreezeTag;Red
Light,GreenLight).
providesoutdoorequipment
(differentsizeballsfor
catching,throwing,and
kicking)tostimulateavariety
ofskills.
providesequipment(bean
bagstotossintoabasket,
obstaclecoursesusing
tunnels,largecardboard
112
Byaround48
MonthsofAge
Endof
Prekindergarten
YearOutcomes
Strategies
boxes,etc.)forindoorgross
motoractivities.
usesgamesandsongsthat
involvemovementand
exercise(CDs;SkiptoMy
Lou).
includesdailywarmup
exercisessuchasstretching,
jumpingjacks,runningin
placeduringtheday.
participatesingameswith
children.
B.FineMotorDevelopmentSkills
Finemotormanipulativemovementsinvolveobjecthandlingactivitiesthatemphasizemotorcontrol,precision,
andaccuracyofmovement.Usingacomputermouse,cuttingwithscissors,anddrawingarethefoundational
skillsneededforthedemandsofhandwritingandothersmallmotorskillsinlaterschoolyears.
Byaround48
MonthsofAge
Endof
Prekindergarten
YearOutcomes
Strategies
Childexperiments
withavarietyoffine
motortasksbutmay
lackstrengthand
control.
IX.B.1.
Childshows
controloftasks
thatrequire
smallmuscle
strengthand
control.
Thechild:
manipulatesandshapes
modelingclay.
usespincercontrol(grasps
smallobjectsbetweenthumb
andindexfinger)to
manipulatetools(tweezers,
eyedroppers)and
manipulatives(linkingcubes).
useshandsandfingersto
manipulatevariousclassroom
materials(placingcapsonand
offmarkers;usingvarioussize
brushestopaintattheeasel).
holdsdrawingandwriting
utensilsinamore
conventionalgrasp(with
fingersinsteadoffist).
Theteacher:
providesavarietyoftoolsin
variouscentersforchildren
touse(dramaticplaycenter
eggbeaters,tongs;
manipulativecenterlinking
cubes;sciencecentertongs,
eyedroppers).
plansactivitiesthatbuild
smallmusclestrengthand
control(tornpapercollages,
cookiecuttersinmodeling
clay,makingdecorative
jewelry,painting).
Childshows
emergingproficiency
ontasksrequiring
eyehand
coordination(draws
picturesrecognizable
tochildbutnot
others,cutswith
scissorsbutmaynot
cutalltheway
acrossapage).
IX.B.2.
Childshows
increasing
controloftasks
thatrequireeye
hand
coordination.
Thechild:
putstogetherpuzzleswith
interlockingpieces.
accomplishesselfhelptasks
(buttoning,zipping,snapping).
stringssmallbeads.
completeslacingcards.
drawsrecognizablepictures
andshapes.
Theteacher:
providesmaterialsinthe
classroomthatencourage
childrentopracticeeyehand
coordination(dramaticplay
centerdressingdolls;
manipulativecentervariety
ofbeadsandlaces;block
centervarietyofblock
shapes;artcenterscissors).
plansactivitiesthatbuildeye
113
handcoordination(string
macaroniforanecklace;use
gluesticksforcollages).
providestimeforpracticeof
finemotorskills(centers).
practiceselfhelpskillssuchas
buttoningandzippingown
clothing.
114
X.TECHNOLOGYAPPLICATIONSDOMAIN
Youngchildrenhavemuchtogainfromtheuseoftechnology.Inprekindergarten,theyexpandtheirabilityto
acquireinformation,solveproblems,andcommunicatewithothers.Regularaccessandexposuretocomputers
andrelatedtechnologycanenhancethislearning.Childrenuseengaging,ageappropriate,andchallenging
software;andtechnologytoextendtheirknowledgeandtoenrichtheirlearningofcurriculumcontentand
concepts.Thesetechnologiesserveasimportantlearningtoolsandareintegratedthroughouttheinstructional
program.Providingaccesstoavarietyoftechnologiesiscriticalinthedevelopmentof21
st
centuryskillsthat
youngchildrenneedtolearnandgrow.
X.TECHNOLOGYAPPLICATIONSDOMAIN
A.TechnologyandDevicesSkills
Childrenlearnhowtechnologycanenhanceourlives.Technologyincludescomputers,voice/soundrecorders,
televisions,digitalcameras,personaldigitalassistants,andMP3devicesoriPODs.Surroundedbytechnology,
childrencanbenefitfrombecomingawareofandinteractingwithvoice/soundrecordersandothertechnology
thatmaybeavailable.Theydeveloptechniquesforhandlingandcontrollingvariousdevices,becoming
increasinglyconfidentandindependentusersofageappropriatetechnologies.
Endof
Prekindergarten
YearOutcomes
X.A.1.
Childopensand
navigatesthrough
softwareprograms
designedto
enhance
developmentof
appropriate
concepts.
Thechild:
followsbasicoralorvisualcuesfor
operatingprogramssuccessfully.
listenstoandinteractswithstorybooks
andinformationtexts(multimedia
encyclopedia)inelectronicforms.
Theteacher:
providestimeandtechnologyfor
childrentouse.
modelsuseofcomputersandsoftware
usingbasicoralorvisualcues.
providesavarietyofsoftwarepackages
withaudio,video,andgraphicsto
enhancelearningexperiences
(improvingvocabulary;increasing
phonologicalawareness;creating
originalworks).
X.A.2.
Childusesand
namesavarietyof
computerinput
devices,suchas
mouse,keyboard,
voice/sound
recorder,touch
screen,CDROM.
Thechild:
movesanddoubleclicksthemouseto
interactwithsoftwareprograms.
usesterminologytodescribeworkon
computer.
Theteacher:
providesinstructionandpracticetimeto
enablethechildtomasterthisskillusing
theappropriateterminologyand
vocabulary.
X.A.3.
Childoperates
voice/sound
recordersand
touchscreens.
Thechild:
usesvoice/soundrecordingandtouch
screendevicesappropriately.
insertsandplaysCDtolistentosongs.
Theteacher:
modelsanddiscusseshowtouse
voice/soundrecordingandtouchscreen
devices.
providesaCDortaperecorderfor
childrentouseduringindependentplay.
115
X.A.4.
Childusessoftware
applicationsto
createandexpress
ownideas.
Thechild:
createswritingsanddrawingsusing
software.
usesavarietyofsoftwarepackageswith
audio,video,andgraphicstoenhance
learningexperiences(improving
vocabulary;increasingphonological
awareness).
Theteacher:
modelsanddiscusseshowtouse
software.
providestimeforchildrentointeract
withdifferentprograms.
X.A.5.
Childrecognizes
thatinformationis
accessiblethrough
theuseof
technology.
Thechild:
learnsnewinformationthrough
interactionwithtechnology.
Theteacher:
modelsanddiscusseswhenandhowto
obtaininformationfromwebsites.

116
APPENDICES
117
ExpandedResearchCommittee
StateCenterforEarlyChildhoodDevelopment
SusanLandry,Ph.D.
SusanGunnewig,M.Ed.
BeverlyReed,M.Ed.
SonyaCoffey,M.Ed.
CathyGuttentag,Ph.D.
StevenA.Hecht,Ph.D.
LillaDaleMcManis,Ph.D.
EmilySolari,Ph.D.
JasonAnthony,Ph.D.
TexasEducationAgency
GinaS.Day DeputyAssociateCommissionerStateInitiatives
GeorginaGonzalez DirectorBilingual/ESLUnit
SusieCoultress AssistantDirectorBilingual/ESLUnit
LilieElizondoLimas ProgramManagerSchoolReadinessandPartnerships
Consultants
GlendaHarrison
JanHedrick
EdnaNavarro
MaryHobbs,Ph.D.
Contributors
KaitlinGuthrow EarlyChildhoodConsultant,Austin
JudyWillgren TexasDepartmentofHealthandSafety,RaisingTexas
MaryJaneGome EarlyChildhoodManager,Houston
DellaFrye HeadStart/EarlyChildhood,Lubbock
SusanHoff CEOChildCareGroup,Dallas
DebbieSimpsonSmith,Ph.D. SanJacintoCollege,Pasadena
GabeColeman Principal,MartinLutherKingEarlyCC,Houston
118
TexasPrekindergartenGuidelines2008ExpertPanel
LeadResearchers
Specialthanksareextendedtothefollowingleadresearchersfortheirexpertise:
ElsaCrdenasHagan,Ph.D.
ELL/BilingualValleySpeechLanguageandLearningCenter,Texas
ElizabethPna,Ph.D.
ELL/BilingualUniversityofTexasatAustin
AnneE.Cunningham,Ph.D.
PreLiteracyUniversityofCaliforniaatBerkeley
CeleneE.Domitrovich,Ph.D.
Social/EmotionalPennsylvaniaStateUniversity
SaraE.RimmKaufman,Ph.D.
Social/EmotionalUniversityofVirginia
StevenA.Hecht,Ph.D.
MathematicsUniversityofTexasHealthScienceCenteratHouston
AliceKlein,Ph.D.
MathematicsUniversityofCaliforniaatBerkeley
PrenticeStarkey,Ph.D.
MathematicsUniversityofCaliforniaatBerkeley
LauraJustice,Ph.D.
Language/VocabularyOhioStateUniversity
KathleenA.Roskos,Ph.D.
Language/VocabularyJohnCarrollUniversity
119
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Texas Prekindergarten Guidelines

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