Teacher Manual
P-RTI Oral Language Curriculum Supplement
DEVELOPING TALKERS: PRE-K & HABLEMOS JUNTOS: PRE-K
Table of Contents
Table of Contents ............................................................................................................................................. 1
Introduction ..................................................................................................................................................... 3
P-RTI Context for Developing Talkers: Pre-K ...................................................................................................... 3
Description of Developing Talkers: Pre-K........................................................................................................... 4
Organization of Lessons.................................................................................................................................... 4
Scope of Instructional Objectives ...................................................................................................................... 5
Lesson Features in Developing Talkers: Pre-K .................................................................................................... 6
Using Data Collected at Each P-RTI Tier to Make Decisions ................................................................................ 8
Monitoring Students Response to Instruction ................................................................................................... 9
Tier 1: Specific Materials & Activities in Developing Talkers: Pre-K................................................................... 10
Tier 2: Specific Materials & Activities in Developing Talkers: Pre-K................................................................... 13
Gradual Release Model .................................................................................................................................. 15
Explicit Vocabulary and Comprehension Activities for Tier 2 ............................................................................ 16
Appendix A: Sample Implementation & Anecdotal Notes ................................................................................ 27
Appendix B: Sample Curriculum Based Measure ............................................................................................. 28
References ..................................................................................................................................................... 29
Unit 1 Scope & Sequence: All About Me /Todo sobre mí ............................................................................ Tab 1
Week 1 Lessons: My Five Senses/Los cinco sentidos ................................................................................... Tab 2
Week 2 Lessons: Human Development/Desarrollo del cuerpo .................................................................... Tab 3
Week 3 Lessons: Exercise/Nutrictión ......................................................................................................... Tab 4
Week 4 Lessons: Nutrition/Ejercicio........................................................................................................... Tab 5
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P-RTI Oral Language Curriculum Supplement
DEVELOPING TALKERS: PRE-K & HABLEMOS JUNTOS: PRE-K
Copyright Notice © 2010
This manual, lessons, and all associated Developing Talkers: Pre-K and Hablemos Juntos: Pre-K© materials are
copyrighted and are property of the Children’s Learning Institute and the University of Texas Health Science
Center at Houston. All rights reserved. No modifications, transmission, republication, commercial, or
noncommercial distribution of these materials are permitted without written permission from the Children’s
Learning Institute.
Professional Development
It is strongly recommended that users of Developing Talkers: Pre-K complete an associated online professional
development course. The online course is available at www.teachscape.com and is called Pre-Kindergarten
Response to Intervention (P-RTI). This course further details the P-RTI framework that Developing Talkers: Pre-K
was designed around, including information on how P-RTI can be implemented in a variety of school and childcare
settings. The P-RTI course also features extensive video footage and reflection prompts for educators interested in
bringing a P-RTI framework to their classroom and school. Visit www.teachscape.com for further details on pricing
and access to this full course. A shorter training may be completed that focuses exclusively on Developing Talkers:
Pre-K. This alternative is a single section of the larger P-RTI course. Through a partnership with Teachscape, the
Developing Talkers: Pre-K section is available at no cost to all educators. To complete this training, follow the
instructions detailed at the Children’s Learning Institute’s (CLI) website (see
www.childrenslearninginstitute.org/our-programs/program-overview/CIRCLE/Developing-Talkers)
Upon completion of this one minimum section of the P-RTI course, access will be given to download Developing
Talkers: Pre-K materials that school administrators, teachers, or education specialists may print or photocopy for
use with their students. Distributing electronic copies of these materials to others is not permitted.
Acknowledgments
Development and pilot testing of Developing Talkers: Pre-K was supported by the Texas Education Agency (TEA)
and the Texas State Center for Early Childhood Development (TSCECD). The content of these materials do not
necessarily reflect the views of TEA or TSCECD. We are grateful to Sonia Cabell, Ph.D. and Ana Quiros, Ph.D. for
their work in developing lessons. All educators who participated in developing and testing these materials deserve
special thanks, particularly Dinona McCray, Linda Cirilo, Rita Senegal, and Nasreen Ahmed. The mentors and
coordinators in the Texas School Ready! program were essential in piloting and developing this program. We are
particularly thankful for the generous support of Teachscape in making the Developing Talkers: Pre-K section of
the online course freely available to all educators and we hope that this will facilitate use of these materials in
many pre-kindergarten classrooms.
More Information
For questions or correspondence about the Developing Talkers: Pre-K materials, you can find contact information
at the Developing Talkers: Pre-K section of the CLI website:
www.childrenslearninginstitute.org/our-programs/program-overview/CIRCLE/Developing-Talkers
For educators who have completed the associated professional development, Developing Talkers: Pre-K materials
are available through this website in one of two forms: (a) to purchase as prepared kits including lesson plans,
children’s books with suggested teacher prompt on stickers inside the text, and various picture cards, or (b) to
download, at no cost, lesson plans, suggested teacher prompt to be placed in texts, and pictures cards to print
and use with commercially available trade books.
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DEVELOPING TALKERS: PRE-K & HABLEMOS JUNTOS: PRE-K
Introduction
This manual introduces you to the Developing Talkers: Pre-K© program and the Hablemos Juntos: Pre-K ©
program that were developed by the Children’s Learning Institute at the University of Texas Health Science Center
at Houston. Developing Talkers: Pre-K and Hablemos Juntos: Pre-K are curricular supplements designed to meet
the needs of many aspects of your Tier 1 and Tier 2 oral language instruction. The program provides sample
lessons and an instructional template to develop and strengthen children’s skills in the areas of vocabulary and
listening comprehension. This is a resource for early childhood educators who want to implement aspects of a
Pre-kindergarten Response to Intervention (P-RTI) framework.
Hablemos Juntos: Pre-K lessons are designed for instructional settings with Spanish-speaking or bilingual students,
whereas Developing Talkers: Pre-K lessons are designed for instructional settings where teaching occurs primarily
in English. The English materials contain special considerations for English language learners (ELL) who are
instructed primarily in English. Please note that these two curricular supplements follow the same instructional
routines and use similar teaching techniques, but the lessons and materials are different and feature different
commercially available trade books. In this Teacher Manual, we hereafter refer to both curricular supplements as
Developing Talkers: Pre-K due to space limitations. Spanish terms are noted as “SP.”
P-RTI Context for Developing Talkers: Pre-K
The Developing Talkers: Pre-K program is designed as one piece of a Pre-kindergarten Response to Intervention
(P-RTI) initiative. P-RTI aims to meet the needs of all children through a tiered instruction and assessment
framework. This framework requires targeted and intentional instruction to meet the needs of all students.
P-RTI is supported by accumulating research evidence (for review see Coleman, Buysse, & Neitzel, 2006). Three
tiers with increasingly intensive instruction are typically used to match instruction with children’s needs for
support across all learning domains such as language, early literacy, and math.
Developing Talkers: Pre-K addresses only one domain – oral language instruction – and utilizes the following
aspects of Tier 1 and 2 instruction. Tier 3/Problem Solving is beyond the scope of Developing Talkers: Pre-K.
Tier 1
All students receive exemplary whole group instruction.
TBD
Screening/progress monitoring with a validated
assessment tool is used to identify students who need
more targeted instruction.
Tier 2
Tier 2
Explicit Small Group
Developing Talkers
Approximately 10-15% of students need more targeted
Intervention
Tier 2 instruction.
Progress Monitoring (CBMs)
These students continue participating in Tier 1 instruction,
but receive supplemental Tier 2 small-group instruction (in
Tier 1
groups of 3-4 students) that is more explicit and provides
Research-Based Core Curriculum &
Developing Talkers Read Alouds
increased opportunities for practice and feedback.
Universal Screening/Progress Monitoring
More frequent progress monitoring with curriculum-based
measures (CBM) is used to determine how students are
responding to this more targeted instruction.
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DEVELOPING TALKERS: PRE-K & HABLEMOS JUNTOS: PRE-K
Description of Developing Talkers: Pre-K
Developing Talkers: Pre-K is a curriculum supplement that consists of daily Tier 1, whole group lessons and daily
Tier 2, small group lessons, each approximately 10-15 minutes in duration. The lessons can be conducted at any
time of day, but the daily Tier 1, whole-group lesson must occur before the daily Tier 2 small-group lesson. Each
unit is to be implemented over approximately 4 weeks of daily instruction; however, this schedule can be
modified to extend to 6-8 weeks of instruction if instruction can only occur 2-3 times per week. All lessons can
be differentiated to meet the needs of each child including struggling and advanced learners. Developing
Talkers: Pre-K lessons feature topics related to some important pre-K science concepts because many teachers
report that there is limited time to adequately teach science objectives. These design features make the
Developing Talkers: Pre-K supplemental resource suitable for use with a variety of core curricula and teaching
approaches. As stated, materials are available in English and Spanish.
Developing Talkers: Pre-K is an effective resource because of these key components:
1. Planful: We have planned the Developing Talkers: Pre-K lessons to be easy to use by providing a
systematic sequence for instruction, by presenting simple instructions and language the teacher can use,
and by including curriculum-based measures of children’s progress toward targeted learning objectives.
2. Purposeful: Of primary concern, Developing Talkers: Pre-K lessons use purposeful instructional
techniques that research has shown are effective for at-risk students. The Developing Talkers: Pre-K
lessons purposefully repeat learning objectives to ensure that struggling students are provided with
multiple opportunities for guided practice of key skills. Therefore, Tier 2 lessons provide more targeted
and explicit practice with the objectives taught in Tier 1 earlier in the day. Furthermore, all lessons
provide suggested language teachers can use to scaffold learning for struggling students.
3. Playful: Children love to engage with books that teach them about the natural world around them.
Therefore, Developing Talkers: Pre-K lessons feature high quality literature and playful inquiry activities
to extend learning to science and literacy centers in the classroom.
Organization of Lessons
Developing Talkers: Pre-K includes Tier 1 and 2 lessons. Each lesson includes the following:
Tier 1 Whole Group Read Aloud
15 minutes
Before reading:
Set a purpose for listening by previewing the Guiding
Question.
During reading:
Provide Vocabulary Elaborations that include child-friendly
definitions of important target vocabulary.
Ask Check Understanding Questions that include both
contextualized and decontextualized topics.
After reading:
Answer the Guiding Question and provide scaffolding as
needed.
Consider introducing optional extension activities that help
teachers and children use target vocabulary or explore science
topics in centers.
Tier 2 Small Group Targeted Language Activities
10-15 minutes
Review the book:
Discuss the book read that day in Tier 1.
Review the Guiding Question again.
Find, Define, and Discuss Vocabulary:
Use picture vocabulary cards to discuss 3 target vocabulary
words.
Explicit Comprehension or Vocabulary Activities:
Deepen children’s comprehension of the book or target
vocabulary using explicit teaching activities.
Shuffle & Review:
Quickly review the target vocabulary definitions and practice
saying the words.
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DEVELOPING TALKERS: PRE-K & HABLEMOS JUNTOS: PRE-K
Scope of Instructional Objectives
The Developing Talkers: Pre-K program supports children’s skills in three domains of early language: Vocabulary
(VOC), Comprehension (COM), and Speaking Skills (SS). The preschool years are a time of rapid language growth
in these and other areas of language. There are six specific instructional objectives identified for each domain.
The domains of VOC and COM include targets that are directly and explicitly taught. The SS domain includes
skills that are supported more implicitly when teachers model rich language and extend what children say. The
importance of each domain is summarized next. Special objectives are provided for ELL.
VOC Objectives: Building Young Children’s Vocabulary
By pre-K, children should receptively understand approximately 3,000-4,000 words and should expressively
produce about 2,000 words. Vocabulary abilities are directly linked to later reading comprehension and support
all domains of learning. There is quite a difference between superficially knowing a word and being able to use it
readily in your own communication. Think about these different stages of “knowing” a word (Dale, 1965):
Stage 1 – Know nothing about a word; never heard it before
Stage 2 – Heard or read the word before, but don’t know what it means
Stage 3 – Know something about the word when it is used in a meaningful context
Stage 4 – Knows and understands the meaning of the word, whether it has multiple meanings, and can
use it in own communication
COM Objectives: Increasing Children’s Listening Comprehension
Pre-K children are building competencies for understanding and producing extended discourse. In kindergarten,
children must be able to retell events, explain their thoughts, and listen to and understand various narrative and
informational genres. When preschool teachers model how to think about a text or prompt children to respond
appropriately, they support listening comprehension skills that lay a foundation for later reading.
SS Objectives: Supporting Young Children’s Speaking Skills
Four-year-olds are developing knowledge of grammar rules and sentence structures that they can use to
effectively communicate with others. These are a few important aspects of speaking skills. It is normal for young
children to over generalize language rules (e.g., for irregular plurals saying “feets” instead of “foot;” for irregular
past tense verbs saying “bited” instead of “bit”). When children hear rich language and when adults extend what
the child says, children have opportunities to glean information about mature grammar and sentence structure.
ELL Objectives: Instruction for English Language Learners
Teachers of English Language Learners (ELL) must take particular care to ensure that ELL learning needs are met.
Too often, ELL are disproportionally identified in later grades as learning disabled when their academic
difficulties could have been prevented if they had received optimal instruction early and throughout elementary
school. Evidence shows that effective Tier 2 instruction can substantially reduce the number of ELL with
academic difficulties (e.g., Vaughn, et al., 2006). It is important to closely monitor ELL’s progress while also using
specific strategies recommended for ELL (Buysse, Castro, & Peisner-Feinburg, 2009; Mathes, Pollard-Durodola,
Cardenas-Hagan, Linan-Thompson, & Vaughn, 2007). For example, when conducting Tier 2 groups focused on
language skills, teachers can support ELL by including visual cues, gestures, and mentioning cognates (cognates
are words with similar meaning, and spelling in two languages).
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The table below lists the instructional objectives addressed in Developing Talkers: Pre-K lessons.
Developing Talkers: Pre-K Instructional Objectives
VOC TARGETS
o
o
o
o
o
o
Child uses and understands a wide variety of words
to label and describe people, places, things, and
actions.
Child uses a large speaking vocabulary adding
several new words daily.
Child uses category labels to understand how the
words/objects relate to each other.
Child uses new words representing time (before,
during, then, after, once; first, second, third).
Child uses new words representing feelings (sad,
angry, frustrated, and shy) and thinking processes
(think, know, remember, imagine).
Child talks about the meaning of unfamiliar words
and how some words have more than one
meaning.
COM TARGETS
o
o
o
o
o
o
SS TARGETS
ELL TARGETS
o
Child uses complete sentences with four or more
words.
o
o
Child uses sentences with subject, verb, and object
correctly ordered.
Childs uses regular and irregular plurals and
personal and possessive pronouns.
Childs uses regular past tense verbs and subjectverb agreement correctly.
Child uses sentences with more than one phrase
Child combines more than one idea using complex
sentences.
o
o
o
o
o
Child shows understanding by responding
appropriately to a text read aloud or by answering
questions about text.
Child asks own appropriate questions about books
read aloud.
Child uses information learned from books by
describing, relating, categorizing, or comparing and
contrasting.
Child identifies and describes characters and
setting in texts.
Child sequences three or more major events in a
text, or child retells or reenacts a text to include
most major events.
Child combines sentences that give detail and stick
to the topic to produce a fictional or personal
narrative.
o
o
(ELL) Child attempts to use new vocabulary and
grammar in speech.
(ELL) Child increases listening vocabulary and
begins to develop vocabulary of object names and
common phrases in English.
(ELL) Child engages in various forms of nonverbal
communication with those who do not speak her
home language.
(ELL) Child uses single words and simple phrases to
communicate meaning in social situations.
Lesson Features in Developing Talkers: Pre-K
The format of each Developing Talkers: Pre-K lesson plan features:
Topic of week: Each week a topic is selected for instruction that relates to the larger unit or theme. For
example, for the larger unit called All About Me, weekly topics include My Five Senses, Human
Development, Nutrition, and Exercise. To introduce the weekly topic, teachers can use the optional
Topic of the Week Photo Cards to encourage discussion and build excitement for the week’s learning.
Week and day of lesson: This specifies the week and day a lesson should be used. The sequence of
activities progresses from simple to more complex skills; therefore, we recommend that no lessons be
skipped or reordered.
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Title of book: The title of a narrative or informational text to be used is listed for each lesson. All titles
represent widely available trade books. All books have stickers within the text that teachers can readily
glance at to complete before, during, and after reading activities.
Materials: Lists all materials needed to implement the lesson. This typically includes a book, vocabulary
cards and picture cards or other common classroom materials. Specific materials include:
o Equity sticks (SP—Palillos de turnos): These are tongue depressors with all students’ names
written on them and stored in a cup by the circle area. Teachers use equity sticks during Tier 1
to call on individual students to respond to questions. Teachers draw a name and turn the stick
upside down or move it to another cup to show that student was given an opportunity to speak.
The purpose is to ensure that all children get opportunities to respond to the text.
o Narrative or informational book: Trade books are used in both Tier 1 and Tier 2 instruction.
Narrative genres are always read in their entirety; informational genres sometimes contain too
much information for a read aloud and may be shortened to reading specific pages. Our page
numbering system is to follow numbering printed by publishers if it exists. If not, we mark page
1 as the first page of the actual story/text, typically following the title and copyright pages.
o Vocabulary cards: These are photographs or pictures that represent the target vocabulary.
These cards are always ½ of a standard sized page and are used in Tier 2. Some words like nouns
are fairly simple to depict; other verbs and modifiers can be more difficult. Therefore, it is
important to help direct students’ attention to the relevant part of vocabulary cards.
o Picture cards: These are smaller cards (¼ of a standard page, or smaller) that are used in Tier 2
Explicit Activities to help children think more deeply about language. For example, these might
include cards representing major events in a story that children will sequence. Or picture cards
might feature photos that represent examples and non-examples of a word.
Tier 1 and Tier 2 activity descriptions (SP—Nivel 1 y Nivel 2): Each activity is described in the lesson
plans and language is provided that teachers can use during the activity. Suggested teacher language for
is formatted in bold font. Teacher instructions that are not intended to be said to students are shown in
a regular font. There are two types of suggested teacher language detailed in this manual:
o  Key points where teachers are encouraged to use the exact suggested language.
o  Flex points where teachers are provided with possible language that they might use.
Scaffolding prompts (SP—Apoyo adicional): Lessons should be modified to meet the needs of all
learners. Scaffolding suggestions are provided to help teachers modify lessons for struggling learners.
o In our prior research with Developing Talkers: Pre-K we found that many teachers effortlessly
provide upward extension scaffolds to advanced learners; these are scaffolds that make the
lesson more challenging. Therefore, we do not provide explicit upward extensions; however,
many of the optional center activities include natural opportunities for upward extensions.
o However, downward extension scaffolds were more challenging for most teachers to implement
spontaneously in our pilot work; these are scaffolds that make the lesson simpler. Therefore,
possible downward extensions are provided for every lesson to ensure that struggling students’
needs are met at all tiers of instruction.
Suggestions for ELL: Many Spanish-speaking students are enrolled in bilingual classrooms featuring
English and Spanish instruction. The Hablemos Juntos: Pre-K lessons are appropriate for these students.
However, for native Spanish speakers enrolled in classrooms where English is the primary language of
instruction, the following ELL support is provided, if teachers find it useful:
o For target vocabulary, cognates are marked with a small symbol (). If a target word in Spanish
is similar to the word in English it is a cognate; cognates are similar in meaning, spelling, and
pronunciation across both languages. Telling ELL students that the words sound alike may
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support learning if they already know the word in Spanish because it bridges the two languages.
Teachers should use these cognates if they feel comfortable pronouncing words in Spanish.
Suggested extension activities: The stories and science topics in the texts lend themselves to rich
extension activities. Four or five types of optional extensions are suggested related to the week’s topic:
o Science center activities suggest materials for open-ended inquiry or more targeted exploration.
Talking about processes that scientists use (e.g., observe, describe, record, compare,
hypothesize, and explain) leads to rich oral language.
o Library center extensions always include placing the read alouds books in the classroom library
center for children’s independent use. Remind students of good book handling practices and
teach them to leave the stickers placed in books. Some comprehension activities from small
group can be placed in the library center after use in Tier 2 groups.
o Writing center activities include the use of sentence stems or other writing prompts related to
the week’s topic. Teachers can encourage children to draw and write their ideas and can offer to
record students’ dictations.
o Cognitive transition activities help make transitions a learning opportunity. Suggested games,
songs, or rhymes are provided that can be used when lining up or waiting at the restroom to
continue using target vocabulary or encourage children to think about the science topics.
o Computer center activities are listed when educational, age-appropriate websites are known
that directly link to the topics addressed in the unit. These are not given every week.
Using Data Collected at Each P-RTI Tier to Make Decisions
Educators collect multiple forms of data in P-RTI frameworks to determine which students need more targeted
instruction and whether instruction needs to be modified or improved to better meet students’ needs.
Tier 1: Teachers collect screening/progress monitoring data for all students. This data is collected in the
fall, winter, and spring to determine whether students meet benchmarks. This type of assessment is
typically a quick, timed measure to determine if children’s rate of learning is sufficient.
o In Developing Talkers: Pre-K, it is recommended that teachers use the vocabulary fluency
subtest of the CIRCLE-Phonological Awareness, Language, & Literacy System+ assessment
(CPALLS+; Landry, Assel, Gunnewig, & Swank, 2004) measure to determine whether students
need Tier 2 instruction. Students who do not meet benchmarks qualify to receive Tier 2 lessons.
Tier 2: Teachers gather more frequent progress monitoring data to determine how children are
responding to the more intensive Tier 2 instruction. These assessments are typically curriculum-based
measures (CBM) that closely align with the type of instruction the child is receiving in Tier 2. In other
words, CBM assess children’s learning of the instructional objectives specifically targeted in Tier 2
lessons. CBM might be used weekly or monthly depending on the nature of the skill being assessed. Tier
2 measures should be instructionally transparent to tangibly inform the goals for instruction.
o In Developing Talkers: Pre-K, two CBM are provided to assess students’ learning of all domains
of oral language that are targeted in the Tier 2 lessons. One occurs weekly, the other monthly.
Problem Solving Tier (Tier 3): When children are not responding adequately to Tier 2 instruction,
problem-solving is required. A problem-solving process can identify ways to modify or improve Tier 2
instruction to better meet children’s needs. A problem-solving process might also reveal that children
need more individualized instruction. We refer to this level of more intensive, individualized instruction
as the Problem-Solving Tier. Procedures will be determined by each school based on local resources.
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The figure below illustrates how the CPALLS+ and CBM data is used in Developing Talkers: Pre-K to determine
which students receive Tier 2 small group instruction. All students receive Tier 1 whole group instruction.
Monitoring Students Response to Instruction
Teachers monitor students’ responsiveness to instruction by collecting the two types of data outlined above
(screening/progress-monitoring measures and CBM), alongside other types of data that can be used to reflect
on possible ways to modify or improve instruction to better meet children’s needs. There are four concrete tools
in Developing Talkers: Pre-K to help monitor students’ responsiveness and ensure educators are meeting the
needs of all students, especially struggling learners.
1.  Implementation and anecdotal notes: After finishing the Tier 1 and Tier 2 lesson for that day,
teachers complete the implementation and anecdotal notes log. This includes:
o Date lessons completed
o Length of lessons
o Notes about children who responded well or needed a challenge (upward extension)
o Notes about children who struggled or need things simplified (downward extension)
o Vocabulary words that were difficult or unfamiliar for many students
This provides a record of the activities completed, information about how students responded to the
lessons and notes that will inform future instruction such as words that you might reteach or particular
students who may need extra practice. A sample implementation notes page is shown in Appendix A.
2.  Vocabulary CBM: This measure is used weekly. It is directly linked to the vocabulary taught during the
week. Children are asked to define the words taught in Tier 2 small group explicit teaching activities.
Teachers record their responses and rate their understanding of the word on a scale of 0 (Knows
Nothing), 1 (Knows something), or 2 (Knows a Lot). A sample CBM is shown in Appendix B.
3.  Pre-K Language CBM: This measure is used monthly, at the end of each unit. It includes teacher
ratings of all instructional objectives addressed explicitly and implicitly in the Developing Talkers: Pre-K
program. The rating scale is from 1 (Emerging), 2 (Developing), or 3 (Proficient).
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4.  Review Day Lessons: This is a lesson plan template that teachers use to plan Friday Review Day
instruction. It includes a menu of possible activities for teachers to choose based on their students’
needs. The Friday Review Day represents a critical component of Developing Talkers: Pre-K as it provides
a systematic way to ensure children receive more practice with particular skills that were challenging.
Moreover, it represents a significant aspect of the reflective teaching cycle because this is a weekly
procedure for teachers to examine data and modify the curriculum to better serve their students.
Tier 1: Specific Materials & Activities in Developing Talkers: Pre-K
Developing Talkers: Pre-K includes engaging activities that target specific oral language and vocabulary skills. The
following descriptions provide an overview of the specific types of materials and activities used. We mark
instructional routines that represent key points where teachers should use the provided language as well as
flex points where the teacher might use the recommended language or could use his or her own.
Genres of Books Read Aloud
The Developing Talkers: Pre-K lessons use a combination of narrative and informational books to expose
children to both genres. Typically, a narrative book that engages students with a topic is read on Monday and
again on Tuesday. Then, an informational book that gives students more detailed, technical information about a
topic is read on Wednesday and again on Thursday. On Fridays, teachers choose one of these books to reread or
review according to students’ areas of need identified in associated Curriculum Based Measures (CBM). Please
note that for some weeks, the order is reversed with the informational book used first to build content
knowledge that can be drawn out in the narrative book.
Listening Comprehension Questioning Activities
Many read aloud programs train teachers and parents to ask purposeful questions about books to increase
children’s language skills (e.g., Wasik, Bond, & Hindman, 2006; Whitehurst, et al., 1988). It is important to give
students a purpose for listening before reading and an effective way to do this is to ask children a Guiding
Question before reading and then discuss that one, important question in detail after reading (Denton, Solari,
Ciancio, Hecht, & Swank, 2010; Solari & Gerber, 2008).
To introduce a Guiding Question before reading, teachers should use this type of language: As we read
this book today, there is one question I especially want you to think about. Then tell students the
Guiding Question.
To discuss a Guiding Question after reading, teachers usually say: While we were reading today we
were thinking about this question. Then remind students of the Guiding Question. Two to three
children should be called on to answer the question because it is usually a rich question that has more
than one possible answer. Or children might respond to the Guiding Question in slightly different ways.
The Developing Talkers: Pre-K lessons include a different Guiding Question for the first and second reading of
the text. When teachers reread texts on the Friday Review day, they can repeat one of the provided Guiding
Questions if it was difficult for students, or they can write a question of their own choice.
During read alouds, teachers should also ask students a variety of Check Understanding Questions to improve
their listening comprehension skills. Ideally, you will ask some simple questions as well as complex, higher-level
thinking questions. We use the terms contextualized questions (CQ) and decontextualized questions (DQ) to
refer to a continuum in which different questions require different levels of thinking. CQ are more simple and
require children to think about naming, describing, or recalling information from the book. DQ are more
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DEVELOPING TALKERS: PRE-K & HABLEMOS JUNTOS: PRE-K
complex and require children to think about comparing, linking to life, summarizing, inferencing, explaining,
predicting, or problem solving. Building young children’s decontextualized thinking skills is important because it
builds a solid foundation for later reading (Dickinson & Smith, 1994; Hindman, Connor, Jewkes, & Morrison,
2008; van Kleeck, Vander Woude, & Hammett, 2006). On the first reading, more CQ are provided, but by the
second reading more DQ are used because children are ready for more of a challenge as they become familiar
with the text (Blewitt, Rump, Shealy, & Cook, 2009). In Developing Talkers: Pre-K, both CQ and DQ questions are
featured on in-text stickers so teachers can pause during reading, glance at the question, and check students’
understanding of important aspects of the text. Always, read the text first before saying the information on the
in-text stickers, even if the sticker is placed at the top of the page so as to cover less of the illustration. The intext stickers indicate whether the question is to be asked on Day 1 (D1) or Day 2 (D2) or both (D1/D2).
Vocabulary Teaching Activities
Research evidence clearly demonstrates that we can teach children to have deep knowledge of word meanings
(Beck & McKeown, 2007; Biemiller & Boote, 2006; Coyne, McCoach, Loftus, Zipoli, & Kapp, 2009). However,
given the sheer volume of words in language, teachers have to be selective about determining which words
warrant extended vocabulary instruction and which words can be taught with a more brief elaboration on the
word’s meaning. Developing Talkers: Pre-K lessons include six preselected vocabulary words to highlight briefly
during Tier 1 read alouds; target words are crossed with word lists to ensure that words that are too difficult for
most preschoolers were not chosen (Biemiller & Slonim, 2001). Target vocabulary represent important rare
words that mature language users know how to use as well as a few more basic words that children are unlikely
to have deep knowledge of (Beck, McKeown, & Kucan, 2008). By teaching sophisticated, mature vocabulary you
are preparing children to understand the type of language they are likely to encounter in books. In Developing
Talkers: Pre-K, teachers provide six Vocabulary Elaborations during read alouds using procedures validated in
several research studies (Coyne, et al., 2009; Elley, 1989; Justice, Meier, & Walpole, 2005; Penno, Wilkinson, &
Moore, 2002). Vocabulary Elaborations are written on in-text stickers. Always read the text on a given page first
before providing the vocabulary elaboration on the sticker at the end of the page.
To provide a Vocabulary Elaboration, teachers first say a child-friendly definition that might follow one of
these formats:
(Target word) ____ means _____.
Someone who is (target word) ____ might ____.
When/if something is (target word) ____ it is ____.
Next the teacher uses the word in a supportive context sentence to help children understand the word
and how it is used in the context of the book.
Sometimes teachers will also ask children to act-out the word together, as appropriate.
More extended vocabulary teaching activities occur in Tier 2 and are described in subsequently. In some cases,
texts do not contain 6 rich vocabulary words to teach; in these cases, we teach a word that is not in the printed
text, but is related to the topic and mark these words in the scope and sequence with an asterisk (*).
Differentiating Instruction
Because children arrive with different skills and abilities, teachers should consider how to individualize or
differentiate instruction to meet the needs and strengths of all children. There are many ways to differentiate
instruction. One approach is to choose different lessons and objectives for students so that some children
receive instruction for one objective whereas other children receive instruction for other objectives. This
approach is used in Developing Talkers: Pre-K Tier 2 instruction. Another approach is to differentiate
instructional strategies used so that all children receive instruction on the same objective, but the teacher
changes his/her approach so that some children get more support and guidance whereas others get less support
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or even a challenge. This approach is used in Developing Talkers: Pre-K Tier 1 instruction. To support teachers in
differentiating instruction, we discuss specific ways to scaffold children’s learning so that all children can
successfully participate in the same lesson as typically occurs in Tier 1.
Scaffolding in Developing Talkers: Pre-K. Teacher comments and instructions that offer more guidance
or hints are commonly referred to as a scaffold. Scaffolding, an interactive process for teaching and learning, is
rooted in Vygotsky's sociocultural theory of development (Vygotsky, 1978). Scaffolding is an effective strategy
for teachers to guide children in using more decontextualized language and sophisticated vocabulary. Consider
how a teacher can systematically provide scaffolding after she asks children a question. Sometimes a question is
too hard for a child and the teacher must provide a Downward Extension to simplify the task. Other times the
question was just right and the teacher might consider providing an Upward Extension to make the task a little
more challenging. Teachers must quickly assess the adequacy of the child’s response to determine whether they
should simplify or offer a challenge. There are many types of scaffolds, but we focus on three scaffolds at
varying levels: minimal, moderate, and intense. It is particularly important when providing downward scaffolds,
to offer the least amount of scaffolding required for a child to respond successfully. For example, if using a
minimal scaffold does not help the child produce an adequate response, then move to a moderate scaffold and
then an intensive scaffold, as needed. The table below presents the types of scaffolds we suggest and examples.
Downward Extensions
In Developing Talkers: Pre-K, possible teacher language for scaffolds is provided only for downward extensions.
These sample scaffolds are provided with each Guiding Question and Check Understanding Question. For
Guiding Questions, there is a minimal, moderate, and intense scaffold provided.
Minimal:
Teachers start by making the question easier as an either/or question, which reduces choices.
Either/or
Do you think people thought Harry was a sea monster because he was covered in seaweed or
Question
because he was at the beach?
Moderate: If the child still cannot successfully answer the question, the teacher guides the child in answering
Cloze
the question by using a cloze procedure in which the teacher gives most of the answer, but allows
Procedure the child to supply the final word by drawing out the initial sound of that word.
They thought Harry was a sea monster because he was covered in sea… (seaweed).
Intense:
If this is still not adequate, the teacher provides an intense scaffold that completely answers the
Elicitation question and then asks the child to repeat some or all of the answer using an elicitation prompt
Prompt
such as, Say _____.
Harry looked like a sea monster because he was covered in seaweed. Why did he look like a sea
monster? Say “He was covered in seaweed.”
Upward Extensions
In Developing Talkers: Pre-K, teachers are encouraged to use these techniques for upward extensions to make a
task more challenging. Teachers should use their own language to provide these scaffolds.
Minimal:
Teachers might challenge by asking the child to generalize or link to the topic.
Generalize
Generalize: Look at all these beautiful plants. What is the same about all of these plants?
or Link
Linking: Tell me about a time you felt shy. Where were you and what happened?
Moderate: Teachers can challenge by asking for predictions of outcomes under particular conditions.
Predict
Predict: What do you think will happen if she puts the plant outside in the rain?
Intense:
Teachers might challenge by asking children to explain cause/effect or a solution.
Explain
Explain: Some forest animals live in trees and some live on the ground. Can you tell me why?
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Planning Friday Review Day for Tier 1
Every Thursday, teachers examine CBM data and their implementation notes to determine which areas of
instruction children need to review. Monthly CBM data that are completed for the whole class can be helpful in
identifying areas of need for the whole class. These data and anecdotal notes inform the plans teachers create
for the Friday Review Day lesson. A menu of possible activities is provided and teachers use a lesson plan
template to prepare a whole-group read aloud. Planning a review day Tier 1 lesson requires these steps:
1. Choose a book: A book from that week is used and read a third time. Teachers may choose the book they
felt had the richest content or that their students liked. Sometimes a child might choose the book.
2. Write a Guiding Question: Teachers write a new Guiding Question or repeat a question students struggled to
answer correctly earlier in the week. Discuss this Guiding Question before and after reading.
3. Select Vocabulary: Teachers determine which vocabulary words were most unfamiliar or difficult for
students and provide those child-friendly definitions again during reading. In addition, teachers may define
other words that they feel are important in the text and that were not taught in an earlier read aloud.
4. Teach an Explicit Activity: Some Tier 2 explicit comprehension and vocabulary activities can be beneficial for
all students. One or two of the Tier 2 activities from the review book are selected and taught for the first
time in Tier 1. Teachers complete the activities of their choosing after reading as a story extension. Note that
some Tier 2 activities are not listed on the Review Day lesson menu because the activity is only useful in
small groups given of the nature of the materials or activity.
Tier 2: Specific Materials & Activities in Developing Talkers: Pre-K
Developing Talkers: Pre-K Tier 2 activities feature more targeted, explicit instruction with multiple opportunities
for practice and feedback. Tier 2 groups include 3-4 students who are not responding adequately to Tier 1.
Reviewing the Book
Students in Tier 2 groups need additional opportunities to practice listening comprehension. Tier 2 lessons
always open by using an Open-Ended Prompt to ask a few children what they remember or learned from the
book. Next, the teacher asks the other two or three children to answer that day’s Guiding Question. The exact
same question as was used in Tier 1 is repeated so that children can practice and receive scaffolding, as needed.
Providing Multiple Opportunities to Say and Use Vocabulary Words
Several research studies conclude that it is important to give children multiple opportunities to say and practice
using new vocabulary words (Beck & McKeown, 2007; Coyne, McCoach, & Kapp, 2007; Coyne, et al., 2009). In
Tier 2 small groups, instructional routines are used every day to give children multiple experiences with target
vocabulary. This includes learning about three target vocabulary words per day in the initial context of the book
and in another context where the word might be used; this is important so that children do not assume words
can only be used in the one initial context. One routine is called Find, Define, & Discuss Vocabulary. It always
involves these steps that are filled in on the back of the vocabulary cards:
Name word: The word is ______. Can you say ____ with me?
Find word: This word is in our book. Reread sentence in the book with target word. Help students
understand the context in which the word was first introduced within the text.
3. Define word: Remember, ______ means _____. Give child-friendly definition.
4. New context for word: Show the vocabulary card. This is a picture of ______. Help students deepen
their understanding of the word by talking about it outside of the text, in the pictured context.
5. Discuss word: Ask children to discuss vocabulary card. Acknowledge and extend children’s responses.
1.
2.
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When introducing the vocabulary card and discussing a new context in which the word can be used, it is
important that teachers acknowledge and Extend what the child says. When a child says something, it gives
the teacher a perfect opportunity to build on the child’s language and shows the child how to use more mature
language. Teachers can extend what a child says by saying it in a more complete way or by adding a new idea to
what the child said or by using the target word (Girolametto, Weitzman, & Greenberg, 2003; Nelson, 2000).
The other routine occurs at the end of the Tier 2 lesson and is called Shuffle & Review. This is a fast-paced,
game-like activity in which the teacher asks children to recall the word by providing the definition. This always
involves the following steps that are filled in on the back, bottom portion of the vocabulary cards:
Please note that the back of vocabulary cards details when to leave the card face down on the table and when
to pick it up so that children can see the photo or picture on the front of the card in this review game.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Ask: What’s the word that means__________? (insert definition).
Show: Picture on front of vocabulary card.
Confirm Definition: Yes, ____ means ____.
Children repeat: Say _____ (target word).
Explicit Comprehension and Vocabulary Teaching Activities
An important component of all Tier 2 lessons is an Explicit Activity in which the teacher uses explicit, clear
teaching to support either listening comprehension or vocabulary development. All of these activities are
designed to extend and deepen children’s knowledge of the text or the target vocabulary meanings. These
activities also feature opportunities for children to give elaborated responses or more extensive dialogue.
Therefore, teachers should notice that children are doing a good deal of talking during this portion of the Tier 2
lesson. Most of the time an explicit comprehension activity is used for the first day of reading and the explicit
vocabulary activity is used for the second day of reading the text.
Planning Friday Review Day for Tier 2
Every Thursday, teachers examine CBM data and their implementation notes to determine which areas of
instruction children need to review. Weekly vocabulary CBM data that are completed for the students in Tier 2
are most helpful in identifying areas of need for the these students. Monthly CBM data on general oral language
skills are also helpful. These data and anecdotal notes inform the plans teachers create for the Friday Review
Day lesson. A menu of possible activities is provided and teachers use a lesson plan template to prepare a Tier 2
small group lesson. Planning a review day Tier 2 lesson requires these steps:
1. Review Chosen Book: The book that is used in Friday’s Tier 1 lesson is used and reviewed in small group.
Teachers may choose the book they felt had the richest content or that their students liked.
2. Review Guiding Question: Teachers review the Guiding Question they discussed in Tier 1 on Friday.
3. Repeat Explicit Activities: Teachers choose two to four explicit comprehension or vocabulary activities
from the week and repeat them on Friday. It is important to provide Tier 2 students with opportunities
for repeated practice of skills in the areas they are not responding to instruction. In other words, this
may feel redundant to the teacher, but it is may be beneficial for struggling learners to repeat activities.
4. Culminating Shuffle & Review: Instead of playing the quick, shuffle and review game with only the words
taught that day, on Friday teachers play the game with all 12 words from the week. Use all vocabulary
cards and build anticipation for this review by explaining to children that this is a big accomplishment
that they have learned so many new words during the week! Praise children for their learning as you
play this game with the usual format of providing a definition for children to guess the word.
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Gradual Release Model
Effective teachers use a gradual release model to help children build new skills. We often think of this as moving
from modeling, to guided practice, to independent practice—or “I do → We do → You do.” The Developing
Talkers: Pre-K materials follow a similar model for teachers. The detailed lesson plans with suggested language
for teachers are provided for lessons from Mon. through Thurs. as a model of effective oral language instruction.
On Friday, an instructional menu is provided so that teachers can plan a Review Day lesson that has some
guidance, but also gives teachers practice in planning their own effective lessons. After the final Developing
Talkers: Pre-K unit, teachers practice using effective oral language instruction on their own and are encouraged
to use a blank lesson plan template that follows similar routines with other informational and narrative books
from the classroom library. In these ways, Developing Talkers: Pre-K provides a professional development model
that goes beyond simply learning how to implement a curriculum. Rather, the goal is for teachers to learn the
elements of evidence-based oral language instruction and apply this to their future read alouds and small group
activities. The table below summarizes this gradual release of support.
Gradual Release Model
Modeling
Guided Practice
Independent Practice
Developing Talkers Supports
Teachers implement units 1-3 of Developing Talkers: Pre-K.
Sample language and detailed lesson plans are provided for Tier 1 and Tier 2
activities on Monday – Thursday.
Teachers implement units 1-3 of Developing Talkers: Pre-K.
A lesson plan template and menu of instructional choices is provided for Tier 1
and Tier 2 activities on Friday.
Teachers create unit 4 using the Developing Talkers: Pre-K instructional routines.
A blank lesson plan template is provided for planning Tier 1 and Tier 2 activities
for the remainder of the academic year.
These additional units might also link to science topics, such as:
o Wonders of Water
o Examining Earth Materials and Matter
o Insects in Our World
o Let’s Learn More About Animals
o Exploring Color and Light
o Nutrition and Staying Healthy
o Changes in the Sky
o How Machines Work
o Measuring Up – Weight, Length, Volume
o Make it Move – Position and Motion
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Explicit Vocabulary and Comprehension Activities for Tier 2
This table summarizes the types of Explicit Activities that are used in Developing Talkers: Pre-K lessons. More
detailed descriptions of each activity follow in the figures below. Note that many of these activities require chart
paper or a dry erase board, markers, and tape or ticky tack.
Vocabulary Activities
VOC-1 Examples & Non-Examples
VOC-2 Act-It-Out
VOC-3 Asking Questions about Pictures
VOC-4 Semantic Web
VOC-5 Word Associations
VOC-6 Draw & Write
VOC-7 Talk about Pictures
VOC-8 How Much Can You Tell Me?
Comprehension Activities
COM-1 Describe Characters & Setting
COM-2 Event Sequence
COM-3 Story Retell
COM-4 Storytellers
COM-5 Concept Sort
COM-6 Cause & Effect Pictures
COM-7 Using Your Five Senses
COM-8 Venn Diagram
COM-9 KWL Chart
This table shows the titles of Explicit Activities that are used in Hablemos Juntos: Pre-K lessons. The descriptions
of how to complete activities below are the same across English and Spanish; however, the chosen activities and
content vary across the English and Spanish curricula.
Actividades de Vocabulario
VOC-1 Ejemplos y no ejemplos
VOC-2 Actuarlo
VOC-3 Preguntar sobre las fotos
VOC-4 Mapa semántico
VOC-5 Asociaciones de palabras
VOC-6 Dibujar y escribir
VOC-7 Hablar sobre las fotos
VOC-8 ¿Qué tanto me puedes decir?
©2010 University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
Activitidades de Comprehensión
COM-1 Describir al personaje y el escenario
COM-2 Secuencia de eventos
COM-3 Recontar la historia
COM-4 Cuenta cuentos
COM-5 Clasificación de conceptos
COM-6 Fotos de causa y efecto
COM-7 Usando los cinco sentidos
COM-8 Diagrama de Venn
COM-9 Tabla SQA
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VOC-1
Examples & Non-Examples
Children talk about pictures and determine if picture cards are examples of a vocabulary word.
MATERIALS: Picture cards (4 to 8 cards)
1. Choose vocabulary word(s) to teach.
6. Ask at least one child to explain their answer.
2. Choose an assortment of pictures to show the children.
7. Have children lay the example cards in one column and
(Online clipart libraries are great sources for free
lay the non-examples in another. To wrap up the activity,
pictures.) Some pictures should be examples and others
give a name to each category.
should be non-examples.
Variation: For some verbs and modifiers, you can make
3. Try to include pictures that will help children deepen
the activity more playful by asking children to act out the
their understanding of the word. By talking about what
word instead of putting their thumb up.
the word is and what it is not, it gives children an
opportunity to clarify their understanding of the word’s
Example
meaning.
If teaching the word munch, use pictures of:
4. Show one picture at a time and have children talk about
Cracker (thumb up + say “munch”)
what they see.
Milk (thumb down – have to drink)
5. Ask children if it is an example or non-example of the
Carrot (thumb up + say “munch”)
word. Tell children if it is an example to put their thumb
Pretzel (thumb up OR act out munching)
up and say the word. If it is a non-example tell children
Yogurt (thumb down – just swallow)
to put their thumb down and say nothing.
VOC-2
Act–It–Out
Children act out vocabulary words and practice using the word.
MATERIALS: Simple classroom materials may be needed as props
1. Use a child-friendly definition to explain the meaning of
a vocabulary word.
2. Demonstrate acting out the word.
3. Ask the children to act out the word with the teacher.
This might occur with one child at a time or all students
can act out together.
4. As children are acting out the word, use the target word
to describe children’s actions.
5. Ask at least one child to explain why they acted-it-out
the way they did.
©2010 University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
Variation 1: You can act out words that are opposites or
examples and non-examples to differentiate the target
word from other words.
Variation 2: You can use this as a team game. Divide the
group into two teams of two. Tell the children to clap if
they know how to act out a vocabulary word the teacher
names. The first child to clap leads their team in acting
out the word. Continue playing until all target vocabulary
have been acted out.
Variation 3: You can support children’s acting by
providing picture cards that help them better understand
the concept. When pictures are provided in lessons, it is
referred to as Act-It-Out with Pictures.
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VOC-3
Asking Questions about Pictures
Children will think deeply about a vocabulary word through questions and relating to personal experiences.
MATERIALS: Picture cards that all represent the same word in different contexts (3-4 cards)
1. Select several pictures that represent the target word in
different contexts. Select some contexts children will be
Example
familiar with and a few they may have less background
Questions/prompts to help children develop a
knowledge about.
deeper understanding for the word, ship include:
2. For each picture, ask simple and complex thinking
Describe what you see on this ship.
questions that will bring a clearer meaning about the
Do you know any parts of a ship?
contexts in which they might hear or use the target
Where is this ship?
words.
Tell me about a time when you have seen a
3. For contexts children are likely to be familiar with, you
ship.
might ask children to make a personal connection with
the target word with a linking prompt.
VOC-4
Semantic Web
Children will create a web of knowledge on a theme and the teacher will help them incorporate related target vocabulary
words.
MATERIALS: Chart paper or large dry erase board, markers, picture cards (optional)
1. Select an important target word or topic. In the center
Variation 2: To make a web that is not about one
of the paper, write and circle the word.
particular vocabulary word, but rather about a larger
2. Start a brainstorming session. Ask students to think of
concept, like the unit being studied follow these same
as many ideas as related to the target word as they can.
procedures but call it a “Concept Web.” The concept web
3. As students think of related ideas, discuss each idea
activity might be useful on Friday Review Days.
and ask students to explain how it relates to the word.
After reading an informational text about plants, a
4. After discussing the ideas, draw a line from the central
semantic web can be used to elicit the following
target word and record the new ideas in categories that
target words: plant, root, weeds, and soil
the ideas fit into.
5. Ask students if they can think of any other ideas that
Types of
plants:
relate to the target word. If so, discuss and record
roses, weeds,
those ideas.
grass, trees
6. If you want students to use particular target words,
related to the central topic, you may have to ask
pointed questions to elicit the words.
7. When students have thought of all the ideas they can
related to the central theme, review all the categories.
Variation 1: To make the semantic web, less open-ended
and easier for children with limited vocabularies the
Parts of a
Things plants
teacher can prepare picture cards and categories on the
plant:
need to grow:
chart pad in advance. The teacher distributes picture
root, stem,
soil, water,
leaf, flower
sun, fertilizer
cards and children place them in the correct category as
the teacher prompts them to think and talk about the
pictures.
Plants
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VOC-5
Word Associations
Children will think deeply about the relationship between vocabulary words and are given opportunities to match pictures
that are associated with target vocabulary words.
MATERIALS: Picture cards representing the target word(s) and things that are associated with the word(s)
1. Select several pictures that represent the target word
and things associated with the target word.
Example
2. Spread the cards face up on the table. Starting with the
If teaching the target word heavy these pairs of
pictures that represent the target word, ask children to
pictures are associated:
find a picture that is associated with that depiction of
heavy backpack – student
the target word.
heavy rocks – bulldozer
3. Let one child identify the matching picture and explain
heavy barbell weights – athlete
their answer.
heavy trash can – garbage truck
4. The child places the associated cards side by side on the
table.
5. Continue matching until all the cards are associated
with their pair.
VOC-6
Draw and Write
Children will draw and write about a target word using a sentence stem or writing prompt.
MATERIALS: Vocabulary journals or paper
1. Select a target word that students have some prior
7. Ask the student to read their dictation aloud with you.
knowledge about.
Note: To maximize instructional time, you may want to write
2. Write a sentence stem or writing prompt that includes
the sentence stem or writing prompt at the top of students’
the target word and asks children to link the word to
papers before the activity begins.
their past or future experiences. Teachers decide
whether a more open-ended writing prompt is
Use this sentence stem with the target word surprise.
appropriate for students (e.g., Surprises) or if a more
I was surprised when ____.
closed, sentence stem that looks like a fill-in-the-blank
is appropriate (e.g., I was surprised when ____).
3. Model drawing and writing about your own personal
experience with the target word. Think aloud as you
draw and write.
4. Explain to children that they can draw, write their own
way, or ask you to help them write their ideas.
5. As children draw, offer to take their dictations and
write their words at the top or bottom of their paper.
Write exactly what the child says and say each word as
you write.
I was surprised when my friend gave me a balloon!
6. Read the child’s dictation and point to each word as
you read.
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VOC-7
Talk about Pictures
Depending on the child’s language skills, children will use sentences with increasing grammatical complexity. Some children
will discuss pictures with complete sentences containing four words or more. Some children will be ready to discuss pictures
with sentences containing more than one phrase.
MATERIALS: Pictures cards that can elicit rich description or discussion
1. Select a group of pictures that contain enough detail or
5. Variation2: For children who are using complete
interesting features to elicit rich description or
sentences, the teacher will play a game to help children
discussion. Preferably these pictures link to the current
combine two ideas in a sentence with more than one
unit of instruction or something children have
phrase (e.g., Let’s go to the park and _____.).
background knowledge about.
2. Consider children’s language skill level and differentiate
Use this sentence stem with the target word park.
the teacher’s prompt depending on children’s language
Let’s go to the park and ____.
level.
3. Explain to children that we can use lots of words to
share our ideas about pictures.
4. Model how to use complex sentences by doing a think
aloud about how you might describe one of the
pictures. Then, prompt children to describe pictures
with increasing grammatical complexity.
Variation 1: For children who typically use simple
sentences of three or four words, the teacher will play a
game in which children use a teacher prompt to
complete a sentence with four words or more (e.g., I
went to the park and saw a _____.) .
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VOC-8
How Much Can You Tell Me?
Children will use sentences with increasing grammatical complexity or description.
MATERIALS: Pictures cards that can elicit rich description or discussion, dry erase board, markers
1. Select a group of pictures that contain enough detail or
6. Ask each child to start with a sentence about their
interesting features to elicit rich description or
picture. Write down what they say the first time; then
discussion. Preferably these pictures link to the current
prompt them to tell you more.
unit of instruction and are topics children have
7. Continue the procedures for writing down the
background knowledge about.
increasingly longer sentences and comparing the length
2. Explain to children that we can use lots of words to
of the first sentence to the more descriptive ones.
share our ideas about pictures and that we will start
with a simple sentence and then try to make our
You can choose to write all sentences each time
sentence longer by telling even more about the picture.
without erasing as shown below:
3. First model how to use a simple sentence about a
I see a butterfly.
picture. Write the sentence down on the dry erase
board. Draw a line from the beginning to the end of
I see an orange and black butterfly.
your sentence to visually record its length.
4. Next, model how to add another word or phrase to
I see an orange and black butterfly trapped in a jar.
make the sentence longer. Erase the part of the
sentence you changed and visually show students how
Or you can choose to erase the sentence each time and
you spoke more words so now your writing is longer.
just keep the lines and final sentence as shown below:
Draw the next line from the beginning to end of your
sentence showing that it is longer than the first.
5. Continue modeling and say a third sentence that is
I see an orange and black butterfly trapped in a jar.
even longer. Emphasize how you can tell even more
than you thought of at first and that this line is even
longer to show how much you can tell about a picture.
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DEVELOPING TALKERS: PRE-K & HABLEMOS JUNTOS: PRE-K
COM-1
Describe Characters & Setting
Children identify and describe characters and setting in the text.
MATERIALS: text, chart paper or large dry erase board, markers
1. Tell children that characters are the people or animals
the story is about. Tell children that the setting is the
place(s) where the story happens.
2. Ask the children to think about the characters and
setting(s) as you read or review the text.
3. After reading or reviewing, write the word characters
and setting on a chart pad.
4. Review each of the key characters in the text. Ask
children to describe as much as they can about each.
Write children’s responses on the chart.
5. Review each of the key settings in the text. Ask children
to describe as much as they can about each as you write
their responses on the chart.
Variation 1: When first teaching the concept of character
and setting, only describe one or the other. Your chart
would only have either the word character or setting at
the top. You can also add extra support by using picture
cards to represent characters and/or settings.
Variation 2: After creating a character chart, ask children
to name their favorite character and explain why. Or after
creating a setting chart ask children which setting they
would most like to visit and why.
Example
Characters
Setting
COM-2
Event Sequence
Children retell a story by using sequence picture cards or a simple story map.
MATERIALS: text, picture cards that represent major events in the story or paper, markers
1. Tell the children that a story has a beginning, middle
Variation: On different pieces of paper write children’s
and end. Write these three parts of the text at the top
responses as they retell the beginning, middle, and end of the
of the chart paper/dry erase board.
story. Ask children to try to put the events in order. (No
2. Review the text with the children. Pause to summarize
pictures required for variation.)
the major events in the story.
Example
Basic Story Map
3. After reviewing, ask the children to help you remember
Story
Title
_____________________
what happened in the text.
Beginning
Middle
End
4. Spread the pictures cards that represent the story on
At first….
Then…
In the end …
the table. Ask children to put them in order.
5. For each picture, ask students to recall what happened
in the beginning, middle, and end of the text.
©2010 University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
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COM-3
Story Retell
Children retell a text to dramatically reenact the events or recall the major events in the text.
MATERIALS: text, picture cards representing each character or sentence strips, markers
1. Ask the children to think about the story and to tell
Variation: Rather than using picture cards, have children
what they remember happened. Help the children to
simply recall all events they can from a text. Write each
tell as much as they can about the characters, settings,
event on a sentence strip. Help children review the events
and major events. You can flip through the pages of the
and place the sentence strips in order.
book to review what happened first, second, third, etc.
Example
but do not reread the entire story.
Assign roles for The Three Little Fish and the Big
2. Assign the children roles they will play as the characters
Bad Shark with character cards
in the story. Hand children picture cards that represent
Mama
Big
Jim
Tim
Kim
each character to hold or wear as a necklace. (Drawing
Fish
Bad
(Fish)
(Fish) (Fish)
roles randomly can prevent competition for particular
Shark
roles.). You may also choose to hand children setting
cards if this helps them to retell their portions of the
story.
3. Retell major events in the text using the appropriate
pages in the book, as needed if children require extra
support. Encourage children to dramatically play their
role by talking about the character, setting, and what
happened.
COM-4
Storytellers
Children produce a narrative or portion of a text, including a coherent description of the characters, settings, and events.
MATERIALS: text
1. Read or review the text and tell children to think about
Example
the characters and setting as you read.
Allow children to come forward and take turns
2. After reading or reviewing, tell children they are going
being the storyteller.
to take turns coming up and being the storyteller.
3. Take turns letting children sit in the teacher’s chair and
act as the storyteller for a few pages of the text.
4. Prompt children to come up and tell what happened.
Remind each child to be sure to tell who the story is
about and where the story is happening.
5. Ask clarifying questions as needed during storytelling.
6. As children retell their portion of the story, extend or
restate their sentences.
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DEVELOPING TALKERS: PRE-K & HABLEMOS JUNTOS: PRE-K
COM-5
Concept Sort
Children sort picture cards into groups with similar meanings. This will help develop a better understanding of the key
concepts and will encourage children to use complex reasoning skills.
MATERIALS: small picture cards cut so that each child has the same set of individual cards to sort
1. Choose an important concept from a text that you
Variation: As children become more familiar with sorting, an
want children to think more deeply about that has two
open sort may be useful. This is a more difficult task than a
or more categories.
closed sort. In an open sort, the headers for the categories
2. Select an assortment of picture vocabulary cards that
are not predetermined and there may be more than one
represent each category. Create small, individual sized
logical way to sort the cards. When teaching open sorting,
picture cards that children can sort.
teachers first think out loud and show the children how to
3. Sorting may be a difficult task for young children;
think about the picture cards, asking themselves how do
therefore, closed sorts are often appropriate. In a
these go together? What do they have in common? Then
closed sort the teacher provides headers for each
children choose pictures that go together and then label the
topic or category. Children then look for pictures that
category.
fit the category.
Example
4. The teacher tells children the headers and asks all
If teaching the concepts of spring and winter that
children to place their headers side by side.
were the settings for a book, you could sort
5. The teacher models sorting the first few cards into the
pictures of the following objects:
appropriate category and thinks aloud about why the
Summer
Winter
cards go together.
sunny day
snowy day
6. Children sort their own cards independently. While
swimsuit
coat
children work, teachers can ask about their choices
beach
snowman
and confirm or help students rethink their sorting.
watermelon
hot cocoa
7. When all students have finished sorting, the group
shovel and pail
sled
checks their sorts. This includes asking at least one
child to explain why they chose each category.
COM-6
Cause/Effect Pictures
Children are exposed to cause and effect relationships with picture cards and graphic organizers.
MATERIALS: text, picture cards, cause and effect chart (chart paper or large dry erase board), markers
1. Prepare a cause and effect chart with two columns.
Example
2. Read or review the story to the children.
Cause
3. Discuss with the children what happened in the story
What
happened?
and the result of the situation.
4. As each cause and effect is encountered, ask questions.
For example, ask the children what happened? What
was the result?
5. Help children find the picture cards that represent that
cause and effect and let children place them on the
card.
©2010 University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
Effect
What was the
result?
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DEVELOPING TALKERS: PRE-K & HABLEMOS JUNTOS: PRE-K
COM-7
Using Your Five Senses
By using the senses, children experience sensory imagery to understand how words create stories.
MATERIALS: text, chart paper or large dry erase board, markers
1. Ask children to recall their five senses. Discuss each and
Example
write them at the top of a chart pad.
Five Senses
2. Explain that as you read or review a text they will stop,
See
Touch
Hear
close their eyes, and think about what you read.
3. Review the text and discuss the text modeling how you
can use mental imagery to imagine how it would feel if
you were a character in the text.
4. Stop throughout the story and have the children close
their eyes and think about what is being read. Help the
children imagine themselves in the story.
5. Ask children to describe what they imagined and help
them think about what senses they were using in the
story.
6. List children’s words and descriptions on the chart
under the appropriate sense.
COM-8
Smell
Taste
Venn Diagram
Children will compare two characters or two concepts in the text.
MATERIALS: Chart paper or large dry erase board, markers
1. After reading a text, create a Venn diagram and explain
After reading an informational text, you might
to children what you will fill in each section.
compare two key concepts, including the ways
2. Review the book and ask children questions that help
they are the same and different.
them provide information for each section of the
diagram. For example, you might compare two major
characters and list the things that are the same about
Both
Zoo
Farm
them in the center and things that are different in the
Animals
Animals
outer portions.
3. Review the completed diagram with students.
After reading a narrative text, you might compare
two characters, including the ways they are the
same and different.
Character Both Character
B
A
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DEVELOPING TALKERS: PRE-K & HABLEMOS JUNTOS: PRE-K
COM-9
KWL Chart
Children use prior knowledge to think about the topic of the read aloud or unit and then reflect on new learning after
reading or at the end of the unit.
MATERIALS: chart paper, markers
1. We only recommend using this activity at the beginning
Example
and end of one of the week or unit and with the whole
What We
What We Want What We
class. Our pilot work revealed that often students
Know
to Know
Learned
lacked prior knowledge about the topic to make this a
valuable Tier 2 small group teaching activity. Make a
KWL chart (What We Know – What We Want to LearnWhat We Learned).
2. Discuss with the children what they know about the
topic of the book that is about to be read or the new
unit you are starting. Write down what the children say
they know.
3. Ask the children what they want to learn from this story
or during this unit. Write the answers in the middle
column.
4. Read the story or complete the unit. If you are using the
KWL chart during the unit, you should keep it posted as
a work in progress that is updated throughout the unit.
5. After reading the story or completing the unit, ask the
children what they learned. Record their answers on
the chart.
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DEVELOPING TALKERS: PRE-K & HABLEMOS JUNTOS: PRE-K
Appendix A: Sample Implementation & Anecdotal Notes
Teacher Name: _________________________
School: _______________________
The Three Little Fish and the Big Bad Shark (by K. Geist)
Tier 1 Read Aloud: Day 1 & 2
10/30/10
Date lesson 2 completed: 10/31/10
Date lesson 1 completed:
Length of lesson:  ~10 min.  ~15 min.  ~20 min.  25+ min.
Length of lesson:  ~10 min.  ~15 min.  ~20 min.  25+ min.
Children who responded well (needed a challenge/upward extension)
Children who struggled (needed things simplified/downward extension)
Joshua made great text-to-life links.
Richard was not paying attention.
Review Day Notes (e.g., note vocabulary words or concepts that were difficult or unfamiliar to many students for review day lesson planning)
Many students didn’t understand that the shark losing his teeth is not about
whether shark brushes his teeth; it’s about how he bit wood.
Tier 2 Small Group: Day 1
Date lesson completed:
10/30/10
Length of lesson:  ~10 min.  ~15 min.  ~20 min.  25+ min.
Children who responded well (needed a challenge/upward extension)
Children who struggled (needed things simplified/downward extension)
Eric used complex sentences! He
likes small group.
Jonesha wanted to the be shark, so
she pouted the entire lesson.
Review Day Notes (e.g., note vocabulary words or concepts that were difficult or unfamiliar to many students for review day lesson planning)
Feeling/emotion words like “worry” were very difficult for the group.
Tier 2 Small Group: Day 2
Date lesson completed:
10/31/10
Length of lesson:  ~10 min.  ~15 min. ~20 min.  25+ min.
This lesson took too long; I need to practice activities before
teaching so that I can make it move faster.
Children who responded well (needed a challenge/upward extension)
Children who struggled (needed things simplified/downward extension)
Jonesha did well answer Guiding
Question.
Tayah had no prior knowledge of
“tremble.”
Review Day Notes (e.g., note vocabulary words or concepts that were difficult or unfamiliar to many students for review day lesson planning)
The group got so focused on “crushing” that I don’t think they learned the
next word - “replace.”
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Appendix B: Sample Curriculum Based Measure
GENERAL PROCEDURE:
Ask the child about the first target vocabulary word: (Child’s name), what does _______ (target word) mean?
o Record the child’s response verbatim. Prompt the child to see if they know anything else.
Mark whether the child’s responses indicate that they know a lot, a little, or nothing about the target word:
0 = Knows Nothing
Incorrect answer
1 = Knows a Little
Imprecise answer or gestures
2 = Knows a Lot
Adequate or perfect answers
Types of Child Responses
Uses word, but in a vague sentence
that doesn’t show understanding
An unrelated topic
Repeats the word
VOC TARGETS
Child 1:
_Richard______
An ambiguous answer that suggests
Correct definition
they know something about the word
This is like + meaningful
Shallow, not deep understanding of
analogy
word meaning or gestures only
Provides a relevant example
Xx
Child 2:
Child 3:
Child 4:
_Eric_________
_Jonesha______
_Tayah_______
1.
gather (bring
things together)
0
1
2
Pick up all the stuff and
put it together.
0
1
2
Get your stuff together.
0
1
2
You can pick it up.
2.
destroy (to smash
and break apart)
0
1
2
It broked. [Note: do not
penalize for grammar]
0
 1 2
It’s broken because the
Shark smashed it.
0
1
2
Something’s broken up
in pieces.
3.
worry (to feel
upset)
0
1
2
I don’t know where my
Spiderman is.
0
1
2
My momma gets
worried when she is
late for work.
0
1
2
Worry. Um. Worry a lot.
 0
1
2
It’s like feeling sad.
4.
crush (to press
something so hard
that it changes its
shape)
0
1
2
Crush your cans.
0
1
2
Crush it hard so that it
changes.
0
1
2
I stomped on a recycle
can.
0
1
2
You can crush things
when you step on
them.
5.
replace (to take the
place of something
that is worn out)
0
1
2
I don’t know.
0
1
2
It’s like it’s all worn out.
0
1
2
It’s like my old shoes
and daddy got me new
pink shoes.
0
1
2
You can replace the
ones you don’t like.
6.
huge (very big)
0
1
2
An elephant.
0
1
2
It was sooooo huge.
(arms outstretched)
©2010 University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
0
1
2
It’s so big.
0
1
2
[Gestures only and
pretends to gather with
arms]
0
1
2
Destroyed it. [Note:
repeats word but very
vague.]
0
1
Big.
2
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Unit 1: All About Me Scope & Sequence/Todo sobre mí
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Week 1: My Five Senses/ Los cinco sentidos
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DEVELOPING TALKERS: PRE-K & HABLEMOS JUNTOS: PRE-K
Week 2: Human Development/Desarrollo del cuerpo
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DEVELOPING TALKERS: PRE-K & HABLEMOS JUNTOS: PRE-K
Week 3: Exercise/Nutrictíon
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DEVELOPING TALKERS: PRE-K & HABLEMOS JUNTOS: PRE-K
Week 4: Nutrition/Ejercicio
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Tab 1