4) Oral language development
How can I support my Multilingual Learners’ oral language development?
Video: Use Visual Cues, Physical Gestures, Props, and Multimedia
This video provides key strategies that educators can use to support Multilingual Learners in their classroom. Great examples of strategies in practice are highlighted in the video, including translanguaging.Read More
Video: Key Practices That Support Language Development—Particularly for Young Dual Language Learners
This video provides examples of key practices that support language development for young Dual Language Learners, as shared by dual language experts and educators. Practices focus on creating a supportive classroom environment by inviting children to participate in extended conversations, offering a variety of language experiences, and supporting vocabulary development through the use of labels.Read More
Video: Language Function Wall—1st Grade
This video shows a first grade class engaged in the creation of a "Language Function Wall." This strategy helps students develop powerful academic language over the course of a thematic unit.Read More
Video: Sentence Patterning Chart—Kindergarten
In this bilingual classroom, students are engaged in creating a Sentence Patterning Chart, a strategy designed to help students utilize the high level, academic vocabulary they have acquired orally to read and/or write sentences with an emphasis on grammar and parts of speech.Read More
Video: Barrier Games
This video shows PreK students engaged in barrier games, a fun activity that builds speaking and listening skills.Read More
Video: Outdoor, Indoor & Family Inclusive Learning Environment—PK Bilingual
This video shows the power of thematic instruction and rich learning environments in a bilingual PreK classroom.Read More
Strategy Overview: Conducting a Family Oral History—K-3rd
Everyone has stories that are worth sharing! This strategy deepens a child's knowledge about their heritage, makes use of their home language, and opens opportunities to share their stories with their peers.Read More
Video: Oral Language Analysis—K-3rd
In this video, the teacher gathers a small group of Multilingual Learners to engage in a brief discussion in response to structured prompts regarding an artifact from the class' ongoing content learning. The teacher records each child's oral responses, and then analyzes the record to identify follow-up instruction they can provide during upcoming Designated ELD time.Read More
Resource Guide: A Deeper Look at Early Literacy
This interactive guide offers a comprehensive approach to literacy for Multilingual Learners. It is an overview of the language and literacy skills and instruction that children need at different stages of development. Common literacy terms are defined, instructional strategies are offered, and a picture of instruction, aligned across the grades is explained.Read More
Video: Making Butter—Small Group Instruction
In this video, the teacher works on a hands-on project to make butter with Multilingual Learners. The small group instruction supports multiple opportunities to practice oral language and writing in an authentic context.Read More
Video: Our Chicks Have Hatched!—A Home School Connection
The first clip of this video is a conversation between a parent and a child as they discuss a school project about chicks that have been sent home. The second clip shows how the school project was made in the classroom. Children interact with live chicks in the classroom while the teacher helps them identify and write the language they want to use to express what they have learned.Read More
Video: A Boy and His Puzzle
As a boy plays with a puzzle, both an English-speaking peer and the teacher help him develop and practice English learning.Read More
Video: A Felt Board Story
This video clip shows two Multilingual Learners practicing content vocabulary in both Spanish and English as they reenact a chant they have learned in class. The peer interaction provides an authentic space for them to support one another with language development in a fun, meaningful hands-on activity.Read More
Video: Toy Animals
This video clip shows both English and Spanish-speaking teachers developing student content knowledge about animals through oral conversations. Students then paint animals using toys as examples and share knowledge about their paintings so teachers can write down what each child says.Read More
Video: Talking Together
This is a montage of songs and chants that multilingual children sing to practice the English language. Hands-on experiences help focus children on the meaning of the words they are learning.Read More
Video: My Pumpkin Story—Metalinguistic Awareness
A teacher works with Wendy to orally discuss and write a story about a recent pumpkin project. When the teacher asks Wendy to take her writing home, the interaction changes to Spanish so Wendy can talk to her Spanish-speaking mother about her project.Read More
Video: Soyul & Teacher Yvette—Sandcastles
This video is an excerpt of the intentional work Teacher Yvette makes to help Soyul, a Korean-speaking Multilingual Learner, ask a friend to build a sandcastle. It is an example of providing support to help build peer interactions so children can practice language in an authentic context.Read More
Video: Soyul & Teacher Yvette—Beginning a New Language
This video is a series of excerpts from the first months of preschool for Soyul, a Korean-speaking Multilingual Learner. The video showcases instructional moves that the teacher, Yvette, makes to teach English language development during Soyul's initial silent period.Read More
Video: Relationships, Strategies & Culture
The focus of this video is to exemplify how purposeful oral language interactions contribute to a positive relationship with both children and families in early education. The teacher in this video "reaches across the language divide" to ensure both the child and parents know that the home language is respected and valued.Read More
Video: The Stages of Preschool Second Language Acquisition
In this video, the term the four stages of second language development for early education are described and then exemplified through teaching vignettes between one teacher and one Korean-speaking Multilingual Learner.Read More
Video: Engaging with Text and Narrative
This video begins by highlighting chants, songs, and intentional conversation that teachers facilitate to help young Multilingual Learners (MLs) to develop oral language. Further examples demonstrate how oral language can then transfer to written language and early reading opportunities. It is important for MLs to use developing literacy skills in authentic, print-rich learning contexts, where they feel ownership for their learning and knowledge.Read More
Video & Video Guide: Adventures in Preschool Second Language Acquisition
This video showcases the relationship between one teacher and one Korean-speaking Multilingual Learner and her family. The video includes vignettes of teaching, interviews with the teacher, the family, and administrators, and many rich examples of English development teaching strategies. The accompanying guide suggests moments in the video to pause to notice teachers’ practice, along with prompts for reflection and discussion.Read More
Early Childhood Examples and Definitions for Multilingual Learners
This document illustrates how to integrate concrete representations, realia, and objects from home to support oral language and vocabulary.Read More
Blog Series: Shifting Towards a Multilingual View of Biliteracy
This series includes 4 blog posts that are useful for teachers and administrators who are new to biliteracy models for instruction. The posts include information to help understand and advocate for these models for instruction.Read More
Resource Guide: Barrier Games
This is a list of resources for barrier games to use in the classroom. These games are designed to encourage oral language practice since one student is given information that another student needs.Read More
Digital Book: Developing Oral Language with Barrier Games
Barrier games are designed to promote oral language since one student is given information that another partner student needs. The lesson design encourages students to ask information of one another. This resource provides many example barrier games.Read More
Strategy Overview: Observation Pictures
When paired with open-ended questions, pictures can inspire analytical thinking and promote oral language through questioning and describing visual images. This strategy can be used as an open invitation into both language and content learning with Multilingual Learners.Read More
Video: Integrated Thematic Unit- PreK/TK
This video provides a rich opportunity to look inside a preschool classroom and note the intentional supports for oral language and content development in a thematic unit of study. The teacher implements various fun activities for students to explore and think deeply about the theme while developing both the home language and ELD skills.Read More
Website Article: Are Your Writers Talking During Writer’s Workshop?
Talking about writing is a way to support the writing process itself, particularly for Multilingual Learners (MLs). This article reviews instructional strategies that a teacher can use to direct MLs to use all of their linguistic resources during a writer's workshop.Read More
Webinar: Promoting Oracy in Spanish Language / El desarollo de la oralidad en español (Spanish)
This webinar given in Spanish focuses on developing oracy for Multilingual Learners. The research-based considerations for lesson design and example activities are introduced to support the development of oral expression, fluency, and comprehension during instruction.Read More
Curriculum Units: Mosaic Integrated Science, Math, and English Language Development
These are example curriculum units that integrate content learning with English language development. The units offer many instructional ideas to help teachers plan authentic, hands-on tasks for Multilingual Learners, and provide intentional context to practice content-based English language.Read More
Video: Model Curriculum for English Learners – Historical Perspectives (3rd grade)
An ELD teacher shares how she uses language objectives to design instruction for intermediate-level Multilingual Learners.Read More
Blog: Creating an Equitable Learning Environment for English Language Learners Through Being a Reader (Part 2)
This blog offers one example of how to engage Multilingual Learners prior to reading a shared text. Example prompts and instructional moves are shared to build background, preview the text, and establish language supports for text discussion.Read More
Strategy Overview: Fractions, Factors, and Functions, Oh My! Are My ELs Attaching Meaning to Math Words?
This guide helps teachers plan meaningful activities to make math accessible, hands-on, build on students' prior knowledge, and be language-focused. In these resources, teachers can read about the dos and don'ts of math vocabulary instruction for Multilingual Learners.Read More
Strategy Overview: Anchor Charts for Synonyms – A Vocabulary Strategy
The use of anchor charts in the math classroom creates rich opportunities for teachers to collect, discuss, and practice vocabulary with Multilingual Learners.Read More
Strategy Overview: Amplify and Facilitate Student Learning about Language
Attention and practice in the language of math is a critical part of instruction for Multilingual Learners. In these resources, teachers can read about the dos and don'ts of math instruction for Multilingual Learners.Read More
Strategy Overview: Talk Moves
This resource offers specific teacher language to use in order to facilitate and structure classroom discussions. These talk moves help create quality opportunities for Multilingual Learners to practice and use oral language.Read More
Strategy Overview: Bounce Cards for Primary Grades (Spanish and blank for other L1)
This strategy sets teachers up to distribute role cards to build structured conversation and promote quality oral language practice in the classroom.Read More
Strategy Overview: Bounce Cards for Primary Grades (English)
This strategy sets teachers up to distribute role cards to build structured conversation and promote quality oral language practice in the classroom.Read More
Strategy Overview: Narrative Input
After a shared reading of a text, students retell, act out, and/or capture key vocabulary and content information with a variety of experiences. This multi-day strategy builds on student's storytelling and oral language skills.Read More
Website Article: Adapting Morning Meeting Greeting for English Learners
Morning meetings are a common part of the instructional day. This article offers strategies on how to make Multilingual Learners feel welcome and included, along with activity ideas that draw on students' linguistic diversity.Read More
Video: Engaging Kindergartners with Academic Vocabulary
In this video, the teacher encourages kindergartners to listen for and use academic vocabulary to practice oral language fluency. The teacher uses a variety of strategies including chants, choral response, partner discussion, and extended wait time.Read More
Video: Juicy Sentence Example with Butterflies (K)
This video is an example of a teacher facilitating a "juicy sentence" discussion with a group of kindergarteners learning about butterflies. The juicy sentence strategy helps Multilingual Learners access complex text through the study of a mentor sentence.Read More
Strategy Overview: Selecting and Using Academic Vocabulary in Instruction
This document reviews criteria for how to select academic vocabulary for instruction with Multilingual Learners and offers other supports for vocabulary instruction.Read More
Strategy Overview: Routines for Mathematical Discussions
This document reviews multiple strategies that teachers can use to support a rich discussion of mathematics for Multilingual Learners. These strategies help teachers elicit talk and elaborate on student discussion during math, and can be adapted for other content areas as well.Read More
Strategy Overview: Juicy Sentence Guidance
This document reviews a strategy to help Multilingual Learners access complex text through the study of a mentor sentence. After selecting a "juicy" sentence, the teacher facilitates explicit discussion about the language structure, word choice, and layers of meaning found in the example.Read More
Strategy Overview: Supports for Writing and Discussion
This document outlines strategic scaffolding activities to support Multilingual Learners in writing and discussion, including sentence stems, signal words, and word banks.Read More
Blog: The Potential of Wordless Picture Books with English Learners
Wordless picture books can be "read" in many different ways with Multilingual Learners, both at home or in the classroom, to provide instruction on book concepts, to practice oral language fluency, and make connections between multiple languages.Read More
Website: Teacher Interactions and Strategies to Support Speaking for Dual Language Learners
This resource provides a list of strategies that teachers can use to support Multilingual Learners’ speaking skills. For example: Repeating and elaborating on children’s talk, reinforcing words from the unit of study, using visual cues and gestures, and providing MLs with more time to process speech.Read More
Website Article: Extending English Language Learners’ Classroom Interactions
This article introduces specific teacher language that can be used to promote interaction and extend opportunities for Multilingual Learners to practice academic language.Read More
Webinar: Supporting Dual Language Learners in the PreK Classroom
In this webinar, presenters discuss several strategies for supporting Multilingual Learners’ oral language and literacy development. Strategies include gathering information on children’s language and cultural background from families and talking with them about their language and learning goals for their children. Presenters also discuss how to display labels and functional print in multiple languages in the classroom, select content-specific words from texts and incorporate them into instruction, incorporate songs, and engage in interactive reading.Read More
Website Article: Many Languages, One Classroom
This article offers explicit strategies for teachers who have language-diverse classrooms. Ideas are offered on how to partner with families and set up a culturally and linguistically responsive classroom environment.Read More
Webinar: Supporting English Learner Students in the Early Grades
This link includes two webinars that share practical strategies for teachers to support the literacy and language development of Multilingual Learners in the early grades. The first webinar is "Scaffolding Emergent Reading, Oral Language, and Writing for Dual Language Learners/English Learners in PreK–1st Grade," and the second is "Language & Literacy Development in PreK–1st Grade: Words and More."Read More
Strategy Overview: Supporting Oral Language
To develop language, children need many opportunities to practice speaking. This overview describes how teachers can support families to give Multilingual Learners opportunities to practice oral language.Read More
Video: Draw & Label Strategy- 3rd grade
In this demonstration of the "Draw & Label" strategy, the teacher teaches academic and content vocabulary while drawing and creating a language resource for the Multilingual Learners in the class. This resource helps them engage with and practice content area vocabulary and concepts in multiple modalities.Read More
Video: Dialogic Reading Strategy- 2nd grade
The teacher demonstrates how multiple interactive reads of a key content-based text supports the literacy, oral language, and vocabulary development of the Multilingual Learners in the class. She explains academic and content-specific words and structures opportunities for students to elaborate on their thinking.Read More
Video: Dialogic Reading Strategy- Kindergarten
The teacher demonstrates how multiple interactive reads of a key content-based text supports the literacy and English language development of the Multilingual Learners in the class. She explains and reinforces target words and provides explicit instruction on book concepts and vocabulary.Read More
Video: Draw & Label Strategy- Kindergarten
In this demonstration of the "Draw & Label" strategy, the teacher teaches academic and content vocabulary while drawing and creating a language resource for the Multilingual Learners in the class. This resource helps them engage with and practice content area vocabulary and concepts in multiple modalities.Read More
Video: Shared Research Project- 1st grade
In this video, the teacher provides guidance on how to conduct research projects with Multilingual Learners to investigate a topic in which children are interested. The shared research project provides a hands-on, inquiry-based experience to help give content meaning and develop academic language and literacy skills.Read More
Video: Shared Research Project- 3rd grade
In this video, the teacher provides guidance on how to conduct research projects with Multilingual Learners to investigate a topic children are interested in. The shared research project provides a hands-on, inquiry-based experience to help give content meaning and develop academic language and literacy skills.Read More
Video & Video Guide: Integrated Thematic Unit – 3rd Grade
This video provides a rich opportunity to look inside a classroom and note the intentional supports for English language and literacy development embedded in a thematic unit of study. The teacher implements a Daily 5 structure, which allows Multilingual Learners to learn both academic language and content across multiple modalities and learning activities. The accompanying guide suggests moments in the video to pause to notice teachers’ practice, along with prompts for reflection and discussion.Read More
Video: Transfer and Integrated ELD in a Bilingual Classroom
The teacher in this bilingual classroom makes an intentional plan to develop literacy and oral language skills in two languages. She begins content instruction in Spanish to strengthen Multilingual Learners' understanding of key concepts, and then purposefully transitions to an integrated ELD block to offer speaking and writing practice in English.Read More
Video: Integrated & Designated ELD- 2nd grade
In this integrated ELD video, the teacher uses numerous structured supports, visual cues, and small grouping strategies throughout the lesson. Multilingual Learners have multiple opportunities to practice hearing, reading, speaking, and writing academic English language.Read More
Video: Integrated & Designated ELD- Kindergarten
In this integrated ELD video, the teacher focuses on developing the academic English language that Multilingual Learners need to access content instruction. She uses chants, repetition, small group instruction, and numerous other supports.Read More
Strategy Overview: Vocabulary in Context
This resource introduces teachers to all of the ways that vocabulary can be introduced, reinforced, and practiced across multiple lessons and activities. This helps Multilingual Learners learn key academic and content words in context.Read More
Strategy Overview: Teacher as Language Model
This resource outlines strategies teachers can use to model and extend Multilingual Learners' oral language skills. Strategies include narration (describing what the teacher is seeing and thinking) and amplification (paraphrasing a child's statement in more complex and extended language and asking a follow-up question).Read More
Strategy Overview: Dramatic Play & Researcher Center
This resource describes how to implement dramatic play and researcher centers in classrooms with Multilingual Learners. Centers are tied to the thematic content of a unit and provide children with the opportunity to engage in hands-on, inquiry-based experiences that give content and language meaning and purpose.Read More
Strategy Overview: Sentence Patterning Chart / La tabla de formación de oraciones
This resource introduces a strategy to model and write good descriptive sentences with Multilingual Learners. It combines language-based supports with opportunities for children to practice academic vocabulary and apply it to structured, content-based writing.Read More
Strategy Overview: Gallery Walks
In this culminating activity at the end of a thematic unit, posters and student work are displayed around the classroom while children guide family members, teachers, or peers through the room, explaining the concepts they've learned. The opportunity to explain concepts to visitors gives children an authentic purpose for using language and demonstrating their knowledge.Read More
Strategy Overview: Graphic Organizers
A graphic organizer is a visual map or diagram that displays relationships between facts, concepts, or ideas. For Multilingual Learners, this kind of visual display of information can lessen cognitive load and support transfer of knowledge across languages.Read More
Strategy Overview: Draw and Label
The teacher talks about a content concept while drawing and labeling an image with academic vocabulary. Through this strategy, the teacher uses oral and visual cues to help students develop and practice the language in context and learn key content.Read More
Strategy Overview: Draw, Tell, & Label
This resource describes how to implement the Draw, Tell, & Label strategy in classrooms with Multilingual Learners. This strategy provides multiple opportunities for children to engage with and practice content area vocabulary. This resource also includes guidance on building content understanding in the home language(s) and English.Read More
Strategy Overview: Draw and Dictate
In this strategy, a child draws a picture of their observation or idea, and then the teacher writes down the child's verbal explanation. This supports children's understanding of sound-text correspondence, helps them see themselves as authors, and can be used as a formative assessment.Read More
Strategy Overview: Content-Based Chants
Singing and chanting give children opportunities to practice using academic vocabulary in a group setting. Singing content-rich chants develops phonemic awareness and taps into musical, auditory, linguistic, intrapersonal, and bodily-kinesthetic knowledge, which helps the children retain information.Read More
Video: Draw, Tell, & Label
In this video, teachers demonstrate the Draw, Tell, & Label strategy in classrooms with Multilingual Learners. This strategy provides multiple opportunities for children to engage with and practice content area vocabulary.Read More
Video: Home-School Connection and Projects
Opportunities for curriculum-based learning at home help build relationships with families and support language development for Multilingual Learners. This video showcases an example of a home-school project presentation in a preschool classroom where educators provide high-quality extended talk in multiple languages and provide hands-on, inquiry-based experiences.Read More
Tip Sheet: Communication with Parents / Comunicación con los padres
This bilingual (Spanish) document explains to parents the benefits of speaking a home language. Advice is shared on how to develop oral home language proficiency and provide high-quality and extended talk opportunities for children.Read More
Video: Engaging Children with Text & Narrative
This video highlights the ways which books and texts can support literacy and oral language development for Multilingual Learners. For example, educators discuss how to introduce and explain new vocabulary words before, during, and after reading.Read More
Video & Video Guide: Complex Oral Language
This video emphasizes the importance of immersing Multilingual Learners in an environment with high-quality and extended talk in each language. Teachers can ask questions to elicit complex oral language from children. The accompanying guide suggests moments in the video to pause to notice teachers’ practice, along with prompts for reflection and discussion.Read More
Video: Affirming Language, Culture & Identity
This video shares asset-based strategies for teachers to engage with families, develop the socio-emotional health of children, and set up a classroom environment to support Multilingual Learners. This resource focuses on preschool but the content applies to all grade bands. Examples come from dual language classrooms.Read More
Template: Personalized Oral Language Learning (POLL) Planning Grid
This resource provides a Personalized Oral Language Learning (POLL) planning grid template. The planning grid includes spaces for teachers to select words or phrases from a text and to plan on how they will use and reinforce the target words.Read More
Sample: Personalized Oral Language Learning (POLL) Planning Grid
This resource provides an example of a completed Personalized Oral Language Learning (POLL) planning grid. In this planning grid, the teacher has selected target words and has planned how to reinforce target words by using them throughout the day and across contexts.Read More
Video: Songs and Chants
In these videos, a teacher discusses the importance of using songs and chants throughout the day with Multilingual Learners. Teachers can connect songs and chants in each language to content learning and incorporate target vocabulary.Read More
Video: When and What to Support in Home Language
This resource discusses how to reinforce target words and provide language-rich experiences to help give language meaning and purpose. Teachers can support content learning throughout the day by previewing concepts in the home language to activate and build background knowledge.Read More
Video: Personalized Oral Language Learning (POLL) Using Planning Tools and Strategies
This video explains how to support Multilingual Learners’ oral language development by using a vocabulary planning document and a Personalized Oral Language Learning (POLL) planning grid. These tools help teachers select target words or phrases from a text and reinforce them throughout the day.Read More
Video: Supporting Home Language through Language Models
This video discusses how "language models" can support Multilingual Learners by integrating English and the home language(s) into classroom activities and conversations throughout the day. Parents and other speakers of children’s home languages can join classroom activities to support children’s development of multiple languages. Language models can provide high-quality and extended talk in each language, including a variety of questions to elicit talk from children.Read More
Video: Intentional Message
In these videos, a teacher explains how to create an intentional message to use with Multilingual Learners. The intentional message helps teachers reinforce target words while they interact with children.Read More
Video: Center Extensions
In these videos, teachers discuss ways to align activities to an intentional message and anchor text to help teach target words. The videos also show how hands-on experiences help provide meaning to target words.Read More
Video: Anchor Texts
In these videos, teachers discuss the importance of having an anchor text and using target words throughout the day. The videos also show how to engage in interactive reading and explain vocabulary words before, during, or after reading.Read More
