Overview of CKLA for PreK: Session 2 – Language
Strategies
Sequence of Sessions
Overarching Objectives of this February 2013 Network Team Institute
This session is the first training for CKLA-PreK. At the conclusion of this session,
1.
All participants will be able to accurately identify the instructional and support materials (e.g., cards, posters) required for
implementation of Preschool CKLA.
2.
Participants will be able to identify areas of the daily routine employed by CKLA-PreK.
a. Preschool educators will be able to identify adjustments / shifts that can be made to their current practices, routines, and
schedules to support Preschool CKLA.
b. Administrators will consider additional program level shift that will support classroom educators as they make
adjustments / shifts at the classroom level.
3.
All participants will learn and practice language stimulation and support strategies to support high-quality adult-child
interactions within implementation of Preschool CKLA.
High-Level Purpose of this Session

The purpose of this session is to orient partcipants to the CKLA-PreK materials, portions of the day, and best practices for implementation.
Related Learning Experiences

This is the first PD for the CKLA-PreK program. Participants can prepare for this session by viewing the CKLA-PreK Overview Webinar.
Session Outcomes
What do we want participants to be able to do as a result of this session?
Session Objective(s): Teachers
1. Participants will gain familiarity with the research-based support for a language rich preschool
environment.
2. Participants will be introduced to and gain experience using language stimulation and support
techniques that support high-quality teacher-child interactions and can be integrated with the
CKLA-PreKprogram.
How will we know that
they are able to do this?
In-session activities
3. Participants will gain familiarity with language supports built into the CKLA-PreKprogram.
Session Description: Participants will become familiar with the key reasons for and elements of oral language
support within CKLA. Participants will learn and practice a variety of Language Stimulation and Support
Techniques.
Session Overview
Section
Time
Framing
10 m
Language
Stimulation and
Support Strategies
35 m
Additional
Strategies
10 m
Overview
Prepared Resources
Facilitator Preparation
In this section, you will frame
what we all do and take for
LanguageStimulation&SupportStrategies.ppt
granted to keep a conversation
going.
In this section, you will present
and provide participants an
LanguageStimulation&SupportStrategies.ppt
opportunity to practice the
LanguageStimulation&SupportStrategies.zip
RolePlayCards.pdf
comments, open questions, and
expansion strategies.
In this section, you will quickly
present a few additional
strategies and direct participants LanguageStimulation&SupportStrategies.ppt
to where they can find more
about these.
Session Roadmap
Section:
Time:
[10 minutes] In this section, you will frame what we all do and take Materials used include:
for granted to keep a conversation going.
LanguageStimulation&SupportStrategies.ppt
Time
Slide #/ Pic of Slide
Script/ Activity directions
GROUP
Key Points:
1. Select a partner and take 3 minutes to have a conversation about anything you like (e.g.,
the weather, the other person’s outfit, a movie you just saw, etc.).
2. Allow partners to converse, then call time after 3 minutes.
Key Points:
1. Ask participants to raise their hands if…
• You were able to talk for 3 minutes.
• There were lulls in the conversation.
• You were able to get the conversation moving.
During the conversation:
• You asked a yes / no question.
• You asked an open question.
• You made a comment.
• You repeated or clarified what your partner said.
• You paused after questions.
• You added information from your own experience.
Key Points:
1. Developing strong oral language skills is one of the most important goals of the early
childhood period.
2. Teachers play a direct role in students’ language development in preschool as they model
sophisticated language and assist children who are developing language skills.
3. Having a few “tools in the toolbox” will help educators take advantage of and create
additional opportunities to support children’s developing language skills.
4. Naming the techniques is not about memorizing strategies to use; rather, the purpose of
giving name to them is so that we can discuss them.
5. Many of you will already do some of these techniques. Our purpose in discussing them is
to shed light on something you may already do subconsciously to consider how we can
make these frequent and intentional supports.
Section:
Time:
[35 minutes] In this section, you will present and provide
participants an opportunity to practice the comments, open
questions, and expansion strategies.
Materials used include:
LanguageStimulation&SupportStrategies.ppt
LanguageStimulation&SupportStrategies.zip
RolePlayCards.PDF
Time
Slide #/ Pic of Slide
Script/ Activity directions
Key Points:
1. Comments provide:
• An effective conversation starter,
• An opportunity for the child to follow his/her own interests and excitement, and
• A low pressure opportunity for participation.
2. Using comments provides children with an opening to initiate conversation and the
freedom to talk about their own interests.
Microsoft Clip Art MP900439281
Key Points:
1. Open Questions:
• Have a variety of possible answers,
• Support a sense of autonomy, inviting un-prescribed responses, and
• Require more expressive language.
2. Do any of you have students who can’t answer open questions, perhaps at the
beginning of the year?
3. Remember, the strategies are meant to be used and combined based on your
knowledge of your students.
shutterstock_1962235
GROUP
Key Points:
1. Expansion and Expansion Plus:
• Model language skills – just beyond child’s abilities,
• Maintain the idea of the child’s utterance, and
• With “plus,” help to further develop conceptual understanding.
2. Expansion and expansion plus are especially effective for modeling new language for
English Language Learners.
shutterstock_1997113
Key Points:
You could put the teachers in groups of four or 7 - with two teachers on each role
because they might need to talk with a partner:
Roles
Presenter - shares child's comment
Teachers - offer a comment or ask a question
1. Offers a comment to repeat and expand the comment
2. Ask and open ended question
3. Ask a clarifying question (just an idea)
Round=
1. Presenter takes a card and shares the child's comments,
2. Teachers ask questions and offer comments,
3. Presenter responds to just one question or comment.
(Repeat changing roles with each new card)
Section:
Time:
[10 minutes] In this section, you will quickly present a few
additional strategies and direct participants to where they can find
more about these.
Materials used include:
LanguageStimulation&SupportStrategies.ppt
Time
Slide #/ Pic of Slide
Script/ Activity directions
GROUP
Key Points:
1. Using the self-talk strategy, effective teachers describe what they are doing, seeing, or
hearing. Effective teachers use self-talk to model for children language and vocabulary
that go with specific actions.
2. Similarly, using the parallel talk strategy, effective teachers describe what children are
doing. Effective teachers use parallel talk to model for children language and vocabulary
that go with specific actions.
3. There is no expectation that children respond. Through exposure to this language,
children will build their own vocabularies.
Key Points:
1. Similarly, using the parallel talk strategy, effective teachers describe what children are
doing. Effective teachers use parallel talk to model for children language and vocabulary
that go with specific actions.
Key Points:
1. Children don’t always have the vocabulary for the names of objects around them.
Effective teachers label objects in the children’s environment and images they may
encounter during the day.
2. Teachers use descriptive words to describe the attributes of those objects.
3. We often use this technique during CKLA-PreK read-alouds.
Key Points:
1. Using repetition, effectively model correct articulation, pronunciation, syntax, and
grammar while acknowledging children’s communication attempts in a positive manner.
2. Additionally, because some young children speak softly, repetition is a great technique to
use in a whole group setting to ensure other children hear the message!
3. There is no expectation that children respond to these four strategies. As you will see
later today, exposure is important for helping children to build language and vocabulary.
Key Points:
1. Display the teacher doing a puzzle with the students. How might she self-talk or parallel
talk?
2. <Click> Display the child getting the puppet. How might the teacher label or parallel
talk?
3. <Click> Display the teacher writing with the boys. How might she label and describe or
self-talk as she is writing?
Key Points
1. Also included with CKLA-PreK are sets of transition cards.
2. Transition Cards are content and skills-related materials that are used to provide learning
opportunities as students move between activities.
3. You can use the cards in a variety of ways to reinforce or assess content or vocabulary as
you transition students from one activity to another.
4. We will be using these cards (displayed on the PPT) to transition to our breaks during this
workshop.
Key Points:
1. If you are wearing this color, you may go to break.
Key Points:
1. Raise your hand if you can tell me what color this is.
2. Call on someone: What color is this?
3. For efficiency during training, dismiss everyone who raised their hand.
Key Points:
1. Does anyone know what these are?
2. Call on someone: What are these? Can you tell me what color they are?
3. Dismiss those who answered.
Key Points:
1. My duckie can swim.
2. He’s a smart little fellow.
3. It’s time for break if you know his color is…
4. Dismiss the remainder of the participants when they respond with, “yellow.”
Use the following icons in the script to indicate different learning modes.
Video
Reflect on a prompt
Turnkey Materials Provided

See handouts
Additional Suggested Resources

Prekindergarten ELA General Overview found on EngageNY
Active learning
Turn and talk