Key Themes of ELA/Literacy and ELD Instruction in
Transitional Kindergarten
ELA/literacy and ELD instruction focus on the key instructional themes of Meaning Making,
Language Development, Effective Expression, Content Knowledge, and Foundational
Skills, as discussed in the introduction and chapter 2 of this ELA/ELD Framework. Each of these
themes is displayed in figure 3.13 and discussed briefly here; the kindergarten section of this chapter
provides additional guidance relevant to transitional kindergarten.
Figure 3.13. Circles of Implementation of ELA/Literacy and ELD InstructionMeaning Making
In transitional kindergarten (and throughout the grades),
meaning making is the heart of all instruction. Children’s
learning is purposeful. Children engage with a range of texts
(largely through read alouds), participate in learning experiences
in all the content areas, and interact with one another in
meaningful ways. They have access to a comfortable and
child-friendly classroom library and space to explore books
independently and with peers. They are read aloud to daily from
books they may later pick up and recite from memory (such as
predictable books) and from texts that stretch their language
and build their knowledge of literature, genres, and content.
They see printed materials used in purposeful ways throughout
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