English Language Development

predictions, referring explicitly to language or illustrations
in the text and making obvious the links between their
predictions and the text. Knowing that visualizing contributes
to comprehension, they comment on what they see in
their mind’s eye at certain points in the text. Knowing that
monitoring comprehension is important, they reread some
sentences or slightly longer sections of text that are especially
dense or that include unusual words, and they explain to
children that stopping to reread a difficult passage may help
with understanding. Questioning, retelling and summarizing,
and drawing inferences, too, are key comprehension
strategies that should be modeled (Shanahan, and others
2010; see descriptions in figure 4.4 in chapter 4 of this ELA/ELD Framework).

In addition to observing their teachers’ use of strategies, children are taught to use the strategies
themselves. As teachers read aloud, they prompt children to share with the group their questions,
inferences, predictions, and so forth. Teachers support children as they provide the reasons for their
thinking. They ask text-dependent questions that take children into the text and that foster inference-
making and critical thinking. (See the overview of the span in this chapter for a discussion of text-
dependent questions.)

Teacher guidance is vital. For example, to build a sense of story structure with narrative text,
kindergarten teachers begin with simple stories, those that have only a few characters, a single
setting, and a straightforward plot. During a second or third reading of the story, teachers guide
children in thinking closely about the structure. They may create a story map, prompting and
supporting children to contribute their thoughts to a chart, such as the one in figure 3.21 developed
for Uncle Peter’s Amazing Chinese Wedding.

Figure 3.21. Story Map for Uncle Peter’s Amazing Chinese Wedding by Lenore Look

Characters A young girl, her Uncle Peter, his fiancée Stella, and family members

Setting Uncle Peter’s home and Stella’s home on their wedding day

Problem Peter is getting married and his niece worries that she will no longer be his

special girl.

Action The girl participates in the wedding activities, deliberately ruins the

wedding tea, tells her mother her fears, and the wedding occurs.

Resolution Stella tells the young girl she is happy to have a new niece. Uncle Peter

calls her his special girl.

Theme There is no limit on people’s love.

When teachers engage children with interesting stories and entertaining poetry, and when they
pique children’s curiosity and model enthusiasm for and attention to ideas and craft, they are helping
children understand the purpose of printed materials: to communicate ideas. Children learn that books
and other printed media are interesting, entertaining, and instructive.

Just as they have many experiences engaging with literary texts (such as stories and poems),
kindergarten children should have many opportunities to actively engage in group reading activities
focused on a range of informational text. They learn to draw on prior knowledge relevant to the
information and events in texts and to use the illustrations and context to make predictions about text.

While reading aloud, teachers

regularly engage in thinking

aloud, initially with simple

texts and eventually with more

challenging texts. In doing so,

teachers model the strategies

they employ to make sense of

print.

Kindergarten Chapter 3 | 203