Figure 6.30. Using the CA ELD Standards in Integrated ELDCA ELD Standards, Part I: Interacting in Meaningful WaysEnglish Language Development Level Continuum
Emerging Expanding Bridging- Justifying/arguing
a. Justify opinions by
providing some textual
evidence or relevant
background knowledge, with
substantial support.
b. Express attitude and
opinions or temper
statements with familiar
modal expressions (e.g., can,
may).
11. Justifying/arguing
a. Justify opinions or persuade
others by providing relevant
textual evidence or relevant
background knowledge, with
moderate support.
b. Express attitude and
opinions or temper
statements with a variety of
familiar modal expressions
(e.g., possibly/likely, could/
would)
11. Justifying/arguing
a. Justify opinions or persuade
others by providing detailed
and relevant textual evidence
or relevant background
knowledge with, light support.
b. Express attitude and
opinions or temper
statements with nuanced
modal expressions (e.g.,
potentially/certainly/
absolutely, should/might).
Designated ELD is a protected time during the regular school day when qualified teachers work
with ELs. Students are grouped by similar English proficiency levels, and teachers focus on critical
academic language the students need to develop to be successful in academic subjects. Designated
ELD time is an opportunity to delve more deeply into the linguistic resources of English that ELs need
to develop to engage with and make meaning from content, express their understanding of content,
and create new content in ways that meet the expectations of the CA CCSS for ELA/Literacy and other
content standards. Accordingly, the CA ELD Standards are the primary standards used during this
designated time. However, the content focus is derived from ELA and other areas of the curricula.
(For more detailed information on integrated and designated ELD, see the grade span section of this
chapter and chapter 2 in this ELA/ELD Framework.)
ELA/Literacy and ELD in Action in Grade Eight
Both the CA CCSS for ELA/Literacy and the CA ELD Standards acknowledge the importance of
reading complex texts closely and thoughtfully to derive meaning. In addition, reading texts multiple
times can reveal layered meanings that may not present themselves to students during a single
reading. Accordingly, teachers prepare reading lessons carefully
and purposefully before teaching. This preparation includes
selecting challenging and interesting texts worth reading and
rereading; reading the texts ahead of time to determine why
the language might be challenging and for whom; establishing
a purpose for reading; and planning a sequence of lessons
that build students’ abilities to read the text with increasing
independence. This process also requires teachers to analyze
the cognitive and linguistic demands of the texts, including
the sophistication of the ideas or content, students’ prior
knowledge, and the complexity of the vocabulary, sentences,
and organization.
As discussed in the section on meaning making, teachers
should model for students the close reading of texts by
... teachers should model
for students the close
reading of texts by thinking
aloud, highlighting the
comprehension questions
they ask themselves as
readers and pointing out the
language and ideas they
notice while reading.
636 | Chapter 6 Grade 8