Listening and Understanding - Language and Literacy: Ages 3-5

Widely Held Expectations

• Child listens to directions and conversations with understanding
  
  • Demonstrates understanding of the meaning of stories, songs and poems
• Child follows directions in sequences of actions
  
  • Follows single and multi-step or complex directions
• Child listens to others and responds to feelings and expressed ideas
  
  • Responds to simple, direct, conversational sentences, either verbally or by alternative means
• Child demonstrates understanding of native and/or English languages for social interactions and program directions/activities

Learning in Action: Examples

The Child

• Follows directions from the adult such as “Please go and wash your hands, then sit down at the table”
• Retells main events of stories, and repeats familiar songs and poems
• Carries on a conversation with another person, either verbally or by alternative means, that extends a thought or idea
• Listens to audio-taped or read stories and shows understanding through body language, pointing to pictures

The Adult

• Builds upon children’s comprehension skills by listening, responding and asking questions
• Greets children daily by name and with a short conversation
• Pairs non-English speaking children with bilingual peers/adults
• Engages children in stories, songs and poems

The Environment Includes

• Stories, songs, words, games and daily schedules in English and the languages of the non-English speaking children
• Ways to assist children in the understanding of new vocabulary