September 29, 2026
Host
Welcome to our deep dive on ELD Standard 2 for Language Arts. We're going to unpack how multilingual learners communicate information, ideas, and concepts needed for academic success in this content area. Let's start with the interpretive side of narratives. What's the first key expectation there?
Guest
The first one is ELD-LA.1.Narrate.Interpretive. It asks students to identify a central message from key details, identify how character attributes and actions contribute to an event, and identify words and phrases that suggest feelings or appeal to the senses. That's a lot of layered thinking for young learners.
Host
Right. And the clarification says students reflect on important details to identify a text's central message. How does that actually show up in a classroom?
Guest
So, guided by the teacher, students highlight words and phrases that identify characters' words, characters' actions, story conflict, and story resolution. Then, reflecting on those highlighted pieces, they identify the text's central message. The sample objective is to identify that central message by highlighting words and phrases.
Host
That seems straightforward. But the standard also asks about character attributes and actions contributing to an event. Can you unpack that a bit?
Guest
Definitely. The clarification says students reflect on attributes and actions of characters to determine their impact on an event. In class, students highlight words and phrases that show cause, like characters' words and actions, and effect, the event. They use a sentence frame such as, in the story, name the character, describe the character's words or actions, so, describe the event. Emergent readers get illustrated notes on that frame.
Host
So they're explicitly linking cause and effect through language. What about the third part, identifying words and phrases that suggest feelings or appeal to the senses?
Guest
Right, that's where the five senses and emotions come in. Students use a six-column graphic organizer headed by character names plus the five senses. They fill in the character's words in the matching sense column. They also use a three-column organizer to match character names, emoticons, emotion names, and corresponding words that convey those emotions. Emergent readers get illustrations for each sense.
Host
I'm noticing a ton of graphic organizers here. Is there a risk that the organizers themselves overshadow the language function?
Guest
That's a fair challenge. The organizers are scaffolds, not the end goal. The language function is to identify, interpret, and later construct. The sample objective for this part is for students to interpret a narrative by identifying how character attributes and actions contribute to an event, using graphic organizers and teacher guidance. So the organizers support the thinking, but the real work is the language.
Host
Let's shift to expressive narratives. What does it mean to orient the audience to the story?
Guest
Orienting means introducing characters, setting, and time so readers know who, where, and when. In class, students brainstorm characters considering point of view, then use graphic organizers to write descriptions of characters' actions, thoughts, feelings, and possible dialogue. They use noun groups to state who or what the story is about. Emergent writers may combine words and illustrations.
Host
And developing story events? Is that about sequencing with beginning, middle, and end?
Guest
Exactly. Students use a beginning, middle, end story map to organize timing of events. They're supported by a word bank with connectors for time like first, next, and then, for events like before, after, later, and to link details like and, but, so. The sample objective is to develop story events using beginning, middle, end story maps.
Host
The third piece, engage and adjust for audience, sounds more sophisticated. How do young learners handle that?
Guest
They don't abstract it; they use a T-chart with two different audiences, like soccer fans versus basketball fans, and brainstorm reactions. Then they use word choices to convey attitudes, develop suspense, and share excitement. The teacher records and illustrates for emergent readers. It's about making audience concrete.
Host
Okay, now let's pivot to informational texts. What are the interpretive expectations there?
Guest
ELD-LA.1.Inform.Interpretive has three parts. First, identifying main topic and or entity and key details. Second, asking and answering questions about descriptions of attributes and characteristics. Third, identifying word choices in relation to topic or content area.
Host
For main topic and key details, the classroom example mentions a picture walk and bubble graphic organizer. Can you walk us through that?
Guest
Sure. Students do a picture walk with the teacher pointing out headings to predict the main topic. After read-aloud and repeated close reading, students identify some key details, which the teacher scribes on an anchor chart with a main topic/details bubble organizer. Then partners add remaining details on their own copies and confirm or revise the predicted main topic.
Host
That's very collaborative. The second interpretive skill is about asking and answering questions about attributes. How is that scaffolded?
Guest
Students review the completed bubble organizer, then the teacher models a think-aloud asking questions and eliciting responses about attributes and characteristics. Partner students have an academic conversation using questions from the language wall, like what is it like, can you describe its color, shape, size. They annotate the key details on their own organizer.
Host
I like that the language wall provides question stems. The third skill, identifying word choices, uses a four-column graphic organizer. What are the columns?
Guest
The heading includes Wow Words, Describing Words, Five Senses Words, and Action Words. The teacher models with an enlarged organizer from an informational text, then students reflect on impactful words and complete their own with a partner. The sample objective is to identify word choices in relation to topic using that four-column organizer.
Host
Let's finish with expressive informational texts. What does it mean to introduce and define a topic or entity?
Guest
Students present a topic through a title or introductory sentence. The teacher uses a mentor text to deconstruct the introductory sentence, then students construct a descriptive title or opener that tells about their selected topic. They might use a sentence starter like All About, including generalized nouns to introduce the topic.
Host
And describing attributes and characteristics with facts, definitions, and relevant details?
Guest
That's the core of informational writing. Students use bubble organizers with attributes and characteristics in center bubbles, then add facts, definitions, and details on spoked bubbles. The teacher models with a mentor text first. Emergent writers may use drawings and words from word banks, like noun groups, to add description and precision about color, shape, or size.
Host
So both interpretive and expressive language in this standard rely heavily on graphic organizers, sentence frames, and mentor texts. But how do we ensure students actually internalize the language, not just fill in boxes?
Guest
That's the tension every language specialist wrestles with. The organizers and frames are temporary. The goal is for students to move from heavily scaffolded tasks to more independent language use. That's why the standard includes sample objectives that shift from highlighting and completing to interpreting and constructing. The scaffolds fade over time.
Host
Could you give an example of that fade, maybe from one of these expectations?
Guest
Sure. For narrative orientation, students start by filling a character graphic organizer with ideas. Then they write a story opening using those words. The organizer isn't handed in; it's a thinking tool. Over time, students skip the organizer and go straight to drafting because the noun groups and descriptive language become automatic.
Host
That makes sense. Looking back at the whole standard, what's the biggest misconception teachers might have about it?
Guest
I think it's seeing this as a checklist of isolated skills. It's actually a coherent framework where students move from interpreting narratives to expressing their own, and from understanding informational texts to constructing them. The language functions build on each other, and the classroom examples show a progression, not separate tasks.
Host
That's a strong note to end on. Any final thought for educators implementing this standard tomorrow?
Guest
I'd say start small. Pick one language expectation, such as identifying a central message, and teach the corresponding graphic organizer explicitly. Then look for student language during turn-and-talk. The goal is to hear students using the target words and phrases orally before they write.
Host
That's practical. But how do teachers know if students are truly identifying a central message rather than just repeating a highlighted phrase from the text?
Guest
Good question. They listen for paraphrasing and synthesis. If a student says the story is about kindness because the character shared even when it was hard, that's evidence. If they only read back the highlighted sentence, they need more support. Teachers can use a quick check-in with sentence starters like, the central message is blank because the key details show blank.
Host
So oral language is the formative assessment. What about collaboration with general ed teachers? Is this standard only for ELD blocks?
Guest
No, it should live in every content block. The general ed teacher can use the same sentence frames and graphic organizers during read-alouds and writing workshop. Co-planning helps: the ELD teacher might identify the language function, and the classroom teacher provides the content text. Shared scaffolds across the day reinforce the language.
Host
But time is always a constraint. How do teachers fit all these organizers and strategies into an already packed schedule?
Guest
They embed them into existing instruction rather than adding separate activities. For example, during a read-aloud, the teacher pauses to use the main topic bubble organizer. During writing workshop, students use the beginning, middle, end map. It's not extra time; it's a structure for the time already there.
Host
What about emergent readers and writers? The standard mentions illustrations and illustrated notes, but are there other supports?
Guest
Definitely. Oral rehearsal before writing is huge. Emergent writers can tell a partner their story opening or a fact, then draw and label it. Teachers can provide sentence frames with picture cues, word banks with visuals, and allow invented spelling. The goal is language production first, accuracy later.
Host
And this standard aligns to grade-level text complexity? Sometimes people assume ELD means simplified texts.
Guest
Right, it's about scaffolding the language, not lowering the cognitive demand. The mentor texts and informational texts can be grade-level. What changes is how we support access: previewing vocabulary, using graphic organizers, and providing sentence frames. Multilingual learners can handle complex ideas if we give them the linguistic tools.
Host
So to recap, Standard 2 asks multilingual learners to interpret and construct narratives and informational texts, using language functions like identifying, orienting, describing, and questioning. The classroom examples rely on scaffolds like graphic organizers, sentence frames, and mentor texts, but the ultimate goal is independent language use.
Guest
Exactly. And that independence grows when scaffolds are intentional and gradually released.
Host
Well, that's a perfect place to wrap up. Thanks for this thorough unpacking of ELD Standard 2. The key takeaway is to use graphic organizers, sentence frames, and mentor texts as temporary scaffolds, then release students toward independent language use. Goodbye, everyone, and happy teaching.