Language and Literacy

Other Connecticut Connecticut Early Learning and Development Standards (CT ELDS) sets

• Cognition
• Creative Arts
• Mathematics
• Physical Development and Health
• Science
• Social and Emotional Development
• Social Studies

Use a variety of facial expressions and sounds (e.g., cooing, babbling and varied cries) to communicateL.6.4

Begin to use word approximations (e.g., ”ma-ma” or “da-da”) or conventional gestures (e.g., waving, signing “more”)L.12.3

Begin to use words or conventional gestures to communicateL.18.3

Has a 20+ word vocabularyL.18.4

Name familiar objects and actions; use commands (e.g., “no”), possessives (e.g., “mine”) or reactions (e.g., “ow”)L.24.4

Use new words frequently to talk about familiar things or activities L.24.5

Use nouns and verbs to label experiences, actions or eventsL.36.3

Use some personal pronouns when referring to others (e.g., you, he, she)L.36.4

May occasionally use more sophisticated words than they typically use in conversational speech but that have been learned through books and personal experiences (e.g., large, fast, angry, car, run) L.36.5

Use accepted words for objects, actions and attributes encountered frequently in both real and symbolic contextsL.48.3

Use simple pronouns (e.g., I, me, you, mine, he, she)L.48.4

Begin to use some words that are not a part of everyday conversational speech but that are learned through books and personal experiences (e.g., gigantic, rapidly, frustrated, transportation, race or jog) L.48.5

Use an increasing variety and specificity of accepted words for objects, actions and attributes encountered in both real and symbolic contextsL.60.4

Use more complex words learned through books and personal experiences (e.g., label favorite shirt as chartreuse, or know that a paleontologist studies dinosaurs)L.60.5

“Talk” to self and others using various vocalizationsL.6.5

Communicate wants and needs through a combination of crying, babbling and occasional word approximations, and/or gestures L.12.4

Respond to questions with sounds, sometimes including words and oftentimes gesturesL.18.5

Use words to request objects, have needs met or gain attentionL.24.6

Use inflection in phrases or sentences to ask a questionL.36.6

Comment on a variety of experiences, interactions or observationsL.36.7

Communicate about current or removed events and/or objects  L.48.6

Use increasingly longer, complex sentences that combine phrases or concepts to communicate ideas L.48.7

Use more complex words to describe the relationships between objects and ideas (e.g., position words such as “under” or “beside” and comparative words such as “bigger” or “longer”)L.60.6

Increasingly use gestures and sounds in coordination to communicateL.18.6

Combine words and speak in short, two-word phrases such as “Me up!” L.24.7

Use basic grammar rules including pronouns, plurals, possessives and regular past tenseL.36.8

Use speech that is mostly intelligible to familiar adultsL.36.9

Use basic grammar rules including irregular past tense and questionsL.48.8

Use speech that is mostly intelligible to familiar and unfamiliar adultsL.48.9

Use basic grammar rules including subject-verb agreement, tenses, regular and irregular past tense, irregular plurals L.60.7

Use an increasing variety and specificity of accepted words for objects, actions and attributes encountered in both real and symbolic contextsL.60.8

Show interest in back and forth pretend gamesL.6.6

Begin to understand that a conversation is about taking turns  L.12.5

Pay attention to a speaker by pausing physical activity, shifting gaze or looking toward speaker L.18.7

Repeat or try another mode of communicating desire if initial attempts are unsuccessful L.18.8

Take turns in conversations by initiating and sustaining a simple conversation over two turnsL.24.8

Have conversations with adults and peers that include four or more exchangesL.36.10

Maintain a topic of conversation over the course of several turns L.48.10

Initiate, maintain and end conversations by repeating what other person says and/or by asking questionsL.60.9

Coo, gurgle, smile in response to stimulation and to initiate social contactL.6.7

Express pleasure as adults imitate the faces and sounds they make L.6.8

Enjoy opportunities to “converse” with adults in a more sustained fashion, including playing simple imitation games L.12.6

Intentionally use gestures and/ or vocalizations to regulate the behavior of others and engage in social interaction L.12.7

Use gestures and/or sounds to interact (e.g., waves, shakes head no, reaches to be lifted up) L.18.9

Answer a basic question with a word L.24.9

Use language to express wants, needs, likes and dislikes to othersL.24.10

Converse with adults and peers about common experiences or eventsL.36.11

Answer simple who, what, where and why questionsL.48.11

Use language to share ideas and gain informationL.60.10

Respond to music, stories and pictures shared with an adultL.6.9

Engage with adults, showing shared attention to a bookL.12.8

Point to preferred pictures in books or textsL.18.10

Point to named pictures; may name or comment on familiar picturesL.24.11

Chimein on nursery rhymes or repeat words or phrases from familiar storiesL.24.12

Sustain attention for short periods of time while being told a story or reading a favorite picture book L.36.12

Recite familiar phrases of songs, books and rhymes; may chime in with rhyme in familiar text or songL.36.13

Select fiction and nonfiction books to be read and attend with interestL.48.12

Independently choose to “read” books and select a variety of texts including fiction and nonfictionL.60.11

Answer simple specific questions about familiar stories (e.g., “What does the cat say?”). Ask basic questions about pictures (e.g., “Who is that?”)L.24.13

Enjoy telling and retelling stories and information L.36.14

Demonstrate comprehension through retelling with use of pictures and props, acting out main events or sharing information learned from nonfiction textL.48.13

Ask and answer simple who, what, where and why questions related to story or textL.48.14

Make predictions and/or ask questions about the text by examining the title, cover, picturesL.48.15

With prompting and support, retell familiar stories, including story elements (e.g., setting, characters, events) and/or share key details from informational textL.60.12

Identify main components of a story or text (the major plot points of a story or the main topic of an informational text)L.60.13

Use connections between self and character, experience and emotions to increase comprehension  L.60.14

Hold book uprightL.24.14

Turn pages of a bookL.36.15

Look at pages of a book from left to right (or according to conventions of home language) L.48.16

Recognize that print represents spoken words (e.g., first name in print, environmental labels)  L.48.17

Know how print is read (e.g., left to right, top to bottom, front to back or according to convention of home language) L.60.15

Know that books have titles, authors, illustrators or photographers L.60.16

Recognize words as a unit of print and that letters are grouped to form wordsL.60.17

Recognize some familiar signs and symbols in the environment (e.g., logos, signs for familiar store)L.36.16

Identify some printed words and/or common symbols (e.g., bathroom signs) in the context of the environment  L.48.18

Identify some familiar printed words out of context  L.60.18

Begin to use awareness of letter sounds along with pictures to read words in textL.60.19

Recognize some letters especially those in one’s own name L.48.19

Recognize and name known letters of the alphabet in familiar and unfamiliar wordsL.60.20

Make some letter-sound connections L.60.21

Recognize environmental sounds (e.g., animal or vehicle sounds such as “Baa-baa” or “Beep-beep”)L.36.17

Recognize rhyming words in songs, chants or poemsL.48.20

Identify when initial sounds in words are the same L.48.21

Distinguish individual words in a sentenceL. 48.22

Produce rhyming words or words that have same initial soundL.60.22

Recognize which words in a set of words begin with the same soundL.60.23

Distinguish syllables in words L.60.24

Use writing tools to make scribblesL.18.11

Use writing tools to make scribblesL.24.15

Draw simple shapes to represent ideas and write message using controlled linear scribbleL.36.18

Draw or “write” to convey an idea, event or story. “Writing” involves scribbles, letters and/or letter-like shapes (e.g., make pretend list or use their words to dictate a message to communicate with others)L.48.23

Write in a manner that is distinct from drawing. Combine scribbles with letter-like formsL.48.24

Draw original stories with a beginning, middle and end L.60.25

Use early developmental spelling. May use one letter for the initial or final sound to represent whole wordL.60.26