Instructional Supports

Instructional Supports Overview (English)

Instructional Supports Overview (Spanish)

It takes time to organize and plan meaningful experiences for children. Integrating POLL Instructional Supports in your daily activities begins with identifying the interests of the children in your care. Whether you use a programmatic guide or develop your own based on themes and concepts, POLL Instructional Supports will enhance how you support language learning and use with your multilingual learners.

The Instructional Supports Strategies are the main elements of instructional practices that promote dual language learners’ oral language abilities, conceptual knowledge, and social-emotional development.

The POLL strategies bring such intentionality to our work and it refocuses us back to what our real purpose is in meeting the needs of children and families.

Kristin Sell

Center-based preschool teacher

The main elements of POLL Instructional Supports include the following strategies:

Anchor Texts and Experiences
Vocabulary Imprinting
Intentional Messages
Songs And Chants
Extended Activities

When used repetitively in an integrated manner throughout the day, these Instructional Supports will provide multiple opportunities for children to make meaning and connections, and to practice both home language and English.

Considerations as you design your Instructional Supports for your multilingual learners:

When using POLL instructional elements, be intentional about how and when to integrate them.
- Songs with movements and gestures can be used during transition times such as cleaning up and getting ready for mealtime.
- Weaving these supports into all daily routines will offer opportunities for children to begin using these words in their daily conversations.

In planning, create time and space throughout the day for children to practice language and new vocabulary.
- Take the role of facilitator and observer while children engage in small groups. This may be dedicated center time, outdoor play, and/or collaborative projects.
- Support conversation by asking open-ended questions that will facilitate language as you move from child to child and activity to activity.
- Be a careful observer of children throughout the day. Record students’ strengths as well as challenges and use your observations to help in goal setting and instruction modification.