## North Carolina Early Learning and Development Progressions: Birth to Five

#### Domain: NC Foundations for Early Learning: Language Development and Communication (LDC)

#### Subdomain: Learning to Communicate

#### Goal: Children ask and answer questions in order to seek help, get information, or clarify something that is not understood.

#### Skill Progression: Answers questions

#### Age: 48-54 Months

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### Answers open ended questions, such as “What can you tell me about….?”

Situations for Observation of Skill

Observe the adult and child reading a book about unusual animals or insects in nature.

Elicitation Strategy

The adult can relate the content of the book to the child’s other experiences. “What can you tell me about snakes?” or “How do most people feel about snakes?”

Behavior Observed

The child is now able to think divergently, or of many different options. She can pull information from previous knowledge and experiences to give multiple responses to questions.

Routines-based Intervention (Embedded Instruction)

Early childhood educators and parents can promote creative thinking by encouraging divergent thinking by asking open-ended questions (i.e., those with multiple possible answers) versus closed questions (i.e., those with one ‘right’ answer).

North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, 2015

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