Stages of Language Acquisition

	Official Name	Other Names	Student Behaviors	Able to Do
Stage I	Preproductive	Newcomer Emergent Speaker Silent Period Stage	Depends heavily on context Has minimal receptive vocabulary Comprehends key words only Indicates comprehension physically (point, draws, gestures) May not produce speech	Observe Listen Locate Label Match Show Classify Categorize
Stage II	Early Productive	Emergent/Beginner One Two World Social Language Stage	Depends heavily on context Produces words in isolation Verbalizes key words Responds with one/two word answers or short phrases Indicates comprehension physically Mispronunciation/grammar errors	Name Recall Draw List Record Point Out Underline Organize
Stage III	Low Intermediate	Bridging Academic Language Stage	Depends heavily on context Produces whole sentences Makes some pronunciation and basic grammar errors, but is understood Demonstrates comprehension by responding orally and in written form (charts, graphs, diagrams) Hears smaller elements of speech Functions on a social level Uses limited vocabulary	Tell Describe Restate Compare Question Map Dramatize
Stage IV	High Intermediate Fluency	Bridging Academic Language Stage	Depends on context Engage in and produce connected narrative Shows good comprehension Uses expanded vocabulary Makes complex grammatical errors Functions somewhat on an academic level	Imagine Create Appraise Contrast Predict Express Report Estimate Evaluate Explain
Stage V	Advanced Fluency	Exitable Fluency Academic Language Stage	Functions on an academic level with age/grade peers Maintains two-way conversations Uses more complex grammatical structures Demonstrates comprehension in decontextualized situations Uses enriched vocabulary	Relate Infer Hypothesize Outline Revise Suppose Verify Rewrite Assess Justify Critique Summarize Illustrate Judge Demonstrate