This mixed methods study extends findings from a prior study exploring use of increasingly-complex, expository text situated within a five-week interdisciplinary intervention in which first-grade children attending a Sheltered-English (SEI) immersion classroom advanced their conceptual knowledge and academic language approximating levels near or equal to their general-education peers. As talk was a central intervention feature, we explored if classroom talk differed and how did the teacher use talk to support SEI children's learning. Findings suggest that extensive and strategic use of teacher explanation, modeling, and facilitation supported EL children's critical reasoning and in turn, their learning. Findings offer a clear alternative to the widespread practice of addressing literacy and language differences by lowering expectations and offering simplified texts and tasks.