Part 2 Part 2: Oral Language Analyze the two key areas of oral language – vocabulary and...
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Transcript of Part 2 Part 2: Oral Language Analyze the two key areas of oral language – vocabulary and...
Part 2
Part 2: Oral LanguageAnalyze the two key areas of
oral language – vocabulary and phonological awareness – as they relate to children’s literacy development
Describe the instructional practices that support children’s language learning
Define “dialogic reading” and list the 5 prompts that engage children in conversations about books
Name types of phonological awareness for pre-K children
Oral language is key
“THE MOST IMPORTANT ASPECT TO EVALUATE IN CHILDCARE SETTINGS FOR VERY YOUNG CHILDREN IS THE AMOUNT OF TALK ACTUALLY GOING ON, MOMENT BY MOMENT, BETWEEN CHILDREN AND THEIR CAREGIVERS”
Most crucial area of academic focus during pre-K years
Primary means by which children gain knowledge about the world
Vital foundation for children’s literacy development
Will know an average of 3000 – 5000 words Will speak in grammatically complex
sentences made up of 3 or more words
This language skill develops over the first 5 years of lifeThrough interactions with parents and
teachers who model spoken language Toddlers first use language to label
objects and communicate basic needsBut their knowledge of vocabulary and
grammar also grows rapidly during early childhood
Listening and speaking are primary ways that pre-K children learn new concepts and ideas and express their thoughts, observations, and feelings
Children must develop as listeners and speakers Receptive (listening) language
Grows as children are exposed to completely new wordsOr to words they
already know that are used in new and different ways
Can learn some word meanings after only one or two exposure if the word is:Paired with concrete
objectPaired with an actionGiven a brief explanation
This type of word learning is called fast-mappingExplains young children’s rapid acquisition of
vocabulary when they are in language-rich environments
• Children gain a more nuanced understanding of vocabulary with each exposure• May need to hear a new word several times before fully incorporating it into their receptive vocabulary• Probably will need to hear it many more time before using it in their expressive (speaking) vocabulary
Two key areas of oral language that should be addressed in pre-K:VocabularyPhonological awareness
Both relate to children’s literacy development
Ability to hear and manipulate sounds in language
Understanding that the stream of oral language can be broken into smaller units of sound – words, syllables, individual sounds (phonemes)Enables children to map
sounds onto letters when they begin formal instruction in reading
Vocabulary size in pre-K can predict children’s ability to comprehend texts throughout elementary school and into middle school Children generally learn words in relation
to the specific meanings – objects, relationships, actions, emotions – they are meant to convey
Will not understand words they encounter in text or the meaning conveyed by them unless words are already part of their receptive vocabularies
Children with large vocabularies and broad range of knowledge are in better position to comprehend, learn from, and enjoy books they read
By time children arrive in pre-K, there are vast differences in their oral language skillsBy age 3, children who grew up in poverty
had been exposed to half as many words as their middle-class peers This gap remained 5 years later when
the children were 9 years old
Limited oral language puts children growing up in poverty at a disadvantage when learning to read or comprehend texts Imperative for pre-K
teachers to emphasize instruction in oral language
Language learning builds on itself Children exposed to adults who talk
with them regularly about a broad variety of subjectsBecome better at speaking and
comprehendingGain the words they need to represent
and communicate their growing knowledge about the world
Apply what they know to learning even more new words and concepts
Quantity and quality of language interactions with adults and other children matter for children’s oral language developmentTalk is often lacking in pre-K classroomsRecent study found that children spent
almost 60% of their time in pre-K not in conversation at all
These conditions severely detrimental for children’s language and literacy development Especially for those children unlikely to be exposed
to language-rich environment outside of school Teacher should make every effort to
ensure that children are engaging in meaningful conversations and language use throughout the day
Engage children in extended conversations
Encourage children to tell and retell stories and describe events
Discuss a wide range of topics Model use of new and unusual
words Ask open-ended questions Discuss word meanings Give explicit guidance on vocabulary,
syntax, and pronunciation Challenge children to justify their thinking Focus on the expression of ideas
Reading aloud to children One of best ways to facilitate oral
language and vocabulary developmentExpose children to broad selection of
textsDo repeated readings of books
Have multiple opportunities to learn new language
Thematic unitsSeveral books on same topic or theme
are read aloud over time Can help deepen and broaden children’s
understanding of new words and concepts Allows them to “get” ideas and vocabulary
in slightly different contexts
Books expose children to
several types of language that
are foundational for academic
success
Language that must be especially precise because reader does not have advantage of being in same physical location as author
Interesting new words and ideas Informational or nonfiction books often
underutilized in pre-K classroomsVery useful for introducing new information,
ideas, and language to children
Language that is specific to written text Includes phrases such as:
Happily ever afterSaid the boy
Not used in everyday speech
Children need firm grasp of this language in order to comprehend storybooks
• Important part of shared reading is discussion surrounding books• Language interactions facilitate children’s oral language development
Researched technique for encouraging children’s comprehension and expressive language during read-alouds
Teachers use acronym CROWD to remember 5 types of prompts that engage children in conversations about books:
1. Completion questions Focus children on structure of language used in
books i.e., “Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you see?
I see a red bird looking at ______.”
2. Recall questions Check children’s understanding of the content of
the story
3. Open-ended questions Engage children in extended talk about the book
4. W questions Who, what, when, where, why Teach vocabulary
5. Distancing or bridging prompts Help children relate ideas in the book
to life experiences beyond the story
Children develop phonological awareness as they learn new vocabulary and differentiate between words that sound similar i.e., cut and cot
Teachers should also provide intentional instruction in phonological awareness activities by: Reading books to children that focus
on rhyming and alliteration Singing songs Chanting nursery rhymes Using musical instruments to clap out
words and syllables
Rhyming Ability to notice that two or more words have endings
that sound the same Also called rimes or word families
Alliteration Ability to notice that two or more words begin
with same sound Also called onsets
Sentence segmenting Ability to sense individual words in the stream
of spoken languageSyllable blending and segmenting
Ability to hear the separate syllables in a word To put syllables together orally to make a word into
separate syllables
• Oral language curriculum can support teaching and learning in the pre-K classroom• Following aspects are particularly important in high-quality oral language curricula
Children learn language when it is presented in meaningful contexts
Teachers should: Engage children in oral language learning
through knowledge-building units of study in math, science, social studies, and the arts
A strong curriculum teaches vocabulary during studies of interesting content Provides repeated exposure to new words Teaches children the words they need to
represent the new ideas and concepts that they are learning
Curricula should actively address oral language Not enough to provide
children with incidental exposure to words
Curriculum should include opportunities for active language instruction including: Challenging read alouds Daily discussions of books, new concepts, and new
vocabulary Phonological awareness books, games, and songs
Strong curriculum provides time and opportunities for free and structured play Children practice oral language through their play
Children are introduced to new vocabulary for a particular theme or topic during shared book-reading and discussions They practice new words as they
engage in active play Example:
Children learning about wild animals will use sophisticated words such as ferocious and jungle as they play with plastic animals in classroom or pretend to be wild animals on playground
Can boost language and literacy skills and ultimately reading achievement
Teacher should provide good model of verbal language throughout the day Example:
When child points a finger and says, “Dat,” teacher has number of good choices Could expand for him and say, “You want the red ball?” Could gently say, “Tell me want you want,” or “Tell me
what you want in words.”
Should also have informal conversations with each child every day Encouraging them to use language by asking open-
ended questions such as why, how, and what-if
Preschools should help children to learn, think, and talk about new domains of knowledge Provide opportunities for children to use language
in a variety of ways Ensure lots of interesting conversations in which
children are involved Offer opportunity to play with language in ways
that support phonological awareness Incorporate meaningful uses of literacy into
everyday activities Children who have wide body of background
knowledge and life experiences more likely to succeed in reading More likely to relate to stories Recognize words in them Understand events described in books
Oral language is the foundation for children’s learning
Pre-K years are crucial time for language development
Vocabulary and phonological awareness are particularly important areas to address Directly relate to learning to read
Pre-K teachers can promote oral language skills by: Creating language-rich environment Reading aloud Discussing books Engaging in phonological awareness games and
activities Strong curriculum should integrate
language learning into knowledge-building activities