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