© 2012 Pearson Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd) ISBN: 9781442541757
Oral language
• Language is the basis for thinking, communicating and learning.
© 2012 Pearson Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd) ISBN: 9781442541757
Oral language
• Language is the foundation of literacy and is fundamental to all aspects of learning.
© 2012 Pearson Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd) ISBN: 9781442541757
Language and reading
© 2012 Pearson Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd) ISBN: 9781442541757
Oral language
• Oral language programs promote:
listening skills
auditory memory
word awareness
conversation skills
conceptual knowledge
vocabulary
© 2012 Pearson Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd) ISBN: 9781442541757
Oral language
New words
Can use the word in a broader context and understand how the word relates to other words
Can use the word in a narrow context
Have a general sense of the meaning of the word
General awareness – heard of word but do not know meaning
No knowledge of the word
© 2012 Pearson Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd) ISBN: 9781442541757
Oral language
• Oral language is integrated across all areas of the curriculum
© 2012 Pearson Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd) ISBN: 9781442541757
Oral language difficulties
Speech which is difficult to understand
Problems discriminating between speech
sounds
Stammering or stuttering An unusual and persistently harsh or
unusual voice quality
Difficulty using intonation
© 2012 Pearson Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd) ISBN: 9781442541757
Speech difficulties• Immature sentence structures: problems linking sentences with words difficulty sequencing sentences to make a
meaningful narrative problems learning new words ‘word finding’ difficulties limited vocabulary for emotions, thoughts or
feelings difficulty understanding complex sentences
difficulty understanding idioms
© 2012 Pearson Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd) ISBN: 9781442541757
Communication difficulties
Lack of eye contact Poor turn-taking and difficulty with starting
and ending conversations Difficulty following a conversation
Difficulty understanding or responding to feedback
Difficulty staying on topic in conversation
Problems using language to negotiate in discussions or arguments
© 2012 Pearson Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd) ISBN: 9781442541757
Oral language
• Oral language programs focus on purposeful talk in:
Social interaction
Literacy
Thinking
Speech development
© 2012 Pearson Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd) ISBN: 9781442541757
Oral language
• Listening Comprehension Skills
• Listening and understanding are essential skills for learning
© 2012 Pearson Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd) ISBN: 9781442541757
Oral language
• Communication is an essential life tool
• Children who do not reach appropriate
oral language milestones will typically
fail to reach their full academic
potential.*