Oral Language, Spelling and the Daily Five

Harcourt Valley PSMay, 2010

The language of poverty – Ruby Payne

• Each individual brings with him the hidden rules of the class in which he was raised.

• Schools operate from middle-class norms and use the hidden rules of middle class.

• For our students to be successful, we must understand their hidden rules and teach them the rules that will make them successful at school.

• We can neither excuse nor scold students for not knowing; we must teach them and provide support, insistence and expectations.

Poverty and language

3 elements of language impact on schools:

1. Registers of language2. Discourse patterns3. Story structure

Registers of language

Register Explanation

frozen Language that is always the same. eg. wedding vows

formal Sentence syntax and structure used in schools and workplaces. Complete sentences.

consultative Register used in conversation.

casual Language between friends. Not always complete sentences, limited vocabulary.

intimate Language between lovers.

Many students do not have access to formal register at home prior to coming to school.

Discourse patterns

• In formal register, the pattern of discourse is to get straight to the point.

• In casual discourse, the pattern is to go round and round and finally get to the point.

Teachers may become frustrated with students who have no access to formal register as they meander endlessly through a topic....think

of an example?

Story structure• In formal register, the story has a clear structure.

It starts at the beginning, continues through in a logical or chronological sequence and has a clear ending. The most important part of the story is the plot.

• In casual register, the story begins with the end, or the part with the most emotional intensity. The audience participate in the storytelling and it ends with a comment about the value of the character. The most important part of the story is the characterisation.

What are the implications of this for student writing?

What matters for at risk students?• Daily allocation of time to engage in quality

conversation with a competent adult.• Be sensitive to the receptive language capacity of

the student and adjust your own language accordingly.

• Time to think and mentally rehearse before responding.

• A supportive environment with opportunities to think, talk, explore, question and respond.

• Regular exposure to high quality texts which they can understand.

Receptive language precedes productive language.

Listening comprehension precedes reading comprehension.

Assessment – finding a starting point

Formal• Record of Oral Language or

Oral Language Assessment• Speech pathologist

assessment• Class Observation Profile• Individual Observation

Profile• Observation Survey

Informal• Observations of student

behaviour, performance, involvement or interaction in:– class discussions– group tasks– individual conferences– informal play

Opportunities within the Daily Five

• Individual conferences• Focussed teaching groups• Whole class interactions– turn and talk– reflection time– group discussion strategies and protocols

Implications for teaching

• Grouping students for explicit teaching• Teacher behaviour and expectations• Teacher instructions and questioning• Text selection• Choice of teaching approach• Group / class discussion protocols• Individual goal setting• Monitoring student learning

What are you currently doing in work on writing and work on words?

• Individual and class word collectors• Word walls, alphabet strips, word lists,

dictionaries• Spelling investigations• Teach spelling strategies• Writing challenges or goals

Ideas

• Language Support Program teaching procedures and strategies

• Small group teaching approach – Oral Language (Mondo)

• Explicit teaching of speaking and listening skills in small group situation

• Mini lessons on writing and spelling strategies