Developing Oral Language Skills

1
Developing Oral Language Skills

• Reading First
• MA Department of Education
• November 15, 2006

2
Objectives

• How language abilities and background knowledge
  are related to oral and reading comprehension
• How to activate prior knowledge and build
  background knowledge
• How to use the themes and complex concepts in the
  core program to strengthen classroom discourse
• How to facilitate discussion in your classroom
• Learn vocabulary maintenance activities

3
Discussion (Standard 1)

• Discussion promotes self-discipline and reflects
  respect for others
• Students will be able to
• Follow rules for formal and informal discussion
  in large and small groups by
• Listening actively
• Staying on topic
• Considering the ideas of others
• Avoiding sarcasm and personal remarks
• Taking turns
• Gaining the floor in appropriate ways

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Questioning, Listening, Contributing (Standard 2)

• Group discussion may lead to greater complexity
  of thought as students expand on the ideas of
  others, refine initial ideas, pose hypotheses,
  and work toward solutions.
• Group work helps students gain a deeper
  understanding of themselves as they reflect upon
  and express their own thinking
• Students will be able to
• Pose questions
• Listen to others
• Contribute their own information or ideas in
  discussions and interviews in order to acquire
  new knowledge

5
Oral Presentation (Standard 3)

• Oral presentations demonstrate appropriate
  consideration of audience, purpose, and the
  information to be conveyed
• Students will be able to
• Maintain focus on topic
• Use eye contact, adequate volume, clear
  pronunciation
• Use language to persuade, explain, or seek
  information
• Use recognizable organization
• Keep the audiences attention, interest and
  respect

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Vocabulary and Concept Development (Standard 4)

• Students will understand and acquire new
  vocabularyto read, write, and speak with
  flexibility and control
• Students will be able to
• Sort and identify words into various
  classification and conceptual categories
• Identify common antonyms and synonyms
• Identify the meaning of common idioms and
  figurative language
• Recognize and use words with multiple meanings

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Theme (Standard 11)

• Theme identification clarifies the students
  interpretation of the text.
• Students will be able to
• Relate themes in works of fiction and nonfiction
  to personal experiences
• Identify themes as lessons in folktales, fables,
  and Greek myths for children
• Identify, analyze, and apply knowledge of theme
  in a literary work and provide evidence from the
  text to support their understanding

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Brainstorm
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Objectives

• How language abilities and background knowledge
  are related to oral and reading comprehension
• How to activate prior knowledge and build
  background knowledge
• How to use the themes and complex concepts in the
  core program to strengthen classroom discourse
• How to facilitate discussion in your classroom
• Learn vocabulary maintenance activities

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Source Neuman, Susan B. and Dickinson, David K.,
Handbook of Early Literacy Research
11
Differences in SES cause differences among
students in both comprehension and fluency
Lower SES students

• Lower vocabulary

• Less support for reading in the home less
  practice

• Less preparation in preschool environment for
  early acquisition of alphabetic principle

• Less exposure to books

• Fewer opportunities to develop rich content
  knowledge

Lower Comprehension
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Language and Comprehension

• Vocabulary knowledge correlates strongly with
  reading and oral comprehension (Biemiller, 2005)
• Students need to know the meaning of 90-95 of
  the words in text
• Language can only grow through interaction with
  people and texts that introduce new vocabulary,
  concepts, and language structures (Hirsch, 2003).
• A large language gap exists between advantaged
  and disadvantaged students (Hirsch, 2003)

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Comprehension

• Intentional thinking during which meaning is
  constructed through interactions between text and
  reader (Harris and Hodges, 1995).
• Readers derive meaning by actively relating the
  ideas represented in print to their own knowledge
  and experiences and construct mental
  representations in memory (National Reading
  Panel, 2000).

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Background Knowledge

• Students need more than vocabulary to understand
  text
• They need a threshold of knowledge about the
  topic being discussed (Hirsch, 2003).

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Background Knowledge

• Frees up working memory to make connections
  between new and previously learned information,
  and as a result readers/listeners can
• Integrate sentences and paragraph
  (Hess, Foss,
  Carroll, 1995 Zwaan Radvansky, 1998)
• Make inferences (Kintsch, 1994)
• Develop deeper understanding (McNamara et al.,
  1996).
• Allow for learning and transfer to novel
  situations (Kintsch, 1994).
• Retain learned information new information lasts
  longer (Kintsch et al, 1990).

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Types of Background Knowledge

• Topic Knowledge soccer, spiders, cars, Spain
  (Chiesi et al., 1979 Pearson et
  al., 1979 Spilich et al., 1979 Taylor, 1979).
• Conceptual Knowledge loyalty, sacrifice,
  friendship, habitat, immigration, countries,
  transportation, weather (Alexander, 1992
  Ehren, 2005)
• Script Knowledge going to the movies, weddings,
  birthday parties, going to a restaurant (Bower,
  Black, Turner, 1979)
• Cultural Knowledge customs, dress, behaviors
  (Ehren, 2005)

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Theme

• An important idea or subject that runs through a
  story sometimes unstated.
• The theme of a selection can be the topic,
  message, lesson, main point, moral
  (Graesser et al., 2002 Zwaan et al., 2002).
• It operates at the concept level beyond a
  particular plot (Williams, 1993 Williams et al.,
  2002).
• Theme is the abstraction of the events described
  (Williams et al., 1994).
• Theme identification becomes an anchor for idea
  integration (Singer, 1990).

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The Plan

• The plan is to strengthen language skills,
  concept knowledge, and build background knowledge
  using the core program
• How do we do this? Use themes from the core to
  strengthen/build knowledge and vocabulary
• The goal
• Help students understand the connections among
  the stories
• Build vocabulary of familiar and unfamiliar
  concepts
• Students will use the vocabulary during oral
  language activities
• Revisit the new vocabulary throughout the 5 or 6
  weeks
• Then maintain the use of the language

19
Objectives

• How language abilities and background knowledge
  are related to oral and reading comprehension
• How to activate prior knowledge and build
  background knowledge
• How to use the themes and complex concepts in the
  core program to strengthen classroom discourse
• How to facilitate discussion in your classroom
• Learn vocabulary maintenance activities

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READ the STORY TEAMMATES (Open Court Reading,
2005)
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Selecting WordsYOU TRY IT!

• Identify explicitly stated topic, complex
  concepts, theme
• Look at core program vocabulary selection
• Exist, extraordinary, apathetic, intimidate,
  experiment, humiliations
• Identify additional words/ideas to teach
• Theme
• Explicit Topic
• Complex Concepts beyond the theme

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Sample Words

• Topic Baseball
• Peer pressure
• Segregation
• Racial bias
• Prejudice
• Courage
• Relationships
• Apathy
• Tolerance
• Humiliation

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Before Reading Activating Prior/Building
Background Knowledge with Oral Language
Activities

• Categories Topic
• Gradable Antonyms
• Discussion Concept and theme
• Semantic Map Topic (word web)
• Story Impression
• Word splash
• Four Square Concept Map

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Categories

• Purpose Build background knowledge
  categorization pre-teaching vocabulary teaches
  main idea and supporting details.
• Directions
• Select story topic
• (farm, weather, baseball, etc.)
• Select words from story and other related known
  words (K and 1 use pictures)
• Ask students to read their words and group
  themselves accordingly
• Have groups discuss why they are grouped that way
  (Moats, 2005)

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Gradable Antonyms

• Purpose Build background knowledge
  pre-teach/re-teach vocabulary in an
  interconnected way
• Directions
• Choose a gradable antonym (examples hot/cold,
  big/small)
• Split into groups of 4 or 5 or into two teams
• Brainstorm related words in the groups (ex hot,
  cool, cold, warm)
• Arrange the words in a continuum (ex hot, warm,
  cool, cold)
• Share and discuss the word lists with the group
• Note Pictures may be used for students in K/1.

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Discussion

• Purpose To develop discussion and oral
  presentation skills promote vocabulary
  development build background knowledge.
• Directions
• Hand out vocabulary cards to each group.
• Have the group discuss their word. They will
  share their word with the other students.
• After five minutes of small group discussion,
  each group will teach the other students the
  word.
• Groups can exchange words.

27
Semantic Maps(Stahl Nagy, 2006)

• Purpose To teach word meanings in relation to
  other words and to develop concepts builds
  background main idea and supporting details
• Directions
• Brainstorming The teacher and class brainstorm
  ideas that relate to the topic. The teacher might
  stop and explain some of the terms that the
  students come up with in a discussion forum.
• Mapping These terms can be drawn into a map.
  To draw the map, the students, with assistance,
  would come up with 3 or 4 categories that
  describe the terms on the board and arrange them
  in a map.
• Reading After the map is complete, the students
  and teacher read a book or selection about the
  topic.
• Completing the Map After reading, teachers and
  students as a group discuss what they have
  learned from the reading.

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Story Impressions

• Purpose Builds background knowledge vocabulary
  pre-teaching story structure
• Directions
• Teacher writes main points and words in a list on
  an overhead or chart paper
• Prior to reading and in groups, students develop
  a story using the words or phrases in exactly the
  order that they are on the list.
• Students share stories with the rest of the
  class.
• Students compare their stories with the actual
  story (Stahl Nagy, 2006).

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Word Splash

• Purpose Build Background Knowledge Vocabulary
  Development Discussion Story Structure
• Directions
• Select theme-related vocabulary from story
• Select main points from story
• Splash words on the board
• Have students identify words they do not know
• Have other students help clarify words
• Working in groups, students will develop a story
  using as many of the words as possible
• Students share their stories before the read aloud

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Four Square Concept MapStahl Nagy (2006) and
F.C.R.R.

• Purpose To produce the meaning of words, build
  background knowledge and maintain vocabulary
  knowledge and use after reading.
• Directions
• Provide text, a dictionary, target words and the
  student worksheet to the students. (example
  soothing)
• Write the target word in the box labeled Word.
  (example soothing)
• Give the students the definition of the word.
  This is not written down because it is meant to
  begin a conversation.
• Discuss some examples of what the target word
  means and list the examples of the concept in the
  box labeled What are some examples? (examples
  bath, soft music, lying down, chocolate)
• Ask the students for some things that are not
  examples of the target word. List the words in
  the box that is labeled What it is not like.
  (examples traffic, rap music, someone yelling)
• Finally, ask the students to compose and discuss
  a definition for this concept then write it in
  the box that is labeled What is it? (example
  Something that is soothing relaxes you.)

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Four Square Concept Map
32
Objectives

• How language abilities and background knowledge
  are related to oral and reading comprehension
• How to activate prior knowledge and build
  background knowledge
• How to use the themes and complex concepts in the
  core program to strengthen classroom discourse
• How to facilitate discussion in your classroom
• Learn vocabulary maintenance activities

33
After Reading

• Revisit words following the Beck model
• Discussion/Handing Off
• Theme wall/concept wall/concept-question board

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Discussion/Handing-Off

• Purpose Develop discussion skills develop
  vocabulary and concept understanding.
• Directions
• The teacher will begin with an open-ended theme
  related question (see slide 36).
• Students raise their hands to participate in the
  discussion.
• The teacher participates, but does not dominate
  the discussion.
• You can use a ball, stuffed animal, koosh ball,
  etc. to identify the speaker and the others can
  hand-off to continue the discussion.
• The teacher continues to pose questions to
  facilitate the discussion.

35
Building a Theme Wall or Concept-Question Board

• Purpose To promote vocabulary development
  build background knowledge maintain learned
  vocabulary.
• Directions
• Find the unit theme usually a big concept(s)
• Find the theme of the story how is it related
  to the unit theme?
• Find additional Tier 2 vocabulary related to
  themes may not be stated
• Teach meanings before, during, after reading
• Expand understanding/maintain vocabulary
• Theme wall place words on a permanent wall
  space
• Other texts (read aloud or in centers)
• Multiple opportunities for students to use

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Setting for Discussion

• Students should be facing one another
• Everyone should make group discussion rules
• See ELA Standards 1 and 2 for Rules
• Teacher should sit WITH students as part of the
  group
• Teacher opens the discussion with starter
  comments about selection using new and previously
  learned concept or theme language (next slide)
• Teacher gives signal to participate in discussion

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Using the Words Question Stems For Discussion

• Why is the story about peer pressure?
• How did the character show acceptance?
• Scaffold at first How did Pee Wee show Jackie
  acceptance? How did Jackie respond? What would
  you do?
• How did Jackie change from the beginning to the
  end of the story?
• What was Jackie like at the beginning of the
  story? How did he change?

38
During discussionMake connections

• Make connections among past stories
• Make connections with personal experiences
• Make connections with other content areas
• Keep the words posted throughout school year and
  revisit often

39
Support for ELL and Low-Language Learners

• Using the story Teammates
• Which topics or concepts need additional
  instruction?
• Are there additional words that you need to
  teach?
• Are there activities you can do to support
  understanding?

40
Suggestions for the ELL and Low Language Learner

• Pre-teach
• Re-teach
• Introduce topic with easier materials
• Pictures
• Concept Maps
• Read-alouds with same topic/concept/theme

41
Objectives

• How language abilities and background knowledge
  are related to oral and reading comprehension
• How to activate prior knowledge and build
  background knowledge
• How to use the themes and complex concepts in the
  core program to strengthen classroom discourse
• How to facilitate discussion in your classroom
• Learn vocabulary maintenance activities

42
After Reading and Throughout the Year

• Maintenance Activities
• Four Square concept map
• Gradable antonyms
• Multiple meanings
• Charades
• Guess that word
• Finish the story
• Fly Swatter
• Handing Off

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Multiple Meanings(Stahl Nagy, 2006)

• Purpose to enable the students to adjust the
  meanings of words to fit a new context.
• Directions
• Display word cards and sentence cards
• Read the sentence card saying blank where there
  is a space. (example My uncle works in a ten
  ____ building.)
• Find the word that completes the sentence.
  (example story) Read the sentence with the word
  in it. Note each word will have two sentences.
• State what the word means (example story means
  floor of a building)
• Continue until all words have two sentences.

44
CharadesStahl Nagy (2006)

• Purpose To get children engaged in learning
  word meanings that makes them think about the
  words in a way that helps them remember a words
  meaning.
• Directions
• Split the students into two four teams. Give
  each team a list of vocabulary words
• Each team member will take turns acting out one
• of the words on the list.
• The first team to identify the word will get
• a point.

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Guess that Word

• Purpose Forces student to use verbal
  descriptions while maintaining word use.
• Directions
• Teacher places vocabulary words on small slips of
  paper.
• Class is divided into teams.
• A member draws a slip of paper from bag.
• Team member describes the word to their team
  without using the word.
• Students team will try to guess the word.
• If they can, they get the point. If not, the
  other team gets a chance (Stahl Nagy, 2006).

46
Finish the Story

• Purpose To maintain vocabulary use story
  structure oral language.
• Directions
• Distribute one to four vocabulary cards to the
  students.
• Read the introduction of a story.
• Students continue the story with what might
  happen using one or more of their words in a
  sentence. (GRADE Resource Library)
  

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Fly Swatter

• Purpose To maintain learned vocabulary.
• Directions
• Put vocabulary words randomly on an overhead
  transparency.
• Form two teams and give each team a different
  colored fly swatter.
• As you read the student friendly definition, the
  first two students in line will find and swat the
  correct word.
• Continue until all students have had at least one
  turn.

48
appreciation
segregation
selfish
empathy
acceptance
pride
apathy
negotiate
competitive
sacrifice
compassion
loyalty
communicate
consideration
relationship
affection
courage
humiliation
peer pressure
intimidation
hostility
tolerance
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For the Next Time

• From your core reading program choose the theme
  words you will be teaching for one unit theme.
• Using the resource packet, develop before
  reading, discussion, and maintenance lessons for
  each story in the unit theme.
• On the recording sheet, record the words, the
  activities and your observations. These
  observations will be shared at the next Regional
  Meeting.

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