Oral Language

1
Oral Language

• Session 2b Campbell
• Nipissing University
• September, 2003

2
Session 2b Outline

• What is Language?
• Acquisition of Language
• Stages of Language Development
• Hallidays Functions of Language
• Toughs Categories of Language
• Strategies and Assessment
• Informative Websites and Resources

3

• Development of language follows an orderly and
  predictable course dictated by the nature of
  language and by a set of basic learning
  strategies that form part of human nature

4
What is language?

• As a large group, brainstorm key
  features/characteristics formulate a working
  definition.

5
How do children acquire language?

• children listen and observe those around them use
  language in meaningful ways
• children imitate, invent and try out language on
  their own
• tasks involved in the acquisition of language
• acquisition of vocabulary
• metalinguistic awareness (phonological,
  syntactic, semantic)
• overcoming egocentrism (interactive)
• learning to use language in different settings
  (pragmatics)

6
Principles of language learning

• children learn language by invention not simply
  through observation and imitation
• young children have the ability to abstract
  regularities out of an environment where examples
  are not presented in any orderly sequence, rules
  are not explained or directly stated and little
  or no attempt is made to emphasize patterns

7
Stages of language development

• NAMES FOR THINGS holophrastic speech words that
  are sentences
• COMBINING OF WORDS appearance of word strings
  signals the beginning use of grammar and syntax
• EARLY SENTENCE FORMATION telegraphic speech
  some words and word endings are omitted words
  most critical to meaning are included

8
Oral language development

• What is talk?
• In small groups brainstorm what talk is and why
  we engage in talk.

9
Oral Language

• Why do we talk?
• to explore
• to co-operate
• to communicate

• What to observe
• Speaking, listening, modifying ideas
• Taking turns, building on ideas
• Presenting, responding, understanding

10
Hallidays Model of Language Functions

• suggests that language learning is not a unified
  achievement that children dont just learn
  language they learn languages seven different
  variations of the same one
• each language serves a distinct function which
  children can combine and blend for different
  purposes

11
Oral Language Functions

• The instrumental model
• Gimme!
• The regulatory model
• Stop that!
• The heuristic model
• Whats that?

12
Oral Language Functions

• The interactional model
• How are you feeling?
• The personal model
• Im scared

13
Oral Language Functions

• The imaginative model
• Knock, knock, whos there?
• The representative model
• Its snowing!

14
Toughs Seven Categories of Talk

• uses of language should be seen as representing a
  developmental sequence
• childs earliest efforts to use language seem to
  be self-maintaining, directing, and reporting
• predicting, projecting, imagining and reasoning
  make a later appearance
• strategies selected indicate the complexity of
  thinking
• as children gain more control over a particular
  strategy, they first use it by referring to
  present experience, then past experience or
  future experience, and lastly in imaginative
  contexts

15
(No Transcript)
16
Oral Language Assessment

• Tools
• Checklists
• Profiles
• Formal Tests (e.g., TOLD)
• Tape recordings
• Observations

17
Oral Language Assessment

• Contexts
• Interviews
• Individual conferences
• Small groups lessons/discussions
• Large group instructional time
• Classroom activities, recess, etc,
• Listening activities (read-alouds, etc.)

18
Oral Language Teaching Strategies

• To promote talking and speaking skills
• Read alouds
• Retelling stories
• Storytelling Drama Puppets
• Peer talk
• Listening centres (books and tapes)

19
Oral Language Teaching Strategies

• To promote talking and speaking skills
• Literature Circles
• Readers Theatre
• Debates
• Oral presentations
• Excellent models

20
Oral Language Teaching Strategies

• To promote talking and speaking skills
• Vocabulary building activities
• Word Walls
• Trading cards
• Word games
• Word of the day
• Verbal-visual word association

21
Oral Language Teaching Strategies

• Promoting a wide range of functions
• 1. Instrumental rules of etiquette, book
  persuasions
• 2. Regulatory have students explain a sport or
  hobby give instructions
• 3. Interactional role playing have students
  host Parent Lunch

22
Oral Language Teaching Strategies

• Promoting wide range of functions
• 4. Personal use well-chosen literature to open
  up feelings tell personal stories
• 5. Heuristic model good questioning teach this
  directly
• 6. Imaginative fantasy stories, playing with
  language

23
Oral Language Teaching Strategies

• Promoting wide range of functions
• 7. Representational report on actual events in
  the school/community develop show and tell to
  emphasize clear reporting (use the 5 Ws) and
  excellent questioning (model this, and praise
  progress)

24
Oral LanguageTeaching Strategies

• To promote listening skills
• Teacher modeling
• Setting clear expectations
• Directed Listening-Thinking Activities (Listen
  for)
• Listening Games
• Daily read alouds

25
Summary

• Assess oral language development in a variety of
  ways
• Promote talking and listening skills using
  multiple strategies, in a variety of contexts,
  for a wide range of purposes or functions
• Model excellent speaking and listening at all
  times

26
Informative Websites

• http//server2042.virtualave.net/momagen/language.
  html
• http//www.childcareaware.org/en/dailyparent/vol10
  /

27
References

• Assessing Language Arts, Min. of Ed., 1991
• Language Literacy A Lively Approach, Temple
  Gillet, 1996
• Literacy for the 21st Century, Tompkins, 2003
• Resources to Support the Reading Classroom, Peel
  DSB, 2003