Emergent Language in 3-5 Year Olds

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Emergent Language in 3-5 Year Olds

• Sandra Doran, Ed.D.
• Associate Superintendent of Education
• Florida Conference of SDA

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A child speaking is an esthetic event. Through
learning to talk, children learn how to do well
in society. And as they learn, they create
beauty. --Robert Hopper and
Rita Narremore, Childrens Speech A Practical
Introduction to Communication Development.
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Pre-school children are beginning to attend to
the sounds of the language.
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Pre-school children enjoy using language to
develop their imaginations.
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Preschool children use language to figure out
their world.
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Fostering language development in young
children

• Phonology The Sounds of our Language
• Language-Rich Environment The beauty
• of words.

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How do children learn a language?
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Phonemic Awareness in Young Children
Marilyn Jager
Adams Sounds Abound
Hugh Catts, Tina Vartiainen
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Environmental Sounds
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Rhyming

• Eletelephony
• Once there was an elephant,
• Who tried to use the telephant
• No! No! I mean an elephone
• Who tried to use the telephone
• (Dear me! I am not certain quite
• That even now Ive got it right.)
• Howeer it was, he got his trunk
• Entangled in the telephunk
• The more he tried to get it free,
• The louder buzzed the telephee
• I fear Id better drop the song
• Of elephop and telephong!

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Word Parts
Ja mil la
Ka thy
Jor dan
San dy
Ro ber to
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Categorization Tasks
Pam, Pretty, Sit
Hill, Sail, Fin
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Blending Tasks
MMMM OOOO NNN
SH E LLLLLL
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Syllable splitting task
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Types of Language in the Classroom
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1. Talking to control behavior.

• Both teacher and child know that they already
  know the answers.
• The teacher is steering the child through a match
  game, checking to see if she knows the answers.

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2. Talking to manipulate towards a pedagogical
end.

• Any kind of classroom talk that is unnatural,
  that is directed toward pedagogical ends and not
  toward communication with children, is dishonest.
• Teacher Talk.
• Pedagogical Register. Higher pitch, exaggerated
  enunciation and intonational pattern.

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3. Talking out of genuine interest.

• The language is not contrived by the teacher to
  make her point.
• It is allowed to range, as natural conversation
  often does, from topic to topic as attention
  shifts focus.
• Functionally rich talk.
• Children interact with each other as well as the
  teacher.

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Promote a language-rich classroom.

• Show children their talk is valued.
• Give children things to talk about.
• Give children opportunities to talk in a variety
  of ways.
• Give children many times during the day to talk.
• Give children words to use in their talk.

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Listen to kids! They have a lot to teach us.