LR Language Arts: Speaking / Oral language

Speaking / Oral language skills . 

     I cannot emphasize the importance of developing oral language skills enough and the All About Me project will focus on these skills.

     Responding with words is very different from nodding or grunting.  Occasionally, a simple nod or 'yes' can suffice.  Responding with complete sentences is the best way to communicate complete thoughts and feelings.

     Young children need to practice the skills separately before being able to do ALL of them well: 1. listening well, 2. thinking about what was said, and 3. remembering what was said.

     When they are able to use these skills, they are ready to practice SPEAKING in complete sentences. It becomes our job to MODEL for them and PRACTICE with them. 

     This is why Reading Aloud to children is SO important.  They need to hear that complete sentences communicate complete thoughts.  They need to hear new vocabulary and the context in which they are used.  When you read aloud, teach them to STOP you if they don't know what a word means.  As you are reading, you STOP to ask if they know what a new word means.  This is a good habit for them to practice every time they read. 

     The reason why each step in oral language development is so important is evidenced not only in their speaking skills, but also in their reading and writing.  With speaking, you can hear when important words are missing or thoughts are not connected so a complete thought is expressed.  In reading, children who are good readers can anticipate words because of context clues and how a complete sentence flows.  In writing, it's easiest to see when re-reading their writing with them.

     Many of our assignments will involve thinking about a question or prompt, speaking out loud about their thinking, and then writing down their response.  Often, it will include a drawing which gives us more insight into the details of their understanding.  It's going to be fun!!