Oral Language
Page Location: Literacy Tools --> Oral Language
WHY?
The acquisition of oral language skills often begins at a young age, before students begin focusing on print-based concepts such as sound-symbol correspondence and decoding. Because these skills are often developed early in life, children with limited oral language ability at the time they enter kindergarten are typically at a distinct disadvantage (Fielding et. al, 2007). Oral language development precedes and is the foundation for written language development; in other words, oral language is primary and written language builds on it. Children’s oral language competence is strongly predictive of their facility in learning to read and write: listening and speaking vocabulary and even mastery of syntax set boundaries as to what children can read and understand no matter how well they can decode (Catts, Adolf, & Weismer, 2006; Hart & Risley, 1995; Hoover & Gough, 1990: Snow, Burns, & Griffin, 1998).’ (CCSS-ELA/Lit.)
Oral Language Assessments
Receptive MLPP Receptive Language
Expressive MLPP
- Phonological
- Semantics
- Syntactics
- Pragmatics
Lance Gentile Overview
The Oral Language Acquisition Inventory
- Language
- Literacy
- Learning Behavior
Includes oracy, instruction design, activities
Observation Opportunities
During oral language opportunities (discussions, conferring, group work), listen for use of vocabulary taught, used by the student in correct context and to further the discourse. Keep anecdotal notes. Assess student writing to look for use of vocabulary taught, used in correct context and to deepen the meaning of the written piece.
Benchmarks
3rd Grade: Children need to learn 2,000 to 3,000 new words each year from 3rd grade onward, about 6–8 per day.
2nd Grade: The average students knew about 6,000 root words by the end of 2nd grade. In 1st and 2nd grade, children need to learn 800+ words per year, about 2 per day. Prekindergarten: Names familiar people, animals and objects. Develops vocabulary by using words learned from stories and conversations. Tells simple stories which connect characters and events, but provide limited details and/or sequence of events.
Extended Conversations
Discourse -- See Mission Literacy Discourse Page
Additional Oral Language Resources
Oral Language Development Website - New Teacher Center
Oral language: How we communicate with others and interact with the world around us sets the stage for all of our subsequent learning. Structured teaching for oral language development has powerful outcomes for student learning across all content areas.
- examine explicit strategies and structures to support oral language development
- download tools and resources to support your own instruction
- assess students using our observation protocol
- join the conversation about these strategies and resources with other teachers.
Oral Language Development
Dyslexia and Loving Words: A film by Vicky Morris
Published on Jan 17, 2014
Made for Off the Shelf Festival of Words 2013
Oral language: How we communicate with others and interact with the world around us sets the stage for all of our subsequent learning. Structured teaching for oral language development has powerful outcomes for student learning across all content areas.
- examine explicit strategies and structures to support oral language development
- download tools and resources to support your own instruction
- assess students using our observation protocol
- join the conversation about these strategies and resources with other teachers.
Oral Language Development
Dyslexia and Loving Words: A film by Vicky Morris
Published on Jan 17, 2014
Made for Off the Shelf Festival of Words 2013