KSELA1: Development of Oral Language and Literacy-Processes, principles, and dimensions of oral language acquisition; the relationship between oral language development and literacy development; the development of emergent and early literacy, including the ways in which creative and active early learning environments provide opportunities for establishing the foundations of literacy; the impact of physical, emotional, and cultural factors on language development and acquisition of reading and writing; role of metacognition in language and literacy development; the elements of effective verbal and non-verbal communication
Evidence 1: Building Blocks for Literacy Workshop, Sterns Center, 2014
Description: Building Blocks offers research-based strategies derived from recommendations of the National Research Council and National Early Literacy Panel into preschool and childcare settings which include phonological awareness, language development including vocabulary, shared book reading and speech-to-print connection including alphabet knowledge and early writing.
Analysis: One of the key aspects of this workshop was oral language and literacy development. We learned about language development milestones for children 3 months to 5 years of age, and then related Piaget's Cognitive Stages of Development to grammatical and phonological stages from birth to age 16. The piece that I most enjoyed from this workshop detailed the many steps that lead to reading including listening, speaking, using language socially, building vocabulary, asking questions, creatively using language, becoming aware of print and story sequence, left to right progression, use of writing tools, letter recognition, rudiments of writing process, artistic development and literature awareness. This information has provided a very clear method for observing and scaffolding the emerging literacy skills of the children within my classroom.
Evidence 2: Sounds Abound Program
Description: This program helps meet the needs of children with varied levels of phonological awareness. Sounds Abound targets the following skills: rhyme recognition, completion and production, syllable segmentation and deletion, phoneme isolation and segmentation, phoneme deletion, substitution, addition, and blending, and phoneme-grapheme correspondence.
Analysis: One portion of this manual states that there are two main goals for language development which are listening and speaking and reading and writing. As children learn to listen and speak they gain control over their own bodies and the world in which they live. They are also able to relate to their peers, and gather and store more information. As children begin to read they are introduced to vasts amounts of new knowledge and their imaginations are given the opportunity to grow. As they write information down, memory, communication and understanding expand.
Evidence 3: Literature for Children, EDU-2075, Community College of Vermont, Summer 2003, Transcript
Description: Survey of historical and contemporary literature for children. Topics include who and what defines literature as ‘for children’ and how books impact on children’s lives personally, socially, and educationally. Examines censorship and the selection of books for children.
Analysis: In this class we discussed the important task that teachers and parents have in providing experiences that will promote language acquisition in young children. When parents and teachers are able to share goals, insights and information through regular communication, language learning is furthered. Also, helping families to understand that they already engage in many activities that contribute to language and literacy development (such as book reading, talking, matching and sorting games, identifying food labels and road signs) is important.
