Building A Stronger Vocabulary

Speech/Language lessons in November will focus on building vocabulary skills. Vocabulary development is a basic building block of reading comprehension and written expression. According to Linda Diamond and Linda Gutlohn (2006): Instruction in vocabulary involves far more than looking up words in a dictionary and using the words in a sentence. Vocabulary is acquired incidentally through indirect exposure to words and intentionally through explicit instruction in specific words and word-learning strategies.

Components of vocabulary instruction
The National Reading Panel (2000) concluded that there is no single research-based method for teaching vocabulary. From its analysis, the panel recommended using a variety of direct and indirect methods of vocabulary instruction.

Research shows that there are more words to be learned than can be directly taught in even the most ambitious program of vocabulary instruction. Explicit instruction in word-learning strategies gives students tools for independently determining the meanings of unfamiliar words that have not been explicitly introduced in class. Since students encounter so many unfamiliar words in their reading, any help provided by such strategies can be useful. * *

Therefore, Mrs. DeYoung will focus on word-learning strategies that can be applied to a variety of contexts. Word-learning strategies include dictionary use, morphemic analysis, and contextual analysis. In language groups we will be using context analysis to infer meanings of new words and morphemic analysis (identifying meanings of root words and suffixes) to define unfamiliar terms). Students will will also receive explicit instruction to identify synonyms, antonyms, and homonyms to acquire new vocabulary.

* *For more information, see "Teaching Vocabulary" by L. Diamond and L.Gutlohn in http://www.readingrockets.org/

This Week in Speech/Language Classes

This week language groups at Lakeview have been reading articles and preparing an extended response. Using a graphic organizer, they have written key idea statements and located evidence in the text to support their opinions. They are practicing interpreting the text to explain the significance of the author's comments. Interpreting involves not only explaining the meaning of information in the passage, but making inferences about why it is important. The students are being urged to elaborate on their ideas and explain cause-effect relationships to draw their own conclusions.

Speech groups at Prairieview are making good progress in articulation skills. Students have reviewed the "speech helpers," (parts of the body used to talk) and been taught how to produce target sounds. They are performing oral motor exercises and word drill activities to improve muscle memory for their target phonemes. Many of the children are beginning to use their target sounds in sentences. They are also urged to
monitor their own speech production and correct errors independently. Kudos to the children and their parents who have been diligent about completing home activities each week. The practice outside of school is definitely paying off.

Several Prairieview students have individual goals to improve grammar, listening, and vocabulary. Fourth grade language students have learned about verbs and adverbs. They are writing descriptive complex sentences to increase vocabulary and written language skills. Other students are focusing on question formation and writing complete sentences. Some third graders have finished a unit on the story of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter and made their own book about the classic tale. Other third graders have used online activities to practice listening and following directions.

Language Basis of Reading And Writing

As Alan Kahmi has written, "Reading and writing share a common link with talking and understanding. The knowledge and skills your child acquires as part of oral language development will affect the learning of reading and writing. To be literate-that is, to read and write-is to be able to deal with language on paper. "

As human beings, we are born to communicate with each other- wired for oral language. Speaking and listening are part of every culture. We all learn to talk through social interaction. This is not the case with reading and writing. People are usually specifically taught how to read. Children learn to read and write after they have learned to listen and to speak their native language. In western cultures, they need to develop the ability to recognize and identify speech sounds of their language to be able to make sound-letter associations. Children with oral language disorders are at risk for learning disabilities that interfere with reading and writing.

Children who are acquiring English as a second language need sufficient time to learn to understand and speak English before they will be able to comprehend and produce written work. It takes most people about six or seven years to begin to learn to read. It can take the same length of time for a second language learner to acquire enough skill in the new language to be able to use it for written communication.

Spending time talking and listening to others is vital for acquisition of language. Especially in this day of television, computers, and video games, social interaction is key to language development. Children also benefit from experiencing the power of the written word in daily activities. Writing notes, sharing books, and reading mail (or email) together every day can promote reading and writing in the home. Parents can encourage literacy skills in their children by exposing them to formal and informal speech styles and various types of texts (books, magazines, non-fiction articles, etc.)

So, as a speech-language pathologist, I urge parents to Talk with your kids. Write to them. Enjoy communicating with eachother by any means possible; be it at the dinner table, in the car between soccer practices, or through a note on the refrigerator. Read with them. And most importantly, Take time to listen. You are your child's most important teacher and role model for meaningful use of language.

Mrs. DeYoung

Story Telling Activities

Using the narrative structure or story frames (see last week's blog), parents can help their children comprehend story telling rules by modeling narratives.

• Tell stories about your day. As the child begins to understand simple stories, expand the narratives to be longer and more complex.
• Tell short stories about pictures. Family photos are great for this!
• Practice telling stories using wordless picture books or comic strips.
• Encourage your child to retell a story that you told first. If he cannot do this independently, help him sequence the events and recall the details by asking him questions like "Then what happened?" "Where did they go?" etc.
• Have your child tell stories about the day's events. Again, if he has difficulty organizing the ideas, ask questions from the story frame to help fill in the missing details.
• Use a computer to write stories with your child. It allows the child to add details and elaborate and save his ideas. There are some fun story maker sites on the web.

Have fun!

Story Telling

Encouraging Oral and Written Communication
Narration is telling stories. It is one of several types of daily communication that form a framework for oral and written language. Many childten with language delays or learning disabilities do not learn to use rules of narration for listening, speaking, reading, or writing. As a result, their oral and written stories are often confusing to their listeners.

All narratives have:

• a beginning: The beginning must introduce-

who is involved

what happens first

where the story occurs

when it takes place

• a middle: The body of the story tells

what happens next

any problem that developed

what other events occured

• an ending: This explains the conclusion and how the problem was solved

Students with narrative disorders may omit parts of the story or have difficulty recalling or relating the events in order. Parents can encourage their children to comprehend and tell stories using the basic story structure and by modeling (sharing their own stories).