Enhancing the Language Development of Kindergartners

Chapter 9 Language Acquisition ECED 413/513

Overview of Kdg Curricula

Higher expectations for childrens use of language Decrease in time for exploratory, independent activities Increase in time designated for large and small group activities
Seatwork may be expected

Developmental vs. academic approach

What is a developmentally appropriate curriculum in kindergarten? A curriculum that:

Is sensitive to the range of developmental levels of children in each classroom Has a balance of teacher-directed and independent, exploratory activities

Language-Related Curricular Goals

Provide direction to the selection and implementation of learning activities Goals
Increase childrens ability to communicate orally in instructional and conversational settings Encourage an awareness of the purposes of reading and writing

Language-Related Curricular Goals

Increase listening comprehension Increase vocabulary through conceptual development Increase childrens awareness of the process of communicating by using written language

Conceptual development
What do kindergartners know about apples?

Guidelines for Teachers Interactions with Kindergartners

Develop a oral language environment that nourishes language development Use key interaction patterns
Linguistic scaffolding Questioning Verbal mapping Mediation

Use a variety of questioning strategies

Linguistic Scaffolding
Im making pizza! Im making Christmas trees! I made a magic wand! What kind of questioning strategies would you use?

Guidelines for Fostering Instructional Conversations

Recognize children as conversational partners

Plan activities that draw on childrens prior knowledge as well as new knowledge presented in class Establish communication loops that evolve into new understandings for children
Listen actively to each childs response

Preplan questions while remaining flexible to incorporate childrens responses and comments

Morning Message
Morning Message Opportunities to guide what is going to be taught. Gather information to use later when comparing opinion to fact

Ways to Support English Language Learners in Kindergarten

Provide time and opportunities for meaningful talk Take time for one-on-one conversations Provide a welcoming environment Acknowledge and build upon childrens prior knowledge and experiences Provide content-rich, engaging activities

Language-Enhancing Exploratory Activities

Opportunity to engage in informal learning at their own pace
Open-ended and experiential

Examples of Learning Centers

Drawing/Writing Center Classroom Library Center Science/Math Center Computer Center Drama Corner

Legos Center
Building, creating scenarios, patterning, sharing, collaborating, etc.

Drawing/ Writing Center

Open ended area to create art projects Explore wide variety of functions for writing such as books, lists, surveys, recipes, etc.

Dry erase Boards and paper

What stage of writing do you see?

Classroom library center

Reading and sharing with partners Students take turns reading books with simple texts to each other Fosters receptive and expressive language development

Additional Language-enhancing Exploratory Activities

Outdoor Play
Opportunities for extended, informal conversations
Peers Teachers Sand/Water Table Simple games enhance Provides direct experiences that receptive and expressive enhance science-related concepts language * Acquire new vocabulary * Experience cause-effect connections * Predict outcomes * Use language to describe and question

Exploration/Science Table
Discover, explore, ask questions, learn new vocabulary, describe, weigh, measure, record, draw, etc.

Teacher-guided Activities
Teacher organizes and directs Small or large group Engages children in instructional conversations

Show-and-Tell
Encourages children in audience to
Listen carefully Ask questions

Encourages child who shares to

Focus on describing object Tell about an event or experience

Storybook Time
Student reads to class The other students are engaged and listen well to their friend Encourages other students to want to read to their friends

Storybook Time-teacher directed

Strategies:
Select appropriate books
Content Format Supportive illustrations

Add use of puppets or flannelboard characters Repeat readings of favorite books Activate prior knowledge Encourage childrens predictions of story events Review major events after sharing book

Story Retelling
Engage children in retelling story
Based on story illustrations May include actions and gestures

Benefits:
Increases awareness of story event sequences Enhances comprehension of story

Velcro Board characters

Gives story another dimension Allows students to retell the story using the props Students can use props to create a new story centered around original characters

Story Re-enactment
Re-enact story through dramatization Children assume individual or unison parts
Dialogue Narration

Can also be used with childrens dictated stories

Story-based Writing and Drawing

Involves childrens responses to shared books
Story extensions Story adaptations Responses to events or characters

Enhances listening comprehension and emergent writing

More Teacher-guided Activities: Dictated Writing

May be picture-based or experiencebased Increases awareness of relationship between speech and print
Letter-sound connections Punctuation and capitalization

Enhances syntactic knowledge Encourages expressive language

More Teacher-guided Activities: Interactive Writing

Teacher models use of specific language concepts during group dictation
Letters, letter-sounds, capitalization, punctuation, directionality Children take turns contributing to writing process

Enhances metalinguistic knowledge

Star of the Week activity

A student is highlighted each week Outline is drawn and the other students are encouraged to dictate something nice about the Star Teacher models specific language concepts as she writes on outline Students begin to help with beginning sounds, punctuation, recognizing patterns of sentences, spelling friends names, etc. Star shares a home-made poster telling all about him/her

More Teacher-guided Activities: Word Study

Direct childrens attention to language units
Syllables Phonemes

Activities involving the manipulation of language units

Rhyming Teacher-created morning messages

Routine Activities
Occur on a daily or weekly basis Enhance pragmatic knowledge Enhance receptive and expressive knowledge Examples:
Arrival and departure Special Classes
Art Gym Music Library

Arrival Activity
Students locate their name and make their lunch choice each morning This becomes a habit that doesnt require a reminder after a month of school