ECE: Supporting Oral Language for All Children Sherry Taylor and Isabelle Smith

1. The Purpose and Power of
Supporting
All Children’s Oral Language
Sherry Taylor, Ph.D.
Associate Professor & Program Chair
Literacy, Language & Culturally Responsive Teaching
University of Colorado, Denver
Isabelle Smith, MA
ECSE Pre-School Teacher, Boulder Valley School District
Lead Instructor in Early Literacy Certificate Program
University of Colorado, Denver
ECE Conference, July 28, 2014
Aurora Public School District

2. ❏Young children and oral language
❏A quick overview of the research
❏Language & culture go ‘hand in hand’
❏Reflecting on our language use in the classroom
❏Purposeful planning: Intentional structures to
support children’s language
❏Assessing language: What are we looking for?
❏Take a chance: Turn talk over to the children!
Note: See chart paper & markers for later
Welcome! Our plans for
today

3. Isabelle Smith, MA
ECSE Pre-School Teacher in BVSD
Lead Instructor in Early Literacy Certificate
Program for the Literacy, Language &
Culturally Responsive Teaching Program at CU
Denver
ECE Enhanced grant (delivered in APS 2013-
2014): Working Group Member
Teaching areas (at CU Denver): Early
language development, Early literacy
instruction, Early literacy routines and
assessment, and Linking assessment with
instruction.
I love to spend time with my husband and
dogs, Daisy and Cole, and travel...especially to
Florida… or any where that has a beach!
Taking a moment to find out more about
each other! A little about us...
Sherry Taylor, Ph.D.
Associate Professor & Program Leader
Literacy, Language & Culturally Responsive
Teaching Program, CU Denver
Coordinator of Certificate Program delivered to K-
12 teachers in APS/COE
Principal Investigator of ECE Enhanced grant
(delivered in APS 2013-2014)
Teaching areas: Language & literacy
development & acquisition; Multicultural
Education,
Research areas: Teacher cognition; The impact
of culturally responsive teacher preparation
I love to spend time with my 15 year old daughter
& my husband; garden & landscape; read; play
pinball & pacman; travel; XX ski; and I’m excited
to be part of a literacy enrichment team in
August for kids in Michoacan Mexico!!

4. Let’s take a moment to find out
more about each other!
A little about YOU …

5. INTERNS: Anita Walker & Alea Alea Wojdyla
ECE ENHANCED GRANT PROJECT:
EARLY LITERACY AND LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT FOR
YOUNG ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS
COHORT MEMBERS:
Folashade Adebayo
Sandra Carruthers
Lisa Dally
Geri Dansby
Susan Garcia
Lili Grove
Melissa Ivy
Pat LaMontagne
Karen Lozano
Amy Martin
Ashley Neff
Rebecca Ross
Sylvia Velasco
COHORT MEMBERS:
Dulcie Velasco Martinez
Holly Wettanen
Alice Wong
Lisa May
Pam Lopez
Maria Arroyo
Sandy Fermo
Sonia Fuentes Cruz
Rhonda Mohrbacher
Ashley Morgan
Soledad Ramirez
Tina Richards
Patricia Tanner

6. More about you!
❏ Who are ECE Facilitators?
❏ Who are ECE paraprofessionals?
❏ Who are Early childhood Special Education staff?
❏ Who are Administrators?
❏ Who are Teacher Coaches?
❏ Who has not been mentioned yet? Your positions?
❏ Who is located in a Child Development Center? ECE classroom in an
elementary school? Other?
❏ How many of you work with students who are acquiring English as an
additional language?
2 or 3 students?
Half of your students?
Most of your students?

7. Children are language learners by virtue of being born
into human society.
They construct knowledge about language as they
use it to engage with the people and objects
in their environments
and
as they use language to make sense of
their surroundings.
(Halliday, 1975).
Children and Oral
Language

8. ❏ Language expresses meaning through sounds made in
the vocal tract (barring impairment or obstacles to the use
of sound);
❏ Children learn language in the speech community
where they are raised with little or no direct instruction
by the adults;
❏ Discourse patterns (e.g., how to ask Qs, make requests,
tell stories, etc.) are learned by children at home & in
their community. (Barry, 2008)
Research tells us that ALL languages
share linguistic universals, such as:

9. ❏ Language is used primarily for communication;
❏ Languages – and dialects - have regular structures
and a predictable set of rules or a grammar);
❏ Language is dynamic (not static);
❏ Language speakers have a language competence
that may not always be reflected in their spoken
language.
Do you AGREE or
DISAGREE?

10. Words added to Webster dictionary in 2014:
❏ Fracking: the injection of fluid into shale beds at high
pressure in order to free up petroleum resources.
❏ Hashtag:a word or phrase preceded by the symbol # that
classifies or categorizes the accompanying text.
❏ Selfie:an image of oneself taken by oneself using a digital
camera especially for posting on social networks.
Language is DYNAMIC!

11. Pennsylvania German-English in the USA
Strongly influenced by Pennsylvania Dutch, a dialect of German spoken by
people in this area. Its grammar allows sentences like "Smear your sister
with jam on a slice of bread" and "Throw your father out the
window his hat."
South Midland English in the USA
This area is dominated by the Appalachian Mountains and the Ozark Mountains;
originally settled by the Pennsylvania Dutch and the Scotch-Irish. A TH at the end
of words or syllables is sometimes pronounced F, and the word ARE is often left
out of sentences. An A is usually placed at the beginning of verb that ends with
ING, and the G is dropped; an O at the end of a word becomes ER. For example,
"They a-celebratin' his birfday by a-goin' to see 'Old Yeller' in
the theatah.”
Dialects do have regular structures
& predictable grammar

12. A quick review!
What do we know about
predictable stages of
language development?

13. ❏ Pre-language stage: Voice recognition;
discrimination of phoneme sounds for L1; babbling
with consonants & vowel sounds and intonation
patterns.
❏ Early language: First words (labels from
immediate environment; holophrastic meaning that 1
word carries a longer message).
Typical, predictable stages of
language development

14. ❏ Combining words: Telegraphic speech (“mommy
up!”); pivotal words (“more- _____”); an understanding
of syntax develops (subject_ verb_ object, such as,
“mommy get cookie!”).
❏ Acquisition of morphemes: There is a regular
sequence of morpheme acquisition that tends to occur.
Children regularly acquire “- ing” before plurals;
plurals & possessive before articles (“MINE!).
Typical, predictable stages of
language development (2)

15. Stages of
English language
development
(by age ranges)

16. 18-24 months
∗ Says 50 words
∗ Names familiar objects
∗ Understands
approximately 300 words
∗ Points to body parts
∗ Uses two-word phrases
∗ Uses commands (‘move’)
∗ Uses possessives
(‘mine!’)
Typical English Language Development
(First Language)
24-30 months
∗ Understands
approximately 500 words
∗ Says 200 words
∗ Answers ‘What’ and
‘Where’ questions
∗ Uses some regular
plurals
∗ Asks simple ‘what’ and
‘where’ questions
(What’s that?)
Voress & Pearson (2006) Early Childhood Development Chart

17. 30-36 months
∗ Understands
approximately 900 words
∗ Points to pictures of
common objects
described by their use
(Show me what you eat
with.)
∗ Knows third person
pronouns (he, she)
∗ Says 500 words
Voress & Pearson (2006) Early Childhood Development Chart
Typical English Language Development
(First Language)
36-42 Months
∗ Understands
approximately 1,200
words
∗ Responds to two
unrelated commands (Put
your cup on the table and
turn off the TV)
∗ Says 800 words
∗ Uses regular past tense
forms
∗ Beginning to ask
questions (What? Who?...
and, of course… WHY?!?)

18. 42-48 months
∗ Understands
approximately 1,500-2,000
words
∗ Responds to three step
directions
∗ Tells how common objects
are used
∗ Uses contractions
∗ Knows positional words (in
front, behind)
Typical English Language Development
(First Language)
48-54 months
∗ Uses approximately
2,000-2,500 words
∗ Says 1,500 words
∗ Uses possessives (boy’s,
dog’s)
∗ Identifies first, last and
middle
Voress & Pearson (2006) Early Childhood Development Chart

19. 54-60 months
∗ Understands
approximately 2,500 -
2,800 words
∗ Knows concepts such as
heavy/ light, long/ short
∗ Says 2,000 words
∗ Generates complex
sentences
∗ Tells familiar stories
without picture cues
Typical English Language Development
(First Language)
60-72 Months
∗ Understands
approximately 13,000
words
∗ States similarities and
differences between
objects
∗ Uses pronouns
consistently
∗ Tells simple “jokes”
Voress & Pearson (2006) Early Childhood Development Chart

20. Acquiring an additional language
Second-language acquisition assumes that the learner
has a foundation and solid knowledge
of her first language.
Given this foundation, the learner moves through the
process of learning a new language, including
vocabulary, phonological components, grammatical
structures, and writing systems.
The process is not linear, it is more like
a zig-zag process

21. Learners of an additional language move through similar
developmental stages as those experienced during one’s
first language development thereby making some of the
same types of errors in grammatical markers and picking
up chunks of language without knowing precisely what
each word means.
Learners of an additional language rely on language input
and modifications from proficient speakers who support
successful conversational exchanges and
comprehension of the additional language.
Acquiring an additional language (2)

22. Stages
of
Second Language
Acquisition

23. Pre-
production
STAGE 1: The silent period;" when the student takes in the
new language but does not speak it. This period often lasts six
weeks or several months, depending on the individual.
Early
production
STAGE 2: The individual begins to speak using short
words and sentences; emphasis is still on listening and
absorbing the new language; many errors in this stage that
can last 3 months or longer.
Speech
Emergent
STAGE 3: Speech becomes more frequent, words and
sentences are longer; student still relies heavily on context
clues and familiar topics. Vocabulary continues to increase in
this stage that can last 6 months to around 2 to 3 years; errors
begin to decrease in common or repeated interactions.
Beginning
Fluency
STAGE 4: Speech is fairly fluent in social situations with
minimal errors. New contexts and academic language are
challenging; individual struggles to express herself due to
gaps in vocabulary and appropriate phrases (2 to 3 years
depending on the individual).

24. Intermediate
Fluency STAGE 5: Communicating in the second language is
fluent, especially in social language situations; individual is
able to speak almost fluently in new situations or in
academic areas, but there will be gaps in vocabulary
knowledge and some unknown expressions; fewer errors,
and the individual is able to demonstrate higher order
thinking skills in the second language such as offering an
opinion or analyzing a problem (3 to 6 years depending on
the individual).
Advanced
Fluency STAGE 6: The individual communicates fluently in most
all contexts and can maneuver successfully in new contexts
and when exposed to new academic information. At this
stage, the individual may still have an accent and use
idiomatic expressions incorrectly, but the individual is
essentially fluent and comfortable communicating in the
second language (5 to 7 years or never depending on the
individual).

25. What stages of 1st
language development or
2nd language
development
tend to be displayed
by the young children
you support?

26. The Power
of
Oral Language

27. ❏ Language is the primary symbol system through
which children learn about the world.
❏ Children use language to facilitate their thinking and
learning in all areas.
❏ Children jointly construct meaning and knowledge
with others.
What is the power of
oral language?

28. Children’s talk provides us with
a window
into their thinking
and
their knowledge…..
What is the power of
oral language? (2)

29. …...if…..when….
❏ We create structures to support children’s talk
in a variety of contexts;
❏ We encourage & support children to engage in
talk with each other;
❏ We listen & observe with intention & purpose.
Children’ talk provides us with a
window into their thinking & their
knowledge…

30. ❏ children’s knowledge of language functions & forms
across a variety of different contexts;
❏ children’s interactional competencies;
❏ what children know about content areas & the world;
❏ how children’s TALK corresponds with their reading
and writing development.
When we listen with intention &
purpose,
we gain insights into...

31. Children develop the
capacity
to use,
talk about, and
learn through language…..
both oral & written
language
within the various contexts
of their lives….including
the
cultural contexts of their
lives.
Language, Culture, and Context
go hand-in-hand
Researchers and experts
agree that children
control most features of
the grammar of their
mother tongue by the
time they come to
kindergarten.
WOW!
(Owicki & Goodman, 2002)

32. We have multiple discourse circles in which we interact
everyday.
Consider one day last week.
❏ Discuss the way you spoke and used written
language with your students, your colleagues, and
your administrator.
❏ Discuss the ways you speak and use written
language at home, at play, in social media, and with
family members.
Language, Culture & Context go
hand-in-hand for adults too!

33. THINK ABOUT IT:
❏ Are there particular contexts where your
language use is comfortable and proficient?
❏ Are there other contexts where your language
use is not as easy? Your words do not ‘flow’ as
comfortably? Where you may be somewhat
self-conscious and become “tongue-tied”?
❏ This is true for young children too! Their
language use excels in different contexts too!
Language use is influenced by the
different contexts we find
ourselves in

34. Reflecting on our
language use
in the classroom

35. Most days when I am in the classroom:
❏ I speak clearly and enunciate each word carefully.
❏ I tend to speak rapidly.
❏ I state directions only once; I do not repeat them.
❏ I use slang when I am interacting with students.
❏ I try to use simple, short sentences and avoid
complex, long sentences.
❏ I primarily speak in the present tense.
❏ I ask students more than 10 “Wh-” questions.
❏ After each question I ask, I wait 1-2 seconds before
encouraging students to answer.
Take a moment to reflect
YOUR language use in theclassroom
TRUE or FALSE?

36. As you reflect on YOUR own language
use, consider the language used by
this classroom teacher
Why is our language use in the
classroom important?
Think about it as you analyze this
transcript!

37. TRANSCRIPT: Morning Welcome
1. Teacher: Good morning friends!
2. A Few Students: Good morning!
3. Teacher: I heard some of you but I’d like to hear all of
you. Can you all say ‘good morning’?
4. Class: Good morning.
5. Teacher: Thanks! That’s better! Today is Thursday.
What day is it?
6. Class: Thursday.
7. Teacher: Yes, it’s Thursday. Good job! Today is the
fifth day of the month of April. It is April 5th. Let’s count
the days so far this month, K? Count with me, please.
8. All: 1,2,3,4,5.

38. 9. Teacher: Great job! We counted to 5! Let’s talk about
how we’re feelin’ this morning. Today I am feeling happy
because I ate a good breakfast. Sammy, how are you this
mornin’?
10. Sammy: Ha..
11. Teacher: Today I am feeling…
12. Sammy: Today I am feeling happy.
13. Teacher: ‘cuz…
14. Sammy: ‘Cuz I’m at school.
15. Teacher: Great! Friends, how is Sammy feeling? He is
feeling happy. Why? ‘Cuz he’s at school. Nice job Sammy.
Kendra are you happy today?
16. Kendra: Yes.

39. 17. Teacher: Why are you happy Kendra? Are you happy
‘cuz you’re at school, too?
18. Kendra: Yeah
19. Teacher: Who else is happy ‘cuz they’re at school?
Raise your hand if you’re happy. Wow! Check out how many
of you are happy today! Before we go to centers, let’s look at
our day today. We are in our circle, then we’re going to
centers. Who can tell me what we do after centers? Joe?
What do we do after centers?
20. Joe: snack
21. Teacher: yeah… we eat snack. Today we’re going to
have bananas and crackers. What color are bananas? Are
bananas yellow or red?
22. Joe: yellow.

40. What did you notice about the teacher’s
language? About the children’s language?
When in the classroom:
❏ I speak clearly and enunciate each
word carefully.
❏ I tend to speak rapidly.
❏ I state directions only once; I do not
repeat them.
❏ I use slang when I am interacting with
students.
❏ I try to use simple, short sentences
and avoid complex, long sentences.
❏ I primarily speak in the present tense.
❏ I ask students more than 10 “Wh-”
questions.
❏ After each question I ask, I wait 1-2
seconds before encouraging students
to answer.
ARE THESE HELPFUL PRACTICES?
Why is
our
language
use in the
classroom
important?

41. ❏ Serve as a positive language model
❏ Give children interesting first-hand experiences to talk about
❏ Repeat & reinforce new words
❏ Observe talk, wait & ask Qs, then listen
❏ Talk with children often & listen to what they say
❏ Encourage conversations that go beyond “here & now”
❏ Use open-ended questions & prompts
❏ Read to children daily & talk about the story before, during, & after
❏ Enjoy songs, rhymes, & fingerplays together
❏ Play language games together
❏ Offer models so that children can hear their home language in the
classroom.
❏ Share informational books that relate to children’s particular interests
The Creative Curriculum (Heroman & Jones, 2010)
What are some ways we can support
children’s language?

42. What might these
supports look like
in the classroom?

43. ❏ Serve as a positive language model: Use
complete sentences; expand & build on what child says, ‘Go outside!’.... Tr:
“Would you like to go outside today? We’ll go out right after snack!”
❏ Give children interesting first-hand
experiences to talk about: Experiences that spark child’s
curiosity & wonder, prompt child to use senses & thinking, etc.
❏ Repeat & reinforce new words: Use new word in
different contexts during the day; The story “The Enormous Turnip” can prompt
talk about an enormous appetite or an enormous tree outside.
(Heroman & Jones, 2010)
Ways we can support children’s
language

44. ❏ Observe talk, wait & ask Qs, then listen: Pay
close attention to what child says, be patient & wait for child to respond, then
respond appropriately.
❏ Talk with children often & listen to what
they say: Talk & listen; clarify when needed; strive for at least 5
exchanges in the conversation.
❏ Encourage conversations that go beyond
“here & now”: Discuss events that happened yesterday & might
happen in future; invite child to use her imagination (“If you could be any
animal, what would you be? What would you do?”)
(Heroman & Jones, 2010)
Ways we can support children’s
language (2)

45. ❏ Use open-ended questions & prompts: “Wh-
questions” require MORE than a “yes” or “no”.... Also ask, “I wonder what
would happen if….”
❏ Read to children daily & talk about the story
before, during, & after: Talking about a story while reading it
helps children with language, vocabulary, AND comprehension. Read story
more than once!!
❏ Enjoy songs, rhymes, & fingerplays
together: Child hears & forms language sounds, learns new words,
becomes aware of patterns & rhymes.
Ways we can support children’s
language (3)

46. ❏ Play language games together: Games that focus on
language, like “20 questions”....
❏ Offer models so that children can hear their home
language in the classroom: Invite people in who are proficient in
the child’s L1; Encourage families to discuss learning topics at home in L1.
❏ Share informational books that relate to children’s
particular interests: To introduce child to new ideas, new words &
potential interests. (Heroman & Jones, 2010)
Ways we can support children’s
language (4)

47. TALK ABOUT IT AT YOUR TABLE!
❏ Serve as a positive language model
❏ Give children interesting first-hand experiences to talk about
❏ Repeat & reinforce new words
❏ Observe talk, wait & ask Qs, then listen
❏ Talk with children often & listen to what they say
❏ Encourage conversations that go beyond “here & now”
❏ Use open-ended questions & prompts
❏ Read to children daily & talk about the story before, during, & after
❏ Enjoy songs, rhymes, & fingerplays together
❏ Play language games together
❏ Offer models so that children can hear their home language in the
classroom.
❏ Share informational books that relate to children’s particular interests
The Creative Curriculum (Heroman & Jones, 2010)
Check off the strategies you already use!
Which strategies could you enhance?

48. Select 1 strategy you will enhance during the first few
weeks of school.
Talk it over at your table.
Write this strategy on the top of the chart paper.
Develop several ideas around this one strategy to support
‘turning talk over’ to the children!
Record your ideas on the chart paper.
OUR CHALLENGE TO YOU…

49. Sharing your ideas!
After you have recorded ideas for using 1 of the
strategies to support children’s language use on the
chart paper…..
Be ready to share your ideas!

50. Assessing
language:
What are we looking for?
and
Where do we find it?

51. Observing talk
in a variety of contexts & settings
helps us gain insight into
children’s language development
and
conceptual growth.

52. Why do we want to observe children
talk in a variety of contexts
& settings ?
We want to observe children as they:
❏ talk and listen in various situations and settings;
❏ explore different language functions and forms;
❏ demonstrate different interactional competencies;
❏ demonstrate language & conceptual knowledge about
different aspects of their world.

53. How might we create
contexts
and settings
that are “rich” in talk?

54. A rich talk environment includes:
❏ A curriculum that prompts & inspires children’s interests;
❏ A variety of reasons for children to use language and explore curricular
concepts;
❏ A physical environment that promotes socialization amongst the
children (e.g., whole-group, small group, pairs of chlidren).
❏ A sense of safety within the community of child learners where it is OK
to use one’s talk and take a risk to share her ideas & thoughts;
❏ An understanding that each individual in the classroom IS an expert
and brings important knowledge to the group.
❏ A teacher who has structured supports that turn talk over to the
children! (Owicki & Goodman, 2002)
Hmmm…….
What makes a rich ‘talk’
environment?

55. What language
functions have you
supported in the
classroom?
For each language function
(or purpose), comes a set of
language forms that children
will use to express meaning.
Assessing language: What are
we looking for? And, where do we find it?
Where are the places in the
classroom where talk
occurs? For Example:
-whole group context;
-interest areas;
-small group;
-context for self-talk;
-context for one-to-one talk;
-context where child chooses partner;
-context where Tr chooses group;
-small instructional group;
-play context; other?

56. Observing and Assessing:
Knowing what you are looking for
Language
functions we
can observe
while
children use
various
language
forms
LANGUAGE FUNCTIONS & (FORMS)
❏ Sharing stories (narrative forms)
❏ Retelling events (past tense verb
forms)
❏ Reporting information (declarative
sentence forms, conversational
forms)
❏ Expressing feelings, empathy,
emotional identification (descriptive
forms)
❏ Responding to peers’ and teachers’
questions & request for information
(declarative sentence forms)

57. Observing and Assessing: Knowing
where to look for children’s language
use
Contexts where
students will
use language
functions
❏ whole group
❏ interest areas
❏ contexts for small group
(informal &/or selected by
teacher)
❏ setting for self-talk
❏ pair-share or one-to-one
talk
❏ small instructional group
❏ play context, snack, etc.

58. Intentional planning
And teaching children how
to interact when talking at
school
How can we make this
happen?

59. Don’t overlook that we need to teach children how to
interact using their language:
∗ Talking Stick
∗ Question of the Day (sentence starters and specific
vocabulary practice)
∗ Student Interviews
∗ Snack (vocabulary! textures, colors, tastes)
∗ Read Aloud/ Your Four Day Play Supports Student
Talk
∗ Partner Reading
∗ Turn and Talk (video clip)
Take a chance:
Turn talk over to the children!

60. The Very Hungry Caterpillar
Turn and Talk Example: With props

61. The Very Hungry Caterpillar
Turn and Talk Example: Whole group

62. The Very Hungry Caterpillar
Turn and Talk Example: With book

63. The Very Hungry Caterpillar
Turn and Talk Example:

64. Take a chance: Turn talk over to
children!
Getting Started:
GUIDELINES
1. What language functions do
you plan to observe (i.e., the
functions you want children to
use) & what are corresponding
language forms?
2. What structures do you need
to teach to support children’s
talk & use of these functions?
3. Where will students use these
language functions?
4. What structures will you put
into place so children have the
opportunity to use these
language functions in multiple
contexts?
Ready for intentional
observation & assessment!

65. Your turn!
- Focus on 1 language function that you chose to support
during the first few weeks of school.
- Use the guidelines on the handout to begin to plan your
next steps for ‘turning talk over’ to the children!
-Record your ideas on the second chart paper.
- Be ready to share WHAT function & form you will be
observing in children’s language use and WHERE you will
be able to observe them.

66. Time to learn
from each other

67. IN CLOSING…..Children’s talk provides us with
a window into their thinking
and
their knowledge.
WHEN WE PLAN, LISTEN & OBSERVE, WE CAN
GAIN INSIGHT INTO:
❏ children’s knowledge of language functions & forms
across a variety of different contexts;
❏ children’s interactional competencies;
❏ what children know about content areas & the world;
❏ how children’s TALK corresponds with their reading
and writing development.

68. Sherry & Isabelle
Email contacts:
sherry.taylor@ucdenver.edu
isabelle.smith@ucdenver.edu
Questions?
Thank you!