I am delighted to feature Anjanette McNeeley, Kindergarten Teacher in Davis County, Utah as a Guest Writer for my blog this month. Thank you, Anjanette—you are an inspiration!
One of the most exciting things about kindergarten is unlocking the alphabetic code and learning to read. Years ago, on the second day of school, one student looked frustrated. When I asked her what was wrong, she replied that she thought we would learn to read in kindergarten. I explained that we would, but it would take time, learning, and practice. She was still unhappy. She thought reading would be unlocked like some kind of magical treasure box, without any instruction or effort.
As a parent supporting your child on the journey to becoming a reader, you probably know that learning letters and sounds is essential.
One important part of becoming a reader parents are often less familiar with is developing strong speaking and listening skills, referred to as oral language skills.
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A child’s ability to understand stories and express his/her/their thoughts is a strong predictor of later reading comprehension and writing success. According to literacy expert Joan Sedita, the goal for young students is to teach them to speak in complete sentences, use academic vocabulary, and stay focused on the topic they are discussing.
With the widespread availability of electronic devices, kindergarten teachers across the nation are seeing a decline in students’ oral language skills. The good news is that there are simple ways to help build these skills at home.
Try These Easy Suggestions
The 1st suggestion is to model using complete sentences and encourage your child to do the same.
Language is rule-governed. We use words in a specific order. We had fun. is correct. We fun had. is not. Likewise, mice is the plural form of mouse. These are examples of important language structures children learn through conversations with others—not from passive screen use.
The 2nd suggestion is to increase the number of back-and-forth conversations you have with your child.
Researchers Sonia Cabell and Tricia Zucker created the easy-to-use Strive-for-Five Framework to intentionally build opportunities for rich conversational interactions. These powerful exchanges take only about a minute each.
The goal of the Strive-for-Five Framework is to have five conversational turns, with the adult modeling language and keeping the conversation moving.
- Turn 1: Adult asks a question.
- Turn 2: Child responds.
- Turn 3: Adult challenges the response by thoughtfully responding and encouraging the child to think more deeply or add additional information.
- Turn 4: Child responds.
- Turn 5: Adult expands on what the child shared by rephrasing, adding information, or extending the conversation.
Storytime is a wonderful opportunity to practice this framework. For example:
- Turn 1: Parent: “What happened on this page?”
- Turn 2: Child: “Umm…he is mad.”
- Turn 3: Parent: “Yes, he is very angry. How do you think he should have acted when he got upset?”
- Turn 4: Child: “He should have used his words.”
- Turn 5: Parent: “I agree. He could have made a better choice by using his words instead of kicking over the tower.”
Most of our interactions at home are simpler and more informal. Start by simply counting your conversational turns and try to extend them to five. As you move through the conversation, model more complex sentences and richer vocabulary. Be creative and use the structure during play or mealtime. This will help prepare your child for the more academic language used in school and found in most books. Students must be able to understand language at an oral level before they can fully understand it as they read.
The student who was disappointed on the second day of school did learn to read. The magic she was hoping for wasn’t hidden in a treasure box after all—it was found in the daily moments of instruction, conversation, and practice. As you spend time talking, reading, and practicing with your child, you’ll be helping unlock the same magic.
Have a listen to my ‘Kindergarten Oracy Routine’! I model and encourage the use of complete sentences as I engage all kindergarten students. Click below. Video courtesy of Anjanette McNeeley.
Lori’s Add-On
I TOTALLY support Anjanette’s recommendations!
I have to add my thought that the ‘Strive for Five’ Framework extends well beyond kindergarten. Trust me when I tell you children of all ages, inclusive of middle and high school students need to continue practicing speaking in complete (and yes, complex) sentences and respond to questions with more than one word responses. It is essential that families/caregivers continue to model and extend oral conversations. Yes, STRIVE FOR FIVE!
Trust me when I tell you that oral language skills predict written language skills. For many decades, I’ve posited this statement: “If the words do not come out of the child’s mouth, the words most surely will not flow from the pencil (or the keyboard)!”
Moral of the story: Well practiced and developed oral conversation is an imperative.
Something of note in Anjanette’s video is the option for students to participate and simply state his/her/their name and choose to ‘pass’ if desired. This is a great strategy for the classroom.
This is especially true since so many students communicate with parents/caregivers/friends via texting these days!!
Feel free to share your experiences as you practice oral language with your children/students!
BTW, I will be speaking at Medium Day, this Friday September 18, 2:30pm. Can’t make it live? Watch the video later. BUT, you must preregister here.