Blog 3: Reading and Oral Language Connections

Strong oral language, including vocabulary skills, generally means better reading skills.  Oral language is like the warm-up for a bigger game, an introduction into the complex world of language, syntax and grammar of the English language.  Without a strong foundation in these skills, reading will undoubtedly be so much harder.  

In previous classes, we focused on the important role that strong oral language development plays for students as they learn how to read.  By understanding that each letter or group of letters makes a sound and that these sounds and symbols make up meaningful units.  The connections between oral language, reading and writing are so inextricably entwined.  Students need strong oral language skills as the foundation of their reading.

Gibbons states that “a group task should require, not simply encourage talk.” (p. 22).  As teachers I feel like we need to be more mindful about creating authentic situations where our students can practice language. 

Working in a school that has such a high population of English language learners, I worry that our students often don’t get enough time to practice language they are learning in school.  Instead, and we are all guilty of this, we let them slip back into their own languages when they are working together.  While I know how much value there is in kids being able to clarify concepts speaking in their own language, I just worry that there are not better guidelines or structure to this oral language and kids just come to rely on always having things explained to them in their own language.  As someone who has learned a couple of different languages, I know that I learned best when I was forced to use the language I was learning.

Oral language and chances to practice oral language are such an important part of school.  In schools students get to practice language that they might not get to practice at home.  As teachers I think we need to be mindful that we provide our students lots of opportunities to practice language in our classrooms.