Page 19 - System 44 EL in Research Paper

3Oral Language Development
u Oral language skills include expressive (speaking) and receptive (listening) skills, vocabulary, semantics (knowledge of word meanings), morphology (knowledge of word formation rules) and syntax (knowledge of sentence structure), and narrative discourse skills (the ability to tell or retell a story) (Owens, 2004).
u Oral language development is an essential component of literacy development; well-developed listening and speaking skills are directly linked to reading and writing proficiency (August & Shanahan, 2006; Biemiller, 1999).
u Extensive exposure to words through both speaking and reading can help build a wide range of oral and print vocabulary; which in turn aids reading comprehension (National Institute for Literacy, 2007).
u Providing strong models of oral language in the classroom is particularly important for children whose home language or dialect differs from the language environment of the school (August & Shanahan, 2006; Dutro & Kinsella, 2010; Craig & Washington, 2004; Washington & Thomas-Tate, 2009).
u Research and expert opinion support incorporating extended talk time and structured peer discussions into literacy instruction so that students have multiple opportunities to practice and hear academic language—especially important for English language learners and those who speak nonstandard dialects of English (Beck, McKeown, & Kucan, 2002; Biemiller, 1999; Dutro & Kinsella, 2010; National Institute for Literacy, 2007).
u Teachers can more effectively facilitate English language and literacy development by structuring student engagement and participation. “All too often, the teacher is the only individual in the classroom who uses actual academic language, while students are allowed to passively listen or use casual, daily vernacular . . . we must structure daily classroom contexts so that all students are accountable for using newly introduced terminology in their speaking and writing” (Feldman & Kinsella, 2005, p. 8).
RESEARCH & EXPERT OPINION
17