Monday, November 1, 2010

Oral Language and the Reading Process (Entry #3, LT#1)

The connection between reading and oral language is an important one!  Dialogue is critical to the reading process (Gibbons, 2002) and students should be encouraged to talk, talk, talk!  This is beneficial for learning in general.  For students who come from second language homes- this talking piece is most crucial.  Teacher and student interactions should consist of dialogue that requires more input from the student and more probing from the teacher (Gibbons, 2002). 

Oral language can play a direct and indirect role in a child's reading instruction and process, particularly in the area of reading comprehension.   As children learn new words and how to apply them (vocabulary) they strengthen their background knowledge and strengthen their comprehension.  Providing feedback and dialogue around conversation also helps students strengthen and clarify meaning, thus improving a student's comprehension.  

For first grade in particular, talking and reading are extremely relevant and extremely important.  Oral language and background knowledge are tied into reading readiness.  Children need exposure and application of language to interest them in reading and to prepare them for phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension.  A basic knowledge of words and how words work and how they are used to convey meaning and conversation helps prepare a reader! 

No comments:

Post a Comment