Classroom Implications

In recognition of the research into the development of auditory awareness skills, teaching methods have changed from a phonics or sound based approach to one that draws on the child's knowledge of oral language. This includes the meanings of words and sentence patterns, which hand-in-hand support children as they learn to "crack the code" of our printed language.

Reading is a complex task that demands that children have well developed spoken language skills.

What we know about the way children learn to speak and understand language helps us to understand how printed language skills are learned. Children first process language in chunks at the phrase or sentence level. The language is then broken down to the word level, then syllables and finally to the sound level. When children reach this end stage, we say they have achieved phonemic awareness.

Students need a broad array of language experiences. Oral language, vocabulary, and other language concepts are crucial foundations for success in reading, especially reading comprehension. Children need to be able to use language to describe their experiences, to predict what will happen in the future, and to talk about events in the past. Programs can develop children's language by giving them opportunities to discuss their experiences, make predictions, and discuss past events in small groups.

Children learn how to attend to language and apply this knowledge to literacy situations by interacting with others who model language functions.

Children need opportunities to expand their use and appreciation of oral language. Children's comprehension of written language depends in large part upon their effective use and understanding of oral language.    Language experiences are a central component of good reading instruction.

Children learn how to attend to language and apply this knowledge to literacy situations by interacting with others who model language functions.

Language and concept development activities are an important part of the classroom curriculum.

Language arts instruction includes daily reading aloud and discussion of high-quality literature, both fiction and nonfiction.

Teachers and students engage in meaningful discussions that focus on interpretations of and reflective thinking about what they (and others) are reading and writing. They learn to support their interpretations by relying on the text.