10: language

Prompt: Theories in educational psychology promote the idea that language plays a critical role in cognitive development. Examine table 2.2 (page 51), paying particular attention to the age range that you are interested in teaching.  Consider how you might incorporate or adapt the strategies presented with your own students.

I would love to work with first or second graders, so I will focus on that portion of Ormrod's table of linguistic characteristics and abilities.

• Strategy: read age-appropriate storybooks to enhance vocabulary
• This is something I will definitely do in my classroom!  Since reading is such an important skill in all subjects of school, I plan to devote lots of class time to literacy.  With younger students this will include guided reading, read-alouds, independent reading, and also cross-curricular reading. The more students read, the more words they know, and the deeper their understanding and comprehension can become. I really prefer this way of increasing vocabulary  to the old-school memorization methods.
• Strategy: work on listening skills
• At this age, Ormrod explains that many children consider a good listener as someone who simply sits quietly. It is important for me to teach my students that listening requires more than silence.  I will teach them about the other parts of being a good listener, like paying attention to who is speaking, asking questions when confused, and retaining information.  I will stress that the most important thing is that they are learning and understanding, not just being quiet.
• Strategy: ask students to construct narratives about recent events
• Ormrod explains that these young students are increasing their ability to tell a story.  To foster and encourage this skill, I will provide multiple opportunities for my students to practice story telling.  One way I can do this is by having students write a paragraph about what they did over the weekend, make an illustration of it, then share orally with the class. 
• Ask follow-up questions to check for accurate understanding
• This age group typically interprets things literally, so it will be important for me to ensure that my students have a clear understanding of class material.  Whether it is an idiom or expression I use or something more ambiguous they read, it will be imperative for me to correct any misunderstandings students have.  To know when this is necessary, I will use follow-up questions to gauge their understanding and comprehension. Even beyond misinterpretations, this will help students summarize information they have learned and let me know where they need more help.