Lesson 2.1: Language and Literacy Development in the Early Years
Focus: Learn about language acquisition in the early years.
Prior to the Collaboration Group Meeting
1. Reflection Journal
Write in your reflection journal prior to the Collaboration Group meeting. You are to respond weekly in your journal, reflecting on your learning, observation, questions, and personal connections. Your reflections need to be at least 250 words. You may choose how to format your journal, though you may want to consider the following as you write:
- What are some new understandings you made this week as a result of the work for this lesson and your work with your students?
- How has this new understanding influenced your current practice?
Bring your reflection journal to the weekly Collaboration Group meeting, and prepare to share your entries.
2. Readings
Before the Collaboration Group meeting, read through the information in this lesson, which is listed below. Feel free to take notes while you are reading.
NOTE: To print the linked documents, do the following:
- Put your mouse on the document and right click. You will see a window that asks you where you want to download the document.
- Determine where you want to save the document.
- After saving the document, open and print it in MS Word.
- Implications for Early Literacy Development in the Classroom
- Language Development in the Early Years
- Oral Language Development in the Early Years
- Text: Starting Out Right, pp. 1-37.
Record in the form of notes your questions, personal connections, and possible new learning directions as they relate to the pieces you’ve just read about language and early literacy. Underline any new or key vocabulary. Write a 250-word summary of the readings you were assigned for this week. The purpose of these readings is to link oral language acquisition to literacy development. In light of the readings, what new insights have you gained about literacy development as it relates to oral language acquisition? 3. Guided Questions
Consider the following questions as you read about language and literacy development. Be prepared to discuss these questions in your Collaboration Group meeting.
- As you were growing up, did you listen more than you talked? Were you encouraged to ask questions and to get information? Did you learn in the vernacular, English, or both?
- How did these early experiences, both in and out of school, influence your attitude toward talking for you or your children?
- With these readings in mind, what do you notice about your classroom/school? How are you thinking differently about the integration of language development’s impact on literacy development?
During the Collaboration Group Meeting
- Share your reflection journal entries.
- Determine assignment and Collaboration Group meeting dates for Module 2.
- Lesson 2.1: Language and Literacy Development in the Early Years
Collaboration Group meeting date _____
Summary of Readings due ____
- Lesson 2.2: Understanding Stages of Reading Behavior
Collaboration Group meeting date _____
Child Observation Summary due _____
- Lesson 2.3: Key Elements of Literacy Instruction and Components in a Comprehensive Literacy Framework
Collaboration Group meeting date _____
- Lesson 2.4: Evaluation and Literacy Talk
Collaboration Group meeting date _____
Module 2 evaluation due _____
- Spend about 30-45 minutes discussing the guiding questions you considered during the readings.
- Share your summaries of the readings.
- Determine the facilitator, recorder, timekeeper, date, time, and location for the next Collaboration Group meeting.
After the Collaboration Group Meeting
- Email your summary of the readings to the instructor. Send your assignment(s) to the instructor as an attachment to an email message. Be sure to include your name, date, location, and title on the document. Also, include your name and lesson title in the file name, for example, moses_readings_summary.
- The recorder emails due dates to the instructor.
- The timekeeper emails the attendance to the instructor.
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