Script for Oral Language Deck:

Slide 1:
This presentation is on the first of the early literacy components.

We have structured this course around the early literacy components. That is because, in order to
support children’s early literacy development, we need to understand how to support the early literacy
components as we talk, sing, read, write and play in our storytimes. Being intentional around the early
literacy components is one way we supercharge our storytimes.

This topic introduces oral language, the foundation for all later literacy.

You will see that oral language includes the practice of talking.

Slide 2:
Photo: Rock wall by Bruzer (https://pixabay.com/en/users/Bruzer-1807596/ ) on Pixabay:
https://pixabay.com/en/rock-wall-background-foundation-1106202/

Oral language is the development of knowledge and skills that allows children to understand, speak and
use words to communicate.

Foundation for early literacy and all later literacy.

Slide 3:
Images by Harry Chugani, Nemours/Alfred I DuPont Hospital for Children; permission to use granted

Knowing about early brain development helps us understand how we communicate with children. Let’s
look briefly at how the brain works.

In the first column, you see a baby’s brain at birth. There are no connecting lines, electrical impulses,
between the brain cells. They develop into a dense network during the first six years of life. These
connections are needed for learning.

The toddler and two year old have even more connections than the six year old. Their brains are not yet
very efficient. This is because the brain does not yet know what connections are needed, so it keeps them
all. We notice how hard it can be to get a toddler’s attention. Everything, background and foreground
activities and sounds, are of equal importance to them. You may notice the you may need to call the
child’s name or have them look at you to help them focus on what you are saying.
Slide 4:
In this slide you see the density of the connections, at 5 days old, at two months old, at one year old. You
can see how quickly the brain is making these connections. The brain of the 2 month old actually looks
more like the brain of the one year old than of the 5 day old.

At about 3 years old the process of pruning takes place. The brain becomes more efficient and does not
keep ALL the trillions of connections but prunes the ones that are not used. Use it or lose it.

Children need repetition to learn.

Slide 5:
Photo: Little boy watching TV; Getty Images

A recent report from the American Academy of Pediatrics reiterates their earlier finding to limit screen
time of children under the age of two. Not only do children under the age of two not gain language from
the screen, it also takes away time that adults would be playing with or talking directly with their
children.

Until about 18 months old children have what is called the orienting reflex. Their brains are programmed
to look at what is new. Many dvds and apps designed for infants have new things coming across the
screen every second or two. It may look like the child is focusing, concentrating on the screen but they
basically cannot look away. It is not the same kind of concentration as a four year old who is learning.

According to studies done by Patricia Kuhl and researchers at the University of Washington iLabs, infants
do not learn language from watching video. They need human interactions. They can learn language
through skype.

It is critical to keep the interpersonal in the interactive.

Slide 6:
Photo: Listening to a teacher read a book; Getty Images;
https://www.gettyimages.com/license/612487216

It includes listening skills, speaking skills, and communication skills.

Even deeper is non-verbal language: facial expressions, gestures, and body language.

Slide 7:
Photo: Little boy holding can with cord; Getty Images

Children learn language in a social context.

Don’t just do it; talk your way through it!

Listening skills:

• Understanding what other people are saying when they speak

• Enjoying listening to stories

• Following oral instructions

Slide 8:
Photo: Screen shot from Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences (ILABS) Module, University of
Washington: http://modules.ilabs.uw.edu/module/first-2000-days-matter/window-into-developing-
brain-1/

Babies begin to turn their heads to the sound of their name at about 3 months old.

At about 6 months old babies pay the most attention to the first word after their name.

They use their name as an anchor

So instead of saying “Nathan, would you like to read a book together?”

We would say, “Nathan, book, would you like to read a book together?”

Slide 9:
Photo: Stay at home father with his kids; Getty Images;
https://www.gettyimages.com/license/637250178

Photo: Mother reading book to boys; Getty Images;

When children hear their parents speaking to them in the language they know best, they hear language
spoken fluently, they hear more different words, and they learn more concepts. Then, when the children
get to school, they can just translate the word; they already understand the concept.

Slide 10:
Photo: Toddler on phone by PublicDomainPicutres
(https://pixabay.com/en/users/PublicDomainPictures-14/ )on Pixabay: https://pixabay.com/en/baby-
boy-call-child-communication-164003/

Speaking skills:

• Producing the sounds of language

• Understanding what words mean and the connections among words

• Putting words in the right order (adjective before the noun)

• Using conventional forms of words (plurals, verb tenses) I goed to the park. Yes we went to the
park.
 • Using language for different purposes: express ideas, feeling, obtain or give information,
negotiate disagreements

Babies and toddlers who do not have much verbal language can learn to communicate using sign
language. We want to make sure to say the word as we sign it and to encourage children to speak even
if it is babble.

Slide 11:
Photo: Young boy whispering to his father; Getty Images:
https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/young-boy-whispering-to-his-father-royalty-free-image/
76530667

Communication skills—for talking and listening

• Understanding the social rules of conversation: taking turns, listening when someone else is
talking, when to say excuse me, thank you, please

• Asking questions to get information

• Engaging peers and adults using language

Slide 12:
Business talk is getting the job done. Pick up your toys. Put on your shoes.

But it’s that extra talk – the chitchat, word play, open-ended questions, and storytelling -- that makes
the meaningful difference.

Slide 13:
Try the 3Ts which is responsive and encouraging.

Tune in:

Responsive – follows the child’s lead

Talk more

Imaginative, silly

Talk about past, future, what if . . .

Model thinking and reasoning—Why am I putting a pillow on the wooden chair?

Use more elaborate sentences and descriptions

Add more information—Yes, I see you are playing with the playdough. It feels kind of
squishy as you massage it in your hands.
Take turns
Ask open-ended questions (not yes/no)

Be encouraging—that’s interesting, tell me more

Slide 14:
Image: Brain scans; Screenshot from Chapter 48, Biology, Seventh Edition; Campbell and Reece:
http://slideplayer.com/slide/6979057/

Be patient as child tries to talk

A PET scan, or positron emission tomography, measures brain activity.

Those brain connections, electrical impulses across the synapses, have to take place not only within each
part of the brain but across these areas of the brain in order to have a conversation.

Point out the area for hearing the words, for seeing the words, (that means if you say apple they see a
picture of the apple in their mind (not the word spelled out). So you might say, would you like an apple?
Then they have to think about words, which means generate words. Yes, apples are delicious. And then
speaking the words, moving their tongue, lips, vocal cords to say the words.

Toddlers need anywhere from 5 to 12 seconds to respond to what you say. We usually wait 2 seconds at
most.

As the pathways between these areas of the brain become stronger they need less and less time to
respond.

Slide 15:
Closing acknowledgements