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(W4) Oral Language & Phonological Awareness

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(W4) Oral Language & Phonological Awareness

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1.) Definitions and applications of how to support Oral Language for all learners using explicit and multisensory instruction

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1.) Definitions and applications of how to support Oral Language for all learners using explicit and multisensory instruction

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Definitions:

Statistics of Language Sounds: Babies unconsciously "take statistics" of sounds they hear in their environment

Role of Social Interaction: Learning language requires live, interactive communication, not simply passive exposure like through audio or watching videos/TV

Bilingual Language Learning: Bilinguals manage two sets of "language statistics" simultaneously

Applications:

1.) Explicit Instruction

Guided Practice: scaffold learning with structured activities that focus on sound patterns, sentence structures, and vocabulary development

For EL's, Compare Languages: explicitly contrast the phonetic differences between languages to strengthen proficiency

2.) Multisensory Instruction

Auditory Instruction: use songs, rhymes, and stories to expose learners to the rhythm and sounds of the language

Visual Instruction: pair words with images, gestures, or facial expressions to reinforce meaning and pronunciation

Social Interaction: Emphasize human interaction over passive listening through group discussions, role-playing, and partner interactions to develop conversational skills

Incorporate Neuroscience from the video: Create activities that combine listening, speaking, and problem-solving to trigger neural pathways that are activated during new language acquisition

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2.) Reflect on and develop connections to the importance of Oral Language in the work you do in your disciplinary classrooms and contexts

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2.) Reflect on and develop connections to the importance of Oral Language in the work you do in your disciplinary classrooms and contexts

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My discipline will be Secondary English education. Oral Language is significant in this discipline because students need to learn how to express themselves through verbal communication to be an active member of society. The ability to make sense of and articulate themselves is a skill that will benefit them in every aspect of their lives both inside and beyond the classroom.

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3.) Identify the role of Oral Language in serving all learners as part of equity and justice in your disciplinary contexts 

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3.) Identify the role of Oral Language in serving all learners as part of equity and justice in your disciplinary contexts 

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Learning Oral Language serves all learners as part of equity and justice because, with the gift of oral language, we give all students the ability to understand the world around them, express themselves, and prosper as active members of society. Strengthening Oral Language skills means giving students invaluable gifts of communication and connection. It means all students can pursue whatever route they want in their futures, and the inability to communicate does not hinder them from their life prospects.

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1.) Definitions and applications of how to support Phonological Awareness for all learners using explicit and multisensory instruction

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1.) Definitions and applications of how to support Phonological Awareness for all learners using explicit and multisensory instruction

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Definitions:

Phonological Awareness: The ability to recognize and manipulate spoken parts of language including syllables, rhymes, and individual sounds in words

Phonemic Awareness: A subset of phonological awareness focused on identifying and manipulating individual sounds (phonemes) in words

Applications:

1.) Explicit Instruction

Scaffold sharpening phonological skills starting with simpler tasks, then increasing difficulty until moving onto phonemic awareness

Avoid complex word structures until foundational skills are thoroughly developed

2.) Multisensory Instruction

Visual Aids: utilize color coding and pictorial representations of sounds and syllables

Kinesthetic Activities: Make engaging classroom activities that make use of tapping, gestures, clapping, or organizing to represent sounds in words physically

Auditory Learning: Teach fun songs and pneumonic devices that give students practice with sounds and patterns

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2.) Reflect on and develop connections to the importance of Phonological Awareness in the work you do in your disciplinary classrooms and contexts

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2.) Reflect on and develop connections to the importance of Phonological Awareness in the work you do in your disciplinary classrooms and contexts

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Phonological Awareness is the ability to recognize and manipulate the sounds within words. This skill is essential in an English classroom because dissecting language is a skill that can help students construct their language to shape their language skills. For example, when students encounter difficulties with complex texts, they can use phonological awareness to break the text into smaller, manageable parts. This helps them decode the words, understand the structure, and grasp the meaning of the message being conveyed. By fostering phonological awareness, we provide students with a foundational language tool that empowers them to approach and make sense of any linguistic challenge they may encounter, whether in reading, writing, or listening.

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3.) Identify the role of Phonological Awareness in serving all learners as part of equity and justice in your disciplinary contexts 

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3.) Identify the role of Phonological Awareness in serving all learners as part of equity and justice in your disciplinary contexts 

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Phonological Awareness plays a critical role in promoting equity and justice by ensuring that all students have access to the foundational literacy skills necessary for academic, social, and professional success. Many students, particularly those from underserved communities or EL's, may enter school with varying levels of phonological awareness. Thus, teaching Phonological Awareness ensures that all students receive equal opportunities to build necessary skills for reading, communication, and comprehension, thereby reducing achievement gaps. Further, academic achievement and the ability to better navigate the world around them would result in instilling confidence in students of marginalized backgrounds.

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1.) Definitions and applications of how to support Phonics for all learners using explicit and multisensory instruction

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1.) Definitions and applications of how to support Phonics for all learners using explicit and multisensory instruction

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Definitions:

Print Awareness: "Understanding that print is organized in a particular way - knowing that print is read from left to right and top to bottom. It is knowing that words consist of letters and that spaces appear between words."

Systematic Instruction: "The letter-sound relationship is taught in an organized and logical sequence."

Explicit Instruction: "The instruction provides teachers with precise directions for teaching letter-sound relationships."

Alphabetic Principle: "the idea that letters represent the sounds of spoken language"

Decoding: when we use letter-sound relationships to translate a printed word to speech

Applications:

1.) Explicit Instruction

Blending: Teaching students how to blend sounds to form words

Segmenting: Teaching students to segment words into individual sounds

2.) Multisensory Instruction

Use of Gestures: a strong example of the use of gestures to help students manipulate sounds can be seen in the provided video. This instance of multisensory learning can help students progress from sound by sound reading to whole word reading

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Mastering Short Vowels and Reading Whole Words with Calista, First Grader

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1.) Definitions and applications of how to support Fluency for all learners using explicit and multisensory instruction

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1.) Definitions and applications of how to support Fluency for all learners using explicit and multisensory instruction

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Definitions:

Fluency: reading a text accurately, quickly, and with expression. Fluent reading builds stamina for reading lengthy or complex tests

Blending: Teaching how to blend sounds together to form words

Segmenting: Teaching how to segment words into separate sounds

Applications:

1.) Explicit Instruction

Repeated Oral Reading: students practice reading the same passage multiple times to improve reading skills such as fluency

Text Chunking: Teaching students to split up sentences into phrases rather than getting stumped on each single word and not maintaining fluency

2.) Multisensory Instruction

Visual Aids: Engaging in active reading strategies like highlighting or following along with your finger or line by line with an index card all can help students visually chunk text

Audio Support: Listening to audiobooks can help students hear modeled fluency and better understand the rhythm and expression of fluent reading

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2.) Reflect on and develop connections to the importance of Phonics in the work you do in your disciplinary classrooms and contexts

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2.) Reflect on and develop connections to the importance of Phonics in the work you do in your disciplinary classrooms and contexts

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Phonics is essential to the work I do in my English classroom because students need to develop and sharpen their reading skills to tackle more complex texts when help is not directly accessible. When students learn how to read independently, it not only instills confidence, but also better prepares them to adapt to more rigorous academic settings.

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3.) Identify the role of Phonics in serving all learners as part of equity and justice in your disciplinary contexts 

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3.) Identify the role of Phonics in serving all learners as part of equity and justice in your disciplinary contexts 

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Teaching all learners Phonics is part of equity and justice in English classrooms because it fosters educational equity. All students, regardless of background, should have access to foundational reading skills. Further, inclusive phonics instruction that accommodates English Language Learners also contributes to educational equity because it works to ensure ELL's are able to participate in classrooms and take away as much knowledge as students who aren't ELL's.

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2.) Reflect on and develop connections to the importance of Fluency in the work you do in your disciplinary classrooms and contexts

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2.) Reflect on and develop connections to the importance of Fluency in the work you do in your disciplinary classrooms and contexts

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Teaching Fluency is critical in an English classroom because it makes the experience of reading and immersing oneself in literature and expression much more fun and exciting! Teaching students fluency provides them with the freedom to express themselves more effectively. As they develop confidence in reading aloud with proper pacing, accuracy, and expression, they become stronger communicators and more willing to participate in discussions, presentations, etc. All of this in turn enhances students' ability to analyze texts, make connections across disciplines, and articulate their thoughts clearly.

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3.) Identify the role of Fluency in serving all learners as part of equity and justice in your disciplinary contexts 

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3.) Identify the role of Fluency in serving all learners as part of equity and justice in your disciplinary contexts 

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Developing and sharpening fluency allows students to read with accuracy and efficiency, allowing them to understand class material and participate in class activities with confidence. For students from underserved communities, including ELLs or those with learning disabilities, structured fluency instruction helps them overcome potential limits to their academic potential. Further, with individualized foundational fluency education, we can empower marginalized students. We can tie DEI into fluency instruction by addressing fluency gaps through culturally responsive approaches. This makes learning meaningful to all students, as they strengthen their confidence through academics!

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1.) Definitions and applications of how to support Comprehension for all learners using explicit and multisensory instruction

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1.) Definitions and applications of how to support Comprehension for all learners using explicit and multisensory instruction

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Definitions:

Comprehension: Reader's ability to understand and connect to what they read.

Self-monitor: Reader's ability to monitor their understanding by adjusting their reading speed to the difficulty of the text, and address gaps in understanding. After reading, the reader will assess their understanding of what they have just read.

Visualization: When readers picture what they read as they read, thereby understanding and remembering what they read.

Text Structure: A reader's ability to identify how a text is organized/structured. This is significant to reading comprehension because text structures can help students better understand the author's purpose.

Applications:

1.) Explicit Instruction:

Active Reading Strategies such as:

Annotation

Asking Questions

Self Monitoring

Text-to-self, text-to-world, and text-to-text connections

Making Inferences

Making Predictions

Context Clues

Summarization

Identifying Author's Purpose

2.) Multisensory Instruction:

Visualization

Modeling Active Reading Strategies: this can be considered multisensory instruction because students must pay attention to what the teacher is doing by listening AND watching what is being done

Practicing Active Reading Strategies: this can be considered multisensory instruction because students must physically practice these strategies themselves independently by marking up their own work

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2.) Reflect on and develop connections to the importance of Comprehension in the work you do in your disciplinary classrooms and contexts

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2.) Reflect on and develop connections to the importance of Comprehension in the work you do in your disciplinary classrooms and contexts

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Teaching Comprehension is vital in an English classroom because it equips students with the ability to understand, interpret, and critically engage with texts. Without the ability to make meaning from texts, there is no point in reading! Specifically in English classrooms, comprehension teaches students how to dig deeper beyond what texts present on the surface level. Thus, comprehension encourages critical thinking and analysis because comprehension skills are taught through reading skills such as identifying themes, main ideas, and supporting details, as well as analyzing literary elements such as tone and figurative language.

Beyond the English classroom, however, it is worth noting that comprehension is a skill utilized across all disciplines. Students with reading comprehension skills can understand scientific concepts, analyze historical documents, and deconstruct word problems in math.

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3.) Identify the role of Comprehension in serving all learners as part of equity and justice in your disciplinary contexts 

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3.) Identify the role of Comprehension in serving all learners as part of equity and justice in your disciplinary contexts 

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Comprehension is essential to equity and justice for all learners in an English classroom because reading comprehension is how students learn to understand and navigate the world both in and out of the classroom. Inside the classroom, reading comprehension is necessary for academic performance across all disciplines, taking state-mandated assessments, understanding instructions, and following directions. Therefore, if all students do not have solid reading comprehension skills, assessments and assignments are not an accurate representation of their academic ability, and would therefore prohibit them from furthering their academic progression! This would in turn further marginalize underserved communities such as ELL's and students with learning, cognitive, or developmental disabilities.

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1.) Definitions and applications of how to support Vocabulary for all learners using explicit and multisensory instruction

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1.) Definitions and applications of how to support Vocabulary for all learners using explicit and multisensory instruction

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Definitions:

Listening Vocabulary: refers to the words we need to know to understand what we hear

Speaking Vocabulary: consists of the words we use when we speak

Reading Vocabulary: refers to the words we need to know to understand what we read

Writing Vocabulary: consists of the words we use in writing

Indirect Vocabulary Learning: children learn the meanings of most words indirectly, through everyday experiences with oral and written language

Direct Vocabulary Learning: vocabulary taught directly, such as words that represent complex concepts that are not part of the students' daily experiences

Applications:

1.) Explicit Instruction:

Direct Vocabulary Instruction:

giving students vocabulary instruction based on the students' content learning

teaching word-learning strategies students can apply to a variety of words

ex: context clues

introducing words with clear definitions, examples, and contexts

encourage students to infer word meanings through real-life scenarios

2.) Multisensory Instruction:

Indirect Vocabulary Instruction

children learn word meanings when they engage daily in oral language

children learn word meanings when they listen to adults read to them

children learn word meanings when they read extensively on their own

use gestures, images, and hands-on activities to reinforce meaning

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2.) Reflect on and develop connections to the importance of Vocabulary in the work you do in your disciplinary classrooms and contexts

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2.) Reflect on and develop connections to the importance of Vocabulary in the work you do in your disciplinary classrooms and contexts

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Learning vocabulary in an English classroom is critical because it enhances reading comprehension. With a strong background in vocabulary, students can decipher difficult words using context clues, better comprehend difficult texts, and engage actively in critical analysis through understanding nuances in texts. Further, a strong vocabulary is needed for effective communication! Students with strong vocabulary can express themselves clearly and concisely through speaking and writing, participate in discussions, and know how to adapt their language to various audiences, contexts, and purposes. For instance, knowing how to adjust their speech when utilizing accountable talk in classroom discussions, as opposed to relaying the same ideas but at the cafeteria with friends. Another reason why learning vocabulary is essential to English classrooms is because an English classroom is the best place for students to practice utilizing the appropriate vocabulary across contexts. For example, practicing vocabulary proficiency in the context of professional settings such as a job interview, presentations, and professional writing.

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ITTT International TEFL & TESOL Training

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Why is Teaching Vocabulary so Important | ITTT | TEFL Blog

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3.) Identify the role of Vocabulary in serving all learners as part of equity and justice in your disciplinary contexts 

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3.) Identify the role of Vocabulary in serving all learners as part of equity and justice in your disciplinary contexts 

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Vocabulary instruction plays a significant role in educational equity for all learners. Specifically for ELLs, targeted vocabulary support helps them acquire language proficiency. As for students from diverse backgrounds, providing exposure to academic vocabulary helps bridge gaps caused by varying language usage at home and beyond the classroom. Onward, teaching vocabulary empowers students to better articulate their thoughts and advocate for themselves which is especially important for historically marginalized groups who are underrepresented.

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1.) Definitions and applications of how to support Writing for all learners using explicit and multisensory instruction

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1.) Definitions and applications of how to support Writing for all learners using explicit and multisensory instruction

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Definitions:

Basic Writing Skills: Considered the "mechanics" of writing, including capitalization, usage, punctuation, and spelling.

Writing Process: the writing process entails the process of constructing a strong piece of writing. It includes brainstorming, outlining, drafting, revision, and editing.

Applications:

1.) Explicit Instruction:

Teaching and Modeling the Writing Process

Writing mechanics

Scaffolding the writing process: Breaking one piece of writing into more manageable parts with clear examples and rubrics

Abundant Practice and Feedback: provide frequent opportunities for practice with constructive feedback

2.) Multisensory Instruction:

Hands-on activities:

teaching writing structure by having students physically put a story in chronological order

have students color code as they actively read strong examples of writing

highlighting the thesis statement, claim, supporting details, etc.

Using Graphic Organizers:

venn diagrams, story maps, flowcharts, etc.

Auditory Instruction

have students read their writing aloud to practice revision

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2.) Reflect on and develop connections to the importance of Writing in the work you do in your disciplinary classrooms and contexts

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2.) Reflect on and develop connections to the importance of Writing in the work you do in your disciplinary classrooms and contexts

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Writing is important in an English classroom because it empowers students to think critically, communicate effectively, and express themselves. By teaching writing, students are able to not only pass mandatory standardized exams and assessments but are also able to further their personal growth by being able to explore what they're capable of as writers and communicators. Challenging students in this way may open doors to passions in writing, storytelling, and literature, they otherwise may not have discovered. Onward, writing is a transferable skill applicable beyond the classroom. Facilitating practical writing tasks (such as argumentative essays and opinion pieces) and teaching grammar prepare students for real-world applications.

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Writing Motivation: Why is it important to write?

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3.) Identify the role of Writing in serving all learners as part of equity and justice in your disciplinary contexts 

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3.) Identify the role of Writing in serving all learners as part of equity and justice in your disciplinary contexts 

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Strong writing is being able to think critically, express elaborately, and communicate effectively. In terms of justice, writing equips students with the skills to analyze societal issues and propose solutions. Onward, writing is essential to educational equity because it offers students from diverse cultural, linguistic, and socioeconomic backgrounds to share their unique perspectives. Writing also promotes equity by providing students with a safe space to reflect on their identity and challenges while helping them outline their goals and trajectories. This is equitable because not all learners have safe spaces so teaching writing teaches students how they can create their own safe space.