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Definition: Oral language is verbal/spoken communication that is used to convey emotions, ideas, and values. Oral language skills are tied to reading ability. Oral language skills include learning to navigate phonological components of language, semantics, and syntax--which are all important concerning reading comprehension (Rocket Reading, 2024). As said by speech-language pathologist Dr. Julie Washington in the webcast From Babbling to Books, oral language skills provide the foundation for reading in the future (Risley et al., 2014).

Connecting: Oral language is important to a psychology classroom because classroom dialogue is essential when studying psychology. These conversations in class can help to foster a deeper understanding for children. The Socratic method, a dialogue between teachers and students initiated by the probing of questions (Conor, 2024), is frequently used in psychology. Psychology also involves a lot of reading and needs students with good reading comprehension. Therefore, students need to have these developed oral skills to properly participate in class.

Equity and Inclusion: Oral language is important to equity and inclusion because the language that we use can direct inclusion into our classrooms. What I mean by this is, that the proper use of unbiased and inclusive language can help build this environment for students. Biased language can perpetuate demeaning and create prejudice within a classroom (American Psychological Association, 2023). Oral language encompasses the vocabulary we use and the meaning behind our words. Therefore, we must use oral language correctly to avoid creating prejudgements and biases.

Resources:

American Psychological Association. (n.d.). Bias-free language. American Psychological Association. https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/bias-free-language

Basics: Oral language. Reading Rockets. (n.d.-a). https://www.readingrockets.org/reading-101/reading-and-writing-basics/oral-language

From babbling to books: Building pre-reading skills. Reading Rockets. (n.d.-b). https://www.readingrockets.org/helping-all-readers/voices-experts/webcasts/babbling-books-building-pre-reading-skills

Kruse, S. (2023, February 23). The socratic method: Fostering critical thinking. The Institute for Learning and Teaching. https://tilt.colostate.edu/the-socratic-method/

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Definition: Phonological awareness is a group of skills related to recognizing parts of spoken words. Phonological awareness refers not to words that are read but words that are spoken, it is an auditory skill (What Is Phonological Awareness, 0:15-0:27) A few examples of these skills include identifying words that rhyme, counting syllables in a word, recognizing alliterations, and segmenting a sentence into words (Reading Rockets, 2024). The last and most sophisticated skill to develop is phenomic awareness, which includes manipulating sounds in words.

Connection: Phonological awareness is important in a psychology classroom because it is critical for reading development. Similar to a regular science class, students are constantly taught new concepts, with new concepts come new words. Students must have these phonological tools to break these words down. Many subdisciplines within psychology need to understand what phonological awareness is as it is a major aspect of cognitive development for young kids.

Equity & Inclusion: Phonological awareness seems like an easy skill, however, it can be a difficult skill to acquire for those with dyslexia. Dyslexia is defined "as a language-based reading disability"(International Dyslexia Association, 2024). This means students with dyslexia can easily fall behind in class. A couple of ways to help students who may struggle with these skills is by using these adjustments...

1. Ask students to recognize whether words have been pronounced correctly.

2. Ask students to watch as you pronounce new names or words.

3. Orally rehearse the repetition of phrases and sentences that are being written.

4. Provide written, or graphical support when spoken language must be processed (Moats & Tolman, 2009).

Using these strategies can help create equity in the classroom for those with reading and language disabilities.

Resources:

Basics: Phonological and Phonemic Awareness. Reading Rockets. (n.d.). https://www.readingrockets.org/reading-101/reading-and-writing-basics/phonological-and-phonemic-awareness

Moats, L, & Tolman, C (2009). Excerpted from Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling (LETRS): The Speech Sounds of English: Phonetics, Phonology, and Phoneme Awareness (Module 2). Boston: Sopris West.

Oral language impairments and dyslexia. International Dyslexia Association. (2020, April 1). https://dyslexiaida.org/oral-language-impairments-and-dyslexia-2/

Understood. (2019). What Is Phonological Awareness? Retrieved September 17, 2024, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0G6teawxls&t=32s.

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Definition: The ultimate goal of phonics and phonological learning is to help children understand the relationship between letters and their sounds to help them "decode" words (Reading Rockets, 2024). Letters have a systematic and predictable pattern in written language, phonics help students to understand this pattern. Decoding is using your knowledge of phonics and letter-sound correspondence (Reading Rockets, 2024). In simple terms decoding is sounding out words.

Connecting: Phonics and decoding are important to psychology classrooms because phonics and decoding are important skills for overall reading comprehension. In psychology classrooms, you interpret texts like research articles, theories, and case studies. Having quality phonic and decoding skills can help students easily grasp ideas from these intricate texts.

Equity and Inclusion: Phonics and decoding are important to equity and inclusion as they help those with reading/learning disabilities. Early training in these fields has been shown to help children who are at risk or already have learning disabilities improve thier reading skills (Dessemontet et al., 2019). Teaching these skills is important to ensure all students have access to the foundational skills of reading. Teachers are also able to adapt their teaching instructions when needed for those who may need extra support in this area.

Resources:

Basics: Phonics and decoding. Reading Rockets. (n.d.). https://www.readingrockets.org/reading-101/reading-and-writing-basics/phonics-and-decoding

Sermier Dessemontet, R., Martinet, C., de Chambrier, A.-F., Martini-Willemin, B.-M., & Audrin, C. (2019). A meta-analysis on the effectiveness of phonics instruction for teaching decoding skills to students with intellectual disability. Educational Research Review, 26, 52–70. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2019.01.001

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Definition: Print awareness is a child's first introduction to literacy (Reading Rockets, 2024). As a child you can see print everywhere, however, seeing it is different than comprehending it. Print awareness is the understanding that there is meaning behind the words pasted on billboards, menus, and books. Being able to understand that the words and letters are organized systematically also plays a part as well. This skill does not come innately, it is developed through intervention and specific strategies implemented by parents or teachers. For example, children can watch adults' reactions to a text and see that there is something behind it. Parents and other adults can also point out words and phrases that surround the child (Reading Rockets, 2024).

Connection: Print awareness is important to psychology classrooms in many different ways. To begin with, psychology classrooms come with reading and deciphering many different research articles, theories, and case studies. Print awareness can help students understand the structure of the texts, this includes the use of headings, subheadings, citations, etc. Secondly, with these articles and texts come data graphs and tables which must be decoded. Print awareness can also help with the understanding of what each chart and graph is trying to represent. Finally, print awareness can help one evaluate sources. There is an infinite amount of resources which are available to students these days, with proper print awareness skills, students can decide which sources are more reliable compared to a different source.

Equity and Inclusion: Children who have developing print awareness skills understand that print/text has different functions and meanings based on the context in which is it used (Reading Rockets, 2024). Therefore, if we can expose children to multicultural texts we can level the reading field for students, allow them access to understanding these resources, and mold students into informed citizens. Exposing students to these multicultural texts can help all students understand the text regardless of culture. It also allows them to have access to understanding texts for the rest of their educational career, increasing the amount of resources they can interpret. We can also tailor our instruction to meet the needs of students with learning disabilities and language barriers.

Resources:

Basics: Print awareness. Reading Rockets. (n.d.-a). https://www.readingrockets.org/reading-101/reading-and-writing-basics/print-awareness

Print awareness: Introduction. Reading Rockets. (n.d.-b). https://www.readingrockets.org/reading-101/reading-101-learning-modules/course-modules/print-awareness

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Definition: Fluency is the ability to read aloud while reading at an adequate pace and proper expression. Students who have underdeveloped fluency skills may have choppy slow speech. Those who have well-developed fluency skills can focus thier attention on what the text means rather than decoding it(Reading Rockets, 2024). When a student is working so hard to decode the words, there is little capacity left for comprehension (Reading Rockets, 2024). I used to have issues with my fluency in reading. I would read word-by-word slowly with many breaks. To help me fix this issue, my teacher would assign me a paragraph to go home and read to my parents to practice reading aloud.

Connection: Fluency is an important skill for psychology classrooms for a few reasons. To begin with, fluency can foster confidence in students when presenting or participating in class. This allows for a more engaging learning in environment for all students. Secondly, fluency helps students focus on compreheding text rather the mechanical aspects of reading. Finally, having proper fluency skills allows for readiness of higher education. It is vital for success in higher grades and advanced studies.

Equity and Inclusion: To begin with, students who experience poverty, are students of color, multilingual, and those who are identified with disabilities are faced with multiple barriers which can impede their literacy development (Integrated Comprehensive Systems For Equity, 2024). By supporting fluency skills in school we can help to bridge the gaps that appear to be a pattern in schools. Fluency is an important skill especially for those who are multi-lingual. Promoting fluency between their native language and English is important for full classroom participation. Also, promoting fluency in different languages can create a more culturally responsive classroom.

Reasources:

Basics: Fluency. Reading Rockets. (n.d.-a). https://www.readingrockets.org/reading-101/reading-and-writing-basics/fluency

Fluent reading. Reading Rockets. (n.d.-b). https://www.readingrockets.org/reading-101/launching-young-readers/fluent-reading

ICS Equity. (2024, June 18). 7 steps to literacy equity in the science of reading. https://www.icsequity.org/literacy-equity-in-the-science-of-reading/#What_Is_Literacy_Equity

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Definition: Reading comprehension means taking the words we read and making meaning from them (Reading Rockets, 2024). When we are truly reading we are doing more than just decoding words. A skilled reader can construct meaning from the text. Comprehension involves using personal experiences, knowledge of the world, morphology, vocabulary, language structure, and reading strategies to bring meaning and understand what they are reading (Reading Rockets, 2024). Actively engaging with a text can help deepen a child's understanding of the text and make them more likely to remember what they learned. Comprehension can also be furthered when students either write or talk about what they have read (Reading Rockets, 2024).

Connecting: Reading comprehension is essential in psychology classrooms because it enables students to engage deeply with psychological concepts and theories. Psychology relies heavily on theories like Piaget's stages of cognitive development or Maslow's hierarchy of needs. When students can fully understand these theories through text, they can apply them to real-world situations. Also, one of the main ways new findings are shared is through research studies. comprehension is important for evaluating and analyzing sources like this.

Equity and Inclusion: Reading comprehension is vital to fostering equity and inclusion because developing read comprehension ensures that individuals can access, understand, and engage with information. Students who have strong comprehension skills can determine what is important, what is fact, and what caused something to happen (Reading Rockets, 2024). Being able to do all of this can allow for participation in many different aspects of adult life.

Resources:

https://www.readingrockets.org/reading-101/reading-101-learning-modules/course-modules/comprehension

https://www.readingrockets.org/reading-101/reading-and-writing-basics/reading-comprehension#more-on-comprehension

https://www.readingrockets.org/helping-all-readers/why-some-kids-struggle/target-problem/comprehension

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Definition: Your vocabulary is a set of words that you know the meaning and pronunciation of. An individual's vocabulary determines how well they understand what they read and hear as well as their ability to communicate (Reading Rockets, 2024). Vocabulary plays a major role in our ability to learn how to read. It is key to reading comprehension as students can not comprehend what they are reading if they do not know the meaning behind the words (Reading Rockets, 2024). There are four types of vocabulary; listening, speaking, reading, and writing vocabulary all contribute to our understanding of the words around us (Reading Rockets, 2024).

Connecting: Developing a large vocabulary is important in a psychology classroom as it will allow you to better understand key concepts. The discipline of psychology relies heavily on terminology that can not easily be replaced by simple language. An example term is classical conditioning. Knowing this vocabulary would also encourage effective communication in the classroom.

Equity and Inclusion: Developing a child's vocabulary will help their inclusion in conversations in the future. For example, if you cannot understand the words being used in a conversation between peers it is hard to participate. Having a developed vocabulary allows you to better understand all the words around you.

Resources:

https://www.readingrockets.org/reading-101/reading-101-learning-modules/course-modules/vocabulary

https://www.readingrockets.org/reading-101/reading-and-writing-basics/vocabulary

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Definition: Writing is not a skill, but a combination of a large set of skills. Basic writing skills like spelling, punctuation, and sentence structure are important for effective communication (Reading Rockets, 2024). Text generation is another skill essential in writing. Text generation involves word choice and translating our thoughts into content (Reading Rockets, 2024). However, just putting your thoughts on paper is not always enough. Writing also includes editing and revising your work (Reading Rockets, 2024).

Connecting: In the discipline of psychology the majority, if not all knowledge, is expressed in some form of writing. Being able to express your ideas or findings properly in writing is essential in a psychology classroom. Not to mention writing can also help with the comprehension of materials (Reading Rockets, 2024). Therefore, writing about different psychological topics can help students better understand the content in class.

Equity and Inclusion: Writing is important to equity and inclusion as it helps to amplify diverse voices. Writing can be a means of self-expression for individuals from all different backgrounds and cultures. Also, writing can help those who are verbally unable to express themselves do so. Allowing people of differing abilities, cultures, and backgrounds to express themselves is important to equity and inclusion.

Resources:

https://www.readingrockets.org/reading-101/reading-and-writing-basics/writing

https://www.readingrockets.org/reading-101/reading-101-learning-modules/course-modules/comprehension