The most contributing element in terms of literacy in writing and reading is spoken language. Spoken language is how children express themselves verbally. We need to help the child bring to life her spoken language. Spoken language helps children develop the tools to learn how to read and write.
There are four areas where spoken language aids the child. The first is confidence. When the child is able to verbally express herself, she gains confidence. She feels excited to use her newly discovered language. Another area is creating ideas. Spoken language supports the child in developing ideas by talking about them with the adult and other children. The child is prepared to talk about her ideas because she is confident in herself. The child has the idea in her mind and now has the tools to bring those ideas to life. We support the child by creating classifications so it’s easier for her to understand. Another area that spoken language supports is vocabulary enrichment and language training. We help the child by giving them words to build their vocabulary and practice at perfecting it. The fourth area is to act as a role model. This means we must always be aware of the language we are using. It should be sophisticated and descriptive.
Spoken language helps children enter into their new community. We play games in spoken language that help the children orientate themselves to their new surroundings and new friends. We help the child feel comfortable working with the practical life materials. By talking to the children with respect and clarity, it will help the child gain confidence in her own abilities. We want to engage the child in conversations and give them the opportunity to speak and be heard. We especially want to give children the proper language to speak to others through grace and courtesy lessons. The child will know how to politely ask someone for help or to step away or to observe. These are skills that the child can take with her throughout her life when interacting with others.
There are three spoken language activities involved in spoken language. The first is vocabulary enrichment. These activities consist of life cycles, description or definition game, classified nomenclature cards, collecting classified objects, naming objects in the environment, oral grammar games, orientation game, parts of an object, practical life objects, related objects, stories of biological classification, and the sorting game. The aim of these activities is to help the child have an impression of the structure of language and to prepare the child for reading analysis and function of words. The child is also orientated to her environment through some of these activities. The second activity is language development and appreciation. These activities include; art folders, biome folders, conversations, cultural folders, land and water forms, my state, poems, question game, reading stories and storytelling. These activities are meant for the child to be prepared for written language and be a creative writer and a total reader. The third activity is three-period lessons. Three-period lessons are a way to solidify the information the children know in a lively, fun manner. Three-period lessons can be done with a variety of materials that support the child’s development.
When spoken language is flourishing in the environment, the children will reap the benefits.