As I mentioned in my previous emails, Children's Reading Partners surveys teachers at the beginning and the end of our programs to see where students need help and how they have improved. I've been sharing weekly tips to address the areas where our students need the most help, based on the results of our fall evaluations. I want to thank you for taking the time to read these emails as these tips are designed to specifically target your students' area of literacy needs.

Our fall 2016 Elementary Express survey found that about half of all students in grades K through 3 need improvement in their oral language development. Broadly speaking, oral language encompasses the ability to use words to communicate knowledge, ideas, and feelings. It often goes hand-in-hand with vocabulary development.

A child's oral language development can be highly influenced by his or her exposure to language and print. Therefore, your weekly reading sessions - which expose your student to one-on-one conversations and reading experiences - inherently benefit his or her oral language development. You can continue to foster oral language development by holding discussions about the book you are reading together.  

How to help:
  • Before reading the book, ask your student, "What do you think this book will be about?"
  • During the story, pause to ask, "What do you think will happen next?" You can also ask your student to describe what is happening in the illustrations.
  • After the story, ask your student to reflect on the characters or plot with questions such as "Why do you think that happened?"
  • During your conversations, try to throw in some interesting or new words.
It's also helpful to talk to your student about how his or her day is going. As I mentioned earlier, a child's ability to express feelings is also a facet of oral language development. Whenever you read a book that explores a character's emotions, prompt your student to relate to the feelings expressed in the book by asking questions such as "Have you ever felt this way?" or "Why do you think the character was happy/upset/angry?"

Your weekly one-on-one conversations truly help our at-risk students develop oral language. In fact, their teachers often cite oral language as the skill that students who work with Children's Reading Partners Reading Mentors improve upon the most.

Thank you and happy reading!

Alana

Alana Butler
Director, Children's Reading Partners
860.727.6152