Methods for Teaching Language and Literacy to Young Children as Part of a Developmental Curriculum
EssayChat / Feb 17, 2020
Introduction
Within the educational arena, and particularly among educators and researchers who are focused on the developmental curriculum related to literacy and language, is the ongoing debate about the best method to teach language and reading to young children. For some educators, the issue comes down to one of using phonics to teach children how to understand the sounds of letters and words. However, the use of phonics to teach literacy and language is far from the only developmentally appropriate method (Xue & Miesels, 2004). The purpose of the paper is to examine several developmentally appropriate methodologies in teaching literacy and language to young children across a developmental curriculum. The methodologies that are presented are explained in relation to their purpose in terms of teaching language and literacy, as well as how they might be used in the classroom in actual practice. The information that is examined will show that rather than a single methodology being appropriate for teaching literacy and language to young children, a variety of actions and methods that are designed to engage children in reading and speech activities while also instructing them on the basic concepts of language should be used.
The basis for much of the discussion about the best method to use to develop literacy and language in young children involves the debate between the use of phonics and whole language. The phonics method of teaching literacy and language is based on the idea that children need to learn basic principles of language in order to develop their language skills. By learning concepts such as the sounds of specific letters and the sounds of vowels, children can then begin to develop the ability to determine the spelling of entire words. With the basic knowledge of the sounds of words and the ability to discern those sounds in order to determine how to spell words, young children, particularly children in kindergarten and first grade, have shown increased language and literacy skills over students who do not receive phonics instruction (Xue & Miesels, 2004).
In comparison, whole language is based on the idea that reading and language development should occur in a natural manner involving entire words and texts. Rather than teaching children the codes or phonics of language, children should receive language and literacy training and development that resembles the way in which people actually read and use language. In addition, whole language instruction is often identified as being child-centered because children are encouraged to explore words and texts that interest them. In this regard, children are more likely to construct meaning from the words they are learning as opposed to only focusing on sounds and spelling without any meaning of the words in question.
The research that has been conducted on the use of phonics and whole language has shown that the meaning of words is important for both methods. Even with the use of phonics to teach literacy and language to children, the actual words and texts that are used should be meaningful and provide a way for children to interact with the stories and materials. In this regard, phonics is really not about solely teaching the sounds and codes of language, but instead is about using the basic elements of language in order to help children develop the ability to read and the ability to use language in a meaningful manner. Even more, research (Xue & Miesels, 2004) has shown that the use of a combination of both phonics and whole language instruction can create better language and literacy development in children. The reason for this is that children are being instructed in a way that teaches them the basic elements of language, but also ensures that they are also focused on the actual meanings of words and how words can be used to create stories and explanations of ideas and events.
In a related way to the idea that phonics and whole language should not be viewed as being contrasted to each other in terms of the development of literacy and language in young children, research has also demonstrated that an important part of the larger methodology of teaching language and literacy to young children is the actual environment in which they learn (Nielsen & Monson, 1996). Specifically, the environment in which children are instructed with regards to language and literacy should be a place in which they have the ability to interact with both written and verbal language. Language instruction should not be viewed as something that can be taught to young children with the expectation that they will immediately understand concepts without actually interacting with those concepts. In this way, children need to have a variety of books to read, as well as activities that allow them to create stories and share those stories with each other.
Even more, children should be able to incorporate play into their language and literacy development. One way in which this might be achieved is to have specific areas in the classroom in which children can create shows or plays to physically act out stories that they have created. The shows provide the ability to help students move from the written word to the spoken word. Through the social interactions that occur, children are able to create meaning for how language can be used to convey ideas to others, as well as to receive ideas and information.
Another part of the larger methodology for teaching language and literacy to young children has been identified as a print referencing style of instruction (Justice, Kaderavek, Fan, Sofka & Hunt, 2009). The print referencing style of language and literacy instruction might be described as one in which teachers involve students in the actual words that are contained in a book by asking questions or indicating specific interest in certain words. For example, when reading a book, a teacher might use his or her finger to help guide the students' eyes to the words that are being spoken. Another activity might be to point out specific words as a way of helping students recognize the words, such as pointing out the word "heavy" in a story about someone who is lifting a heavy box.
Research has shown that preschool children that have received print-referenced instruction are better developmentally prepared to reading and language use when they begin to school as compared to preschoolers that have not received print-referenced instruction (Justice, Kaderavek, Fan, Sofka & Hunt, 2009). The importance of the print-referenced methodology of teaching language and literacy would seem to be that children are exposed to both the actual sounds of words, as well as the larger meanings that can be created when words are used in a larger context, such as in a story. Rather than children passively listening to a teacher read a book, children are actually actively engaged in the language that is used and the meaning that is created. Returning to the debate over phonics vs. whole language, the print referenced methodology of language and literacy instruction, much like the idea of having a classroom environment in which children can use and create language, is about providing both the basic knowledge of letters and sounds while also showing students who to connect those letters and sounds to larger words and even larger sentences.
Another way in children can be encouraged to actually interact with language while also learning the basics of letters and sounds might be labeled as phonological instruction. What is meant by the idea of phonological instruction is that teachers help young children develop a phonological awareness of words in relation to how they are used in stories and songs. For example, while reading a book, a teacher might point out that some of the words rhyme with each other. By introducing the concept of rhyming, the teacher can then engage the students to think of groups of words that rhyme with each other. The teacher can also list the words so that the students can see how words that sound similar might be spelled similarly or have similar vowel patterns. The overall result is that students begin to make connections about the sounds of letters, the spelling of words, and even way that words sound when they are spoken.
An important issue that has been raised in relation to instruction that is based on creating phonological awareness in young children is the desire to create attention and interest toward the instruction that is provided. Engaging students in an active way to allow them to interact with the instruction that is occurring is important for true language and literacy development. When children can actually interact with the information and concepts and use them in actual practice, they are more likely to connect with those ideas and create long-term meaning (Phillips, Clancy-Menchetti & Lonigan, 2008). As with the other language and literacy methods that have discussed, the key element in developing language and literacy skills in young children is the ability to help them actively engage in the use of language.
In an actual classroom setting, the use of small groups of children that actually have develop levels of language develop can be one method in which all students can benefit from language and literacy instruction. The idea of placing children that are at different levels of language development together is to allow them to interact with each other in order to learn phonological awareness. In the small groups, the students can be given specific tasks, such as taking turns reading a story or by discussing the characters and meaning of a story that had just be read in class by the teacher. In the small group, students are likely to ask questions of each other and to provide ideas about the content of a story. The interactions that occur in the small groups not only help all of the students improve their language and literacy skills, but also improve their ability to engage with each other using the skills that they are developing (Ukrainetz, Cooney, Dyer, Kysar & Harris, 2000).
The ability to have students interacting and engaging with each other certainly cannot occur in a vacuum. Instead, the students must have been provided language instruction, such as through the use of phonics, print referencing, and phonological awareness. In fact, all of these methods of teaching language and literacy and helping students develop their language abilities can come together in the small groups as students interact with each other and use the skills that they have obtained. Yet again, what is demonstrated is that the development of language and literacy skills in young children does not occur through the use of a single instructional method. Instead, language and literacy development is about learning basic ideas and concepts and then actively engaging with those concepts to create meaning on a personal level and with others.
Another method that has been put forth for helping young children develop language and literacy skills is to have students reflect on both the language and content of stories that are ready in the classroom. A teacher that is reading a book about a girl going to the beach might pause in reading the story and make a comment about the number of people on the beach in the story or the way in which the girl is dressed or the items that she is taking to the beach. In making these observations, the teacher draws the attention of the students to the specific characteristics of the characteristics of settings in the story. Then, the teacher might ask the students questions about the pictures in the book, such as to describe whether it is a sunny or cloudy day at the beach or asking why the girl might be taking an umbrella to the beach.
By asking specific questions of students and by having them engage in making observations and using language to describe the characters in a book, teachers are helping students to develop the use of oral language skills and the ability to communicate orally with others. Research has found that when language and literacy development for young children is based on interactions in terms of being able to use written and oral communication, the result is that both written and oral language development are improved (Mol, Bus & de Jong, 2009). This is another means by which the idea that the curriculum for language and literacy development in young children should not be based on a single instructional method. Young children should not solely receive instruction in how to spell words or the meanings of words. Instead, they should also receive instruction in how to put words together to describe events and situations. Even more, children should be allowed to interact with the actual stories and instructional materials, as well as each other in order to more fully development their language and literacy skills.
Conclusion
The purpose of this paper has been to examine developmentally appropriate methodologies in teaching language and literacy to young children within a developmental curriculum. The methodologies that have been discussed have ranged from broad perspectives on language instruction, such as phonics and whole language, to more specific methods of how to increase the level of interaction between students in order to allow them to engage with both oral and written language usage. The information and ideas that have been presented within this analysis have shown that a single methodology for developing language and literacy within young children is not appropriate and not even realistic. Instead, a variety of methods should be used that serve to provide both information and knowledge about the basic elements of language, such as sounds, while also helping students to connect those concepts to the larger way in which words are put together and used to present information and ideas to others. By combining the basic concepts of phonics and whole language with a variety of classroom methods that are designed to allow students to interact with language and use language in a meaningful way with other students, teachers can increase the developmental outcomes of young children in relation to language and literacy. In contrast, attempting to use a single method of instruction would only serve to make language and literacy instruction more difficult and decrease the possibility of the strongest outcomes possible for students with regards to their language and literacy development.
REFERENCES
Beauchat, K. A., Blamey, K. L. & Walpole, S. (2009). Building preschool children's language and literacy one storybook at a time. The Reading Teacher, 63(1), 26-39.
Justice, L. M., Kaderavek, J. N., Fan, X. Sofka, A. & Hunt, A. (2009). Accelerating preschoolers' early literacy development through classroom-based teacher-child storybook reading and explicit print referencing. Language, Speech and Hearing Services in Schools, 40, 67-85.
Mol, S. E., Bus, A. G. & de Jong, M. T. (2009). Interactive book reading in early education: A tool to stimulate print knowledge as well as oral language. Review of Educational Research, 79(2), 979-1007.
Nielsen, D. C. & Monson, D. L. (1996). Effects of literacy environment on literacy development of kindergarten children. The Journal of Educational Research, 89(5), 259-271.
Phillips, B. M., Clancy-Menchetti, J. & Lonigan, C. L. (2008). Successful phonological awareness instruction with preschool children. Topics in Early Childhood Special Education, 28 (1), 3-17.
Ukrainetz, T. A., Cooney, M. H., Dyer, S. K,, Kysar, A. J., Harris, T. J. (2000). An investigation into teaching phonemic awareness through shared reading and writing. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 15(3), 331-355.
Xue, Y. & Meisels, S. J. (2004). Early literacy instruction and learning in kindergarten: Evidence from the early childhood longitudinal study-Kindergarten Class of 1998-1999. American Educational Research Journal, 41(1), 191-229.
Within the educational arena, and particularly among educators and researchers who are focused on the developmental curriculum related to literacy and language, is the ongoing debate about the best method to teach language and reading to young children. For some educators, the issue comes down to one of using phonics to teach children how to understand the sounds of letters and words. However, the use of phonics to teach literacy and language is far from the only developmentally appropriate method (Xue & Miesels, 2004). The purpose of the paper is to examine several developmentally appropriate methodologies in teaching literacy and language to young children across a developmental curriculum. The methodologies that are presented are explained in relation to their purpose in terms of teaching language and literacy, as well as how they might be used in the classroom in actual practice. The information that is examined will show that rather than a single methodology being appropriate for teaching literacy and language to young children, a variety of actions and methods that are designed to engage children in reading and speech activities while also instructing them on the basic concepts of language should be used.
Methods for Teaching Literacy and Language
The basis for much of the discussion about the best method to use to develop literacy and language in young children involves the debate between the use of phonics and whole language. The phonics method of teaching literacy and language is based on the idea that children need to learn basic principles of language in order to develop their language skills. By learning concepts such as the sounds of specific letters and the sounds of vowels, children can then begin to develop the ability to determine the spelling of entire words. With the basic knowledge of the sounds of words and the ability to discern those sounds in order to determine how to spell words, young children, particularly children in kindergarten and first grade, have shown increased language and literacy skills over students who do not receive phonics instruction (Xue & Miesels, 2004).In comparison, whole language is based on the idea that reading and language development should occur in a natural manner involving entire words and texts. Rather than teaching children the codes or phonics of language, children should receive language and literacy training and development that resembles the way in which people actually read and use language. In addition, whole language instruction is often identified as being child-centered because children are encouraged to explore words and texts that interest them. In this regard, children are more likely to construct meaning from the words they are learning as opposed to only focusing on sounds and spelling without any meaning of the words in question.
The research that has been conducted on the use of phonics and whole language has shown that the meaning of words is important for both methods. Even with the use of phonics to teach literacy and language to children, the actual words and texts that are used should be meaningful and provide a way for children to interact with the stories and materials. In this regard, phonics is really not about solely teaching the sounds and codes of language, but instead is about using the basic elements of language in order to help children develop the ability to read and the ability to use language in a meaningful manner. Even more, research (Xue & Miesels, 2004) has shown that the use of a combination of both phonics and whole language instruction can create better language and literacy development in children. The reason for this is that children are being instructed in a way that teaches them the basic elements of language, but also ensures that they are also focused on the actual meanings of words and how words can be used to create stories and explanations of ideas and events.
In a related way to the idea that phonics and whole language should not be viewed as being contrasted to each other in terms of the development of literacy and language in young children, research has also demonstrated that an important part of the larger methodology of teaching language and literacy to young children is the actual environment in which they learn (Nielsen & Monson, 1996). Specifically, the environment in which children are instructed with regards to language and literacy should be a place in which they have the ability to interact with both written and verbal language. Language instruction should not be viewed as something that can be taught to young children with the expectation that they will immediately understand concepts without actually interacting with those concepts. In this way, children need to have a variety of books to read, as well as activities that allow them to create stories and share those stories with each other.
Even more, children should be able to incorporate play into their language and literacy development. One way in which this might be achieved is to have specific areas in the classroom in which children can create shows or plays to physically act out stories that they have created. The shows provide the ability to help students move from the written word to the spoken word. Through the social interactions that occur, children are able to create meaning for how language can be used to convey ideas to others, as well as to receive ideas and information.
Another part of the larger methodology for teaching language and literacy to young children has been identified as a print referencing style of instruction (Justice, Kaderavek, Fan, Sofka & Hunt, 2009). The print referencing style of language and literacy instruction might be described as one in which teachers involve students in the actual words that are contained in a book by asking questions or indicating specific interest in certain words. For example, when reading a book, a teacher might use his or her finger to help guide the students' eyes to the words that are being spoken. Another activity might be to point out specific words as a way of helping students recognize the words, such as pointing out the word "heavy" in a story about someone who is lifting a heavy box.
Research has shown that preschool children that have received print-referenced instruction are better developmentally prepared to reading and language use when they begin to school as compared to preschoolers that have not received print-referenced instruction (Justice, Kaderavek, Fan, Sofka & Hunt, 2009). The importance of the print-referenced methodology of teaching language and literacy would seem to be that children are exposed to both the actual sounds of words, as well as the larger meanings that can be created when words are used in a larger context, such as in a story. Rather than children passively listening to a teacher read a book, children are actually actively engaged in the language that is used and the meaning that is created. Returning to the debate over phonics vs. whole language, the print referenced methodology of language and literacy instruction, much like the idea of having a classroom environment in which children can use and create language, is about providing both the basic knowledge of letters and sounds while also showing students who to connect those letters and sounds to larger words and even larger sentences.
Another way in children can be encouraged to actually interact with language while also learning the basics of letters and sounds might be labeled as phonological instruction. What is meant by the idea of phonological instruction is that teachers help young children develop a phonological awareness of words in relation to how they are used in stories and songs. For example, while reading a book, a teacher might point out that some of the words rhyme with each other. By introducing the concept of rhyming, the teacher can then engage the students to think of groups of words that rhyme with each other. The teacher can also list the words so that the students can see how words that sound similar might be spelled similarly or have similar vowel patterns. The overall result is that students begin to make connections about the sounds of letters, the spelling of words, and even way that words sound when they are spoken.
An important issue that has been raised in relation to instruction that is based on creating phonological awareness in young children is the desire to create attention and interest toward the instruction that is provided. Engaging students in an active way to allow them to interact with the instruction that is occurring is important for true language and literacy development. When children can actually interact with the information and concepts and use them in actual practice, they are more likely to connect with those ideas and create long-term meaning (Phillips, Clancy-Menchetti & Lonigan, 2008). As with the other language and literacy methods that have discussed, the key element in developing language and literacy skills in young children is the ability to help them actively engage in the use of language.
In an actual classroom setting, the use of small groups of children that actually have develop levels of language develop can be one method in which all students can benefit from language and literacy instruction. The idea of placing children that are at different levels of language development together is to allow them to interact with each other in order to learn phonological awareness. In the small groups, the students can be given specific tasks, such as taking turns reading a story or by discussing the characters and meaning of a story that had just be read in class by the teacher. In the small group, students are likely to ask questions of each other and to provide ideas about the content of a story. The interactions that occur in the small groups not only help all of the students improve their language and literacy skills, but also improve their ability to engage with each other using the skills that they are developing (Ukrainetz, Cooney, Dyer, Kysar & Harris, 2000).
The ability to have students interacting and engaging with each other certainly cannot occur in a vacuum. Instead, the students must have been provided language instruction, such as through the use of phonics, print referencing, and phonological awareness. In fact, all of these methods of teaching language and literacy and helping students develop their language abilities can come together in the small groups as students interact with each other and use the skills that they have obtained. Yet again, what is demonstrated is that the development of language and literacy skills in young children does not occur through the use of a single instructional method. Instead, language and literacy development is about learning basic ideas and concepts and then actively engaging with those concepts to create meaning on a personal level and with others.
Another method that has been put forth for helping young children develop language and literacy skills is to have students reflect on both the language and content of stories that are ready in the classroom. A teacher that is reading a book about a girl going to the beach might pause in reading the story and make a comment about the number of people on the beach in the story or the way in which the girl is dressed or the items that she is taking to the beach. In making these observations, the teacher draws the attention of the students to the specific characteristics of the characteristics of settings in the story. Then, the teacher might ask the students questions about the pictures in the book, such as to describe whether it is a sunny or cloudy day at the beach or asking why the girl might be taking an umbrella to the beach.
By asking specific questions of students and by having them engage in making observations and using language to describe the characters in a book, teachers are helping students to develop the use of oral language skills and the ability to communicate orally with others. Research has found that when language and literacy development for young children is based on interactions in terms of being able to use written and oral communication, the result is that both written and oral language development are improved (Mol, Bus & de Jong, 2009). This is another means by which the idea that the curriculum for language and literacy development in young children should not be based on a single instructional method. Young children should not solely receive instruction in how to spell words or the meanings of words. Instead, they should also receive instruction in how to put words together to describe events and situations. Even more, children should be allowed to interact with the actual stories and instructional materials, as well as each other in order to more fully development their language and literacy skills.
Conclusion
The purpose of this paper has been to examine developmentally appropriate methodologies in teaching language and literacy to young children within a developmental curriculum. The methodologies that have been discussed have ranged from broad perspectives on language instruction, such as phonics and whole language, to more specific methods of how to increase the level of interaction between students in order to allow them to engage with both oral and written language usage. The information and ideas that have been presented within this analysis have shown that a single methodology for developing language and literacy within young children is not appropriate and not even realistic. Instead, a variety of methods should be used that serve to provide both information and knowledge about the basic elements of language, such as sounds, while also helping students to connect those concepts to the larger way in which words are put together and used to present information and ideas to others. By combining the basic concepts of phonics and whole language with a variety of classroom methods that are designed to allow students to interact with language and use language in a meaningful way with other students, teachers can increase the developmental outcomes of young children in relation to language and literacy. In contrast, attempting to use a single method of instruction would only serve to make language and literacy instruction more difficult and decrease the possibility of the strongest outcomes possible for students with regards to their language and literacy development.
REFERENCES
Beauchat, K. A., Blamey, K. L. & Walpole, S. (2009). Building preschool children's language and literacy one storybook at a time. The Reading Teacher, 63(1), 26-39.
Justice, L. M., Kaderavek, J. N., Fan, X. Sofka, A. & Hunt, A. (2009). Accelerating preschoolers' early literacy development through classroom-based teacher-child storybook reading and explicit print referencing. Language, Speech and Hearing Services in Schools, 40, 67-85.
Mol, S. E., Bus, A. G. & de Jong, M. T. (2009). Interactive book reading in early education: A tool to stimulate print knowledge as well as oral language. Review of Educational Research, 79(2), 979-1007.
Nielsen, D. C. & Monson, D. L. (1996). Effects of literacy environment on literacy development of kindergarten children. The Journal of Educational Research, 89(5), 259-271.
Phillips, B. M., Clancy-Menchetti, J. & Lonigan, C. L. (2008). Successful phonological awareness instruction with preschool children. Topics in Early Childhood Special Education, 28 (1), 3-17.
Ukrainetz, T. A., Cooney, M. H., Dyer, S. K,, Kysar, A. J., Harris, T. J. (2000). An investigation into teaching phonemic awareness through shared reading and writing. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 15(3), 331-355.
Xue, Y. & Meisels, S. J. (2004). Early literacy instruction and learning in kindergarten: Evidence from the early childhood longitudinal study-Kindergarten Class of 1998-1999. American Educational Research Journal, 41(1), 191-229.