Explain practices teachers can use for working with families to develop students’ language skills

• Gregory
• June 19, 2021

CHAPTER 6: ASSESSING AND TEACHING ORAL LANGUAGE

OVERVIEW

This chapter begins by describing three children with language difficulties.  To help them, it is important to understand both the content of language instruction and the strategies used to teach the language.  Language is a vehicle for communication that requires both receptive and expressive skills. Language consists of three principal components:  content, form, and use.  Although most children enter school having mastered many language skills, language continues to develop throughout the school years.  Some students with learning and behavior problems experience considerable difficulties in the development of expressive and/or receptive language skills.  These difficulties may occur in any one of the components of language.  In planning instruction for a student with language difficulties, it is important to consider the language skills the child has already developed, the skills that follow these developmentally, and whether or not English is the student’s first language.  New skills should be taught in context with intensive practice.  A section is included on how special education teachers can work with language specialists to implement RTI.  This chapter ends with activities to promote oral language skills.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

1. Describe the components of language including the main areas of language delays, as well as how they manifest in the development of content, form, and use of language.
2. Identify guidelines for teaching oral language, content, form, and use.
3. Detail the strategies and considerations on which teachers should focus when teaching culturally and linguistically diverse learners.
4. Explain practices teachers can use for working with families to develop students’ language skills.
5. List the procedures special education teachers might implement with language specialists to implement response to intervention (RTI).

FOCUS QUESTIONS

1. What forms of language instruction best address the two main areas of language delays?
2. What guidelines can assist in teaching oral language, content, form, and use?
3. What are the strategies and considerations on which teachers should focus when teaching culturally and linguistically diverse learners?
4. How can teachers work with families to develop students’ language skills?
5. How can special education teachers work with language specialists to implement RTI?