Language Development
As noted in previous sections, language undergirds literacy
and learning, and children’s command of academic language
in particular is related to present and future achievement.
Serious attention is given to developing children’s language,
yet instruction is age-appropriate and meaning-based. In other
words, new vocabulary (see next section) and complex sentence
structures are relevant for six-year-olds and serve real purposes:
to understand and appreciate increasingly complex texts,
learn new concepts and information in the content areas, and
communicate effectively and precisely.
A great deal of conversation about texts and content area
subject matter occurs in grade one. Children meet with different
partners to react to a character’s actions in a story, summarize a
brief selection from a text, tell what they learned after a content
investigation, and identify questions they want to ask. They are given think time to plan what they
are going to say and they are encouraged to say more about topics and to explain their comments
and ideas. They write in response to texts and content lessons and experiences, independently,
with a partner, or through dictation to older children or an adult. In doing so, they have repeated
opportunities to use new language.
They also have many of the same opportunities that kindergarteners have to immerse themselves
in a variety of language-based activities throughout the day. They use puppets to create or reenact
stories. They engage in sociodramatic activities and role playing. They participate in collaborative
explorations of content and creative problem solving. See other sections on language development in
this chapter.
Vocabulary Instruction
Vocabulary is acquired largely through interactions with text. In fact, wide reading has been
identified as the single most powerful factor in vocabulary growth (Cunningham and Stanovich 2003;
Stahl and Nagy 2006). Because most children in grade one are not yet able to read independently text
that is sufficiently sophisticated to expand language, it is critical that teachers continue to read aloud
to children from a range of literary and informational text. Reading aloud occurs daily with the entire
class and small groups. It occurs in every content area.
As they read aloud (and sometimes before they read
aloud), teachers provide child-friendly definitions of
selected unknown words. The definitions are stated in
terms children understand and are often accompanied by
several examples of usage. For example, before reading
Balloons Over Broadway: The True Story of the Puppeteer
of Macy’s Parade by Melissa Sweet (2011), teachers may
introduce the word marionette, the meaning of which is
important in the story. They pronounce the word carefully,
perhaps writing it on a chart and drawing a quick sketch,
and tell what it means and how it would be used in a
sentence. If possible, they share an actual marionette.
Teachers also provide instruction on how to make sense of unknown words while reading. They
teach children that both context (including images) and examination of word parts may support them
in gaining meaning. For example, in Pop! The Invention of Bubble Gum by Meghan McCarthy (2010),
the primary character is described as “a young accountant.” Teachers direct children to the sentence
Because most children in
grade one are not yet able to
read independently text that
is sufficiently sophisticated to
expand language, it is critical
that teachers continue to read
aloud to children from a range of
literary and informational text.Grade 1 Chapter 3 | 241