ELAR Content Area Presentation

The content area for Languae Arts I am covering involves Kindergarten LA TEKS:(5)  Reading/Vocabulary Development. Students understand new vocabulary and use it correctly when reading and writing. Students are expected to:

(A)  identify and use words that name actions, directions, positions, sequences, and locations;

(B)  recognize that compound words are made up of shorter words;

(C)  identify and sort pictures of objects into conceptual categories (e.g., colors, shapes, textures); and

(D)  use a picture dictionary to find words.

Babies use babble when they are playing with sound. This is when they are learning patterns of sounds as they begin learning how to apply them to words.  As they move into toddlerhood, they begin to imitate inflections and facial expressions of the adults around them. Children at this age understand spoken words much more than they can speak them. Most children are saying two word sentences by the age of two. Children's vocabulary grow from a mere 200 to 300 words at the age of two, to a whopping 2,5100 words by the age of five.

As children enter school, teachers can use conversation as an assessment tool. I have created the following as an example of what issues teachers might be looking for in a kindergarten conversation.

Teachers can make notes on students that display lack of development and continue to assess them every week for developmental improvement. Understanding of dialects of different cultures and communities is important for the understanding of some issues. Providing activities that require language, like puppet shows and dramatic play, is a great way to promote oral language in young children.

Developing vocabulary is like building a layer. 1st there is learing the letters of the alphabet, and then the meanings of the letters. Next is learning the patterns of each letter. The English alphabet represents up to 44 sounds, but it only has 26 letters. Last comes the meaning. Once children learn that groups of letters can represent meaning it makes it a bit easier for them to build their vocabulary.

Once students are familure with words, they can begin looking for patterns that make up the words. (cat, bat, sat, mat, hat, rat) Have a good dictionary avalible for students to use, like the following:

Sort games are a great way to use hands on activitis while building language. Use picture and word sorts as well as word hunts in centers. Here is a web-site that includes games that help students connect words with pictures. English Vocabulary Games with Pictures

I have to remember, I am the example my students are watching and learning from. I must exibit good language skills while teaching and encouraging those same expectations from my students.

Works Cited

Bear, D. R., Invernizzi, M., Templeton, S., & Johnston, F. (1996). Words Their Way. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education, Inc.

Luis A. Rosado, E. (2010). The Best Teachers' Test Preparation for the TExES 191 Generalist EC-6. Piscataway: Research & Education Association.