This course covers the development of language in children and outlines experiences and techniques that enable children to further that development. You’ll learn how to promote oral language abilities through the active use of books, poetry, dramatic play and group discussions. You’ll gain insight into grammar, phonology and semantics; common speech problems, and language arts curricula that can help foster literacy in the classroom. The course also reviews the reading process along with various reading theories and issues.

Learning Outcomes

At the conclusion of the course, you should be able to

• Identify major factors that influence language development.
• Understand the Maturation (Normative), Predetermined/Innatist, Cognitive, and Constructivist Theories of language
• Define literacy, grammar, phonology, and semantics
• Understand the role adults play in children's language development
• Identify common speech problems
• Understand differences in children's language
• Understand the importance of early literacy
• Describe ways that teachers can promote literacy growth
• Incorporate Language Arts Curricula into daily instruction in order to support students
• Design a classroom environment that supports literacy for children
• Discuss multicultural book use
• Describe how story-telling can improve children's language development
• Understand how poetry and dramatic play can help improve children’s literacy
• Understand the correlation of reading and writing
• Analyze a parent's role in helping children's literacy

Topics Include

• Predictable Routines
• Strategies for lesson planning
• The Essentials of early Literacy
• Developing a literacy Environment

Additional Information:

In order to satisfy course requirements, class participants must participate in discussions, complete all course assignments on time (on or before the due date), and use graduate level writing/presentation for all written assignments. It is fine to turn in assignments ahead of time!