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Language Development
Daniela Cupples
EDU 511
Dr. Ferko

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Part #1: Understanding Language
1. Phonology (http://grammar.about.com/od/pq/g/phonologyterm.htm )
Phonology is the study of the sound structures in language. It describes the differences of meaning
expressed by sound and identifies and formulates patterns and rules regarding the underlying use of
sounds in a cluster of languages.
Phonological ability develops gradually from general to specific. It includes phonological awareness,
words, syllables, onsets and rimes, and phonemes. Phonological ability develops from basic listening to
word awareness, where students track words in sentences. Rime and alliteration skills develop as
students listen to storybooks and nursery rhymes during wordplay. Syllable awareness develops as
students clap, tap, blend, and segment words into syllables. After rime and alliteration students
progress to phonemic awareness, where they count, blend, identify and manipulate individual
phonemes.
Speaking example:
A kindergarten student may point to a rabbit in a book and say: I see a wabbit.
Writing example of a late emergent speller: The student understands directionality, uses letters and
some letter/sound matches.

Word Their Way pg. 99

2.

Morphology (http://grammar.about.com/od/mo/g/morphologyterm.htm )
Morphology is the study of systematic inner word structures. Morphology connects form and
meaning relationships of words. Morphology studies morpheme, the smallest unit of meaning
and includes prefixes, suffixes, roots, or bases.
Morphological ability develops through exposure to both oral and written language. In
kindergarten children hear and read many words that are composed of a single morpheme.
When a child is exposed to numerous instances of the concept that the addition of the letter s
denotes the plural form of a noun, then the child develops a general understanding of the
repeated pattern. Acquisition generally develops in the following order: present progressive,
plural, past irregular, possessive inflection, uncontractible copula, past regular, third person
regular, third person.
Speaking example:
When making rock candy, the child asks: "Is the candy rockening yet?"
Writing example:

https://ubccrwr202csl.wordpress.com/creative-writing/writing-samples/
Writing example of a 6th-grade student, the student consistently applies 3rd person regular.

3. Syntax (http://grammar.about.com/od/rs/g/syntax.htm )
Syntax is the study of sentence and phrase structure. It studies the arrangement of words
within a sentence, phrase or clause and the agreement of words when they are put together
in a sentence.
Syntax develops gradually. Most children enter kindergarten mastering basic syntax ability.
Solid syntax ability requires the proper application of correct organization and word order in
phrases and sentences. Syntax ability develops over time as students learn to formulate
increasingly complex sentences, phrases, and clauses.
Speaking examples:
A child that has not mastered basic syntax may use inconsistent word order and not use
proper subject word agreement.
Example: a child may say: Dog eat bone his.
An English learner may say: I is going to the concert tonight.
Writing example:

www.corestandards.org/assets/Appendix_C.pdf st
This example provides evidence that the child uses proper word order.

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4. Semantics (http://grammar.about.com/od/rs/g/semanticsterm.htm )
Semantics is the study of meaning of words and sentences in language. Semantics denotes
the knowledge and understanding of the meaning of words in the context of sentences.
Semantic ability or word knowledge develops over time and is important for vocabulary
acquisition. Children learn about layers of meaning for words as they learn and understand
different semantic concepts such as synonyms, antonyms, and homonyms. Preschool
children learn new word meanings from conversations with parents, family members, and
television programs. In school, children learn most new words from books and texts.
Speaking example:
The teacher asks the student to read the following sentence:
The sun came up; it was going to be a hot day.
As the student reads the text he says: The son came up; he was going to be hot.
The child applied the wrong homonym within the context of the sentence.
Writing example:

http://helpingwithwriting.com/images/WritingExamples/Sample02a.jpg
This student writing example illustrates confused homonym use. The student used the word mite
instead of might.

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5. Pragmatics (http://grammar.about.com/od/pq/g/pragmaticsterm.htm )
Pragmatics addresses the use of language in social contexts and conventions, it studies how
people produce and comprehend information through language.
Basic skills include: Using language for different purposes, such as introduction, greeting,
and demanding attention; changing language according to the needs of a listener or the
situation, such as talking differently on the playground or in the classroom; and following
rules for conversations and storytelling, such as establishing eye contact during
conversations, and the use of verbal and non-verbal signals.
Children gradually acquire pragmatics abilities, such as establishing eye contact and smiling
soon after birth. Pragmatic skills develop as children interact with others. Children learn the
rules of interaction through exposure, such as taking turns, changing topics, clarifying
information, appropriate personal space, and the use of non-verbal cues.
Speaking example:
A child sees a friend reach for some cookies and says, "Better not take those, or you'll get
even bigger." The child doesnt understand the socially acceptable use of language.
Writing example:

http://empoweringwriters.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/magic-ride-sample.jpg
This 2nd-grade writing example demonstrates a pragmatic understanding of using
appropriate conventions for writing a story.

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6. Further Information: Literacy

There is an extended interrelationship between listening, speaking, reading and writing.

Adults are able to use metacognition, they are aware of their own thinking and learning methods,
which supports the transfer of learned concepts from one literacy domain to another. Adults
understand that all written and spoken text has a purpose and a target audience and, therefore,
needs to be adjusted to best communicate with the target audience.
Part of the reading process is decoding, which involves translating written words into
spoken sounds and extracting meaning. The spelling process involves the encoding of words in
writing. Decoding and encoding skills, which develop interconnected, require a basic understanding
of concepts of print, phonological and phonemic awareness. Another integrated area is vocabulary
development.
Vocabulary development is an integral part of literacy; different types of vocabulary may be
domain specific, which means that the learner can only employ it within a certain context.
Receptive vocabulary is defined as the words a learner understands orally or in print. Productive
vocabulary is distinguished by the learners ability to use it both in oral and written language. Oral
vocabulary is vocabulary that the learner can employ listening and speaking. Reading vocabulary is
defined as vocabulary the learner identifies in printed form. Academic vocabulary is often domain
specific, comprised of multisyllabic words, derived from Greek or Latin, and needs to be understood
within the academic subject. The greater the overlap between the different types of vocabulary the
greater the learners understanding. Multiple exposures to new vocabulary help learners integrate
new words into their existing schema.
Both reading and listening require comprehension strategies to best support retention of
new information. Active listening involves making connections, asking for clarification, and
summarizing information. Comprehension is dependent on being able to decode text precisely and
fluently. Background knowledge of language, vocabulary, syntax, pragmatics, semantics, and life
experiences all support comprehension. The goal of writing and reading is to communicate
information concisely and effectively. The writing process, which consists the following
components: planning, composing, revising, editing and publishing, supports the progression of
effective writing.
Speaking to communicate, and listening to understand are both parts of the process a
learner needs to employ to actively engage in dynamic human interactions. In conclusion, the
acquisition of listening and speaking and reading and writing is continuously interconnected;
progress in one domain supports growth in other domain

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Part #2: Understanding Assessment
a) Forms of Assessment
Assessment provides the basis for instruction. Formal standardized assessments are
developed by the state and administered in a uniform manner by specifically trained personnel.
Standardized assessments screen students to identify the need for EL instruction and placement by
proficiency level. This type of assessment provides a snapshot of the students knowledge and
results are often delayed and sparse. Standardized tests monitor ELD and maintain accountability
for districts and schools.
Classroom teachers generally find classroom-based assessments more useful to gain a better
understanding of a students language acquisition, support needs, and progress. Diagnostic
assessment is used to assess a students needs in reading, listening, writing, and speaking. These
classroom-based assessments include writing samples, classroom projects, and activities.
An excellent assessment to establish a baseline snapshot of an English learners oral
proficiency is the SOLOM (Student Oral Language Observation Matrix), which should be
administered at the beginning of the school year. The SOLOM assesses comprehension, fluency,
vocabulary, pronunciations and grammar. Recording of student answers and use of the same
questions is recommended to document growth. Another assessment of oral proficiency is the
Social and Cognitive Listening and Speaking Anecdotal Record. This instrument is used to record a
students social and cognitive use of language; it records the interaction with others and within
groups.
Retellings are another form of performance-based assessment. Students write or tell what
they recall from a text they read or listen to. This authentic assessment requires higher order
thinking skills and employs the domains of reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Integral parts
of retelling are remembering information, drawing inferences from text, connecting text to personal
life experiences, sequencing and organizing information, employing language, and constructing
meaning. A rubric is used to record and evaluate the students responses.
Content area assessments is further recommended. Creating timelines, graphic organizers,
and phrases can provide insight into a students literacy development without requiring extensive
writing or reading.

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b) Informal Assessment Semantics and Syntax Ability: Retelling Activity
The class reads and discusses the weekly story in the California Treasures Language Arts
textbook together. Later, second grade students reread the story independently and write or
draw the main idea and important details on post-it notes.
After the introductory activity, I work one-on-one with Maria, an English learner. I ask Maria to
arrange her post it notes in sequential order and retell the story. As Maria retells the story I
record her efforts in the Retelling Profile.
Part of reading comprehension are semantic processing skills, therefore, Im particularly
focused on Marias ability to explain what happened in the story. To assess syntax ability, I
record Marias use of grammar.

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Step #3: Application
Activity #3 page 86 in the Echevarria and Graves text.

2nd Grade Guided Reading Day 1 Video

Video Transcript:
Boys and girls we have been doing some really important work with inferring. Havent we? And we know
that when we infer, we use clues from the text from the author and we combine them with our schema; the
things we already know. Then we put these two things together and then we make an inference.
So things we read and things we know help us to infer.
So, we are gonna do it today as we read the story called the Lonely Giant. This is a book about a lonely giant
and an old woman who lives in this cottage. And the giant is lonely and he is trying to get this womans
attention. But he doesnt do it in a very appropriate way. And we are gonna read to find what he does to try
to get her attention and why you think it doesnt work.
Before we read were gonna look at a couple of tricky words you might find as you read. So would you
please turn to page 4 in the text. There is gonna be a word at the top of the page that starts with a k, it
doesnt make a k sound. Who can find that word at the top that starts with a k? Point to it with your finger.
Who can tell me what that word is? Starts with a silent k. What do you think Liam?
Liam: knitting.
Sometimes ks at the beginning of the word are silent.
The activity in the video is an example of sheltered instruction because it uses a small group
activity, using leveled text, to support the learners at their level. The teacher introduces academic language
before the reading of the text. She introduces the word inference and reminds students that they use clues
from the text and combine them with what they already know to make an inference. The teacher also uses
the strategy of pre-teaching, she discusses the silent letter k in the word knitting and works on
strengthening the students understanding of phonemes. The teacher explains the word knitting, she
supports the development of semantics to help students understand the meaning of the word. She also uses
pragmatic non-verbal cues and gestures to convey the meaning of the word. The teacher refers to the
images in the story to help the students understand the challenging vocabulary word thrust. The teacher
models how to make an inference, he uses a visual chart to show the students the steps of the process.
At the beginning of the video the ratio of teacher to student talk is 90:10. The lesson becomes more
interactive as it progresses and the ratio moves towards 50:50. Students are asked to answer in complete
sentences. The teacher asks guiding questions to support the students understanding of the text. She
integrates schema and background knowledge. Students write their inferences on post-it notes and connect
reading, writing, listening and speaking in the activity.

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References
Acquisition/Development of Morphology: Specific Aspects of Noun- and Verb-Phrases. (n.d.). Retrieved
February 02, 2016, from http://www.hoboes.com/FireBlade/Politics/Texas/Morphological
Development/
Dunlap, C. Z., & Weisman, E. M. (2006). Helping English language learners succeed. Huntington Beach, CA:
Shell Educational Publ.
The Development of Phonological Skills. (n.d.). Retrieved February 02, 2016, from
http://www.readingrockets.org/article/development-phonological-skills
What is a Reading Error? (n.d.). Retrieved February 02, 2016, from
http://www.ling.upenn.edu/~wlabov/Papers/WRE.html