Language and Literacy Development in Infants and Young Children with Disabilities

1. Language/Literacy Development Second Language Acquisition ECSE 602Instructional Programming for Infants and Young Children with Disabilities Dr. Y. Xu

2. The Four Cueing Systems • Grapho-phonological system deals with letter-sound correspondence • Syntactic system deals with language structure, grammar • Semantic system deals with meaning-making & vocabulary • Pragmatic system deals with social & cultural functions of language Dr. Y. Xu

3. The Reading Product • Should always be meaningful • Depends on comprehension Readers must be able to derive meaning from symbols and connect them to experiences & impressions from their own lives Dr. Y. Xu

4. Age-Appropriate Reading Materials Dr. Y. Xu

5. Home Literacy • Home literacy encompasses the ways parents, children, and extended family members use literacy at home and in their community. • Home literacy occurs naturally during the routines of daily living and helps adults and children “get things done.” • Home literacy may be initiated purposefully by a parent, or may occur spontaneously as parents and children go about the business of their daily lives. • Home literacy activities may also reflect the ethnic, racial, or cultural heritage of the family involves. • Home literacy activities may be initiated by outside institutions or agencies. Dr. Y. Xu

6. Home Literacy According to Leichter (1984), families influence literacy development in three ways: • Interpersonal interaction: literacy experiences shared with a child by parents, siblings, and other individuals at home • Physical environment: literacy materials available in the home • Emotional and motivational climate: relationships among the individuals in a home, especially as reflected in the parent’s attitudes toward literacy and their aspirations Dr. Y. Xu

7. Second Language Acquisition • Simultaneous second language acquisition • The child learns two languages simultaneously (before three years of age) • The developmental pathway appears to be similar to how monolingual children acquire language (McLaughlin 1984, 1995) • Sequential second language acquisition • Children learn a second language after three years of age • The language development follows a different progression • The development is highly sensitive to characteristics of the child and the language learning environment Dr. Y. Xu

8. Second Language Acquisition • According to Tabors and Snow (1994), sequential second language acquisition follows a four stage developmental sequence • Home language use • Nonverbal period • Telegraphic and formulaic speech • Productive language Dr. Y. Xu

9. Second Language Acquisition • Code switching • Switching languages for portions of a sentence • Language mixing • Inserting single items from one language into another Dr. Y. Xu

10. Second Language Acquisition • Two levels of language proficiency • Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills (BICS) • Conversational fluency, 2-5 years • Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (CALP) • Fluency in more technical, academic language, 4-7 years Dr. Y. Xu

11. Second Language Acquisition • Contexts of communication • Context-embedded communication • Context-reduced communication • Cognitive demands of communication • Cognitively undemanding communication • Cognitively demanding communication Dr. Y. Xu

12. Stages of Overall Second Language Development • The silent/receptive or preproduction stage • The early production stage • The speech emergence stage • The intermediate language proficiency stage • The advanced language proficiency stage Dr. Y. Xu

13. Concepts in Second Language Acquisition • “Comprehensible input” hypothesis • Intaking and understanding language that is a “little beyond” their current level of competence (Krashen, 1981) • “Comprehensible output” hypothesis • Providing opportunities to use the language and skills they have acquired at their competent level (Swain & Lapkin, 1995) • “Affective Filter” hypothesis • Individual’s emotional influence in the learning of a new language (Krashen, 1981; Krashen & Terell, 1983) Dr. Y. Xu

14. Instructional Methods for English Language Learners • Instruction using the native language • Transitional bilingual programs • Developmental bilingual programs (Ramirez, Yuen, & Ramey, 1991; Rennie, 1993) • Two-way immersion programs • Newcomer programs • Instruction using the native language as support • Embedded in general education curriculum Dr. Y. Xu

15. Instructional Methods for English Language Learners • Instruction using English as a second language (ESL) (Linguanti, 1999) • Grammar-based ESL • Communication-based ESL • Content-based ESL • Content-based instruction/Sheltered Instruction • Sheltered instruction observation protocol (SIOP) (Echevarria & Short, 2003) • Cognitive academic language learning approach (CALLA) (Chamot & O’Malley, 1994; Chamot & O’Malley, 1996; www.gwu.edu/calla/ ) Dr. Y. Xu