Blog # 3

There are many important ties between oral language and the process of learning to read.  Everyday, children experience new things in their life and learn new vocabulary.  The connection between how these words sound and what noise letters make in a word will be very important when the students start to learn phonics. “Decades of research summarized by the National Reading Panel (2000) demonstrates that young children need to be able to hear and recognize the sounds of language, and its vocabulary, in order to learn to read” (Learning Through Listening, 2011).  Using phonological awareness, students can recognize the sound each letter makes to be able to sound out a word they are reading, so then they can read the word in their head.  This link between the understanding of oral language and the development of reading skills should be an important part of the teaching of reading to students.  Teachers should make sure that they are developing the students’ listening skills prior to and concurrently with the development of reading skills.  According to Learning Through Listening (2011), “reading comprehension critically depends on the recognition of words and ideas in the context of what has already been learned. That is, comprehension relies on connecting to general background knowledge, previously learned vocabulary, the concepts and principles that tie words together, the oral discourse structures for telling stories, participating in conversation, giving directions, etc.”  The most important way for students to obtain this prior knowledge is through the learning of oral language.  Therefore, the more adept a student is at understanding and manipulating oral language, the easier that student will learn reading.  Overall there is a strong connection between oral language and the reading process.  When students are able to make a connection between oral language and reading they will be able to comprehend more and thus will have a greater understanding.

Source:

http://www.learningthroughlistening.org/Listening-A-Powerful-Skill/The-Science-of-Listening/Learning-Through-Listening-in-the-Digital-World/How-New-Technologies-are-Changing-the-Relationship-Between-Literacy-and-Listening/147/