Entry #3 Relationship between oral language and the reading process

We all gather around the newest member of our extended family as he begins to make sounds in response to our smiles and encouraging words.  At only three months old, he can squeal, coo, and, of course, cry.   These are the beginnings of oral language development that will continue on until he is able to form words, then phrases, and finally complete sentences.  The input from caretakers is essential for the process of language acquisition where no real explicit teaching is necessary.  A rich environment scaffolds and supports his oral language development.  His parents, sisters, and extended family members all model for him and he absorbs it like a sponge.  He is a very real example that children are born with an innate capacity for acquiring language.

When thinking about the relationship between oral language and the reading process two strategies come to mind.  Modeling and scaffolding are two important strategies for acquiring both oral language and learning to read.

As he continues to grow and develop, he will be read to by many members of his family and will begin to see the relationship between pictures, print, and the spoken word.  Again, this will provide the beginnings of learning to read and when the time comes for him to enter formal school, he will already have a strong foundation on which to build future learnings.

Research supports the notion that language acquisition is innate but also needs to be developed through   deliberate and systematic methods.  On the other hand, reading is not innate yet it is directly connected to oral language.  Especially for the ESL student, both oral language and the reading process need to be embedded together with strategic methods used for supporting both skills.