(Preschool to Kindergarten)
Oral language is of paramount importance in the early years of education. It is used to communicate, reflect, gather, process and present information and is rehearsal for reading and writing.
Students engage in speaking and listening in a wide range of activities, both in individual, small group and large group situations. Reading and writing are introduced in purposeful contexts within a rich literary environment and children practice their emergent skills through shared and individual activities. They are introduced to a range of strategies for accessing meaning from text and for constructing written communication, as well as experiencing a range of genres, both fiction and nonfiction.
Oral communication: listening and speaking
- Students use oral language for social interaction and to obtain knowledge of people, places, and things in their environment and in the wider community. They communicate needs, feelings and ideas. They participate appropriately in conversations, tell stories and events in sequence, and give and follow instructions. In order to learn to communicate effectively, children are given daily opportunities to listen and speak in authentic contexts.
Written communication: reading and writing
- Reading: Students enjoy playing and experimenting with reading behaviors as they practice reconstructing text. They show interest in books, stories, charts and songs. Students are read to daily, and have opportunities to read with and to one another, and to discuss what they have read. Through these experiences students gain an understanding of concepts about print.
- Writing: Students are curious about print. They enjoy playing and experimenting with writing by making marks to emulate writing. Drawing, sketching, and diagramming are important parts of early writing development as children imitate, rehearse, and think about the process. Students use representations of their name (and/or those of family members) in a variety of ways. Students are encouraged to write on a regular basis with or without support and guidance, either independently, in small groups, or with the whole class as part of the introduction to the Writing Workshop approach.
- Visual Communication: Viewing and Presenting: Students play, experiment, talk about, and relate to a variety of media. They enjoy using media to make sense of their world and learn to respond both verbally and nonverbally. They show a natural curiosity and interest in many forms of familiar visual communication and, with guidance and support, make connections between the real and the imaginary