1. Facilitating Early Language Learning
Chapter 5
Facilitating Early Language Learning
Chapter 5 Facilitating Early Language Learning.

2. Explicit Vocabulary Instruction
Provide purposeful exposure to new words.
Intentionally teach word meaning.
Select words that are important for comprehension and useful in everyday interaction.
Teach word learning strategies.
Create opportunities to use newly learned words in many curriculum contexts.
As a teacher, you have the opportunity to not only develop relationships with many children, but you have the opportunity to offer children new words and meaning. The word vocabulary refers to children’s knowledge of word meanings. Not only is vocabulary one of the key components of language acquisition, it also plays an important role in reading comprehension and academic success.
Explicit or intentional vocabulary instruction includes : providing purposeful exposure to new words. Intentionally teaching word meaning. Selecting words that are important for comprehension and useful in everyday interaction. Using word learning strategies (asking questions, giving hints etc.) Creating opportunities to use newly learned words in many curriculum contexts.

3. Approaches to Defining Words
Illustration/Model - use visual support such as a picture, gesture, or example.
Analyze – ask children to analyze how word is related by comparing/contrasting.
Embed/Define - provide definition of the word in the context that it appears.
Contextualize/Extend - guide children to apply word knowledge by using the word in a new context.
Some approaches to defining words are:
Illustration model – use visual support such as a picture, gesture or example.
Analyze- ask children to analyze how a words are related by comparing and contrasting.
Providing a definition of the word in the context that it appears is to embed or define a word.
Contextualize and extend words by guiding children to use words in a new context.

4. Teacher Discourse
What types of questions are used in IRE discussion? What questions are used in the reciprocal interaction? To whom were the children responding? Did children have an opportunity to pose questions? How did the teacher expand the children's language?
Teacher Discourse is How teachers decide to teach new words to children. Imitation, Response, Evaluation or IRE is often used by teachers at various times during the course of a day to communicate with children. As defined on page 99 of the text “IRE is a pattern of classroom talk in which the teacher asks a question, a student answers and the teacher either accepts or rejects that answer and then goes on to ask another question.
When the teacher stops here, he is testing the students and missing opportunities to build children’s vocabulary and build children’s knowledge of the world around them. There are many other strategies teachers can use to enhance children’s word knowledge and comprehension.

5. Effective Dramatic Play Centers
Choice of setting ‑ using familiar themes and culturally sensitive props.  
Amount of time ‑ complex plots and characters require minimum of 30 minutes to evolve.  
Involved teacher ‑ acting as an appreciative audience, stage‑manager, and/or co‑player.
You can look at Dramatic play centers as places of language learning and language enrichment. Some of the ways teachers support learning in Dramatic Play are:
Choosing what goes in the setting by using familiar themes and culturally sensitive props.
Allowing ample amount of time ‑ complex plots and characters require minimum of 30 minutes to evolve.  
Be an involved teacher ‑ acting as an appreciative audience, stage‑manager, and/or co‑player.

6. Effective Sharing Time
Group size - should be "small enough to reduce shyness, encourage interaction, permit listeners to examine the object, and afford everyone a long enough turn without tiring the group.
Active involvement - listeners should be encouraged to participate by asking questions of the child who is sharing.
Effective Sharing time. Offering children an opportunity to share can be very effective:
Group size - should be "small enough to reduce shyness, encourage interaction, permit listeners to examine the object, and afford everyone a long enough turn without tiring the group.
Active involvement - listeners should be encouraged to participate by asking questions of the child who is sharing.

7. Language Modeling and Conversations
The office of Head Start has several short video suites you can view to support language modeling and conversations.
Click on the link above or copy and paste into your browser to find the Inservice suites for both preschool and Infants and Toddlers.