RDG 526: Language Acquisition
Program Requirements and Prerequisites: This course is required for the Early Childhood Education program. It is an elective for the Childhood
Education and Literacy B-6 programs.
Course Description: Examines theoretical and empirical aspects of first language acquisition and its development in speech and writing, including phonology, syntax, vocabulary, and pragmatics. It views acquisition across languages and (sub)cultures from linguistic, psychological, and social perspectives.
Attributes
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Literacy as Social Practice**
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Equity**
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Generate Productive Learning Communities*
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Engagement
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Reciprocal Relationships Across Modes of Communication**
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Strategic Teaching to Promote Self-Extending Learning*
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Assessment of Literacies and Their Development**
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Research Based Professional Learning*
Core Content
Speech Language and Communication
Properties of Language (social tool, rule-
Attributes
Possible Assignments
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(continued)
Respectful Representation of Students, Families and Communities*
Critical Literacies
Disciplinary Literacy/Knowledge Building*
Data Based Decision Making
Technologies and Digital Media
Materials and Resources
Prevention and Intervention*
Standards*
Personal Oral Language History
Reflective Journals on Readings
Possible Readings
Owens Jr., R.E (2012).
Pearson.
Language development: An introduction . Boston: governed system, generative)
Components of Language
Describing Language
Neurological Bases of Speech and Language
Cognitive, Perceptual, and Motor Bases of Early
Language and Speech
Transcript analysis / Language Sample (video provided for analysis)
Video analysis of children at varying ages
Analysis of teacher-child interactions
Inquiry Project
Resnick, L. B. & Snow, C.E. (2009).
Speaking and listening for preschool through third grade (revised edition).
Reading Association.
International
Vukelich, C., Christie, J., Enz, B. (2008).
Helping young children learn language and literacy: Birth- kindergarten, 3rd ed. New
York: Allyn & Bacon.

The Social and Communicative Bases of Early
Language and Speech
Language-Learning and Teaching Processes and
Young Children
A First Word and Word Combinations in Toddler
Talk
Preschool Pragmatic and Semantic Development
Preschool Development of Language Form
Early School-Age Language Development
School-Age Literacy Development
Variation across Cultures, Sub-Cultures and
Individuals
Tomasello, M. (2007). Cooperation and communication in the 2nd year of life. Child
Development Perspectives 1 (1), 8-12.
Wheeler, R.S., Swords, R., Carpenter, M.
(2004). Codeswitching: Tools of language and culture transform the culturally and dialectally diverse classroom. Language
Arts; 81 (6), 470 – 480.
Isenbarger, L., Arlette, I.W. (2006).
Intersection of theory and practice:
Accepting the language a child brings into the classroom. Language Arts; 84 (2), 125 – 135.
Heath, S.B. (1982) What no bedtime story means. Language in Society , 11 (2), 49-76.
Hart, B. & Risley, T. (2003). The Early
Catastrophe: The 30 million
Word Gap by Age 3. American Educator,
27(1), 4-9.
Farah, M.J. (2006). Childhood poverty:
Specific associations with neurocognitive development. Brain Research , 1110(1), 166-
174.
Corson, D., (1997). The learning and use of academic English words. Language
Learning: 47 (4), 671 – 718.
Dickinson, D.K. & Tabors, P.O. (2002).
Fostering language and literacy in classrooms and homes. Young Children , 10 –
18.

Neuman, S. B., & Dwyer, J. (2009). Missing in action: Vocabulary instruction in pre-k. The Reading Teacher , 62 , 384-392.
Dwyer, J., & Neuman, S. B. (2008).
Selecting books for children birth through four: A developmental approach. Early
Childhood Education , 35 , 489-494.
Schickedanz, J. (2008). Increasing children’s learning by getting to the bottom of their confusion. In L.M. Justice & C. Vukelich
(Eds.), Achieving excellence in preschool literacy instruction (pp. 182 – 197). New
York: Guilford.
Williams, J. A. (2001), Classroom conversations: Opportunities to learn for
ESL students in mainstream classrooms The
Reading Teacher 54 (8), pp. 750-757.
Delpit, L. (1995). Language diversity and learning.
Other people’s children:
Cultural conflict in the classroom. New
York: The New Press.
Cazden, C. B. (2001). Sharing time.
Classroom Discourse: The language of teaching and learning. Portsmouth, NH:
Heinemann.
Biemiller, A. (2003). Oral Comprehension
Sets the Ceiling on Reading Comprehension.
American Educator, 27 (1), 23-44.
Hirsch, E.D., (2003) Reading
Comprehension Requires World
Knowledge – of Words and the World.
American Educator, 27(1), 10-29.

Chall, J.S. & Jacobs, V.A. (2003). The classic study on poor Children’s
Fourth Grade Slump. American Educator,
27 (1), 14-15.