Begins to develop around 12 months
 Continues to develop beyond grade 6
 Grows through interaction with people
 Is more advanced than reading ability
 Determines level of reading
comprehension

Let’s take a look at the information
Where
•A
Included
•B
Findings
•C
Included
•D
Data
•E
Goal
•F
Who
•G
How
•H
When
•I
Hart and Risley
1995
An observation of
families to gather
language
information from a
range of
demographics over
an extended period
of time.
Hart and Risley
1995
An observation of
families to gather
language
information from a
range of
demographics over
an extended period
of time.

42 families
Hart and Risley
1995
An observation of
families to gather
language
information from a
range of
demographics over
an extended period
of time.


42 families
13 families from
upper SES
Hart and Risley
1995
An observation of
families to gather
language
information from a
range of
demographics over
an extended period
of time.



42 families
13 families from
upper SES
10 families from
middle SES
Hart and Risley
1995
An observation of
families to gather
language
information from a
range of
demographics over
an extended period
of time.




42 families
13 families from
upper SES
10 families from
middle SES
13 families from low
SES
Hart and Risley
1995
An observation of
families to gather
language
information from a
range of
demographics over
an extended period
of time.





42 families
13 families from
upper SES
10 families from
middle SES
13 families from low
SES
6 families on welfare
Hart and Risley
1995
An observation of
families to gather
language
information from a
range of
demographics over
an extended period
of time.






42 families
13 families from
upper SES
10 families from
middle SES
13 families from low
SES
6 families on welfare
2 ½ years, 1 hour per
month

Recruit families to participate
Recruit families to participate
 Obtain a range in demographics

Recruit families to participate
 Obtain a range in demographics
 Record everything

Recruit families to participate
 Obtain a range in demographic
 Record everything
 Begin when children were 7-9 months old


The problem: Early interventions
implemented during the 1960’s war on
poverty washed out early and
completely as children aged.

The intervention: Vocabulary could be
easily increased by educators by
teaching them new words.

The results: There was fast vocabulary
growth by children in professional
families. There was vocabulary growth in
the lower SES population.

The plan: Rather than concede to the
inevitable forces of heredity, the group
decided to undertake the process of
research which would allow educators
to understand the trajectories observed.

The findings: Before children can take
charge of their own experience and
begin to spend time with peers in social
groups outside the home, almost
everything they learn comes from their
families.

The similarities: Children grew more like
their parents in stature, activity levels,
vocabulary resources, language, and
interaction styles.
Take a few minutes to read about test
performance in third grade for 29 of the
42 children observed in the Hart and
Risley study.
Parent
Child
13 Professional 41
13 Professional 0
23 Working class 31
23 Working class 0
6 Welfare 14
6 Welfare 0
Parent
Child
Professional
2176
Professional
1116
Working class
1498
Working class
749
Welfare
974
Welfare
525
P
WC
W
Hour
2153
1251
616
Week
215,000
125,000
62,000
Year
11,000,000
6,000,000
3,000,000
4 years
45,000,000
26,000,000
13,000,000
The quality of words is very important and
can provide
Encouragement
Self-esteem
Self-respect
Confidence
Affirmations
Prohibitions

Welfare children heard 5 affirmations
Welfare children heard 5 affirmations
 Welfare children heard 11 prohibitions

Welfare children heard 5 affirmations
 Welfare children heard 11 prohibitions
 Working class children heard 12 affirmations

Welfare children heard 5 affirmations
 Welfare children heard 11 prohibitions
 Working class children heard 12 affirmations
 Working class children heard 7 prohibitions






Welfare children heard 5 affirmations
Welfare children heard 11 prohibitions
Working class children heard 12 affirmations
Working class children heard 7 prohibitions
Professional children heard 32 affirmations






Welfare children heard 5 affirmations
Welfare children heard 11 prohibitions
Working class children heard 12 affirmations
Working class children heard 7 prohibitions
Professional children heard 32 affirmations
Professional children heard 5 prohibitions
Leticia Lovejoy, WVDE
lllovejoy@access.k12.wv.us