Northern Metropolitan Region
Language Support Program
for Primary Schools
Charmaine Tu (Speech & Language Pathologist)
A teaching and learning program
designed to support students with oral
language difficulties in the classroom.
DAY 2
The LSP
Professional Learning Program
aims to:
•build on teacher understanding of oral language
development and difficulties
•develop a framework for understanding oral
language
•utilise a more systematic process for identifying
language difficulties in the classroom
•assist teachers to better cater for students with
language difficulties within their classroom
practices.
A Framework for Understanding Oral Language
Ideas… Messages… Meanings… Vocabulary...
Morphology… Semantics
Conventions… Rules… Grammar …
Phonology…Syntax … Prosody
Purpose... Functions of language… Pragmatics
Ability to learn… knowing how to learn..
Metalinguistics…Metacognition
WORD
IDEAS
WORD
OR
SENTENCE
MEANINGS
DISCOURSE
TOPIC
WORD
IDEAS
OR
MEANINGS
SENTENCE
DISCOURSE
TOPIC
lwords have meanings
lparts of words have
meanings
lvocabulary as a
meaning network
WORD MEANING
Individual words and their
meanings are stored in a
person’s word bank or
vocabulary
WORD MEANING
There are two types of word meanings in English
words that carry
meaning by themselves
such as hat, jump, and
red;
words that connect or
'glue' the content
words together such as
in, about, the and
although;
CONTENT
words
FUNCTION
words
WORD MEANING
CONTENT WORDS
NOUNS
VERBS
ADJECTIVES
ADVERBS
objects
persons,
animals,
places,
things, and
abstract
ideas
actions
describe,
identify or
quantify
nouns
describe how,
when, where,
etc actions
are done
WORD MEANING
FUNCTION WORDS
PREPOSITIONS
ARTICLES
CONJUNCTIONS
such as
in, about, under
such as the, a,
an
such as and,
though, but
PARTSOF
OF WORDS
WORDS HAVE
PARTS
HAVEMEANING
MEANING
Consider these word pairs
skip - skipped
apple - apples
run - running
What is the difference between the
two words in each pair?
PARTS OF WORDS HAVE MEANING
MORPHOLOGY
… the study of word meanings
Each unit of meaning is called a morpheme.
Morphemes are the smallest units of meaning.
VOCABULARY AS A MEANING NETWORK
Words heard are associated with meaning
networks that make up a person’s vocabulary
Meaning networks are both rich and extensive
Soda syphon
Lemonade
Coca Cola
$$$
Carbonated water
soda
Mineral
water
CO2
Doctor
Hospital
Nurse
gastroenteritis
H2O
germ
WATER
microbe
river
microscope
laboratory
BACTERIA
stream
pollution
lake
dam
weir
ANALYSIS
DRINKING
SUPPLY
reservoir
$$$
toxic
pipes
plumber
taps
IDENTIFICATION
Ideas at word level
LSP Oral Language Observational Profile
Professional Learning Guide pg 80
Developmental Sequence for Learning Word Meanings
When you ask a student what a word such as “car” means
It has wheels, it
goes fast
People can drive
them to go places
Cars are vehicles
like bicycles
A type of
transport
Perceptually
Based
Meanings
Functionally
Based
Meanings
Meanings
in
Hierarchies
Abstract
Generic
Based
Meanings
Words
understood in
perceptual
ways
Words
understood in
functional
ways
Some
meanings
more
general than
others
Words
understood in
abstract ways
What they
look or sound
like
What they do
or are used
for
Cars and
bicycles are
vehicles
Understand
transport as a
concept
Teaching the Meaning of Novel Words
1.
Introduce word in meaningful context. Say…
“I poured the liquid into the jar.”
Student says the word.
2.
Show 4-5 pictorial or concrete examples.
Say “What do all the pictures show?”
3.
If possible link an action with the word.
Say “Make your hands pour a liquid.”
Teaching the Meanings of Novel Words
4.
Show 4-5 pictorial or concrete NON examples.
Say… “How are these different from liquids?”
Teaching the Meanings of Novel Words
5. Suggest synonyms for the word. Say…. “Liquid is fluid.”
“Liquid is like water.”
“It is like a wet substance.”
6. Show the word in another context. Say…
“I stirred in the liquid.”
“The liquid is escaping.”
7.
Have the student select examples of the
word from non-examples of the word.
Say “Show me the ones that are not liquids.”
8. Have the student use the word in meaningful
sentences.
Say “Tell me some sentences with the word
“liquid” in it.”
Teaching the Meanings of Novel Words
1.
Introduce word in meaningful context.
2.
Show 4-5 pictorial or concrete examples.
3.
If possible link an action with the word.
4.
Show 4-5 pictorial or concrete NON examples.
5.
Suggest synonyms for the word.
6.
Show the word in another context.
7.
Have the student select examples of the word
from non-examples of the word.
8.
Have the student use the word in meaningful
sentences.
Word
Ideas
Or
Meanings
Sentence
Discourse
Topic
lWords have
meanings
lParts of words
have meanings
lVocabulary as a
meaning network
lSimple sentences
describe an event
lVariations of
simple sentences
lComplex
sentence ideas
Simple sentences describe a single event
The agent or doer
He
the action
put
it in the car
Variations of Simple Sentences
describe an event
give an instruction
I finished my work.
Give me back my book.
ask a question
comment on a situation
When is it my turn?
That’s not fair.
Complex Sentences
Usually contain joining words
(conjunctions) or subordinate
clauses, i.e. a dependent clause
which is not complete by itself.
and
before
because
unless
while
but
after
Complex Sentences
A relationship between
two events
Refer to two attributes
at once
He spoke while she was
talking.
He spoke after she was
talking
Exclusive relationship
Which cat is black and
drinks tea?
All the children went
except Fred.
All cats begin life as
kittens.
Generalization
Complex Sentences
Cause and Effect
She did it because the
bell rang.
Conditional relationship
He will be eaten if he
meets the wolf.
IDENTIFICATION
Ideas at the sentence level
Oral Language Observational Profile
LSP professional learning guide p. 80
Sentence Meaning, Comprehension and Production
When language users have difficulty
understanding or saying meaningful sentences,
it is difficult to decide whether the sentence
meaning or convention (rule) aspects are in
place.
Examine the student’s comprehension or
production of sentences in several contexts in
order to see which aspects of sentence
knowledge are known by the student.
Ask & Answer
Wh Questions
Marion Blank questions.doc
ACTIVITIES
Cause and Effect Fun Deck
Conjunction Games
Individual
(Word)
Ideas
Or
Meanings
Sentence
Discourse
Topic
lWords have
meanings
lParts of words
have meanings
lVocabulary as a
meaning network
lSimple sentences
describe an event
lVariations of
simple sentences
lComplex
sentence ideas
lText/Genre
Discourse Meaning
The word ‘discourse’ refers to the sequence of
spoken sentences in:
•
a description
•
a conversation
•
a story
•
•
a set of instructions
or an explanation
Discourse Meaning
Listen to the following narrative discourse
A large car met the jet after it had landed. Two
security guards came up the steps into the
aircraft and escorted us to the car. One afternoon as
I was sitting outside my tent, I heard raised voices.
The day was warm here and we removed our jackets. I
saw a most curious sight. We carried them with our
computer bags. Mr Atkins, his face purple with anger,
strode towards us .
Discourse Meaning
To evaluate a discourse in terms of its meaning,
you can examine whether
• each sentence follows on from earlier
sentences to maintain the topic
• the sentences flow or are connected
• sentences are predictable from earlier
sentences.
Discourse Meaning
During communication, participants can link
individual ideas across sentences.
The cat is
white.
It got
runned over.
The boy used ‘it’ to refer to the idea
mentioned earlier i.e.the cat.
Discourse Meaning
During communication, participants expect the sentence
ideas to be predictable or to flow.
Responses are expected to follow from what has
been said earlier.
Responses may:
extend or
elaborate
what has
been said
earlier
support
it
provide
examples
argue
against it
Discourse Meaning
When the text is a story, the discourse ideas
include
the main
characters
where
and when
it occurs
the plot of
the story
and the
events in it
IDENTIFICATION
Ideas at the discourse level
LSP Oral Language Observational Profile
Pg 80
Word
Ideas
or
Meanings
Sentence
lWords have
meanings
lParts of words
have meanings
lVocabulary as a
meaning network
lSimple sentences
describe an event
lVariations of
simple sentences
lMore complex
sentence ideas
Discourse
lText/Genre
Topic
lMain Theme
Topic Meaning
Down, down. Emily felt herself continuing to go down.
It was getting warmer now and she felt the
perspiration on her body. It had been dark earlier but
now it was lighter. She was becoming more relaxed.
She was breathing more slowly and her heart was
relaxed. Images flashed before her eyes. She
couldn't tell if they were real or in her imagination.
Suddenly she felt a different sensation. Had the
falling stopped? "Will I be interested this time ?" she
asked herself.
Topic Meaning
How do listeners work out the topic?
They may …
make informed guesses
test these guesses
modify if necessary
ACTIVITY- Ideas
Using the work unit you brought to the
session, work out:
– Vocabulary them needs to be taught
– Activities you could do with your class (If
you don’t have a class, choose a grade
level)
A Framework for Understanding Oral Language
Ideas… Messages… Meanings… Vocabulary...
Morphology… Semantics
Conventions… Rules… Grammar …
Phonology…Syntax … Prosody
Purpose... Functions of language… Pragmatics
Ability to learn… knowing how to learn..
Metalinguistics…Metacognition
Rules governing the combining and unpacking of:
SOUNDS INTO
PHONOLOGICAL WORDS
CONVENTIONS
OF
LANGUAGE
GRAMMATICAL
GENRE
WORDS INTO
SENTENCES
SENTENCES
INTO
DISCOURSE
Phonological Conventions
PHONOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE
…what we know about the sound
properties (the phonology) of our
language.
Phonological Awareness
• The conscious awareness of sounds of language.
It is the ability to attend to and manipulate
sounds in words.
• Various screening tools exist that may already
be available in your schools eg: The Sutherland
Phonological Awareness Test (SPAT-R), English
On-Line Interview
Phonological Conventions
PHONOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE
COMPREHENSION
Storing the
word’s sound
pattern
Storing the
word’s meaning
…in their memory
Phonological Conventions
PHONOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE
EXPRESSION
...a need to
know the sound
pattern of the
word
...an ability to
do the actions
to produce the
sound pattern
i.e. to
articulate the
word
…stored in their memory
Phonological Conventions
excaped
This mispronunciation could be due to:
•what he has stored about the sound
pattern that makes the word
•his ability to do the actions necessary
to say the word.
Phonological Conventions
There are phonological conventions that apply
to:
• separate sounds
• how we combine sounds to form syllables
and words
• the stress, pause and intonation patterns
we use.
Phonological Conventions
SET 1
SET 2
uln
bok
xpssjed
possed
dblf
blef
cbui
cib
esftted
seftted
qvu
quv
Phonological Conventions
Phonological conventions also include stress
and intonation patterns
Consider this word:
* project
Phonological Conventions
Phonological conventions also include
stress and intonation patterns
“Shut the door!”
“Shut the door?”
This is called the PROSODY of the sentence.
ACTIVITY
Phonological
conventions
Rules governing the combining and unpacking of:
SOUNDS INTO
PHONOLOGICAL WORDS
CONVENTIONS
OF
LANGUAGE
GRAMMATICAL
GENRE
WORDS INTO
SENTENCES
SENTENCES
INTO
DISCOURSE
Grammatical Conventions
GRAMMAR - the arrangement of words
(syntax) together with correct
morphological endings (morphology) in a
phrase or a sentence to indicate
relationships of meaning.
Grammatical Conventions
Mum took the cat to the vet
The cat took mum to the vet
If we change the WORD ORDER – we
communicate a different idea.
Grammatical Conventions
I buyed 3 apple.
Mum taked it to the vet.
Despite grammatical errors a listener would
understand these sentences.
Bushism
"One thing is clear, is relations between
America and Russia are good, and they're
important that they be good."
Can you pick 3 grammatical mistakes?
Grammatical Conventions
Some grammatical conventions are important to
communicate meaning, including being able to
correctly use…
• verb tense to say when an event occurred,
for example, "I talked", vs "I will talk",
• rules for using the ‘morphemes’ such as ‘s’
to show the plural forms of nouns,
• the appropriate pronouns such as ‘he’ or ‘she’
to indicate gender.
ACTIVITY
Grammatical conventions
Rules governing the combining and unpacking of:
SOUNDS INTO
PHONOLOGICAL WORDS
CONVENTIONS
OF
LANGUAGE
GRAMMATICAL
GENRE
WORDS INTO
SENTENCES
SENTENCES
INTO
DISCOURSE
Genre Conventions
Rules for linking sentences into
larger text such as stories,
explanations or descriptions
Genre Conventions
Read the following passage.
Peter ran up the path to the top of
the hill. Peter saw the beautiful
ocean. Peter had a rest. Peter
walked down again.
How could you increase the cohesion
between its sentences?
IDENTIFICATION
Conventions
LSP Oral Language Observational Profile
Pg 80
Activities, teaching
procedures and
learning strategies
Conventions
Professional Learning Guide p. 100-105, 124, 128
ACTIVITY- Conventions
Look at the list of suggested activities for
Convention. Identify those suitable for your
grade level.
Any more activities you can suggest?
ACTION PLANNING
LSP Implementation Survey
Professional Learning Guide p. 163
PREPARATION FOR DAY 3
• Review the English Continuum –Speaking
& Listening
Indicators of Progress for:
• Ideas Communicated
• Conventions Of Language
http://www.education.vic.gov.au/studentlearning/teachingresources/
english/englishcontinuum/speaklisten/default.htm
Bring a unit of work you’d like to work on
for LSP