Discover Environment Influences
Content Review
Directions:
Respond to each item. Each response should be concise and between 2–3 paragraphs in length.
Use MS Word to write your responses, and submit your answers to all three questions in one Word document.
Copy and paste each question within the document, so that your instructor can see which question you are responding to.
Think ahead to your future work with children and families. How would you explain to parents the importance of the stages a preschool-age child goes through in acquiring syntax and morphology? In your own words, describe the main developments that occur in each stage (I–IV) as presented in the course text.
Define two types of knowledge needed to achieve communicative competence, and provide an example of each.
Which of the theoretical approaches to studying and understanding language learning do you most associate with, and why? As part of your explanation, include relevant examples of your own experiences.
Learning Resources
Required Resources
Course Text: The Development of Language
Chapter 5, “Putting Words Together”
Chapter 6, “Language in Social Contexts: Communicative Competence”
Chapter 7, “Theoretical Approaches to Language Acquisition”
Chapter 10, “Language and Literacy in the School Years”
Read pp. 329–344 up to “Reading”
Online Reading: Week 3 Reading (PDF)
Used by permission.
Article: Early Literacy (PDF)
Web Article: Teaching Your Baby Sign Language Can Benefit Both of You
http://psychcentral.com/lib/teaching-your-baby-sign-language-can-benefit-both-of-you/0002423
Optional Resources
Web Article: Researchers Discover Environment Influences Children’s Ability to Form, Comprehend Complex Sentences
http://chronicle.uchicago.edu/021121/syntax-study.shtml
Web Site: National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders: Speech and Language Developmental Milestones
http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/voice/pages/speechandlanguage.aspx
Web Site: Child Development Institute: Language Development in Children
http://childdevelopmentinfo.com/child-development/language_development.shtml
Web Article: Bridges to Literacy: Early Routines That Promote Later School Success
(Scroll down to find this article under “Most Popular Resources,” and download the PDF)
http://main.zerotothree.org/site/PageServer?pagename=key_language
