Language and Literacy

Question 1

How does babbling contribute to language learning?

Answer 1

Babbling adds consonants to cooing

• leads to jargon: allows opportunity for conversation like exchanges
• first word: usually heard from an adult

Question 2

What are some of the literacy skills of toddlers?

Answer 2

infants learn:

• how to handle books and pages
• reading is interesting and fun
• reading has a pace and intonation
• book babble: babble in a unique way during reading sessions
• imitate stories in familiar books
• interact with caregivers and respond to questions

Question 3

What are some risk factors for difficulty with literacy?

Answer 3

attending a chronically low-achieveing school

low-English proficiency

Unfamiliar with standard English dialect: phonemic awarenes, dialectal differences, etc.

living in poverty: parents may have reading difficulties or uneducated, lack adequate nutrition, attend substandard schools

limited literary experiences

severe cognitive deficits

hearing iimpairment

receptive and expressive language delay

family history

Question 4

How do you improve a child’s phonological skills?

Answer 4

present rhymes, poems, and songs that feature certain sounds

Question 5

How do you improve a child’s semantic skills?

Answer 5

label objects, events and actions during play activities

Question 6

How do you improve a child’s syntactic skills?

Answer 6

purposefully use, expand on and encourage children to use morphemes and practice grammar rules

Question 7

How do you improve a child’s pragmatic skills?

Answer 7

plan activities, play scenarios, and story discussion that review social rules