From Fountas & Pinnell’s Literacy Beginnings: A Prekindergarten Handbook
Oral Language development is an essential part of early childhood education and plays a frequent role in developing academic interventions. As we all know, this is where literacy learning begins. This is where students develop an inner-voice that will allow them to think about reading, and to begin writing. To assist in planning for meaningful talk, Fountas & Pinnell look at “talk” through 4 lenses: Narrative Talk, Explaining & Seeking Information, Oral Performances and Giving & Understanding Directions. They also provide descriptors for modeling Active Listening & Thinking as an integral part of this process, ensuring student engagement and ownership of class dialog. In the weeks to come, we will be covering each of these oral language components. As we do, consider how each lens will impact planning as we interact with our students and talk about books!
The Principal's Point of View 