Today’s schools are characterized by significant cultural and linguistic diversity—and teaching is correspondingly becoming an increasingly complex, multi-faceted, and challenging endeavor. Understanding Language and Literacy Development features a wide variety of effective supporting strategies to address the varying language and literacy developmental characteristics of children and adolescents in contemporary classroom settings. Utilizing Critical Discourse Analysis as a conceptual framework, Wang examines the complexity of language and literacy and their roles in academic learning. The author expertly discusses children’s developmental stages, considering a wide range of topics including English language acquisition among children and adolescents—and the typical issues related to comprehension and production at different stages and ages of acquisition—as well as the impact of various language impairments (from SLI to autism). Special features of this work include questions that engage and challenge the reader throughout the chapters, and exercises designed to facilitate understanding of language phenomena in the classroom and elsewhere; the author also ties her discussion into the new Common Core standards that underlie the public school curriculum. Innovative and timely, this is an invaluable resource to assist in meeting the teaching challenges of 21st-century classrooms.
CONTENT
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
PREFACE
REASONS TO READ THE BOOK
UNIQUE APPROACHES OF THE BOOK
Paying balanced attention to all learners
Emphasizing language and literacy supporting strategies
Encouraging, thinking, questions, and explorations
Situating language and literacy development in students’ cognitive and social development
Teaching across ages
Treating language and literacy as an inter-related process
Focusing on academic language and academic literacy
Linking language and literacy development to identity and motivation
Valuing different language acquisition experiences
Identifying major language influence in different developmental periods
Providing various linguistic experiences
OVERVIEW OF THE BOOK
KEY TERMS
PART I: INTRODUCTION
CHAPTER 1: WORKING WITH DIVERSE STUDENTS: SOME IMPORTANT ISSUES
PRE-READING QUESTIONS AND ACTIVITIES
TOPICS TO BE ADDRESSED IN THIS CHAPTER
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
IMPORTANCE OF TEACHER KNOWLEDGE ON LANGUAGE AND LITERACY
Interpreting assessment results from specialist reports
Identifying students’ linguistic needs
Meeting teacher education professional standards
CRITICAL DISCOURSE ANALYSIS CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
TRANSFORMATIVE PEDAGOGY
EVOLVING DEFINITION OF LITERACY
RE-CONCEPTUALIZATION OF THE LABELS FOR DIVERSE STUDENTS
SUMMARY OF KEY POINTS
KEY TERMS
RECOMMENDED FURTHER READINGS
CHAPTER 2: COMPLEX FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE LANGUAGE ACQUISITION AND LITERACY DEVELOPMENT
PRE-READING QUESTIONS AND ACTIVITIES
TOPICS TO BE ADDRESSED IN THIS CHAPTER
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
LANGUAGE AS A GENETICALLY PREDISPOSITIONED HUMAN UNIVERSAL
BIOLOGICAL FACTORS
Human brain: The neural underpinnings of language acquisition
Sensitive period of language acquisition
Heredity and individual differences
Gender differences
ECOLOGICAL FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE LANGUAGE AND LITERACY DEVELOPMENT
Parental cultural childrearing beliefs and practices
Parental socio-economic status and education levels
Parental input frequency
Extended family and sibling support
Language use in sociocultural context
LANGUAGE DIVERGENCE FACTORS
Language particulars
Orthographic differences
MODALITY FACTORS
Spoken language vs. signed language
Spoken language vs. reading and writing
Conventional print vs. digital print
MOTIVATION AND IDENTITY FACTORS
TYPES OF FIRST LANGUAGE ACQUISITION
SUMMARY OF KEY POINTS
KEY TERMS
RECOMMENDED FURTHER READINGS
LANGUAGE SAMPLE ANALYSIS I
PART II: DEVELOPING LANGUAGE AND EMERGENT LITERACIES: DIVERGENT ABILITIES IN INFANCY AND EARLY CHILDHOOD (BIRTH TO 5)
CHAPTER 3: ACQUIRING ONE LINGUISTIC SYSTEM: FIRST LANGUAGE ACQUISITION
PRE-READING QUESTIONS AND ACTIVITIES
TOPICS TO BE ADDRESSED IN THIS CHAPTER
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
TYPICAL DEVELOPMENT PROFILE IN INFANCY AND EARLY CHILDHOOD
DEVELOPING ESSENTIAL LANGUAGE ABILITIES
Phonological development
Lexical-semantic development
Morphosyntactic development
Pragmatic development
Early metalinguistic awareness
SPECIAL ISSUES RELATED TO LANGUAGE ACQUISITION
Private speech
Gestures
Dialect
DEVELOPING EMERGENT LITERACIES
Early literacy development stages, patterns, and accomplishments
Emergent knowledge of environmental print
Emergent knowledge of print conventions
Emergent knowledge of writing
Emergent digital literacy
Emergent critical literacy
SPECIAL ISSUES RELATED TO EMERGENT LITERACY DEVELOPMENT
Dialect and emergent literacy development
Cultural differences in early literacy practice
SUPPORTING LANGUAGE AND EMERGENT LITERACY DEVELOPMENT IN INFANCY AND EARLY CHILDHOOD
General approach in working with young children
Focus of language and emergent literacy support in early childhood
Holistic strategies in facilitating language and literacy growth
SUMMARY OF KEY POINTS
KEY TERMS
RECOMMENDED FURTHER READINGS
CHAPTER 4: ACQUIRING MORE THAN ONE LINGUISTIC SYSTEM: MULTILINGUAL FIRST LANGUAGE ACQUISITION
PRE-READING QUESTIONS AND ACTIVITIES
TOPICS TO BE ADDRESSED IN THIS CHAPTER
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
DEVELOPMENTAL PROFILES OF CHILDREN WHO ACQUIRE MORE THAN ONE L1
COMPLEX ISSUES ABOUT ACQUIRING MORE THAN ONE L1
The cutoff age of multilingual L1 acquisition and Ln learning
Input quantity and quality
Multilingual acquisition settings differences
Different multilingual effects on language acquisition
Misconceptions about multilingualism
Potential differences between different types of multilingual L1 acquisition
One system or separate systems
Cross-linguistic interaction
Rate of acquisition
Language and thought
Language-specific issues
DEVELOPING ESSENTIAL MULTILINGUAL LINGUISTIC ABILITIES
Multilingual Phonological Development
Multilingual Lexical-Semantic Development
Multilingual Morphosyntactic Development
Multilingual Pragmatic Development
Metalinguistic Development
DEVELOPING EMERGENT MULTILINGUAL LITERACIES
Emergent knowledge of print conventions in different languages
Emergent knowledge of multilingual writing
Cross-language interaction on emergent literacy knowledge
Emergent multilingual digital literacy
Emergent critical literacy
SUPPORTING EMERGENT MULTILINGUAL AND MULTILITERACY DEVELOPMENT IN EARLY CHILDHOOD
SUMMARY OF KEY POINTS
KEY TERMS
RECOMMENDED FURTHER READINGS
CHAPTER 5: ACQUIRING FIRST LANGUAGE(S) WITH DIFFICULTIES
PRE-READING QUESTIONS AND ACTIVITIES
TOPICS TO BE ADDRESSED IN THIS CHAPTER
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
LANGUAGE IMPAIRMENT IN INFANCY AND EARLY CHILDHOOD
What is Language Impairment?
Types of Language Impairment Covered in This Book
DEVELOPMENTAL PROFILES OF CHILDREN WITH LI
Children with Down syndrome
Children with autism spectrum disorder
Children with specific language impairment
Children with hearing impairment
Children with vision impairment
LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT CHARACTERISTICS OF CHILDREN WITH LI
Children with Down syndrome
Children with autism spectrum disorder
Children with specific language impairment
Children with hearing impairment
Children with vision impairment
Multilingual children with LI
DEVELOPMENT EMERGENT LITERACIES
SUPPORTING STRATEGIES FOR CHILDREN WITH LI IN EARLY CHILDHOOD
Use of narratives as a comprehensive measure to determine areas of support
Reciprocal interaction and imitation
Joint attention
Oral language skills
Emergent literacy skills
Art and music
Augmentative and alternative communication
Nonverbal use
Explicit support on concerned areas
SUMMARY OF KEY POINTS
KEY TERMS
RECOMMENDED FURTHER READINGS
LANGUAGE SAMPLE ANALYSIS II
PART III: DEVELOPING LANGUAGE AND LITERACIES: DIVERGENT ABILITIES IN MIDDLE CHILDHOOD (6-11)
CHAPTER 6: TYPICAL DEVELOPMENT OF LANGUAGE AND LITERACIES IN MIDDLE CHILDHOOD
PRE-READING ACTIVITIES AND QUESTIONS
TOPICS TO BE ADDRESSED IN THIS CHAPTER
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
TYPICAL DEVELOPMENTAL PROFILE IN MIDDLE CHILDHOOD
MAJOR LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENTAL CHARACTERISTICS IN MIDDLE CHILDHOOD
Phonological Development
Lexical-Semantic Development
Morphosyntactic Development
Pragmatic Development
Metalinguistic Development
DEVELOPMENT OF LITERACIES IN MIDDLE CHILDHOOD
Reading
Writing
Hypertext
Critical Literacy
SPECIAL ISSUES
Academic Language and Academic Literacy Development
SUPPORTING LANGUAGE AND LITERACY DEVELOPMENT IN ELEMENTARY GRADES
General principles
Focus of literacy support
Supporting strategies
SUMMARY OF KEY POINTS
KEY TERMS
RECOMMENDED FURTHER READINGS
CHAPTER 7: LEARNING A NEW LANGUAGE IN MIDDLE CHILDHOOD
PRE-READING QUESTIONS AND ACTIVITIES
TOPICS TO BE ADDRESSED IN THIS CHAPTER
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
LEARNING A LN IN MIDDLE CHILDHOOD
Changes in linguistic configuration
Important issues regarding learning English as a Ln in middle childhood
LN DEVELOPMENT IN THE SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT
Phonological Development
Lexical-Semantic Development
Morphosyntactic Development
Pragmatic Development
Metalinguistic Development
DEVELOP LITERACIES IN THE NEW LANGUAGE
L1 literacy skills transfer
Ln reading characteristics
Syncretic literacy
SUPPORTING STRATEGIES FOR ENGLISH A LN LEARNERS
Tap into students’ funds of knowledge
Learn vocabulary through semantic mapping
Support syncretic literacy
Practice metalinguistic reflection
Use L1 knowledge for Ln learning
Use shared reading for Ln learning
Apply instructional conversation
Explicit instruction
Help Ln learners transform their skills
Critical literacy support
Digital literacy support
Be aware of the masking phenomenon
SUMMARY OF KEY POINTS
KEY TERMS
RECOMMENDED FURTHER READINGS
CHAPTER 8: LANGUAGE IMPAIRMENT IN MIDDLE CHILDHOOD
PRE-READING QUESTIONS AND ACTIVITIES
TOPICS TO BE ADDRESSED IN THIS CHAPTER
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
LANGUAGE AND LITERACY DEVELOPMENT FOCUS FOR ELEMENTARY STUDENTS WITH LI
LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENTAL CHARACTERISTICS OF CHILDREN WITH LI IN MIDDLE CHILDHOOD
Phonological development
Lexical and semantic development
Morphosyntactic development
Pragmatic and metalinguistic awareness
Multilingual children with language impairment
LITERACY DEVELOPMENT OF CHILDREN WITH LI IN THE ELEMENTARY GRADES
Phonological awareness
Lexicon
Semantics and syntax
SUPPORTING STRATEGIES FOR CHILDREN WITH LI IN THE ELEMENTARY GRADES
Integrated and cross-curriculum support
Focused stimulation
Inferencing support
Phonological awareness support
Lexical-semantic support
Morphosyntactic level support
Discourse-level knowledge and skills support
Supporting multilingual children with LI
Working with Family
SUMMARY OF KEY POINTS
KEY TERMS
RECOMMENDED FURTHER READINGS
LANGUAGE SAMPLE ANALYSIS III
PART IV: DEVELOPING LANGUAGE AND LITERACIES: DIVERGENT ABILITIES IN ADOLESCENCE (12-18)
CHAPTER 9: TYPICAL DEVELOPMENT OF LANGUAGE AND LITERACIES IN ADOLESCENCE
PRE-READING QUESTIONS AND ACTIVITIES
TOPICS TO BE ADDRESSED IN THIS CHAPTER
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
TYPICAL DEVELOPMENTAL PROFILE IN ADOLESCENCE
LANGUAGE AND LITERACY DEVELOPMENT FOCUS
MAJOR LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT CHARACTERISTICS IN ADOLESCENCE
Phonological Development
Lexical-Semantic Development
Morphosyntactic Development
Pragmatic Development
Metalinguistic Development
SPECIAL ISSUES IN ADOLESCENT LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT
Genderlect
Bidialect
ACADEMIC LITERACY DEVELOPMENT IN ADOLESCENCE
Academic content-area reading comprehension
Academic writing
Hypertext
Critical literacy ability development
SUPPORTING STRATEGIES FOR ADOLESCENTS
General Principles
Support Academic Literacy
Explicit teaching of content-specific vocabulary use
Increase the frequency of complex sentence use
Support figurative language development
Encourage code-switching
Teach self-regulation
SUMMARY OF KEY POINTS
KEY TERM
RECOMMENDED FURTHER READINGS
CHAPTER 10: LEARNING ENGLISH AS A NEW LANGUAGE IN ADOLESCENCE
PRE-READING QUESTIONS AND ACTIVITIES
TOPICS TO BE ADDRESSED IN THIS CHAPTER
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
CHARACTERISTICS OF LEARNING A LN BEYOND THE SENSITIVE PERIOD
Age in acquiring a Ln and its impact on academic performance
Knowledge of the English language
Reorientation in the Ln
Strategies used in learning the Ln
Academic demands in Ln
Uniformed achievements in the Ln
Ln learners ability diversity
Cultural identity
English L1 speaker learn a foreign language
ACQUIRING A NEW LANGUAGE IN ADOLESCENCE
Phonological Development
Lexical-Semantic Development
Morphorsyntactic Development
Pragmatic Development
Metalinguistic Development
DEVELOPING ACADEMIC LITERACY IN A LN
The relationship between background knowledge and academic literacy comprehension
The relationship between oral language and academic literacy
Impact of prior schemata on Ln academic literacy development
SUPPORTING STRATEGIES FOR ENGLISH LN LEARNERS IN ADOLESCENCE
Motivation for reading and writing
Expression of emotion
Self-monitoring
Metalinguistic analysis
Encourage the use of translanguage
Text comprehension
Age-appropriate reading materials
Popular culture materials
Informal language register
Innovative approach in writing
Intensive and extensive reading materials
Explicit instruction is crucial
Application of divergent strategies
Reading aloud
Digital literacy
Reflective reading response log
Reading beyond texts
SUMMARY OF KEY POINTS
KEY TERMS
RECOMMENDED FURTHER READINGS
CHAPTER 11: LANGUAGE IMPAIRMENT IN ADOLESCENCE
PRE-READING QUESTIONS AND ACTIVITIES
TOPICS TO BE ADDRESSED IN THIS CHAPTER
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENTAL CHARACTERISTICS OF ADOLESCENT WITH LI
Phonological Development
Lexical-Semantic Development
Morphosyntactic Development
Pragmatic and Metalinguistic Development
LITERACY DEVELOPMENT OF ADOLESCENTS WITH LI
SUPPORTING STRATEGIES FOR ADOLESCENTS WITH LI
Critical language and literacy skills in the secondary grades
Support for academic and subject-specific lexicon development
Support academic literacy with literacy fiction
Support for Expository text development
Support for metacognitive strategies
Using literature to support language development
Situated cognitive model of writing
Supporting writing quality and motivation through interacting with matured writers
Making reading and writing enjoyable
SUMMARY OF KEY POINTS
KEY TERMS
RECOMMENDED FURTHER READINGS
LANGUAGE SAMPLE ANALYSIS IV
PART V: THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES ON LANGUAGE AND LITERACY DEVELOPMENT AND LEARNING
CHAPTER 12: THEORIES THAT EXPLAIN VARIOUS LANGUAGE ACQUISITION AND LITERACY DEVELOPMENT
PRE-READING QUESTIONS AND ACTIVITIES
TOPICS TO BE ADDRESSED IN THIS CHAPTER
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
FUNCTIONS OF THEORIES
Prediction
Explanation
Confidence
THEORIES THAT EXPLAIN L1 ACQUISITION AND DEVELOPMENT
The polarizing theoretical positions
Other theories that explain language acquisition
THEORIES THAT EXPLAIN MULTILINGUAL L1 ACQUISITION
The separate developmental hypothesis
The separate underlying proficiency model
Multilingual bootstrapping hypothesis
Critical mass hypothesis
THEORIES THAT EXPLAIN LN LEARNING
The interdependent hypotheses
The ivy hypothesis
Markedness theory
Common underlying proficiency model
Thresholds theory
Developmental interdependent hypothesis
Social and academic language proficiency differential
Expanded competition model in Ln learning
Krashen’s comprehension hypothesis model of Ln learning
THEORIES THAT EXPLAIN LI
The system model
The categorical model
The specific disability model
The descriptive-developmental model
The weak central coherence theory
Sound discrimination disability
THEORIES THAT EXPLAIN NARRATIVE DEVELOPMENT PROCESS
The filtering principle
The packaging principle
THEORIES THAT EXPLAIN LITERACY DEVELOPMENT PROCESS
Natural literacy development theory
Bottom-up and top-down reading processes
Simple view of reading
Information processing theory of reading
Sociopsycholinguistic transactional theory of reading
Schema theory
Individual-environmental model of the writing process
The capacity theory of writing development
The metacognitive theory of writing
THEORY THAT EXPLAIN DISCOURSE ANALYSIS
THE BOTTOM LINE REGARDING THEORIES
SUMMARY OF KEY POINTS
KEY TERMS
RECOMMENDED FURTHER READINGS
EXIT SELF-EVALUATION
APPENDIX A: COMMON CORE K-12 KEY LANGUAGE AND LITERACY STANDARDS
APPENDIX B: STANDARDIZED LANGUAGE ASSESSMENTS
GLOSSARY
REFERENCES