Make a Moment for Wow Moments

Early LanguageSession 2

Wow moments

• Yours• Theirs• And the staff• Complete nursery redecoration of wow

moments.• COMPETITION

The Power of Words

• Talking, listening, watching, considering, responding, reading and of course writing allow us to delve into the luscious language of our world.

• There is no point in helping a child to read early or to be very numerate, if they lack curiosity, creativity or a delight in exploration.

• Young children are reliant on adults to provide a meaningful construction around them, within which they can use all their senses to develop an understanding of their world and their place in it.

Big conversations

• Happen when you have real objects.• The descriptions of items is dramatically

reduced if they are in plastic form, photographs or drawings.

Where does it all begin?

• Sensorial stimulation• Physical skills• Sounds and response• Naming, doing and describing opportunities• Contextual situations• Real and imagination• time

• Creativity will come through appropriate challenges to explore and learn using each sense and hearing relevant language

Emotional literacy

• 18 month old pulls a doll out of another child’s hands . . .

• What are they saying?• I want this.• Emotional literacy is oozing out of their pores.

Key skills involved in communication and language

• Facial expressions• Vocabulary• Pronunciation• Taking turns• Pitch and intonation• Tuning in and listening• Grammar• Gestures and body language

Tuning into learning

• Engage them in a world where there is lots to discover and to be curious about. Where their engagement is deep and full of questions to be asked with not just one answer.

• Involve them in opportunities that are sometimes initiated by an adult often suggested and shaped by themselves and at other times share the ownership like a ping pong ball, back and forth, to and fro

• Tuning children into learning should be an engaging experience for all involved, adults and children creating a learning opportunity in partnership.

• Find a way to catch a child's imagination, to create a new ‘world’ which excites all involved

• Setting the scene for enjoying books and stories should never be brief or an undervalued activity.

• Children being active agents not passive recipients

Questions and conversations with children under 5

• It takes 12 seconds for children to think and get the words out of their mouths

Language development involves a number of skills, which develop and mature together to

form a whole.

• Receptive language – sometimes called comprehension or understanding. Understanding comes before verbalisation, at every stage of language development.

• Expressive language – this is a child’s ability to use words, phrases and sentences

• Phonology – the ability to use the sounds of speech in the right places, to make the words sound different from each other.

• Prosody – being able to change volume, speed and intonation when talking.

• Fluency – being able to talk in a smooth way, without hesitation or much repetition

• Use of language – being able to select words and construct sentences that make meaning, and eventually being able to read and write.

Language enrichment/the wonder box

• Curiosity• Discovery• Awe• Wonder• Imagination• Creation• Imitation• Investigation• Exploration• Experimentation• inspiration

• Naming objects• Exploration and experimentation• Vocabulary building• Getting busy• Asking great questions• Sensory description• Building a story

Boxes of• Wooden items• Metal items• Soft items• Heavy items• Smooth items• Rough items• Toys• Toiletries• Boxes• Circles• Spoons• Animals• seaside

Contents• Limit toys• Chocolate and disappointment • Nothing expensive • Nothing precious• Try for open ended possibilities/potential• Health and safety• Note book – who’s box, name, date, object

included and if you want it back! Things get broken. Budget?

Characteristics of Effective Learning

Playing and Exploring

. Finding out and exploring• Playing with what they know• Being willing to ‘have a go’

Active Learning

• Being involved and concentrating• Keeping on trying• Enjoying and achieving what they set out to

do

Creating and thinking critically

• Having their own ideas• Making links• Choosing ways to do things

Language and talking

• The final point to remember, but definitely not the least, is that creative experiences are full of opportunities to talk, chat and develop friendly language. They enable children to communicate their ideas in many ways.