Portfolio of Language Acquisition

Introduction



My name is Alyssa Harris, and I'd like to introduce myself. I am a 26-year-old Mississippi native from the small town of West Point. I am currently pursuing my Bachelor's Degree in Education, which is unquestionably rewarding because I love interacting with children. I work as an assistant director at a Westpoint Children's Learning Center. Completing the BA curriculum and then eventually leading a preschool learning program are among my professional priorities. Meanwhile, I plan to work consistently during this course.



Students may engage in a range of language and literacy experiences at the Faculty of Education



As part of the program, I recently completed an activity with a preschool class that involved reading for Doctor Seuss week. As I read, I encouraged one student at a time to act out what was read and mix up the ending to demonstrate storytelling. The activity was an exciting moment for students since were encouraged to be creative. One quote that I think of to define myself is, “the man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.” The quote is a reminder to start each day out slow and step by step to succeed throughout the day. My strength is effective communication with others since the nature of this job requires regular communication with parents, teachers, and students.



Summary of beliefs regarding language acquisition



Piper (2012) defines language acquisition as a process whereby individuals acquire the capacity to comprehend and perceive language. I believe that all children acquire language the same way. However, language acquisition is a process that does not happen instantly rather it takes time, learning, repetition, and practice. Additionally, the environment plays a significant role in the child's development and language acquisition since it can either deter it or enhance it. Thus, an environment which is interesting, explorative, and exciting to children is suitable for their language. To ensure learning, I have incorporated multiple techniques to make sure the students fully grasp the concept. These strategies include flashcards, book reading, sight words, sounds of words, and sentence placement. I also feel like parent cooperation is required for children's success. It is evident that children can learn the most starting from home since they are like sponges, they absorb any and everything (Saffran & Senghas).



Language-rich environment



Designing a language-rich environment involves exploiting every opportunity to use language, share a focus, talk, take turns, and to interact (Scott-Webber, 2004). It also involves creating an environment which is nurturing, offering children affection and love and building their self-confidence (Bonnette, 2006). The classroom area is broken down into different centers: Language/Writing Area, Student Block Area, and Student Library/Reading Center. The areas are designed with appropriate materials and furniture that are essential since they are conducive to the children and draws their attention (Scott-Webber, 2004). The Language/Writing Area is a region that students shall use in the process of language development. The student block area is designed such that focus is on ensuring students are playing with each other and thus enhancing the relationship between them (Scott-Webber, 2004). Lastly, the Student Library/Reading Centre is created to support the development of students by offering the opportunity to commence the process of reading books from tiny stage of their life. Bonnette (2006) observed that it means a lot to the children when they start reading in the early stage of their lives since they can understand everything easily.



Stages of Language Development analysis



When children are birthed, they cannot express their wants, feelings, or needs, in constructive words, so they cry or bubble (Piper, 2012). Babbling is viewed as the dress rehearsal of language development and is articulatory practice for producing real words (Piper, 2012). The author further reports that there is no need for worry if the first words of a baby fail to appear until sixteen or eighteen months. It can be observed in the video listed in the school text about babbling that all the babies shown are at the point where they can repetitively verbalize different syllables. Also, how parents communicate and speak with their child impacts how the latter views language and perceive language as well as the development of the child's language.



Literacy Lesson Plan



The literacy lesson plan is essential since it enables the teacher to plan appropriate activities and lessons which enhance and build important areas and learning of student's learning (Piper, 2012).



Goals/Objectives



Students will be able to read and write the letters of the alphabet (A-Z) and demonstrate knowledge of alphabet names by creating an alphabet book.



Standards Covered



The standards require that the students will recognize and identify vocabularies through direct instructions, readings, and a mix of conversations. Also, understand most sentence and identify letters (Clarke, 2014).



Materials



Exercise books for children to write, Alphabet letters for children to read, pens, and computer and internet access for writing activities.



Introduction



During group time, make children aware of the week's activities and lessons. Let the students know what they are about to engage in and enable them to ask questions that they may have about the lessons and activities they will partake.



Lesson Development



The teacher provides the learners with the models of alphabetic letters to observe and leads the learners in identifying each letter, one by one. To assist students with special needs, Head Start (2011) asserts that the teacher should focus on only a few letters at a time instead of the entire alphabet. To support children in learning a language, strategies such as allowing the learner time to rehearse, seeking for learning opportunities outside, and advocating for local dialect programs would be helpful.



Practice/Checking for Understanding



The teacher can use a checklist of sounds and letters constantly.



Closing



The teacher reviews the content taught with the learners by asking them to reflect on what they have learned so far. The teacher ends the lesson with a song of the alphabet letters. The song helps the children remember the content.



Personal Reflection



Were the tasks conducted in accordance with all the student's abilities and developmental level? Did the tasks expand or build the student's literacy and language development?



Language reflection



I communicated through social network especially Whatsapp which is different from how I communicated ten years ago. Our language and mode of communication have also changed over time seeing as text messaging is frequently used as it is faster and more convenient. In comparison to the old form of communication, the new means of communication is faster. The downside is that it promotes anti-social behaviors. As I reflect back, I realize that the knowledge gained through my courses helped me to complete these projects effectively. Concerning the journals, I got enlightened on how differently children are capable of learning and communicating.



How I will support children's language acquisition in my future role



In my future role, I will assist student's language acquisition through making certain that they reside in a language-rich surrounding. I particularly want to help children with dyslexia. Detecting dyslexia in the early stages is the first way to help children (Leonard, 2014). Meeting with the parents to get more questions answered will help also. Testing the child can allow me to see exactly where the child is having problems. From there, I can complete an assessment plan that will allow me to do the same. The children will be given extra learning tools such as books and other assignments.



Language resource file



McLaughlin, B. (2013). Second Language Acquisition in Childhood (2nd ed.). Hoboken: Taylor and Francis.The focus of the book is to understand education systems for L2 learners from childhood in various regions such as Canada and America.



MacLeod, A., Fabiano-Smith, L., Boegner-Pagé, S., & Fontolliet, S. (2012). Simultaneous bilingual language acquisition: The role of parental input on receptive vocabulary development. Child Language Teaching and Therapy, 29(1), 131-142. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0265659012466862



This article is about the role of parents in language development in children in a bilingual family. The article entails strategies by parents such as using one language of communication in the family conversations to enhance vocabulary development.Isphording, I., & Otten, S. (2014).



Linguistic barriers in the destination language acquisition of immigrants. Journal Of Economic Behavior & Organization, 105, 30-50. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jebo.2014.03.027



This article involves an analysis of the heterogeneity of the linguistics in country origin and that of destination such as the U.S and Germany. Learning about the barriers enhances the process of planning in teaching a child or student from various backgrounds.Reutzel, P., Mohr, K. A., & Jones, C. D. (2017).



Exploring the relationship between letter recognition and handwriting in early literacy development. Journal of Early Childhood Literacy, 1468798417728099.



This journal confirms the relationship between letter-writing fluency and letter-naming.



References



Bonnette, R. (2006). Out of the classroom and into the community: Service learning reinforces classroom instruction. The Technology Teacher, 65(5), 6.



Clarke, L. W. (2014). Educating literacy teachers online: Tools, techniques, and Transformations.



Head Start. (2011). Head Start Child Development and Early Learning Framework. Retrieved from: http://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc/tta-system/teaching/eecd/Assessment/Child%20Outcomes/HS_Revised_Child_Outcomes_Framework(rev-Sept2011).pdf.



Leonard, L. B. (2014). Children with specific language impairment. MIT press.



Piper, T. (2012). Making meaning, making sense: Children’s early language learning [Electronic version]. Retrieved from https://content.ashford.edu/



Saffran, J. R., & Senghas, A. A. (n.d.). Jenny R. Saffran. Retrieved from http://www.pnas.org/content/98/23/12874Links to an external site..



Scott-Webber, L. (2004). In sync: Environmental behavior research and the design of learning spaces. Society for College and University Planning.

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