Language Acquisition

According to Wikipedia, language acquisition is the "process by which language capability develops in a human." There are different theories on the acquisition of language. Nativisit theories believe that children have an "innate propensity" to acquire language which makes learning a first language easier and enables children to master grammar by three years old. Nativists also believe that there is a "critical period" when children near to be exposed to language to "stimulate an innate trait." Lenneberg claims that the period of acquiring language ends by twelve, and he states that if "no language is learned before then, it could never be learned in a normal and fully functional sense."

In the article, "Mama Teached Me Talk," discusses how children learn to speak. I learned that children learn to speak by being exposed to language, and they learn grammar from hearing the language. Children also place words in the correct grammatical order such as "Daddy go" instead of "Go Daddy". The position of the author of this article is that from 2-7 children learn language by hearing it spoken and learn it perfectly when they reach the "critical period". Some evidence is given in this article to support this claim. It mentions a wild boy called Victor who was probably raised by wild animals and was unable to speak. After years of Dr. Itard trying to teach Victor to speak, he was only able to acquire a "few lexemes." Another example is of Genie, a 13 year old girl, who had never acquired language because she was never spoken to. Psychologists were unable to teach the nuances of language, and she ended up in a mental institution. This article stated that after the critical period of language acquisition has passed that it "becomes increasingly more difficult for humans to learn languages." This is also why it is difficult to learn a second language.


This brings me to the next article called, "Learning Languages" by Ciaran O'Riordan. This article gave many tips to learning another language and I agree that it takes years to acquire a second language. I can relate to the problems adults have in learning a second language. I had a difficult time acquiring Spanish. I worked in Union City that was composed of mostly Hispanics, and I felt like I was in a foreign country. Everyone spoke Spanish fluently but me. I tried to learn the language and borrowed audio tapes from the library. I learned some phrases, but nothing that would really help me have a decent conversation. I listened and was able to understand key words, but I was unable to follow along. I would only speak key phrases to get my students attention, and they would teach me a little Spanish when we had a chance. English was their second language and they were fluent in both English and Spanish. I was only there for one year, and my lust to learn the language waned when I left the district.


Now my ESL students speak Korean, Japanese, or Chinese. I don't think I'll even attempt that. I feel thoroughly inept in the acquisition of those languages. It's a good thing for me that most people speak English as their second language throughout the world. Our high school is adding Chinese to their Foreign Language department this year.


After reading about language acquisition, I think that we should emphasize learning a second language in the elementary schools when it is easier to acquire another language. Currently in our school that is K-6, the students receive instruction two times a week for a short period of time in either French or Spanish. This year my students learned French, but last year the students learned Spanish in fourth grade. It alternates every other year and the children do not get to decide what language they are learning. I am in the classroom for these leasons, and I can pick up some Spanish, but I never was able to acquire French this year. I do not have a natural ability to learn another language. It is very difficult for me. I think we need to rethink foreign language instruction for the elementary schools.

Response to Three Questions

Hello, I'm a 4th grade teacher and this will be my 5th year in the same district. That is a big accomplishment for me because I have never been in a district this long. I really enjoy my job. I teach literacy (reading/writing), social studies, and math to my homeroom. My partner is the science teacher and I teach her class social studies while she teaches my class science. We get along well and help each other out.

I'm married for almost 25 years. On July 3rd, I'll be celebrating my anniversary. I have two children. My daughter is turning 19 on Thursday, and my son will be 17 next Thursday. We have a lot of milestones within a seven-day period.

What did I get from the readings in terms of thinking about reading and literacy?

I read that literacy has changed throughout history. Also the meaning of the word has changed too. In order for students to become "proficient readers," they need to be taught subskills: phonics, "decoding, fluency, comprehension, and vocabulary." I learned that we do not have an answer to the question: "Which approach is better?" I found that students need to learn phonics and also guided reading is very beneficial. My point of view is that the two should be intertwined. In my district, "round robin reading" is frowned upon. Students read silently and we use other strategies to assess comprehension.

I agree with Wikipedia that the nature of literacy has changed and we have a whole new set of "new literacies" that I studied in the spring. Now in order to be literate, we need to be able to use technology and communicate with the world on web 2.0.

I was appalled by the article called Silencing Teachers in an Era of Scripted Reading. I know how administration can dictate curriculum. After districts spend thousands of dollars, they want their curriculum followed.

Last August I attended an Everyday Math workshop during my vacation, and I also was sent to MSU to attend another math workshop at the Prism Center. I usually welcome new and exciting ways to teach subjects, but 4th grade math is not a mystery to me. Nevertheless, I go where I'm told to go.

Our district just switched to Everyday Math this year, and I know that no one dared to speak ill of the new math. Now the students did so well on the state testing in math, they are applauding their decision to switch to this curriculum. They do not want to hear how we now teach 1 1/2 hours of math per day instead of 40 minutes, and that we used two different test prep books not to mention, the hours we spent making up lessons to fill in the gaps from other sources. We do not dare mention this fact.

What are some of the key issues that stick out to me?

I am sorry that education has come to this where teachers can be demoralized, and that the children suffer because they are not given an opportunity to learn in a creative enviroment where teachers are given the opportunity to differentiate and teach to the students' ability levels. When curriculum does not meet the students' needs, it needs to be revamped or thrown out. This is truly a crime. It saddens me that McGraw-Hill was given a free reign with that school district. At least, this article exists and there are signs of some hope for this district. I'm so happy that this has not happened to me.

What am I wondering about?

I'm wondering about the future of reading programs. In education, there is always the flavor of the year or decade. What will our focus be on next?

I'm hoping that through technology "new literacies" will empower students to become avid readers.

I'm hoping that my next crop of students is just as excited about reading as I am and that I will be able to create great reading mini lessons for my students.

I'm also wondering how all of this will effect me and my teaching position. My principal is leaning to writer's/reader's workshop, and she wants her staff to attend their workshops at Columbia Teacher's College. I am unable to do this because I work in the summer and I also am taking graduate courses. If I was able to attend during the school year, I would welcome the opportunity. We'll see what next year brings.

Frustrating Tuesday

Here's my story. Today I worked at the learning center for three hours. I have a new three-year-old student who's mother wants him to learn how to read and write before he goes to school. I am using a kindergarten reading/writing series with him. He's so bright; he already knows his letters but his fine motor skills have not developed yet. May I suggest playdough! He could have fun and strengthen his fingers at the same time so that he can hold a pencil. This is frustrating for me, but I'll do the best job that I can. The other two hours were spent on the floor with a range of age groups from 8 - 17. They all have different programs and I never feel right about spreading myself too thin. I do the best that I can. It's frustrating and tiring.

Today I made a treck to the MSU bookstore only to find out that they had the lenses book but not the conversations book. They were very nice and ordered the book for me but it may take a week to come in. Oh well. When I got home, the message on my machine frustrated me even more. They found 8 copies of the book somewhere else in the bookstore, but it was already too late for me to drive 45-60 minutes back to MSU. It would be closed by then. What should I do??

Plan B: After work tomorrow, drive to MSU, pray the book is still there, do PD speed reading and speed writing at the college tech lab. Let's hope that I have a wonderful Wednesday.

Tomorrow I start the enrichment summer program in my district. I'm excited about teaching creative writing, journalism, and drama.

Now it's time to read 2 of 3 articles and answer questions on my blob. I still can't download the Times article. They want to charge me $4.95.

Was anyone able to get the Times article somewhere else?? Please help me.

Hello

I'm back to blogging again for my summer reading course. It's another new adventure, and this time we have a group of four bloggers because our class is so large. We'll be writing summaries on the mother blog. (There's another new literacy term.)

Everyone seemed so nervous and it's understandable when you approach something for the first time. Luckily, I've been through this before, and I know that I can handle it. If anyone's reading my blog, don't worry; you'll be okay. If I can do it, you can too!

I'm excited about the course because I want to become a better reading teacher. I'm glad that I'll be working with a student as a case study because I'm actually going to help my son with his SAT prep this summer. I'm also going to tutor a student in reading/writing who will be entering the 5th grade. I've taken on a lot this summer, and I hope that I can squeeze it all in. I'm hoping this course will give me strategies to help my students.