Engaging Students in Oral Literacy
Yarra Me School educational programs are designed to facilitate students with challenging behaviours to be re-engaged into their mainstream settings. We offer a positive school experience by delivering personalised, predictable and structured routines.
For the majority of the students, their inability to fully participate in the classroom due to their behavioural difficulties places significant barriers to their learning and their engagement in the classroom. Some of our students have an interruption to their schooling due to poor attendance and school suspensions; impacting negatively on their literacy development and successful school engagement.
The aim of the engaging students in an oral literacy program is to introduce our students to the joy of being read to, of being immersed in an imagined world. Our aim is to give the students a safe space on a regular basis to listen to stories they may have never heard, read to them by local community artists and members. Our hope is that this will be a time that the children look forward to and that the stories may offer the springboard for the children to imagine, to draw, to talk about the stories, to write or to perform.
In a recent publication by Pamela Snow and Martine Powell 'Oral Language Competence in Early Life and Risk for Engagement in Antisocial Behaviour in Adolescence', oral language competence is referred to as a set of listening and speaking skills which develop in childhood. This research indicates that children who are demonstrating behavioural difficulties at school will quite possibly also have speech and language difficulties.
“Keeping all children engaged academically has significance for health and wellbeing at a community level and it is vital that educators position their work within a broader public health context.”
The importance of developing oral literacy skills, including reading has been the subject of extensive research. Poor reading skills have been closely linked with poor academic success, and have been associated with behavioural difficulties. Interactive reading has shown to develop a child's oral language which in turn assists in the development of success in reading.
For the majority of the students, their inability to fully participate in the classroom due to their behavioural difficulties places significant barriers to their learning and their engagement in the classroom. Some of our students have an interruption to their schooling due to poor attendance and school suspensions; impacting negatively on their literacy development and successful school engagement.
The aim of the engaging students in an oral literacy program is to introduce our students to the joy of being read to, of being immersed in an imagined world. Our aim is to give the students a safe space on a regular basis to listen to stories they may have never heard, read to them by local community artists and members. Our hope is that this will be a time that the children look forward to and that the stories may offer the springboard for the children to imagine, to draw, to talk about the stories, to write or to perform.
In a recent publication by Pamela Snow and Martine Powell 'Oral Language Competence in Early Life and Risk for Engagement in Antisocial Behaviour in Adolescence', oral language competence is referred to as a set of listening and speaking skills which develop in childhood. This research indicates that children who are demonstrating behavioural difficulties at school will quite possibly also have speech and language difficulties.
“Keeping all children engaged academically has significance for health and wellbeing at a community level and it is vital that educators position their work within a broader public health context.”
The importance of developing oral literacy skills, including reading has been the subject of extensive research. Poor reading skills have been closely linked with poor academic success, and have been associated with behavioural difficulties. Interactive reading has shown to develop a child's oral language which in turn assists in the development of success in reading.
Jackie Kerin - Reading Patron
Jackie Kerin has accepted the role of ' Storytelling Patron' at our early years program. She is an artist and an author who is passionate about the traditional art of spoken story.
Jackie is enthusiastic about all kinds of stories but she particularly loves searching out unique Australian tales and putting them into language for telling. Some of these can be enjoyed on her website as 'Tellable Australian Tales'.
Jackie is also a member of Storytelling Australia (Victoria), a group dedicated to this ancient art.
As an author, Jackie's first picture book, Phar Lap the wonder horse was awarded an Eve Pownall CBCA Notable in 2009 and continues to be popular with readers of all ages. Her new book, Lyrebird! a true story is a CBCA Honour Book 2013 and received a Whitley Awards Certificate of Commendation.
Yarra Me School is honored to have Jackie as our children's Patron for Storytelling. We are grateful for her commitment to our early years oral language program and for enriching the literacy experiences of our students.
Jackie is enthusiastic about all kinds of stories but she particularly loves searching out unique Australian tales and putting them into language for telling. Some of these can be enjoyed on her website as 'Tellable Australian Tales'.
Jackie is also a member of Storytelling Australia (Victoria), a group dedicated to this ancient art.
As an author, Jackie's first picture book, Phar Lap the wonder horse was awarded an Eve Pownall CBCA Notable in 2009 and continues to be popular with readers of all ages. Her new book, Lyrebird! a true story is a CBCA Honour Book 2013 and received a Whitley Awards Certificate of Commendation.
Yarra Me School is honored to have Jackie as our children's Patron for Storytelling. We are grateful for her commitment to our early years oral language program and for enriching the literacy experiences of our students.
“I am delighted to be Yarra Me's first Storytelling Patron. It is a pleasure to visit and together with the students and teachers, unpack the storyteller’s kitbag of communication skills: speaking, listening, singing, moving, observing, writing and reading.”
Jackie K
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Video story - Edith’s Lyrebird Listen to Jackie as she tells us a story about Mrs Edith Wilkinson and the lyrebird. |
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Useful Website Links - Speech, Language and Communication Needs
- Level One Speaking and Listening Project - Activities to explicitly target oral language within the classroom. DET Speech Pathologists 2010
- Increased rate of parents reading to their children - DET Early Childhood Indicators 2013
- Reading to Young Children: A Head-Start in Life - The research sets out to explore the connections between parents reading to their young children and their child’s later reading and other cognitive skills. DET and the Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research 2012
- Early Years Strategic Plan Improving outcomes for all Victorian children 2014-2020 - A focus on the early years: DET
- Language and Literacy - Onlineinset SLCN. For more information on the Inclusion Online courses go to http://www.oltaustralia.net/
- DET Language Support Program - The Language Support Program Professional Learning Guide has been developed to assist teachers, coordinators, and school leaders understand more about language, language disorders and language difficulties
- Speech Pathology Australia - This website provides information about finding, choosing, and accessing speech pathology services, and fact sheets.
- Spelfabet - Alison Clarke provides information and resources for teaching the foundations of literacy.
- Oral Language Supporting Early Literacy - Catholic Education Commission of Victoria. The website provides extensive resources for teachers and parents to support oral language and literacy skills. These resources include teaching outlines for addressing specific elements of language, websites and publications that support teachers in understanding concepts and issues surrounding oral language and literacy.