Ashley Louth October 19, 2013 Oral Language Assessment The oral language assessment is a way for teachers

to critically look at the oral language of the students and the opportunities for language in the classroom. This assessment also shows the functions that language has in the classroom environment. It allows teachers to step outside of their classrooms and take a close look at what opportunities they present to students to use, discover, and develop language inside the classroom environment. In addition, by listening to students individually and taking notes on what they talk about and how they talk about stuff provides opportunities for the teacher to get to know the students on a more personal level. Sometimes in the rush of the school day, little details about what students said happened at recess or how they felt about a book they read can be missed or forgotten. It is important to every once and awhile step away and really look at each student and the language and the language functions that each student uses. Kathie is a first grade student in a very active class of five and six year olds. She is one of twenty-two students that make up this diverse class. The room is divided into two main areas; there is an area where the students sit at desks and there is an area where the students sit on the carpet. The students seem to have a very firm grasp on the classroom rules and routines even though it is only the beginning of October and they have only been together in this classroom for about a month. Kathie is very versed in how to behave in school and reminds many of the students of this. She is what can be considered an average student. Both her Development Spelling Analysis (DSA) and reading level put her to be exactly at the first grade level. Many of

the students speak other languages outside of the classroom. Kathie goes to Chinese school in addition to her regular school days. The oral language assessment is an easy assessment to deliver. All a teacher needs to do is to have the printed or copied sheets of paper and pen. They he/she only has to listen and take note on what students say, how they say it, and when they say it. The students themselves do not even have to know that they are being assessed or listened to because the teacher only needs to listen. Gretchen Owocki and Yetta Goodman break the oral language assessment into two parts in their book Kidwatching: Documenting Childrens Literacy Development. They break it up into Classroom Observations and Individual Observations. However, this can be done using multiple techniques as long as the teachers take note on what, how, and when students use language in the classroom. I observed Kathie for four meetings; however, I officially took notes on her oral language for two days. These days were October 3 (written in green pen) and October 8 (written in blue pen). I used the sheets from Kidwatching by Owocki and Goodman to record my observations. In the classroom many opportunities arise for students to use oral language. Sharing stories, retelling events, taking social action & leadership, asking questions, and responding to questions can be seen in all contexts of the classroom and throughout the school day. Social action, leadership, and independence are encouraged in the classroom, especially with star student and helper of the day. Each week a new star student is picked to share things about themselves so the class can know more about him or her. Also, each day, there is a new helper. He/she is the line leader, the person to run morning meeting, call tables for snack, and help the teacher pass out and collect different things for activities. One of Kathies favorite was to spend

independent time, whether it is before or after school or during independent reading, is to share stories from home and connections she makes to stories she or others are reading at her table. Explaining language & literacy knowledge, feelings, points of view, and sensory experiences occur less frequently and in few contexts in the classroom and school day. The teacher encourages all of the students to think about books they read, to picture what is happening in their mind, to think about connections, and to think about how they feel before, during and after reading. But, normally this is just thought of quietly and independently. There are not many, if any, opportunities for students to share these thoughts and feelings. However, creating & describing imaginative worlds, planning events, language play, and collaborative relations were not present in any context of the classroom or school day. But to no matter, there is a large number of opportunities and encouragements for students to use oral language throughout their time in the classroom and during their time at school. Kathie takes an active role in her school environment. She likes to talk, share, and participate using oral language. She is more vocal and loud when only speaking with classmates. In the beginning and end of the classroom all the students are loud and discussing their thoughts, feelings, and experiences from inside and outside the classroom. This is especially true at the beginning of the day, around lunch time, and at the end of the day. One morning, the morning work was to independently read from their book boxes. The student sitting next to Kathie was reading an insect book to me when we reached the page about wasps and bees. Kathie then enthusiastically shared a story about when a wasp nest was located just outside the front door of her house. During instructional times she is much more reserved with speaking. In small group instruction or when speaking only to a teacher, she easily gets excited and goes to a tone of voice she would use when only with classmates and friends. During math labs, Kathie enthusiastically

helps her classmates in the activity they are doing but, she must be reminded to keep her voce down because she gets too excited and involved which causes her voice level to increase. However, in a whole class instructional situation she is very quiet. She will always wait to be called on in these situations. After being called on, Kathie will speak in a clear and quiet tone. This quiet sense of her does not affect her leadership though. She is always one of the first students to point out and correct another students poor behavior in the classroom. She would give oral instructions to the misbehaving student and then demonstrate for them. What appears to be her favorite form of oral language is telling stories or retelling events. She can go on for hours talking about stories from home or what happened at school during a special or recess. She also likes to describe books, their characters, and settings. Kathie will read a book aloud to you and then immediately tell you how that character or event made her feel, why, and a story that it reminded her of. The oral language assessment is a great opportunity for teachers to really listen to students and how they use oral language. It is also a great way for them to see the opportunities that they provide in their classroom and school days for students to use, develop and play with language. I would use this assessment to see what levels my students where at speaking orally. I would also use it as a way to make sure I was providing enough opportunities for my students to use and develop their language abilities. That way I could add more opportunities if needed. I would also use it to learn about my students. What do they like? What do they not like? Does talking to other students help them understand a concept or topic? Who speaks more than others? Who speaks less? I can see this helping me plan my projects and lessons for the whole year. I would even do this assessment periodically to see how students develop and grow their language abilities. For example, Kathies vocal connections and retellings to stories she and classmates

read show me that she is comprehending the text and forming connections to the text. She easily makes self to character connections and self to setting connections. What I would then try to do is to challenge her comprehension by using a bit more challenging books with Kathie to see her comprehension of a book that is a bit more complex in plot or story line. Kathies reserved manner and quiet tone during whole class discussions also shows me that I may need to make sure to check in with her a bit more frequently during group discussions and activities because she is not always willing to just show her understanding and knowledge in these types of settings. In small group settings I do not have to worry about her not understanding and not saying something but in large groups she is more likely to not show signs of misunderstandings and not following a lesson. However, I can count on her to always set a good example for the other students in the classroom. She packs up neatly and quickly. She speaks in the proper tone of voice for the activities going on in the classroom (again, she sometimes takes a loud tone when she is excited or happy to share her thoughts but normally she is very good with appropriate tones of voice). Kathie is always willing to help a student know what to do and how to act in the classroom. When the line is loud she will tell people to be quiet or they will have to sit down again. She encourages her fellow students at her table to wait patiently for directions. Kathie is a great role model for her fellow classmates and I know she does not have to be taught proper classroom rules and procedures, she just needs reminding sometimes.