HLT3701/ASSESSMENT 2/0/2024
PREVIEW
1 Language Development at the
Early-Reading Level
At the Early-reading level, learners
exhibit the following characteristics:
1. Letter-Sound
Correspondences: Learners
start understanding that letters
represent sounds and can
combine these sounds to form
words.
2. Decoding Simple Words: They
begin to decode or sound out
simple words and recognize
some high-frequency words by
sight.
3. Vocabulary Development: Their
vocabulary expands as they are
exposed to new words through
reading and listening.
4. Reading Comprehension:
Early-reading level learners can
comprehend simple texts with
HLT3701
familiar content and context.
5. Expressive Language Skills:
They start using more complex
sentences and can describe
events, tell simple stories, and
express their thoughts and
ideas.
ASSIGNMENT 2 2024 NATALIE FOXX
0
, HLT3701/ASSESSMENT 2/0/2024
HLT3701 – ASSESSMENT 2
DEVELOPMENT OF LANGUAGE SKILLS
QUESTION 1: (12)
1.1 Hill (2008) identifies different levels of language development in young learners.
1.1.1 Discuss the language development of learners who are at the Early-reading level
and explain how the knowledge of these stages will enable teachers to
assist learners in developing language in class. (6)
1.1.2 Create TWO (2) activities that you would use to develop language skills for
Early-reading level learners. (6)
1.1.1 Language Development at the Early-Reading Level
At the Early-reading level, learners exhibit the following characteristics:
1. Letter-Sound Correspondences: Learners start understanding that letters represent
sounds and can combine these sounds to form words.
2. Decoding Simple Words: They begin to decode or sound out simple words and
recognize some high-frequency words by sight.
3. Vocabulary Development: Their vocabulary expands as they are exposed to new
words through reading and listening.
4. Reading Comprehension: Early-reading level learners can comprehend simple texts
with familiar content and context.
5. Expressive Language Skills: They start using more complex sentences and can
describe events, tell simple stories, and express their thoughts and ideas.
Implications for Teaching:
• Differentiated Instruction: Understanding the stages of language development helps
teachers tailor their instruction to meet the specific needs of learners. For early
readers, teachers can provide phonics instruction, simple reading materials, and
opportunities for repetitive practice.
• Formative Assessment: Knowledge of these stages allows teachers to use formative
assessments to gauge learners' progress and adjust instruction accordingly.
• Scaffolding: Teachers can scaffold learning by providing support, such as picture
cues or sentence starters, and gradually reducing assistance as learners become
more proficient.
• Engaging Activities: Activities that are engaging and relevant to learners' lives can
motivate them to practice reading and develop their language skills.
Integrating Literacy Development: Reading and writing development is closely intertwined
with oral language development. The process of literacy development includes several levels:
1
, • Beginning Level: Babies and toddlers explore books and pictures through their
senses. They enjoy listening to stories and scribbling with crayons.
• Early-Emergent Level: Children pretend to read and may recognize some words.
Their scribbles begin to resemble drawing and writing.
• Emergent Level: Children learn what a "word" is and start associating written words
with oral language. They can recognize their name and a few other words.
• Early Reading Level: Children can match letters to sounds, sound out three and four-
letter words, and read simple books word by word. They can also write letters and
spell simple words.
• Early Fluent Level: Children read in phrases, read silently, and understand most of
what they read. They can write more complex sentences and use punctuation.
Understanding these levels allows educators to support students' literacy development,
recognizing that literacy is built upon a foundation of language skills (DoE 2008; Hill 2008).
1.1.2 Activities to Develop Language Skills for Early-Reading Level Learners
Activity 1: Word Matching Game
• Objective: To reinforce letter-sound correspondence and sight word recognition.
• Materials: Flashcards with pictures and corresponding words, a magnetic board.
• Procedure:
1. Create flashcards with simple words and corresponding pictures (e.g., cat, dog,
sun).
2. Display the flashcards with pictures on a magnetic board.
3. Distribute the word flashcards to learners.
4. Ask learners to match the word flashcards to the corresponding pictures on the
board.
5. Once matched, ask learners to read the words aloud and describe the pictures.
• Assessment: Observe learners’ ability to match words to pictures and read the words
correctly. Provide immediate feedback and assistance as needed.
Activity 2: Shared Reading
• Objective: To improve reading comprehension and vocabulary.
• Materials: A big book or an enlarged copy of a simple storybook, pointer.
• Procedure:
1. Select a simple, repetitive storybook appropriate for the learners' reading level.
2. Gather learners around and introduce the book, discussing the cover and
predicting what the story might be about.
3. Read the story aloud, using a pointer to follow the text. Encourage learners to
join in reading repetitive phrases or words.
4. Pause to ask questions about the story, characters, and events to ensure
comprehension.
5. After reading, engage learners in a discussion about the story. Ask them to
retell the story in their own words or draw a scene from the book.
• Assessment: Assess learners’ participation in reading aloud, their ability to answer
questions about the story, and their engagement in the discussion and retelling
activities. Provide positive reinforcement and address any difficulties observed.
Enhancing Vocabulary Development
To enhance vocabulary development, educators can consider the following strategies, as
suggested by Hill (2008) and Sedita (2005):
2
PREVIEW
1 Language Development at the
Early-Reading Level
At the Early-reading level, learners
exhibit the following characteristics:
1. Letter-Sound
Correspondences: Learners
start understanding that letters
represent sounds and can
combine these sounds to form
words.
2. Decoding Simple Words: They
begin to decode or sound out
simple words and recognize
some high-frequency words by
sight.
3. Vocabulary Development: Their
vocabulary expands as they are
exposed to new words through
reading and listening.
4. Reading Comprehension:
Early-reading level learners can
comprehend simple texts with
HLT3701
familiar content and context.
5. Expressive Language Skills:
They start using more complex
sentences and can describe
events, tell simple stories, and
express their thoughts and
ideas.
ASSIGNMENT 2 2024 NATALIE FOXX
0
, HLT3701/ASSESSMENT 2/0/2024
HLT3701 – ASSESSMENT 2
DEVELOPMENT OF LANGUAGE SKILLS
QUESTION 1: (12)
1.1 Hill (2008) identifies different levels of language development in young learners.
1.1.1 Discuss the language development of learners who are at the Early-reading level
and explain how the knowledge of these stages will enable teachers to
assist learners in developing language in class. (6)
1.1.2 Create TWO (2) activities that you would use to develop language skills for
Early-reading level learners. (6)
1.1.1 Language Development at the Early-Reading Level
At the Early-reading level, learners exhibit the following characteristics:
1. Letter-Sound Correspondences: Learners start understanding that letters represent
sounds and can combine these sounds to form words.
2. Decoding Simple Words: They begin to decode or sound out simple words and
recognize some high-frequency words by sight.
3. Vocabulary Development: Their vocabulary expands as they are exposed to new
words through reading and listening.
4. Reading Comprehension: Early-reading level learners can comprehend simple texts
with familiar content and context.
5. Expressive Language Skills: They start using more complex sentences and can
describe events, tell simple stories, and express their thoughts and ideas.
Implications for Teaching:
• Differentiated Instruction: Understanding the stages of language development helps
teachers tailor their instruction to meet the specific needs of learners. For early
readers, teachers can provide phonics instruction, simple reading materials, and
opportunities for repetitive practice.
• Formative Assessment: Knowledge of these stages allows teachers to use formative
assessments to gauge learners' progress and adjust instruction accordingly.
• Scaffolding: Teachers can scaffold learning by providing support, such as picture
cues or sentence starters, and gradually reducing assistance as learners become
more proficient.
• Engaging Activities: Activities that are engaging and relevant to learners' lives can
motivate them to practice reading and develop their language skills.
Integrating Literacy Development: Reading and writing development is closely intertwined
with oral language development. The process of literacy development includes several levels:
1
, • Beginning Level: Babies and toddlers explore books and pictures through their
senses. They enjoy listening to stories and scribbling with crayons.
• Early-Emergent Level: Children pretend to read and may recognize some words.
Their scribbles begin to resemble drawing and writing.
• Emergent Level: Children learn what a "word" is and start associating written words
with oral language. They can recognize their name and a few other words.
• Early Reading Level: Children can match letters to sounds, sound out three and four-
letter words, and read simple books word by word. They can also write letters and
spell simple words.
• Early Fluent Level: Children read in phrases, read silently, and understand most of
what they read. They can write more complex sentences and use punctuation.
Understanding these levels allows educators to support students' literacy development,
recognizing that literacy is built upon a foundation of language skills (DoE 2008; Hill 2008).
1.1.2 Activities to Develop Language Skills for Early-Reading Level Learners
Activity 1: Word Matching Game
• Objective: To reinforce letter-sound correspondence and sight word recognition.
• Materials: Flashcards with pictures and corresponding words, a magnetic board.
• Procedure:
1. Create flashcards with simple words and corresponding pictures (e.g., cat, dog,
sun).
2. Display the flashcards with pictures on a magnetic board.
3. Distribute the word flashcards to learners.
4. Ask learners to match the word flashcards to the corresponding pictures on the
board.
5. Once matched, ask learners to read the words aloud and describe the pictures.
• Assessment: Observe learners’ ability to match words to pictures and read the words
correctly. Provide immediate feedback and assistance as needed.
Activity 2: Shared Reading
• Objective: To improve reading comprehension and vocabulary.
• Materials: A big book or an enlarged copy of a simple storybook, pointer.
• Procedure:
1. Select a simple, repetitive storybook appropriate for the learners' reading level.
2. Gather learners around and introduce the book, discussing the cover and
predicting what the story might be about.
3. Read the story aloud, using a pointer to follow the text. Encourage learners to
join in reading repetitive phrases or words.
4. Pause to ask questions about the story, characters, and events to ensure
comprehension.
5. After reading, engage learners in a discussion about the story. Ask them to
retell the story in their own words or draw a scene from the book.
• Assessment: Assess learners’ participation in reading aloud, their ability to answer
questions about the story, and their engagement in the discussion and retelling
activities. Provide positive reinforcement and address any difficulties observed.
Enhancing Vocabulary Development
To enhance vocabulary development, educators can consider the following strategies, as
suggested by Hill (2008) and Sedita (2005):
2
