Talking Together

Talking Together

| Workshop 4

Talking Together Workshop at a Glance Purpose of the Workshop This workshop will help parents learn new skills in order to increase their child’s oral language development through structured and unstructured activities.

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Why This Workshop is Important Oral language is the foundation of reading and writing. Oral language is developed through the introduction and use of vocabulary that children do not already know or use frequently. We must think about the vocabulary we use with children and how we explain unfamiliar words. Restating children’s speech using more sophisticated vocabulary will also help develop oral language. Oral language forms the basis for all communication. When children enter school, the vocabulary they are using predicts their later decoding and comprehension performance.

Workshop Activity — Making a Family Timeline Families will increase their conversation and bond over this enjoyable activity. Parents will create a timeline of their lives, talking about each memory as they record it. Children will learn more about their parents as they engage in a rich oral language interaction.

Family Literacy Workshops

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Reproducible Page

Talking Together Workshop Agenda 1. Welcome and review of the activities from last month.

2. Review the theme and the objectives for the workshop.

3. Importance of oral language

4. Ways to increase oral language interactions

5. Distribute and review the take-home activities.

6. Workshop activity — Making a Family Timeline

7. Closing remarks

Photocopy this page for teachers and parents to follow along and take notes during the workshop.

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Workshop 4

Talking Together 1) Welcome and review of the activities from last month. It is always a good way to start a workshop by asking parents about the take-home activities. Some will be excited by the work they created with their children, and others will need encouragement. If it is difficult to get parents to share with the whole group, smaller group conversations can be used instead.

REMEMBER: Oral language is the foundation of reading and writing.

2) Review the theme and the objectives for the workshop. Because the importance of oral language is often overlooked, this workshop will be of particular value. Parents may not understand the essential role that talking plays in their child’s literacy learning. This workshop is designed to give parents ideas about different types of conversations they can have with their children. Emphasize to parents that talking to their children frequently is one of the best ways to increase their child’s vocabulary.

3) Importance of oral language The connection between oral language and reading is not always understood by parents. Help parents understand that reading, writing, and reading comprehension are all influenced by the amount of vocabulary we know. Ask them to think back to the Reading Process activity they tried in Workshop 2. When children are first learning to read, they often use pictures and other environmental cues to determine what words mean. If children have a large vocabulary, they will be more likely to recognize pictures and themes in books. A larger vocabulary will also help children determine whether the word they just read is correct, and predict what the next words will be based on previous text.

4) Ways to increase oral language interactions During this part of the workshop, describe different types of interactions and ways that parents can help develop their child’s oral language skills. Below are some ideas of oral language interactions. We have provided samples for each type of interaction, but suggest that you use your own personal experiences when presenting in the workshop. • Oral Family Traditions An oral family tradition is a story that has been passed down through the years. It could be a story that your mother told you, which her own mother told her years before. After telling the story, parents should ask questions to check their child’s comprehension and review any new vocabulary. Not only does this type of activity develop oral language skills, but it also helps preserve family traditions and stories. Following is an example from one of our authors:


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Talking Together – Sample Oral Tradition The Traveling Clock Repairman – A Swartz Family Oral Tradition

It was once common for tradesmen and repairmen to travel throughout the countryside, stopping in small towns

and farms to offer their wares or services. Some sold seed or tools to farmers. Others offered to repair farm equipment or household appliances. It was common for these workers-for-hire to be invited to share supper with the family. This story was told by my Grandma Swartz. It’s about a repairman who traveled around offering to clean and repair clocks.

After the better part of the day spent cleaning and repairing a clock that was an important family heirloom, the

clock repairman was asked to stay for supper. Counting my grandmother and grandfather and four children, the family was six, so a large table was used for meals. It was easy to set another place for a visitor.

Supper in this household was a time to talk, share the day’s events, and tell stories. It was a lively group who enjoyed

this time together each day. Even so, there were expectations about how one behaved at the table and these expectations were even more important if there was a guest. Children were expected to be polite and respectful, and were expected to use their best table manners.

So the story my grandmother tells about the clock repairman focused on his table manners. She always said he ate

like there was no tomorrow, taking more than his share and actually standing and stabbing food from the serving plate rather than asking for it to be passed. She was sure that he ate at least half of the food prepared for the whole family.

He also ate quickly and barely chewed his food, sometimes appearing to swallow it whole. It was as if he didn’t

grab his food he wouldn’t get his share. The story also goes that he chewed and talked with his mouth full and wiped his mouth on the sleeve of his shirt. He became excited enough when speaking that he even spit food out of his mouth. To make a long story short, the clock repairman had very bad table manners.

My grandmother felt that being polite was an important way to show respect to others. To her, having good table

manners is what separates people from pigs. We should care about our behavior because of how it affects others.

So this story has now been shared for three generations of my family. Should anyone have poor table manners or be

disrespectful during meals, the response is quick and simple: “What are you, a clock repairman?” Everyone knows what this question means.

Sample Review Questions for Comprehension 1. What are tradesmen? Can you think of someone who is a tradesman? 2. What are wares? 3. What is supper, compared to lunch or dinner? What do you call various mealtimes in your home? 4. This is a story about Grandma Swartz. What do you call your grandmother? 5. What is an heirloom? Do you have any objects you consider family heirlooms? 6. Why is being polite important? 7. Make a list of what you consider to be good table manners.

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• Restating What Your Child Said This is something parents should be encouraged to do whenever possible. When their child says something, the parent can restate what the child said using more sophisticated vocabulary. For example: • The child says, “It is cold out tonight.” The parent can say, “Yes, it is cold tonight. Another word for cold is chilly.” • The child says, “I am very, very hungry.” The parent can say, “When you are very, very hungry, that means you are famished or starving.” • Talking During Ordinary Activities Sometimes when we are making dinner or shopping at the grocery store, we are distracted and do not talk much with our child. One of the best ways to teach new vocabulary, especially to young children, is to describe the task we are doing or the things that we are seeing. Parents can do this by describing how they are making dinner, making sure to tell children what each ingredient is called and the methods used to cook the food. Here are some things that parents could talk to their child about at the grocery store: • The colors and shapes of the vegetables: “This is a yellow banana. It is long and skinny and curves a little. Here is a red onion. It is shaped a little like a circle.” • Reading the text on boxes. Parents can point to a box, identify each letter, and then read the text to their child. If the child is older, the parent can ask the child to read the text out loud. Young children can be encouraged to point out Talking about environmental text is a great way to develop oral language skills.

symbols, print, and other things that they recognize in the environment. After outlining and sharing these different ways of increasing oral language interactions, invite parents to share some of things they are already doing to help develop their child’s oral language.

5) Distribute and review the take-home activities. Review the take-home activities with parents. Be sure to emphasize how each of these activities supports oral language development and interaction in their homes. And because this workshop is about “Talking Together,” ask for volunteers to present each activity with their child at the next workshop’s Welcome and Review. • A Moment in Time — Parent and child will tell each other stories about themselves, drawing on different types of experiences: embarrassing stories, interesting events, happy or sad moments, etc. — Skills addressed: listening and speaking strategies. • Cooking with Kids — This activity uses an everyday activity to demonstrate how rich oral language interactions can take place all the time. — Skills addressed: reading comprehension; listening and speaking strategies • My Turn, Your Turn Story Time — Parents and children will take turns telling a story they make-up together in this activity that is sure to entertain.


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| Talking Together — Skills addressed: listening and speaking strategies; written and oral language conventions; writing strategies and applications • Family Tree — Children will enjoy speaking with and interviewing relatives about their family history. — Skills addressed: listening and speaking strategies; written and oral language conventions

6) Workshop activity — Making a Family Timeline Using the blank reproducible timeline provided (pg. 81), ask parents to create a timeline of their life beginning at birth and ending with “today.” — Parents should explain the events to their child as they write them on the timeline. They should talk about the significance of the event and any other interesting facts that led them to write it down.

Don’t Get Stuck! Provide parents some timeline ideas to get them started: • Birthdate • Baptism/Bar Mitzvah, etc. • Played on a sports team • Started school • Moved to another house, city, state • Started working at _ _____ • Learned how to drive

— Instruct parents to ask their children questions during the activity. Remind them to avoid asking yes or no questions like, “Do you remember that day?” Below are examples of questions that parents might ask: • “Here is when mommy started first grade. How did you feel when you started first grade?” Or, “How did you feel on your first day of school?” • “This is the day your little brother was born. Can you tell me what happened that day?” Or, “How did you feel when your brother was born?” — Children should illustrate the timeline, drawing pictures that represent the stories told by their parents.

7) Closing remarks Let everyone know that as we are reaching the midpoint in the workshops, we will

• Bought a car

review the skills and lessons that have been discussed and practiced up to this

• Bought a house

point. If anyone has special projects they have completed with their children, or

• Marriage date

new ideas that they have thought of that they would like to share, they should be

• First child was born

prepared to do so at the next workshop. Remind the group of the date and theme of next month’s workshop. Thank everyone for their participation and hard work. As always, leave time for any questions parents may have about the take-home activities or other parts of the workshop.

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Event

Date

Life Timeline

Reproducible Page


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Reproducible Page

Take-Home Activity

A Moment in Time This is a storytelling activity. Pick a moment in your life to tell a story about. It could be happy, sad, or funny. Tell this story to your child and discuss it with her afterward. Then ask your child to do the same by picking a moment from his or her own life and telling that story.

• Appropriate for all ages

Step 1: Think of an embarrassing story that happened to you and tell it to your child. Below is an example of an embarrassing story from one of our authors: When I was in 4th grade, I was walking to school just after it had rained. When I was almost there, I slipped in a puddle and landed on my bottom. When I got up, my pants were all wet. I couldn’t believe I had to go to school with wet pants on. What were all the kids going to think? I went straight to the bathroom and tried to dry my pants off with paper towels, but it was no use. They were soaked. I walked into class late because I was in the bathroom trying to fix the situation, and a boy right next to the door looked at me as I walked in. He shouted to the rest of the class, “Look! His pants are all wet. Had an accident, did we? Couldn’t wait to go pee in the bathroom?!” I was so embarrassed. The whole school called me pee-pee pants the rest of the day — even after the pants dried. I was so upset when I went home. But a few days later, everyone had forgotten about it. Step 2: Talk about the story with your child, asking questions like: • Why was I so embarrassed when I got to school? • How were the other kids mean to me? • What happened afterward? Step 3: Follow up the story by asking your child, “Have you ever had an embarrassing situation like that? Tell me about it.” Step 4: Feel free to ask questions throughout the story, as well as at the end, to develop language through the use of more detailed descriptions and higher level language. For example: • How did you feel when that happened? • What did others say? • Where and when did this happen? Step 5: Repeat this activity using other kinds of stories – happy, sad, exciting, etc.

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Reproducible Page

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Take-Home Activity

Cooking with Kids Cooking is a great time to talk with your children and to include them in a daily activity. Talking about ingredients, measurements, and the cooking process is a valuable oral language development opportunity.


Materials: • Recipe • Cooking supplies • Ingredients

Directions: Step 1: Choose a recipe together with your child. It could be a favorite food or something new. Step 2: Begin by reading through the list of ingredients. Work with your child to figure out which ingredients you already have at home and which ones you need to go to the store to buy. (Going shopping at the store provides another opportunity for oral language interactions as you point out food items and read labels together.) Step 3: Once you have all the ingredients, talk with your child about the recipe. What is needed? How many cups? Teaspoons? What’s a pinch of salt? Let’s see what a raw green pepper tastes like. Do you like it? What does it smell like? Let’s try it to see if it’s changed flavor after we’ve cooked it. Do you want to stir the …? When you stir, you …. What does the recipe say next? Step 4: Once all the cooking is done, you can also make serving part of the activity. Continue the conversation. Now we use the spatula to put the … on the plate. Now we use the tongs…. Step 5: Ask your child to help with the clean-up, again continuing the conversation. Use the scrub brush and dish soap to… and then put that into the dishwasher. Where does that go? What should we do with…?


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Reproducible Page

Take-Home Activity

My Turn, Your Turn Story Time This is an old-fashioned storytelling time activity. It begins with a prompt from which one person starts telling a story and then at any moment hands the story off to the next person, who continues telling the story in his or her own way. This is repeated among the participating members until the story is finished.


Materials: • Sample story prompt (provided) • Pencils, pens, markers, crayons, and/or colored pencils

Directions: Step 1: The first person should begin telling a story based on the story prompt provided below. Step 2: When the story has reached a point that the first person feels is a good place for someone else to continue, he or she allows the next person to take over the storytelling, going in any direction of his or her choosing. Step 3: Continue this way until each person has had a chance to add to the story and someone comes up with an ending. An alternative to this oral interaction is to take turns writing the story down until it is complete. Step 4: Make up your own story prompts and repeat the activity.

Sample Story Prompt There was a boy who loved school. He was very smart and loved to read. One rainy day, he was walking to school with his best friend when …

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Talking Together

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Take-Home Activity

Family Tree (2 pages) Creating a family tree is a great way to discover and preserve your family’s unique history. This may take some time and energy, but creating an heirloom that the family can share forever will be well worth it in the end.

• Appropriate for older children

Materials: • Paper or family tree worksheet (provided) • Pencils, pens, markers, crayons, and/or colored pencils

Directions: Step 1: Start by interviewing your parents. Ask them about themselves and then about their parents (where and when they were born, what their names are/were, what your mother/grandmother’s maiden name was, and so on). Keep notes on this so that you can create your family tree. Step 2: Interview other immediate family members such as your grandparents and possibly great-grandparents. Ask them to tell you what they remember about their parents and grandparents. Step 3: Talking with everyone listed so far should allow you to take your family tree back to at least your grandparents, if not your great, or great-great grandparents. The more family members you talk to, the more information you should be able to gather. Record this information and make a couple of rough drafts of your family tree before you make your final draft. Share your finished family tree with family members.


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Family Tree

Reproducible Page

(page 2 of 2)

Family Tree Worksheet

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