Blog #1 Relationship between oral language and reading process

The relationship between oral language and the reading process is complex. A proficient reader must be proficient with their oral language and vice versa. Too many students, both second-language learners and English-speaking students are not proficient in either. Students acquire language before being able to read. After reading the first chapter in Essential Linguistics it reaffirmed my belief that learning a language the first time is almost innate. Chomsky's LAD (language acquisition device) provides the foundation that we pick up on language from the beginning. As teachers of English-speaking students, our responsibility lies in helping students identify the many different registers of language. We also need to support ESL students while they learn and navigate through the complexity of the English language. While some districts have newcomer programs, many ESL students are put directly into mainstream classrooms and have one ESL teacher they might see during the day.  On the other hand, teachers must teach all students to read. While some pick up on the skills easier than others, we are responsible for teaching reading to our students. If students cannot read the language of the text, how can they communicate to us what they learned, what questions they have, what they found interesting, etc. Just like students need to think about their language, students to think about their reading. While I can't say how I read, I can tell you how I make meaning from text, including text connections, using a variety of reading strategies, and more.

We need to be conscientious of the different spoken registers just as we read different material for different purposes. I read the texts for my graduate classes to learn and become a more effective teacher. I read The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo for pleasure. Just as I talk to colleagues differently than I talk to my friends than to my parents and my husband. Oral language and the reading process while different modalities of communication in English, you really can't have one without the other. In order to comprehend what you read, you have a dialogue with yourself or with peers, which requires using oral language.