The table below lists the developmental trends of linguistic characteristics and abilities for children from kindergarten to high school.
| Grade Level |
Age-Typical Characteristics |
Suggested Strategies |
| K-2 |
- Knowledge of 8,000-14,000 words by age 6
- Difficulty understanding complex sentences (e.g., those with multiple clauses)
- Overdependence on word order and context (instead of syntax) when interpreting messages
- Superficial understanding of being a "good listener" (e.g., just sitting quietly)
- Literal interpretations of messages and requests (e.g., not , realizing that "Goodness, this class is noisy" means "Be quiet")
- Increasing ability to tell a story
- Mastery of most sounds; some difficulty pronouncing r, th, dr, sl, and str
- Occasional use of regular word endings (-s, -ed, -er) with irregular words (sheeps, goed, gooder)
- Basic etiquette in conversations (e.g., taking turns, answering questions)
- Reluctance to initiate conversations with adults (for many students from Asian and Mexican American backgrounds)
|
- Read age-appropriate storybooks as a way of enhancing vocabulary.
- Give corrective feedback when students' use of words indicates inaccurate understanding.
- Work on listening skills (e.g., sitting quietly, paying attention, trying to understand and remember).
- Ask follow-up questions to make sure students accurately understand important messages.
- Ask students to construct narratives about recent events (e.g., "Tell me about your camping trip last weekend").
|
| 3-5 |
- Increasing understanding of temporal words (e.g., before, after) and comparatives (e.g., bigger, as big as)
- Occasional confusion about when to use the versus a
- Incomplete knowledge of irregular word forms
- Increasing awareness of when sentences are and are not grammatically correct
- Pronunciation of all sounds in one's language mastered by age 9
- Sustained conversations about concrete topics
- Increasing ability to take listeners' prior knowledge into account during explanations
- Construction of stories with plots and cause-and-effect relationships
- Linguistic creativity and word play (e.g., rhymes, word games)
|
- Teach irregular word forms (e.g., the past tense of ring is rang, the past tense of bring is brought).
- Begin instruction about parts of speech.
- Use group discussions as a way to explore academic subject matter.
- Have students develop short stories to present orally or in writing.
- When articulation problems are evident in the upper elementary grades, consult with a speech-language pathologist.
- Encourage jokes and rhymes that capitalize on double meanings and homonyms (i.e., sound-alike words).
|
| 6-8 |
- Knowledge of about 50,000 words at age 12
- Increasing awareness of the terminology used in various academic disciplines
- Some confusion about when to use various connectives (but, yet, although, unless)
- Ability to understand complex, multiclause sentences
- Emerging ability to look beyond literal interpretations; comprehension of simple proverbs and increasing ability to detect sarcasm
- Emerging ability to carry on lengthy conversations about abstract topics
- Significant growth in metalinguistic awareness
|
- Assign reading materials that introduce new vocabulary.
- Introduce some of the terminology used by experts in various academic disciplines (e.g., simile in language arts, molecule in science).
- Conduct structured debates to explore controversial issues.
- Present proverbs and ask students to consider their underlying meanings.
- Explore the nature of words and language as entities in and of themselves.
|
| 9-12 |
- Knowledge of about 80,000 words
- Acquisition of many vocabulary words specifically related to various academic disciplines
- Subtle refinements in syntax, mostly as a result of formal instruction
- Mastery of a wide variety of connectives (e.g., although, however, nevertheless)
- General ability to understand figurative language (e.g., metaphors, proverbs, hyperbole)
|
- Consistently use the terminology associated with various academic disciplines.
- Distinguish between similar abstract words (e.g., weather vs. climate, velocity vs. acceleration).
- Explore complex syntactic structures (e.g., multiple embedded clauses).
- Consider the underlying meanings and messages in poetry and fiction.
- When students have a native dialect other than Standard English, encourage them to use it in informal conversations and creative writing; encourage Standard English for more formal situations.
|
Sources: Bowey, 1986; L. Bradley & Bryant, 1991; Capelli, Nakagawa, & Madden, 1990; S. Carey, 1978; Delgado-Gaitan, 1994; Karmiloll-Smith, 1979; Maratsos, 1998; McDevitt et aI., 1990; McDevitt & Ford, 1987; Nippold, 1988; O'Grady, 1997; Owens, 1996; Reich, 1986; Sheldon, 1974; Stanovich, 2000; Swanborn & de Glopper, 1999; Thelen & Smith, 1998.
Excerpt from Educational Psychology Developing Learners , by J.E. Ormrod, 2008 edition, p. 51.
© 2008, Merrill, an imprint of Pearson Education Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
