Grade 1 • Language Arts • Speaking and Listening

Grade 1 Language Arts

Speaking and Listening

Children learn the sounds of language by listening to people talk. As children learn to talk with others, they ask questions, learn the meanings of words, and find out interesting and important things about the world around them. Many experiences of listening and talking prepare children to read.

(Talking and Listening: Practical Ideas for Parents. (n.d.). Retrieved June 28, 2016, from http://www.readingrockets.org/article/talking-and-listening-practical-ideas-parents Links to an external site.)

Students adapt their communication in relation to audience, task, purpose, and discipline. They set and adjust purpose for reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language use as warranted by the task. They appreciate nuances, such as how the composition of an audience should affect tone when speaking and how the connotations of words affect meaning. They also know that different disciplines call for different types of evidence (e.g., documentary evidence in history, experimental evidence in science).

Tips

Teach your child songs and poems.
Read aloud to your child.
Read stories and have your child tell them back to you.
Take nature walks around the neighborhood and talk about what your child can see, hear, and touch.
Draw pictures with your child and take turns telling stories about the picture.
Record yourself reading a book, and allow your child to listen to the recorded story.
Watch educational programs and talk about what your child saw and noticed.
Play games with your child that require talking, listening, or following directions, e.g., "Red Light, Green Light" or "Simon Says."

Speaking and Listening Activities at Home

A Good Speaker...

Makes eye contact
Stays on topic
Comes prepared
Explains thinking

A Good Listener...

Looks at the speaker
Takes their turn
Comments on others' thinking
Listens carefully
Is polite
Does not interrupt

Grade 1 • Language Arts • Speaking and Listening