Oral Language Infant classes

Developing receptiveness to oral language:

The child will be enabled to:

Experience, recognise and observe simple commands: -
· Look, listen, watch
· Games to facilitate this might be for example: -
· Simon says
· I spy
· Sea Ship Shore
· Crumbs/Crusts
· Magic Shoes
· What time is it Mr. Wolf
· Point to various body parts, colours, shapes.
· Clapping games (numbers and letters)
· I went to the shops
· Listen and draw
· Composing silly stories
· Charades/mime
· Listen to a story or description and respond to it: e.g.- draw a picture
· Retell the story
· Act out the story

Hear, repeat and elaborate words, phrases and sentances modelled by the teacher: -
· I saw a cat
· I saw a fat cat
· I saw a fat black cat
· Give me another word for happy
· Opposites

Use and interpret tone of voice expressing various emotions.
· To facilitate this work puppets could be used to portray sad, happy, angry, fearful, surprised, shocked or excited tones of voice.
· Saying “Hallo” in voices from stories e.g.
o Big bad wolf,
o Little Red Riding Hood,
o Billy Goats Gruff.

Learn to adopt appropriate verbal and non-verbal behaviour to secure and maintain the attention of a partner:

· Establishing eye contact,
· Using appropriate head movements, gestures and facial expressions,
· Ensuring audibility and clarity
· Mime and interpret gesture, movement and attitude conveying various emotions

Show me:
sad face body hands feet
a happy face body hands feet
worried face body hands feet
amazed face body hands feet
grumpy face body hands feet

Developing competence and confidence in using oral language.
The child will be enabled to:

Talk about past and present experiences and plan, predict and speculate about future and imaginary experiences:

· Daily newstime
· What happened next? In a story or picture book.

Choose appropriate words to name and describe things and events

· Feelie bag: what’s in it
· Describe a favourite toy, story, game, t.v. programme.
· Why is it a favourite?
· Fashion show for dolls, teddies – describe.
· What goes in a” beach bag “ picnic bag

Experiment with descriptive words to add meaning

What’s your name? Game

Combine simple sentences through the use of connecting words expressing concern and appreciation

· Aoife was angry because/when/and etc.
· Will you let me stay up late if /so
· I will go to bed when/if
Initiate and sustain a conversation on a particular topic

· My birthday
· My holiday
· My trip to the Zoo
· Make a phone call

Use language to perform common social functions

· Introducing oneself and others
· Greeting others and saying goodbye
· Giving and receiving messages
· Expressing concern and appreciation

Developing emotional and imaginative life through language

The child will be enabled to:

Reflect on and talk about a wide range of everyday experiences and feelings

· To facilitate this a range of stimulus objects could be used e.g.
· Picture of a tissue…..I feel sad
· Love heart……..I feel loved
· Trophy …….. I feel proud

Create and tell stories

o Base stories” Jack and the Beanstalk” – now tell Jack’s mothers story.
o Dress up – who are you? Tell your story.
o Listen to, learn and retell a rich variety of stories, rhymes and songs e.g.
o Miss Polly had a dolly
o Polly put the kettle on.
o Billy Goats Gruff
o Hansel and Gretel
o Jack and the Beanstalk

Respond through discussion, mime and role playing to stories, rhymes and songs heard and learnt e.g.

· Three blind mice
· Wise William
· 5 Little seeds a sleeping they lay
· 5 little ducks

Use Language to create and sustain imaginary situations in play

· Lost in a supermarket. What do you do?
· You want to cross the road. What do you do?
· At the doctors. What do you do?

Listen to, learn and recite rhymes (including nonsense rhymes and riddles)

· From Book of 1000 Rhymes
· Rhyme time
· Book of Riddles

Create real and imaginary sound worlds, recognise and re-create sounds in the immediate environment

· Bird Song Tapes
· Mood Music Link with PF
· Sound effects – The Haunted House

Experiment with different voices in role playing-

· A favourite story, a cartoon character e.g.
· Witch in Hansel and Gretel
· The Giant in Jack and the Beanstalk
· Bart Simpson
· Tellytubbies
· The Granny in Little Red Riding Hood
Developing cognitive abilities through oral language.

The child will be enabled to:

Provide further information in response to the teacher’s prompting

· Tell me more about …

Listen to a story or a narrative and ask questions about it

· What is the story about?
· Is it a happy/sad story?
· What happened?
· Let the children ask questions

Focus on descriptive detail and begin to be explicit in relation to people, times, processes, events, colour, shape, size, and position.

· Tour of school
· Circus visit
· School tour
· What we saw?
· Who we met?
· What happened next?

Discuss different possible solutions to simple problems

· How can we stop fighting in the yard?
· How can we keep the classroom litter free?
· How can we be helpers, friends, kind, happy

Ask questions in order to satisfy curiosity about the world
· Question time
· Newspapers /T.V. news
· Show understanding of text
· Ask questions
· Act out story
· Retell story in your own words