Language development and thematic instruction: supporting young learners at risk.

When Sarah Wermuth and Melissa Rhodes collaborate in the classroom, their excitement for teaching young learners is obvious. This enthusiasm is evident in the literacy-rich classroom environments that they have established, in their personal rapport with children and their parents, and in the creative plans that they generate. Their excitement is also a function of their commitment to effectively teach--and reach--young learners who are at risk.

Any program for young children should take into account the needs of individual learners. One primary challenge, however, is to develop instruction that effectively reaches learners with diverse needs while providing an environment that supports and nurtures each child's growth. Programs for at-risk children should provide opportunities for building self-esteem, thus fostering young children's belief that they can learn (Clements & Warncke, 1994). These elements are clearly evident within the kindergarten language program collaboratively taught by Melissa, a classroom teacher, and Sarah, a language development specialist.

Sarah has created a collaborative teaching environment within kindergarten and developmental 1st-grade classrooms, where she conducts her language development programs. Her role is to provide direct support for children who are delayed in their language acquisition and development. Sarah collaborates with classroom teachers to develop lessons that accentuate the strengths of both professionals and expose all of the children to language-rich experiences. Active engagement with literature, discussion and writing provide the framework for Sarah's sessions. Unlike traditional pull-out programs that emphasize isolated skills practice, this program reflects her school's philosophy to include all children and use teaching specialists to promote a school-wide learning community.

Sarah's inclusion within Melissa's kindergarten classroom has been particularly effective, in part because of the teachers' shared interest in thematic instruction. They have discovered that such instruction allows them to meet the needs of their at-risk students while supporting language and literacy growth. They find that their students retain more information because they are immersed in concrete thematic experiences. In addition, they design theme units that give young children opportunities to use language purposefully, provide the motivation to learn, expand concepts through relevant activities and make connections to prior experiences. Proponents contend that theme-based, integrated learning experiences engage young children in meaningful and functional literacy events (Neuman & Roskos, 1993), focus on real-life experiences by providing socially interactive settings (Strickland & Morrow, 1990) and provide an organizational framework for language acquisition (Pike, Compain & Mumper, 1994).

Sarah and Melissa's language development themes focus on broad concepts, such as the community and feelings, as well as on individual books. Selected topics reflect required curricular goals, student interests and/or current issues. One of their many literature-based themes revolves around a favorite children's book, There's a Nightmare in My Closet (Mayer, 1968), and is an extension of a broader focus on self-discovery. Predictable stories about familiar events, such as bedtime rituals, allow children to attend to the more complex tasks of speaking, writing and reading (Gross & Ortiz, 1994). Children's trade books often provide an effective foundation for themes (Edwards, 1994).

In using the Mayer book as the springboard for a literature theme, Sarah and Melissa hoped to expand upon the self-discovery unit, and to support children's critical thinking. This theme exploration was integrated into Sarah's language development program. The team-taught program incorporated daily sessions where children first focused on their responsibilities, then experienced small-group activities and re-called the day's events as a means of review. The authors illustrate how this three-part format works within a one-week literature theme, while highlighting the potential inherent to inclusive programs. Figure 1 provides an overview of the theme, incorporated into Sarah's four hour-long block sessions.

Figure 1

An Overview of a Language Development Theme

Based on the Book There's a Nightmare in My Closet

Monday Tuesday Wednesday

Focusing * initial * shared

story readings

sharing

* nightmare * chart [SPECIALIST]

discussion character

feelings

* hot cocoa * feeling

reenactment 

* alternative * photos

ending

Experiencing * nightmare * fingerpainting

resolution nightmares [SPECIALIST]

(drawings)

* pop-up book  * photo dictation

(retelling prompt)

Thursday Friday

Focusing * shared readings  * shared

readings

* concepts of IN & * story

OUT (prop box) summary

chart

* shared readings * action

concepts

* story summary chart

* action concepts

Recalling (Review of Concepts and Experiences)

Focusing

Melissa begins her morning by gathering the students on a large carpeted area in the middle of her room. After taking attendance, which offers a natural opportunity to chat informally with each child, she and Sarah spend time focusing the children for the theme activities that will follow. They do this by discussing what is planned, telling the children what to expect and letting them know what is specifically expected from them. Students can also refer to a large pocket chart, where the entire day's events are written on strips of oaktag. Both the focusing time and chart provide students with consistency and organization.

Melissa shared the book There's a Nightmare in My Closet on the first morning of the literature unit. Reading aloud can be one of the most important strategies for helping less-advantaged children become readers (Clements & Warncke, 1994). The teachers then reread the story each morning of the week, a process that Sarah and Melissa believe increases students' comprehension and familiarity with vocabulary. By the end of the week, students were verbally anticipating sentence endings, and many were able to choral read the story from memory. Other related literature, including poetry and informational texts, also were incorporated into the unit and students had many opportunities for shared and independent reading.

Building vocabulary and language concepts is an essential element of Sarah's development goals. The shared readings provided opportunities for the teachers and children to jointly construct meanings for new vocabulary encountered in the stories. Students also experienced vocabulary on a personal level by acting out concepts from the book, such as "creeping," and by labeling characters' facial expressions. During one activity, students selected appropriate vocabulary to complete a cloze chart summarizing the story.

Prop boxes, which entice children to incorporate literacy behaviors through dramatic play, can also be an invaluable tool in the language development process (Neuman & Roskos, 1993). In order to provide concrete exposure to the concepts of "in" and "out," for example, Sarah brought in a prop box filled with a blanket, bag, basket, doll's bed and stuffed monster. After Sarah demonstrated the monster's movements "in" and "out" of these objects, she allowed the children to manipulate the materials. The prop box was then displayed on the theme table, where it was surrounded by a variety of related children's books. The students used the props when they reenacted the story during free play.

A subsequent session focused on concepts related to feelings, offering a bridge to the broader topic of self-discovery. As they studied the book's illustrations, students discussed how both the boy and "nightmare" might have felt. Sarah wrote the students' suggested terms onto large chart paper. Students then selected a feeling to act out, as peers tried to label their actions. An instant photo taken of each child during their reenactments was used later during the activity period.

The nightmare concept led to related discussions. Students shared alternative means for getting rid of the nightmare, for example. They also discussed their own nightmares, and expressed concrete fears of being chased by strangers or going to foster homes. The class ended the discussion on a positive note by reviewing what makes them feel better after experiencing a nightmare, after which Sarah prepared comforting hot cocoa.

As the year progressed, Sarah and Melissa found that they could more smoothly incorporate focusing time. They also found that children attended to and remembered the sequence of events more effectively, and were more attuned to their learning experiences. In addition, focusing provided a natural link to the next phase of the theme instruction--experiencing.

Experiencing

Sarah and Melissa designed the experiential component of their instructional sessions to give students opportunities to collaborate in small groups on a variety of hands-on activities. The class is often organized into two stations, where children have the opportunity to work with both teachers. The activities build upon students' growth in language learning. Students also are encouraged to share new ideas and concepts with each other.

Within their literature theme, students linked experiences to their discussion of feelings by dictating a caption for their feeling reenactment photo. While Sarah and Melissa had intended to laminate the pictures and put them in a class book, the children were so excited by the experience that they opted to take the pictures home immediately. Instead, they made a class book using fingerpainted pictures of imagined nightmares. The creations were cut out and wiggly eyes added for effect. Students then dictated a response to the following prompt: "There's a nightmare in my-----. I'll say." -----." Examples of student responses are provided in Figure 2.

Figure 2

Examples of Student's Dictation

There's a nightmare in my bed. I'll say, "Please go away or my Mommy and Daddy will call the police."

There's a nightmare in my bed. I'll say, "I'm going to be nice to you because I want you to by my friend."

There's a nightmare in my lights. I'll sat, "I love you." I will let him sleep in my bed, 'cause I've got a lot of room.

There's a nightmare in my bed. I'll say, "Go someplace else!

As the children enthusiastically revisited and reread the dictated stories, Sarah found that they were making the connection between print and meaning. They also began to recognize the link between written words and spoken language. The predictable nature of class books gives children with limited language skills many opportunities to hear and repeat linguistic patterns and, through repetition, helps those children to read independently (Clements & Warncke, 1994; Gross & Ortiz, 1994).

As additional activities related to the literature theme, the children drew what made them feel comforted after a nightmare and created a pop-up book based on the story. The latter project was taken home and used as a story retelling prompt. On the final day of the unit, students created monster cookies. Cooking became an integral part of the kindergarten units as it strengthened measuring concepts and helped meet the children's need for nourishment.

Recalling

Sarah and Melissa wanted to allot enough time after each team-taught session so the entire group could recall the morning's events. Doing so would reinforce concepts, probe students' understandings and help them review their activities. Sarah's tight time schedule, however, often meant she had to leave for another classroom before all the activities were completed with Melissa's children. Both teachers do remain committed to the importance of providing time every day for activity review and recall.

Extending

While Sarah's time was limited, Melissa was able to extend the theme experiences throughout her day. She would provide ample time during free play, for example, so that children could explore the prop box and literature selections. In addition, the children's parents were invited to participate in monthly lunchtime workshops held in the classroom. As part of the workshops, students performed a related skit, such as a finger play, and participated with their parents in a language-learning activity. Sarah and Melissa hoped that the workshops would encourage parents to model appropriate language strategies, which would eventually be extended into language experiences, at home.

Extension activities also connected into other theme topics. This idea of curricular relationships is considered by Workman and Anziano (1993) as the cornerstone to curriculum development. They contend that interconnections "enable children to organize and make sense of their world, build concepts, and think about things in new ways" (p. 8). As a natural extension of the nightmare unit, the class focused on Mayer's companion title There's an Alligator Under My Bed (Mayer, 1987). This exploration continued the development of positional words, such as "under" and "in," and provided a chance to learn more about the author's literary style.

This extension book then lent itself to a study of alligators. Students used drawings to share their ideas for luring the alligator out from under the bed. They also participated in a chanting version of an "alligator hunt," manipulated a plastic alligator while discussing its physical characteristics, used props to reenact The Lady with the Alligator Purse (Westcott, 1988), made puppets to reenact the story and created edible alligators using a variety of snack foods.

Conclusion

Sarah and Melissa find that by collaboratively teaching language-rich themes they have strengthened their professional expertise. Collaborative planning sessions make theme development easier, as ideas flow from one to the other. These two teachers trust one another and find that they can depend on each other for support. As their professional and personal friendship developed, Sarah and Melissa looked forward to sharing the challenges and rewards of teaching young children.

Sarah and Melissa's experiences exemplify the possibilities offered by collaborative teaching in inclusive settings. While many schools are now adopting inclusive programs, the challenge remains in how best to use the professional expertise of all involved while also maintaining programs that effectively meet the needs of individual children. Through their collaborative thematic program, Sarah and Melissa offer one of many avenues for addressing these challenges and supporting young at-risk learners.

References

Clements, N. E., & Warncke, E. W. (1994). Helping literacy emerge at school for less-advantaged children. Young Children, 49(3), 22-26.

Edwards, L. H. (1994). Kid's eye view of reading: Kindergartners talk about learning how to read. Childhood Education, 70, 137-141.

Gross, A. L., & Ortiz, L. W. (1994). Using children's literature to facilitate inclusion in kindergarten and the primary grades. Young Children, 49(3), 32-35.

Neuman, S. B., & Roskos, K. A. (1993). Language and literacy learning in the early years: An integrated approach. Orlando, FL: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.

Pike, K., Compain, R., & Mumper, J. (1994). New connections: An integrated approach to literacy. New York: HarperCollins.

Strickland, D. S., & Morrow, L. M. (1990). Emerging readers and writers: Integrating the emergent literacy curriculum with themes. The Reading Teacher, 43, 604-605.

Workman, S., & Anziano, M. C. (1993). Curriculum webs: Weaving connections from children to teachers. Young Children, 48(2), 4-9.

Children's Books

Mayer,M. (1968). There's a nightmare in my closet. New York: Dial Books for Young Readers.

Mayer, M. (1987). There's an alligator under my bed. New York: Dial Books for Young Readers.

Westcott, N. B. (1988). The lady with the alligator purse. Boston, MA: Little, Brown.

Bette S. Bergeron is Director of Elementary Education, Purdue University Calumet, Hammond, Indiana. Sarah Wermuth is a language development teacher and Melissa Rhodes is a kindergarten teacher, Lafayette Elementary School, Hammond, Indiana. Elizabeth A. Rudenga is Head of the Department of Education, Trinity Christian College, Palo Heights, Illinois.