Oral Language
What is it?
Whether you refer to spoken language, oral language, speaking and listening or oral communication, you are also referring to oracy. Whilst oracy may sound like a new term to replace these more familiar names, it was first used over fifty years ago to refer to ‘the development and application of a set of skills associated with effective spoken communication.’ Wilkinson, A. (1968) ‘Oracy in English Teaching’, Elementary English, 45 (6), 743- 747 (744).
Oracy has two dimensions:- Learning to talk, and
- Learning through talk
These dimensions can be supported through structures including the use of discussions, presentations, debates, performances and role play. This wide range of structures reflects the nature of oracy as skills that can be exploratory; as in the case of discussions where speakers shape and adapt their thinking through conversation, and polished; as in the case of presentations or performances.
Oracy is not about stand-alone speaking and listening activities but an approach that is embedded in planning, teaching and learning. It is a key aspect of literacy that impacts on reading and writing, and as such it brings together, and promotes, a range of other literacy skills including vocabulary knowledge, levels of formality and grammar. Ensuring that teachers model language use through interactions such as shared reading and talking about texts is a useful way to ensure that spoken language is embedded in literacy teaching.
Because oracy is one of the foundations of literacy, some children, whether they be English Language Learners or children who are struggling to acquire spoken language skills, will require targeted intervention to improve their oracy. Intervention for these children is vital if they are to achieve as highly as possible.
What does the research show?
There is considerable research evidence to show that children achieve more highly when they have opportunities for talk. This being the case, Robin Alexander (2009) concluded that we should “Make a concerted effort to ensure that language, particularly spoken language, achieves its full potential as a key to cognitive development, learning and successful teaching”.
“Lessons that encourage and organise pupils to talk about their learning are not easy to teach but, if successful, they are highly stimulating for pupils and teachers alike. Teachers require courage, expertise about how pupils learn and determination to engage in this type of pedagogy, particularly in the most challenging classrooms.” Coultas V, 2007 Constructive Talk in Challenging Classrooms. Abingdon: Routledge
Language provides the foundation of thinking and learning and should be prioritised. (Improving Literacy in Key Stage 1 – Education Endowment Foundation, 2020). Purposeful speaking and listening activities support the development of pupils’ language capability and provides a foundation for thinking and communication. (Improving Literacy in Key Stage 2 – Education Endowment Foundation, 2017)
When children in Key Stage 2 with poor reading comprehension received oral language interventions, they made greater progress than they did when receiving reading comprehension interventions. (Snowling et al., 2010) Interventions aimed at improving the spoken language skills of children with delayed language skills in Key Stage 1 have seen progress of up to 18 months in just 10 weeks. (Talk Boost, I CAN report)
How Scholastic can help
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Marie Clay
Marie Clay is the most trusted guidance for teachers managing early literacy including Reading Recovery.
For three decades Marie M. Clay has been acknowledged as a world leader in research on literacy learning. This collection provides essential support for early literacy intervention, including vital professional development for training and specialist teachers, as well as trustworthy resources to aid with the delivery of the PM reading programme and more – all to help put reading at the heart of your school.
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Marie Clay: An Observation Survey of Early Literacy Achievement (4th Edition)
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Marie Clay: Literacy Lessons Designed for Individuals - Updated Edition
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Read & Respond
PM Oral Literacy
PM Oral Literacy is an Early Years and Key Stage 1 programme that provides essential skills and strategies to help children become confident speakers and effective listeners from the very start of school.
Interactive print and digital resources enable children to think, speak, listen and question with confidence and support teachers’ judgements on language and communication skills.
Poems and rhymes to recite and sing along to and resources to explore vocabulary and sentence structure help to bridge the word gap and provide children with solid foundations for reading.
The PM Oral Literacy series provides students with the essential skills and strategies they need to become confident speakers and effective listeners. Using PM Sequencing Cards enables students to tell their favourite PM stories in their own words, while exploring components of the narrative text type.
This video demonstrates how to use the Sequencing Cards with a group of students.
PM Oral Literacy Sequencing Cards software consists of a CD-ROM containing the sequencing cards in a digital format. The software can be used on an interactive whiteboard or laptop, and is perfect for whole-class, group or individual teaching.
Watch the video to see how sequencing cards are a great tool to enable students to tell their favourite PM stories in their own words.