Improving Writing Skills Through Daily Oral Language



Improving Writing Skills Through Daily Oral Language

Review of the Literature

Daily Oral Language is a teaching technique used to enhance both oral and written language skills. Students should benefit from the spiral review of grammar and mechanical concepts. They should be able to apply skills learned to their own writing or editing of sentences. In the present paper, thewill the DOL (Daily Oral Language) strategy isbe able to used to measure the improvement of writing complete sentences.? It is hypothesized that the repetition of correcting sentences will enhance the writing skills at a second grade level. The follow six literature review attempt to demonstrate and support this hypothesis.

An article in the South Carolina Middle School Association Journal (Amenson, N. R., Nanke, T., & Wilson, J. 2006) tells several ways to engage students into grammar through the emersion of hand-on, contextualized, and authentic activities. Students tend to get bored with the same exercise daily and need extra stimulation to get engaged in the learning. Many students learn better when it is through hand-on activities such as index cards with words of a sentence and rearranging them in a complete sentence. Relating grammar to reading context will help enhance the importance of knowing grammar. For example, pulling sentences or phrases from literature students read within class will give it more meaning and personal connection to the way grammar needs to be used within writing. These three teachers suggested several great ideas for ways to get students engaged through hand-on activities while teaching the concepts and skills of daily oral language.

Hancock (2004) explored the connection between reading and writing. The quality of writing can be linked to the amount exposed to reading literature. Some quality stories are written in the format to beare used to be extended by a written response. Hancock explains each step of the writing process. Students learn to write through written examples. There are several good resources described for each step of the process to get students inspired about writing. She highlighted the importance of the editing with positive reinforcement within the writing process and gives several resources for teachers to apply within the classroom. DOL is a way to show younger students the proper way to edit written papers or formulating response to stories.

Hancock gives several resources for teachers to apply within the classroom.

Marzano, R., Pickering, D. J., and Pollock, J. E. (2001) wrote Cchapter two to identified some of the important ways of comparing similarities and differences among objects. Understanding of this enhances students understanding through detailed guidance, asking student to independently identify, representing information using a graphic organizer, and knowing it can be achieved in several different ways. Comparing can be scaffold by teacher directed statements and questions. Student can lead with minimal help from the teacher on dissecting each sentence until whole group discussion at the end viewing each specific concept. Some tools used can be a Venn diagram, comparison matrix, webs, charts, or analogies. Graphic organizers can help direct students and teachers in ways of learning important concepts of the curriculum.

Marzano (2001) focused on the importance of constructive homework policies. Homework should be given to enhance the skill being taught within the classroom. For elementary students, homework should be a review; no new material should be assigned. Students can benefit from homework when assigned appropriately. Students at the elementary level have not yet develop study skills. Study skills should be taught with several examples and specific tasks to perform with clear directions. This chapter was useful to know how much and what to give students for homework to be beneficial to the students learning.

Maurano (2003) explores areas that support early literacy of a child. Oral language comes within the third stage of literacy. Students begin to transition from individual words into phrases. Eventually, children move to comments that invite conversation. It is important to teach children the correct structure of speech to use within verbal and written communication. Students need to be encouraged and engaged in environmental literacy activities daily. Talking in the classroom gives students a chance to practice and explore communication and sharing personal experiences. Maurano reinforces that daily oral language is a good practice within the classroom. Students get to explore written and verbal communication through the daily activities.

Finally, Parsons (n.d.) explains that issues about boys are concerning many westernized communities around the world. This was a study of gender issues affecting education. Several boys are at risk for failing to achieve at school. Parsons’ research is reflected in this study according to the scores of the boys on the daily oral language tests.

Research shows that written language may not be improved. It is important to consider the students’ attitude and phase of language of the student. There can be many factors that play a role into the ability to a students’ writing. Some educators agree that hands-on activities and engaged editing with positive reinforcement both by teacher and peers can be factors in the improvement within students’ capability to write and communicate.

References

Amenson, N. R., Nanke, T., & Wilson, J. (2006). Daily oral language: “B-O-R-I-N-G!” Creative ways to spice up grammar instruction. South Carolina Middle School Association Journal, Vol. 14. Retrieved November 3, 2007, from

Hancock, M. R. (2004). Literature as a Model for Writing: Apprenticing the Author’s Craft. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill/ Prentice Hall.

Marzano, R., Pickering, D. J., & Pollock, J. E. (2001). Classroom instruction that works: Research-based strategies for increasing student achievement. Alexandria, VA: Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Maurano, M. E. (2003). Exemplary practices that support early literacy. Retrieved November 3, 2007, from

Parsons, S. (n.d.). Teacher Research. Retrieved August 31, 2007, from

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