Research is clear, definitive, and explicit!  A child's oral language, both receptive and expressive, by age four is a reliable predictor of literacy success. We know that children from homes with limited conversation and narrow vocabulary will need lots of oral language development in order for beginning literacy instruction to make sense.

So, it's up to us to smother, inundate, and immerse our munchkins in oral language.  The good news?  Teaching oral language is  fun, kid-friendly, and can be imbedded into all the wonderful things you're already doing in your classroom.

In October, Scholastic will publish my latest book, Developing Oral Language PreK -K.  It will give you a common sense approach to weaving oral language skills into your already jam-packed curriculum.  The book is full of specific strategies and activities teach the joy of language while addressing standards!