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Kids these days are busy! Many times, speech and language enrichment may lose out to other activities.
So what is a parent, or a teacher, or an SLP, to do?
Luckily, the foundational skills that boost speech and language can be targeted with in conjunction with reading.
And the reading does not have to be “speech-related” at all.
A lot of foundational language skills that a child uses directly in academics can be targeted using any reading. It can be a science book, a history book, or even a math book (if used very skillfully).
If speech and language are incorporated into reading, the child can get a huge education boost. Reading goes deeper – increasing comprehension and critical thinking skills. At the same time, language and speech get stronger – with positive implications for cognition, and learning, in general.
How exactly can we get the most “speech and language” out of reading? It shouldn’t be too hard, because reading and speech / language are so related.
But here are some specific tips.
1. Ask the main wh-questions after every few sentences or paragraphs.
Answering wh – questions is an important reading comprehension skill, teaching children to key into important details in a paragraph.
At the same time, it is a speech and language skill. Starting as early as Kindergarten- First Grade, a child should be able to comfortably answer simple, then complex, who, what, when, and where questions about material. Plus, the more a child hears wh-questions, the more he / she will be able to answer those questions with ease.
Finally, it is an auditory processing / auditory memory skill. A child must hearing details, keying into them, and then remembering them to answer wh – questions. Bonus – start wh questions with picture books. But then with time, fade all visual support (including text). Wh questions about only auditory information give a great insight into a child’s auditory processing skills.
2. Ask higher level thinking questions
Again, targeting both reading comprehension (where questions like these are common) and speech and language (higher order language).
Here are some sample questions, whose answers will not be found in the text –
a. Why does _____ happen
b. What would you do if
c. How would this be different if _____
d. What do you think will happen next
e. What does this remind you of? Why?
I usually do these after wh-questions / when a string of wh- questions starts to get monotonous.
3. Make a conversation about the read material, every few paragraphs or pages
You can use the higher level thinking questions mentioned above. After the child answers the question you asked her, give your opinion.
“I think…” (Pause). “Want to know why?”
(Wait for the child to ask why)
“Because….” (Pause). “Do you think so too?”
(Wait for the child to answer)
In this simple interaction, you exchanged three back and forth conversation turns with the child. This is teaching them how to discuss material in the
classroom (important for English and language arts).
But it is also teaching them how to hold conversations, how to listen to others’ opinions, how to take turns talking about a topic. These are important social language skills.
4. Correct grammar in answers
This applies whether a child is answering questions orally or in writing. If a child says a grammar morpheme incorrectly, even though they should have mastered it by now according to a milestone chart or the common core standards, you can gently correct it.
For example, if the child uses the wrong past tense form – broked instead of broke – you can model, “You mean it broke?” Ask the child to repeat / write a few times before moving on
5. Correct speech sounds in answers
If there is a speech milestone a child has not met yet, you can correct during the reading. Wait until a child finishes reading. Then gently say, “did you mean wabbit or rabbit?” Model “Rabbit,” then have the child repeat 3-4 times
Strong articulation means stronger reading. So you are hitting two targets with
one arrow here.
6. Practice phonological awareness.
This helps reading, but it also helps with awareness for speech sounds.
Once in a while, pick out a word, and ask – “what rhymes with this word?” OR “what sound does this word start / end with?” or “let’s clap out the syllables in this word.”
7. Identify new terms / words
Learning the concepts of the reading? Check.
Sharpening a child’s ability to decipher a word’s meaning based on context? Check.
Increasing a child’s vocabulary? Check.
8. Retell
The crucial final step. After all the attention afforded by the frequent wh
questions, the discussion, and the noting of new words, the child has spent enough time with the text to really let the message sink in. He has even practiced answering specific questions about the material.
He is now ready to retell what he has read.
“Now it’s your turn. Can you summarize for me what we just read?”
With enough foundation, this task is incredibly effective because –
a. For non – fiction it works on a child’s sequencing skills – important for reading comprehension and speech / language
b. For fiction, it works on a child’s narrative retell. Being able to tell a story from beginning to end - with a setting, a problem, an attempt to resolve, a climax, and a resolution – has been shown to predict a child’s language abilities. It also sets a foundations for creative writing assignments down the line.
c. A child is practicing integrating a bunch of information in a coherent fashion. If he is able to do this, he will be more confident when it comes time to make presentations, or do research projects, for class.
d. A child is revisiting everything you did when you broke down the reading into pieces. This revisiting helps remember all of his answers, along with all of your corrections.
This last step, though, is difficult. You can cue the child a little, or a lot, depending on her needs. If a child looks lost, you can try to start a word, like “Then the w….” Or you can give a lead in phrase like “Then the wolf.” Or you can give more hints. “The wolf went somewhere… where did he go?
With time, as the child gets more comfortable, you can fade the cues. Or, if he continues to need them, you can supply them.
The retell will improve with time and practice.
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So there you have it! How to supercharge any reading activity, to work out speech and language in the process.
These tips will make the reading take a little longer. But the benefits for a child’s academics are worth the effort.
Happy Reading!
Disclaimer : Smarter Speech is a pediatric speech therapy / speech-language pathology practice for toddlers and children providing in-home and teletherapy services in and around Mountain View, CA and Los Gatos, CA. Smarter Speech Blog aims to provide free speech and language tips for parents educators and therapists. However, this post is not providing speech-language pathology services. This is general information, not speech -language pathology or speech therapy. This article does not assume or create a client – SLP relationship. The author is not liable for any losses or damages due to actions or failure to act based on the content in this article. If you need assistance with a child’s speech or language needs, please contact a speech-language pathologist in your area.
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