Welcome to Unit 2: Language. This unit is designed to help you understand the VPK Language and Communication Standards for prekindergarten children and best practices for their instructors. In this unit we will explore the relationship between oral language and communication skills and children’s preparedness to learn to read. Listening, speaking, vocabulary growth age-appropriate sentence structures and extended conversations are all factors that influence children’s language growth.

Objectives

Listed below are the objectives that will be covered in this unit:

• To demonstrate knowledge of how four-year-old children can increase their language skills by watching and listening to others and having conversations in individual and small group settings.
  
• To know how to help children increase the complexity of their spoken language.
  
• To demonstrate an understanding of the importance of helping four-year-old children learn how to initiate conversations, ask questions, and respond to others.
  
• To learn how prekindergarten teachers can improve children’s speaking, listening, and conversational skills.
  
• To demonstrate knowledge of age-appropriate vocabulary expansion activities for four-year-old children.
  

As You Read, Think About...

• How do you encourage children to talk to you and to others?
  
• What are some ways that you encourage children to talk about past and future events?
  
• How can you build and expand children’s vocabulary in your classroom every day?

You are now ready to begin the section on Language and Communication.