Qualification: Level 3 Diploma for the Early Years Educator
Unit: Unit 3.5: Develop emergent literacy skills of children
Learning outcome: 2 Understand the characteristics of a language rich environment
Assessment criteria: 2.2 Analyse a language rich environment in relation to current frameworks for children
Advertisement
- The EYFS considers communication and language to be a prime area of development for children.
- Literacy is also an area of learning development for children as expressed in the EYFS
- Section 1.6 of the EYFS states: “The development of children’s spoken language underpins all seven areas of learning and development. Children’s back-and-forth interactions from an early age form the foundations for language and cognitive development. The number and quality of the conversations they have with adults and peers throughout the day in a language-rich environment is crucial.“
- It goes on to state that: “By commenting on what children are interested in or doing, and echoing back what they say with new vocabulary added, practitioners will build children’s language effectively. Reading frequently to children, and engaging them actively in stories, non-fiction, rhymes and poems, and then providing them with extensive opportunities to use and embed new words in a range of contexts, will give children the opportunity to thrive. Through conversation, story-telling and role play, where children share their ideas with support and modelling from their teacher, and sensitive questioning that invites them to elaborate, children become comfortable using a rich range of vocabulary and language structures.”
Advertisement