Speaking & Listening
Strong speaking and listening skills provide children with a platform to communicate effectively and predict children’s success in formal classroom settings and life.
WATCH
1 min
CURRICULUM
Early Years Learning Framework Links (EYLF):
- Children are connected with and contribute to their world
- Children are confident and involved learners
- Children are effective communicators
NSW Syllabus Links:
Communicates with peers and known adults in informal and guided activities demonstrating emerging skills of group interaction. (ENe-1A)
Thinks imaginatively and creatively about familiar topics, simple ideas and the basic features of texts when responding to and composing texts. (ENe-10C)
Responds to and composes simple texts about familiar aspects of the world and their own experiences. (ENe-11D)
National Literacy Learning Progressions (LPs)
FAMILIES
READ
2 min
Oral language and early learning experiences provide the underlying foundation for all literacy.
Regularly talking and interacting with your child extends their skills to speak and listen and helps grow their confidence. It helps them to respond to and enriches their understanding of the world.
Talking to your children builds vocabulary and new learning.
When children are learning to speak they are learning to express themselves in words that convey meaning through tone, volume, pauses and inflection.
When children learn to listen they are learning to understand language expressed by others.
EXPLORE
10 min
Some ideas for learning in the everyday
- Include your child when discussing everyday activities such as grocery shopping, gardening, cooking dinner, collecting mail from the mailbox, doing housework, and travelling in the car or bus
- Look at picture books or art books. Ask your child to describe what is happening in the pictures and make up stories together
- Share and talk about family histories and family photos
- Play vocabulary games with your child such as, “what’s the opposite of ….?” (for example, “what’s the opposite of big?”) and “what’s another word for….?” (for example, “what’s another word for angry?”)
- Look at ‘junk mail’ and talk about the things for sale
teachers
REFLECT
15 min
Reflect on your knowledge and practice
Consider the EYLF, NSW Syllabus and LPs:
- Where have these children come from?
- Where are you taking them?
Think about the learning that happens in your classroom that builds the knowledge and skills for speaking and listening.
What do you expect from the early learner?
What do you want parents to know about speaking and listening?
How is speaking and listening used across the curriculum?
Consider this skill – What are the connections between literacy and numeracy?
ENGAGE
30 min
Engage in a learning conversation with parents
Suggested conversation starters:
Is there anything in the video that challenged your thinking about learning?
What foundational speaking and listening skills did you see in the video?
How are the children:
- Practising their skills?
- Testing their ideas?
- Building their knowledge?
Note: Opportunity to share what speaking and listening looks like in your classroom.
What opportunity can you create or do you have at home that develops speaking and listening?