Child Language theory

Chomsky-Nativism

children are born with innate language acquistion device

explains overgeneralisation, children make mistakes they’ve never heard before

Vygotsky

scaffolding

teacher/caregiver is crucial in guiding development

Halliday-functions of language

1. instrumental-to get needs met

   • ‘I want’ desires

2. regulatory-to control others

3. interactional-forming relationships

4. personal-to express identity

5. representational-to convey facts

6. heuristic-to learn about the environment

7. imaginative-to create imaginary words

Rothery’s Categories of Writing

1. observation/comment

   -early stage, descriptive and factual

2. recount

   -chronological retelling of events (diary)

   -orientation (who what when where), event (what happened), reorientation (final comment, optional)

3. report

   -a factual and objective report of things as they are

   -non fiction

4. narrative

   -story with setting, characters and a plot

   -oritentation, complication, resolution

-supports idea that writing should be taught in context by exploring diff genres and purposes

Britton’s Theory

Three modes of writing:

1. expressive

   -first and most natural mode

   -based on the self

   • ‘I’

2. poetic

   -creative writing focused on form, imagery and expression

   -fig. lang, stories

3. transactional: conveying info or arguing a point

-schools often focus on transactional but creative/poetic and expressive are vital for full language development

Barclay’s 6 stages of writing

1. scribbling stage

   -18 months-3 years

   -random marks and squiggles,appears like drawing

   -practices motor control, imitation of writing behaviour

2. mock handwriting

   -scribbles resemble letter like shapes

   -often in linear patterns but not actual letters/words

   -awareness of letter formation is emerging

3. mock letters

   -letter like forms, mimics real letters but not standard

   -child is starting to understand that letters mean words

4. conventional letters stage

   -real letters but still largely unreadable to others

   -writing D for dog

5. invented spelling

   -phonetic spellings

   -vowels may be missing

   -words more recognisable

   -shows growing awareness of grapheme phoneme correspondence

6. conventional spelling stage

   -writing more standard and accurate

   -correct spellings increase

   -greater understanding of punctuation and grammar

   -child moves toward fluent mature writing

Marie Clay: Unified Hypothesis

-children’s reading and writing develop together

-mutually supportive, not seperate skills

1. writing and reading are learnt together

2. both involve similar cognitive strategies

   -predicting words

   -phoneme-grapheme correspondences

   -recongising patterns in language

3. writing isn’t just transcription, it’s about understanding meaning

4. emphasises child centred learning and value of emergent literacy

-supports idea that children should write from an early age even if mistakes were made

-invented spelling=part of development

-teaching approaches using both reading and writing activities