As specialists in the area of early childhood, it is critical that we understand how language emerges. The introduction to this week described some important factors in language acquisition. All of these factors are critical for learning language, both oral and written. Early childhood teachers are charged with providing opportunities for language enhancement. Early childhood teachers need a firm understanding of the different aspects of language learning.

Write a two page paper to describe, compare and contrast phonological awareness, phonemic awareness and phonics. You will need to do some outside research for this paper.

Support your statements with evidence from the required studies and your research. Cite and reference your sources in APA style.

Readings

The following materials are Required Studies for this week. Complete these studies at the beginning of the week, and save these materials for future use.

Literacy Beginnings: A Prekindergarten Handbook (Pinnell & Fountas, 2011)

Section Two: Language: The Foundation for Learning

Read, Write, Play, Learn: Literacy Instruction in Today's Kindergarten (Rog, 2011)

Chapter 5: "Teacher, I Hurt my Arm Knee!": Oral Language, Phonological Awareness, and Vocabulary Development

Recommended Studies

These resources are provided to enhance your overall learning experience. For deeper understanding of the weekly concepts, review these optional resources.

Bardige, B., & Segal, M. (2004). Conversations in child care. Zero to Three, 16-22. Retrieved from http://main.zerotothree.org/site/DocServer/conversations.pdf [PDF]

Davidson Films, Inc. (2010, June 24). Nourishing language development in early childhood [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5e4Asdqt80 [Video]

Yopp, H. K., & Yopp, R. H. (2009). Phonological awareness in child's play!. Beyond the Journal - Young Children, 1-9. Retrieved from https://www.naeyc.org/files/yc/file/200901/BTJPhonologicalAwareness.pdf