We know that engaging children in conversation about a picture book is a very effective way to promote oral language. Naturally, most adults are tempted to read the text, or stick to the story at the expense of giving the child an opening to talk. Utah State University researchers Sandra Gillam and Lisa Boyce found a simple way to help adults make time for conversation and complex language when looking at picture books: give them wordless picture books. Drs. Gillam and Boyce found that using wordless picture books increases literacy and vocabulary skills in toddlers with developmental disabilities. They looked carefully at the language of mothers using a wordless picture book and compared it to their language when using a book with text. They found more complex language interactions between parent and child with the wordless book.
Gillam and Boyce conclude that wordless picture books encourage parents to use the more natural and engaging language they might use in open-ended play. They suggest that speech-language pathologists can help parents recognize the language-building skills they already have and transfer them to literacy-based activities.
http://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/wordless-picture-books?page=2 a link to for a list of picture (wordless) books.
No comments:
Post a Comment