Lower School Oral Language Program

The goals of the Oral Language class are to provide the students with a solid foundation in the receptive and expressive language skills and concepts they will need in order to be successful in a school environment. Materials are utilized to develop concept formation, concept organization, appropriate listening skills, and pragmatic language skills. Children are engaged in activities designed to develop their oral vocabulary, improve their ability to categorize information, and practice more sophisticated use of language. Students in grades one through three are generally placed in an Oral Language class during their first two or three years within the Eagle Hill program, although students in fourth grade may also be placed in Oral Language if their language profile indicates a need for this type of class. The Oral Language class meets daily, and averages 6-8 students in a class. There is a three-year curriculum for the Oral Language classes, which was developed by Eagle Hill Speech/Language clinicians, so that skills taught each year build on the skills taught in the previous year. Lower School Speech/Language clinicians serve as a resource for the Oral Language teachers and collaborate within each Oral Language class one day a week. Generally, students in the Oral Language class have a beginning reading tutorial that meets once a day. Students transition from the Oral Language/once a day Tutorial program to a twice a day Tutorial program when it is determined that their language skills and knowledge of concepts are at a level where they can begin to deal with higher level thinking skills.