Overview

The goals of the Oral Language class are to provide 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.

The Process

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. 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 six to eight students per class. There is a three-year curriculum (developed by EHS 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.

Transition

Generally, students in the Oral Language class also have a beginning reading tutorial that meets once a day. When their language skills and knowledge of concepts are at a level where they can begin to deal with higher level thinking skills, students transition from the Oral Language/once-a-day tutorial to the twice-a-day tutorial program.