A second-grade class includes two students who have language delays and who tend to speak to peers and adults only when necessary. Which teacher strategy would be most effective for increasing the students' use of oral language in the classroom?

A second-grade class includes two students who have language delays and who tend to speak to peers and adults only when necessary. Which teacher strategy would be most effective for increasing the students' use of oral language in the classroom?

• A. Setting up small-group activities on a regular basis that require students to talk to one another in order to complete assignments
• B. Assigning only written tasks
• C. Lecturing for extended periods
• D. Providing no opportunities for discussion

Answer: (A)

Engaging students in regular small-group activities that require them to communicate to complete tasks creates natural, frequent opportunities for speaking. For children with language delays, practicing language in a social setting with peers helps grow vocabulary, sentence structure, and the ability to use language for real purposes—like asking for help, explaining ideas, and negotiating meaning. In a small group, the teacher can model language, provide sentence starters, and offer just enough prompts to help participation, then gradually fade support as confidence and skill improve. This format also reduces pressure and anxiety, so students feel more comfortable contributing and can focus on using language to accomplish collaborative goals. As they discuss, listen, take turns, and respond to peers, they gain essential practice producing and organizing spoken language across classroom tasks. By contrast, tasks that rely solely on writing, long lectures with little discussion, or no opportunities for discussion miss these hands-on chances to use oral language in meaningful, purposeful ways.

Engaging students in regular small-group activities that require them to communicate to complete tasks creates natural, frequent opportunities for speaking. For children with language delays, practicing language in a social setting with peers helps grow vocabulary, sentence structure, and the ability to use language for real purposes—like asking for help, explaining ideas, and negotiating meaning. In a small group, the teacher can model language, provide sentence starters, and offer just enough prompts to help participation, then gradually fade support as confidence and skill improve. This format also reduces pressure and anxiety, so students feel more comfortable contributing and can focus on using language to accomplish collaborative goals. As they discuss, listen, take turns, and respond to peers, they gain essential practice producing and organizing spoken language across classroom tasks. By contrast, tasks that rely solely on writing, long lectures with little discussion, or no opportunities for discussion miss these hands-on chances to use oral language in meaningful, purposeful ways.