Mod 9 Discussion: Oral Language Support in My Classroom

In my classroom, I would prioritize increased peer and teacher interaction through oral responses to open-ended questions, adapted to each student’s ability level and mode of communication. Students would be encouraged to participate verbally when possible and provided alternative ways to respond that align with their individual needs.

I would use question stems that are frequently practiced in class and aligned with the current benchmarks. These stems would be reviewed before discussions so students know what is expected and feel prepared to respond. For students who are not yet able to answer verbally, I would provide opportunities to respond by pointing, using a communication device (AAC), or selecting answers on a scoreboard, and to answer closed-ended questions when appropriate.

To further support language development, I would model and reinforce grammatically correct sentence structures. I would guide students in forming correct responses through practice and repeated exposure to sentence stems. Through consistent use of these supports and ongoing conversation, students would gradually build their oral communication skills within their preferred mode of communication.