Oral Language & Listening

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Why it works

The Simple View of Reading makes clear that comprehension depends on both decoding and language comprehension, and language comprehension grows from oral language: vocabulary, syntax, background knowledge, and the ability to understand spoken language. Research shows that deliberately building oral language, through rich talk, read-alouds, and structured discussion, especially in the early years and for multilingual learners, strengthens the foundation reading comprehension rests on.

The research: The Simple View of Reading; research on oral language and comprehension.

The run-of-show

Choose your slot. The agenda, timings, and length update to match.

The core activity: build oral language deliberately

Teachers leave with rich talk and structured discussion planned around one read-aloud or content.

Pick a read-aloud or content.
Plan rich talk around it: open questions, extended responses, new vocabulary in context.
Plan structured discussion that builds sentence structure and listening.
Make space for every student to talk, especially multilingual learners.

Comprehension is built in talk firstBefore students read to understand, they understand through language. Build vocabulary, syntax, and listening through rich, deliberate talk.

Facilitator notes

Use rich talk and read-alouds.
Build vocabulary and syntax, and structure discussion.
Prioritize the early years and multilingual learners.

Decoding alone is not enoughA student who decodes but has weak oral language will not comprehend. Build language comprehension deliberately alongside decoding.

Adapt it

Elementary: read-alouds, rich talk, vocabulary in context.
Secondary: academic discussion and sentence-level work.
Multilingual learners: oral rehearsal and extended talk.

Participant handout

One page for every teacher. Print it, or save it as a PDF.

K12 Academics · Professional Learning

Oral Language: comprehension built in talk

Build the foundation: rich talk, read-alouds, structured discussion, and space for every student to talk.

The read-aloud or content:
The rich talk I plan around it:
The structured discussion that builds syntax and listening:
How I make space for every student to talk:
How I prioritize multilingual learners:

Make it stick

Build language in talk:

Build oral language deliberately.
Prioritize early years and multilingual learners.
Bring an oral-language routine that strengthened comprehension to the next PLC.

Common questions

Isn't oral language just talking?

It is the vocabulary, sentence structures, and listening comprehension students build through rich talk and read-alouds, the foundation for understanding written text. It can be developed deliberately.

Why does it matter for reading?

Comprehension needs both decoding and language comprehension. A student can decode perfectly and still not understand if their oral language is weak. Build both.

Who benefits most?

All young children, and especially multilingual learners and students with limited early language exposure, benefit from deliberate oral language building.