We haven't discussed much about the impact that research has on what we do during PACT.  Let's bring some of that into this discussion.

Betty Hart and Todd Risley, in "Meaningful Experiences in the Everyday Experiences of Young American Children," conclude that the more time parents spend talking with their children, the more rapidly the children's vocabulary is going to grow.  While Larry Mikulecky (Family Literacy: Parent and Child Interactions) states that "the way in which a parent speaks to a child may have as much or more to do with later reading achievement of the child than actual time spent reading with the child."  Certainly, both of those conclusions directly impact what we do in PACT. 

My colleague Laura Bercovitz passed along this message discussing the issue of vocabulary development for me to post:

We need to remember that the research from adult learning has shown that adults with limited literacy usually don't have a vocabulary beyond the 5th grade.  For the most part, they possess knowledge of the more basic/concrete words, not the more abstract words found in academic text and the subject-based words found the science, social studies, math, etc. textbooks.  Also there is the Todd Risley research about how far behind the children from the families we're working with are in vocabulary when they enter kindergarten.  And the huge need that English language learner families have (as all ELL learners) in vocabulary.  There is also the research that indicates the value of sharing more sophisticated words with young children.  All this research adds up to the value of working with the more abstract words when working with books and families.  These words abstract words don't need to appear in the text, only the word concept needs to apply.  So its valuable to use the word "enormous" when describing something in the story that is very big and then build on that abstract concept by forming a comprehension question around that word.  Through direct instruction parents can be taught these more complex words so that they understand the word's meaning and can use that word in the context of the story.  There may or may not be reading involved -- this can all be done through discussion between staff and parents and then ultimately through parents to child.  This provides a way to build both the parents' and children's vocabulary.
 
All children's books can have 1-3 abstract words attached to them.  Isabel Bect's Text Talk has done that and at the back of her book "Bringing Vocabulary to Life" she has children's books listed and more complex word concepts that go with that book.

Anyway, working with vocabulary, is this wonderful universal need of both parents and children.  Remember that this is vocabulary, word concepts, NOT word recognition in print -- which would be phonics.

Laura Bercovitz