INSET mind the gap sept 2014

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Mind the Gap!

!Rachel

McMillan Nursery School and Children’s Centre

MONDAY SEPTEMBER 1ST 2014

‘some children hear thirty million fewer words by their 4th birthdays than others’

The Thirty Million Words Project A world-famous study by researchers Betty Hart and Todd Risley (1995) found that some children heard thirty million fewer words by their 4th birthdays than others. The children who heard more words were better prepared when they entered school.

These same children, when followed into third grade (Year 4), had bigger vocabularies, were stronger readers, and got higher test scores. The bottom line: the children who started out ahead, stayed ahead; the children who started out behind, stayed behind.

This disparity in learning is referred to as the achievement gap.

The particular children we need to target are the bottom 20% of achievers in each shelter

2 year olds are all different but most should be able to:

• • • • • • • •

• Concentrate on activities for longer, like playing with a particular toy. Sit and listen to simple stories with pictures. Understand between 200 and 500 words. Understand simple questions and instructions. e.g. 'where is your shoe?' and 'show me your nose'. Copy sounds and words a lot. Use 50 or more single words. These will also become more recognisable to others. Start to put short sentences together with 2-3 words, such as ‘more juice’ or ‘bye nanny’. Enjoy pretend play with their toys, such as feeding dolly. Use a limited number of sounds in their words – often these are p, b, t, d, m and w. Children will also often miss the ends off words at this stage. They can usually be understood about half of the time.

www.talkingpoint.org.uk


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