It is important for children to learn to communicate. They learn to use words to express their
needs and desires. They learn to express their feelings in positive and helpful ways. They learn to answer
questions and to ask good questions. They learn to tell stories, and they learn to listen to others.
Communication is a basic need throughout our lives. As we grow, our communication skills should
become more sophisticated. We learn new words and develop a stronger vocabulary. We learn to be
clear in language, articulation, and timing. We learn to choose words wisely.
A big part of schooling is teaching children how to communicate. We teach them to read and
write. We teach them to listen and speak appropriately and with clarity. They learn about sentence
structures. They learn about word choice. They learn to organize their writing and their verbal
communication in ways that make sense.
At Island Park Charter School, we teach communication in a variety of ways. Besides learning to
read and write, the children practice public speaking skills. Every Monday morning, we have a “weekend
report.” The kids take turns standing in front of the class to talk about something that happened over
the weekend. They are getting more and more comfortable giving these verbal reports. Our students
also have opportunities to share with larger audiences. Each year, they present a Veteran’s Day program
to honor those who have served in the military, and each spring they present a musical play. Standing up
and performing in front of an audience can be an intimidating experience, but with practice, it begins to
feel natural. So we give our students a lot of practice.
Communication includes more than just reading, writing, listening, and speaking. At Island Park
Charter School, we teach the children two additional languages. The students are learning to speak and
understand Spanish, and they are learning American Sign Language (ASL). We often combine these
languages: using signs while we are speaking Spanish. This reinforces both languages. Our younger
students have been learning signs and Spanish words to talk about things they have. “I have a dog.”
“I have a cat.” “I have a brother.” “I have two sisters.” They sign and say these phrases, occasionally
adding the words “no” and “don’t”— like “No, I don’t have a dog.”
Our older students are learning how to express needs and wants. Using the verbs “necesitar” (to
need) and “querer” (to want). They are learning to put phrases together to say things like, “I want to
play in the park with my friends today,” “You need to go to my house,” and “I don’t need a pencil. He
needs a pencil.” While they speak in Spanish, they use ASL on the same sentences and phrases. Learning
Spanish and ASL has helped our students grow in their understanding of English too. We talk about and
practice the different ways that thoughts are expressed in the three languages. It is exciting to see them
learning to communicate in these languages.