Many resources are available to help us continue to develop our knowledge of language acquisition.  As professionals, you will need to identify and evaluate the resources available to you.  Please spend some time evaluating professional resources linked to language acquisition. 

For this discussion, choose a specific language acquisition topic to explore further.  Several examples include our previous topics of bilingualism, communication disorders, language developmental stages, brain research, supportive language acquisition practices, family support of language acquisition, etc.  Write the topic you explored in the subject line of your discussion post.  Then, provide three sources that can be used to learn more about this topic.  Your sources may include a journal article, webpage, video, research, podcast, etc.  Include links where appropriate, and be sure to cite all sources in APA format.  

Your 300-350 word post should include the following for each selected source:

• Summary of the resource
• How it supports language acquisition in children
• How you will use it specifically for your future professional role  
• An APA-formatted reference of the source so your peers can access and review it

When you submit your assignments each week, they will be returned to you with specific feedback. This feedback should be used to revise the assignment for the Final Project. Please make the necessary corrections and apply them to your Final Project, which is due in Week Five.

journal

Practice and Reflection

As an educator, a large portion of learning and growth comes from reflection and refinement. 

For this week’s journal, use this self-reflection rubric to evaluate the effectiveness of your lesson plan from Week Four.  Elaborate on the areas of strength in your lesson plan, as well as those areas in need of improvement. 

In addition, provide an evaluation of at least three of your classmates’ lesson plans that were uploaded to the Doc Sharing Tab last week.  Using the rubric, provide justification and an explanation of how you scored their areas of strength and areas in need of improvement.

final

Language Acquisition ePortfolio

As you advance in your studies, you will continue to build your knowledge base in hopes of reaching your professional goals.  This assignment is a culmination of the learning gained throughout this course, with hopes for you to build upon this as you grow in your academic journey.  As a professional, you will want to showcase the knowledge you have gained, as well as demonstrate who you are as a unique, reflective practitioner entering the professional world.  This project will allow you to develop a language-focused component that you would be able to add to your personal ePortfolio for future professional use.  An ePortfolio is an organized collection of your work that is able to be accessed electronically.  An ePortfolio may contain examples of some of your best work that you are able to share with others electronically, including potential employers.  As you complete more courses, you are able to add more to your ePortfolio resulting in a reflective collection of who you are as an educator.  The goal is for you to be able to use this as you enter the professional world. You can learn more about the creation of an ePortfolio at Virtual Educators.

For the Final Project, you will organize a language acquisition section that could later be added to your professional ePortfolio. 

Choose one of the following ePortfolio methods to showcase your language acquisition learning. 

• • Power Point Presentation
  • Google ePortfolio: This is an actual working website that you can enable for others to view.

Summarize each of the following components, created earlier in the course and revised using the feedback received.  Be sure to explain the purpose of each.  For example, you can summarize why you included your design of a language-rich environment for children as it relates to the support of language acquisition. For each bullet, you must include your summary and the actual assignment. 

1. Guided Introduction (Week One)
2. A summary of your beliefs regarding language acquisition 
3. Language-Rich Environment (Week Two) 
4. Stages of Language Development Analysis (Week Three)
5. Literacy Lesson Plan (Week Four)
6. Language Reflection (You will choose another project complete within this course that you feel is a valuable reflection of your learning.)
7. A summary of how you will support children’s language acquisition in your professional role
8. Language Resource File in APA format (Week Five)

Your ePortfolio should be creative, but also professional and demonstrate the knowledge you have obtained.  It is helpful to be thoughtful with your content and creative with your delivery. 

Your Final Project should be submitted as one project.  The ePortfolio should address the material using college-level writing and critical thought.  In addition, it should include graphics, visuals, and media, as appropriate.  Contents should be designed to clearly and concisely address the material with research justification.  Your ePortfolio must be formatted according to APA style, including a title page and a reference page.  You must use a minimum of five resources in addition to the course text.  There is no length requirement for the ePortfolio so long as all of the required components have been included.