Cambridge Topics in English Language Language Development

1. Learning to talk: 1.1. Stages of acquisition in young children; 1.2. Further development: grammar and phonology; 1.3. Discourse development; 2. Theories of spoken language acquisition: 2.1. An overview of theories behind spoken language acquisition; 2.2. Timeline of language acquisition; 2.3. The influence of environmental factors; 2.4. Child-directed speech and its characteristics; 3. Learning to read: 3.1. Books for young children; 3.2. Overlaps between spoken language and literacy acquisition; 3.3. Shared reading: its purposes and functions; 3.4. Reading development stages; 3.5. Understanding the conventions of written text; 3.6. Different methods of teaching reading; 3.7. Cues and miscues; 3.8. The primary national strategy; 4. Learning to write: 4.1. How do children learn to write?; 4.2. How do children learn to spell?; 4.3. How does grammar develop?; 4.4. Genre-based model of writing pedagogy; 4.5. Concerns over writing engagement and achievement; 4.6. Educational approaches to teaching writing; 5. Later Learning: 5.1. What is teen talk?; 5.2. Social media platforms; 5.3. Talk in the secondary education context; 5.4. The changing nature of reading as it develops and adapts; 5.5. Development of writing as young people mature; Ideas and answers; References.