Featured
How Oracy Development Transforms Literacy in the Dual Language Classroom
By Daniella Harvey, SLA & Dual Language Academic Designer
As a former dual language teacher, I know firsthand how powerful oracy is in developing bilingual students’ literacy skills. Too often, reading and writing are treated as silent, independent tasks — but research shows that oracy, or the ability to express oneself fluently and effectively in spoken language, is the foundation of strong reading and writing skills (Teaching for Biliteracy, n.d.)
When students engage in meaningful talk, they develop vocabulary, comprehension, and confidence in both languages. In dual language classrooms, prioritizing oracy helps students make deeper connections between languages, improving overall literacy outcomes.
So, why does oracy matter for literacy, and how can we incorporate it into daily instruction? Let’s explore why oracy is essential for literacy development and practical strategies you can implement to support reading and writing success in both languages.
Why oracy is essential for literacy development
Talk enhances sentence structure and vocabulary.
Discussions expose students to academic language, transitional phrases, and varied sentence structures that they can later apply in writing (Teaching for Biliteracy, n.d.).
By encouraging and facilitating structured conversations in both languages, we help students internalize the linguistic patterns they will use in their writing.
Talk supports idea generation.
Writing doesn’t start with a pencil — it starts with an idea. Students who engage in meaningful collaborative discussions before writing produce richer, more developed texts. According to research, talk allows students to rehearse their ideas, clarify their thoughts, and build confidence in the target language before putting words on paper (Young & Ferguson, 2002)
This is especially crucial in dual language classrooms. Bilingual students benefit from opportunities to process ideas in both languages, strengthening their vocabulary and conceptual understanding.
Talk reduces writing anxiety.
Writing can feel overwhelming, especially for bilingual learners who are developing literacy in both languages. Collaborative discussions lower the affective filter, making students feel more comfortable and confident in expressing their thoughts (McQuitty, 2014).
When students have opportunities to talk through their ideas first, they approach writing with greater motivation.
Talk enhances reading comprehension.
Oral discussions help students process and make meaning of text. When students talk about a story, summarize key points, or explain their thinking, they deepen their understanding (Mercer et al., 1999).
In dual language classrooms, comprehension improves when students discuss texts in both their home language and their second language. This bridges understanding and reinforces meaning across languages.
How to effectively incorporate oracy to strengthen literacy in a dual language classroom
Turn and talk for comprehension
Instead of asking students to silently reflect on a reading passage, have them turn to a partner to discuss their thoughts. This helps them process information, clarify misunderstandings, and reinforce key ideas.
Try this tomorrow: After reading a text, ask students to turn and discuss key ideas with a partner before sharing with the class. You can use sentence frames to guide students through discussing their ideas in the target language.
Sentence frames for structured talk
Providing sentence frames supports bilingual students in developing academic language. These stems help students form complete thoughts, which they can later use in writing.
Try this tomorrow: Before a persuasive writing task, model using stems like:
- I believe ____ because____.
- One reason is____. Another reason is____.
Shared writing with think-alouds
Modeling the writing process out loud helps students understand how to structure their writing. As you write in front of the class, verbalize your thought process.
Try this tomorrow: Write a summary paragraph of a read aloud as a class while thinking aloud:
- First, we need a topic sentence. I might say…
- I need a transition word here. Let’s use…
- Pause and ask students, What should we add next? To encourage verbal contributions before writing.
Oral feedback for writing
Students improve their writing when they receive feedback, but written feedback can feel overwhelming. Verbal peer feedback allows students to clarify and refine their ideas through thought.
Try this tomorrow:
- Pair students and have them read their drafts aloud to each other. Model for students how you expect them to give each other feedback — The listener provides two compliments and one suggestion for improvement.
- Encourage students to explain their writing choices out loud before revising.
Make space for translanguaging
As students build their language repertoire, they will be inclined to rely on their full linguistic knowledge base to make meaning during literacy instruction in either language. Support this natural process in language learning by allowing students to use translanguaging to support their learning as you implement more oracy in your instruction and guide them in making connections between languages. (Focus-Bulletin-Translanguaging.pdf — Wida)
Students in dual language programs, in particular, benefit from opportunities to discuss ideas, structure their thoughts, and engage in meaningful conversations before putting words on paper. By prioritizing oracy in literacy instruction, we help students build the language skills they need to become confident and effective communicators in both languages.
References
Hardt, D. (2017, March 17). Literacy improvement series: Oracy development — teaching for biliteracy. Teaching For Biliteracy . https://www.teachingforbiliteracy.com/literacy-improvement-series-oracy-development/
McQuitty, V. (2014) Process-oriented writing instruction in elementary classrooms: Evidence of effective practices from the research literature. Writing & Pedagogy, 6(3), 467–495
Mercer, N.,Wegerif, R., and Dawes, L. (1999). Children’s talk and the development of reasoning in the classroom. British Educational Research Journal, 25, 95–111.
TRANSLANGUAGING: Teaching at the Intersection of Language and Social Justice. WIDA. (2020, September). https://wida.wisc.edu/sites/default/files/resource/Focus-Bulletin-Translanguaging.pdf
Daniella Harvey is currently an Academic Designer at McGraw Hill. She holds a master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction with a concentration in English Language Learning and a certificate in Dual Language and Bilingual Education from Purdue University. Before becoming an Academic Designer, Daniella was a Dual Language Teacher and Reading Specialist based in Indianapolis.
