Student Resource Area for: Guiding Children's Social Development: Theory to Practice, 6E
Chapter 4 - Promoting Children's Developing Sense of Self Through Verbal Communication
Exercise 4.1 Identifying Elements of Positive and Negative Verbal Environments
Read the following descriptions of adult-child interactions. For each, decide if it represents a positive verbal environment or a negative verbal environment.
1. As the children file into the cloakroom, Ms. Volpe begins to help them take off their coats and snow pants. While doing so, she chats amiably with Ms. Hudson, another adult, about the new Chinese recipe she cooked last night.
Answer
2. Toby and Kathleen are talking outside before the bell rings. Mr. Glover goes to the door and says, "Toby, I want to see you." Toby says, "I'll be right there." Mr. Glover waits a moment, and then says, "Toby. Now."
Answer
3. Ms. Spivak's afternoon class is composed of children from around the world. She has a difficult time pronouncing the children's names and mispronounces them each day for two weeks. Finally, on Friday of the second week, she says to the children, "I've tried to say your names correctly, but they sound strange to me so let's think of American names to call you."
Answer
4. Charlie says to his first-grade teacher, "What do you do when you walk down the street and your toe falls off?" The adult says, "I don't know. What do you do?" Toby exclaims, "You call the 'toe' truck," and laughs uproariously. The adult laughs, too.
Answer
5. Ida, a first grader, approaches Mr. Drury, the center director. In a loud voice she announces, "Knock, knock." Mr. Drury looks at her. She repeats the phrase. The adult says, "Isn't it time for you to be in your room? Go on inside."
Answer
6. Two children are at the loom, weaving. Mr. Whitefeather approaches and says, "You girls look busy. How is it going?"
Answer
7. Mrs. Morten brings her daughter, Liza, into the center. As she helps the child take off her things, the caregiver approaches and says, "When you have a minute, let's talk about Liza. She's been giving us a hard time lately and frankly, we are at our wits' end about what to do. I can't understand what's come over her."
Answer
8. After lunch, twelve-year-old Marissa says to Mrs. Johnson, "Guess what?" Mrs. Johnson replies, "What?" and waits to hear more.
Answer
9. The adult is reading The Wizard of Oz to the class. As she begins to describe Scarecrow, Colleen announces, "My Grandpa has a scarecrow on his farm." The adult puts her finger to her lips and whispers, "Shhh. No talking."
Answer
10. Reba hands in her test. "Well, how do you think you did?" inquires Mr. Zender. "Real good," says Reba. The next day, when the papers are handed back, Reba discovers a D on hers. Her face falls. "What happened, Reba? I thought you knew it all," mocked Mr. Zender.
Answer
11. The adult is reading The Wizard of Oz to the class. As she begins to describe Scarecrow, Colleen announces, "My Grandpa has a scarecrow on his farm." The adult says, "You've seen a real scarecrow. I'd like to hear about that as soon as I finish this chapter."
Answer
12. Mrs. Finney has learned a few words in Korean to use with her Korean students. They are hello, yes, no, thank you, and in a minute . To her dismay, she finds herself using in a minute and no very often.
Answer
13. Mr. Pastor is frustrated that he and XiXi are speaking different languages. When he asks XiXi to tell him one more time about her picture and she begins speaking in Chinese, he shakes his head no and says, "In English!"
Answer