I never understand why some teachers and parents use simpler words for academic language. Some examples I can think of are:
- Big and little letters for upper and lowercase
- Excited mark for exclamation point
- Writer for author
- Artist for illustrator
I truly feel that children can grasp the concept of academic language if they are exposed to it at a very young age. The use of simpler words (such as big and little letters) in place of an academic term (upper and lowercase) must be very confusing, when in a higher grade level they are expected to know the proper terms!
My advice-don't dumb it down. Use the proper term from the onset, and your student or child will learn what it means through example and repeat exposure.
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