Oral Language Connection to Reading

The importance of oral language as being a predictor for successful reading is supported by research. Children need to have a strong grasp on oral language prior to learning the beginnings of reading. They need to know what words mean before they can understand what text means. The more that oral vocabulary is developed early on, the easier the connection to print will be.  "Readers learn a set of skills that allows them to make a connection between the black marks on the page and words in their oral vocabulary" (Freeman, 2004, p. 24). If the oral vocabulary is not developed, there will be a struggle to understand print.