Which approach uses children's language and experience as the basis for literacy activities?

• A. Language experience approach
• B. Direct instruction
• C. Total Physical Response
• D. Whole language approach

Answer: (A)

Using children's own language and experiences as the starting point for literacy activities is the key idea here. The Language Experience Approach builds on what kids already say about their world. A student shares a story or event orally, and the teacher records the exact words, then uses that transcript as the reading and writing material. The child then rereads the text and copies it, linking spoken language directly with written language. This makes reading and writing meaningful from the start, supports phonemic awareness as sounds map to letters in a familiar context, and helps build confidence when the content is personally relevant. It’s particularly effective for early literacy and for learners with limited formal literacy exposure because it starts with their own language and experiences, making literacy approachable and engaging. This approach stands in contrast to methods that rely more on scripted instruction, physical actions to aid memory, or unrelated authentic-text contexts, because the core emphasis here is deriving literacy activities directly from the child’s speech and lived experiences.