Mary Ann Zehr has written a very useful post titled A Rationale for Teaching Oral English to ELLs. She shares what she has seen in schools, which mirrors my experience — as students get older, there is a tendency to spend less time on listening and speaking, and more on reading and writing.

She also points to a very well-researched post in a new ESL blog by Ballard & Tighe, Publishers. The post, titled Speaking Of Writing: The Significance Of Oral Language In English Learners’ Literacy Development, is also worth a read.