Reading to Young Deaf or Hard of Hearing Children

Sarah FairbanksAdrienne King

Patty MuldowneyLouise Rollins

Teachers at Maryland School for the Deaf, Family Education and Early Childhood Department◦ We work with children from birth through age 5◦ We work with children with varying degrees of

auditory access, amplification, and communication choices

Who are we?

We have hosted ASL story times for deaf and hard of hearing children ages 3-5 since 2009. These story times were funded by grants from the Maryland State Department of Education. Deaf, hard of hearing, and hearing children ages three to five were eligible for participation. Together, we have worked with over 50 families across Maryland promoting early literacy and supporting families as they read together.

Our Story Time Sessions

Best practices for young children

• Active, active, active!• Varied learning

styles/multiple intelligences

• Activating prior knowledge

• Making personal connections

• Turn-taking• Capitalize on

children’s interest

• Acting out the story• Maintaining

children’s attention• Realistic

props/materials– Photographs– Color pictures– Pictures from the

illustrations

• Read it again and again

• Read a wide variety of books

• © 1996 by David R. Schleper, Pre-College National Mission Programs, Gallaudet University, Washington, D.C.

• For the complete version, refer to your handout or please see http://clerccenter.gallaudet.edu

• New version in ASL:– http://www.gallaudet.edu/Clerc_Center/Information

_and_Resources/Info_to_Go/Language_and_Literacy/15_Principles_for_Reading_to_Deaf_Children.html

15 Principles for Reading to Deaf Children

Visual, visual, visual!

Maintain children’s attention

Wait time

Role shifting

RepeatingSandwiching

Changing the position of the

sign

Positioning and set-up

Language of instruction: ASL

Best practices for young

deaf/hard of hearing children

Positioning & set-up

Changing the position of the signSigning on the book

Signing in a natural space

Signing on the child

Visual, visual, visual!

• ASL• Use classifiers to show shape

or motion• Gesture/act out• Refer to pictures in the book• Refer to pictures & objects

outside of the book

Language of instruction: ASL

• Storytelling in ASL – aids in concept development

• Spoken English highlighting or sandwiching when appropriate

• Natural sound effects – yum, crash, bark, beep beep.

• Connections to English print• Fingerspelling• Point to the words

before starting to read• “Oh no, what

happened? Let’s read to find out.”

• “Don’t turn the page yet! I didn’t read the words.”

◦ Signed word, fingerspelled word, signed word Makes children aware that words are made up of letters Easy way to make connection to printed word on page Helps with future spelling skills

◦ Signed word, second signed word with similar meaning, first signed word Expands vocabulary

◦ Signed word, spoken word, signed word Forms a “bridge” between signed and spoken language Maintains integrity of both languages

Sandwiching

• Watch his gaze and comment on the picture he is looking at

• Bring the book/prop up to your face to encourage her to look at you

• Move the book/prop to where he is looking• Get her involved!• Tap to get attention again• Keep it fun and active– Body language– Facial expressions– Energetic reading style

Maintaining Children’s Attention

Repetition

Reading the same books over and over again helps young children learn and comprehend new vocabulary, expand their understanding of the story, and make personal connections.

ASL to English continuum Vocabulary choices—choosing target words. What do you do when the English text is

repetitive and not interesting in ASL? Reading what you signed because they

missed it.

Role Shifting Role shifting occurs when a signer describes a

person or characters, tells what a person did or said, or shows how a person thinks or feels.

The signer is able to make the characters in the story more visual and make them come to life.

Parents who read in spoken English use their voice inflection to tell stories and differentiae between characters. Parents who read in ASL use their body language, facial expressions, and body position to differentiate between characters.

Duck Rabbit by Amy Krouse Rosenthal

Wait Time Short activity—Did You Want to See More? In high quality literature for young children the

pictures often tell the whole story. Young deaf/hard of hearing children need time to absorb the illustrations.

For young deaf/hard of hearing children learning to shift their visual attention from the book to the signer and back takes practice.

Choosing high quality children’s literature

Developmentally appropriate Engaging

Clear (illustrations and story)

Linked with key preschool concepts

Full of potential for follow-up

activities

Relevant to the kids’ everyday

lives

Reflective of diversity

Current and classics

Group activityTake a look at the children’s books provided –

What strengths and weaknesses do you see in those books? Which books would be

good to use with your child?

* Handout - list of favorite books & authors

Choosing books

Choosing high quality children’s literature

Developmentally appropriate Engaging

Clear (illustrations and story)

Linked with key preschool concepts

Full of potential for follow-up

activities

Relevant to the kids’ everyday

lives

Reflective of diversity

Current and classics

Make personal connections Make connections to the world around them Broadening and deepening understanding

of a concept Be able to retell a story Build vocabulary Move from concrete to abstract

What we want kids to get out of reading at this age

Understand basic sequence of events Develop a love for books and reading Express creativity Develop dramatic play/pretend skills Understand varied perspectives Develop concepts of print

What we want kids to get out of reading at this age

Group Activity- Use the books at your tables to come up with

follow up activities that you could do with your children after reading the story.

Expanding the story

• Make personal connections• Make connections to the world around them• Broadening and deepening understanding of a

concept• Be able to retell a story• Build vocabulary• Move from concrete to abstract• Understand basic sequence of events• Develop a love for books and reading• Express creativity• Develop dramatic play/pretend skills• Understand varied perspectives• Develop concepts of print

What we want kids to get out of reading at this age

PBS Scholastic Sparklebox Kizclub.com Authors’ websites

Favorite websites for activity ideas

• Shared Reading Project– http://clerccenter.gallaudet.edu

• Reading Rockets– http://www.readingrockets.org

• International Reading Association (IRA)– http://www.reading.org

• Center for Early Literacy Learning (CELL)– http://www.earlyliteracylearning.org

• Helping Your Child Become a Reader– http://www2.ed.gov/parents/academic/help/reader/index.html

• PNC Grow Up Great (Sesame Street)• http://www.pncgrowupgreat.com

• Reading Resources (NCLB)– http://www2.ed.gov/parents/read/resources/edpicks.jhtml

Other good resources for early literacy

www.lifeprint.com ASL Browser (google me – my URL is too

long!) www.aslpro.com www.SigningTime.com

Websites to help with ASL