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Strategies for Teaching Deaf Students to Read Strategies for teaching Deaf Students to Read Introduction “Deaf children read, on the average, at the fourth grade level when they graduate from high school.” ("Why shared reading?", 2000, p. 1) This statistic is both troubling and predictable. It is troubling, because Deaf persons have an intellectual ability range similar to their hearing peers. It is predictable because according to Gail Brand, American Sign Language instructor at Northwest Indian College, Deaf culture doesn’t understand “Hearing” nuances of English language that include idioms and metaphors. “Signers” of ASL communicate with a great deal of clarifying contextual clues. Problems with language usage and comprehension of abstract topics can occur when teaching Deaf students to read. (Smith, Polloway, Patton, & Dowdy, 1998) Marie Clay identified four cues that strategic Hearing readers use: meaning, visual, letter sounds and language structure. When adults read to children regularly in the preschool years, they develop concepts about print such as directionality and punctuation (an aspect of language structure) by listening to an adult reading fluently. (Clay, 1993) They learn comprehension strategies and vocabulary when an adult discusses the story with the child. (Armbruster, Ph.D, Lehr, & Osborn, M.Ed., 2001) This discussion of strategies recommends three to help overcome reading difficulties. They are using specific techniques when reading to Deaf students, developing phonological awareness in profoundly deaf children and using miscue analysis to assess and plan for instruction for Deaf readers. For the purposes of this discussion, I spelled Deaf with an upper case D that refers to the Deaf as a culture instead of a disability. I spelled Hearing with an upper case H to refer to Hearing culture. Deaf Adults Reading to Deaf Children “Comparative studies of deaf children with hearing parents and deaf children with deaf parents show deaf children with deaf parents are superior in academic achievement, reading and writing and social development.” (Schleper, 1996, p. 1) At Gallaudet University, in the Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center, fifteen principles were developed using the expertise of Deaf adults. Deaf readers: (a) translate stories using American Sign Language; (b) keep both languages visible (ASL and English); (c) are not constrained by text; (d) re-read stories on a storytelling to story reading continuum; (e) follow a child’s lead; (f) make what is implied explicit adjust sign placement to fit the story; (g) adjust signing style to fit the story; (h) connect concepts in the story to the real world; (i) use attention maintenance strategies; (j) use eye gaze to elicit participation; (k) engage in role play to extend concepts; (l) use ASL variations to sign repetitive English phases; (m) provide a positive and reinforcing environment; (n) expect the child to become literate. (Schleper, 1996, p. 1) These principles can make a difference in academic achievement if used by Hearing parents and teachers when reading to Deaf children. The Shared Reading Project at Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center makes these assumptions: • Deaf adults have experience sharing books with Deaf children.
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