Some deaf interpreting strategies are offered to parents of children who are deaf or hard of hearing. Parents are urged to utilize space in their interpreting, use name signs, utilize sight lines to distinguish characters in stories, use exaggerated signs to translate nursery rhymes, place themselves carefully at a public performance, and learn…

Reviews and compares two CD-ROMs designed to teach sign language skills: "The American Sign Language Dictionary on CD-ROM" and "Sign Language for Everyone." The first is seen to be the better reference tool whereas the second is judged the better choice for computer users wanting to learn sign language in a structured way. (DB)

Deaf high school students participating in an oral history project interview deaf adults, collect oral and signed histories on videotape, and translate the American Sign Language text into written English captions. The project's goals are to help deaf students build self-esteem, improve English writing skills, and become acquainted with role…

A "Signability Index" is presented for sign language interpretation of children's books. The index is based on such variables as reading rate, sentence length, quantity of text used to express thoughts, word imagery, and complexity and concreteness of passages. Suggested books for classroom reading are listed, categorized by six levels of…

Words in English often have multiple meanings, causing concepts to be paired with incorrect signs when working with deaf students, such as the concept of "made up" meaning either "invented" or "decided." A method called "sentence chains" is recommended as a drill to learn to link concepts with their appropriate signs. (JDD)

A teacher at the Model Secondary School for the Deaf (District of Columbia) briefly describes the process of interpreting poetry and drama into American Sign Language (ASL) with his students. The process involves analysis and discussion, followed by mapping the subtext and adapting it to ASL. The process improves not only acting skills but also…

This article encourages hearing individuals in the elementary school community to learn sign language. Suggestions include having students teach students, having family sign classes, incorporating sign instruction throughout the day, giving everyone a name sign, and having schoolwide events in which signing is featured. (DB)

A mother of a hearing-impaired two year old offers examples of utilizing siblings (who have learned sign language) to foster the language development and socialization of the younger child. (DB)

Eight teachers' interaction with their preschool students with deafness, while sharing selected books, revealed that story-reading was more successful when children became involved, teachers followed the text closely in their own words, children had more than one exposure to the text, and when the confusing use of simultaneous communication was…

The article describes a 6-week course (10 classroom hours) to teach community emergency personnel basic sign language skills. An outline of each session's activities is provided. (DB)

A Florida elementary school mainstreaming 30 children with deafness and hearing impairments has developed a collection of signed videotapes for teachers, parents, and students to borrow. Videotapes include signed story books, tapes for teaching sign language, and tapes made by students. (DB)

Describes use of two-way video with deaf middle and high school students at the Colorado School for the Deaf and the Blind to communicate with other students using sign language. Provides information on structuring the interactions, the technical set-up, and useful technology. (DB)

Describes ways one teacher of deaf and hard of hearing elementary students used videotape recordings to communicate with parents on classroom activities and on the progress of individual children. Tapes show the teacher introducing new signs; teaching speech skills, academic activities, and inclusion activities; or speaking directly to parents…

Communication strategies essential to make lesson content clear and visible when using sign language with deaf students are described. The strategies include getting students' attention, not overloading students with confusing visual stimuli, allowing students time to absorb visual information thoroughly, and carefully differentiating between…

A language arts teacher of junior high students with deafness or hearing impairments familiarized her students with "Romeo and Juliet" by telling the story in speech and signs, exploring the characters's personalities, reviewing vocabulary, putting the characters into contemporary situations, and directing the students in a full-scale…