Literacy
Links
TERM 1
MARCH 2007
A Newsletter for Itinerant Teachers of the Deaf in the Central and Southern Regions of New Zealand
Retelling Lantern
• Identify the four main ideas or topics the text covered.
After the student has read and discussed the instructional
• List them on the board or in an exercise book
• Make the lantern (ITOD might supply a precut one if
time is of the essence)
• Write each of the four main ideas on a strip of the
lantern.
• Draw the main ideas on the strips of the lantern instead
of writing them for young students.
• Write or draw related story details under each flap.
• Use this prop to help your student to retell the story.
reading text they can make a paper lantern that ‘illuminates’
the information in the text by retelling it.
Paragraphs
A paragraph is a group of sentences about one topic
or idea.
Begin a new paragraph
Some teaching points.
Topic Sentence – the beginning
• Every paragraph begins with a topic sentence. It tells
what the paragraph will be about.
• Make it interesting and specific, but save the details for
the sentences that follow.
Supporting Details – the middle
• Sometimes these sentences are called body sentences
or supporting sentences.
• These sentences add more specific details and tell more
about the topic.
• Every sentence in the body of your paragraph needs to
be about the topic.
• You can restate (say again) the main idea of the
paragraph using different words.
• In the body of the paragraph use specific details like
who, what, where, when, why and how.
• Give facts or examples to support, prove or explain the
main idea of the paragraph.
Closing Sentence – the end
• The last sentence of a paragraph is the concluding or
closing sentence.
• In this sentence you remind the reader of what the
topic is about and what it means. You can do this by
restating the main idea of the paragraph using different
words.
• You can remind the reader of the writer’s feeling about
the topic.
• When you change time or place.
• When something suddenly occurs.
• When you wish to emphasize a dramatic event. It
can be very effective to follow a long paragraph of
description with a very short paragraph that delivers
the action.
• When you introduce a new speaker using dialogue
technique.
Ideas and Activities for Teaching Paragraphing
• Identifying the Topic and Concluding Sentence
The teacher can select some interesting paragraphs
from magazines, newsletters (the student’s school
newsletter/magazine might be motivating) and
newspapers. These can be photocopied and enlarged
if necessary. The student can use a highlighter to mark
the topic sentence and or the concluding sentence.
These could be stuck into an exercise book or on a
chart as models.
• Creating a Topic Sentence for each Paragraph
First introduce this as a shared activity, then try it with
pairs of students (if appropriate) and finally the
student can attempt this by her/himself. For younger students provide a list of topic sentences to match with
the ideas boxes. The teacher can generate her own
paragraphs minus the topic sentence based on the student’s interests and reading level or use interesting
appropriate magazine or newspaper articles. Prepare
the activity by cutting off the topic sentence. Cut off the topic sentence from each paragraph. Ask students
to write down a new topic sentence.
van Asch Deaf Education Centre March 2007
• Creating a Body for each Paragraph
The body of a paragraph consists of sentences that
tell about the subject. The body of a paragraph uses
specific details like who, what, where, when, why and how. Model writing three or four body sentences
for each paragraph. Provide the student with topic
sentences that are matched to their interests. Next
try this as a shared or paired activity and finally the
student can try it her/himself.
• Dialogue Journals Dialogue Journals are an extremely valuable tool for
modelling grammatical constructions and in particular
the use of paragraphs is relatively easy to demonstrate.
• Rearranging Sentences in Chronology
The things that are written about in a paragraph
should usually be in chronological order to make
sense. The teacher should model/share putting the sentences in the correct chronological order. Finally
the student can put a different group of sentences into
chronological order.
• Inserting Connecting Transition Words/Phrases
All of the sentences in a paragraph need to tie together
as a unit. They need to flow and be connected as well
as make sense. The words and phrases that are used to
connect ideas are called transitions.
Here are some examples of transitions:
}
}
temporal first next
markers at last today
casual
as
so
markers
then
and then finally
suddenly while
after that
and so
however although
Prepare a paragraph for the student without transitional
words. Complete a shared activity together to insert
transitional words from a given bank of words and phrases.
• Complete a Concluding/Closing Sentence
The final sentence in a paragraph is called the
concluding sentence or closing sentence. It comes
after all the details and explanations have been
included in the body sentences of your paragraph.
The closing sentence should express the specific feeling, attitude or point of the paragraph. It should summarise the paragraph.
Prepare appropriate unfinished paragraphs for the
student. Ask them to complete each unfinished
paragraph by adding a closing sentence.
van Asch Deaf Education Centre March 2007
Look Out For This New
Learning Media Resource
Instructional Reader with Deaf
Character
My Feelings Series
Stevie’s First Day
Peggy Ballantyne
Hello! By Julie Ellis
Fireflies - Oxford Reading Tree
It’s Stevie’s first day at his new early childhood centre. Will
the other children understand his sign language and will they
play with him? Mum is reassuring. His teacher and the other
children welcome him with the signs they have learnt, to
talk to him.
Oxford University Press, 2006
Two copies of this resource were distributed in November
2006 to early childhood services. An additional copy is
available on request. Copies of My Feelings books are
available on request to schools with junior classes. Staff
members may purchase
their own copies for
$8.42 from Learning
Media.
www.OxfordReadingTree.com
This reader at the dark blue level describes seven different
ways of communicating with family and friends. It includes
using a phone, text messages, emailing, letter writing and
using sign language.
30 day free trial of access to the site
Available on loan from
the VADEC library.
Book Review
The Printer
Myron Uhlberg
“As a boy, my father learned to speak with his hands. As a man, he
learned how to turn lead-type letters into words and sentences. My
father loved being a printer.”
The setting is New York in the 1940’s. Each day the narrator, a
young boy, watches as his father goes off to work in the noisy
printing factory where presses the size of small houses produce the
daily newspapers. But the boy’s father only hears the machines’
loud pounding and rumbling as vibrations through the soles of his
shoes; he is deaf.
Although his father communicates with a few other deaf printers
through his hands, he feels largely cut off from and ignored by his
hearing co-workers. Then when a silent deadly fire erupts in the
noisy pressroom, it is up to the father to save his fellow workers.
But how will he tell them of the danger when they cannot hear
them?
Author Myron Uhlberg draws on his own childhood experiences
as the hearing son of deaf parents to create this dramatic,
evocative story. The narrative reflects a respect for deaf culture
and the unique gifts each individual possesses. Historical details are
deftly rendered and brought to life in the full-color illustrations. In this
unusual tale, a father and son show their love for each other, as well
as their dedication to a craft that creates words and sentences. Henri
Sorenson’s extraordinary paintings dramatize the powerful text, which
illuminates the many ways we connect with one another.
This book is
available on loan
from the VADEC
library.
If You Were an Adjective Michael Dahl
One of a set of four lavishly illustrated picture books aimed at eight year
olds plus. The books contain rich language and illustrations to illustrate
four parts of speech. They are great for using as a shared book to expose
students to these concepts and also for teaching specific parts of speech.
As an adjective, you make the world colourful. You could be
spectacular, brilliant, dazzling, or daring. You could describe how
something feels, sounds, or behaves. What else could you do if you were
an adjective?
If You Were an Adverb
Michael Dahl
All your best friends are verbs and you often end in “ly.” You can tell people how something happens and when something
happens. What else could you do if you were an adverb?
If You Were a Noun
Michael Dahl
As a noun, you could answer the questions who, when, and where.
You could be a person, place, or thing. You could be singular, plural, or
proper. What else could you be if you were a noun?
If you were a Verb Michael Dahl
You would be extra busy as a verb. You would add excitement and
action to every sentence written. You could be past, present, or future
tense. What else could you do if you were a verb?
Available on loan from the VADEC library, teacher reference section
The Grammar Guide for Secondary Students
Gregory Blaxell and Gordon Winch
Phoenix Education Pty Ltd
Melbourne, 2006
www.phoenixeduc.com
The Grammar Guide for Secondary Students is a clear, easy-to-use
reference covering the essentials of grammar, punctuation and usage
required by junior secondary students. It is divided into:
• Grammar
• Punctuation
• Using the right word
• The writing process
There are clear definitions, explanations and examples showing how
the concepts apply in practice and the book makes reference to both
traditional and functional grammar where appropriate.
The trouble-shooting section on ‘Using the right word’ includes a range of common problems in grammar and usage.
ITODs will find this book an invaluable guide especially when analysing
oral or written language samples.
This book is available on loan from the VADEC library, teacher reference section
Internet Sites
School Journal Teacher’s Notes
http://www.tki.org.nz/r/literacy_numeracy/professional/
teachers_notes/school_journal/index_e.php
This site has teachers’ notes for Part 1 – 4 of the School
Journal. There is also a search facility for school journal
articles. The teacher notes are quite extensive and include
notes on inferencing. The site is updated as new issues of the
School Journal teachers’ notes are published.
Idiom Site
http://www.idiomsite.com/?GXHC_GX_
jst=8258c07850ea6165
Increase the use of idiomatic language that your deaf
students use. This is a great site for explaining the meaning
of many idioms.
Fact Monster from Information
Please
http://www.factmonster.com/
An American reference site including fun facts and
homework help for students.
Puzzle Maker for Teachers
http://www.puzzlemaker.com
The Regional Literacy Web Site
www.vanasch.school.nz/literacy
Helen Keller International Art
Award
This new reading piece is now available on the literacy
website about the biannual competition. Your students may
want to enter either their artwork and or a poem. The theme
of the competition is a work that challenges the perceptions
of deafblindness. Find it in the student pages now.
New Resources
Printing Practise Sheets
These sheets are designed for the four and a half year old
plus preschooler showing interest in learning to print. They
are also suitable for school students in years zero and one.
The sheets provide:
• Letter formations that follow the exact New Zealand
curriculum for printing.
• A small directional red arrow placed on each letter,
which shows where and in what direction to start the
letter formation.
• A model letter for each letter of the alphabet that can
be copied over the top. This is followed by three
dotted outlines of the same letter and finally arrows
indicating where and in what direction to start the next
letter.
• Graphic support for each letter.
• Four laminated landscape A4 sized sheets to practise
directly onto.
Catalogue number: 279
Price: $5 a set
(Copies of this resource were sent to ITOD’s/DRP host
schools in March 2007)
Conjunction Posters
Technology @ Home
This article describes the technology that a deaf adult uses
to make her life easier and communicate at a distance. The
article is sure to be of interest to high school students.
These posters are designed to support the teaching of,
identified conjunction/compound sentence goals for deaf
students. Students at level 2a usually start attempting to use
compound sentences, so specific modelling and teaching of
these four conjunctions would be appropriate at this stage.
Each poster illustrates the meaning and application of one of
the conjunctions: and, or, but and so.
Each word is supported by:
• brief explanation of the function of the conjunction
• a photograph
• an example sentence demonstrating the use of the
conjunction
Available as four individual A5 posters
Catalogue Number: 282
The reading pieces are evolving! Run your mouse over
selected vocabulary and a pop up definition will explain the meaning of the new word!
Price: $2.00 set