Grammatical Analysis of Elicited Language—Simple Sentence Level (review)

Reviews Grammatical Analysis of Elicited Language—Simple Sentence Level, Jean S. Moog and Ann E. Geers, $275, Central Institute for the Deaf, St. Louis, MO, 1979. This is a language test that has good potential for assessing the expressive syntax of hearingimpaired children and should be included in the test battery of the educational diagnostician and language specialist. The test is structured and relies on prompting and imitation to gather the language sample. The Simple Sentence Level is targeted for the 5- to 9-year-old hearing-impaired child or the 2Vi- to 5-year-old hearing child. A Presentence Level for younger or less linguistically advanced children is to be available in 1983. The Complex Sentence Level, for more advanced children , was published in 1980. The GAEL is a fun test, with a variety of activities and a sufficient change of pace to hold attention. It is, however, a long test. . . average administration time is about one hour with another hour and a half needed for evaluation of the results. A possible problem with the test is that only orally trained hearing-impaired children were used in gathering the norms. A revised version with presentation modifications and normative data from Total Communication children with profound losses is expected to be available soon. The instruction booklet is well written and all test instructions are clearly presented . It is estimated that at least 6 hours of training/practice would be required of the professional before administering the test. The suggestions for writing evaluation reports from the data are excellent. Robert D. Moulton, Ph.D. CED, CCC-Sp et al. Lamar University Beaumont, TX 77710 The Language of Life: A Language and Life Skills Book for Deaf Teenagers and Young Adults (2nd Ed.). Elizabeth Gochnour, M.A., and Theresa B. Smith, 411 pp, $7.50, The Interstate Printers and Publishers, Inc., 19 N. Jackson St., Danville, IL 61832, 1981. This book is one of a iew well written textbooks on idiomatic use of English language that was designed with deaf teenagers and young people in mind. The book tells three stories that are serialized in 36 chapters. This format motivates students to read and comprehend the idioms and language as they are presented. Story topics are geared to meet the needs of the deaf people who may not have the auditory access to important information commonly taken for granted in the normal working and living world of hearing people and dramatized on television. Each story installment is about three pages long. The new idioms are first introduced at the beginning of the chapter, followed by review idioms from a previous chapter. The vocabulary is presented at the end of the chapter. The story itself is presented in a way that allows students to progress in vocabulary and idiomatic usage. The format is consistent throughout the book. The exercises involving writing sentences using the idioms learned, are placed at the end of the book so they can be easily removed without taking out parts of the story. The set-up of each chapter follows this pattern : The lesson number, new idioms, review idioms, the title of the story, and the story itself on the left side of the page, leaving a column of lines on the right for the reader to write difficult vocabulary. At the end of the story is "For the Class to Talk About" (a discussion guide), "Things to Do" (activities including experiential settings), "To the Teacher" (offering suggestions and enrichment program), and "Difficult Vocabulary." The listing of idioms is cross-referenced to a particular chapter. Linda Annala, M.Ed., C.A.G.S. Coordinator of Louisiana Association of the Deaf Program to Deaf-Visually Impaired P.O. Box 3074 Baton Rouge, LA 70821 ANNOUNCEMENT Information on the short courses for the 1983 North American Conventions on the Education of the Hearing Impaired is on page 827 of this issue. A.A.O. I December 1982 809 ...