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Reviews Practical English Structure, Marcia Bordman, Patricia Byrd, and Bernadene Schlein, Vol. 1, 200 pp., Vol. 2, 223 pp., Vol. 3, 219 pp., $9.95 each, Gallaudet College Press, Kendall Green, Washington, D.C. 20002, 1977. Written specifically to address the structural language needs of hearing-impaired high school and college students, this series of textbooks is strongly influenced by English as a Second Language (ESL) approaches to grammar instruction . While the authors emphasize that the texts should not be considered remedial in nature, the content and exercises appear to be designed for use with intermediate English students in need of systematic structural practice and drill work. The authors transform the traditional ESL oral approach into a totally written response format that stresses contextual usage through three basic types of exercises: controlled sentences, guided paragraphs, and vocabulary skill checks. Each chapter begins with a vocabulary check which consists of the presentation of a sentence containing an idiomatic phrase. Students are required to select the meaning of the idiom from four possible options written in a multiple-choice format . This exercise emphasizes the use of contextual clues. The content of these exercises does not appear to be integrated into the content of the remainder of the chapter. Controlled sentence exercises are introduced at this point. Students are instructed to examine sample sentences and then to respond in writing with appropriate similar, transformed, or expanded structures. Finally, guided paragraphs are provided which the students are instructed to read and respond to with content-specific tasks. Each lesson (chapter) has clearly stated objectives for both the student and the teacher. A variety of constructions are presented that range from simple practice with articles in a variety of contexts to complex manipulations of clauses. The organization of the books' content could be a source of confusion to the reader because grammatical construction is dealt with in a number of different chapters and levels. Each of these chapters may present a different syntactic environment or context for the structure and may provide the student with highly specific information and opportunities for practice . Overall, this type of organization could lead to difficulty when trying to adapt these books for use in a total language development program . The books are cumulative in nature; the content is age appropriate; and the illustrations are cleverly drawn and integrated into the books. A cumulative index of the content of all volumes is located at the end of each text. Books such as these can be extremely useful as part of an English language program for adults and young adults who are hearing impaired: a population which has been without appropriate materials for far too long. Margaret H. Finnegan, M.S. Ed. Temple University Philadelphia, PA 19119 Communication Programming for the Severely Handicapped: Vocal and Non-Vocal Strategies, Caroline R. Musselwhite, Ed. D., CCC, and Karen H. St. Louis, M.S., CCC, 325 pp., $29.50, College-Hill Press, 4580-E Alvarado Canyon Road, San Diego, CA 92120, 1982. The authors have compiled a wealth of information in a comprehensive, practical source book which covers vocal and nonvocal strategies for a wide variety of persons with severe communication disorders. The book will be most useful to speech-language pathologists and special educators. Part I discusses the decision process, issues in communication training, preliminary training strategies, and supportive services. An overview of issues and selected vocal language programs comprises Part II. Part III describes in some depth a wide variety of nonvocal communication systems: "gestural" communication such as Blissymbols, rebus, and words. Part IV, the appendices, comprises one third of the book. It is extremely useful even for the more knowledgeable reader. Appendix A is an annotated bibliography of recent literature in programming for the severely handicapped. Appendix B reviews 25 selected communication programs. In Appendix C, publications and services provided by organizations and agencies are described. Appendix D is a descriptive list of assessment tools and procedures. The strength of this book is the wide coverage of a broad topic in a very practical manner. The appendices are invaluable. It is an excellent resource book from which readers can further explore various areas according to their interests. Mata B. Jaffe, Ph...

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