Teacher to Teacher

teacher to teacher Lloyd Anderson Editor, Teacher to Teacher Contributing Editor Fran Miller Arkansas School for the Deaf The descriptions that follow represent a variety of instructional resources and techniques that have been used successfully in educational programs serving the hearing impaired and have been recommended by the users. For purposes of sharing this information with other professionals, educators throughout the country are encouraged to write in. Language Companion to Of Mice and Men Books Language Companion to White Fang Subject: English Age range of students who use the materials: high school Academic achievement range: high school Peter Haggerty, English language specialist at the National Technical Institute for the Deaf at the Rochester Institute for Technology, has compiled these two spiral-bound books published by Kendall/Hunt of Dubuque, Iowa in 1986. They are companion readers to the classic works Of Mice and Men and White Fang. The books may be used for programmed self instruction for mature readers, although I prefer to let students read such classic books in small groups so they may discuss, question and predict outcomes as they progress through the text. Both Companions analyze the books chapter by chapter. Comprehension and vocabulary checks are included, as well as vocabulary exercises. Some of the drills, such as writing selected vocabulary on index cards, copying sentences that contain the vocabulary from the text, then defining each word may interrupt reading so significantly as to prevent students from following the story. Comprehension and vocabulary checks at the end of every two chapters are quite useful, although too much written follow-up can take the fun out of reading. To best use the Language Companions, I let them be a teacher resource when teaching one of the selected titles to a whole reading group. We do some of the comprehension and vocabulary assessment "orally." I would like to see Language Companions offered as ditto master books. Nancy Swaiko Maryland School for the DeafFrederick Math Time Game Subject: Math functions Age range of students who use the materials: 9 through 12 Math grids are a way to make timed testing a little more palatable. They work for teaching addition, subtraction or multiplication. Give each child a 10-line, two column vertical grid with the appropriate symbol ( +, - or x ) in the upper left corner. Have the students complete the left column by filling in the numbers one through ten. When the class is ready, reveal the number to be written at the top of the right column. Time them as they fill in the column with the sum or product of the numbers in the left column when added, subtracted or multiplied by the number at the top of the right column. Reward each child for successful completion of the grid in the allotted time. I use bright badges that say, for example, "I know my 8's!" Janet Hedges Arkansas School for the Deaf Farm Animals Game Subject: Social Studies Academic achievement range of students: early primary and multihandicapped This is an inexpensive, easy to help young chidren learn about the world around them. For a unit on farm animals, I gave my 8-year-old multihandicapped hearing impaired students sturdy pieces of red construction paper and animal pictures that we had cut out from magazines and old books. With a few scissor cuts and crayon lines, the construction paper became so many barns. The children were delighted to put their favorite animals into their "home" and it really did reinforce the concepts we were studying at the time. S.T. Hamilton Arkansas School for the Deaf 186 A.A.O. I July 1987 ...