CONTEXT: The San Francisco Speech and Hearing Center is a private, non-profit
agency that serves people of all ages with hearing loss and communication issues. The
Hearing-Impaired Department serves children from birth to Grade 2. The K-2 classroom is an
oral/aural program; that is, the students and staff communicate through speech, listening
DESCRIPTION: Mary Ann Younger teaches 5-8 year old deaf students. One of the ways that Mary Ann has devised to develop the students' literacy skills is through their retelling of books on video. First, the students read and discuss a book, for example "The Mitten" by Jan Brett (Mary Ann generally selects books with more than one character and with some repetition). They then focus on sequencing events in the story, orally, in writing and with pictures. Then each student is given a role from the story, usually two or three sentences. The students type their lines into a word processor. The text is printed out, laminated into book form and used as a study aid to help the students memorize their roles. Finally, each child plays their role on video.
Mary Ann uses this retelling process as an opportunity to work on the students' speaking, writing, listening, story sequencing and other literacy skills (the students use FM systems to maximize their hearing). Feedback, discussion and critique are integral to the process, which takes about two weeks from beginning to end. Mary Ann is pleased with the way this activity has evolved over the two years she has implemented it. She says that the students' skills at recall, sequencing and language competency are highest on those books which they have acted out. Best of all, the students enjoy the activity and are proud of their work.
When asked if she has any advice for others who may want to start retelling stories on video with their young students, Mary Ann says, "Don't get stuck on the idea that it has to be perfect, because these are little kids. They have their own direction. The idea is to keep it fun."
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This material was developed by the National Center to Improve Practice (NCIP), located at Education Development Center, Inc. in Newton, Massachusetts. NCIP was funded by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs from October 1, 1992 - September 30, 1998, Grant #H180N20013. Permission is granted to copy and disseminate this information. If you do so, please cite NCIP. Contents do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Department of Education, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by NCIP, EDC, or the U.S. Government. This site was last updated in September 1998.
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