Language Growth in Student Life

Mary Hicks

Bilingual Literacy Specialist

Delaware School for the Deaf

January 28, 2025

WHOLE-to-PART (agenda)

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Role of Student Life

Who am I?

2012 - 2019

Sharing the fun stuff

CAEBER AEBT

Open for discussion

ME WHO

SUMMER CAMP

BILINGUAL TRAINING

SL LOOK-LIKE

RESOURCES

QUESTIONS

• CODA
• Peggy Patterson - WPSD
• Ron Patterson - Ohio SD

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• Elem/Special Ed - Clarion U
• Deaf Ed - Western MD

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• Emotional Support Teacher
• Elementary Teacher DSD
• Bilingual Literacy Specialist
• Driver Education Teacher

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Who am I?

Deaf grandma 100 years old!

Husband John

from Troy, Michigan

Stella

ASL Summer Camp

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https://www.youtube.com/@DsdeafOrg/playlists

2012-2019

Middle School Week

3 weeks: HS, Elem, MS in dorm

Language games, cooking teams, theme-based activities each summer

Dorm

Great Room

Physical Activities

Language Activities

• Elephant Game
• Rock, Paper, Scissors TEAM
• Rock, Paper, Scissors TRAIN
• Guess the Leader
• Hand Game
• No-Base Kickball

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• Name Game
• This or That
• ASL Rumor Game
• Copy My Design
• What’s Different?
• Guess Who?
• YES/NO Game

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CAEBER AEBT

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Center for ASL and English Bilingual Education Research (Steve Nover)

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ASL English Bilingual Training (DSD)

Summer Institute with Student Life & School Paras

2008

on-going

Language Acquisition

Academic

Conversational (social)

CALP:

Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency

BICS:

Basic Interpersonal Communicative Skills

Social Language

Academic Language

• Conversations
• Requests for Information
• Jokes / Retell Happenings
• Explanations
• Arguments / Persuasion
• Lists / Notes
• Video Messages / Email

ASL & English

ASL & English

• Technical Vocabulary
• Formal Register (avoid slang)
• Public Speaking
• Metalinguistic Language (which language is used; style of language: rhyming, italics, quotation marks)
• Viewing / Reading

Natural Order of Language Acquisition:

BICS

BICS

CALP

CALP

Social ASL

Academic ASL

Social English

Academic English

Common Order of Language Instruction:

BICS

BICS

CALP

CALP

Social ASL

Academic ASL

Social English

Academic English

The Threshold Theory

(Jim Cummins, 1976)

Strong L1

Relatively easy to acquire L2

Weak L1

More difficult to acquire L2

Language Abilities for Deaf Bilinguals

Adapted by Nover (2006) from Nover, Christensen, & Cheng (1998)

ephemeral

ephemeral

ephemeral

ephemeral or durable

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durable

durable

durable

4 modes of language:

All 4 modes should be incorporated into daily plans - they all help support development & growth in literacy.

signing

watching

viewing

ASL

Traditional vs.

Deaf Education

Student Life

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https://www.instagram.com/dsd.slt/

What can Language Growth look like in Student Life?

Providing ASL interpretation with captions/volume

Providing written English directions with picture support

A is for apple

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handshape X is for APPLE too!

Elaborate CLASSIFICATIONS!

Types of vehicles, drinks, sports, etc.

What I learned from ASL Summer Camp: add pictures!

Label dinner window with food names & signs

What’s missing?

QR code

for

ASL

BEAUTIFUL!

What’s missing?

Does your dorm have…?

ASL images or QR codes available?

Pictures to provide language support?

Printed English, along with other languages based on student need?

What can Student Life add to grow language skills?

Social ASL

Academic ASL

• Teach someone how to play a game or share a recipe
• Fingerspell words / match picture or object
• Use VP relay
• Follow multi-step directions
• ASL stories (handshape, rhythm, number, poetry)
• Learn about idioms
• Describe room layout or give directions
• Interview someone / share info with group
• Use prepositions to locate a hidden object

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• Play-based activities & games
• During meal time, talk about what kids are eating; role model table conversation
• Introduce friends; spell names
• Share weekend news from home or what happened the night before in dorm
• Watch funny/strange videos & describe what happened
• Go on field trips; film kids explaining their experiences
• Cooking opportunities

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What can Student Life add to grow language skills?

Social Literacy

Academic Literacy

• Read/write directions to play a game
• Alphabet games; ABC order
• Write a note for a request
• Technology phrases on text messages (LOL, BRB, LMK)
• Idioms / slang words
• Choose pictures & write about what they see
• Read a recipe and make it
• Treasure Hunt - skill level low to high: a) picture cues b) written English c) description of that place

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• Calendar activities
• Dialogue journal with staff or dorm friends
• Daily greeting written on board
• Spelling games with everyday items: food, clothing, etc
• Free writing
• Read to-do items and check off completed tasks
• Write a note to a friend
• Bingo games
• Pictionary / Hangman

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Resources to Support

Language Growth

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https://www.csdeagles.com/apps/pages/aslcorpus

So much out there!

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Keep your lists growing!

https://language1st.org/

dorm

https://clerccenter.gallaudet.edu/resources/15-principles-for-reading-to-deaf-children/

https://siwi.utk.edu/

Start your own collection!

MULTILINGUAL LITERACY

Questions

mary.hicks@christina.k12.de.us

Bilingual Literacy Specialist | Driver Education Teacher | Internship Coordinator

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630 E. Chestnut Hill Road

Newark, DE 19713

P: 302-454-2301 | VP: 302-294-0748

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