Language ExperienceMarissa Martian and Co!een Matosof

Fa! 2010

An Example of a LE Story

What needs does LE address?

Needs direct instruction in ASL

Needs to express personal needs/wants in ASL

Needs to explain an event or experience with appropriate ASL

Needs to communicate in writing needs and wants

Needs functional living skills

The Big Picture

Language Experience to ASL Composition to Written English

LE helps students with limited language express a common experience through ASL (ASL Composition) which can be translated into written English.

Students are working at the challenging level of literacy, and require adult support.

What is Language Experience?

An approach to reading and expressive language instruction based on activities and stories developed from personal experiences of the learner.

The stories about personal experiences are written down/signed by a teacher and read/viewed together until the learner associates the written form of the word with the spoken.

Consists of student initiated projects that result in a written product at the challenging level.

Language Experience

Models the thinking and writing process

Develops writing skills and/or expressive ASL skills

Introduces different writing/ASL genres

Demonstrates writing conventions and ASL grammar

Promotes re-reading / re-viewing

Teaches writing/composing for a purpose and an audience

Benefits of LE

It brings together writing, reading, art/technology, and language.

It helps learners make connections to printed English or composed American Sign Language.

It is learner-centered

It provides predictable reading material because it uses the learners' natural language.

LE ProcessStudents initiate the experience

Students and teachers document the experience through pictures, video, or notes

Teacher translates the students’ sign language into written English

Ask students to sign what they are thinking

Adult acts as a scribe

Adult signs back what is written

Students and teachers use the text for reading instruction

Adult thinks along (models) the process

Students contribute to the graphics

Using ASL for LEASL is the natural language so is most appropriate as the target language goal.

Written English may or may not be the primary component, depending on the purpose.

Appropriate ASL is modeled and emphasized as part of the ASL composition process.

Students have viewing opportunities

Students create ASL literature

LE ProcessExperience

Discussion

Pictures and modeled ASL are used

Events are sequenced and recapped

Student choose pictures of interest for composing.

Students follow ASL composition guidelines before publishing their work.

ASL published work can be the final project goal or a series of mini lessons can begin related to English vocabulary development and reading.

ASL Composition

Comparable to a writing assignment students compose in American Sign Language.

Students follow a ASL composition rubric

Students are given opportunities to learn using their natural language.

Students are exposed to an environment where ASL is valued

ASL COMPOSITION

Fingerspelling

Eye Contact

Appearance

Framing

Role Shifting

ASL COMP GUIDELINES

ASL COMP GUIDELINES

Get ready for the experience

Halloween Trail Mix

What will you need?

• pretzels

• raisins

• candy corn

• popcorn

• plastic serving gloves

• string

Halloween Trail Mix

• Add candy corn for fingertips

• Add Pretzels as fingers

• Mix popcorn and raisins together

• Add popcorn & raisins to complete the hand

• Close plastic glove and tie with string

Roles and Responsibilities

• Two groups of four or five

• Who will get the ingredients? (one person)

• Who will take pictures? (one person/EA)

• Who will hold the plastic glove? (one person)

• Who will add the ingredients? (one-three people)

~Break~

Colleen will upload pictures and add them to iPhoto for a slide show so we can review our experience.

Discuss (in ASL)

REVIEW PICS in iPhoto Slide Show

What did we do?

Who did what?

Why did we do that?

Was it easy or hard?

What did you like or didn’t like about it?

Sequence (w/pictures)

Students choose pictures

Students then sequence pictures (1st, 2nd...)

First students try independently then teacher/EAs will assist

ASL review/explanation of pictures

Tell Me About Your Picture

iMovie lesson (COLLEEN)

Following ASL composition rubric explain:

what is happening in the picture?Sharing

ASL COMP GUIDELINES

ASL COMP GUIDELINES

SHARING

Make Book

Another LE Example

Continuing On...Translation Process

Adding English

invented spelling

modeling English

Writers’ Workshop

My ideas for Writing...

ASL Workshop

Vocabulary

Translation ProcessWriters’ Workshop

First draft

Possible Individualized Mini Lessons:

adding English

invented spelling (Pita)

drawing / added graphics (Ian)

Vocabulary

Language Experience to ASL Composition to Written English

LE helps students with limited language express a common experience through ASL (ASL Composition) which can be translated into written English.

Students are working at the challenging level of literacy, and require adult support.

ANY QUESTIONS?