Dancing with Words: Signing for Hearing Children's Literacy

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Summary: All Children Should Be Exposed To Sign
Review: Dr. Marilyn Daniels has written an exceptional book which should be read by parents/guardians of young children, want-to-be parents, day care providers, and teachers of the young. As the foremost researcher on Sign's benefits for hearing kids, not only does she write about her own research, but the research others have done with Sign and hearing kids too. The book's title seems somewhat limiting, because it also mentions the many other benefits Sign has been found to have for hearing kids - even if they never use it with the deaf. Daniels also points out that parents and teachers who teach kids Sign often feel they, the parents and teachers, benefit too. And the book has a chapter on how teachers can easily learn Sign to teach their students, and a chapter on how parents can easily learn Sign to teach it to their kids.

Rating:
Summary: Why aren't we encouraging our schools to teach ASL?
Review: I have just finished reading this book and I cannot wait to get it into the hands of my kid's teachers (and administrators). I am currently learning sign and so are my kids. Although none of my children are ADD or ADHD I know that some of their classmates are. The book suggests that sign encourages a healthier classroom environment as all the children are ACTIVELY participating in the learning process. The ADD/ADHD kids are actually calmer and all students are learning more. (Less wear and tear on the teachers!) By learning ASL we are also encouraging communication with the Deaf. The Deaf cannot hear, so why do we exclude them and expect them to learn our language? We have the opportunity to begin to change the world our children live in, one sign at a time. That is something to think about.

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Summary: A really great book on WHY sign language is for ALL kids...
Review: I started using sign language while teaching kindergarten years ago just for fun. The kids loved it. Now I know why! This book is great for teachers and parents. If you have a young child having trouble with spoken or written English, GET THIS BOOK! Also get it just for fun, to learn with a best friend, to communicate with someone who is deaf, to enrich your knowledge of human iconography, symbolism and to learn about the history of language. A great book, easy to read, perfect amount of detail, lots of references. (This book is for adults - and includes lots of ideas to use with kids...)