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The Shared Reading Project is designed to teach parents and caregivers how to read to their deaf and hard of hearing children using American Sign Language, and to use strategies to make book sharing most effective. Offered through HSDC, it is a project of the Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center at Gallaudet University. |
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Why Shared Reading? |
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 Deaf children read, on the average, at the fourth grade level when they graduate from high school. |
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We know that early booksharing experiences contribute to higher reading ability in school. |
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Most hearing parents do not know how to share books with their young deaf and hard of hearing children. |
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If hearing parents can learn how to share books, the reading ability of deaf and hard of hearing children should improve. |
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Assumptions Guiding Development |
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Deaf adults have experience sharing books with deaf people. |
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Booksharing with ASL builds a bridge to reading English. |
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Fingerspelling is important in learning how to read. |
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Booksharing is an important parenting skill. |
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Parents who learn about Deaf Culture have more positive interactions with their children. |
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What families had to say about the program: |
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"My child has made a lot of progress through the program. She is more interested in what the words say - not just the pictures." |
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"My child really benefited from it. Also, we did as a family." |
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How the Program Works |
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Culturally diverse Deaf readers were filmed as they used American Sign Language to read fun, predictable children’s books. Because children love seeing these books read over and over again, the parents have repeated opportunities to practice. Tutors visit the home to demonstrate how to sign the stories, and provide instant feedback to family members. The family uses the DVD of deaf readers signing the story to reinforce the new signs after the tutor has left. |
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Twice a month, a tutor visits each home. The visits are scheduled at a time convenient for each family. The tutor demonstrates how to sign a popular children’s storybook. |
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Family members practice signing the story. The tutor gives needed feedback to family members. |
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The family members read the story to the deaf child. The tutor watches and gives helpful hints. |
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The tutor leaves a “family book bag” with the family. The bag contains a copy of the book, a DVD for practice, and a guide containing activities to do with the child after reading the story. |
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After the session, family members read the story to the child again and again. If family members forget some signs, they can look at the DVD, which has a deaf signer reading the story, to reinforce what the tutor previously taught. |
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Family members make note of the number of times they read the story. They also jot down questions for the next tutoring session. About two weeks later, the tutor brings a new book, and the process begins again. |
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HSDC has over 50 books available! |
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Email us at ece@hsdc.org or call 206.323.5770 / 206.388.1275 TTY/VP |
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Visit http://clerccenter.gallaudet.edu/Literacy/srp to learn more. |
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The Shared Reading Project brings stories to life. |
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