In looking at the school and events calendar, I realized May is fast approaching. Of course, we are familiar with May events such as May Day, Cinco de Mayo, Memorial Day, and Mother’s Day. But there are some other days in May to learn about and celebrate. Armed Forces Day, Florence Nightingale’s birthday, and Mother Goose Day. Moreover, May is Better Hearing and Speech Month.
According to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASLHA), the annual May event ”provides opportunities to raise awareness about communication disorders and to promote treatment that can improve the quality of life for those who experience problems with speaking, understanding, or hearing.” To learn more about the event, you can visit their site at: http://www.asha.org/bhsm/
The American Academy of Otolaryngology has a “Hearing Information for Children” category with articles about ‘Infant Hearing Loss,’ ‘Childhood Hearing Loss,’ and “Noise-Induced Hearing Loss in Children.” You can visit their site at: http://www.entnet.org/AboutUs/betterHearingSpeechMonth.cfm to learn more.
As you teach about our senses, communication, or language, what a wonderful experience it would be to expose youth to a different language, used by those who are Deaf or hard of hearing: American Sign Language (ASL).
Lily says Leveled Reader has two reworked traditional stories available, offering ASL as a medium along with written and oral presentations. The native ASL users are professional storytellers who will delight your young reader with the beauty of the language whether deaf or hearing.
In the ASL Tales category, you can view a demonstration of the ASL Tales: Princess and the Pea [Age Level: 2-8 years, Grade Level: K-4] and ASL Tales: Rapunzel [Age Level: 3-8 years, Grade Level: K-4]
Quote: “The greatest gift is the passion for reading. It is cheap, it consoles, it distracts, it excites, it gives you knowledge of the world and experience of a wide kind. It is a moral illumination.” Elizabeth Hardwick, American literary critic, novelist, and short story writer.
