Language

Adjectives modify nouns. In using more than one adjective to describe a noun, we need to make sure they are in the correct order—from general to specific.

In this self-contained high school classroom, a teacher asks a student to identify an initial letter in a word. The student uses his color coded alphabet and eye gaze system to choose a letter. When the student chooses the final letter of the word instead of the initial letter, the teacher tells him the name of the letter he chose and the name of the initial letter. She then shows him where he should have looked to indicate the initial letter. The teacher supports the student throughout his thinking process and allows him plenty of wait time. The video demonstrates effective strategies for engaging students with significant cognitive disabilities in literacy instruction.

At a rapid rate, indigenous languages around the world are becoming endangered. Individuals, linguists, and organizations are developing ways to preserve and rehabilitate native languages and cultures.

Students watch a 9-minute film, Marie's Dictionary by Emmanuel Vaughan-Lee, about a Native American woman who is the last fluent speaker of the Wukchumni language and the dictionary she created to keep her language alive. 

In this lesson, students participate in classroom discussions and explore the themes of identity, preservation of a culture, and endangered languages. Reflective writing prompts are also offered for students to demonstrate their understanding of the story.

You can use this video for Session 9 of the MARTHA SPEAKS Reading Buddies program. Students watch the video, in which Martha and Skits can’t find a way to share a toy, and then T.D. and Alice start bickering. After watching, buddy pairs talk about the episode, play a Truce! game, read a children’s book together, and write in their journal. Prior to using this resource for Reading Buddies, be sure you have read the complete introductory materials in the MARTHA SPEAKS Reading Buddies Program Guide.

Key vocabulary: bicker, negotiate, quarrel, truce