Planning for Literacy Instruction

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About the Author

Martha Manson French, M.Ed., is an educational writer in reading development with the Success for All Foundation, Inc. For many years she was employed with Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center at Gallaudet University where she worked to develop and facilitate the implementation of the language arts program for Kendall Demonstration Elementary School. Ms. French has a variety of work experiences in programs for deaf children, including: state school dormitory counselor, elementary school teacher, resource teacher, teacher-trainer, and curriculum specialist. She has been a frequent contributor in the past to Perspectives in Education and Deafness and other publications with articles about language and literacy.

Acknowledgments

I am grateful to Joseph Fischgrund, Marcia Volpe, and others at the Pennsylvania School for the Deaf in Philadelphia for many years of stimulating Language Coordinators' Workshops. I am indebted, too, to Peter V. Paul for publishing what was a timely and influential book for me (Literacy and Deafness: The Development of Reading, Writing, and Literate Thought, 1998) and for graciously reading my own material and giving me his comments. Finally, I wish to thank Shawn Neal Mahshie and others at Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center, Gallaudet University, for supporting this project, and for her editorial expertise.

The Clerc Center is pleased to disseminate the information and perspectives contained in its Occasional Paper Series. The findings, conclusions, and opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center or of Gallaudet University.