Understanding and using language is fundamental to developing language skills. Teachers need to provide rich opportunities for students to use their language skills in the classroom.

New learning builds upon what students already know. Exposing them to novel concepts and encouraging inquiry and exploration enhances their overall success.

Understanding word meanings is essential to high levels of comprehension and expression, so students need to have many opportunities in the classroom to see/hear and use signs/words to promote vocabulary growth.

To use language effectively, students must be explicitly taught the mechanics of the language.

Language Abilities and Approaches Wheels

Q: Motivation for Language Learning

Activities that stimulate enjoyment of learning materials and appreciation for the usefulness of modalities motivate students to engage with magic of the words.

Q: Concepts of Sign, Print, and the Spoken Word

Explicitly teach students the features of language and explain how these features form the foundation of language learning.

Q: Morphological Awareness

Young children need to be taught that the words they use can be broken into parts. Having this morphological awareness plays an essential role in fingerspelling out/sounding out and spelling words.

Q: Decoding and Encoding

Understanding the relationships between fingerspelled/spoken sounds and letters in text is also essential for developing language and literacy, particularly in the early elementary years. Students best learn these letter-fingerspell or letter-sound connections through systematic and explicit teaching.

Q: Fluency and Expression

It is not enough for students to identify words to understand the meaning in sign/text. They also need to recognize words effortlessly in order to focus their attention on the ideas. Teachers need to use effective strategies to promote the growth of fluency and expression.

Q: Structures and Genres

Teachers must provide opportunities for students to sign/write for authentic purposes and teach them structures and genres to support those purposes.

Chart
Wheel

Motivation for Language Learning

Language Use

Knowledge Building

Concepts of Sign, Print, and the Spoken Word

Morphological Awareness

Decoding and Encoding

Vocabulary

Fluency and Expression

Conventions

Structures and Genres

Comprehension Strategies

Processes and Strategies

Classroom Organization and Time Management

Assessment for Instruction

Language Abilities and Approaches Wheels

Language Abilities and Approaches Wheels (LAAWs) are interactive tools designed to assess and foster a language-rich environment for deaf and hard of hearing students. The LAAWs are composed of:

6

3

2 COMPREHENSION

SIGNACY

COMPREHENSION

LITERACY

COMPREHENSION

ORACY

COMPOSITION

SIGNACY

COMPOSITION

LITERACY

COMPOSITION

ORACY

COMPREHENSION

SIGNACY

COMPREHENSION

LITERACY

COMPREHENSION

ORACY

COMPOSITION

SIGNACY

Composition refers to an individual’s ability to create and express.

Comprehension refers to an individual’s ability to perceive and understand.

ORACY

SIGNACY

LITERACY

Collaborators | Researchers

Language Abilities and Approaches Wheels Development Team

Project Lead

Tammy Murphy Burns

Project Consultant

Tarja Lewis

PROJECT CONSULTANT

Heidi Burns

Language planning CONSULTANT

Stephen Nover

PROJECT ADVISOR

Barbara Robinson

Project Advisor

Jill Radford

PROJECT DESIGNER

Matthew Lee Vita

Editor

Cat Valcourt-Pearce

Supported by the Team Members

Early Intervention Director, National Programs and Outreach

Sarah Honigfeld

Early Intervention Project Manager, National Programs and Outreach

Stacy Abrams

PreK-12 Project Manager, National Programs and Outreach

Lia Bengtson

Director, Monitoring, Evaluation and Research

Lori Lutz

Manager, Public Input and Research, Monitoring, Evaluation and Research

Amber Marchut

Project Manager, Monitoring,
Evaluation and Research

Susan Schatz

DISCLAIMER | This website and related documents are provided for informational purposes only. Individuals are advised to stay informed about any updates or changes in research terminology as progress is made in the field of Deaf Education. The terms included are meant to represent current research terminology. Out of respect for the creators and designers involved with this project, do not replicate or alter this content without written consent.

LAAWs is intended for users with a foundational understanding of language planning and the ASL/English bilingual approach.

Chart
Wheel

Motivation for Language Learning

Language Use

Knowledge Building

Concepts of Sign, Print, and the Spoken Word

Morphological Awareness

Decoding and Encoding

Vocabulary

Fluency and Expression

Conventions

Structures and Genres

Comprehension Strategies

Processes and Strategies

Classroom Organization and Time Management

Assessment for Instruction

Language Abilities and Approaches Wheels

Language Abilities and Approaches Wheels (LAAWs) are interactive tools designed to assess and foster a language-rich environment for deaf and hard of hearing students. The LAAWs are composed of:

6

3

2 COMPREHENSION

SIGNACY

COMPREHENSION

LITERACY

COMPREHENSION

ORACY

COMPOSITION

SIGNACY

COMPOSITION

LITERACY

COMPOSITION

ORACY

COMPREHENSION

SIGNACY

COMPREHENSION

LITERACY

COMPREHENSION

ORACY

COMPOSITION

SIGNACY

Composition refers to an individual’s ability to create and express.

Comprehension refers to an individual’s ability to perceive and understand.

Language Abilities and Approaches Wheels

6

3

2

COMPREHENSION

COMPREHENSION

COMPREHENSION

COMPOSITION

COMPOSITION

COMPOSITION

COMPREHENSION

COMPREHENSION

COMPREHENSION

COMPOSITION

Collaborators | Researchers

Language Abilities and Approaches Wheels Development Team

Project Lead

Tammy Murphy Burns

Project Consultant

Tarja Lewis

PROJECT CONSULTANT

Heidi Burns

Language planning CONSULTANT

Stephen Nover

PROJECT ADVISOR

Barbara Robinson​

Project Advisor

Jill Radford

PROJECT DESIGNER

Matthew Lee Vita

Editor

Cat Valcourt-Pearce​​

Supported by the Team Members

Early Intervention Director, National Programs and Outreach

Sarah Honigfeld

Early Intervention Project Manager, National Programs and Outreach

Stacy Abrams

PreK-12 Project Manager, National Programs and Outreach

Lia Bengtson

Director, Monitoring, Evaluation and Research

Lori Lutz

Manager, Public Input and Research, Monitoring, Evaluation and Research

Amber Marchut

Project Manager, Monitoring, Evaluation and Research

Susan Schatz

Language Abilities and Approaches Wheels

6

3

2

COMPREHENSION

COMPREHENSION

COMPREHENSION

COMPOSITION

COMPOSITION

COMPOSITION

COMPREHENSION

COMPREHENSION

COMPREHENSION

COMPOSITION

Collaborators | Researchers

Language Abilities and Approaches Wheels Development Team

Project Lead

Tammy Murphy Burns

Project Consultant

Tarja Lewis

PROJECT CONSULTANT

Heidi Burns

Language planning CONSULTANT

Stephen Nover

PROJECT ADVISOR

Barbara Robinson​

Project Advisor

Jill Radford

PROJECT DESIGNER

Matthew Lee Vita

Editor

Cat Valcourt-Pearce​​

Supported by the Team Members

Early Intervention Director, National Programs and Outreach

Sarah Honigfeld

Barbara Robinson

Cat Valcourt-Pearce

Project Manager, Monitoring,
Evaluation and Research

Barbara Robinson

Cat Valcourt-Pearce

Project Manager, Monitoring,
Evaluation and Research