|
Guidelines for Signing Mathematics Test Items
Here
are some basic guidelines to help you in your signing mathematics
test items. These are not intended to follow any particular philosophy
of sign language, but rather will hopefully provide some consistency
in signing, and impart high expectations for our students in instructional
and assessment situations.
|
Guideline
|
Rationale
|
|
Fingerspell
shape words - 2-D and 3-D
Ex:
"Which has an end with the shape of a triangle?"
Ex:
"Which of these is the cylinder?"
Non-shape
words to be fingerspelled: Even, odd, parallel, perpendicular,
symmetrical, obtuse, acute, equilateral, perimeter
|
The
sign shape gives the answer.
Correct
spelling should be taught with shape vocabulary so the
kids should already be exposed to it.
|
| "all
together" , or "in all" or "total"-
don't use the sign for "add"
Ex:
"John had 4 marbles. Suzie had 3 marbles. How many
marbles is that all together?"
Ex:
"What is the total value of these coins?"
|
It
may not be an addition problem.
If
it is an addition problem, the sign "add" will
tell them which procedure to use.
Try
to find another way to sign it, i.e. in this example,
you could ask, "How many marbles do the two children
have?"
In
the coin example, you could sign "How much?"
then point to all of the coins.
|
| Symbol
signs within word problems - don't use concept sign.
Ex:
"Which number means 4000 + 20 + 3?
|
The
symbol sign (i.e. "+") should be signed
"plus", not "add" so as not to give
the answer. |
| Math
problems that are totally numerical/symbolic - don't sign
these at all.
Ex:
8 + 6 = ____
|
Signing
it would not benefit the student since the signs are so
much like the written equation. |
Dawn
Hoyt Kidd - Texas School for the Deaf 9/01
|
