Forest Books: Reading Between The Signs Workbook

This helpful workbook functions as a companion and supplement to Anna Mindess's earlier book, Reading Between the Signs: A Cultural Guide for Sign Language Interpreters, a recognized classic text for sign language interpreters and ASL students. It is arranged to correspond with the theory presented in the book and expands its focus to the relativity of politeness and the distinction between direct and indirect communication styles, both of which are important elements in comparing Deaf and mainstream cultures.Hands-on exercises allow students to better comprehend the sometimes-puzzling differences of culturally appropriate behavior. The book also helps students explore their own culture as well as the American Deaf culture in ways that reveal the differences between the two. Role play, discussion topics, and critical incidents increase first-hand understanding of the relationship between the Deaf and Hearing communities. The workbook is skillfully designed to provide various thought-provoking exercises that reinforce the topics presented in the textbook. In addition, the work-book exercises allow the reader to discover personally the power of culture in shaping our lives. Mindess has made an admirable effort to assemble and update many of the tried-and-true cultural awareness exercises from the pioneers of Intercultural Communication (ICC). She has also contributed many original activities that I have successfully used in my own ICC classes. Mindess has created a highly effective instructional tool to discover the significance of culture. As the reader completes each exercise, a small bit of enlightenment emerges. When all the bits are arranged in a mosaic, they create a self-portrait of cultural awareness. -Linda A. Siple, National Technical Institute for the Deaf This workbook is a wonderful accompaniment to an exceptionally valuable tool for teaching Deaf culture, ASL, and sign language interpreting.