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RCAA Resources

Check out these fun and informative RCAA-related resources for more about how reading captions benefits literacy and learning.

Read Captions Across America

The National Association of the Deaf (NAD) launched the first RCAA campaign in 2006 as a part of the National Education Association’s (NEA) annual “Read Across America” initiative. This event is the nation’s largest reading celebration, focusing our attention on motivating children to read in addition to their mastering basic skills. Bill Stark explains what captions are, how they act as an instant reading incentive, and what reading benefits can occur from the use of captioning. The DCMP’s support to teachers, librarians, and others in making the activity a success is also overviewed. Read the article »

Other Resources and Insights About Captioning and Literacy

Occasionally, we identify articles and other materials written by other organizations and individuals that reinforce our message about captioning’s benefits to literacy. As a leading provider of captioning and accessibility information, we are glad to share such materials to demonstrate that awareness of captioning is spreading.

Captioned Media: Literacy Support for Diverse Learners

Captioned or subtitled media is a great tool for teachers looking to differentiate classroom instruction—research has shown that ELLs, students with learning disabilities, and students who struggle academically may all benefit from following along with captions while watching a classroom video. Learn more about the benefits of captioned media and additional resources for captioned material in this article. Read the article written by NCTI’s Alise Brann for the Reading Rockets website »

Captions are Everywhere

Did you know that captions can be watched across all types of media? You just need to know how to recognize captioned content and how to turn the captions on.

This is the second in a series of videos produced by cap that!, an Australian campaign encouraging teachers to turn on captions in class to boost learning and literacy for all students. Captions are essential for students who are deaf or hearing impaired, and have proven benefits for all students (particularly those who speak English as an Additional Language/Dialect) with learning disabilities and struggling readers. By Media Access Australia, 2013.

The Effects Of Captioning Videos For Foreign Language Listening Activities (PDF)

This research from Michigan State University has yielded a number of observations about the use of captions, confirming previous research that indicates captions are beneficial because they result in greater depth of processing by focusing attention, reinforce the acquisition of vocabulary through multiple modalities, and allow learners to determine meaning through the unpacking of language chunks. Reported in February of 2010 in Language Learning and Technology.

Go, Class, Go: Using Dr. Seuss in Early Reading Instruction (PDF)

Dr. Tamby Allman wrote most of this article while serving as a teacher of deaf students in a kindergarten/first grade, self-contained classroom in Highland Park, Illinois. Dr. Seuss books came to her mind as she sought beginner-level books to help her students move to more fluent reading and increase their sight vocabulary. However, so much of the joy of Dr. Seuss is the use of rhymes and nonsense words, her colleagues said, and are probably not an ideal choice for readers who are deaf. That worried Tamby too, but she'd seen her students picking the books off the shelves of the library, and she knew that many of them already had Dr. Seuss books, videos, and toys at home. In other words, the books met the most important criterion for authentic texts: appeal to the children. Read about her successful experiences with these books in early reading instruction.

HOW DIVERSE IS THE AUDIENCE FOR CAPTIONS?

Find out how diverse the audience is for captions by watching this video presented by cap that! Education Manager and trained Itinerant Teacher of the Deaf, Anne McGrath.

This is the first in a series of videos produced by cap that!, an Australian campaign encouraging teachers to turn on captions in class to boost learning and literacy for all students. Captions are essential for students who are deaf or hearing impaired, and have proven benefits for all students (particularly those who speak English as and Additional Language/Dialect) with learning disabilities and struggling readers. By Media Access Australia, 2013.

Thinking of Captions Outside the Box

Many people associate captioning only with the deaf and hard-of-hearing community. It’s true that millions of Americans depend on captions for news and entertainment, but the benefits of captioning extend far beyond. Read the article from Caption Labs’ Closed Captioning Blog »

Using Television for Literacy Skills

My audacious idea is to use television to help children learn their letters and, maybe, even to read. This may be a surprising suggestion given that TV is often cited as a main reason for the decline in children's reading. Read more...

Captioning to Support Literacy

In a typical classroom, a teacher may find many students who are struggling readers, whether they are beginning readers, students with language-based learning disabilities, or English Language Learners (ELLs). One motivating, engaging, and inexpensive way to help build the fundamental reading skills of students is through the use of closed-captioned and subtitled television shows and movies. Presented by "PowerUp What Works". Read more...

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