Yes-or-no questions formats

Yes-or-no questions demonstrate the relationship between ‘yes’ and positive identity statements and ‘no’ and negative identity statements.

• Present the exercise at a perky pace.
• Students produce a statement using the word ‘not’.
• Stress the word ‘not’.
• Errors are corrected with model, lead, test, retest.

The process is:

• The teacher says, ‘We’re going to talk about this picture’ (point).

• The teacher says, ‘What is this?’ and signals (touch).

• The teacher says, ‘Is this a car?’ and signals (point-touch); ‘Is this a cat?’ and signals (point- touch); ‘Is this a dog?’ and signals (point-touch); ‘Is this a fish?’ and signals (point-touch).

• The teacher says, ‘What is this?’ and signals (point-touch), ‘Say the whole thing’ and signals (point-touch).

• The teacher says, ‘Is this a fish?’ and signals (point-touch).

• The teacher says, ‘I can say the whole thing. This is not a fish. Listen again. This is not a fish”.

• The teacher says, ‘Say the whole thing with me’ and signals (point-touch).
• In later exercises, students say the not statement without the teacher first modeling and leading it.