What's in a word?

Chance got to take in show and tell today. His teacher has a "Talk-and-Tell" bag that she sends home with the kids when it is their turn to bring in something to share.

Chance decided that he would bring in his lego candy machine that he made. Chance got some lego pieces for Christmas that allow you to make fabulous contraptions. Chance made a candy dispenser that has a lever to deliver candy. So, armed with some M&M's to serve his classmates as he showed off the candy machine, Chance headed off to school.

When Chance got home, I asked Chance if the kids had liked his candy machine. He assured me that they had. Then I asked him if his teacher had eaten some of the M&M's. Chance shook his head and told me that his teacher was ill today. At first, I wondered why Chance was using the word ill instead of sick. Then I was kind of impressed that he was expanding his vocabulary. Just as I was in mid thought, Chance asked me, " What does ill mean?"

So, all day long, Chance has been wondering what ill means.

Then as Chance was getting ready for pack meeting for cub scouts, he told me that he was doing the flag ceremony. I knew that his den was in charge of the flag ceremony, but I wanted to clarify if Chance was actually performing the ceremony. It turns out that he was. He then told me that he was supposed to say, ' audience, please rise." Only he didn't say the words quite right and so I repeated them back to him and asked if what I said sounded right. He said, "Oh ya!"
Chance repeated the phrase back to me but I could tell that he wasn't firm on the exact wording.
Then I asked Chance if he knew what audience meant. He didn't.

I explained what an audience was, and then once he knew the meaning behind the word, he had it.

It is interesting because at school Chance had been with his break out group of other deaf kids when he did show and tell. He should be able to ask what words are that he does not know the meaning of in that setting.

When Chance is at cub scouts and with his peers, it might be awkward for him to ask in the middle of den meeting what audience means. All of the other boys will know what that word means. He might be laughed at. And Chance is going to be more reserved.

So, we're not sure what to tell Chance to do in such a situation when he does not know what a word means. He can ask us when he gets home, but will he remember? How do you make a word that is unfamiliar and that you may have heard wrong in the first place, stick in your brain?

We'll have to ponder the options that Chance has when he does not understand what a word is and he is out in a group like cub scouts or one of his sports teams. Hmmmmmmmm.