A silent child

  1. Watch the short film “A silent child”. First, watch it without subtitles and then with subtitles.

2. Translate the following new words:

a cello, to chill out, chill, weird, to help out, to grab, to knock, low expectations, deaf, deafness, a hearing aid, a real blow, a car horn, to be about to do something, literally, bloody, to interact, to be in a good mood, doable, to wonder, to talk to the devil, expertise, to appreciate, a concern, speech therapy, I can’t split myself in two, apparently, awful, a cochlear implant, a sign language, less frustrating, a pattern, a root to take, to shoot off.

3. Answer the questions below:

  • What can and can’t a deaf person do?
  • What issue and message does the film convey?
  • Whose daughter is Libby?
  • At what age does Libby’s family find out that she is deaf?
  • What does Libby’s life look like?
  • What word does Sue keep constantly repeating? Do you think Sue is an authentic person?
  • How do Sue and Joanne interact differently with Libby?
  • How does Joanne help deaf children as a deaf counselor?
  • Can children be happy with unhappy parents?
  • What other member of the family besides Libby maintained a good relationship with Joanne? 
  • Whom Libby for the first time expressed her love to? 
  • How do love, speaking, and hearing correlate? 
  • What do you think happens next to Libby?

4. Describe in writing what assistance should members of the family provide to their deaf relative. Send your composition to the teacher.  You can use the additional article as a reference if you need it.