Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

Show Me a Sign takes place on Martha's Vineyard, an island belonging to the state of Massachusetts. What might it have been like to live on a small island in the early 1800s? Consider the conveniences and technology inaccessible in that time and place.

Teaching Suggestion: The protagonist of the novel, Mary, is a young girl who is deaf but has never viewed it as a disability; the islanders of Martha’s Vineyard have a unique culture because many of the residents are deaf due to genetics. It might be beneficial to introduce the setting of the novel with these general geographical context questions. You might also ask students to point out Martha’s Vineyard on a map or globe and to briefly research daily life in 1805 as it might apply to an island setting. It might be helpful for students to use these or other resources to begin discussing the historical context of the novel as well.

• This article describes the history of the deaf culture of the residents of Martha’s Vineyard.