Sign Language Posters
Using sign language during lessons and discussions is one of the ideas I share at seminars. To help my students learn the signs, I display these mini-posters in my classroom.
If you would like your own set of posters, just click on the poster to the right. You will then be able to download the sign language PDF.
The PDF contains 14 letter-sized posters that show 16 different signs.
Shown below is a photo of some of the signs hanging on the front wall of a friend's classroom. I taught her fifth graders the five basic signs and, within a week, they had it down.
Teacher Tip: Put a set of posters in the back of your room to help you learn the signs your students are using.
Secondary Teachers
Thanks to a suggestion by Reggie Powell, a middle school teacher in the Desert Sands School District, I created a sign language insert that secondary students can add to their planners or agendas to help them more easily make the switch to classroom sign language.
Just click on the image below and you can download a one-page PDF that contains 16 different signs. Three-hole punch the copies you make and then pass 'em out to the students.
Giving your students a reference sheet puts the ball in their court. Not only will they appreciate the "cheat sheet" you're providing, you'll be helping them to take another step on their journey to independence.
BTW Sign language is the first idea in the third chapter of, Tools & Toys: Fifty Fun Ways to Love Your Class.
ASL Browser
Michigan State University has a fabulous website with a wealth of sign language videos you can view. It's an easy site to use since everything is archived alphabetically.
The sample below demonstrates how to form the sign for the word NOW. To get to it, just click on the letter "n" at the bottom of the page. A list of "n" words will appear in the nav window to the right. Scroll down the list and click the word "now." The video will begin to play automatically. There's also a replay button so that you can watch it again and again.
Click on the link below and you'll be taken to the site.
http://commtechlab.msu.edu/sites/aslweb/browser.htm
