You want to learn sign language? Where do you start?

          

                              

                                  This video is an example of resources on line for teachers to

                                             use in their classroom.  The children in my preschool will be 

                                             presenting the third version of this song for our spring program!

                                             http://www.mysmarthands.com

      

Preschool teachers that want to begin adding sign language to their curriculum don’t have to go be certified to start introducing signing to their class.  I have slowly taught myself the language through workshops, books, DVD’s and online web pages.  This technique has worked for me because I am able to learn American Sign Language in my free time, at my own pace and most importantly I learn what I need at the time to teach to my class.  If I am teaching about a certain topic, I can look the words that I need and then teach them to the children as I sing a song or read a book.  It is amazing to look at the end of the year, and see how many words that you have added to your vocabulary and to your curriculum.

I love free, so some of the best resources are on line and at the library.  The public library has large selection of sign language books to be checked out as well as DVD’s on the subject.  The most important tool to have in your classroom is an American Sign Language dictionary or resource book.  This will enable you to look up words, as you need them for your lessons or songs.  Some of the illustrations or pictures in the dictionaries are unclear.  In this case it is helpful to read the description for the sign, because most of the time the sign relates to the word.  For instance, the sign for cat is making whiskers on either side of your nose.  Another helpful resource is getting online and actually seeing a person make the sign.  The following are some Web sites where teachers seeking to bring sign language into their classrooms can find ASL resources.

Lifeprint, a very helpful site, offers a free ASL dictionary with some animation.  The site includes recommendations for the first 100 signs to learn and teach, frequently used phrases in sign language, ASL games and activities, and pointers for teachers.  www.lifeprint.com

Handspeak’s wide range of ASL resources include access to their animated dictionary, stories told in ALS, and a culture and language link. Some resources require a subscription fee.

www.handspeak.com

Harris Communications offers ASL posters, flash cards, placemats, and labels for purchase online, as well as picture books about Deaf children.  I recommend Can You Hear a Rainbow? And Dad and Me in the Morning. www.harriscomm.com

Redleaf Press publishes Sign to Learn: American Sign Lanugae in the Early childhood Classroom, by Kirsten Dennis and Tressa Azpiri, a comprehensive resource for teaching integrating ASL into the curriculum in hearing preschools.

(Brereton,A 2010)

Using these resources that you can find in the library and online can help a teacher develop a successful sign language program in the classroom.   A teacher can include sing language in the classroom curriculum without a great deal of cost or preparation.  It can take less than five minutes a day – just long enough to look up four or five signs in the ASL dictionary, and then teach them to the class.  Before reading a book, teach the children signs based on the vocabulary words in the story (colors, animals, emotions, shapes, places) Then encourage the children to sign what they saw in the illustrations.  While the teacher reads aloud, the children’s hands are busy signing along with the story. (Brereton, 2010)

These are some low cost ways to start introducing sign language in your preschool classroom.  As time goes on, and you become more interested in learning more about sign language, there are classes offered online, community colleges and through churches or other private organizations.  Teachers will be surprised once they begin to use signing in their classroom, they can bring out old books or songs and add signing to bring a new twist to that activity.  The teachers might also notice once they teach their children the signs for stop, sit, stand up, how they can talk to the children from across the room without ever raising their voice.  Signing is a wonderful guidance tool to use especially during a group time so that it is not interrupted, the teacher can sign reminders to individual children, “such as please wait”, “please stop.” (Brereton, 2010).

Making it easy to teach and use sign language in the preschool classroom is important to the busy preschool teacher.  Learning, teaching and using sign language should be easy, fun and rewarding.  Integrating the signs slowly is the key so the  it will not be burdensome.  Each year will get easier because you will build on what you have learned, become more confident and make changes in your curriculum for what worked and what did not.  There are many resources out that can help the teacher become successful that will help the support the children’s learning and a positive guidance tool.

Sign language posters are a great resource
for the preschool classroom.:
www.signwithme.com

 Brereton, A. (2010 July) Is teaching sign language in early childhood classrooms feasible for busy teachers and beneficial for children? Young Children. Retrieved from the Education Research Database.

Let's All Sign!

                           

                                                              

Signing "Mom" - Madre!

This past week in our preschool, we were fortunate enough to have a new private hearing and vision testing company to come in and test our four year old’s vision and hearing.  It is a new form of computerized testing for both the eyes and ears.  The fascinating outcome was that some of the children that were tested, showed sight and hearing impairments.  We were all very surprised at the results of these children, but grateful for their finds.  The parents could now take their children in for further testing and work on correcting the problems.   It really opened up our eyes to what we would do to accommodate these children if there became a true disability.

 

In a recent article, “Let’s all sign”(Heller, 1998), two hearing impaired children were added to a mainstream preschool classroom and the teachers had to adapt their curriculum to accommodate them.  The teachers spent the summer learning sign language.  As the teachers’ proficiency grew, so did their appreciation of the fact that signing is an actual language (Heller, 1998).  The teachers from the first day of school introduced the children to signing as an accompaniment to speech (Heller, 1998). The teachers introduced signs throughout the day as they did their daily activities.  They encouraged the parents to be involved in learning sign language by sending home news letters, conferences and they learned from the children at home (Heller, 1998).  The teachers decided that they would try a two-year pilot program where their inclusive sign language curriculum would be documented and results published.  The study would include some of the three year old classes would use sign language along with their regular curriculum and the other classes would not use sign language. At the end of the two-year study, they found that when sign language was integrated in a naturalistic way into the general preschool curriculum, both the hearing impaired and the non-hearing children benefited (Heller, 1998).  Finally, the children who used signing were clearly superior in language development to those who had not. 

 

At my preschool we have found that incorporating sign language into the daily routine has become a wonderful addition to our curriculum.  As in the classroom featured in the article, our children have picked up on the daily signs and use them like it is second nature.  The parents are also kept informed through monthly classroom newsletters and from a monthly newsletter from my music class.  The music newsletter not only keeps them abreast with the signs that the children are learning the parents get a copy of the Spanish songs we are singing in class.  The children are really becoming tri-lingual by singing in Spanish, English and signing the words.  Parents will stop me in the hall to tell me how their child had been singing and signing  the latest song and how proud they were of them.  Some parents have become interested in learning more about signing and have gone to the local public library to check out sign language videos that they can watch and learn with their child.  

     

    Signing "Dad" - Padre!

With the recent hearing test results that we received with some of the children, it is now more important than ever to continue our program using sign language in the classroom.  This will allow all of the children no matter if they have a hearing impairment or not to participate and learn both the sign and spoken language.  It is gratifying to know that our school is on the cutting edge of a developmental curriculum that gives the children an opportunity to strengthen their vocabulary through daily activities in the classroom, through songs, by learning a foreign language and learning and using American Sign Language.  I am proud to be a part of making a difference in the lives of these young children.

                                                          

Heller, I. et.al.  (1998 January/February) Let’s all sign! Teaching Exceptional Children. Retrieved March 10, 2011, from the Teacher Reference Center Database.