Hey-- a signing Santa will be at the mall Dec. 6!
http://www.shopwestfarms.com/events

Vowel Consonant Sorts Using Sight Words

I have just created two vowel/consonant sort games that can be used in a center or as a whole class or in pairs or small groups. It is a great way to practice identifying the vowels and consonants, reading the sight words, spelling the sight words and...using sign language to identify the letters used for both consonants and vowels.
Vowel Consonant Sort with Dolch Pre Primer Sight Words

Vowel Consonant Sort with Dolch Primer Sight Words

Classroom Management and Manners with Sign Language

Classroom Management and Manners with Sign Language: Want some new and engaging ways to increase or change your classroom management techniques?  


 Using sign language in the mainstream elementary classroom has many benefits. It can help with management and manners for one. The students learn a new language while improving their own behaviors and self-control. You will have fewer interruptions and calling out!
Check out this excerpt from my longer video Sign Language in the Elementary Classroom-Part 1. You can see the whole thing (and part 2) on youtube http://youtu.be/CS-6hFyXSM4

Color Word Bingo with Animals and Sign Language

Help your students learn their color words with a fun bingo game. You can purchase it at my Teachers Pay Teachers Store for $1.00. There are 3 variations to the game as well as suggestions on how to use sign language for the animals and color signs!! Check it out. 
Color Word Bingo This preview is chopped off a bit-sorry!

Sign Language in the Classroom Part 2

Ok now I've updated the second part of this video series. 

This lesson includes:
Color Word Activities-identifying, spelling the colors, fingerspelling the color,signing the color word go fish, memory
     Alphabet activities-identifying letters, sounds and corresponding words, and the signs for letters. There is also some activities that will help children become familiar with the order of the letters in the alphabet (alphabetical order)
     Get the cards that go with my lessons/activities at my Teachers Pay Teachers store.
     These lessons go well with the activities in Sign Language in the Elementary Classroom (Part 1).

Sign Language in the Classroom Part 1 on You Tube

Check this out!! Here is a link to my video on YouTube where I explain lots of ways to use sign language in your elementary classroom. This is part 1 (my original preview version had over a 1000 views!! so now I am putting up the full version for all to see and learn from).For this video you can access the FREE ASL alphabet chart that I made and refer to at FREE ASL alphabet chart 

There is a part 2 that I am currently updating to a full version as well. Stay tuned!

Activity with the Lion and The Little Red Bird book

     I read this book The Lion and the Little Red Bird by Elisa Kleven to my kindergarten class and they loved it! It is a beautiful story about friendship, understanding, love and respect-all without speaking the same language!! A perfect way to include sign language in your discussion!
     During the story we reviewed the color signs often. We were also able to review or learn new signs for:lion, bird, flower, nest, happy, butterfly, sun, tree, and many more. Visit this site to see how to make the signs- Signing Dictionary. 
     The book offers opportunities to review the signs several times. I would read it through once or twice and discuss the importance of the book and then on a different day would read it while using the signs!
     We then created a collage to go along with the story. I gave them a copied lion that they could color from this free clipart site http://clipart-for-free.blogspot.com/2009/11/lion-clipart.html. They drew the scenery around the lion with crayons and then used old flower/plant catalogs to design their nature picture. They had a blast!
    Follow up with my color word flashcards that have asl spelling. Print 2 sets and you have a matching game or go fish game!http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Color-Word-Flash-Cards-with-ASL-spelling
You can also preview a video that I made that you can purchase at mindbites.com for $0.99!!!! Sign Language in the Classroom video-Part 2 It includes 14 mins. of ideas on how to use color words with signing in the classroom as well as some other ideas/games for using basic ASL letters. Included in that $0.99 video are the downloads for my ASL color flashcards mentioned above ($1.00) with and without color dots, AND my ASL alphabet letter cards ($1.00) ASL alphabet flashcards--a bargain!!!

Itsy Bitsy Spider with Sight Words and Signs

 Sing/Say the Itsy Bitsy Spider Song! It is a great way to introduce or reinforce the signs for spider, water, up, down, rain and wash. The signs will be new learning because they are different than the typical motions that go along with the song. Click here for free activity to use with sight words as well.

Itsy Bitsy Spider Worksheet

Say Good-Bye to Using All Capital Letters

Alphabet Review and Transfer to Using Lowercase Letters

Use my cute craft to help kids "send off" their capital letters so that they can start using more lowercase letters in their writing! They choose random letters to send off in the balloon. Before they get hung up or sent off, you can have them point to each letter, say the name, sound and give the sign for each letter. It's a great way to review their alphabet in Kindergarten!

Just make tracers for a balloon-you can google balloon templates to find this. Cut a rectangle for the basket and some string. I used sticky foam alphabet letters for this that I found at a craft store and they just choose random letters. We then hung them from the ceiling in my classroom. Fun!
Here is a link to two of my products that will help you and your students/children learn their ASL letters- ASL Letter Cards and FREE ASL alphabet chart

More Shape Practice for Easter and Spring

FREE from my Teachers Pay teachers Store:

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Shapes-Fill-the-Basket-Easter-or-Spring

A great way to teach the shape signs or review them. Go to ASLPro to find out how to sign the shape names that you need.

There are two pages for the SmartBoard where you can fill a basket with various shapes. It is fun to do with the whole class and also as a center activity. One page has 2D shapes and the other page uses 3D shapes. It is a great way to practice counting, as well as the names of shapes or even assess shape names!

This activity goes along with yesterday's post about the fill the basket with shapes except that that one is a worksheet.

Easter or Spring Basket with Shapes activity
Check out the activity I just made and did with my kindergarten class today! It is available for FREE from my Teachers Pay Teachers store. http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Easter-or-Spring-Basket-with-Shapes.
See how my sample looks below.

This worksheet is great for reinforcing shapes and shape names. They are to choose 10-11 shapes (I used store bought foam shapes) that will fit in the basket but they cannot use ovals. This makes the students discriminate between shapes and allows you to assess whether they know the shape names. By writing the shape names at the bottom, they are able to practice their handwriting as well as how to spell the shape words. I had my students color in the basket too! The basket clipart was free from clker.com.

If you are using sign language in your classroom, this is a great way to introduce or reinforce the signs for the shapes too! You can find how to sign the basic shapes at this great site ASL Pro

Welcome

This is my first attempt at a blog. I have a website already where I am posting things related to baby sign language as well as signing in the classroom. Since I am trying to upload more of my activities or lessons I thought I would try this format for that. In the meantime, click on this link to see some things I have already posted there for Kindergarten and first grade.Signing in the Classroom