Sign Language! To use or Not to use
I have to be completely honest about why I took sign language in college---I didn't want to take Spanish! I knew it was hard, and I was really scared I wouldn't pass. Looking back taking sign language was the BEST decision I ever made! I used sign language every single day in my early childhood classroom, AND had it posted all over the classroom.
The very first thing you should do is learn the alphabet! Then you can learn small signs that will go with the weather, the months, and songs you teach. The letters I used EVERY DAY!
I posted the sign with the word in the classroom, posted the letter on my word wall etc. Signs were every where in my classroom.
I had a little song I would teach. When I introduced the letter on Monday I showed them the sign and we would sing for example AAA "AAA" and we would do the sign with it! I noticed when I assessed the children and I would ask what sound does "A" make they would make the sign with their hand and tell me the sign. It was a sound hand signal relationship.
Students LOVED sign language. By the end of the year they knew the entire alphabet and could sign and spell their own names!
If you don't incorporate signing right now, just give it a thought!
Here is some research on signing!
American Sign Language in ECE
For over 30 years research has continued to prove that ASL is a valuable addition to an early education curriculum:
-It supports receptive and expressive language development.
-ASL incorporates kinesthetic, visual, and auditory learning and makes language more tangible.
-ASL supports developmental milestones and children's developing self-esteem and problem-solving skills.
-ASL is also a wonderful way to support early literacy and language development in all children.
Children learn through what they see, hear, and do. By incorporating ASL into your curriculum you are capturing the whole child.
Children also learn at an early age that speech has visual representations. motor coordination and language development can happen simultaneously, children have an easier time expressing their needs and having them met, all learning styles are met by having them hear, see, and move to express the concept or vocab you are teaching, it is a brain boost as it helps with communication, attention, bonding, and visual learning, and it is easy for educators to integrate into their curriculum as an addition to current teaching practices.
ASL is the third most used language in the U.S. Early childhood is the best time to acquire a new language.
Signing increases overall brain activity stimulating connections among brain cells.
More than 10 years of studies show that hearing children taught sign language....in early elementary schools have much larger English vocabularies---which enhances their communication skills throughout life.
When a hearing child signs, he/she is hearing, seeing, saying and doing. This is a multi-sensory approach and increases retention of new information.
Signing keeps the child's mind actively engaged in the learning experience.
Easy ways to start incorporating signs:
Letters as you teach them
Signing songs that are traditionally sung in the classroom
Signing words used during snack time such as eat, more, and names of food items
signing numbers, feelings, months of the year, days of the week, names
--Sign Language: Meeting Diverse Needs in the Classroom
by Cynthia G. Simpson and Sharon A. Lynch "EXCHANGE" July/Aug 2007
I really want each and every one of you to think about starting to incorporate signing in your classroom.
The very first thing you should do is learn the alphabet! Then you can learn small signs that will go with the weather, the months, and songs you teach. The letters I used EVERY DAY!
I posted the sign with the word in the classroom, posted the letter on my word wall etc. Signs were every where in my classroom.
I had a little song I would teach. When I introduced the letter on Monday I showed them the sign and we would sing for example AAA "AAA" and we would do the sign with it! I noticed when I assessed the children and I would ask what sound does "A" make they would make the sign with their hand and tell me the sign. It was a sound hand signal relationship.
Students LOVED sign language. By the end of the year they knew the entire alphabet and could sign and spell their own names!
If you don't incorporate signing right now, just give it a thought!
Here is some research on signing!
American Sign Language in ECE
For over 30 years research has continued to prove that ASL is a valuable addition to an early education curriculum:
-It supports receptive and expressive language development.
-ASL incorporates kinesthetic, visual, and auditory learning and makes language more tangible.
-ASL supports developmental milestones and children's developing self-esteem and problem-solving skills.
-ASL is also a wonderful way to support early literacy and language development in all children.
Children learn through what they see, hear, and do. By incorporating ASL into your curriculum you are capturing the whole child.
Children also learn at an early age that speech has visual representations. motor coordination and language development can happen simultaneously, children have an easier time expressing their needs and having them met, all learning styles are met by having them hear, see, and move to express the concept or vocab you are teaching, it is a brain boost as it helps with communication, attention, bonding, and visual learning, and it is easy for educators to integrate into their curriculum as an addition to current teaching practices.
ASL is the third most used language in the U.S. Early childhood is the best time to acquire a new language.
Signing increases overall brain activity stimulating connections among brain cells.
More than 10 years of studies show that hearing children taught sign language....in early elementary schools have much larger English vocabularies---which enhances their communication skills throughout life.
When a hearing child signs, he/she is hearing, seeing, saying and doing. This is a multi-sensory approach and increases retention of new information.
Signing keeps the child's mind actively engaged in the learning experience.
Easy ways to start incorporating signs:
Letters as you teach them
Signing songs that are traditionally sung in the classroom
Signing words used during snack time such as eat, more, and names of food items
signing numbers, feelings, months of the year, days of the week, names
--Sign Language: Meeting Diverse Needs in the Classroom
by Cynthia G. Simpson and Sharon A. Lynch "EXCHANGE" July/Aug 2007
I really want each and every one of you to think about starting to incorporate signing in your classroom.
