26 Ways to Incorporate Alphabet Signs into You Story Time (7-10)

Today we continue with a series of enrichment activities for incorporating alphabet signs into story time. The activities offered this week are similar to those described in the last post, but they add the element of alphabet flash cards, which can be created in activity #7 below: 

7. Create a Set of Alphabet Flash Cards 

Get some blank index cards, paste, and scissors, and download and print the alphabet glossary sheet from the Story Time with Signs & Rhymes Series (available on page 3 of the Story Time Activity Packet -Younger Children available at this link). Cut out the letter A and the corresponding handshape from the manual alphabet. Paste the letter A on the front of an index card and the corresponding handshape for the letter A on the back of the card. Repeat this process with a new index card for each letter of the alphabet until you have a full set of alphabet flash cards. These cards can be used for a variety of games and activities to provide a fun way to practice spelling and fingerspelling, such as the activities described in #8 - #10 below.

NOTE: For the ideas shared below, you will want to create a list of vocabulary words that go along with a story you've read or the theme of your story time. 

8. Use Flashcards to Fingerspell Vocabulary Words (or Your Spelling List)

Choose a word from the vocabulary/spelling list, and use the flashcards to spell out that word. For example, if the word you have chosen is brown, you would find the cards for B, R, O, W, and N. Now, make the handshapes for each letter as you spell the word aloud, B-R-O-W-N. If you need a reminder for how to make a particular handshape, you can look on the back side of the card. Continue practicing until you have mastered every word on the list. This activity can be facilitated by a leader for pre-readers, and can be practiced individually for readers. For some words, you may need more than one set of flashcards to spell the word.  

9. Use Flashcards to Fingerspell Your Word List With a Partner

This is a fun game for partners. Grab your vocabulary/spelling list and your set of flashcards, and choose one person to be the dealer and one person to be the fingerspeller. The dealer chooses one word from the list and places cards with letters face up to spell the word from the list. For example, if the word chosen is orange, the dealer finds the cards with the letters O, R, A, N, G and E, and the fingerspeller uses the manual alphabet to spell the word O-R-A-N-G-E. Once you have completed all the words on the list, switch roles. Continue practicing until both partners have mastered every word on the list. For some words, you may need more than one set of flashcards to complete the word. To add complexity to this activity, the dealer can place the cards with the handshapes face up. 

10. Use Flashcards to Fingerspell Your Word List With a Partner, Plus

This is an extension of the activities above to make it more challenging once you have confidence spelling and fingerspelling the words on your  list. Grab your word list, and choose one person to be the fingerspeller and one person to be the interpreter. The fingerspeller fingerspells one word from the  list, and the interpreter locates the flashcards that corresponds with the letters that have been signed to spell the word from the list. For example, if the word chosen is black, the fingerspeller would spell B-L-A-C-K and the interpreter would find the cards B, L, A, C, and K to spell the word and would say “Black!"

If you want to make any of these activities even more challenging, extend the learning further by inviting participants to research the ASL signs for each words on the list. Those signs can be added for each round of play for each word on the list. For example, in activity #10 above, if the word on the list is red, the fingerspeller would fingerspell R-E-D, and the interpreter would find the cards R, E, and D, and say and sign, “Red!”

You can also increase the complexity of the activities in this grouping by having teams of participants race each other as they spell.  

Helpful Resources:

Signs for A-Z

ASL Alphabet Glossary (use this link to download the activity packet for younger children, and the alphabet glossary from my books is included in that packet)

Start to Finish Story Time: Alphabet Signs

The sign for Alphabet

A to Z Sign with Me

Abdo Publishing Group

Please contact Dawn using the form to the left if you'd like to receive reduced pricing on books in the Story Time with Signs & Rhymes series. This offer is available to workshop participants, consulting clients, and subscribers to this blog or Dawn's social media accounts.  

If you'd like to be on the mailing list for the next offering of my online class: Sing, Sign and Story Time for Professionals, please use the form at the left to send me your contact information. 

Please share your own ideas and experiences in the comment section below, and subscribe to my blog to receive more ideas over time.  Happy Signing!

26 Ways to Incorporate Alphabet Signs into Your Story Time (4-6)

Today, we continue with last week's series of activities for incorporating alphabet signs into story time. 

For the three ideas shared below, you will want to create a list of vocabulary words that go along with a story you've read or the theme of your story time, and print out a resource that illustrates the ASL handshapes for all of the letters in the alphabet. These handshapes are referred to as the manual alphabet. In classroom and homeschool settings, these activities can provide a fun way to practice the weekly spelling list and extend the learning.  

4. Fingerspell Vocabulary Words (or Your Spelling List)

Read the first word from the vocabulary/spelling list aloud, then fingerspell that word as you say each letter aloud. For example, if the first word on the list is blue, you would fingerspell and say, B-L-U-E. Continue practicing until you have mastered every word on the list. This activity can be facilitated by a leader for pre-readers, and can be practiced individually for readers. 

5. Fingerspell Your Word List With a Partner

This is a fun game for partners. Grab your vocabulary/spelling list, and choose one person to be the reader and one person to be the fingerspeller. The reader reads one word from the list, and the fingerspeller uses the manual alphabet to spell that  word. Once you have completed all the words on the list, switch roles. Continue practicing until both partners have mastered every word on the list.

6. Fingerspell Your Word List With a Partner, Plus

This is an extension of the activity above to make it more challenging once you have confidence spelling and fingerspelling the words on your  list. Grab your word list, and choose one person to be the fingerspeller and one person to be the interpreter. The fingerspeller fingerspells one word from the  list, and the interpreter identifies and then says the word being fingerspelled. For example, if the word on the list is green, the fingerspeller would fingerspell G-R-E-E-N, and the interpreter would say, “Green!” 

If you want to make any of these activities even more challenging, extend the learning further by inviting participants to research the ASL signs for each words on the list. Those signs can be added for each round of play for each word on the list. For example, in activity #6 above, if the word on the list is yellow, the fingerspeller would fingerspell Y-E-L-L-O-W, and the interpreter would say and sign, “Yellow!” 

Helpful Resources:

Signs for A-Z

ASL Alphabet Glossary (use this link to download the activity packet for younger children, and the alphabet glossary from my books is included in that packet)

Start to Finish Story Time: Alphabet Signs

The sign for Alphabet

A to Z Sign with Me 

Abdo Publishing Group

Please contact Dawn using the form to the left if you'd like to receive reduced pricing on books in the Story Time with Signs & Rhymes series. This offer is available to workshop participants, consulting clients, and subscribers to this blog or Dawn's social media accounts.  

If you'd like to be on the mailing list for the next offering of my online class: Sing, Sign and Story Time for Professionals, please use the form at the left to send me your contact information. 

Please share your own ideas and experiences in the comment section below, and subscribe to my blog to receive more ideas over time.  Happy Signing!

26 Ways to Incorporate Alphabet Signs into Your Story Time (1-3)

Photo of window art at Green Bean Books

Today I had the fabulous experience of participating in the spring workshop for the Children’s Services Division of the Oregon Library Association. I provided a super-quick demonstration of a variety of tried and true activities to enrich story time with sign language. 

I told participants there were many resources they could find on my blog to help them incorporate sign language into their own story times, for example:

Free downloads on my publisher's website, including a Story Time Event Guide, Activity Packets with Illustrated Alphabet/Number Handshapes, and Illustrated Glossaries, for all 16 books in my Story Time with Signs & Rhymes Series. 

Online Sign Language Dictionaries such as Lifeprint and Signing Savvy. 

Sign Language story time lesson plans.

And other popular posts including:

How to Enrich Your Learning Environment with Sign Language.

How to Get Started with Signing (geared for infants/toddlers and preschoolers).

A self-directed learning project for older students.

(Click here for a more comprehensive summary of my most popular blog posts.)

As I drove home from the meeting, I decided to use this event as inspiration for a series of brief posts with quick and easy ideas for incorporating sign language into story time. I’ll begin with opportunities for incorporating alphabet signs into story time, and move on to different themes and categories over time. 

Here are the first three activity ideas: 

1. Sing and Sign the Alphabet Song

Sing the traditional alphabet song, but enrich the experience by signing the letters A-Z as you sing. For beginners, you will need to lead the song at a slower pace than usual. For more advanced signers, speed it up! For really advanced signers, invite participants to sing the song and make the alphabet signs with both hands simultaneously.  NOTE: Even a baby, situated on his or her back, will enjoy listening to this melody and watching a loving caregiver sign the alphabet from overhead—it’s like a human mobile!

2. Introductions A-Z

Sit in a circle. Slowly sign each letter of the alphabet, A-B-C-D and so forth. When the group reaches a letter that matches the first letter in a participant's name, that person stands up and makes the sign for the first letter of their name and then says their name, for example, D-Dawn. The group says, “Hello, Dawn!” and the person sits down. Play continues with the next letter of the alphabet until all members of the group have been introduced. NOTE: Some letters of the alphabet will have more than one person whose name begins with that letter. Simply allow each person a turn before continuing play with the next letter of the alphabet. 

For more advanced signers, participants can introduce themselves by saying their name and fingerspelling their name, for example, D-A-W-N. Players can also add the sign, Name, to the introduction. 

3. B is for B-A-R-B-A-R-A

Stand in a circle and choose someone to go first. The first person begins by making the sign for the letter A. The next person signs B, the third person signs C, and so forth. Play continues with each person making the sign for the next letter of the alphabet until someone signs the letter that their own name begins with. For example, if Barbara signs B, play stops to allow this player to say and fingerspell B-A-R-B-A-R-A. The group says, “Hello, Barbara!” and the participant sits down. The next person in the circle continues with the next letter in the alphabet until a new player signs the letter that their own name begins with. Play continues until all players are sitting down. This game requires several iterations of the alphabet to reach completion. 

Abdo Publishing Group

Helpful Resources:

Signs for A-Z

ASL Alphabet Glossary (use this link to download the activity packet for younger children, and the alphabet glossary from my books is included in that packet)

Start to Finish Story Time: Alphabet Signs

The signs for Alphabet and Name

A to Z Sign with Me   

Please contact me using the form to the left if you'd like to receive reduced pricing on books in the Story Time with Signs & Rhymes series. This offer is available to workshop participants, consulting clients, and subscribers to this blog or Dawn's social media accounts.

Please share your own ideas and experiences in the comment section below, and subscribe to my blog to receive more ideas over time.  

If you'd like to be on the mailing list for the next offering of my online class: Sing, Sign and Story Time for Professionals, please use the form at the left to send me your contact information.