I'm fluent in Sign Language and want to figure out a "curriculum" to teach son

[MiztrezzLyn]

I have been a LONG time lurker around here. I haven't ever posted. I should probably start doing that :)

 

Well, my first post is about teaching my son sign language. Both of my parents were deaf and so I am fluent in sign language, it was my FIRST language. I learned to talk well after I was "speaking" using Sign Language.

 

When my son was younger (18mo-2years) I was using a lot of sign language with him for a couple reasons. One being that he was nonverbal and I wanted desperately to be able to communicate with him and the other being that since it was such an integral part of my life, I wanted him to be included in that.

 

He went through speech therapy for a year (until 3 years old) and his speech therapist told me that I should encourage more speaking and less of the sign language. My son knew quite a bit between the 18mo-2 1/2 year old range but foolishly I listened and stopped with the sign language. I really really wish I hadn't but hindsight is 20/20.

 

Fast forward to today and I would like to teach him again, he is almost 5 years old (June). (he has lost pretty much all he knew but is speaking great now). I also have an 18 month old girl who is learning a few signs and is talking like crazy.

 

Problem is, I have NO idea where to START with him. As I said, I am fluent and have great confidence that I could teach them both to be fluent as well. My husband would also love to learn, I have no good reason why I haven't taught him lol

 

So...with all this knowledge with sign language where do I start? I was hoping to find some kind of guideline of words to teach week by week etc, but everything I've seen is for the actual TEACHING of sign language and I don't need that, *I* already know it.

 

I'm really bad if I don't have a schedule, list, or something to follow. I need a "plan". I just can't seem to come up with this "plan" myself. Can anyone help? Is there something I am missing? A generic "teach these words in x language" lesson plan, schedule, or what have you?

 

You all have influenced me so much, via my lurking, and I really respect the posters here so I thought for sure someone here might have an answer for me :)

 

BTW, I don't know if this matters or not but he is currently 2/3 of the way through his K year and is actually working on some 1st grade level stuff. We are about 1/2 way through OPGR. So he is academically a bit ahead of other 4 year olds. Like I said, I don't know if that matters in coming up with this "plan".

 

Thank you so much.

 

~Lyn

Edited February 27, 2010 by MiztrezzLyn

[duckens]

Kudos for you for your own fluency in ASL and for wanting to share that with your child!!!!

 

Is there a school for the deaf in your state?

 

Here are FREE CLASSES offered in Iowa. They also seem to have posted class sessions online.

 

http://www.iadeaf.k12.ia.us/resources/signclass.php

 

I don't know if this helps you or not, but it IS information.

 

Or, since you are already fluent, maybe you could teach your son one sign at a time, and use it in daily use. I am hoping to do the same with Spanish, if I can ever find the time.

 

Some things you can do:

 

1)Teach manners: please, thank you, hello, goodbye, sorry, I forgot.

 

2)Pick a subject and name it. I am hoping to go through the kids' collection of plastic animals and name them with the kids in Spanish: bee/abejo, hen/gallina, cow/vaca, dog/perro, cat/gato, etc. Colors and shapes, too. Things to eat: cheese, sandwich, milk, eggs, apple, grapes, peas. The more I use the Spanish words, the more the kids respond to the Spanish.

[Terabith]

I would consider watching Signing Time, and then start by implementing ASL dinners, where all communication is done by sign language.

[Jamee]

I'll second Signing Time. I believe they also have a curriculum too and a program for instructors--might make for a good side job. We used ST for several years and I was amazed at how much my kids learned, especially my youngest. Wish I knew more to be able to continue.

[Nicole M]

This might be a silly question, but couldn't you simply sign and speak at the same time? I'm thinking of our friends, mom from Germany, dad American, both are fluent in both German and English, and they each use both languages with the children, often in the same conversation. It seems like especially with a very young child in the home, you could simply talk and sign.

 

I have a friend who is a sign language interpreter, and she has shared that the languages are different, so maybe it's not possible to do both simultaneously.

[Ellie]

I think the best way would be just to start signing everything, then maybe choosing some times when you don't use voice at all, only sign. That's how *you* learned, by your parents signing to you. :-)

[MiztrezzLyn]

Thanks for all the suggestions so far :)

 

Yes, I could and probably should just start talking and signing at the same time, that might be the easiest. I didn't know if starting that way might be overwhelming for him, but you are right, that IS how I learned :)

 

I don't use ASL, what I use is Signed English. My parents didn't use ASL, my parents had their biases against using ASL especially with small children (like my siblings and I) so we always used Signed English. So this is what I will be teaching my children.

 

What I've done so far is ordered a really great book from Amazon that has everything divided up amongst categories and will use that as a guideline to teaching "groups" of sign. Hopefully, that with doing a lot more sign naturally around the house will get us going.

 

My husband is totally into the idea and told me that he has been, literally, begging me to teach him sign language so he is excited to learn. When I told my son about it today he was pretty excited about it, especially when I told him that he can help teach his dad by showing him what he learned each day.

 

I know I probably came across as dense in my original post lol My husband even asked me why I couldn't just start signing with the kids. I am just worried that without a "plan", I will forget to do it. I'm a list checker kinda gal.

 

The problem has just been I have thousands of words in my head and it was hard for me to decide what to teach and when :)

 

Just being dense, I guess :)

 

Thanks so much!

[Vita Passiva]

I am not sure if this is a helpful idea, but I used to be a teacher for Deaf/Hard of Hearing. When I learned to sign (also signed English), we used simple stories. If your son is reading, you could take easy readers and start there. Just a thought.....:001_smile:

[Just Robyn]

I always recommend products by Sign Enhancers and Dawn Sign Press. Their products are for learning ASL, but may be helpful anyway.

[MiztrezzLyn]

I am not sure if this is a helpful idea, but I used to be a teacher for Deaf/Hard of Hearing. When I learned to sign (also signed English), we used simple stories. If your son is reading, you could take easy readers and start there. Just a thought.....:001_smile:

 

That's a great idea, thanks :) He'll actually love that.

 

Tristan has been having a lot of fun today learning some signs. He keeps coming to me asking, "How do you say <this>?" and does the sign over and over again, showing Daddy and then comes back and asks for more hehe I have been showing him some simple sentences that we'd use often or signs for things that he likes.

[Doodle]

With your knowledge, I would just make an effort to remember to incorporate sign into your daily life as often as possible. When it is snack time, don't talk. Sign to him his choices. (CRACKERS APPLE WHICH) During a phonics lesson, give him some signs for the words he is learning to read. If you have word flash cards or use a word wall you can make up games for reading and sign together. You sign, he must find (read) the word for the sign you gave. During math lessons about time, money, calendar give him the signs for month, day, year, hour, minute, morning, afternoon, money, cent, pay. While lounging on the couch play a game of "I spy" and use signs for window, door, chair, book, table. As a previous poster suggested, you can sign picture book stories. I've did this a lot when I used to belong to a moms group and did storytime. My preference though is signing a song or rhyme. If is hard to hold a book and sign at the same time!

[MiztrezzLyn]

With your knowledge, I would just make an effort to remember to incorporate sign into your daily life as often as possible. When it is snack time, don't talk. Sign to him his choices. (CRACKERS APPLE WHICH) During a phonics lesson, give him some signs for the words he is learning to read. If you have word flash cards or use a word wall you can make up games for reading and sign together. You sign, he must find (read) the word for the sign you gave. During math lessons about time, money, calendar give him the signs for month, day, year, hour, minute, morning, afternoon, money, cent, pay. While lounging on the couch play a game of "I spy" and use signs for window, door, chair, book, table. As a previous poster suggested, you can sign picture book stories. I've did this a lot when I used to belong to a moms group and did storytime. My preference though is signing a song or rhyme. If is hard to hold a book and sign at the same time!

 

Thanks! Those are great ideas. I really like the "I Spy" idea, he'll really like that. That and the other suggestions go along with just trying to sign naturally while we do things, incorporating it into all our other learning and just life in general rather than having it be a whole separate subject.

 

I like the song suggestion too, he has some favorites that I bet he'd like to sign to.

 

I knew coming here and asking would net me some great suggestions. It seems so simple now lol I feel kind of silly having asked. I guess I was trying to create some sort of lesson plan when I don't really need to, since its something I just KNOW. I just didn't know if I'd overwhelm him if I tried to dump a bunch of the language on him at once. However doing it this way, incorporating it into everything, is really just immersion, isn't it? :p

 

And you're right, mostly it is just making sure I remember to do it and keep doing it, reinforcing what we've been going over.

 

Thank you, thank you :) I knew that I must be making it harder than it needed to be. I tend to do that, I am a kind of "making a mountain out of a mole hill" person :)

[Rosie_0801]

This might be a silly question, but couldn't you simply sign and speak at the same time?

 

That's fine for Signed English, as the OP uses, but is dreadful for a natural signed language. As soon as you start talking, you wreck your grammar. Not an issue with older kids, but with pre-/barely verbal kids, you inhibit their ability to learn the signs. They won't see the sign and speech as separate things, so if they can't pronounce the word, they won't use the sign either.

 

I don't think the OP really needs a plan at this stage, since her kiddies are harassing her for signs. With little kids they're going to learn best the signs that are relevant to them. I do recommend this book though, it's full of ASL signs, but I ignored them and enjoyed the suggested activities. They didn't do us any good, but your kids sound receptive :) http://www.amazon.com/Signing-Smart-Babies-Toddlers-Strategy/dp/B000GQLCU0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1267308665&sr=1-1

 

Rosie

[Dmmetler]

If you use Signed English syntax, check out "A Word in the Hand" by Garlic Press-it's an SE classroom curriculum, in two books, which goes through a lot of basic signs. It's designed for elementary aged children, so the text material might be a little old for your son right now, but you could adapt it.

[sandalwood]

Spellingcity.com now has an option where you can print your spelling words in sign language. :)

[Rosie_0801]

It is a beautiful language.

 

 

Out of curiosity, are you referring to Signed English or ASL?

 

Rosie

[cougarmom4]

If you want to figure out a sequence, you might want to refer to other language programs to get an idea. This is how I remember my 6th grade Spanish class going, too...that's why I suggest you look at a book for another language and follow their sequence of categories.

 

Signing Time is great! Their website has some ideas for instruction, too.

I think the suggestion to just start signing as you speak is fantastic. I'd also add that signing the words to songs works well with my kids.

 

Good luck & have fun!

[MiztrezzLyn]

What is SLP?

 

The books "A Word in the Hand" (vol. 1 and 2) look interesting, I found them pretty cheap at abebooks so I went ahead and ordered them.

 

I am sure you're right, if I can just get into the habit of using it again, I won't notice at all.

 

As for speaking to my parents. My father died when I was 12 and I have not seen my mother for 8 years. In fact, it seems strange that I am still fluent in it. I was signing today for a while while just talking to my kids and it is as if I'd never stopped using it. I guess that comes from it being my first language (I didn't learn to really talk until I was 4) and that I used it every day for 29 years.

 

There was something someone said about "natural" signed language, I'm not sure what that means. Where I grew up there were people who used Signed English (my family and others) and there were people who used ASL, we all understood each other perfectly fine. Signed English feels perfectly natural to me. My mother and father met in their school for the deaf and there they were taught to use Signed English.

 

I grew up steeped in the deaf community and the difference really was the grammar. ASL has its own grammar structure and Signed English just uses regular English structure. In fact, I suppose I could say that I am NOT fluent in ASL because I never did learn the grammar of ASL.

 

Anyway, thanks for the suggestions everyone :)