Day 1
As I walk into the classroom, I sign in front of the class that my name is Katelyn in American Sign Language. A select few students knew that it was American Sign Language, but the rest were confused. Once I explained that I was signing, and I was about to teach them American Sign Language, they became very excited! I taught them the letters A-I, as well as the first four verses to the song, "The More We Get Together" by Raffi. The signs they learned were "more", "together", and "happy". By the end of class that day, the children were able to fingerspell the word H-I to their teacher when she walked in. I then knew this was going to be an amazing project.
Day 2
The children were very excited to see me today! I brought a friend from my Sign Language class to assist me as well. I taught the children the letters J-P and the remainder of the song, "The More We Get Together" by Raffi. By the end of class that day, the majority of children were able to sign their name, and we were able to sign the remainder of the song. The signs that the children learned from the remainder of the song were "your", "friends", and how to abbreviate the names in the song. For example, Chirs would be making the letter "C" and then shaking it. I chose for them to do this substitution because there would not be enough time to fingerspell the names of the children due to the quick pace of the song.
Day 3
The kids had gym class today, so I decided to incorporate a game into the lesson plan so the children had a chance to be active. First, we reviewed the alphabet, and everyone was able to go around and sign their name. We then went over the song, and I was amazed at how well they picked up on the song over three days. The other American Sign Language student and I then taught the kids the signs for "red", "green", "light", "duck", and "goose". The children were now ready to play 'Red Light, Green Light' with us as well as 'Duck, Duck, Goose'. The kids enjoyed learning the new signs, and the PE Teacher said that she would use these games in her classroom again!
Day 4
The children had to go to the library today, so I decided to sign a book to them. I chose the book, If You Give A Pig a Party. As I signed the book to the children, the other student in my class verbally read it to them. When I finished, I gave the children the opportunity to ask any questions about what I was signing. When they had no more questions, I taught them the different signs for colors. The most common signs that were asked about were "bike", "tree", "party", "pajamas", "friends", "balloons", and "start".
Day 5
Since the children had completely blown away my expectations this week, I wanted to make sure they had something fun to do on Friday! I first reviewed the alphabet, colors, and the song that they have learned over the course of the week. The kids barely needed any assistance. The activity I had planned was that the children were able to paste the letters of their name in American Sign Language on a piece of paper and then decorate the paper with stickers. The children once again required minimal help and did a wonderful job decorating!
