Week 4: When to Use ASL in the Classroom

Now that I know some of the basics of ASL, I thought it would be a good time to explore the ways teachers use it in their classrooms. In the classroom, ASL can be used as a method of nonverbal communication between a teacher and their students or between students. It is a tool that can be used throughout the school day to enhance communication and allow students to indicate they need something like to go to the washroom or need help with their work without disrupting a lesson or other students.

Most of the links provided below come from the Baby Sign Language website. This is a website designed for parents to learn and teach signs to their young children, however, I find the images and videos of the signs very helpful for learning the basics. The other links come from Lingvano website (also available as an app) and the Handspeak website. These are all awesome resources. If you are looking for more ASL resources check out my

Greetings

Greetings are an awesome place to start when using ASL in the elementary classroom since we greet our students each morning and say goodbye to them at the end of every day. Having students greet you and each other in a nonverbal way in the morning can help them practice their basic signs and start the day off calmly.

Greetings→ Hello, Goodbye, How are you?

Feelings

ASL can also be used in the classroom to allow students to express their feelings. If students learn the signs for different feelings, they gain the ability to respond to greetings or questions with their feelings.

Feelings→ Happy, Excited, Sad, Mad, Frustrated, Grumpy, Hungry, Grumpy, Tired

Appreciation

Signs to show appreciation can be used in a lot of ways in the classroom. Children can show thanks and respond to things they may like or dislike.

Appreciation→ Thank You, You’re Welcome, Good, Bad, Clap,

Classroom Manners

Teaching students basic manners in ASL can allow students to communicate with teachers in a nonverbal manner that doesn’t disrupt a lesson or distract other students. It can be helpful to have students use signs when they are raising their hands so you know what type of support they need before you ask them verbally.

Classroom Manners→ Bathroom, I have a question, Answer, Drink, Help

Other Resources for Teaching ASL in the Classroom

This YouTube video from the Learn How to Sign channel provides instructions on basic greetings, farewells, and introductions. It provides in depth instructions on how to perform these signs so it could be showed to students who were learning to use ASL in their classroom.

This video from the Patty’s Primary Songs YouTube Channel is a song that teaches and demonstrates to students how to sign please and thank you. This would be an excellent video to use to teach younger students these important signs.

Thanks for reading, come back to follow my progress!