Sign Language as Foreign Language?

Viewing 12 posts - 1 through 12 (of 12 total)
  • Author
    Posts
  • 5heartsathome
    Participant

    Good morning!

    Can I get some thoughts and experiences on using sign language as our “foreign language” for first grade. DD will be 6 and dd3 will be tagging along. I have the Cherrydale press spanish resources, but am thinking of saving them until third grade and spending dd6’s first two years on sign language. 

    How often to do foreign language in first grade? I am thinking 1-2 a week, unless they ask for more. 

    Has anyone used Signing Time to accomplish this subject?

    All of the Signing Time video volumes are available at our library (or at signingtime.com).   I am also looking at using American Sign Language at lifeprint.com as an additional resource.  We live near a school for the deaf that offers classes, but our “plate” is just right with our extra activities being limited to church and horse back riding lessons. I want something we can do at home. 

    Suggestions welcome 🙂 

    In Christ alone, 

    Mollie

    Misty
    Participant

    We have used Signing Time with Rachel Coleman.  We did it over 2 years, being there are about 12 or so DVD’s a series, with 2 series.  We’d watch the DVD, then watch the review so I could make index cards with one side the word and the other how to do the action associated with it.  I we still go through and practice daily.    I feel it’s been a great benefit for our family

    As far as how often, we’d watch the DVD one day and then the review the next where I spent the time making the cards.  Then we’d spend 15 minutes a day working on it till we’d mastered the signs.  the first few videos are smaller and quicker, but as you go through they get longer with more words.  I had children when we started between 12-2yrs.  Everyone worked together and it was and continues to be a fun time as we try and stump others.

    Hope that helps, let me know if you have any other questions

    5heartsathome
    Participant

    Thank you Misty! I will certainly ask more questions as I think of them. I am in a planning phase so I can enjoy my summer fully with my children instead of thinking about school. I appreciate your time. 

    sheraz
    Participant

     I am also looking at using American Sign Language at lifeprint.com as an additional resource.

    I use this for all my children and we have learned quite a bit from it. I like that he has books and memory cards to print out, plus the videos. I slowed the videos into a month since they are 45 minutes long and he has them divided into 4 sections. That keeps it short and sweet and seems to be okay. We just watch it on the laptop at the table. I made a memory review box with the cards that he has created. I blogged about it here:

    http://mysouldothdelight.wordpress.com/2013/01/09/asl-sign-practice-box/

     

    Wings2fly
    Participant

    We did the Signing Time dvd set.  We tried to watch the same one all week (some days we ran out of time), watching the full episode 3 times, and review 2 times.  During the video, they practice the signs and afterwards, they do narration to tell me what signs they learned.  This is harder and takes more time and thought.  We tried to do review cards, but I never found a good system.  I love Misty’s idea though!  I thought I needed something with photos of the signs, but if I can write notes for myself to know, then I can show the children the review signs.  So our review was to watch a previously viewed video in between new videos.  We started it two years ago, when my son was 7.5 and daughter 5.  My daughter has retained the most, but was the most enthusiastic learner at the time too.  She still uses signs some.  That is wonderful that your library has the full sets!  I bought our sets on Cyber Monday for 40% off, free shipping from their site.  We have not gotten to view many in the second series yet.  

    My daughter really wanted to learn some Spanish this year, so we watched many Salsa videos instead.  They are a great intro. to Spanish for the early years, using immersion with Spanish speaking puppets and familiar story lines like Goldilocks and the tres osos.  www.gpb.org/salsa/term/episodes

    Maybe next year you could use those before doing your Spanish program.  They are free online.  I was very impressed with this free resource, meant for the classroom.  I have read that immersion is the best approach in the early years, before age 7.  We also watch Little Pim Spanish for the early years, on dvd or Amazon Prime.  

    Going way off topic now.  Prime is $79 per year streaming.  We use a Roku.  Some tv’s and blue ray players stream it too.  Of course your computer will too.  I highly recommend Mister Rogers on Amazon Prime too, though not foreign language.  It is just a great show for kids.  My 9 and 7 year olds love it!  And Drive Thru History is free at TBN.org or use the Roku set on channel iTBN.

    Wings2fly
    Participant

    I forgot to mention that Signing Time series 1 is on Netflix Streaming in the US now.

    5heartsathome
    Participant

    Thank you so much! The memory box system did cross my mind when Misty mentioned index cards. Sheraz, thank you for the link to your blog. Dividing the DVD into sections and the box system is a wonderful way to make it CM. We use the box system with our memory verses so that will be easy for me implement since I am familiar with the method. I am a very paper/hands-on-it type of person as well so it was nice to see your photo of the printed booklet. I had thought of doing that so thank you for the inspiration.  We spend a lot of money on ink and physical books around here. LOL!  Wings2fly, thank you so much for the narration idea. I was pondering how I was going to make sign language meet CM philosophy since it only lends itself to “hearing” and speaking, not reading and writing.  I need something to fill the gap before my littlest one can join in on Spanish lessons, and sign language will be fun for all of us. We have seen a few of the DVD’s and my kids liked them. Thank you for all of the Spanish resources and the streaming information. I am grateful for your input. 

    Mollie

    Thank you for the

    5heartsathome
    Participant

    One more question I forgot to ask: Suggestions for living books about sign language, deaf culture/history, famous persons, etc?

    Wings2fly
    Participant

    Well, Beethoven was deaf.  Check your library for Beethoven Lives Upstairs, a story in Classical  Kids on audio or video.  It is not sign language though.  That is a great question!

    5heartsathome
    Participant

    Beethoven…duh.  Thank you Wings2fly. 

    Karen
    Participant

    Helen Keller, too.

    Alexander Graham Bell’s mother (?) I think was deaf.

    retrofam
    Participant

    For deaf culture a dvd for adults is “Through Deaf Eyes” You could play excerpts from it, or tell what you learned from it. “Train Go Sorry” is an adult book that you could read too. High schoolers could handle it too.

Viewing 12 posts - 1 through 12 (of 12 total)
  • The topic ‘Sign Language as Foreign Language?’ is closed to new replies.