Only a few weeks until the new school year begins. My daughter is ready to begin Grade 1 this year. As her teacher, I’ve been working hard at researching, choosing and gathering everything we need for this upcoming year. I’ve also created a schedule for our year so we know what we need to get done when. I’ve done this for each subject we will be covering. This has been quite a lot of work compiling everything so over the next several posts, I will be sharing all those details.
This post I’d like to cover a fun subject: American Sign Language. If you’ve read my previous post on Sign Language, then you know my daughter has been learning Sign Language since she was a baby. Now however, I am ready to start her with a more scheduled learning of this language.
I decided to purchase the Classroom Curriculum from Signing Time. The curriculum has more hands on activities that you might see in a classroom setting, as opposed to simply watching a video. It gives them a chance to actively use the signs they are learning, which will obviously help with future retention.
There are a lot of activities in each unit, more than you will probably want to use in one year. Beside each activity, it is indicated what grade level(s) it is designed for. Also, some of the games and activities in the curriculum are designed for a group of kids (like there would be in a classroom, or siblings) but the majority are good for an only child as well. So with Grade 1 in mind for a single child, I went through the curriculum and picked out those that I felt would be a good fit. There was still quite a bit I didn’t include, that I will no doubt return to in future years as a review and when learning additional ASL.
In my area, a typical school year has 194 days. The schedule I put together for learning Sign Language for my daughter’s first year is 181 days, so nearly every day of her school year.
I have only written the titles of the different activities that I have chosen for my daughter’s first year schedule. Of course, there is much more in the curriculum and you are free to swap, add or delete as you see fit.
Day 1 – Signing Unit 1 DVD & color flashcards (30 min)
Day 2 – Signing Time Memory (10 min)
Day 3 – Rachel Says (8 min)
Day 4 – Quiet Down & This Is Our Teacher (10 min)
Day 5 – Can You? (10 min)
Day 6 – Everybody Line Up & School Is Fun (10 min)
Day 7 – We’ll Remember All The Things We Learned Today (5 min)
Day 8 – The Teacher In The Class (10 min)
Day 9 – Welcome to School (10 min)
Day 10 – Unit 2 DVD (11 min)
Day 11 – Color Flashcards & Signing Time Memory (30min)
Day 12 – What Am I? (15 min)
Day 13 – Treasure Hunt (30 min)
Day 14 – Wash My Hands & Here Are The Tables (8 min)
Day 15 – Wash, Wash, Wash Your Hands (5 min)
Day 16 – There’s A Table in The Middle Of Our Room (10 min)
Day 17 – Everybody Sit Down (5 min)
Day 18 – Hello Backpack (10 min)
Day 19 – Unit 3 DVD (16 min)
Day 20 – Color Flashcards & Review (30 min)
Day 21 – Books & I Spy (20 min)
Day 22 – Color Wheel (30 min)
Day 23 – Color Shuffle (10 min)
Day 24 – Traffic Light & Butterfly Wings (10 min)
Day 25 – Rainbow Salad (10 min)
Day 26 – Rainbow, Rainbow (5 min)
Day 27 – Do You See? (8 min)
Day 28 – The Rainbow Song (20 min)
Day 29 – Box of Crayons (20 min)
Day 30 – Unit 4 DVD (14 min)
Day 31 – Color Flashcards & Signing Time Memory (30 min)
Day 32 – More or Less (30 min)
Day 33 – Hopkins Hopscotch (30 min)
Day 34 – Share and Compare (10 min)
Day 35 – How Do You Feel? (10 min)
Day 36 – Quiet Down & My Feelings (10 min)
Day 37 – Today I’m Happy, Today I’m Grumpy (7 min)
Day 38 – I like Lettuce ( 5 min)
Day 39 – The Little Lightning Bug (10 min)
Day 40 – Show Me What You’re Feeling (10 min)
Day 41 – I Like To Bake A Cake (5 min)
Day 42 – If You’re Happy And You Know It (10 min)
Day 43 – Do You See A Silly Face? (5 min)
Day 44 – Feelings (15 min)
Day 45 – Unit 5 DVD (20 min)
Day 46 – Color Flashcards A-E & Practice Signing & Signing Time Memory [Refer to Mnemonic Cue Sheet] (20 min)
Day 47 – Color F-J & Signing Time Memory with A-J & practice [Refer to Mnemonic Cue Sheet] (25 min)
Day 48 – Color K-O & Signing Time Memory with A-O & practice [Refer to Mnemonic Cue Sheet] (30 min)
Day 49 – Color P-T & Signing Time Memory with A-T & practice [Refer to Mnemonic Cue Sheet] (30 min)
Day 50 – Color U-Z & Signing Time Memory with A-Z & practice [Refer to Mnemonic Cue Sheet] (30 min)
Day 51 – My Name (15 min)
Day 52 – Where’s Your “A” sign? (20 min)
Day 53 – The Alphabet Song (5 min)
Day 54 – A is for Alex and Alligator (20 min)
Day 55 – LMNO (15 min)
Day 56 – Practice fingerspelling full name and videotaping (15 min)
Day 57 – DVD Unit 6 (6+ min)
Day 58 – Color flashcards & then put in a hat. One person picks one and signs it. The other person has to say what the sign was. Take turns picking a flashcard. (15 min)
Day 59 – Counting Up & Down (10 min)
Day 60 – Jumping Rope (15 min)
Day 61 – Larger, Smaller (8 min)
Day 62 – Bouncing Ball (see Jumping Rope) (5 min)
Day 63 – Five Little Children & One, Two, Buckle My Sh0e (10 min)
Day 64 – Ten Little Children & This Old Man (10 min)
Day 65 – The Counting Song 1-10 (1o min)
Day 66 – The Counting Song 1-20 (10 min)
Day 67 – Unit 7 DVD (9 min)
Day 68 – Color flashcards & review (20 min)
Day 69 – Stop & Go (10 min)
Day 70 – Tea Party with dolls (15 min)
Day 71 – Share Your Signs (with someone or video) (15 min)
Day 72 – It’s Your Turn & When My Teacher Says Stop (10 min)
Day 73 – Traffic Light & Would You Like… (10 min)
Day 74 – Would You Like To Play? & Wait Right There (10 min)
Day 75 – The Clean Up Song, If You Help Me & Stop And Go (10 min)
Day 76 – Magic Words (10 min)
Day 77 – Unit 8 DVD (14 min)
Day 78 – Color 1st page of flashcards & review (15 min)
Day 79 – Color 2nd page of flashcards & review (15 min)
Day 80 – Pictures Of People & present (1 hr)
Day 81 – Family Quiz (10 min)
Day 82 – Related Pairs (5 min)
Day 83 – Your Family Tree (1 hr)
Day 84 – present family tree on video (15 min)
Day 85 – This Is My Family & Someone’s Sons And Daughters (10 min)
Day 86 – Mom Has A Mom (10 min)
Day 87 – Members Of My Family (10 min)
Day 88 – I Have Two Family Trees (10 min)
Day 89 – Do You Have Brothers?, Girls And Boys & My Home, My Home (15 min)
Day 90 – In A House (15 min)
Day 91 – Unit 9 DVD (15 min)
Day 92 – Color page 1 flashcards and review (15 min)
Day 93 – Color page 2 flashcards and review (15 min)
Day 94 – Series Of Clues mixed with Quick Draw (15 min)
Day 95 – Look ‘Round The Garden (40 min)
Day 96 – Teach someone the signs learned in Unit 9 in person or by video (15 min)
Day 97 – We Know It Must Be Spring (10 min)
Day 98 – Rain; I’m A Little Snowflake; Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star & The Eensy Weensy Spider (10 min)
Day 99 – When The Bugs Come Marching In (5 min)
Day 100 – It’s Raining, It’s Pouring (5 min)
Day 101 – Outside (10 min)
Day 102 – Unit 10 DVD (14 min)
Day 103 – Color flashcards & review (25 min)
Day 104 – Four Seasons (5 min)
Day 105 – Hot / Cold Treasure Hunt (15 min)
Day 106 – Pantomime (15 min)
Day 107 – Hello Summer & Four Seasons (12 min)
Day 108 – The Best Season (6 min)
Day 109 – Summer, Fall, Winter, Spring & All Around The Year We Go (6 min)
Day 110 – The Weather In The Summer – Simple Version (6 min)
Day 111 – The Weather In The Summer – Advanced Version (10 min)
Day 112 – Where, Oh Where (10 min)
Day 113 – My Favorite Season (15 min)
Day 114 – Unit 11 DVD (20 min)
Day 115 – Color page 1 flashcards and review (20 min)
Day 116 – Color page 2 flashcards and review (20 min)
Day 117 – What Am I Signing? (10 min)
Day 118 – Pass The Picnic Basket (10 min)
Day 119 – What’s For Lunch? (10 min)
Day 120 – Dine And Draw (20 min)
Day 121 – I’m Going On A Picnic (6 min)
Day 122 – Following Directions (20 min)
Day 123 – What’s My Sign? (15 min)
Day 124 – I’m Making A Sandwich & More, More More (10 min)
Day 125 – I’m Thirsty & I Am Hungry (10 min)
Day 126 – Milk & More Please (10 min)
Day 127 – Unit 12 DVD (9 min)
Day 128 – Color flashcards and review (20 min)
Day 129 – Grocery Bag (15 min)
Day 130 – Drawing Clues (10 min)
Day 131 – Silly Pizza Song (20 min)
Day 132 – Silly Pizza Song again & videotape (15 min)
Day 133 – Categories (15 min)
Day 134 – Fruit Or Vegetable (30 min)
Day 135 – Sparkle (15 min)
Day 136 – Goin’ On A Picnic & Way Up High (10 min)
Day 137 – One Little Carrot & I Like Lettuce (12 min)
Day 138 – Hopkins Hopped Around The Garden (15 min)
Day 139 – Fruit, Fruit Is Good For Me (10 min)
Day 140 – 5 A Day (20 min)
Day 141 – 5 A Day again and videotape (15 min)
Day 142 – Unit 13 DVD (13 min)
Day 143 – Signs Make Sense & Today Is (10 min)
Day 144 – Color flashcards and review & Today Is (15 min)
Day 145 – Guess Which Day & Today Is (10 min)
Day 146 – The Day Before Yesterday & Today Is (10 min)
Day 147 – Look At The Calendar & Today Is (10 min)
Day 148 – Week Bounce (8 min)
Day 149 – Week Line Up (8 min)
Day 150 – May 3rd Falls On A Monday (10 min)
Day 151 – Sunday, Sunday Is The Best; Sunday, Monday (10 min)
Day 152 – Days Of The Week & The Friday Song (15 min)
Day 153 – Days Of The Week song on CD (15 min)
Day 154 – Unit 14 DVD (12 min)
Day 155 – Color 6 flashcards & review (15 min)
Day 156 – Color 6 flashcards & review (15 min)
Day 157 – My Favorite Pet (5 min)
Day 158 – Quiet Cards (10 min)
Day 159 – I Went To The Pet Store (5 min)
Day 160 – Pets Bingo (30 min)
Day 161 – Let’s Pretend & Hopkins Hopping (10 min)
Day 162 – Little Dogs Say Woof, Woof, Woof & Hello, Little Doggy (10 min)
Day 163 – The Pets I Love (15 min)
Day 164 – Turtle Rock (15 min)
Day 165 – Unit 15 DVD (12 min)
Day 166 – Color flashcards & Move Like The Animals (15 min)
Day 167 – Let’s Pretend (15 min)
Day 168 – Where Are All My Chickens? (10 min)
Day 169 – Old MacDonald Had A Farm (10 min)
Day 170 – Take Me Out To The Barnyard (5 min)
Day 171 – Little Pigs Say Oink, Oink & Hello Mr. Turkey (10 min)
Day 172 – Leah’s Farm (20 min)
Day 173 – Unit 16 DVD (17 min)
Day 174 – Color page 1 flashcards & review (20 min)
Day 175 – Color page 2 flashcards & review (20 min)
Day 176 – Signing Time Memory (20 min)
Day 177 – Who Is Missing? (15 min)
Day 178 – Here We Go To The Zoo & The Crocodile (10 min)
Day 179 – So Many Animals (10 min)
Day 180 – Walking Through The Zoo (15 min)
Day 181 – Guess What I Am (20 min)
Click here to return to Sign Language Curriculum.
As you can see, learning Sign Language can just be a small part of each day.
To be clear, this curriculum is not something your child will be able to do on their own, but needs full parent participation. On the plus side, you will be learning American Sign Language alongside your child.
There are a lot of poems and songs included in the curriculum which is also good reading and singing practice.
What about future grades in this subject?
For Grade 2, my daughter will go through each video of Signing Time Series 1 & Series 2. There are 13 video’s in each series for a total of 26. There are 52 weeks in a year, so doing the math, we could cover one video every 2 weeks, a little faster if we want the summer off, etc. We will pick and choose some of the activities from the Classroom Curriculum to supplement our learning and allow for hands on practice.
The first 2 years will be vocabulary based learning. I believe there are around 1000 ASL words taught in the Signing Time series – that will give my daughter quite an extensive vocabulary. However, just like every language, there are different grammar rules and ways of speaking in Sign Language than there are in English, so learning this is vital to becoming fluent in the language.
With this in mind, Grades 3 & 4, I plan to have my daughter (and myself) go through the courses on Signing Online. There are 4 courses, so I plan for us to cover 2 a year.
Grade 5, I plan for us to get in contact with a local deaf centre, and find activities to participate in with the deaf community-immersion, field trip style.
So what about you? Do you think you could include learning American Sign Language as part of your child’s homeschooling curriculum?