First Week of ASL 1

Are you ready for the first day of school? Have you even begun to think about what you will do with students on the first day of school? Well back to school time is almost here. I always try to come up with different things to do on the first day of school that will engage students with learning the language but what I really want students in ASL 1 to walk away with on day one is that class is FUN! And I want to do this by staying in the target language. So here is what I plan to do on the first day of school this year with ASL 1.

What to do on day 1

Show Them You Are Nice

Sometimes we worry too much about what kids are going to think about us that we forget to show our true side on day one. Start the day greeting students at the door by high-fiving them or shaking their hands. You can even give each student a piece of candy like a little Hershey’s Kiss. You can even start students off on the right foot by giving them a sign language pencil.

Get everything you need for day 1 already made for you here.

Name Tags

Have students’ names on the desk as they enter the classroom. You can use cute name tags or just write the student’s name on a plain ‘ole index card. This will help them know where to go and allow you to stay in the target language while getting to know the students. You can even tie in the manual alphabet by having them glue handshapes on the name tag.

Interest Survey

Have an interest survey ready for students to fill out after they find their seat. This will keep them busy until you can get the class started. The interest survey will help you get to know students a bit more to help with future planning.

It is important to have work waiting for students so they can see the importance of a productive work environment without you having to lecture on it. Having the work-ready also shows students that you are ultra-prepared and you value your time together.

The Alphabet

Now let the fun begin. Starting with the alphabet can be so much fun. But it is important to remember to stay in the target language and teach the alphabet how it is intended to be used. Try to avoid teaching the ABCs letter by letter. No one communicates that way. Teach how the letters look in context. Since it is the first days of school, you can use the alphabet to learn the names of your new students. If upper-level students already know the alphabet, practice fingerspelling using an activity like Fingerspelling Quads.

Have students create name teepees with paper and use those as input to help others understand what the letters are that you are using. You can do this by staying in the target language while teaching words like NAME, WHAT, and pronouns like YOU and ME.

Culture

You don’t have to wait to teach culture topics to students. You can do it on day 1 by showing students images or acting it out. A good first-day culture topic can be getting attention. This is a skill they will need in the classroom so it is perfect for the first day. It is also an easy topic to model. Write “Getting Attention” on the board so students understand what you are doing then model and role-play situations to practice.

There are other cultural topics you can cover or you can give a broad overview of what students will be learning about through individual exploration. This works well if you have 1:1 devices. Try a WebQuest or a true/false quiz to see what students know about Deaf culture.

Show a Music Video

A great way to get some language exposure into the eyes and minds of new ASL students is to show a music video. Most of the ASL students tend to be hearing and this can make a great connection with them.

Play a Game

I believe it is important to get students up and moving around at least once during a class period. So ending the first day of class with a game will allow students to get out of their desks and play a game. The game will give the impression that your class is FUN!

I like to start the first day with a game to teach colors while getting a few words that will be important for commands students will need to know. I call it Floor to Door. Here is what you will need to do:

• place construction paper of various colors on your board. Touch the color and sign it. Have students copy you.
• in the target language, using pictures, explain the game
• simplify your language and act it out
• when students see the color word, they have to stand up and move to something in the room and physically touch the color
• at any time if you sign FLOOR or DOOR students have to touch those items. If you don’t have multiple doors in your classroom, you might just want to use the floor.
• the last one to touch the floor/door, has to sit out (but becomes your referee)
• give the last student standing a prize (I give a pencil or free homework pass)

This game teaches a lot of signs like colors, DOOR, FLOOR, TOUCH, STAND, SIT, WIN, and LOSE.

There you have it, your first day of school is planned! You are ready and you have got this.

Other Activities for the First Week

Birthday Bulletin Board

Start the day off by gathering more information about each student. This time you will be finding out when their birthday is and post it on a bulletin board. If you don’t have wall space for 12 months, break the months up in 3s or 4s. For example. post only August, September, and October. You can even put one month up at a time.

For extra fun, I have students make a little paper person of themselves and hold an info sheet all about them on their birthday month. You can learn how to do that here. Paper dolls can be found here.

Homework Passes

If students can stay in the target language on the first few days of school, I give them a FREE homework pass. Students love this little reward. I give it sparingly since I want them to do the homework but students like to have a little help when their schedule gets too overwhelming. This little token lets students know how serious you are about staying in the target language and that it is a must in the ASL classroom.

Find Someone Who

Always a win to get students out of their seats and mingling is the faithful game of finding someone who. You can easily create your own paper or use a created one connected directly to ASL in this first week of school learning packet found here.

Organization

Ensure that your space is clean and organized on the first day of school so you can clearly go through your classroom procedures. Make sure you are ready by:

• Having your bulletin boards decorated and they connect to what you are teaching.
• Have your procedures for your classroom ready to communicate using a visual form for input (entering and exiting the classroom, going to the restroom, sharpening pencils, cell phone use, etc.).
• Have your caddies filled and organized.

No time? No problem. You can get these activities premade for you here.

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