Hello Parents at Patwin Elementary ASL

Hello ASL Parents of Ms. Kristen's Class

We are now headed into Week 8 for ASL Class and the students are growing and learning so much every week!

A couple of weeks ago we celebrated Halloween week where the students learned a great amount of signs related to the holiday, as well as reviewed what they have learned from the beginning.

This is a picture of a frozen hand with objects inside that the students were able to melt with salt. when they retrieved an item they were asked to sign to the teacher what they found.

For example: Eyes, erasers, ball, shapes, different colors, and different shapes.

The students had a lot of fun exploring what each of their hand had hidden inside. It was exciting for them to find something and have the ability and skills to sign the different objects retrieved.


I have also added a QOW: Question of the week to their lesson plan. Each week the students are given a question that relates to Deaf culture. This week they  learned what a CODA means/stands for. In Deaf culture, a CODA is a child of a Deaf adult. They have enjoyed these questions as they are different every week ad they are learning more about Deaf culture.

Vocabulary from recent weeks:
Family: Mother, Father, Brother/Sister, Grandmother, Grandfather
I, My, You, Yours, he/she, we, they, myself, yourself
Up, Down, Left, Right, Backward, Forward,
Past, Present, Future
School supplies: Paper, Ruler, Eraser, Pencil, Scissors, Crayons

In the weeks to come:
We will be learning signs for animals and numbers as well as learning and playing new games.

My students are doing great and I'm so proud for what they have learned up to here!!

Hello Parents of Teacher Shelley's ASL Class

Hello ASL Parents!

Teacher Shelley | ASL Class | November 9, 2015

Deaf Culture Lessons

Students learned that Big “D” in English writing refers to cultural deafness and it also illustrates the author’s support for Deaf Culture. 

Example: My friend is Deaf.

ASL Lessons

The last few weeks the students built on vocabulary, worked on receptive skills, and learned how to list items with the proper hand-shape. Ask your child to list 2, 3, 4, or 5 items from the list below:

Body Parts: Head, Eyes, Shoulders, Hands, Legs, and Feet.

Opposites: Hot/ Cold, Poor/Rich, Clean/Dirty, Old/ New, and In/Out.

Farm Animals: Pig, Horse, Bird, Goat and Sheep.

Zoo Animals: Lion, Giraffe, Rhino, Hippo, and Bear.

Sea Animals: Shark, Dolphin, Seal, Walrus, and Seahorse.

Students made their favorite animals with play-doh! 

Halloween 

We had lots of Halloween fun! The students were taught Halloween theme words and played games that helped increase their language skills. Here are some examples of  the Halloween words learned: Haunted House, Vampire, Werewolf, Witch, Zombie, Mummy, Frankenstein, Bat, Ghost, Spider, and Happy Halloween!

Next Few Weeks…

We have spent some time on review, but now we are ready to learn vocabulary for different kinds of foods and drinks! We will spend a large portion on forming sentences and creating conversations in the classroom.

For an Example, in English: “What kind of soup do you like?” 

In ASL: "Soup you like. What-kind?" 

We will also be looking at how to describe one's home and the objects in it. 

Until next time... =)

French Language Learning Resources

Bonjour à tous!

Kids and language sometimes have a marvelous relationship. Those who learn the best are often the ones who barely realize that they are learning. This has been my own experience with Chinese, which I read at a native level without really ever having been in a Chinese language classroom. While I was taught to read at a very young age, the bulk of my learning and improvement took place when watching T.V. and following subtitles. Similarly, French never felt like work to me because it simply preoccupied my thoughts. With these experiences in mind, here are some resources that just might get your kids' blood pumping.

External language learning resources:

• DuoLingo - a free language learning platform that uses daily goals, XPs, and "lingots" to motivate learning. The focus is on sentences, not textbook grammar, though grammar is also introduced as "hints" or available to those who read the discussions on each question. I must admit that I have caught a few pronunciation mistakes on the French platform, but all in all it is still an excellent learning tool.



Interesting instructional videos:

• Le Petit Monde - if your kids haven't outgrown cartoons, this is a great YouTube channel for learning the French language. The speakers are slow and clear, and the videos range from straight instructional videos to songs to stories.


• Cuisine Rapide - for the foodies who love getting their hands dirty, this channel has lots of great recipes, and the speaker is also very slow and clear and repeats words and phrases a lot throughout his videos.


• C'est pas sorcier - this TV show is a bit beyond your kids' capabilities at the moment, but it's too awesome to not mention. It's basically a kid's discovery show, with science and mind-blowing facts about things we never think about...from the optical illusions involved in the construction of Versailles to how rubber is made. Unfortunately, I have not been able to find a subtitled version, but there may be some out there!

Family-friendly French movies:

• Les Choristes - the plot of this film centers around Clément Mathieu, a self-proclaimed failure of a musician, as he takes on a new job as a supervisor at an institution for dysfunctional youth. Initially exasperated with the dangerous misbehavior of the children, Mathieu reaches out through music and revives the kids' lost hope through mercy.
• Le Petit Nicolas - a young boy named Nicolas is led to believe that he is going to have a little brother. Believing that the baby will replace him, he and his group of friends go out of their way to make sure that this does not happen. This film is hilarious and really shows the world through the eyes of these young children.

Of course, precise interests will differ according to your children's preferences, but these are some excellent resources to start with. And best of all, you can even enjoy these things along with your children! Learning a new skill is always more fun when you get to share it with your family, and to treat the learning process as family time. Therefore, amusez-vous bien!

Bien cordialement,
Jade