We are on the same team! We are all trying to figure out how to make the Common Core
State Standards more meaningful and engaging for children! And we can do this, yes we can! I often tell teachers that I am not your meat and
potatoes – I’m your condiment. I’m
your salt, sugar, and spice to help your standards taste better! And sign language might just be that
spice to help those skills go down. R.L.4 – Teach the sign for “understand” (wiggle index finger by brain) and “don’t understand” (shake head as you wiggle finger) so children can let you know if they don’t know a word.
R.L.5 -
Introduce signs for fact, fiction, poem, etc.
R.L.6 – Make signs for author, illustrator, and title
as you begin to read a book.
R.I.10 – Engage children to make connections with
text with “schema.” Open hands for
the book, hook index fingers to make the connection, and then touch your brain.
R.F.1 d
- Learn manual signs to help children remember letters.
R.F.3 a – Make signs for letters as you sing alphabet
songs such as “Alphardy,” “Who Let
the Letters Out?” or “I’ve Got the Whole Alphabet in My Hand.”
R.F.3 c – Teach signs for word wall words.
S.L.1 a – Introduce the sign for “me too” (thumb and pinky up and point to self)
so children can learn to listen and wait their turn.
S.L. 3 – Ask and answer questions. Make a “C” if they have a comment. Make a question mark in the air if they
have a question.
L.1 d -
Teach signs for question words: who, what, where, when, why, how.
L.1 e – Learn signs for prepositions.
L.2 d – Spell simple words - Make manual signs for
letters as children write them down.
L.4 a – Introduce different signs for words with
multiple meanings.
L. 6 -
Sign phrases in daily conversations.
(Please, thank you, excuse me, help, etc.)
Math
Counting
and Cardinality
Learn
to count manually.
Operations
Teach
children signs for =, <, >, +, -.
Measurement
& Data
Use
signs for comparing objects.
Geometry
Introduce
signs for basic shapes.
Use
signs to describe positional words.
P.S. I
know many of you have other ideas you could add to this list, so please send
them my way and I’ll pass them along on my blog.
