ASL

I know you probably get tired of hearing me promote ASL, but now more than ever it can be a powerful way to engage children and activate their senses. I’m excited that Mariela Andersen has interpreted some of my favorite videos. 

ASL – Dinosaur Boogie

http://bit.ly/drjeanASLDino


ASL – Wiggle Willie

http://bit.ly/drjeanASLWiggle


ASL – Alphardy

http://bit.ly/drjeanASLAlph


ASL – Macarena to 100

http://bit.ly/drjeanASLMac100


ASL – Today Is Sunday

http://bit.ly/drjeanASLSunday

Mariela Andersen

"Being able to provide equal access for Deaf and Hard of Hearing children through ASL means the world to me! I am so thankful to be able to support them in their most natural language. I hope that anybody who lives or works with Deaf and Hard of Hearing children chooses to learn sign language to be able to connect with them on a deeper level." 

Google "Mariela Andersen" to learn more about her and her books.

OUR COUNTY ALPHABET BOOK

Several years ago I visited Giles County, VA. When I left they gave me SMILES OF GILES - A COUNTY ALPHABET BOOK.

This precious book was created by Giles Early Education Project and illustrated by the children from Giles County, VA.






For each letter there was artwork by the children, as well as a photograph. What an amazing way to nurture a sense of community pride in children, teach letters, and make them more knowledgeable about the place they live!

Wouldn't this be a great project for any town, city, county, or state? I bet you could get a grant for publishing this book, or perhaps the chamber of commerce or visitor's center in your area would be interested.

I thought the last page was the best. "May the music of Giles play all your life long."

Two Letter Words

Here are some new videos for two letter words.

 https://bit.ly/drJTwoLetter01

 https://bit.ly/drJTwoLetter02

Download pdf, TwoLetterCards - https://bit.ly/drJeanTwoLetterCards

ALPHABET BOOKS

A B C D E F G

Make an alphabet book with me!

H I J K L M N O P

Take a look and you will see.

Q R S T U V

Alphabet books from A to Z!

Here are some alphabet books you might want to create with your class. They are a perfect vehicle for alphabet knowledge, reading for information, reading foundations, and many other language skills. And, you know when your children make a book there is a sense of “ownership” and they will want to read it.

I Can Read!
Take 26 large sheets of paper (12” x 16”) and write a different letter on each page. Put pages between construction paper to make a book called “I Can Read My ABC’s.” Hole punch and bind with book rings. Invite children to bring in words from food labels, stores, catalogs, etc. that they can read. As children bring in their words, help them match up the first letter with the same letter in the book and glue their word on that page.

See - Sign - SING!
Enlarge copies of the sign language alphabet. Put a different letter and sign on each page; then let different children illustrate a picture that begins with that sound. Bind together to make a book. Encourage the children to reproduce the signs on each page as they read the book.
*Take digital photos of children making the different signs.
*Cut hands out of felt and glue them to make manual signs.
*You can also make a Braille alphabet book by using drops of glue to represent the different Braille letters.



Alphabet Art
Write large letters of the alphabet on paper. Give each child a letter and challenge them to create a picture around their letter. “What does your letter look like? Does it remind you of something? Can you use your crayons to turn it into that object? Try to ‘camouflage’ it so no one knows what your letter is.” Put their drawings together to make a book. Can they find the letter hidden in each picture?
*Give each child the letter that their name begins with to make this book.
*Challenge older children to turn their letter into an object that begins with the sound their letter makes.

Touch and Tell ABC Book
Make letters out of different textures, such as sandpaper, felt, yarn, canvas, fake fur, etc.

AlphaBODY Book
Challenge children to make letters with their bodies. Or, divide children into small groups and ask them to make letters.

Themes and Holidays
Make alphabet books that coordinate with various themes, holidays, and
seasons. For example, if you are studying the ocean make a “Ocean ABC
Book.” Wouldn't a "Thankful Alphabet Book" be a perfect project next week?

Oh, but what until you see the special alphabet book I'll have on my blog tomorrow!!!!

I KNOW AN OLD LADY

How many old ladies do you know besides me? I know the “Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly.” She also swallowed a pie and a bat and a chick and numbers… She must be getting pretty full! The Old Lady is entertaining, but she also helps children with recall, sequence, phonological awareness, and oral language.

Here are a few visuals and craft activities that can be adapted to any version of the Old Lady. You can find free images online for the different stories or let children make their own illustrations.

Sandwich Bag Old Lady 

Give children a circle to decorate for the head of the old lady. Staple the head to the back opening of a zip sandwich bag. Staple on strips of paper for arms and legs as shown. Run off copies of the different items for the book or song you are singing. Children line up items in sequential order and then insert them in the bag as you sing. 

You could always use a real old lady's head!

Paper Plate Old Lady
Cut the center out of a paper plate. Use the center for the Old Lady’s head and attach with a brad fastener. Attach strips of paper with brad fasteners for arms and legs. Tape a sandwich bag to the back of the plate so you can insert illustrations as you sing.

Flannel Board File Folder
Staple the sides of a file folder together and glue a piece of felt to the front. Add Velcro to the back of pictures and place on the flannel board as you sing.


Isn't this the cutest apron you've ever seen?  The Old Lady's mouth is a pocket so the children can insert different objects. What fun!!!!

DON'T FORGET YOUR MANNERS!

Manners can take you a long way in this world - although they are not included in most state standards! Manners are part of the “hidden curriculum” that we can nurture daily in little ways. This is a perfect time of year to talk about thanking others and what it means to be polite. Here’s a simple echo song to encourage children to use their “magic words.”

I Have Manners (Tune: “Are You Sleeping?” - Children repeat each line.)
I have manners,
I have manners,
Every day,
Every day.
If I want something
If I want something
“Please,” I’ll say.
“Please,” I’ll say.

I have manners,
I have manners,
Every day,
Every day.
When someone is nice
When someone is nice
“Thanks,” I’ll say.
“Thanks,” I’ll say.

*Role play when to say, “please,” “thank you,” “you’re welcome,” and “excuse me.”

*Teach children these signs and use them as prompts:
Please - palm open on chest and circle around
Thank you - fingers on chin and then down to palm

*Let the children use puppets to model what to do in similar situations:

How do you greet a new student?
How do you call a friend and invite them for a play date?
What do you do when someone pays you a compliment?
What do you do when someone gives you a gift?
What do you do when someone has a book that you want?

Table Manners
There are several good books about manners, but I liked to use a stuffed animal to demonstrate negative behavior. I’d ask the children to help me show the toy the correct thing to do.
“Coco always chews with his mouth open. Who can show Coco the correct way to chew your food?”
"Coco just grabs food that he wants. What is the polite thing to do when you want someone to pass you food?”
“Coco eats his food and then runs out to play. What should Coco say before he leaves the table?”

Animal Sounds

Don't forge to thank my webmaster Alex May for this new video.  He's really getting good with AI!

https://bit.ly/drJAnimalSounds

GRATITUDE ATTITUDE

Here's a video where I demonstrate many special activities for November.

http://bit.ly/happiesNovember

It's November, and the perfect time of year to nurture a GRATITUDE ATTITUDE in our students - and ourselves! In studies of successful people, gratitude is frequently a characteristic that comes up. Gratitude is an emotion of expressing appreciation for what you have, rather than what you don’t have. Psychology Today reports that gratitude can be cultivated and it can increase levels of happiness when you do. Energy, optimism, and empathy are by-products of gratitude.

Model Gratitude
Make it a habit to include things you appreciate into daily conversations.

Brainstorm
What does it mean to be thankful? Write children’s responses on the board. What are some synonyms for thankful?

Gratitude Journal
Make a special journal for each child to use during the month of November. Several times a week ask them to draw, list, or write sentences about things they are grateful for.
*I used copy paper and wallpaper cut in 9” x 12” rectangles to make my journal. Take five sheets of paper and fold in half. Center on the wallpaper and sew down the middle. (You can do this by hand, or maybe there is a parent or grandparent with a machine who would do this for you.) It makes a lovely book.

      

Thankful Board
Designate a bulletin board or poster in the hall as your “thankful board.” Children can attach sticky notes or draw pictures of things they are thankful for throughout the month.

Gratitude Box
Cut a hole in the top of a shoebox and decorate. Place on a shelf along with paper and pencils. Children write things they are thankful for and place them in the box. When you have a few extra minutes, select notes and read them to the class.

Tell Me Something GOOD
Start the day by going around the room and asking each child to say something they are thankful for.

End with Something GOOD
Clap and slap thighs as you say this chant to end your day:
Hey, hey, what do you say?
What happened good at school today?

Hot Potato Pass
Children sit or stand in a circle and begin passing the hot potato (ball or other small object) around. When the music stops or when the teacher blows a whistle the child holding the potato must say one thing they are thankful for.

Charity
Find a project in your community that your class can do to help others.

VETERAN'S DAY

Veteran’s Day is November 11th, but we should thank our veterans every day! One teacher told me that she taught her children how to recognize veterans by their hat or clothing. Whenever they see a veteran they go up, shake their hand, and say, "Thank you!" You can't teach your students anything more important than that!!!

Veteran’s Day
(Tune: “Danny Boy”)
Today’s the day we celebrate our veterans,
The men and women who fought for our great land.
We’ll raise our flags and hold a moment of silence
And we will carry poppies in our hands.
Because we want to thank you for your service;
You traveled far to keep us safe at home.
You fought with pride and honor for our country.
Our veterans, oh how we love you so.

*You'll find this book and song in our "November Happies" packet.

Vocabulary

What is a veteran? For homework, have children interview their parents to find out about veterans in their family.

Here is a bulletin board from Carolyn Kisloski's school. The children fill out stars for each veteran in their family and then make a "Wall of Thanks" to honor them.

Poppies 

Take three 7” circles cut out of red tissue paper and fold them like a fan. Twist a green pipe cleaner around the middle. Open layers to resemble a poppy. Do a search on the internet to discover why the poppy is symbol for Veteran’s Day.

Guest Speaker 

Call a local military recruiting office and invite a guest speaker to share with the children what it’s like to have a job in the armed forces.

Letters to the Armed Forces
Here's a website where you can get information about writing letters to current military members and veterans. What a great way to show appreciation for our servicemen and women!
https://www.operationgratitude.com/writeletters/