Using Sign Language Signs to Make Your Poetry Center or Unit More Interactive and Fun
Posted: Sunday, March 22, 2009
by Kim Taylor-DiLeva
http://www.kimssigningsolutions.com
Many elementary and preschool teachers create poetry centers or teach a poetry unit, including rhyming, poem styles, word use, and more. Teachers usually set up their poetry centers with poems for students to read on their own. This does not allow for interaction with the poetry so it is not as enjoyable for them, specifically students who are kinesthetic learners. By incorporating American Sign Language signs in your poetry center, students will have fun and be more eager to learn. Here's how:
Choose keywords from each line of the poem for the students to sign. Be sure to use the most important words as the signing words.
Use an American Sign Language Dictionary to look up any signs you don't know. I suggest Michigan State University 's ASL Web Browser, which can be found online at http://commtechlab.msu.edu/sites/aslweb/
Teach your students the poem and the signs. You may want to explain that they will not be signing the whole poem, but only the keywords you have chosen.
Your students will not only be able to practice reading the poem, but also practice the signs you have taught them to go along with the poem. This will be more interactive for them because they will feel like they are acting out the poem physically, rather than only reading it. You can even create sign cards for each word with the word written and a picture of its sign next to it. This can also be helpful for your struggling readers since many signs are iconic, which means they look like the word they represent. This presentsl a visual representation of the words they are trying to learn.
If your students have good dictionary skills, you can even put an American Sign Language Dictionary in the poetry center with a new poem. This will allow your students to find keywords and learn the signs on their own. If they are correct, they could teach their classmates the signs for that poem.
American Sign Language signs can be beneficial if integrated into your poetry unit. Your students will be eager to learn because they will be given a new, fun, and interactive way for them to learn about poetry.
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