I want to use sign language in my class but I do not know what other signs to use besides bathroom. lol I want at least four for my first graders.
I use a lot of signs with my Pre-Kers. I love it! These are the signs that we really use on a daily basis that make life so easy: bathroom tissue water thank you please yes no stop sit stand walk me, too (last year every time a kid said something, I had to hear a chorus of "me too"s- so I looked up this sign and the carpet got much quieter LoL)
I love using sign language with my kindergartners. It makes it easy to carry on two conversations at once. I can be giving directions to the class and answering a question or redirecting individuals at the same time. Here are the ones that I use regularly: sit stand listen look yes no restroom I am sure I will think of others once I start using them!
I use it for teaching sight words if I know the sign and when we are going down the hall for "go, stop, walking, no, quiet". I don't want to disturb other classes as we go by their rooms.
Ooooh I use watch and listen too. Sign language is great for during assemblies!! As soon as a child glances my way I can remind them to watch, listen, and sit please without making a sound!
Teach them to applaud as deaf people do (hands in front of you, palms open and facing each other, fingers loosely spread, twists wrists back and forth. Google it if I'm not clear.) This way, if you say something that usually would bring a chorus of cheers, they can silently sign their happiness.
Yes, that too!! Man, I really need to get back to work because I'm already forgetting everything I teach...
Not sign language, but for extra special things, I taught mine to do "Silent Cheers"--waving their arms in the air with their mouth open like they're screaming (basically like a crazy game show contestant without any noise!). They have a lot of fun with it without it being disruptive. Great for when you are playing team games as well
I generally use books. I have this one: http://educationalmaterialcatalog.c...n_the_early_childhood_classroom-p-167248.html and a couple others that I use for the most part. I also checked a sign language dictionary out of the library and used that for a while. This is the site I go to when my students ask me how to sign something that I don't know: http://commtechlab.msu.edu/sites/aslweb/browser.htm