Starting an ASL club at my school.

[ChasingFreedom]

Hey. So this is my first official post... Yay!

In typed this post up just a second ago and accidentally closed it, so I'm a bit frustrated, heh. So here's basically what I was saying:

I really want to start an ASL club at my high school. I think ASL is a beautiful language that deserves to be learned. It's very fun to learn, too.
I'm hearing and not actually fluent in ASL, yet. I'm only a conversationalist, really.

I'm just in need of some ideas for what we could do in the club. I was thinking that we could start with the basics, like fingerspelling, basic numbers and stuff. I hope to use Bill Vicars curicculum online: http://www.lifeprint.com/asl101/lessons/lessons.htm
It has worked very well in learning Sign, myself. Do you think this is a good resource to use? Also, am I able to teach Sign even though I'm not fluent? I have signed with different people before and they understood me (but for people who know the language so well, I'd guess that they can understand no matter how sloppily I signed). I'd use the pictures and ASL browsers that I've seen online and stuff, so it's not just my limited knowledge.

I was also wondering if you had any ideas on what we could do besides just learning Sign. Like, "Silent Suppers" where after we've learned enough Sign, we could have a meal with absolutely no talking, where the only communication we could use is Sign. I also know a few ASL translators that might be willing to come in and speak and sign. What could I ask them to speak about? I also have ASL videos I could bring in. One video plays conversations signed between groups of people, and once you've learned some Sign, it's really cool to be able to pick up on what they're saying.

Any other ideas? Do you think I have a good basic plan that after more extensive planning could actually bring about a successful club?

I just want any help or advice you offer. This would be a great thing to have at my school.

~Emily~

 

[Gemtun]

Hello Emily!

I think it is an awesome idea about setting up an ASL club at your school. What you just said sounds all good

How about doing Silent Games? I hear that it is popular too along with Silent Suppers.

I deal with a lot of high school and college students at my work as they all want to volunteer a few hours a week with the residents. Bingo and crafts are very popular.

So maybe look into volunteer opportunities with the deaf so you can gain more skills. More than often, my volunteers were amazed that everyone signs different. ASL, PSE, SEE, and whatnot.

Good luck!

 

[ChasingFreedom]

That's really cool! Thanks for the ideas, Meg

For my own interest (and the club, if it works out), how would I go about finding a group of people who meet once in a while to sign? Is the Deaf community open to having a hearing high school student come to one of their own silent dinners? Or would it be like I was intruding their group? I really want/need to practice more and I'd love to be able to sign with someone who'd be able/willing to slow down the speed of their signing a bit, and who'll be understanding that I'm still a relatively new signer. But I don't want to get in the way or upset a group of people that are used to what they had before I ever came into the picture.

Would I be accepted into something like a silent dinner? How would I find a group that meets for things like that?

I do hope and plan to start a club with our own silent dinners, but it sure would be nice to go to some with experienced signers.

 

[Kerridowney]

Hello Emily, My name is Kerri and I am first an interpreter for the deaf and secondly hard of hearing. I say this because my first language is English. However, I learned to sign very young and claim it as my own. I work in a HS where I also run a Sign Club. Any game you play can be transformed into an avenue of learning sign.

Bingo for instance, with a list of vocab words that you want to learn. Put the word you are leaning in the squares and the caller gives the sign.

Pictionary - we use the original game, pull the card and tell the category (usually spelled because the sign vocab is limited) and then draw the item and answers can only be signed... or spelled. It gets quite vicious! Even a silent game... lol

Skits - I have written skits in ASL sign but English order for beginners as well as Skits all in ASL to be acted out in the group. Sometimes I give them as homework to bring back the following week, sometimes I spring it on who ever shows up that day to be done in 10 - 15 min from the time I pass them out. Either is very effective.. and everyone learns something.

Movies in ASL - Keith Wann has a wonderful beginner series called WOW! you can order it on line at his official site. If you watch it in little bites, for example, one monologue or story, then discuss it. Talk about signs he uses that they know or don't know and how they can incorperate them into what they alreay know. This DVD is one that you can use all year.

Parties - Believe it or not the more fun you make the event the more they will learn. Recently we had a Halloween party. Prior to, I made out a one page list of vocabulary (pictures of the sings included) and we sang songs, played games and had snacks all baced on the vocabulary.

Sing - There are several programs you can purchace for a small amount of money that have to do with singing in sign languge. Deaf Missions dot ORG has a video that has Christian music that you can watch and learn. Sign 2 Me is a book and CD that you can buy at any book store and there are many more. I really like the Sign 2 Me program. It was created for toddlers.. you laugh.. but wait! My HS'ers love it. They get up and dance, act goofy and all the while are learning to sign. Yes, its vocabulary that is inteded for the very young but you have to start somewhere and this is a good place to start. Because it's intended for the young you can go faster and that means more vocabulary at a faster rate!

Phase 10 and Uno - This was actually an accident. I canceled club one Friday and some of the kids didn't get the message. I had papers to grade and no time to entertain the menions.. so I sent them to my car to pull games out of the trunk... this is what they came back with. I said.. "sure, as long as you don't talk" and sure enough it became a HUGE hit. Now they ask for game nights regularly.

So you see... all you have to do is use your imagination. Make it fun and just do it. For resources in vocabulary... don't look at a book/dictionary to learn a new sign unless you are VERY EXPERIENCED. The problems you will run into as a hearing person interpreting the sign movemet is that you are HEARING. Don't take offence. Use a live specimen when you can.. lol... deaf love to show off... let them, it makes them feel needed and included. When you don't have someone with experience to guide you use sites like ASL Pro dot com and Signing Savvy dot come. Two of my absolute favorites.

Good luck with your Club!