Charting the Cs logo with black and blue text Charting the Cs Conference 2025: ASL Activities –How? To Literacy and Beyond Cooperation Communication Collaboration April 27, 2025 Lance Gonzalez – MSAD ASL Specialist Chelsea Paulson –MSAD DHH Outreach Specialist Workshop Description Have you ever developed an ASL goal on an IEP, and are stumped with how to provide year - long services with measurable objectives for your student who uses ASL receptively and expressively, at various communication levels? This is the workshop for you to create language lessons with activity ideas on a variety of levels. This session will provide many activities, and you will be inspired with ideas about how to promote ASL development with your student(s). Topics in ASL for Classroom •Expressive ASL skills • Receptive ASL Skills •ASL Vocabulary Expansion •ASL Grammar and Syntax •ASL Conversational Skills •ASL Reading Skills (Viewing) •ASL Writing Skills (Expressive) •ASL Cultural Competence •Functional ASL Skills •ASL Advocacy and Self-Advocacy Expressive ASL Skills This refers to the student's ability to effectively communicate using American Sign Language (ASL) by accurately producing a predetermined number of signs and sentences in daily interactions. This may involve practicing and refining their signing abilities to convey messages clearly and fluently. Expressive ASL Skills Activities •Rory’s Story Cubes (https://www.storycubes.com/en/ ) •Pick a picture based on student’s prior knowledge. •Description an object in the classroom and guess what object. •ASL Handshape Game Cards for multi - purpose •Sign language Bingo •Name story •Creating a machine •A story about a word C - A - T •Describe water cycle through body movement/NMS Story cubes game designed for children, with colorful dice showing different pictures to spark imagination. A sign language bingo game A set of educational cards depicting sign language handshapes with illustrations on a patterned background Game cards with American Sign Language handshapes for practicing and mastering sign language skills. Expressive ASL Skills Activities (Water cycle) A diagram of a cycle of water Expressive ASL Rhythm Skills(Apple life cycle) A video of expressive ASL Rhythm Skills€ Receptive ASL Skills This focuses on the student's ability to understand and comprehend ASL signs and sentences presented by others, such as teachers or peers, during classroom activities. The goal is for the student to accurately identify and interpret ASL communication in various contexts. Receptive ASL Skills Activities •Read aloud a book** •ASL short story video** (YouTube and in - house ASL videos) •Train ASL short story (pair or small group) •Description an object or cartoon appearance and draw the picture match the description. •Retell their own story with some changes from the short story ("The Three Little Pigs") •Sign Language Bingo (create a sentence) **Ask questions to check if students are following the video or story. ASL Vocabulary Expansion This involves actively learning new signs related to classroom content or everyday life and incorporating them into their communication. It's important for the student to continuously expand their ASL vocabulary to express a wider range of ideas and concepts effectively. ASL Vocabulary Expansion Activities Homonym (same word different sign) •Example - “GROW” •Example-“RUN” A room engulfed in flames, with intense fire consuming furniture and visible structural elements. Monochrome illustration of a bald man's face, featuring a developing beard. A snowy landscape with falling snow on trees and ground. No person in sight. Illustration of a child with a cold, showing symptoms like a runny nose. A cartoon boy is non stop running in the blue sky background. Monochrome image showing a water faucet in action. •Compound words Yellow Sun Plus sign Pink flower Gray cloud and raining plus sign Red bow Butter Plus sign Black and white stencil fly Red pop with straw in the pop Plus sign Corn in the ear ASL Grammar and Syntax This pertains to the student's understanding and application of the grammatical rules and sentence structure specific to ASL. Mastery of ASL grammar enables the student to construct sentences correctly and convey meaning accurately in their signed communication. A diagram of a vocabulary ASL Grammar Activities A group of blue rectangular labels 5 parameters •Handshape •Palm Orientation •Location •Movement •Non-manual signals ASL grammar/Syntax •Role shifting •Classifiers •Directional Verbs •Questions Structure •Ordinal numbers 8 different types of classifiers •Semantic •Descriptive •Element •Locative •Plurals •Body •Body Parts •Instrumental Graphmes •Red - Signs are made on the forehead. •Orange - Signs are made at the chin, mouth, or nose. •Yellow - Signs are made at the chest •Green - Signs are made at the forearms and hands. •Blue - Signs are used to designate neutral parts of the body, not touching any body part. •Purple-Lexicalized fingerspelling A cartoon of a person with a red hat and gloves Comic strip (wordless) A cartoon of a person cutting a tree ASL Conversational Skills This involves the student's ability to engage in meaningful exchanges using ASL, including initiating conversations, maintaining interaction, and appropriately responding to others. Developing conversational skills is crucial for effective communication and social interaction in various settings. ASL Conversational Skills Activities •Generate a topic for students to engage in a conversation about. •Create an opportunity for students to initiate the conversation in order to gather data for their bar graph. (For example: "Which option would you prefer: pizza or chicken tenders?") • Create a video conversation between two characters, students viewing each other’s videos. ARE HAVE CAN A polar bear and two cubs in the snow A video about a polar bear ASL Viewing Skills (reading) This includes watching ASL videos, attending signed presentations or lectures, reading ASL literature, and interpreting visual texts presented in ASL. Strengthening ASL viewing skills involves improving one's ability to understand and interpret the language accurately, recognize different signing styles, comprehend linguistic nuances, and understand the cultural context of Deaf communication. These skills are essential for individuals learning ASL to effectively engage with the Deaf community, participate in ASL-based activities, and develop fluency in sign language. ASL Viewing Skills (reading) Activities Create several videos and/or find ASL videos on YouTube: •Plot hole/ missing important information •Identify incorrect animals, objects, or other elements in the video. •Identify emotions in the video •Compare two same videos and look for the missing details. Questions: •Who is the main character of the video? •What is the setting of the video? •Can you describe the climax of the video? •What happens at the end of the video? •Can add other questions to match students’ IEP objectives/goals Deaf Cultural Awareness This focuses on the student's understanding and appreciation of Deaf culture, history, traditions, and current events. Participating in discussions, presentations, or projects related to Deaf culture helps the student develop cultural competence and a deeper connection to the Deaf community. Deaf Cultural Awareness Activities Deaf Culture Workshops Students could learn about famous deaf individuals, watch deaf cinema, or explore deaf literature. Simulation Activities Students can try communicating with each other using only ASL and/or gestures or by wearing earplugs to simulate hearing loss. This can help Deaf students’ peers gain empathy and understanding of the challenges faced by deaf individuals. Deaf History Projects Assign projects where students research and present on different aspects of deaf history, including key events, figures, and milestones in the deaf community's struggle for recognition and rights. ASL Slangs KISSFIST, OH I SEE, BAD/BAI, VEE, TRU - BIZ, FINISH, FOR - FOR, PEI PEI , PAH, WHOA, EYEPOP, BOMP, TRAIN ZOOM, EYE GARAGE DOOR (OPEN/CLOSE), AND DRY DISCUSS. ASL (Deaf) Advocacy and Self-Advocacy This involves empowering the student to advocate for their needs, preferences, and rights within the ASL community. It includes effectively communicating with peers, teachers, and other stakeholders about their ASL learning journey and accessibility requirements, fostering self-advocacy skills and promoting inclusivity. ASL (Deaf) Advocacy and Self - Advocacy Activities •Learn how to effectively request accommodations to meet their needs in appointments, the workplace, and other settings to ensure accessibility. •Learn how to utilize communication tools such as VideoPhone , CapTel , relay services, and enable closed captions. •Call a specific movie theatre or event organizer to request an interpreter for the Deaf community. •Interview Deaf adults for their advice on navigating the hearing world to become better self - advocates as Deaf individuals •Share your voice to get your needs related to accessing information at home or school. •We have MSAD Online Academy –Self-Advocacy Class available for Fall 2025 Charting the Cs logo with black and blue text Thank you! Lance Gonzalez – MSAD ASL Specialist Chelsea Paulson – MSAD DHH Outreach Specialist Lance.Gonzalez@msa.state.mn.us Chelsea.Paulson@msa.state.mn.us