91´«Ã½

Chicago—91´«Ã½ Publishing eLearning Solutions announces a new iteration of our popular eCourse, . Kathy MacMillan will serve as the instructor for a 6-week facilitated eCourse starting on Monday, April 8, 2019.

Sign Language is most commonly used in storytimes for babies, but the applications can go much further. In this 6-week eCourse, Sign Language expert Kathy MacMillan explores the benefits of signing with all children. In addition to learning basic American Sign Language (ASL) vocabulary appropriate for use with children in library and classroom settings, you will also learn to teach stories, songs, and other activities that incorporate ASL. MacMillan provides you with a linguistic and cultural context to help make your programming more accessible.

eCourse outline

Week 1: Getting Started

1) Terminology: American Sign Language and Deaf Culture

2) Tips for new signers

• The 5 parts of a sign
• Dominant and non-dominant hands

3) Storytime/classroom vocabulary: HELLO, GOODBYE, SIGN, FRIEND, LIBRARY, LIBRARIAN, SCHOOL, TEACHER, CLASS, STORY, TIME, BOOK, SONG/MUSIC, DANCE

4) Signing with children with special needs

5) Activity Video #1: Numbers 1-10, My Bouncing Buckaroo Rhyme

6) Selecting storytime materials to sign with

7) Activity Video #2: The ABC Song featuring the manual alphabet

8) Notes about this week’s vocabulary

9) Vocabulary Practice Activity

10) Resources and Printable Handouts

11) Quiz

Assignment: Using the criteria in this week’s lesson, select 2-3 songs, rhymes, or games you might use in your storytime or classroom and discuss how you could add signs to them.

Forum: Week 1 Questions and Comments

Week 2: Signing with Babies

1) Review activity

2) Baby Vocabulary: MORE, EAT, ALL-DONE, DIAPER, PLAY, BATH, SLEEP, WAKE-UP, PLEASE, THANK-YOU, YES, NO, TAKE-TURNS, SHARE, WAIT, PATIENT

3) Considerations for this age group:

• Developmental overview: motor skills, spoken and sign language development
• Benefits of signing
• Selecting storytime activities
• Selecting signs
• Fingerspelling
• Tips for introducing and reinforcing signs

4) Activity Video #1: Color Signs

5) ASL versus baby signs

6) Activity Video #2: Story

7) Child Directed Speech in spoken and sign languages

8) Notes about this week’s vocabulary

10) Vocabulary Practice Activity

11) Resources and Printable Handouts

12) Quiz

Assignment: Select one of the storytime activities you wrote about in last week’s assignment. Practice it as you would present it in storytime and record a video of yourself presenting it and demonstrating the signs. Send it to your instructor for feedback.

Forum: Week 2 Questions and Comments

Week 3: Signing with Toddlers

1) Review activity

2) Family Vocabulary: MOTHER, FATHER, SISTER, BROTHER, GRANDMOTHER, GRANDFATHER, AUNT, UNCLE, FEMALE COUSIN, MALE COUSIN, COUSINS, FAMILY, LOVE, I-LOVE-YOU

3) Considerations for this age group:

• Developmental overview: motor skills, spoken and sign language development
• Benefits of signing
• Selecting storytime activities
• Selecting signs
• Fingerspelling
• Tips for introducing and reinforcing signs

4) Activity Video #1: I Like to Eat Song (Food Signs)

5) Signing and Early Literacy

6) Activity Video #2: Story

7) ASL versus familiar fingerplay gestures

8) Notes about this week’s vocabulary

10) Vocabulary Practice Activity

11) Resources and Printable Handouts

12) Quiz

Assignment: Practice your storytime activity using the feedback from the instructor on your video. Post your activity in the assignment forum with this week. If you feel comfortable sharing your video with your classmates, you can post it. If you do not wish to share your video, post a description of the storytime activity, along with links to any vocabulary not already covered in the course from signingsavvy.com, aslpro.com, or handtalk.com. Browse your classmates’ posts to add to your storytime toolbox!

Forum: Week 3 Questions and Comments

Week 4: Signing with Preschoolers

1) Review activity

2) Seasonal vocabulary: WINTER/COLD, SNOW, SNOWMAN, HAT, COAT, SPRING/GROW, TREE, CATERPILLAR, BUTTERLY, FLOWER, SUMMER, SUN, SWIM, VACATION, CAMP, AUTUMN, LEAF, PUMPKIN, APPLE, SQUIRREL

3) Considerations for this age group:

• Developmental overview: motor skills, spoken and sign language development
• Benefits of signing
• Selecting storytime activities
• Selecting signs
• Fingerspelling
• Tips for introducing and reinforcing signs

4) Activity Video #1: Animal Signs Song

5) Name signs

6) Activity Video #2: The Mouse Story (Weather Signs)

7) Integrating ASL into creative dramatics

8) Notes about this week’s vocabulary

10) Vocabulary Practice Activity

11) Resources and Printable Handouts

12) Quiz

Assignment: Using the criteria in this week’s lesson, select 2-3 books or stories you might use in your storytime or classroom and discuss how you could add signs to them.

Forum: Week 4 Questions and Comments

Week 5: Signing with Older Children and Teens

1) Review activity

2) Group Management Signs: LINE-UP, WANT, DON’T-WANT, LIKE, DON’T-LIKE, INSIDE, OUTSIDE, SORRY, EXCUSE-ME, SIT, STAND, RESPECT, PAY-ATTENTION, CAREFUL

3) Considerations for this age group:

• Developmental overview: motor skills, spoken and sign language development
• Benefits of signing
• Selecting storytime activities
• Selecting signs
• Fingerspelling
• Tips for introducing and reinforcing signs

4) Activity Video #1: Celebration Signs

5) Teaching about ASL and Deaf Culture

6) Activity Video #2: Story

7) When the kids learn faster than you do

8) Notes about this week’s vocabulary

10) Vocabulary Practice Activity

11) Resources and Printable Handouts

12) Quiz

Assignment: Select one of the books or stories you wrote about in last week’s assignment. Practice it as you would present it in storytime and record a video of yourself presenting it and demonstrating the signs. Send it to your instructor for feedback.

Forum: Week 5 Questions and Comments

Week 6: Connecting with the Deaf Community

1) Review activity

2) Deaf Community Signs: DEAF, HEARING, HARD-OF-HEARING, AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE, ASL, CULTURE, COMMUNITY, COMMUNICATE, CONNECT, INTERPRETER, REQUEST

3) How to Communicate with Someone Who is Deaf

4) Activity Video #1: Transportation Song

5) Working with ASL Interpreters

6) Activity Video #2: Story (Community Signs)

7) Working with Deaf children in your storytime or classroom

8) Notes about this week’s vocabulary

10) Vocabulary Practice Activity

11) Resources and Printable Handouts

12) Quiz

Assignment: Practice your book or story using the feedback from the instructor on your video. Post your activity in the assignment forum with this week. If you feel comfortable sharing your video with your classmates, you can post it. If you do not wish to share your video, post a description of the book or story and how you used signs with it, along with links to any vocabulary not already covered in the course from signingsavvy.com, aslpro.com, or handtalk.com. Browse your classmates’ posts to add to your storytime toolbox!

Forum: Week 6 Questions and Comments

Conclusion video

About the Instructor

Kathy MacMillan is a freelance writer and nationally certified American Sign Language interpreter. She is the author of Nita's First Signs (Familius Press), as well as the author or co-author of many books from 91´«Ã½ Editions, including Little Hands & Big Hands: Children and Adults Signing Together and the Storytime Magic series. She was the library/media specialist at the Maryland School for the Deaf from 2001 to 2005 and has worked in public libraries since 1996. She presents storytelling programs introducing sign language through and offers training and resources for enhancing storytimes through . Her debut young adult novel, Sword and Verse, was published by HarperCollins in 2016.

Registration for this 91´«Ã½ Publishing eLearning Solutions facilitated eCourse, which begins on April 8, 2019, can be purchased at the . Participants in this course will need regular access to a computer with an internet connection for online message board participation, viewing online video, listening to streaming audio (MP3 files), and downloading and viewing PDF and PowerPoint files.

91´«Ã½ Publishing eLearning Solutions (ELS) produces high-quality professional development events and materials for the library profession. ELS events cover modern issues on a wide variety of topics in formats that include live workshops, asynchronous eCourses, and print publications. We help ensure that today’s library employees have access to the professional development opportunities they need, whether they are brushing up on the basics or expanding their horizons with cutting-edge tools. Contact us at elsmarketing@ala.org.

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