If I could just open up my brain and insert perfect knowledge of a topic, it would be languages: and ASL would be at the top of that list. Besides having the ability to communicate with more people, knowing another language gives you great insight into a culture that you are not familiar with.
Books
We will start with a few we have on our shelves to learn a little about the signing community.
978-037-445-3664
Moses and his school friends are deaf, but like most children, they have a lot to say. They communicate in American Sign Language, using visual signs and facial expressions. This is called signing. And even though they can't hear, they can enjoy many activities through their other senses. Today, Moses and his classmates are going to a concert. Their teacher, Mr. Samuels, has two surprises in store for them, to make this particular concert a special event.
This series also includes Moses Sees a Play, Moses Goes to School and Moses Goes to the Circus. They are older and may be hard to find, but do a great job of showing Moses and his friends as being different from many kids in some ways, but just like every other kid in most others!
978-156-145-8332
Experience the sights and sounds of 1930s Brooklyn and Coney Island through the eyes—and ears—of a hearing boy and his deaf parents.
A Brooklyn family takes an outing to Coney Island, where they enjoy the rides, the food, and the sights. The father longs to know how everything sounds. Though his son does his best to interpret their noisy surroundings through sign language, he struggles to convey the subtle differences between the “loud” of the ocean and the “loud” of a roller coaster. When the family drops in at the library after dinner, the boy makes a discovery. Perhaps the words he needs are within reach, after all.
This book was nominated for the Cybils Award a few years back, and while it did not make our short list, I did enjoy it! Uhlberg writes form his own experiences as the child of deaf parents.
978-141-971-0223
A mother and daughter spend a sunny day at the beach together where they swim, dance, build sandcastles, and, most importantly, communicate. But their communication is not spoken; rather, it is created by loving hands that use American Sign Language.
Readers will learn how to sign 15 words using American Sign Language with the help of sidebars that are both instructive and playful.
ASL
Well of course we need to learn some ASL! Where you begin will depend on a lot of things. Some kids (and adults) already know the ASL alphabet, or maybe a few words. My youngest's fabulous teacher teaches her class signs all year long. We have several books and DVDs at the library that you can check out once we reopen! In the meantime, a friend pointed me towards the Garden Home Montessori School on Facebook (click here for link!), which frequently features videos in sign. Everything is easier to learn when it is connected to music...although now I have "Five Green Speckled Frogs" stuck in my head on repeat...
Writing
Go for a walk in your neighborhood and make a list of the sounds you hear. Maybe even bring something to record them! When you get back, try to describe those sounds in writing. This is a great time to break out the thesaurus, whether paper or online! Tell the kids they can not use the same descriptive word more than once.
Music
Wanna cry? Of course you do. "Mr. Holland's Opus" is one of those movies that just has me bawling like a baby all the way through. One of the big subthemes is that the only son of the main character, who is a musician, is born deaf. There are some fabulous scenes surrounding old ways of thought on education and some relationship struggles. I highly recommend watching the whole movie together, but here is a scene where Mr. Holland decides to reach out by presenting a concert at his son's school.
Just as in our first book, Mr. Holland realizes that there are many ways music can be enjoyed by everyone! Choose some favorite songs and explore different ways to express them. Dance, use lights, draw, copy the words and decorate them...or learn to sign them!
Social Studies
This a faaaaaabulous opportunity to talk about how we are all different, that some differences are more obvious than others, that our differences are awesome, and that we should never ASSUME things about people based on one characteristic. Here is a great video one of my friends shared with me that can get you started:
Check your privilege! Nyle DiMarco talks here about going to the movie theater:
Personally, I love watching videos and movies with captioning. But, did you notice the pop-up ads covering half the words all the way through that? That's like someone constantly putting their hands over your ears while someone is talking to you! Rude!!
I recently watched a press conference with our Governor. She has some regular interpreters who take turns signing next to her, but every time she wants to show a chart or slide, they disappear...yet she is still talking! Challenge your kids to be a little more aware, and notice things that might make information and resources less accessible to some people.
Okay, let's be honest, Moms: who wouldn't mind looking at Nyle DiMarco just a little bit longer? Here he is again, talking about hearing people portraying deaf people in films:
Hollywood seems to understand now that it isn't right to cast people of one ethnicity as another...so why is it okay to cast hearing people as deaf? Good discussion topic!
Web Sites to Explore
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