Fingerspelling/Spelling Bee, Intermediate-Mid, ASL 202, Lab 10

Created Feb. 7, 2024 by Amber Hoye, Delaney Lyon, Camille Daw, Mimi Fahnstrom

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1. Use the Activity as is:

Before you begin:

  • Most activities are 30 minutes in duration, unless otherwise specified.
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3. Adapt for Another Language:

  • See the linked English Version at the top of the activity (English Version may not be available for all activities)

Fingerspelling/Spelling Bee, Intermediate Mid

Description:

Students are exposed to a wide variety of things to do with this activity, each individual activity focuses on either expressive or receptive signs. All four activities work on improving fingerspelling skills, as well as reading fingerspelling. Students also get a chance to experience tactile signing in one of the activities!

Proficiency Level:

Intermediate Mid

Keywords:

  • Fingerspelling, Tactile Sign, Expressive, Receptive 

NCSSFL-ACTFL Can-Do Statements:

  • In my own and other cultures, I can understand tactile communication.
  • I can understand the main idea of a fingerspelled sentence.
  • I can improve upon my expressive and receptive skills. 

NCSSFL-ACTFL World-Readiness Standards

Standard 1.1: Students engage in conversations and correspondence in American Sign Language to provide and obtain information, express feelings and emotions, and exchange opinions.

Standard 1.2: Students comprehend and interpret live and recorded American Sign Language on a variety of topics

Idaho Content Standards for World Languages

COMM 1.1: Interact and negotiate meaning (spoken, signed, written conversation) to share information, reactions, feelings, and opinions.

COMM 2.1: Understand, interpret, and analyze what is heard, read, or viewed on a variety of topics.

Materials Needed:

Spelling Bee Cards

Fingerspelling Jam

Hellen Keller

Team Race Cards

Main Activity

1. There are 4 different activities to choose from, there wont be time to do all four so choose 2 or 3. 

Speling Bee (receptive)
1. Hand out whiteboards and markers to everyone.
2. The lab assistant will have a card of words to fingerspell to the group.

I will fingerspell a couple of words. 

3. Lab assistant will start out slow for the first chunk of words, then increase speed as the activity goes on.

I will go slow to begin with, but then I will increase the speed as the activity continues. 

4. When all words are signed, show students the correct answers.

When I finish signing all the cards, I will show the correct answers. 

Fingerspelling Jam (expressive)

Hand out a Fingerspelling Jam card to each student, this will be used for all three songs

You will use the Fingerspelling Jam card for all three songs. When a song ends, begin from where you ended from the previous songs. 
1. Students will start off where they ended from the previous song.
2. If students get through the card, give them another (do not duplicate).

When you finish one card, I will give you another. Song #1 has the slowest tempo. I will demonstrate how you should fingerspell to the beat. 
3. Start with song #1 at the slowest tempo and model how students should fingerspell to the beat.
4. Fingerspell together with the song.
5. You do not have to finish the song, maybe do one or two minutes just to show them what they're doing.
6. Increase in speed by going to song #2, and then #3

Song #2 and Song #3 will increase in speed. 
          slow: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjr68pehq6A
          medium: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8B5AOljhsY
          fast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-DmCZcYK6I

Hellen Keller (receptive & expressive)

1. Students will get in partners, have students choose to be first or second.

Find a partner. One student will close their eyes. The first student to close their eyes will hold their hands out. 
2. The first student will close their eyes.
3. The second student will fingerspell the words from the cards to them while student one feels their hands to read it.

The second student needs to fingerspell the words from their cards while the first student "reads" it using the feelings off their hands. The first student will repeat the word back to the first student.
4. Student one will then repeat back the word to student two.
5. Student two will sign either yes or no to student one while they feel their hands.

The second student will sign yes or no to the first student using their hands. 
6. Switch after 5-7 minutes.

Switch after 5-7 minutes. 

Fingerspelling Race (expressive)

1. Students will get in partners, have students choose to be first or second.

Find a partner. Every student will get the same card with the same number of words on it. 
2. Every student will get the same card with the same words on it (there are three sets).
3. Student one will start the first letter of word number one and student two will then fingerspell the second letter of word number one and so on.

The first student will fingerspell the first letter of the first word. The second student will fingerspell the second letter of the same word. Then, the turn will cycle back to the first student. Students will continue until they finish the entire card. The first team that is done will raise their hands. 
4. The first team that is done will raise their hand and win!

Wrap-up

Ask the following questions to finish the lab: 

1. Which activities did you chose? Did you like them?
2. Do you think these activities were good for practicing your expressive and receptive skills?

End of lab:

• Read Can-Do statements once more and have students evaluate their confidence. 
(Use thumbs up/thumbs down or download our student cards.) 
• Encourage students to be honest in their self-evaluation.
• Pay attention, and try to use feedback for future labs!

NCSSFL-ACTFL Can-Do Statements:

  • In my own and other cultures, I can understand tactile communication.
  • I can understand the main idea of a fingerspelled sentence.
  • I can improve upon my expressive and receptive skills. 

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