sign language lessons Archives

ASL Lesson 11: How to Use Signs for School in Sign Language

November 29, 2016 by Selena Robinson 1 Comment

It’s time for another American Sign Language lesson and, in this video, we’re learning how to use signs for school in sign language!

In the deaf community, schooling is a HUGE part of life. Many deaf children and adults attend institutions that are specifically geared to the deaf and hard-of-hearing, so they make lifelong connections at these schools. Some deaf kids and adults, though, attend public schools where they receive instruction alongside hearing individuals with the aid of an interpreter.

Either way, learning how to use signs related to school is important if you’re going to try to talk about education or schooling with a deaf or hard-of-hearing person. And learning these signs can help!

If you enjoy this lesson, stop by and check out how to sign animals in ASL and how to talk about weather in sign language too!

How to Use Signs for School in Sign Language

In this video, you’ll learn the ASL signs for the following words:

School
Book
Homeschool
Homework
Graduation
Backpack
Math
Science
Reading
English
Writing
and History!

Just a quick note here: In ASL, the sign “English” typically does not refer to the school subject. It generally refers to the English language. Deaf people who are hard-of-hearing or who attend hearing schools, though, may use the sign for “English” to refer to the subject or the study of English lit.

Not many deaf kids are homeschooled (at least not that I know of), but since we’re homeschoolers, I had to include the sign for “homeschool”. And it’s a literal compound sign: the sign for “home” and the sign for “school” stuck together. 🙂

If you enjoyed this ASL lesson on school signs, check out some of our other American Sign Language lessons!

And get more ASL tips on my American Sign Language Lessons board on Pinterest!

ASL Lesson 10: How to Ask Questions in Sign Language

October 4, 2016 by Selena Robinson 2 Comments

It’s been almost literally forever, but I’ve got another sign language lesson for you today! And it only took 365 days! This lesson is all about how to ask questions in ASL.

When you’re first learning sign language, using questions can be kind of awkward. First, they nearly always appear at the end of a sentence, which is weird to English speakers.

Example: “Where did you eat last night?”

In ASL, you would sign: “Last night, you eat where?” (Or something similar)

So it can be kind of strange using them. But once you get the hang of it, you’ll be signing questions all over the place! Read on to learn more about how to ask questions in sign language!

How to Ask Questions in Sign Language

This video includes a lesson in how to sign these common question words:

Who
What
Where
Why
When
How
What’s up

I also talk a little about how these question words are used. For example, “What’s up?” in sign language is often used as an informal greeting, just as it is in English. (“Hey! What’s up?) But it’s also used to ask for more information or for an explanation of a concept.

So you might see a sentence signed like this: “That book, what’s up?” – which means “What is that book about?” Or you might see this: “Before happen, what’s up?” – which means “Tell me about what happened earlier.” In English, “What’s up” is still considered slang, but it’s perfectly proper grammar in ASL!

Take a look at the video to see more about how to use question words in sign language!

Do you have any specific American Sign Language topics you’d like to learn more about? Give me some suggestions in the comments!

Don’t miss these other sign language resources!

Learn more about how to use American Sign Language in your homeschool on my Pinterest board!

ASL Lesson 8: ASL Weather Signs

September 17, 2014 by Selena Robinson 14 Comments

In keeping with the change of seasons, we’re sharing an American Sign Language lesson today that covers ASL weather signs! The video lesson also includes a primer on how to sign the seasons in ASL.

Learning to sign about the weather can really help you hold a conversation with a deaf or hard-of-hearing individual. After all, who doesn’t talk about the weather? And deaf people are no exception. Talking about the weather in your area is a wonderful icebreaker when you’re first getting to know someone who signs.

For more ASL practice, grab our set of free Weather ASL Fingerspelling Pages!

How to Use ASL Weather Signs

In this video, you’ll learn the signs for:

Spring
Summer
Fall
Winter
Weather
Rain
Flood
Ice
Snow
Storm
Lightning
Wind
Hurricane
Tornado

As you watch the video, you might see that facial expression and intensity play a huge role in the signs. For example, the sign “wind” changes in meaning, depending on how hard you sign it. It can mean a gentle breeze or it can mean a strong gust.

The same is true of “rain”. If you sign it softly, it means a shower. But if you sign it strongly, it can mean a storm or a downpour. Signing with intensity is the ASL equivalent of raising your voice. 🙂

Scroll down to watch the full lesson below! And don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel to see all of our videos as they become available!

Don’t miss these other ASL learning resources!

Watch the ASL Weather Signs lesson here!

And see more tips for learning ASL on my Sign Language Lessons Pinterest board!

ASL Lesson 1: ASL Alphabet and Numbers

November 25, 2013 by Selena Robinson 4 Comments

Hey everyone! I’m super excited today because we’re starting a new ASL lesson video series here at Look! We’re Learning! Our first ASL video lesson is up on YouTube and it’s a review of the letters A through Z, as well as numbers 0 through a quadrillion! (Really.)

How to Sign the Alphabet in ASL

We’ve shared some great resources that feature how to sign the alphabet in sign language! Check them out below:

Get more ideas for learning ASL on my American Sign Language Lessons board on Pinterest!