Sign Language Club

Today we played Thanksgiving Bingo. The students enjoyed breaking up into groups and playing the game to help them remember the signs. Next week to celebrate we will play it as a huge class and they can win candy or gum...this week they won small candy bars. What a fun way to learn!

Working Hard with the Photography class. New assignment was to create a black and white photograph that could be hand colored, work on "Depth of Field" and have a occupational picture too. This a wonderful picture of the Hand Coloring assignment. The nest was found built outside on the school's ledge...we put in the broken eggs to have more to color...so fun!

The "Car Detailing" crew got help from the whole class when the Urbana Fire Truck needed washing!! What a great project for the class and we all had so much fun helping out or Volunteer Fire Department!!

"New NHS club teaches students how to sign." That was the start of an article written about the sign club. So excited to help get the word out about sign language. I have an awesome group of students that want to take part in learning another language and culture! This year the goal for the club is to reach out to students who aren't in the club and help them learn some of the basics of the language. We also want to go to the local theater in Wabash and encourage the theater to add Close Captioning to their menu of things to offer the public. We will do research and plan a meeting with the theater to present all our findings. We will take some time in the club to also learn about Deaf culture. The students are as excited as I am about the club!! Looking forward to teaching the students, and I am sure they will also teach me!!

Helpful hints for the student to preview

More helpful hints (from my camera)

Student's pictures

Still helping my student with texture, composition and balance. Here we are adding to the 2nd assignment...point of view, an old porch and people. I have found by using my digital camera set in the black and white setting for picture, I can help the student see what the picture looks like from where we are standing or sitting. You see the pictures the student took and developed and you also see the pictures that I took to help the student get a preview of what that certain picture would look like at that location. Another successful group of pictures for the given assignment.

The awesome and understanding teachers

Work hard at We Can

Making really cute purses

Making Candle Holders

Working on crafts to sell


We Can a wonderful work site

We Can is a work site where the students get to practice what it is like to have a job. When they arrive, they have to clock-in, get there work instructions and then go to the job listed first on their worksheet. They have different jobs each week so that they get to do all jobs. There is hand sewing, machine sewing, painting, sanding and beading for jewelry, just to name a few. What a great experience the students get at We Can!!

Well, the school year is well under way and it's time to start a Sign Club.

I am so excited to get this started. I had students sign up for the

club during their lunch periods. I will have a club during

SSR time for the students that can't stay after school.

I will also have an evening class too. I was very

pleased to see how many interested

students wanted to learn sign.

It's going to be another

GREAT year!!

Rocket Launched

Rocket getting ready for launch

As an interpreter, I am always looking for a visual way to help the deaf student understand vocabulary. Sometimes education in other classes will have the best opportunity's, for giving visual examples...EVER!! Here we were discussing extreme animals, that are the loudest, I needed to explain to the student that "est" means MOST, so we would sign... Most Loud instead of "loudest"...in SEE we could add the ending of the word with the added sign. The student I am working with is excited to know both ways of sign...then picks the one liked most. This sentence really has no meaning...but adding a visual, of a rocket launching, shows the power, which helps the understanding of the noise. We were lucky that the science class were working on their very own rocket launch...we got to see, on a small scale what it looks like...then using the Internet we also explored a real rocket launch. What a great visual for understanding!!

Car Detailing

Students get the chance to work different jobs to see what fits. Here the students work hard at detailing cars. When I interpret for this, it's pretty easy because it is all very visual. These job experiences are great self-esteem boosters for the students!

Darkroom view with red light

Finished photos with red light

Darkroom with enlargers (lights on)

Finished pictures

Negatives and Contact sheet

This year my student has chosen a photography class. As an interpreter I have to have access to the vocabulary ahead of time. In photography class there are many vocab words that I will have to spell and then describe what the meaning of the words are. My student and I will come up with signs just for the vocabulary that do not have signs. This is a very interesting class to interpret for. As you can see we develop the black and white film as well as take the picture. My student finds this a hard class but also enjoys the outcome and the success of working hard.
The assignments includes one picture in the courtyard ,one picture that represents texture and one picture that represents composition. My student had many pictures picked the teacher. I must add that I love the bus picture, it represent composition.

This is our room most of the time...I love what it says on the overhead..."I should always remember how important I am. I believe in myself, I can do many great things."...We all need to remember this very important message!! I have my student sign this sentence and then we talk about the meaning and how we can always remember how important it is to stay positive!!

I am now a Northfield Norseman...My student moved and is going to a new school. This is a new school year with yet another new school. I am very excited to share how an interpreter works in the classroom and the teacher are very open to us being there!! What a great beginning!!

ICE CREAM eating contest!!

Carnival Night...the kids loved this!!

The Crafts Group

Us working the Crafts

In July, I was able to join the crafts group at Camp Mack and be a craft helper at the Deaf Camp!! It was an awesome opportunity to learn more sign and become closer to my students. I was able to see both the students that I have worked with over that last 5 years. During the summer I also finished my ceu's and am certified until 2013. What a busy summer!!

The clash of Medieval Time

Castle of Medieval Times

The museum

Scenes from the boat

Wendella Boat Tour

The Bears

Went with the kids of Manchester to Chicago...Preped my student with visuals and learning the schedule of the day ahead of time...That made for a great Trip that started at 6am and lasted until 1:30 am the next day.

During the 2009-2010 School year I was able to attend the SEE Signing seminar... I learned so much!!

It has been awhile since I have been on the blogsite...I worked very hard this year with an eight grade student and also helped out with a 10 year old as well. This has been a growing year for me and I am excited to say I enjoyed many things this year...I started an 7th and 8th grade sign club this 2009-2010 school year. I helped be an advocate for my 8th grade student who needed her voice heard and successfully helped the 10 year old student receive an interpreter!! What a year of learning for me!!