Home›Lesson Plans›World Languages›American Sign Language · Grade 4

ASL Animals

Fourth graders learn animal signs in ASL — CAT, DOG, BIRD, FISH, BEAR — many of which act out the animal (a cat’s whiskers, a bird’s beak, a fish swimming). Signs that look like their meaning are fun to learn!

Grade 4Animals40 minutes1 class periodACTFL / Visual LanguageExplicit teaching4 StandardsACTFL
Start the Lesson
Lesson at a Glance

Everything you need before the bell rings

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to…

  • ✓Sign animals.
  • ✓See iconic signs.
  • ✓Match signs to animals.
  • ✓Sign about pets.
Essential Question

Many ASL animal signs act out the animal! Can you match each sign to the right animal?

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Lesson Phases
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Vocabulary Terms
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Standards Aligned
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Interactive Task
Match It · Interactive

Match the Animal Sign

Project this and match each ASL sign description to the right animal — tap the description, then tap the animal.

🐾 Match each sign to its animalTry it
The Sign
Animal
Now tap the animal!
The Lesson · Visual-Language Flow (Warm-Up · Present · Practice · Sign · Reflect)

40 minutes, five moves

Tap any phase to open the teacher moves and student actions.

1

Warm-Up — Signs That Act It Out

4 min

Many animal signs act out the animal — can you match them?

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Mime a cat’s whiskers.
  • Ask what animal.
  • Set the goal.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Guess.
  • Guess.
  • Get ready.
2

Present — Animals

10 min

Students learn.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Model each sign.
  • Note it looks like the animal.
  • Have students copy.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Watch.
  • Note it.
  • Copy.
3

Practice — Match Them

11 min

Students practice.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Send students to Match the Animal Sign.
  • Match each one.
  • Sign along.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Match.
  • Sign.
  • Explain.
4

Sign — Sign

10 min

Students sign.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Sign a pet.
  • Sign your favorite animal.
  • Sign to a partner.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Sign it.
  • Sign it.
  • Sign.
5

Reflect — Reflect

5 min

Students close.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Sign an animal.
  • Say which one.
  • Complete the exit ticket.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Sign one.
  • Say it.
  • Complete the exit ticket.
Standards Alignment

Built to the standards you report on

Aligned to the ACTFL World-Readiness Standards for Learning Languages (Novice).

ACTFL
Communication 1.2

Interpretive: understand animal signs.

ACTFL
Communication 1.1

Interpersonal: sign animals.

ACTFL
Connections 3.1

Connect to science.

ACTFL
Comparisons 4.1

Compare iconic signs.

Differentiation

One lesson, every learner

Multilingual Learners

ELL / EMERGING READERS
  • Animal sign photo cards.
  • Model each sign.
  • Use a mirror.

Support & Access

IEP / 504
  • Start with CAT and DOG.
  • Match one pair at a time.
  • Copy together.

Stretch & Extend

GIFTED / EARLY FINISHERS
  • Add HORSE and RABBIT.
  • Sign a pet.
  • Play an animal charades game.
Materials

What to gather

  • 📽️Screen / board
  • 🐾Animal cards
  • 💻Match the Animal Sign
  • 🪩A mirror (optional)
  • ✏️Pencils
  • 🎫Exit-ticket slips
Vocabulary

Key terms — hover for a quick definition

animala living creatureCATwhiskers out from the cheeksDOGpat thigh or snapBIRDbeak at the mouthFISHhand swims forwardBEARclaw/scratch the chestpetan animal you care foriconica sign that looks like its meaning
Evaluate

Exit Ticket

Preview the three formative checks. Tap “Sample answer” to see what mastery looks like — hide them before you print for students.

QUESTION 1
How do you sign CAT?
Two fingers “whisker” out from your cheeks.
QUESTION 2
How do you sign FISH?
Move a flat hand forward, wiggling like a swimming fish.
QUESTION 3
How do you sign BIRD?
Open and close a “beak” at your mouth.

Reflect: animals.

Have students sign CAT and DOG and act out one more animal. A printable ASL animals sheet is in the World Languages library.

Study · Flashcards

Study the key terms

Tap a card to flip it, then rate whether you knew it. Built from this lesson’s vocabulary.

🃏 ASL AnimalsFlip
Card 1
Term
Tap to flip →
Meaning
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Nice work!

Practice · Quiz

Check your understanding

A quick self-check with instant feedback, drawn from this lesson’s key terms.

📝 ASL AnimalsQuiz
Score: 0
1 / 6
Question 1
0%

Nice work!

Practice · Worksheet

Printable worksheet

A print-and-go review sheet with a built-in answer key. Tap “Show answer key” to reveal answers, or print the clean version for students.

🖨️ ASL AnimalsPrint
Name: ________________________
Date: ____________

Part A · Write the word that matches each meaning

Word bank: animal, BEAR, BIRD, CAT, DOG, FISH, iconic, pet
  1. beak at the mouth
  2. an animal you care for
  3. pat thigh or snap
  4. hand swims forward
  5. a sign that looks like its meaning
  6. claw/scratch the chest
  7. whiskers out from the cheeks
  8. a living creature

Part B · Show what you learned

  1. How do you sign CAT?
  2. How do you sign FISH?
  3. How do you sign BIRD?
Answer key — Part A: 1) BIRD · 2) pet · 3) DOG · 4) FISH · 5) iconic · 6) BEAR · 7) CAT · 8) animal
Part B: 1) Two fingers “whisker” out from your cheeks. 2) Move a flat hand forward, wiggling like a swimming fish. 3) Open and close a “beak” at your mouth.