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ASL Days of the Week

Fifth graders learn the days of the week in ASL — and discover a clever pattern: most weekdays use the letter handshape of their first letter (M, T, W, F) moved in a small circle! They put the school days in order.

Grade 5Days45 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 the days.
  • ✓See the letter-circle pattern.
  • ✓Order the days.
  • ✓Talk about the week.
Essential Question

Most ASL weekdays use their first letter, moved in a small circle. Can you sign and order the school days?

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Lesson Phases
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Vocabulary Terms
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Standards Aligned
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Interactive Task
Put in Order · Interactive

Order the Days

Project this and have students put the ASL school days in order, MONDAY to FRIDAY.

📅 Put the days in order — Monday to Friday!Try it
Tap MONDAY first!
The Lesson · Visual-Language Flow (Warm-Up · Present · Practice · Sign · Reflect)

45 minutes, five moves

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

1

Warm-Up — Letters in a Circle

5 min

Most ASL weekdays use their first letter in a small circle — can you order them?

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Show MONDAY.
  • Note the “M” handshape.
  • Set the goal.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Look.
  • Notice.
  • Get ready.
2

Present — Days

11 min

Students learn.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Model MONDAY to FRIDAY.
  • Note letter + circle.
  • Have students copy.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Watch.
  • Note it.
  • Copy.
3

Practice — Order Them

12 min

Students practice.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Send students to Order the Days.
  • Put them in order.
  • Sign along.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Order.
  • Sign.
  • Explain.
4

Sign — Sign

11 min

Students sign.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Sign today’s day.
  • Sign tomorrow’s.
  • Sign to a partner.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Sign it.
  • Sign it.
  • Sign.
5

Reflect — Reflect

6 min

Students close.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Sign a day.
  • 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-Mid).

ACTFL
Communication 1.2

Interpretive: read day signs.

ACTFL
Communication 1.1

Interpersonal: name days.

ACTFL
Connections 3.1

Connect to the calendar.

ACTFL
Comparisons 4.2

Compare day systems.

Differentiation

One lesson, every learner

Multilingual Learners

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

Support & Access

IEP / 504
  • Start with MONDAY and FRIDAY.
  • Order two at a time.
  • Copy together.

Stretch & Extend

GIFTED / EARLY FINISHERS
  • Add SATURDAY and SUNDAY.
  • Sign your favorite day.
  • Make a signed schedule.
Materials

What to gather

  • 📽️Screen / board
  • 📅A weekly calendar
  • 💻Order the Days
  • 🪩A mirror (optional)
  • ✏️Pencils
  • 🎫Exit-ticket slips
Vocabulary

Key terms — hover for a quick definition

dayone part of the weekMONDAY“M” handshape, small circleTUESDAY“T” handshape, small circleWEDNESDAY“W” handshape, small circleTHURSDAY“H” handshape, small circleFRIDAY“F” handshape, small circleweekseven daysweekendSaturday and Sunday
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 MONDAY?
Make an “M” handshape and move it in a small circle.
QUESTION 2
What is the pattern for most ASL weekdays?
The first letter’s handshape, moved in a small circle.
QUESTION 3
How do you sign FRIDAY?
Make an “F” handshape and move it in a small circle.

Reflect: days.

Have students sign the school days in order, MONDAY to FRIDAY. A printable ASL days 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 Days of the WeekFlip
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 Days of the WeekQuiz
Score: 0
1 / 6
Question 1
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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 Days of the WeekPrint
Name: ________________________
Date: ____________

Part A · Write the word that matches each meaning

Word bank: day, FRIDAY, MONDAY, THURSDAY, TUESDAY, WEDNESDAY, week, weekend
  1. one part of the week
  2. “W” handshape, small circle
  3. Saturday and Sunday
  4. “H” handshape, small circle
  5. “M” handshape, small circle
  6. “T” handshape, small circle
  7. “F” handshape, small circle
  8. seven days

Part B · Show what you learned

  1. How do you sign MONDAY?
  2. What is the pattern for most ASL weekdays?
  3. How do you sign FRIDAY?
Answer key — Part A: 1) day · 2) WEDNESDAY · 3) weekend · 4) THURSDAY · 5) MONDAY · 6) TUESDAY · 7) FRIDAY · 8) week
Part B: 1) Make an “M” handshape and move it in a small circle. 2) The first letter’s handshape, moved in a small circle. 3) Make an “F” handshape and move it in a small circle.