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ASL School Signs

Fifth graders learn school signs in ASL — SCHOOL, TEACHER, BOOK, LEARN, WRITE — the everyday vocabulary of the classroom, so they can sign about their school day.

Grade 5School Signs45 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 school words.
  • ✓Learn classroom signs.
  • ✓Match signs to meanings.
  • ✓Sign about school.
Essential Question

You spend your days at school — how do you sign SCHOOL, TEACHER, and BOOK in ASL?

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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 School Sign

Project this and match each ASL sign description to its meaning — tap the description, then tap the meaning.

📚 Match each school sign to its meaningTry it
The Sign
Meaning
Now tap the meaning!
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 — At School

5 min

How do you sign SCHOOL, TEACHER, and BOOK in ASL?

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Point around the room.
  • Ask how to sign it.
  • Set the goal.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Look.
  • Guess.
  • Get ready.
2

Present — School Signs

11 min

Students learn.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Model each sign.
  • Have students copy.
  • Note the movement.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Watch.
  • Copy.
  • Try.
3

Practice — Match Them

12 min

Students practice.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

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

🎒 Student Actions

  • Match.
  • Sign.
  • Explain.
4

Sign — Sign

11 min

Students sign.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Sign SCHOOL and TEACHER.
  • Sign what you do in class.
  • Sign to a partner.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Sign it.
  • Sign it.
  • Sign.
5

Reflect — Reflect

6 min

Students close.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Sign a school word.
  • 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: understand school signs.

ACTFL
Connections 3.1

Connect to school life.

ACTFL
Comparisons 4.1

Compare classroom words.

ACTFL
Communication 1.1

Interpersonal: sign about school.

Differentiation

One lesson, every learner

Multilingual Learners

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

Support & Access

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

Stretch & Extend

GIFTED / EARLY FINISHERS
  • Add READ and STUDENT.
  • Sign your class schedule.
  • Describe your school.
Materials

What to gather

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

Key terms — hover for a quick definition

schoolthe place you learnSCHOOLclap hands togetherTEACHERhands from temples + personBOOKopen flat hands like a bookLEARNgrab to the foreheadWRITEwrite on the open palmSTUDENTLEARN + personREAD“V” hand scans the palm
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 SCHOOL?
Clap your hands together twice.
QUESTION 2
How do you sign BOOK?
Open your two flat hands like a book.
QUESTION 3
How do you sign LEARN?
Grab from an open palm toward your forehead.

Reflect: school.

Have students sign SCHOOL and TEACHER, and one thing they do in class (like WRITE). A printable ASL school 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 School SignsFlip
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 School SignsQuiz
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 School SignsPrint
Name: ________________________
Date: ____________

Part A · Write the word that matches each meaning

Word bank: BOOK, LEARN, READ, school, SCHOOL, STUDENT, TEACHER, WRITE
  1. the place you learn
  2. clap hands together
  3. write on the open palm
  4. LEARN + person
  5. open flat hands like a book
  6. hands from temples + person
  7. grab to the forehead
  8. “V” hand scans the palm

Part B · Show what you learned

  1. How do you sign SCHOOL?
  2. How do you sign BOOK?
  3. How do you sign LEARN?
Answer key — Part A: 1) school · 2) SCHOOL · 3) WRITE · 4) STUDENT · 5) BOOK · 6) TEACHER · 7) LEARN · 8) READ
Part B: 1) Clap your hands together twice. 2) Open your two flat hands like a book. 3) Grab from an open palm toward your forehead.