Help, Ive got to teach 5 year olds!!!!

[signtalker]

well as i do freelance work for another company from time to time, I got asked last night to teach in a school starting next week,not a problem as ive done this on many an occasion.

Trouble is,its 3 classes of 26 children aged 5 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OKay so Im a parent, and remember at that age, theyve all got the attention span of a knat, and dont sit still!!!

Trouble is im supposed to cover
fingerspelling(in sign language)
Animals (in sign language)
And how to interact with deaf people(ie face them,tap them on the shoulder etc etc).

Im gonna introduce a game, so they dont get bored, but anybody got any tips(apart from run and hide,or take a big stick LOL!!!).
jules

 

[CarolynU]

Jules, my friend is a qualified schoolteacher, and also has extra qualifications in sign language, and children who are hearing impaired and profoundly deaf who do not use signing as their first mode of communication. She is currently teaching 5/6/ year olds both hearing impaired and main stream. If you think that she can be of any help to you just pm me and I'll send you her e-mail address. Carolyn

 

[signtalker]

Caroyln, thanks for that, I am myself a qualified teacher and interpreteur for the deaf, teaching deaf or hearing impaired 5 years olds would be an easy task for me!!!.As i normally teach older mainstream children(when im not interpreting in fluent BSL)

Hearing 5 year olds however ive not worked that closely with, and seeing as the classes are to last only 30 minutes each, I thought the teacher IMHO was trying to cram too much into that time!

Its always easier I find to aim your lessons at older children/adults, but even harder to bring your lessons down to the bare basics with younger children.

Been running a few things by DH, and if all else fails I'll borrow, my next door neighbours 5 year old to practise on LOL!!!.
Jules

 

[KayleeUK]

Can't help but good luck Jules 26 five year olds - run for the hills

 

[sadeeyore]

signtalker - good luck with all those 5 year olds.
My oldest DS was taught some signing when he was about 5 (there was a deaf child who signed in the school). DS and his friends loved learning how to sign. He would come home at night and tell us all about it and show us the signs he had learnt that day.
Hope you have fun
Helen

 

[Mike Jones]

..no tips, Jules, but the images make me smile a lot! Nearest I've come to this is 'moderator' at the kids' parties...my truly Darling Wife once allowed me to volunteer to supervise 20,(count'em, folks, 20) 6 year old boys... alone! Has she no shame? When I eventually got home, in tears, with pieces of my clothing missing, stained deep Vimto around the edges, blubbering about trying to keep them all in view/in the building/out of the girl's toilets et al, she said: "Well, dear, I'll only do 5 or 6 at a time myself!!"

Hope it goes well for you!!

Mike

 

[signtalker]

Thanks for that LOL

Would you beleive, Im even having sleepless nights trying to plan these lessons!!!

Everytime I come up with something, when I rethink,it looks pants

Give me 16 year olds any day LOL

Jules

 

[CarolynU]

Sorry Jules, I don't think that I made myself very clear. My friend actually teaches hearing 5year olds in school, as part of reverse integration. Is that any help? Goodness knows why though LOL!!! Carolyn