Hey ASL Teachers,

I just tried a new activity in my beginner ASL class today. I'm pleased with how it went and would like to share with you what I did.  You know the usual thing is to teach students how to spell their names and how to sign "What is your name?" "My name is -----"  and "Nice to Meet you".   Today I gave out an "attendance sheet" and told them they had to write down the names of each student that they met and to be sure they checked they got the spelling right with the other student.  I also taught them the signs for "First name", "Last name" and "preferred name".    This activity went really well - the students were really engaged and focused.  I feel that in the past when the students were not required to write down names, they were more focused on practicing expressive ASL and didn't pay as much attention to receptive ASL.   If you try this activity or have different approaches, let me know!

Hand waves!  Adrian