September 23^rd - International Day of Sign Languages

Introduction

In 2018, the United Nations declared September 23^rd International Day of Sign Languages, as part of the International Week of the Deaf. Founded on September 23^rd, 1951, the World Federation of the Deaf is a global movement to raise awareness of the issues Deaf people face in their everyday lives.

WFD is the representative body for 133 countries and it works to ensure Deaf people across the globe are equipped with the knowledge, tools and strategies to advocate for, achieve and defend their rights including:

• gaining recognition and respect for their own Sign languages and cultures,
• maintaining their organizations and activities,
• achieving their rights across all areas of life, including equal opportunity and accessibility.

Source: http://wfdeaf.org

K-2 - Language Arts, Social Studies

Gather students and ask;

• How do babies let you know if they are hungry, wet, or tired?
• How do you know if your pet has hurt their paw?
• What do you do to let your family know that you have been hurt? 

Explain that we all have ways to communicate with others. As people grow, most of us use language to communicate with each other.

Ask: How do people who can’t hear communicate with others?

Tell students that September 23^rd is a very important day because it is the International Day of Sign Languages. Ask students if they know what Sign language is. Watch the ASL alphabet/ABC song (Canadian version here), pausing if you wish to highlight some of the letters and let students try to form the letters.

Watch this short video and let students practice Signing Happy Canada Day!

3-5 Language Arts, Social Studies

Gather students and ask:

• Can anyone in the classroom speak more than one language? What is it? Please say “hello” in every language you can speak.
• How do you think people who cannot hear communicate with each other?
• What is Sign language?
• Why do you think Sign language is important?
• Besides people who can’t hear who else do you think might use Sign language? (Teachers, parents, caregivers, coaches, etc.)

Share the information in the introduction about the International Day of Sign Languages.

Explain that in Canada there are two official Sign languages: American Sign Language (ASL) and la Langue des Signes Quebecoise (LSQ). There is also a regional dialect, Maritimes Sign Language (MSL). It is through ASL that the Deaf community communicates and shares experiences, stories, poetry, humour, etc. In addition to Deaf users of ASL, many others may use ASL as a second or additional language.

Obtain a chart of the ASL alphabet (many are available online, e.g., here). Project it or distribute copies to students.

Ask students to learn how to Sign their names. Share them with the group.

Close by asking:

• Did you find this easy or hard? Please explain.
• How is learning Sign language like learning any other language? How is it different? Discuss.
• Why do you think we did this lesson today?

Allow students time to rehearse Signing their name and invite them to share what they have learned today with their families. 

6-8 - Language, Social Studies

Ask students:

• Can you speak more than one language? Which one? Please say something in all of the languages you can speak.
• Do you think that being able to communicate in more than one language is important? Why?
• If you were unable to hear, how could you communicate with others?
• Can you explain what Sign language is?

Share the information in the introduction about the International Day of Sign Languages.

Explain that Sign language is capitalized, because it is recognized as an official language.

Obtain a chart of the ASL alphabet (many are available online, e.g., here). Project it or distribute copies to students. Ask students to use the chart to create a short sentence (3-5 words) and then Sign it for the rest of the class. 

Close by asking;

1. What did you learn from today’s experience?
2. How did this activity affect the way you think about people who use Sign language to communicate?

Additional Ideas:

All Grades – Numeracy

Have students learn how to sign numbers and then work in pairs to sign and solve simple equations.
Resources can be found online to teach the numbers. For example:

• Numbers 1-10: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LIV0miyxR8&feature=emb_logo
• Numbers 11-20: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DL_7fooUJ20&feature=emb_logo
• Numbers 1-100: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=jjvzIgFNY9Q&feature=emb_logo