Guide to Using ASL Tales

1. "Play Story"
   Getting Started
• ENJOY. Children should first approach this book in their native language. Watching the DVD while listening to the story will be entertaining even before children and adults comprehend the ASL.
• Start by using the audio. As your child becomes familiar with the story, turn off the volume.
• Continue using the page by page version ("Play Story") until your child is very comfortable with the written and spoken text.
2. "ASL Clues"
   This portion of the DVD is designed to guide the reader in distinguishing some of the ASL message.
• We encourage you to guess what is happening on the clip. Theorize what part of the story is being represented. Resist the temptation to immediately look for the answer. Practice seeing.
• Read the description on the website. Can you see how the ASL represents the description? Guess which movements in the ASL represent the concepts in the description.
• Read “things to notice’. See if you can find them in the video clip.
• Use the time codes on the DVD to confirm what you have seen with the ASL Clues activity.
3. Glossary
   ASL is a complex language. Our intention is to help your child see the world visually as sign language users do, so we are not focused on teaching vocabulary. The glossary is provided to teach your child the ASL vocabulary essential to understanding the story.
• Use the glossary section as a dictionary to help identify specific signs in the ASL text.
• You child may chose to practice using and/or memorizing the signs in the glossary. This is not essential for effectively using ASL Tales.
4. “ASL Only”
   After becoming familiar with the page by page version (“Play Story”), practicing all the page clips (“ASL Clues”), and learning the glossary, your child will be ready to watch and enjoy the uninterrupted ASL story.
• The changing borders on the DVD provide page cues to help your child know where they are in the story.
• Ask your child to identify what they are seeing. This version is slightly different than the page by page version. Ask them to identify the differences.
• We suggest that your child practice seeing the story before trying to produce the signs. At this point in your child’s practice, you may wish to alternate between watching “Play Story” and “ASL Only” when the amount of ASL text is overwhelming.
5. Audio Only
   The section of the DVD is designed for your child to spend supported independent reading time with the book.
• They may use the DVD like an audio cassette, listening and reading along with the story.
• They may want to just listen to the story, watch the pictures, and increasingly remember more of the signs associated with the page.