This is an article entitled 'Aiming for Total Communication' written for NASEN Special Extra Magazine Issue 8 July 2013 and gives an overview of the use of British Sign Language (BSL) signs in education. It includes illustrated examples of the importance of facial expression in communication and 'iconicity' - the pictorial element of signs and how this can link to meaning. BSL signs not only form the basis of communication for many children in the field of deafness and Special Educational Needs but there are some extremely encouraging developments by Luton Borough Council with whole schools learning signs targeted at specific areas of underachievement for hearing children.

To encourage all children to learn the fingerspelling alphabet and have fun with it. How many words can be made using the letters 'AUSTRALIAN'? Some 3 letter word samples are given - together with the signs for the words - learners can complete the written word beneath. Write the full word on the board and divide into teams - one receptive and one expressive.Great for improving spelling, word knowledge and concentration. For all children who use signs to support communication and learning. Sign Suppported English and Auslan users.

A colourful little booklet of BSL signs and words for Halloween. The signs are introduced with the words beneath followed by a section with words to complete. A useful and fun introduction for all children to learn some BSL signs and particularly for children who are deaf or have special educational needs and use sign language.

British Sign Language (BSL) Farm Animals & Signage Children will love these colourful signs for farm animals - not only with clear and engaging graphics and written descriptions, but with QR code links to a video link of each sign being demonstrated. Created in collaboration with the RAD. Includes 25 Flashcard format animal signs and relevant words for farm visitors. These will make excellent Flashcard or Poster sized references for learners of all ages. Also great to encourage local farms that allow visitors to help provide an inclusive environment for all who use sign language to communicate and access information.

A colourful and informative poster to celebrate European Day of Languages with examples of signs for family members from British Sign Laguage (BSL), American Sign Language (ASL) and German Sign Language (DGS).

Colourful poster with 9 signs for Halloween Halloween scary costume skeleton witch ghost sweets spider pumpkin

A great chance to try out this new development with BSL school related sign graphics with QR codes to scan and link directly to video clips of the signs. Print and use as displays for pupils to scan, or this resource can be stored on smart phone and tablet for easy mobile reference. This resource helps children to try out the new technology and learn some useful signs. Suitable for learners of all ages and abilities including children who are deaf and children with additional communication and language needs.

To complement our newly listed Auslan Sign & Spell ABC Alphabet resource this free download contains flashcards and missing letters activities containing some of the signs, pictures and words from the Frieze laid out in formats that can be downloaded and printed to create matching and pairing games for young children.

Enjoy singing and signing this popular Christmas song. Ideal for Christmas concerts and assemblies for whole school involvement and inclusion for children who are deaf or have special educational needs and use signs in their communication. The key-words are illustrated with sign vocabulary to accompany the words and support the spoken English rhymes.

BAA BAA BLACK SHEEP - Popular Children's rhyme with British Sign Language (BSL) illustrations in a Powerpoint show with simple animations. Ideal for Early Years and Primary settings for teaching all children English basics with some simple sign vocabulary - particularly children who are deaf or have special educational needs such as autism and Down Syndrome and who use signs to support communication. Does not require a password - please click 'read only' when downloading and then best viewed as animated slide show. TO VIEW ON SCREEN or IDEAL FOR USE ON INTERACTIVE WHITE BOARD Colourful signs and words to sign and sing along with.

Enjoy singing and signing this lovely Christmas song. Ideal for Christmas concerts and assemblies for whole school involvement and inclusion for children who are deaf or have special educational needs and use signs in their communication. There are two versions given in this resource to include the two most commonly used signs for 'holy' complete with written descriptions for making the signs at the end of each version.

Lovely Early Years signs for: animal, bird, butterfly, cat, cow, deer, dog, donkey, duck, fish, fly, frog, horse, kangaroo, koala, kookaburra, owl, parrot, pig, possum, rabbit, shark, sheep, snake, spider, wombat. Colourful Flashcard format of illustrated animal pictures and sign graphics with written descriptions. Includes: Basic Handshape Key and Fingerspelling Alphabet. One sign per page - clear and simple – with appeal to learners of all abilities. Some signs have more than one version and the commonly used variations are included but, as with learning any language, the best way to learn is by face to face contact with native sign language users. The Let’s Sign resources are designed to support this. Australian Sign Language (Auslan) and New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) are the sign languages of the deaf communities of Australia and New Zealand. Both have evolved from forms of British Sign Language (BSL) and together the three languages comprise the BANZSL language family. They share many of the same vocabulary items and structural features in addition to the use of the same two-handed fingerspelling alphabet. Because of these similarities, the Let’s Sign BSL resources of dictionaries, posters, flashcards, stickers and graphics have been of interest to learners of Auslan and NZSL. This includes people wishing to communicate within the Deaf community and also increasingly in the field of Special Educational Needs (SEN) and Baby Signing, where signs are used with spoken language to support communication and language development – known as Sign Supported English (SSE). Due to requests, this resource has been created using the most appropriate and commonly used versions of signs for Australian and New Zealand learners and we welcome your feedback in planning any future materials - cath@deafsign.com

Part of a series to promote essential early learning skills. We hope that you enjoy counting with your child through this well-loved Nursery Rhyme and learning the signs that accompany it. Contains British Sign Language (BSL) signs, used here as Sign Supported English (SSE) to match the words, rhythms and sound patterns of the rhyme. Designed to support communication and language development in the field of deafness, special educational needs (SEN), baby signing and for all who may have additional speech and language needs. Supported by the Let’s Sign BSL Series of books, guides, dictionaries, posters, flashcards, reward stickers and graphics for creating individualised materials. We are developing this range and welcome your suggestions and feedback - cath@deafsign.com

A lovely colourful resource for all who use Australian Sign Language (Auslan) and Key Word Signs to support language and communication. Includes: Basic Handshape Key and Left and Right-Handed Fingerspelling Alphabets. Contains 16 signs in flashcard format designed as a useful reference in the field of deafness, special educational needs (SEN), baby signing and for all who may have additional speech and language needs. The signs include black, blue, brown, colour, dark, gold, green, grey, light, orange, pink, purple, red, silver, white and yellow. Colours vary regionally and most of the flashcards include two variations to include the most commonly used versions. We have chosen the signs that are most widely used and understood but many others exist, so please check with your local sign language using community. The format presents the illustrated sign graphics with written descriptions for printing and also works beautifully on smart phone and tablet - one colour per page - clear and simple – easy to carry and refer to on the go, for learners of all ages and abilities.

35 pages landscape format. Part of a series to promote essential early learning skills. Colourful and fun learning with this popular little counting rhyme. Enjoy counting through this well-loved Nursery Rhyme and learning the signs that accompany it. Contains British Sign Language (BSL) signs, used here as Sign Supported English (SSE) to match the words, rhythms and sound patterns of the rhyme. Designed to support communication and language development in the field of deafness, special educational needs (SEN), baby signing and for all who may have additional speech and language needs. Supported by the Let’s Sign BSL Series of books, guides, dictionaries, posters, flashcards, reward stickers and graphics for creating individualised materials. More are planned and your suggestions and feedback are welcome. Contact: cath@deafsign.com

A delightful book for all sign language users. This is the first illustrated publication of signed prayers for children using British Sign Language (BSL) vocabulary. Contains colourful sign illustrations and text for * Our Father * Hail Mary * Glory Be * The Morning Prayer * The Night Prayer * The Sorry Prayer This book was commissioned by the Catholic Deaf Association. The contents were directed and approved by its working group of priests, teachers and pastoral workers (hearing and Deaf BSL users) with many years of experience in this field. The signs were considered and discussed by this group - the signed prayers are presented for use by children in a way that precisely represents the way it is signed within the Catholic Deaf Association.

Flashcard format for learners of German Sign Language or for those looking for extra activities for German language learners and sign language users who may have interest in the sign languages of other countries. This set contains FAMILY and FEELINGS FAMILIE Baby, Bruder/ Schwester, Eltern, Familie, Freund/ Freundin, Kind, Oma, Opa, Vater GEFÜHLE ängstlich, aufgeregt, froh, fühlen, glücklich, müde, ruhig, sauer, traurig, verletzt Das Deutsche Fingeralphabet Diese Gebärden sind thematisch auf den Erziehungsbereich abgestimmt. Zum besseren Verständnis der Zeichnungen werden im Folgenden genauere Hinweise zur Ausführung der einzelnen Gebärdenzeichen aufgelistet. Bitte beachten Sie, dass es in der Deutschen Gebärdensprache (DGS) regionale Unterschiede ähnlich den Dialekten der gesprochenen Sprache gibt. Fragen Sie daher im Zweifelsfall bei ihrem zuständigen Gehörlosenverband nach..

Flashcard format for learners of German Sign Language or for those looking for extra activities for German language learners and sign language users who may have interest in the sign languages of other countries. This set contains QUESTIONS and ACTIVITIES. FRAGEN: wann? warum? was? wer? wie? wie alt? wie lange? wie viel? wo? wohin? TÄTIGKEITEN: antworten, arbeiten, besuchen, erzählen, fragen, geben, helfen, lernen, warten, zeigen Das Deutsche Fingeralphabet Diese Gebärden sind thematisch auf den Erziehungsbereich abgestimmt. Zum besseren Verständnis der Zeichnungen werden im Folgenden genauere Hinweise zur Ausführung der einzelnen Gebärdenzeichen aufgelistet. Bitte beachten Sie, dass es in der Deutschen Gebärdensprache (DGS) regionale Unterschiede ähnlich den Dialekten der gesprochenen Sprache gibt. Fragen Sie daher im Zweifelsfall bei ihrem zuständigen Gehörlosenverband nach.

A colourful little pdf interactive quiz for Halloween. Opens on full screen. Count the number of items and click on the number to find out if right or wrong.

This is a fabulous resource for children learning Australian Sign Language (Auslan) and Key-Word Signs to support communication and language development. Colourful and eye-catching pages also make a lovely Wall Frieze with the 26 letters of the alphabet, one letter per sheet with picture, sign with written description and the fingerspelled letter plain and simple. Ideal for deaf children and children with additional speech and language needs and their families learning Australian Sign Language (Auslan ) together. Designed to promote essential early learning for young children and help to foster an inclusive environment. The contents contain the most commonly used versions of signs but some signs do have regional variations, so please check with your local Auslan community for local usage. Face to face contact with native sign language users is recommended as the best way to learn and the Let’s Sign resources are designed to support this. Australian Sign Language (Auslan) and New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) are the sign languages of the deaf communities of Australia and New Zealand. Both have evolved from forms of British Sign Language (BSL) and together the three languages comprise the BANZSL language family. They share many of the same vocabulary items and structural features in addition to the use of the same two-handed alphabet. This book includes: Handshape Key and BANZSL Fingerspelling Alphabets for left and right-handed signers. Fingerspelling is an important and integrated part of Auslan and the letters of the alphabet help to provide a direct link to literacy. Contains Signs for: apple, butterfly, cat, dolphin, egg, fish, giraffe, house, ice-cream, jug, kangaroo, lion, moon, nuts, orange, penguin, question, rabbit, sandwich, tree, umbrella, vegetable, window, xylophone, yellow, zip. There is also a free download available to complement this resource - “Auslan Sign & Spell ABC cards for matching and pairing”. Both the frieze and matching cards are available in printed book form from Amazon print on demand and also on Kindle. Additional pictorial graphics based on the Mulberry Symbols from www.straight-street.com with kind permission.