Guide to Using The Books
(for English speakers)

• ENJOY. Readers 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 you or your child become familiar with the story, turn off the volume.
• Continue using the page by page version ("Play Story") until you or your child are very comfortable with the written and spoken text.
  


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.
  
  
Glossary


ASL is a complex language. Our intention is to help you and 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 you and 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.
  
  
ASL Only

• After becoming familiar with the page by page version (“Play Story”), practicing all the page clips (“ASL Clues”), and learning the glossary, readers will be ready to watch and enjoy the uninterrupted ASL story.
• The changing borders on the DVD provide page cues to help the reader know where they are in the story.
• This version is slightly different than the page by page version.
• Identify the differences.

Practice seeing the story before trying to practice signing it. You may wish to alternate between watching “Play Story” and “ASL Only” if the amount of ASL text is overwhelming.




Sign the Story


Practice signing the story one page at a time. This will not be a perfect rendition of ASL, nor does it need to be. Use mime and gesture along with the ASL vocabulary from the Glossary. Use "Select A Page" from the DVD to review the pages. There are no mistakes possible here. The more you and your child play with creating your own rendition of the book, the more helpful it will be in building a foundation for learning ASL.