| AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE CLASSES and LEARN TO READ |
| We plan to teach your baby-child to read using various methods and techniques. These methods are simple, natural, and non-stressful, allowing the child to naturally develop reading skills and signing skills at the same time and developing the child's speaking skills. Many children through this program were joyfully reading many single words and short phrases before their first birthday. Some children were reading their first books by age one. Some children were reading their first novel's by age two. By age Three the children were reading a wide variety of literature with a reading level of eighth grade or higher. |
We teach children the reading word at the same time as the spoken word through flashcards, games, stories and sign language. Your job will be non stressful and easy. Every day you will have your child watch the Learn To read video and we will build on that in a classroom enviroment. We are certified and highly qualified in reading instruction, and will show you how to use simple techniques and games to help you and your child master communication through American Sign Language, reading and speech. |
LEARN TO READ You can make a choice today to give your child language skills that will change his or her life forever! |
| CONTACT US AT 254 432-5173 3800 East Stan Schlueter Loop STE 102 Killeen, Texas 76542 We are located in Chantz Plaza across the street from Walgreens and Jack in the box adjacent from the Mickeys/Cheveron Gas station. |
Nancy Kolessar is an enthusiastic teacher currently teaching American Sign Language at the Academy of Arts, Children's Tree House, and both Learning Zones. The American Sign Language courses taught at the Academy of Arts uses ASL to facilitate early reading in infants and toddlers. The "Your Baby Can Read" Learning System is used in the course as an at-home component, allowing the children to quickly acquire literacy skills while further developing their speech and signing abilities. Nancy offers many exciting titles and flashcards that will help your child practice their newly acquired reading skills. To get started, click The Learn to Read box to the right and purchase "Your Baby Can Read" materials. below. There "Preschool & Kindergarten" link to the left, or click the "Home" link at the top of the page to browse hundreds of titles. |
| SCHEDULE Monday 6:30PM Adult Wednesday 7:00pm Adult Friday 8:30am 2 mos-3y/o 2:00pm 4 y/o & up Saturday 8:30am 2 mos - 3 y/o |
| FACT: Every parent knows that young children love movement and actions. When you sing songs and put actions to them, children always want to perform those actions. For example, when you see a child singing ‘The Itsy Bitsy Spider’ he or she automatically starts making the motions of moving the spider “up the spout” and there is muscle memory involved. The more senses involved in learning; the greater memory retention the child will have. Research has demonstrated repeatedly that children retain what they learn through fun, engaging activities that encourage the use of Gardner’s seven multiple intelligences: 1. Linguistic intelligence (sensitivity to meaning and order of words)2. Logical-mathematical intelligence (mathematic and complex logic systems) 3. Music intelligence (music or rhymes).4. Spatial intelligence (the ability to think in pictures) 5. Bodily-kinesthetic intelligence (movement and doing).6. Interpersonal intelligence (with other people).7. Intrapersonal intelligence (individual learning). The use of American Sign Language (ASL) is a perfect way to supplement any preschool curriculum because it can be used with all of the multiple intelligences. In linguistic intelligence you always speak while making specific signs so students are being exposed to two different learning modes for one word. With logic-mathematical, children can see a pattern of language and how it forms. Musical; you can add signs to common music or rhymes that the children already know. Bodily-kinesthetic; our hands are moving to make the signs so children can feel the words or letters. In spatial learning, the child can see the sign being made. Interpersonal; the child can sign with a group, parent or teacher. And finally, with intrapersonal learning, the child can also sign when on his/her own when reading stories. Well-known people are also beginning to realize that it is the early years of life that are crucial for future success. Laura Bush has stated that, “The years between diapers and the first backpacks will determine whether a child will succeed in school and make it to college.” First Lady Bush addressing the Senate Education Committee on January 25, 2002. Hillary Rodham Clinton asked physicians to suggest parents read to their young children, and she called for greater investment in children aged zero to three. (Lee Hochberg, 1997) Children need a strong foundation to build on. We need to start educating and teaching our children at a very young age. Instill the love of reading and learning in them early so that it will stay with them throughout their lives. Children and Learning Penelope Leach, when talking about children and learning said, “The more language they have, the faster thinking will progress. But the more thinking they are doing, the more language they will use. So language and thought even language and intelligence, are intimately entangled.” (Leach, 1990) When children are taught English and ASL together they are processing language using both sides of their brains. They process verbal sounds on the left side of the brain and ASL as pictures and images on the right side of the brain, giving them two places to recall language from. So, if language is an essential part of children’s development, and the use of multiple intelligences is important when teaching, it is the next logical step to include the use of ASL in the preschool curriculum. When ASL is used in combination with spoken language it reinforces the learning of educational concepts such as ABC’s, animals and other specific themes. Research shows that children find signing fun and it includes them in their learning process. Dr. Marilyn Daniels, professor at Pennsylvania State University, designed a study with 16 hearing preschoolers who knew ASL. All but one of the children had deaf parents. She found they scored 17% higher on the tests she administered than hearing children who didn’t know ASL. Subsequent research studies with larger groups have found the same results. (Daniels, 2001) I have a colleague who is Deaf and has a hearing son who is now in kindergarten. Her son began to read when he was 3 and a half. In kindergarten, his class reads a series of books measured by difficulty. Most children in his class are on levels A and B; while he is sailng through levels M and N. The school has since placed him in a gifted program with older children for reading so he doesn’t get bored. His mother attributes his reading success to signing while young, as well as learning the manual sign language alphabet at an early age. ASL is such a beautiful language and can greatly benefit our preschool-aged children. I would like to encourage everyone to use ASL with young children to compliment their existing programs, be it in a library, daycare, preschool or at home. WE LOOK FORWARD TO HAVING YOU IN A CLASS SOON!! |
| have concerns about your privacy, please contact us at kindermusikbynancy @yahoo.com or 254 432-5173. |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |