Showing posts with label American Sign Language. Show all posts
Showing posts with label American Sign Language. Show all posts

Tuesday, July 8, 2025

Alphabet Posters with ASL Hand Signs — Now with an EDITABLE BACKGROUND!

Every summer, as teachers begin prepping their classrooms for the new school year, I receive tons of requests for my Alphabet Posters with ASL Hand Signs in different designs to match all kinds of classroom themes and décor.  Over the years, I’ve happily created custom versions for many of you — and now I’ve made it even easier!

🎉 You can now change the background of these posters yourself!

 Alphabet Posters with ASL Hand Signs

This new updated version allows you to insert any background image using PowerPoint, so you can fully customize your alphabet posters to match your classroom aesthetic.  Even better?  If you change your classroom theme in the future, you can simply swap out the background image and reuse the same poster download year after year!

Why These Posters Stand Out

These aren’t your average alphabet posters.  In addition to visuals and keyword pictures, each letter features the American Sign Language (ASL) hand sign for that letter — This makes the posters a powerful tool for:

  • Multisensory learning
  • English Language Learners (ELLs)
  • Students with hearing impairments
  • Students with diverse learning styles

Each letter poster comes in four different skin tone options to reflect classroom diversity.  Pick and choose which hands you want to include in your poster set.

Alphabet Posters with American Sign Language

Plus, a printable ASL reference handout is included, so students can easily review all 26 hand signs at a glance!

ASL Hand Sign Handout

Letter-Sound Support with Keyword Pictures

Each poster includes a labeled keyword picture to support letter recognition and letter sound support.  Here are the keywords I've included:

  • A – apple
  • B – bat
  • C – cup
  • D – dog
  • E – elephant
  • F – fish
  • G – goat
  • H – house
  • I – igloo
  • J – jam
  • K – kite
  • L – leaf
  • M – mittens
  • N – nest
  • O – octopus
  • P – pig
  • Q – queen
  • R – rabbit
  • S – sock
  • T – table
  • U – umbrella
  • V – violin
  • W – wagon
  • X – x-ray
  • Y – yarn
  • Z – zipper

Need a different keyword to match your curriculum?  I’ve added custom keywords for teachers in the past, so don’t hesitate to message me with your request!

Bonus Feature: Vowel Posters with Red Text

To help students easily identify vowels, I’ve also included an optional version of the vowel posters with red lettering.  This subtle color cue helps distinguish vowels from consonants at a glance.

Alphabet Posters

Fonts Available

These editable posters are available in three font styles to match your classroom handwriting instruction:

  • Manuscript

    Editable Manuscript Alphabet Poster
  • D’Nealian

    Editable D'Nealian Alphabet Poster
  • Cursive
    Editable Cursive Alphabet Poster
How to Change the Background in PowerPoint
Here's how to change the background to match your classroom theme:
  1. Open the PowerPoint file.
  2. In the left-hand slide panel, right-click on any letter slide.

    Editable Alphabet Posters

  3. Select “Format Background…”

    Editable Alphabet Posters
  4. In the panel on the right, choose “Picture or texture fill.”

    Editable Alphabet Posters

  5. Under Picture Source, click “Insert…” and select “From a File.”

    *You can use images from your files, the web, digital papers/backgrounds from Teachers Pay Teachers, etc.

    Editable Alphabet Posters

  6. Browse your computer to select the image you’d like to use as your new background.

    Editable Alphabet Posters

  7. Click “Apply to All” — and you're done!

    Editable Alphabet Posters
Hopefully these new editable alphabet posters will help make classroom decorating easier and so much more fun!

Grab the Links HERE!

Editable Manuscript Alphabet Posters

Editable D'Nealian Alphabet Posters

Editable Cursive Alphabet Posters

Looking for these posters with a pre-made background?
Click HERE to check out all my background options!

Sunday, August 20, 2017

American Sign Language in the Classroom

Each year I teach my students a little bit of American Sign Language.  I teach the majority of the signs during my phonics lessons.  For example, as we learn the sound and keyword for the letter a we learn the signs as well.  So by the end of my phonics lesson we have a chant and hand signs that help us remember the sound for a!  The students would say: a - apple - (a) .  As they say the chant, they sign the letter a and the sign for apple.  I have found that putting hand signs with my phonics lessons activity engages the students in the lesson and helps them remember the content better!  Research says that children learn faster when they can hear, see and feel what they are learning.


I searched high and low for an alphabet strip that not only had the letter and a picture, but also the letter in American Sign Language.  I couldn't find what I wanted so I had to make my own!  Here are some pictures of what my regular alphabet strip looked like...






Here are some pictures of what my new alphabet strip looks like!  My alphabet strip is now a great resource tool for my students to use, especially during my phonics lessons!






I also like to teach some signs to help with classroom management.  For example, I teach the students the sign for bathroom.  That way when I'm in the middle of guided reading groups and a child needs to go to the restroom they can catch my attention and make the sign for bathroom without interrupting my small group!

If you don't know American Sign Language, no need to worry!  The internet is filled with tons of helpful websites where you can type in the word you are looking for and a video will show you how to make the sign.  Here is one helpful website I use: American Sign Language Dictionary.


Click HERE to download my Alphabet Strip with American Sign Language from my TpT Store!

Click HERE to download my D'Nealian Alphabet Strip with American Sign Language from my TpT Store!

Click HERE to download my Regular Alphabet Strip from my TpT Store!