Unscramble the Handshapes
The letters of each word are mixed up. Name the handshapes, then write the real word.
- Grade level
- Grades 2–4
- Time
- About 20 minutes
- Answer key
- Yes, page 2 of the PDF
- Kids practice
- Reading fingerspelled words, Alphabet order, Hearing rhymes, Spelling words from mixed-up letters
What kids do
Printed on the sheet:
- Name each handshape and say its letter. Then move the letters around in your head until they make a real word.
Teacher tip
Give each child letter tiles or small paper squares. Writing each letter on a square and moving the squares around makes unscrambling much easier.
How to use it
- Have kids whisper each letter as they point to its handshape before they write the word.
- Keep the ASL Alphabet Chart on the desk for checking.
- Make every handshape with your own hand as kids work. Your hand is the best model in the room.
Watch for
Reading the letters but never saying the word. Ask for the whole word out loud.
Talk about it
- Which word was the hardest to read? Why?
- How is your hand different from the picture? What would you change?
Take it further
Have kids make a mixed-up word for a partner using the alphabet chart.
US Letter, prints well in black and white. Free for home and classroom use: print as many copies as you need.
More more fingerspelling practice
Letters Before and After
Name each handshape. Write the letter that comes just before it and just after it in the alphabet.
Rhyme Time Handshapes
Read the word on the left. Circle the fingerspelled word that rhymes with it.
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