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American Sign Language (ASL) 1

Syllabus

Unit 1: Greetings and Basic Conversations (weeks 1-5)

Unit Level Essential Question

What are the necessary language components for basic communication in ASL?

Week 1: Introduction to ASL 1

Weekly Learning Objectives

  • Share prior experience with ASL.
  • Identify foundational vocabulary to greet others.
  • Analyze environmental factors to create clear ASL videos.

Week 2: ABCs

Weekly Learning Objectives

  • Explain the cultural significance of name signs.
  • Demonstrate proper expression of double letters when spelling a word.
  • Identify and apply the alphabet to spell out words using proper ASL fingerspelling techniques.

Week 3: Greetings

Weekly Learning Objectives

  • Recognize the cultural appropriateness of alerting the Deaf.
  • Apply the five parameters to communicate effectively in ASL.
  • Greet and introduce oneself to the teacher in ASL.

Week 4: Colors and Numbers

Weekly Learning Objectives

  • Explain how to navigate signed conversations respectfully.
  • Use one's dominant hand consistently and nondominant hand to support clear communication.
  • Communicate colors and numbers appropriately.

Week 5: Who am I?

Weekly Learning Objectives

  • Identify the difference between medical deafness and a culturally Deaf identity.
  • Compare ASL gloss with English sentence structure to write a script.
  • Present basic personal information in ASL.

Unit 2: School and Hobbies (weeks 6-10)

Unit Level Essential Question

What is the cultural importance of school experiences and leisure activities in the Deaf community?

Week 6: Classroom

Weekly Learning Objectives

  • Explore the cultural impact of Thomas Gallaudet and Laurent Clerc on the Deaf community.
  • Give and receive simple commands.
  • Identify items found in a classroom.

Week 7: School Life

Weekly Learning Objectives

  • Reflect on the different schooling options for Deaf children.
  • Demonstrate appropriate facial expressions to ask and answer yes or no questions.
  • Describe one's current school experience.

Week 8: Extracurricular Activities

Weekly Learning Objectives

  • Explore the role of Deaf sports and Deaf clubs in the community.
  • Demonstrate non-manual markers to ask and answer WH-questions using appropriate facial expressions.
  • Describe one's favorite extracurricular activities.

Week 9: Hobbies

Weekly Learning Objectives

  • Describe the cultural significance of the Deaflympics.
  • Use the ASL sign for ""to do"" to express likes and dislikes in the present tense.
  • Express preferences when choosing hobbies.

Week 10: My Schedule

Weekly Learning Objectives

  • Explain the historical importance of the Deaf President Now protest.
  • Use the transitional sign "FINISH" to express order of events.
  • Apply unit vocabulary to describe one's daily schedule.

Unit 3: Relationships (weeks 11-15)

Unit Level Essential Question

How does being Deaf impact personal relationships and familial interactions?

Week 11: Family and Friends

Weekly Learning Objectives

  • Explore the experience of a Deaf child in a hearing family.
  • Use appropriate palm orientation to demonstrate listing techniques.
  • Share information about one's family and friends.

Week 12: Family Tree

Weekly Learning Objectives

  • Compare and contrast the experiences of Deaf children within the Deaf community.
  • Use possessive adjectives to communicate about relationships.
  • Describe the relationships between family members and friends.

Week 13: Pets

Weekly Learning Objectives

  • Explore how ASL can be used to communicate with animals.
  • Use possessive pronouns to indicate ownership.
  • Share information about pets.

Week 14: Physical Appearances

Weekly Learning Objectives

  • Define the experiences of CODAs and SODAs.
  • Compare and contrast qualities using indexing.
  • Describe the physical appearance of others.

Week 15: Personality Traits and Emotions

Weekly Learning Objectives

  • Argue in support of or against the use of cochlear implants.
  • Use appropriate hand shapes to show similarities among different people.
  • Describe the character traits and feelings of oneself and others.

Unit 4: Home (weeks 16-19)

Unit Level Essential Question

How do technology and visual language affect daily home life for the Deaf community?

Week 16: Around the House

Weekly Learning Objectives

  • Identify various types of technology Deaf people use in their homes.
  • Use appropriate handshapes to describe the appearance of an object.
  • Identify each room in a house.

Week 17: Home Layout

Weekly Learning Objectives

  • Research in depth a device used by Deaf people to navigate life at home.
  • Demonstrate proper facial expressions to show distance.
  • Describe the layout of a home.

Week 18: Appliances and Furniture

Weekly Learning Objectives

  • Describe future innovation in technology that aims to benefit the Deaf community.
  • Use rhetorical questions to state the location of items.
  • Express the location of household items.

Week 19: Chores

Weekly Learning Objectives

  • Compare and contrast Deaf homes with homes of hearing people.
  • Describe how often an activity or event occurs.
  • Apply unit vocabulary to communicate about household chores.

Unit 5: Food (weeks 20-23)

Unit Level Essential Question

How do the dining experience and traditions influence Deaf culture?

Week 20: Grocery Store

Weekly Learning Objectives

  • Describe the importance of visual displays in public spaces for the Deaf.
  • Use quantifiers to describe item amounts.
  • Identify food items to purchase at the grocery store.

Week 21: Diet

Weekly Learning Objectives

  • Explore the experience of a Deaf person accessing a drive-thru.
  • Demonstrate appropriate facial expressions and head movements to express frequency.
  • Describe the kinds of food one typically eats.

Week 22: Recipes

Weekly Learning Objectives

  • Discover the life and experience of famous Deaf baker Tasha Stones.
  • Use body shifting to show a sequence of steps.
  • Share a favorite recipe.

Week 23: Dining Experiences

Weekly Learning Objectives

  • Reflect on how Deaf-owned restaurants help build community.
  • Demonstrate shoulder shifting to show a conversation between two people.
  • Apply unit vocabulary to talk about dining experiences.

Unit 6: Around Town (weeks 24-28)

Unit Level Essential Question

How can we use ASL to navigate our community?

Week 24: Professionals

Weekly Learning Objectives

  • Analyze careers that are well-suited for the Deaf community.
  • Make statements using rhetorical questions.
  • Describe various careers and related responsibilities.

Week 25: Community Places

Weekly Learning Objectives

  • Explain how the ADA (American Disability Act) has impacted the Deaf community.
  • Use classifiers to show the location of items in reference to each other.
  • Identify buildings and structures in the community.

Week 26: Errands

Weekly Learning Objectives

  • Explore strategies used by the Deaf to communicate with hearing employees.
  • Use movement to express an action involving directional verbs.
  • Identify common errands one runs around town.

Week 27: How Much Does It Cost?

Weekly Learning Objectives

  • Explore how businesses can make themselves more accessible to the Deaf community.
  • Use proper sign order structure to state how much things cost.
  • Describe a shopping experience.

Week 28: Weather

Weekly Learning Objectives

  • Analyze the importance of interpreters during emergency weather events.
  • Use both repetitive movements and facial expressions to describe levels of intensity.
  • Apply vocabulary to describe weather patterns.

Unit 7: Fun and Travel (weeks 29-33)

Unit Level Essential Question

How can we communicate about our plans and experiences related to travel in ASL?

Week 29: Destinations

Weekly Learning Objectives

  • Explore the life and experiences of Deaf world traveler Calvin Young.
  • Demonstrate spatial agreement when sharing information.
  • Describe a variety of travel destinations.

Week 30: Transportation

Weekly Learning Objectives

  • Recognize the benefits of visual communication in loud transportational environments.
  • Use classifiers to express speed and direction.
  • Describe various types of transportation.

Week 31: Packing for a Trip

Weekly Learning Objectives

  • Explore the experiences of Deaf mountaineers Scott Lehmann and Shayna Unger.
  • Use facial expressions to indicate weight and size.
  • Identify essential items to pack for a trip.

Week 32: Sightseeing

Weekly Learning Objectives

  • Explore accessible services provided for the Deaf when sightseeing.
  • Use ordinal numbers to convey a sequence.
  • Apply unit vocabulary to communicate about attractions when traveling.

Week 33: Sign Languages Around the World

Weekly Learning Objectives

  • Explore International Sign Language and its applications.
  • Compare and contrast ASL with other signed languages.
  • Take the proctored final exam to demonstrate proficiency at the novice level.