American Sign Language (ASL) and Culture
Syllabus
Course Essential Questions:
- How can we communicate in ASL using basic signs and vocabulary?
- What are some aspects of the Deaf community?
- What are historical facts that have shaped ASL and the culture of today?
- How have the technological advances of the 21st Century impacted the Deaf community?
Course Learning Objectives:
- Sign everyday situations using common words and phrases.
- Identify typical practices related to everyday life in Deaf community.
- Describe the influences of ASL & culture in today's world.
- Compare and contrast ASL & culture with other languages and cultures.
Unit 1: American Sign Language at a Glance
Unit Level Essential Questions
- What are the rules, policies and expectations of this course?
- How do I want to be treated and how do I want to treat others as I interact with my teachers and classmates?
- What are important aspects of American Sign Language and Culture?
Week 1: Welcome to American Sign Language and Culture
Weekly Learning Objectives
- Understand the rules and policies of the course, and expectations of students as contributing members of our learning community.
- Develop skills for navigating the course environment and using the various course tools.
- Identify basic language and cultural characteristics of the Deaf community.
- Reflect upon how the relationship between Thomas Gallaudet and Alice Cogswell have shaped the use of ASL.
Week 2: Greetings and Introductions
Weekly Learning Objectives
- Greet and introduce ourselves in Sign Language.
- Recognize the importance of facial expressions in ASL communication.
- Reflect on how society has evolved to eliminate misconceptions about ASL.
Week 3: Basic ASL Structure
Weekly Learning Objectives
- Distinguish between ASL and English grammar and apply them appropriately.
- Recognize how the eyebrows are used to communicate appropriately.
- Discover the importance of rhetorical questions in ASL communication.
Week 4: Numbers and Colors
Weekly Learning Objectives
- Identify and apply the alphabet, numbers, and colors appropriately.
- Identify and apply the five parameters of ASL.
- Reflect on how famous Deaf people have contributed to society.
Unit 2: Getting to Know One Another
Unit Level Essential Question
- How do we tell others about ourselves?
Week 5: Birthdays
Weekly Learning Objectives
- State and interpret information about dates.
- Distinguish between the differences in facial expressions and non-manual signals to discuss birthdays.
- Compare and contrast birthday parties in the Deaf community with our own.
Week 6: Family Members
Weekly Learning Objectives
- Recognize and apply the vocabulary to describe family members and their ages.
- Reflect on challenges faced by families with Deaf children.
- Compare and contrast family traditions in the Deaf community with the family traditions in our own communities.
Week 7: Physical and Personality Traits
Weekly Learning Objectives
- Describe one’s own personality.
- Recognize the differences between possessive signs and deixis.
- Compare and contrast personality traits among classmates.
Unit 3: Everyday Life
Unit Level Essential Questions
- How do we define everyday experiences?
Week 8: Weather
Weekly Learning Objectives
- Describe weather using intensity and inflection.
- Recognize the impact of interpreters in weather forecasting.
- Compare the approach to everyday news between the Deaf community and our own.
Week 9: Hobbies
Weekly Learning Objectives
- Describe common hobbies.
- Reflect on the ASL community approach to fun activities.
- Compare and contrast hobbies that are popular among the Deaf community with our communities.
Week 10: Food
Weekly Learning Objectives
- Describe common foods.
- Discover the life of famous Deaf chef Kurt.
- Compare and contrast dining experiences for deaf children with our own experiences as children.
Unit 4: School and Extracurricular Activities
Unit Level Essential Questions
- What does our school life look like?
Week 11: The ASL Classroom
Weekly Learning Objectives
- Describe the classroom.
- Apply time to describe schedules.
- Reflect on the Conference of Milan and how it shaped education for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.
Week 12: Extracurricular Activities
Weekly Learning Objectives
- Describe common after school activities.
- Reflect on the differences between Special Olympics and Deaf Olympics.
- Compare and contrast school activities between hearing schools and deaf schools.
Unit 5: Contemporary Life
Unit Level Essential Questions
- How has technology improved or challenged communication for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing?
- How do we describe contemporary life for the Deaf community, including technology, travel and universal sign language?
- How do we describe contemporary life for the Deaf community around the world?
- How does American Sign Language and culture differ from other countries’ sign language?
Week 13: Technology
Weekly Learning Objectives
- Describe current technology trends for deaf people.
- Reflect on the aspects of communication for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing prior to the advancements of technology.
- Compare and contrast the medical needs of deaf children with our own medical needs.
Week 14: Travel
Weekly Learning Objectives
- Describe domestic and international travel.
- Reflect on the American Disability Act (ADA) and how it relates to traveling.
- Compare and contrast signing and the impact of regional accents to American Sign Language
Week 15: Sign Language Around the World
Weekly Learning Objectives
- Recognize and apply vocabulary related to global signs.
- Describe Deaf culture in countries around the world.
- Compare and contrast different challenges and opportunities faced by Deaf and hard of hearing communities around the world.