These Hands Can Talk (ASL Part 1)

Course Summary

In this class students will learn the basics of American Sign Language communication. By the end of this course, students will know the manual alphabet, and signs related to colors, numbers, family, foods, and feelings.

Course Description

Students will learn to communicate through American Sign Language and the cultural and historical elements that accompany this beautiful, visual language. Each week students will learn new signs pertaining to one of the following topics: the alphabet, colors, numbers, family, foods, and feelings. Students will play games or participate in fun; challenging activities that will serve to help new vocabulary signs stick in their long-term memories and strengthen signing fluency. This class will utilize several game-based platforms in which game links and codes will be shared with students. These platforms include: Kahoot, Blooket, and Gimkit, all of which are COPPA compliant.

Content Considerations

Eugenics is briefly mentioned in relation to the period of time in which ASL users were oppressed due to their cultural differences. I will also highlight several of the injustices that deaf people faced due to their differences and inability to hear. These will include: - Deaf students not being allowed to sign in schools - Teachers hitting students with rulers if caught signing - Difficulty for deaf individuals to obtain positions in the workforce - Mistreatment of deaf people by way of exclusion and labeling them as demon possessed. These topics will be addressed in age-appropriate terms.

Syllabus

Week 1: Greeting Signs and a bit of ASL history. - We will learn greeting signs, a bit of deaf history and culture, and the do's and don'ts of ASL communication. - We will conclude class with an interactive game and/or activity. Week 2: Fingerspelling - We will learn to fingerspell the entire manual alphabet along with corresponding signs to go along with each letter. - We will review the content from last class and apply the newly gained skill of fingerspelling to introducing oneself in ASL. - We will conclude class with an interactive game and/or activity. Week 3: Colors - We will review the content from last class by introducing ourselves to each other in ASL. - We will learn how to sign colors and practice our fingerspelling receptive skills by signing the colors and recognizing the fingerspelled color words. - We will conclude class with an interactive game and/or activity. Week 4: Numbers - We will review the color signs learned in the last class. - We will learn to sign the numbers up to 21 (there's a fun reason why we stop on 21 instead of 20!) - We will conclude class with an interactive game and/or activity. Week 5: Family - We will review the number signs learned in the last class. - We will learn signs pertaining to family and will practice our fingerspelling receptive skills by recognizing fingerspelled family signs. - We will conclude class with an interactive game and/or activity. Week 6: Foods - We will review the family signs learned in the last class. - We will learn signs pertaining to food and will practice our fingerspelling receptive skills by recognizing fingerspelled food signs. - We will conclude class with an interactive game and/or activity. Week 7: Feelings and Review - We will review the food signs learned in the last class. - We will learn signs pertaining to feelings and will practice our fingerspelling receptive skills by recognizing fingerspelled food sings. - We will review the content learned over the course of the class through an interactive game.

Supplies

- At least one sheet of paper each week for particular games - Writing utensil - A notebook for notetaking (optional)