Over the year, we will cover Units 1 to 3 in the “Signing Naturally Units 1-6” student book (2008 Edition) which includes a DVD and assignments/activities for practicing at home.
This introductory class will focus on expressive and receptive skills in American Sign Language and an introduction to American Deaf culture. The curriculum includes basic grammar, vocabulary, fingerspelling, numbers, and cultural information related to the Deaf Community. The students will learn and develop receptive and expressive skills and basic aspects of Deaf Culture through use of classroom activities, media, and materials. Over the year, we will cover Units 1 to 3 in the “Signing Naturally Units 1-6” student book (2008 Edition) which includes a DVD and assignments/activities for practicing at home.
Signing Naturally Units 1-6 is the first part in a series of curricular materials for the instruction of American Sign Language (ASL) as a second language. The goal is to take students with little or no knowledge of ASL and Deaf Culture and provide them with the skills needed to communicate comfortably in a wide variety of situations in the Deaf community. Cultural information taught throughout class allows students to interact with the Deaf community in a way that is respectful and aware.
Signing Naturally Units 1-6 curriculum’s first and foremost goal of language teaching is to bring a person unable to communicate in ASL to a basic level of communicative competence. The curriculum and the lessons are designed to meet the five areas of Communication, Cultures, Connections, Comparisons and Communities outlined by ACTFL.
Units 1-5 comprise several kinds of lessons: conversational (functional), skill building, cultural, and review. Conversation (function) lessons introduce vocabulary and key grammar structures in context of key dialogues. Skill lessons focus on introducing numbers, finger spelling, spatial elements, and other supporting skills. Cultural lessons focus on behaviors that enable students to act in linguistically and socially acceptable ways. Unit 6 focuses on building narrative skills to prepare students to tell a story from their childhood.
Textbook: Signing Naturally: Student Workbook, Units 1-6 (Book & DVDs), ISBN-13: 978-1581212105, ISBN-10: 9781581212105
Instructor: Karen Alsaegh
Minimum Student Enrollment: 4
Course Length: 50 min class per week / 16 weeks /
Cost: $240 per semester
