ASL 103 Lesson Plan
Course Overview
Ten dialogs introduce over 200 new ASL signs. The intermediate ASL dialogs touch upon motivation for learning ASL, occupations, ordering food in a restaurant, and shopping. The intermediate ASL lessons illustrate more ways in which a variety of ASL sentence structures can be used to form conversational sentences. Insights into the lives of people in the Deaf community is presented in each of the ten lessons and include topics about using your new found ASL skills in a conversation with a Deaf person, the different meanings that an ASL sign might have, varying the meaning of an ASL sign by changes in sign movement and facial expressions, reasons that senior citizens should learn to sign, an age-old Deaf joke popular amongst the younger generation, a look at how Deaf people stayed in touch with one another in the days before TTY and email communication, and behaviors that indicate a person is becoming deaf.
Lesson Overview
| Lesson | Title / Theme | Dialog | Grammar | Vocabulary | Culture |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lesson 1 | The beauty of signing ASL | Touches upon the appeal of ASL and the route to good signing. | Conditional sentence. Topic/comment sentence. Simple sentence. | Signs that punctuate a conversation (e.g., WOW, OF-COURSE) | The value of “deaf” versus the value of “hearing” |
| Lesson 2 | Another reason to sign | Conversation about motivation and goal-setting | Rhetorical question. Facial cues. | Verb + person marker. | Should you use your knowledge of signs when you meet a Deaf person? |
| Lesson 3 | Occupations | Inquiring about the type of work a person does. | Topic/comment sentence. Information seeking question. | Occupation related signs. Verb + person marker. | Deaf people in the work place. |
| Lesson 4 | Ordering in a restaurant | Description of different ways to order food. | Topic/comment sentence. Pointing as a form of mimicking real life action. | Index finger for pointing. Use of the sign QUOTE. | A word is not a sign. |
| Lesson 5 | Eating in a restaurant | Discussion about what to eat. | Topic/comment sentence. Yes/no question. Information seeking question. | Use of the sign FINALLY. Food related signs. | A Deaf joke: Deaf Giant. |
| Lesson 6 | Ordering dessert | Discussion about chocolate desserts. | Simple sentence. Yes/no question. | Directional verb-sign. Fingerspelled word. | Play on signs |
| Lesson 7 | Going shopping | A discussion about getting ready to go shopping. | Topic/comment sentence. Facial expressions. Yes/no question. | Shopping related signs. Negative sign. | Facial expressions, movements, and meaning of signs |
| Lesson 8 | At the mall | A conversation about what to do in a shopping mall. | Rhetorical question. Pointing in space. | Common terms & phrases related to shopping. Directional verb sign. | Why senior citizens should learn to sign. |
| Lesson 9 | Buying things | Describing what was bought while shopping. | Use of FINISH before/after the verb. Topic/comment. | Signs that punctuate a conversation (e.g., THAT’S-ALL, LET-ME-SEE) | A look to the past: How Deaf people socialized |
| Lesson 10 | The value of things | A conversation about the cost and value of an item. | Yes/no question. Information seeking question. Topic/comment sentence. | Signs related to shopping. | Ten signs that you are becoming deaf. |
Lesson Organization
Each lesson is based on seven easy steps:
- Learning the Signs
There is a dialog between two people in each lesson. You are shown how to sign each ASL sign used in the dialog. - Creating Sentences
Each dialog is separated into sentences. A clear description is given of how the sentences are translated from English to ASL. You are shown how to sign each sentence. - The Complete Dialog
You watch and practice a dialog between two Deaf signers. - Additional Signs
Each lesson has additional signs for you to learn that are not in the dialog. - Practice Activities
Practice activities help you exercise your new knowledge of ASL. You translate English sentences to ASL. After you have done this, a single click shows you one way for the signing the sentence in ASL. - Quiz
Take the quiz to find out if you are ready to move on to the next lesson. - Culture Information
Each lesson ends with information about Deaf people and the way they live. This section provides insight and motivation for helping you learn ASL.
Final Exam and Certificate
After completion of the lessons, you can take the final exam for the course to test your newly learned ASL knowledge. Upon successfully passing the final exam, you will earn a certificate of completion. The certificate is available online in digital form. You can print the Signing Online certificate to mark your accomplishment.
Sign Up To Get Started
Whether you are just beginning to take sign language courses and lessons, or you have previously taken courses to be at an advanced level, Signing Online has an online ASL class for you.