New Course Announcement
American Sign Language
Course Overview
First-year students studying American Sign Language (ASL) learn the fundamentals, including the five principles of signing, the ASL alphabet, and fingerspelling. Along with learning how to sign a range of colors and typical greetings, they will also be able to confidently introduce themselves, start discussions, and explain simple visual ideas. Students are better prepared for increasingly difficult subjects as they move through the course with this foundation.
As students progress, they will investigate emotional connections with themselves and others, learning how to sign numbers, relating to family members, and expressing sentiments. They will get practice appropriately expressing their feelings and characterizing family structures via interactive tasks. They will have the ability to talk about family relationships and express their emotions in ASL using this knowledge.
The course also covers practical issues like shopping, money, and eating. Students will talk about recipes and cooking methods, explain mealtime routines, and learn to sign a variety of food products. Additionally, they will learn the vocabulary required to understand earnings, costs, and money for financial transactions and shopping outings. Additionally, the weather, various outdoor activities, and seasonal changes will be described by the students, which will enhance their ability to converse with others about nature and seasonal events.
ASL Unit Topics Include:
- Greetings & Colors
- Family & Feelings
- Foods in the Kitchen
- Money & Shopping
- Seasons & Weather
- Activities & Sports
- Home & Neighborhood
- Describing People
- Time
- Animals & Nature
In subsequent units, students are immersed in leisure activities, home and neighborhood life, and human descriptions. Students will gain the ability to sign a variety of sports and leisure pursuits, characterize homes and neighborhoods, and convey both physical and personal traits. The course teaches children to talk about holidays and events and to communicate temporal ideas. During the last unit, students will investigate the natural world and acquire the skill of signing information about animals, landscapes, and environmental phenomena. This will allow them to comfortably participate in discussions on wildlife, ecosystems, and conservation.