Courses of Study

Communication
Interpersonal Mode
American Sign Language (2017)
Grade(s): 9 - 12
Level III
All Resources: 1
Classroom Resources: 1
1) Exchange information on familiar topics with a variety of words, phrases, and simple sentences in a variety of time frames.

a. Exchange basic information about self, others, and special interests.

b. Ask for and provide information on familiar topics.

c. Use ASL to handle tasks related to personal needs.

Unpacked Content
Goals:
Communication
Modes Of Communication:
Interpersonal Mode
Evidence Of Student Attainment:
Students:
  • describe, discuss and participate in conversations using previously-learned information.
  • communicate basic information such as name, age, location of school and hobbies that they are involved in.
  • ask others participating in conversation about themselves and current happenings.
  • use ASL to express feelings such as hunger, thirst or to ask for directions.
Performance Descriptors:
Knowledge:
Students know:
  • Deaf people tend to stand or sit in a way so that everyone can see each other.
  • appropriate turn-taking in conversations.
  • appropriate ways to ask questions, especially if students do not understand something.
Skills:
Students are able to:
  • participate successfully in conversations with members of the Deaf community using ASL.
  • describe the importance of face-to-face conversation.
Understanding:
Students understand that:
  • effective communication requires knowing how when and why to say what to whom.
  • the purpose of language study is to communicate so one can understand others and be understood.
  • ASL can be used to engage in conversations to share information.
  • interpersonal communication requires the knowledge of linguistic elements.
Interpretive Mode
American Sign Language (2017)
Grade(s): 9 - 12
Level III
All Resources: 0
2) Interpret what is read or viewed on familiar topics in a variety of time frames.

a. Describe main ideas, identify characters, and state details found in a variety of viewed informational texts.

b. Interpret gestures, facial expressions, non-manual markers and other visual cues.

Unpacked Content
Goals:
Communication
Modes Of Communication:
Interpretive Mode
Evidence Of Student Attainment:
Students:
  • participate in dialogue using ASL.
  • explain different literary elements found in a short story, novel, script or other informational text.
  • define, explain, and demonstrate how different gestures, non-manual markers, facial expressions and other visual cues influence, add meaning, and grammatically influence signs, sentence and phrases.
Performance Descriptors:
Knowledge:
Students know:
  • strategies to accurately identify different literary elements within an informative text.
  • strategies to identify different non-manual markers, facial expressions and other visual cues and understand how they affect the grammatical-structure of the word, sentence, or phrase.
Skills:
Students are able to:
  • accurately express and interpret information based on literary elements from an informational text.
  • accurately identify, and interpret different facial expressions, gestures, non-manual markers and other visual cues used within a conversation.
Understanding:
Students understand that:
  • effective communication requires knowing how when and why to say what to whom.
  • the purpose of language study is to communicate so one can understand others and be understood.
  • ASL can be used to engage in conversations to share information.
  • interpersonal communication requires the knowledge of linguistic elements.
  • just as in English, American Sign Language has specific ways to identify and express important literary information.
  • ASL, just as spoken and printed English, has specific grammatical rules that affect meaning, express emotion, and convey important information.
Presentational Mode
American Sign Language (2017)
Grade(s): 9 - 12
Level III
All Resources: 2
Classroom Resources: 2
3) Present information on familiar topics to an audience of viewers in American Sign Language.

a. Analyze and explain the meaning of selected classifiers.

b. Create simple, brief recorded messages about familiar topics.

c. Present selected poems, anecdotes and ASL stories.

Unpacked Content
Goals:
Communication
Modes Of Communication:
Presentational Mode
Evidence Of Student Attainment:
Students:
  • use online vlogs and other Deaf resources to find and define the meaning of selected classifiers.
  • create a vlog to express short messages about topics that they are familiar with, such as current events, explaining hobbies, or other happenings in their lives.
  • find different types of Deaf poetry and ABC/123 stories and create their own to present.
  • discover different common themes that are represented in ASL poetry or stories.
Performance Descriptors:
Knowledge:
Students know:
  • strategies to use technology to research different topics to find information.
  • how to use recorded vlogs to express different ideas and concepts that are close to the Deaf Community.
  • the importance of ABC/123 stories in the Deaf Community.
  • how different types of stories/poetry are used to express different emotions via ASL.
Skills:
Students are able to:
  • find, explain and demonstrate different classifiers and how they are used within ASL.
  • create a vlog that expresses a short message about topics that students are familiar with.
  • create and express different ASL poems and ABC/123 stories.
  • explain why these different mediums of expression are important to the Deaf Community.
Understanding:
Students understand that:
  • effective communication requires knowing how when and why to say what to whom.
  • the purpose of language study is to communicate so one can understand others and be understood.
  • ASL can be used to engage in conversations to share information.
  • interpersonal communication requires the knowledge of linguistic elements.
  • different classifiers are used in ways that sometimes do not have a direct, one-word English equivalency.
  • vlogs are used to communicate different thoughts and ideas of great variety.
  • ASL poetry, ABC/123 stories, and other ASL stories hold a great value in the history of ASL and in Deaf Culture.
Cultures
American Sign Language (2017)
Grade(s): 9 - 12
Level III
All Resources: 0
4) Investigate perspectives through practices of the Deaf culture.

a. Discuss and participate in activities enjoyed by Deaf teenagers such as athletics, dance, entertainment and the social norms that accompany these activities.

b. Understand appropriate social behaviors when interacting with mixed groups of Deaf and hearing individuals.

c. Participate in hands-on activities related to cultural practices in the Deaf culture.

Unpacked Content
Goals:
Cultures
Evidence Of Student Attainment:
Students:
  • discuss and discover similarities to activities enjoyed by both hearing and Deaf students.
  • participate or visit Deaf events, such as sporting events at their local school for the deaf, talent shows, silent dinners, or other Deaf gatherings.
  • discover, through participation and discussion, that there are certain cultural norms and behaviors for events that have both Deaf and hearing individuals.
Performance Descriptors:
Knowledge:
Students know:
  • the value of physical interaction in the Deaf Community.
  • where to locate and contact their local school for the deaf to find events.
  • where to find other Deaf gatherings not related to their local school for the deaf.
  • how deaf institutes have shaped and molded Deaf Culture.
  • appropriate actions used while interacting with both Deaf and hearing individuals in the same group.
Skills:
Students are able to find their local school for the deaf and list different events that will be occuring there.
  • attend different deaf events/gatherings and engage in appropriate communications using ASL.
  • research and provide details as to how deaf institutes have influenced Deaf Culture.
  • provide examples of both appropriate and inappropriate actions and behaviors to do while interacting with both hearing and Deaf individuals while in mixed company.
    • Understanding:
    Students understand that:
    • the Deaf community is also part of the American community.
    • Therefore, they function in both the American culture and the Deaf culture.
    • the basis of Deaf culture lies in its visual orientation.
    • recognizing the different practices in the Deaf community can lead to a better understanding of their viewpoints.
    • like public schools, schools for the deaf have events and gathering that the local community participate in.
    • Deaf gatherings and physical interaction are a valued and important part of Deaf Culture.
    • there are both appropriate and inappropriate ways to behave while in a group with both Deaf and hearing individuals.
    American Sign Language (2017)
    Grade(s): 9 - 12
    Level III
    All Resources: 0
    5) Investigate perspectives through products of the target cultures.

    a. Examine how the major themes of eyes, hands, and signs appear in Deaf art.

    b. Recognize the contributions of Deaf scholars in areas such as math, medicine, and science.

    c. Study and produce simple products of Deaf culture such as poetry and art.

    Unpacked Content
    Goals:
    Cultures
    Evidence Of Student Attainment:
    Students:
    • demonstrate, through modeling and presentations, how popular themes appear in Deaf art.
    • identify and explain how different Deaf scholars have made important contributions in fields such as math, medicine, and science.
    • create an example of Deaf culture, such as a visual art piece or poem.
    Performance Descriptors:
    Knowledge:
    Students know:
    • Deaf Culture is rich in creative art, especially the visual arts.
    • Deaf scholars have provided the world with a vast amount of important discoveries.
    • they can create art that is represented by Deaf Culture.
    Skills:
    Students are able to:
    • identify different genres of Deaf Art, along with what popular motifs are represented within these pieces.
    • identify and expand upon different Deaf scholars' contributions to different intellectual fields.
    • create and describe a simple piece of Deaf art.
    Understanding:
    Students understand that:
    • the Deaf community creates products that reflect their culture.
    • an ability to communicate in another language fosters a better understanding of my own language and culture.
    • custom and tradition vary within a culture, as well as between cultures.
    • different motifs and themes appear in Deaf visual art.
    • these motifs have a strong representation to Deaf Culture and issues that Deaf people, especially children, face.
    • Deaf scholars, especially from both Gallaudet University and NTID, have provided a great deal of knowledge to both the Deaf world and general population.
    • students, too, can create Deaf art.
    Connections
    American Sign Language (2017)
    Grade(s): 9 - 12
    Level III
    All Resources: 1
    Classroom Resources: 1
    6) Connect with other disciplines while using American Sign Language in a variety of time frames.

    a. Expand knowledge of common numbering systems used in science, mathematics and other fields.

    b. Talk about topics from other school subjects using ASL.

    c. Describe the importance of influential figures from the Deaf culture, past and present.

    Unpacked Content
    Goals:
    Connections
    Evidence Of Student Attainment:
    Students:
    • present basic math, science, history and other school topics using American Sign Language.
    • Using ASL, students can expand on how influential figures in Deaf Culture have shaped education in both the hearing and Deaf Communities.
    Performance Descriptors:
    Knowledge:
    Students know:
    • basic math and science functions and how they relate conceptually to ASL.
    • How to research impactful members of the Deaf Community to find out how they have shaped education in both the Deaf and hearing communities.
    Skills:
    Students are able to:
    • demonstrate how to complete basic math and science functions both in ASL and printed English.
    • Pick a topic related to Deaf history, research the topic, find influential members and present, expanding on who, what and why they are so impactful to our current education system.
    Understanding:
    Students understand that:
    • Proficiency in ASL is a vehicle to gaining knowledge that can only be acquired through that language and its culture.
    • ASL can be used to learn all school subjects.
    American Sign Language (2017)
    Grade(s): 9 - 12
    Level III
    All Resources: 0
    7) Acquire information related to diverse perspectives in the Deaf culture.

    a. Compare how current events are reported in Deaf and hearing cultures.

    b. Gain understanding of major events in Deaf history, both American and world-wide, that have had profound influence on Deaf culture.

    Unpacked Content
    Goals:
    Connections
    Evidence Of Student Attainment:
    Students:
    • create interview questions, research, using person-to-person interviews, social media, or other electronic means, and gather information that will help them gain an understanding of a given topic.
    Performance Descriptors:
    Knowledge:
    Students know:
    • how to create and conduct an interview, either face-to-face, or via phone/internet.
    • research a topic and gather ideas from two different perspectives while staying neutral in opinion.
    • use the internet to gather information on a given topic.
    Skills:
    Students are able to:
    • gather information and express how news of current events is gathered in both the Deaf and hearing communities and explain the differences in obtaining the information in each respected community.
    • develop questions and demonstrate the ability to both gather and present information on important events that have happened within the Deaf Community and how they have had either a nation-wide or world-wide impact.
    Understanding:
    Students understand that:
    • cultural issues affect the Deaf community's perspective.
    • to identify diverse perspectives of the Deaf community, it is only available through studying ASL.
    Comparisons
    American Sign Language (2017)
    Grade(s): 9 - 12
    Level III
    All Resources: 1
    Classroom Resources: 1
    8) Compare characteristics of the American Sign Language and their own in a variety of time frames.

    a. Compare idiomatic expressions of ASL and their own.

    b. Compare formal and informal registers of language.

    c. Compare the use of different time frames in ASL and Deaf culture.

    Unpacked Content
    Goals:
    Comparisons
    Evidence Of Student Attainment:
    Students:
    • compare idiomatic expressions of ASL and their own.
    • compare formal and informal registers of language.
    • compare the use of different time frames in ASL and Deaf culture.
    Performance Descriptors:
    Knowledge:
    Students know:
    • some English idioms and their meaning.
    • some ASL idioms and their meaning.
    • the meaning of formal and informal registers and when they are used.
    • how to use past, present, and future tense in English.
    • how to use past, present, and future tense in ASL.
    • time oriented cultures.
    • event oriented cultures.
    Skills:
    Students are able to:
    • understand some English idioms.
    • understand some ASL idoioms.
    • compare idiomatic expressions of ASL and their own.
    • compare formal and informal registers of language.
    • compare the use of different time frames in ASL and Deaf culture.
    Understanding:
    Students understand that:
    • by learning another language one can better understand how the native language works.
    • other understandings will depend on theme taught.
    American Sign Language (2017)
    Grade(s): 9 - 12
    Level III
    All Resources: 0
    9) Compare products, practices, and perspectives of Deaf and hearing cultures.

    a. Compare selected activities and events of the Deaf and hearing cultures.

    b. Compare selected cultural practices in the Deaf and hearing cultures.

    Unpacked Content
    Goals:
    Comparisons
    Evidence Of Student Attainment:
    Students:
    • compare selected activities and events of the Deaf and hearing cultures.
    • compare selected cultural practices in the Deaf and hearing cultures.
    Performance Descriptors:
    Knowledge:
    Students know:
    • some events and activities occuring in the Deaf community.
    • some events and activities occuring in the hearing community.
    • some cultural practices in the Deaf community.
    • some cultural practices in the hearing community.
    Skills:
    Students are able to:
    • compare selected activities and events of the Deaf and hearing cultures.
    • compare selected cultural practices in the Deaf and hearing cultures.
    Understanding:
    Students understand that:
    • custom and tradition vary within the Deaf culture, as well as between Deaf and hearing cultures.
    • by studying another culture, one can better understand and appreciate their own.
    • there are products specifically designed for Deaf people.
    Communities
    American Sign Language (2017)
    Grade(s): 9 - 12
    Level III
    All Resources: 0
    10) Interact using American Sign Language within the classroom and globally in a variety of time frames.

    Examples: Exchange information with speakers of American Sign Language in person or virtually.
    Identify skills necessary to enter possible career options utilizing ASL fluency.
    Simulate interactions that would occur in the Deaf culture.

    Unpacked Content
    Goals:
    Communities
    Evidence Of Student Attainment:
    Students:
    • identify skills necessary to enter possible career options utilizing ASL fluency.
    • simulate interactions that would occur in the Deaf culture.
    Performance Descriptors:
    Knowledge:
    Students know:
    • some careers options utilizing ASL fluency.
    • skills to research careers that utilize ASL fluency.
    • rules of some cultural interaction in the Deaf culture.
    • ways to simulate interaction that would occur in the Deaf culture.
    Skills:
    Students are able to:
    • identify skills necessary to enter possible career options utilizing ASL fluency.
    • simulate interactions that would occur in the Deaf culture.
    Understanding:
    Students understand that:
    • ASL is used daily by Deaf people as their primary and preferred mode of communication across all parts of their lives.
    • ASL can help one better understand the world around them.
    • The study of ASL expands one's opportunities.
    • ASL is a tool to connect with the world.
    • interacting with native users helps increase language and culture skills.
    • ASL is a life-long learning tool for communication throughout their personal and professional lives.
    American Sign Language (2017)
    Grade(s): 9 - 12
    Level III
    All Resources: 0
    11) Explore opportunities to use American Sign Language beyond the classroom environment in a variety of time frames.

    Examples: Investigate authentic materials to learn more about topics studied in class.
    Explore the internet to find authentic websites on current events.
    Plan school events which promote the Deaf culture and awareness of the Deaf culture.

    Unpacked Content
    Goals:
    Communities
    Evidence Of Student Attainment:
    Students:
    • explore the internet to find authentic websites on current events.
    • plan school events which promote the Deaf culture and awareness of the Deaf culture.
    Performance Descriptors:
    Knowledge:
    Students know:
    • criteria to recognize an authentic website.
    • strategies to plan a school event.
    • specific Deaf culture points and how to promote awareness of those points.
    Skills:
    Students are able to:
    • explore the internet to find authentic websites on current events.
    • plan school events which promote the Deaf culture and awareness of the Deaf culture.
    Understanding:
    Students understand that:
    • Deaf community events are opportunities to use the target language outside of the classroom setting.