Sign Language   

Beginning ASL Part 1 is for students new to the world of ASL and Deaf Culture.  The class is designed to include all the fundamentals of American Sign Language and its grammar, along with Deaf Culture basics, presented in a fun, engaging manner intended to prepare and interest students in additional ASL classes.  Additional classes will build greater vocabulary while having cultural understanding already in place.

Learning Objectives:  This course is designed as an introduction to American Sign Language and American Deaf Culture.  The main concepts and lessons in this class include:  the five parameters of signs, differences between ASL and Signed English, facial expression and Non-Manual Signs, proper terminology in the Deaf Community, syntax and timing for asking questions, ASL backchanneling, the basic history of ASL, the ASL timeline, Deaf Culture, Name Signs, Agent Suffix, basic ASL sentence structure, and verb tenses.

Vocabulary in this course focuses on beginning conversational signs:  introductions, greetings and responses, personal pronouns, possessive pronouns, fingerspelling (the manual alphabet), question words, numbers 0-19, school and classroom signs, some directional verbs, and days of the week.

Beginning ASL Part II is designed as a follow-up to Beginning ASL Part I or for those that have some knowledge of deaf culture and American Sign Language, to build greater vocabulary while having cultural understanding already in place.  Additional time to use previously-learned signs will be provided through activities and developing signed conversations.  
 
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:  This course is designed for vocabulary-building and practice with American Sign Language.  The main concepts and lessons in this class include Subject-Pronoun Copy, Transfer Error, the grammatical use of Rhetorical Questions, making signs plural, signing age, how to sign the concepts of OR and AND, additional uses of Rhetorical Questions, visual-spatial aspects of ASL, and an introduction to Classifiers.
Vocabulary in this course focuses on beginning conversational signs:  activities, interests and favorites, colors, numbers 20-30, months and holidays, seasons and weather, background and information, classroom directions, size, states and countries, cities and distance, people, family, and pets.
 

Intermediate ASL Part 2 is designed as a follow-up to Intermediate ASL Part 1 (and Beginning ASL Parts 1 and 2) to build both greater expressive language skills (signing) and greater receptive language skills (understanding what is signed to you) while having cultural understanding already in place. The class will touch on a few additional Deaf Culture points as well as a tool for improving fingerspelling fluency.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES: The main concepts and lessons in this class include using Deixis/Referents for places; additional signs using the Agent Suffix; Deaf Culture notes on using titles in names, Straight Talk, and using an interpreter; Deaf Education; eight types of Classifiers; phonograms for fingerspelling mastery; telling time, including Numerical Incorporation VOCABULARY: school locations, people in a school, activities with the Agent Suffix, education, fields of study, signs for skills/knowledge/abilities, time, beginnings & endings

ASL Brush-Up is an interactive, casual time for using previously-learned American Sign Language in activities, conversation, and games. Each session will be unique, based on the signing skills/knowledge of the participants. A minimum of 8 people is required for this class to run. It is recommended that you review the vocabulary from previous classes via your vocabulary lists and/or instructor-made videos prior to ASL Brush-Up.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES: Brush-up on previously-learned ASL knowledge with activities, conversation, and games. You’ll probably learn some new signs, too!

Vocabulary in each Brush-Up session will vary, depending on the ASL knowledge and experience of the participants.