🔠ASL Level 1, Activity 1- Introductions & The Alphabet (Face-to-Face)
Description:
Each student will have an equal number of alphabet and picture cards. Taking turns they will ask other students if they have the letter their picture represents. This will help practice the alphabet. For example: if I had a picture of a dog, I would ask someone if they had the letter D.
Products: Fingerspelling
Practices: Fingerspelling names, fingerspelling the alphabet, and introducing oneself
Perspectives: Importance of fingerspelling and communicating important information
Standards
NCSSFL-ACTFL World-Readiness Standards:
- Standard 1.1 Students engage in conversations and correspondence in American Sign Language to provide and obtain information, express feelings and emotions, and exchange opinions.
- Standard 2.1 Students demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between the practices and perspectives of American Deaf culture.
- Standard 2.2 Students demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between the products and perspectives of American Deaf culture.
- Standard 4.1 Students demonstrate an understanding of the nature of language through comparisons of American Sign Language and their own languages.
- Standard 4.2 Students demonstrate an understanding of the nature of culture through comparisons of American Deaf culture and their own.
Idaho Content Standards for World Languages:
- COMM 1.1: Interact and negotiate meaning (spoken, signed, written conversation) to share information, reactions, feelings, and opinions.”
- COMM 2.1: Understand, interpret, and analyze what is heard, read, or viewed on a variety of topics.
- CLTR 1.1 Analyze the cultural practices/patterns of behavior accepted as the societal norm in the target culture.
- CLTR 1.2 Explain the relationship between cultural practices/behaviors and the perspectives that represent the target culture’s view of the world.
- COMP 1.1 Observe formal and informal forms of language.
- COMP 1.2 Identify patterns and explain discrepancies the sounds and the writing system in the target language.
Can-Do Statements
NCSSFL-ACTFL Can-Do Statements:
- I can fingerspell my name
- I can recognize letters of the alphabet
- I can introduce myself to ASL
Materials Needed
- Google Slides
- Kahoot
- Picture Cards
- Alphabet Cards
Would you like to make changes to the materials? Access the template(s) below:
Picture Cards (Canva Template, free account required)
Need help with customizing the templates? View this video for help.
Warm-up
Materials Needed for Warm-up
- First give students an example of what labs will be like, by introducing yourself comprehensively in American Sign Language. If you have a name sign please share.
- “HELLO, MY NAME (rhq) (Insert Name). MY NAME SIGN (Insert Name Sign).”
- Once completed, ask students how much they understood and allow them to ask questions.
- “UNDERSTAND? QUESTIONS?”
- Go over what name signs are. Give students some background on cultural rules on name signs. Explain that you first need to be accepted by the Deaf community but you do not need to be deaf to have a name sign.
- “NAME SIGN RULES WHAT (rhq). CL-LIST 3 (Point at Thumb – Number 1) DEAF COMMUNITY ACCEPT YOU NEED . NOT NEED DEAF, HEARING WELCOME.”
- Explain that name signs are usually a combination of the first letter of your name and a passion or characteristic of yours.
- “CL-LIST (Point at Index Finger – Number 2) NAME SIGN USE FIRST LETTER YOUR NAME WITH fs-PASSION OR CHARACTERISTIC YOU HAVE.”
- Lastly, explain that a name sign can only be given by a deaf person and it is inappropriate to give yourself a name sign.
- “CL-LIST (Point at Middle Finger – Number 3) NAME SIGN MUST ONLY GIVE-TO-ME DEAF PERSON(rhq)-WHY? MAKE NAME SIGN FOR SELF CULTURE NOT APPROPRIATE.”
- Then have students fingerspell their names and name signs if they have one. Allow students to provide as much information about themselves as they can/feel comfortable with in American Sign Language.
- Name
- “HELLO, MY NAME fs-(Insert Name).”
- Name sign?
- (Optional) “MY NAME SIGN (Insert Name Sign).”
- Major(s) minor(s)
- “MY MAJOR (Insert Major)”
- “(Optional) MY MINOR”
- Where are you from?
- “FROM WHERE?”
- Name
- Kahoot!!
- “NOW GAME PLAY NAME fs-KAHOOT. ALL PHONE NEED”
Main Activity
Materials Needed for Main Activity
- Picture Cards
- Alphabet Cards
Matching
- To begin, have students go over and practice the full alphabet. Make sure not to just sign it for students, allow students to lead.
- “NOW fs-ABC PRACTICE TOGETHER”
- Lay out the alphabet and picture cards, scrambled.
- Students will work as a team to match the picture card with the alphabet card that shows the first letter of the picture.
- PICTURE CARD – ALPHABET CARD – TEAM WORK – MATCH (show example: a with apple)
Wrap-up
Come back together as a group, and display the slide with the wrap-up questions. Ask students the following questions:
- Do you understand name signs and how they are received?
- “YOU NAME SIGN RECEIVE UNDERSTAND?”
- Do you feel comfortable fingerspelling your name?
- “YOU YOUR NAME FINGERSPELL COMFORTABLE FEEL?”
- Do you feel comfortable recognizing the letters of the alphabet?
- “YOU fs-ABC UNDERSTAND COMFORTABLE FEEL?”
Deaf Culture
Deaf children babble just like hearing children do. Another similarity is babies learn signs for words before they learn the alphabet. When hearing people are learning ASL they begin with learning the sign language alphabet because they are already familiar with the English alphabet.
End of Lab:
- Sign or show Can-Do statements once more and have students evaluate their confidence
- (Use thumbs up/ thumbs down or have them rate 1-5 on how they feel after the activity)
- Encourage students to be honest in their self-evaluation
- Pay attention, and try to use feedback for future labs!
Can-Do Statements
NCSSFL-ACTFL Can-Do Statements:
- I can fingerspell my name
- I can recognize letters of the alphabet
- I can introduce myself to ASL
