👋ASL Level 3, Activity 1-Introductions, Mad Libs (Online)

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Description:

Students will work in either their whole lab or in breakout rooms of pairs/small groups to get to know everyone and play a game going over lab rules/expectations. They will guess certain aspects of each other’s  lives (major, name, hometown, pets) by playing a game of mad libs and present their answers in the target language.

Semantic Topics: Introductions, Mad Libs, Game, Sentences
Grammatical Structures: Vocabulary, Sentence Structure, Listing

Products: Listing, presenting personal information, and understanding details about peers

Practices: Answering questions, utilizing proper grammatical structures such as listing, and getting to know their lab mates

Perspectives: Community and knowing one another on a deeper level is very important in Deaf culture

Standards

AATSP Standards for Learning American Sign Language:

  • “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 1.3 – Students present information, concepts, and ideas in American Sign Language to an audience of viewers on a variety of topics”
  • “Standard 5.2 – Students show evidence of becoming lifelong learners by using American Sign Language for personal enjoyment and enrichment”

Idaho Content Standards for World Languages:

  • “COMM 1: Interact with others in the target language and gain meaning from interactions in the target language”
  • “COMM 1.1: Interact and negotiate meaning (spoken, signed, written conversation) to share information, reactions, feelings, and opinions”

Can-Do Statements

NCSSFL-ACTFL Can-Do Statements:

  • I can present personal information about my life, using simple sentences.
  • I can exchange information related to areas of mutual interest.
  • I can ask for and provide information about specific events.

Materials Needed

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 Warm-up

Materials Needed for Warm-Up

  1. 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. You can talk about your major(s) and any minor(s), what year, and really anything about yourself you’re comfortable sharing with the students.
    • “HELLO, MY NAME (rhq) (Insert Name). MY NAME SIGN (Insert Name Sign). MY MAJOR (Insert Major) MY MINOR (Insert Minor). I (Insert year) HERE (Insert School Name).”
  2. Then you will allow each student will introduce themselves providing the information listed below:
    • Name
    • Major
    • Year in school
    • Hometown
    • Hobby
      • Make sure their list is grammatically correct (handshape 5 list)
      • “HELLO, LIST 5-MY NAME (rhq) (Insert Name). MY NAME SIGN (Insert Name Sign). MY MAJOR (Insert Major). I (Insert Year in School). I FROM (Insert Hometown). MY fs-HOBBY WHAT (Insert Hobbies).”
  3. Kahoot! This Kahoot goes over lab rules and expectations.
    • Have students take out their phones to join the Kahoot
    • NOW fs-KAHOOT PLAY YOUR PHONE cl-TAKE OUT”
  4. 5-minute open conversation:
  • Introduce 201 students to a regular 5-minute discussion now that students have moved on to a higher level. This is without the lab instructor prompting students to start, to enforce a lab routine of the first 5 minutes of lab being a student-led discussion on any topic for 5 minutes.
    • “NOW 201 PRACTICE CONVERSATION FREE MORE. TIME 5 MINUTE CONVERSATION TALK ABOUT WHAT (rhq) WHATEVER”
  • Lab instructor will typically turn off their video so that they feel less pressure from them, and just focus on using ASL in conversation. I jump in when/if they alert me they need help with how to sign something.
  • This can also be done in breakout rooms where the lab instructor can pop in with their camera off. Breakout rooms are useful here so conversation is only between students at the same level

Main Activity: 

Materials Needed for Main Activity

First impression Mad Libs

  1. Students will be introducing each other without knowing each other.
    • “NOW, WE GAME PLAY TOPIC FIRST fs-IMPRESSION fs-MAD fs-LIBS.”
  2. Put students into pairs and send them 2-3 of the cards and send everyone the name of the partner. Give them 2 minutes to take in their first impressions of the person they’re paired with and to write down their guesses.
  3. Students are given cards with phrases like “My name is (BLANK), I grew up in (BLANK), my major is (BLANK), and I had (BLANK) animals in my life”
    • “ME PARTNER NAME SEND. YOU ALL WRITE/TYPE WHAT (rhq) ANSWERS YOU THINK FOR OTHER PERSON. YOUR FIRST fs-IMPRESSION WHAT. TIME 2 MINUTES.”
  4. Have students come back together as a group and introduce their partners. Their partners will then tell the group what the real answers are
    • “TIME FINISH SHARE GUESSES WHOLE GROUP ONE PARTNER AT A TIME. OTHER PARTNER TELL GROUP TRUE ANSWERS.”

Wrap-up

  1. How do you feel about your new ASL class?
    • “YOUR NEW ASL CLASS, YOU FEEL HOW?”
  2. Do you like your other classes?
    • “YOU YOUR OTHER CLASSES LIKE?”
  3. Do you have any questions for me before we finish?
    • “BEFORE FINISH YOU QUESTIONS HAVE?”

Deaf Culture Notes

Just like in hearing cultures, when meeting someone new, Deaf people ask questions to get to know someone better. Upon first interactions, name signs tend to be exchanged.

End of Lab:

  • Read can-do statements 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 present personal information about my life, using simple sentences.
  • I can exchange information related to areas of mutual interest.
  • I can ask for and provide information about specific events.

License

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Let's Chat! American Sign Language (ASL) Copyright © 2023 by Armilene Cabreros; Audra Dooley; Claire Oberg; Collin Dauenhauer; Delaney Obaldia; Emily Harrison; Emma Wilkinson; Gabi Jones; Izabelle Finner; Jacob Steele; Kate Maryon; Madison Mackey; Megan McAllister; Monica Potts; Rebecca Mulgrew; Robyn Holland; Samantha Showers; Sarra Foerster; Serena Krause; Sophia Orm; Tiana Gratiot; and Tori Fisher is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

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