🤨ASL Level 3, Activity 9-Facial Expressions (Online)

imageImage by Slideshare

Description:

Students will discuss Deaf culture through the experiences of a Deaf individual. Students will work to translate scenarios in ASL while understanding the importance of facial expressions and non-manual signs in conversation.

Semantic Topics: Deaf culture, Translation
Grammatical Structures: Non-manual signing (NMS), Expression, Sentence Structure

Products: Understanding the importance of facial expression, NMS, and hearing CODAs

Practices: Intentional removal of facial expression to understand the importance of its presence.

Perspectives: The need for facial expressions in ASL can be a hard concept for hearing people to grasp but they not only clarify the signer’s intentions and tone but can also completely change the meaning of a sign.

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 2.1 – Students demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between the practices and perspectives of American Deaf culture”
  • “Standard 4.1 – Students demonstrate understanding of the nature of language through comparisons of American Sign Language and their own languages.”

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”
  • “CLTR 1.1: Analyze the cultural practices/patterns of behavior accepted as the societal norm in the target culture”

Can-Do Statements

NCSSFL-ACTFL Can-Do Statements:

  • I am able to understand the need for facial expressions
  • I am able to discuss the importance of facial expressions in Deaf culture
  • I am able to challenge myself to step outside normal signing parameters

Warm-Up

Materials Needed for Warm-Up

  1. Ask students to type their name and ID # for attendance
    • “YOU LIST 2- NAME, ID NUMBER TYPE”
  2. Start with 5-minute conversations in breakout rooms
    • “START BREAKOUT ROOMS TIME 5 MINUTE CONVERSATION DISCUSS WHATEVER”
  3. Watch THIS VIDEO as a group
  4. This is a video of Keith Wann, a child of Deaf adults whose first language is ASL. He tells the story of the day he was born.
  5. There is a voiceover in the video. If you think your students can handle no audio, please challenge them.
    • “NOW VIDEO WATCH DEAF CULTURE. STORY CHILD GROW-UP HEARING FIRST LANGUAGE HEARING rhq-WHY? DEAF MOM DAD”
  6. As a group, discuss different aspects of the video and allow the students to share their thoughts on the video
    • “VIDEO FINISH THINK WHAT?”

Main Activity

Materials Needed for Main Activity

Facial Expression Challenge!

***The point of this activity is to understand the importance of facial expressions in ASL***

  1. Discuss as a group if facial expressions are needed when discussing in ASL, if the meanings of signs change based on the facial expressions, and review what the non-manual signs are
    • “FACIAL-EXPRESSION IMPORTANT WHY? SIGN MEANING CHANGE WITHOUT FACIAL EXPRESSION? NMS WHAT”
  2. Have students pair up and privately message each partner different cards from the link
  3. This can also be done in a whole group where one person signs are card at a time
  4. Partners will take turns translating the situations on the cards to their partner
    • “PARTNERS TAKE-TURNS TRANSLATING HAPPEN CARDS”
  5. Explain that the goal is to sign the situations without using any facial expressions
    • “FACIAL EXPRESSION USE NONE”
  6. Their partner’s job is to point out every time they use facial expressions.
    • “PARTNER B WATCH PARTNER A. PARTNER B STOP PARTNER A IF THEY FACIAL EXPRESSION USE”
  7. After each turn have the partners see if they were able to understand the situation without facial expressions
    • “FINISH PARTNER B UNDERSTAND? YES NO WHICH? WHY?”
  8. Once they are done signing their cards, come back together as a group and ask them how hard it was to sign without their expressions.
  9. What was hard about this?
    • “HARD WHAT?” 
  10. Is there less understanding when there are no expressions?
    • “FACIAL EXPRESSION NONE UNDERSTAND?” 
  11. What expression specifically did you find hard to avoid?
    • “FACIAL EXPRESSION USE NOT HARD WHICH?”

Wrap-Up

  1. What are you struggling with in ASL?
    • “ASL HARD WHAT?”
  2. What is most interesting to you about Deaf culture?
    • “DEAF CULTURE INTERESTING WHAT?”
  3. What did you think about the Deaf comedian?
    • “DEAF FUNNY PERSON LIKE DISLIKE WHY?”
  4. Do you understand the importance of facial expressions when signing?
    • “FACIAL EXPRESSION WITH SIGN IMPORTANT UNDERSTAND?”

Deaf Culture Notes

Facial expressions are important to a full visual language like ASL. For instance, the slight raise of one’s eyebrows indicate a new topic, and the shape of one’s mouth informs an audience of the intensity and size.  Without expression, the meaning of a message is lost.

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 am able to understand the need for facial expressions
  • I am able to discuss the importance of facial expressions in Deaf culture
  • I am able to challenge myself to step outside normal signing parameters

License

Icon for the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License

Let's Chat! American Sign Language (ASL) Copyright © 2023 by Armilene Cabreros; Audra Dooley; Claire Oberg; Collin Dauenhauer; Delaney Obaldia; Emily Harrison; Amber Hoye; 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.

Share This Book