🤨ASL Level 3, Activity 9-Facial Expressions (Online)
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.
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
Materials Needed
Warm-Up
Materials Needed for Warm-Up
- Ask students to type their name and ID # for attendance
- “YOU LIST 2- NAME, ID NUMBER TYPE”
- Start with 5-minute conversations in breakout rooms
- “START BREAKOUT ROOMS TIME 5 MINUTE CONVERSATION DISCUSS WHATEVER”
- Watch THIS VIDEO as a group
- 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.
- 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”
- 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***
- 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”
- Have students pair up and privately message each partner different cards from the link
- This can also be done in a whole group where one person signs are card at a time
- Partners will take turns translating the situations on the cards to their partner
- “PARTNERS TAKE-TURNS TRANSLATING HAPPEN CARDS”
- Explain that the goal is to sign the situations without using any facial expressions
- “FACIAL EXPRESSION USE NONE”
- 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”
- 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?”
- 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.
- What was hard about this?
- “HARD WHAT?”
- Is there less understanding when there are no expressions?
- “FACIAL EXPRESSION NONE UNDERSTAND?”
- What expression specifically did you find hard to avoid?
- “FACIAL EXPRESSION USE NOT HARD WHICH?”
Wrap-Up
- What are you struggling with in ASL?
- “ASL HARD WHAT?”
- What is most interesting to you about Deaf culture?
- “DEAF CULTURE INTERESTING WHAT?”
- What did you think about the Deaf comedian?
- “DEAF FUNNY PERSON LIKE DISLIKE WHY?”
- 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
