GREAT BASIN COLLEGE
AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE
AM – 146, E01
SPRING 2009
AM 145 – American Sign Language 1
4 Credits / Prerequisites: Second Semester AM 145
TTH - 5:20 – 6:50 pm
Room – McMullen Hall 114
Course:
Description:
Development of American Sign Language and its application within the
deaf community. Based on the functional notional approach to learning sign language and
organizes language around communicative purpose of everyday interaction. Aspects of the
course include cultural awareness, grammatical features, vocabulary development, and
conversational skills.
Instructors:
e-mail:
Melanie Oxley
711 (TTY Operator)
753-4852
MOXY58@yahoo.com
Juanita Craig
738-7854 (h)
934-1621 (cell)
ncraig@elko.k12.nv.us (work)
ednitacraig@hotmail.com (home)
Office hours and location: We are available to meet 15 minutes before or after class or by
appointment.
Required Books: Book: Signing Naturally Units 7-12, by Smith, Lentz, and Mikos,
Student Workbook
Sign Language Dictionary
Deaf in America, Voices From a Culture, by Padden and
Humphries, Harvard University Press, 1988.
Recommended:
ASL Reference Chart
Course Objective:
1. Students will learn how to introduce oneself in ASL.
2. How to exchange personal information in ASL.
3. Students will be able to talk about where they live, about their families
and discuss everyday activities in ASL.
4. Students will learn about storytelling using ASL.
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Course Requirements:
Grading:
Finger-spelling quiz
Chapter Exams
Project 1: Storytelling
Project 2: Your own story
4 Reflective papers
Participation
2 Deaf Community Nights
Final
Total
50 pts
100 pts each
50 pts
50 pts
25 pts
75 pts
50 pts each
100 pts
725 pts
A – 689-725
A- – 653-688
B+ – 631-652
B – 602-630
B- – 580-601
C+ – 558-579
C – 528-557
C- – 508-527
D+ – 486-509
D – 457-485
D- – 435-456
F – ↓ 434
Late Assignments/No show for exams:
5 points will be deducted from late
assignments for each class day the assignment is late. No
exceptions. Make-up exams will be allowed only in the event of an
emergency. Total loss of points if not prepared on assigned date for
projects.
Assignments:
There will be 4 planned Deaf Community Nights, you are required
to attend all 4.
Deaf Community Nights:
1. February 19, 5-7pm at McDonald’s (near Wal-Mart)
2. March 20, 2-4pm at Starbuck’s (near Smith’s)
3. April 24, 5-7 Mexican Potluck (Location TBA)
4. May 14, 2-4 (TBA)
5. Saturday all day 8-4(TBA) Unit 12
Assigned Readings: Deaf Culture
Reflective Papers: Must be typed, minimum 12 font, between 1 and 5 pages long.
Answer 3 Questions:
1. What is the Deaf Community?
2. Do you agree or disagree about this information?
3. Has this information changed your thinking about the Deaf?
Community?
Project 1: Job Interview
Project 2: Direct Experiences: Buying a house, the grocery store, etc…
Attendance Policy:
Please be on time for class and stay for the duration of the
class period. For each early out or late arrival, students will
lose 1 participation point. You will receive 2 unexcused
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absences. Any absences after two will result in loss of 3
participation points.
LEARNER OUTCOMES
Students will be able to demonstrate
knowledge of the manual alphabet,
numbers and beginning vocabulary and how
it is used in ASL.
Students will be able to understand and use
grammatical features including non-manual
markers and classifiers in ASL sentence
structure such as: topic-comment,
questions, negation and spatial agreement.
Students will be able to understand and use
time concepts, information seeking and
asking for clarification sentence structures.
Students will demonstrate knowledge of
receptive ASL through writing what the
instructor signs.
MEASUREMENTS
Students will be required to understand and
use manual alphabet, numbers and
vocabulary through classroom participation
and exams.
Students will be required to perform in front
of the class demonstrating various sentence
structures: questions, negation, and topiccomment.
Students will be required to converse during
a deaf community social event (TBA) and
participate with others through sign
language.
Students will be required to interpret what
the instructor is signing through quizzes,
classroom participation and conversing with
each other in sign language.
References:
Baker -Shenk & Cokely, American Sign Language, Galluadet University Press, 1980.
Baynton, Forbidden Signs, American Culture and the Campaign Against Sign
Language. The University of Chicago Press, 1996.
Higgins, Paul C., Outsiders in a Hearing World, A Sociology of Deafness, Sage
Publications, Inc. 1980.
Moore, and Levitan, For Hearing People Only, 3rd Edition. Deaf Like Press, 2003
Padden, & Humphries, Inside Deaf Culture, Harvard University Press, 2005.
Sternberg, Martin, American Sign Language Dictionary, Harper Collins Publishers,
1998.
www.aslpro.com
www.lifeprint.com
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ADA STATEMENT
“Qualified students with physical or documented learning disabilities have the right to
free accommodations to ensure equal access to educational opportunities at Great Basin
College.” For assistance and clarification of services provided under the ADA, Contact Great
Basin College, 775-738-8493 or 775-753-2271.
DATES:
ASSIGNMENTS:
January 27
January 29
Introductions, Syllabus, and American Deaf Culture Awareness
Unit 7
Lessons – 7.1 – Language in Action
7.2 – Cardinal and Ordinal Numbers
7.3 – Giving directions
7.4 – Finger Spelling 1
February 3
Lessons –7.5 – Introducing oneself
7.6 – Cardinal and ordinal Numbers Review
7.7 – Pair Practice
Lessons –7.8 – Giving Directions
7.9 – Specifying where
7.10 – Giving Commands: Using a common ref.
February 10
February 12
February 17
February 19
February 24
February 26
QUIZ 1 – Finger-spelling
Lessons –7.11 – Following Directions
7.12 – Culture: Cross Cultural Communication
Unit 7 Review – Putting it all together
Unit 8
Lessons – 8.1 – Describing Others
8.2 – Numbers: Multiples of 10
8.3 – Identifying persons
REFLECTIVE PAPER #1 DUE
Lessons –8.4 – Asking for confirmation
8.5 – finger-spelling pairs practice
8.6 – Describe clothing
Lessons –8.7 – Numbers: Multiples of 11
8.8 – Describing 3 types of shapes
Lessons – 8.9 – Identifying people
8.10 – finger-spelling double letters
8.11 – Culture: Negotiation a Signing Environment
March 3
Lesson - 8.12 – Asking “What is the Sign”
Unit 8 Review – Putting it all Together
March 5
Comprehension Exam Units 7 and 8
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March 10
Unit 9
Lessons – 9.1 – Making Requests
9.2 – Verbs
9.3 – Verb types
March 12
REFLECTIVE PAPER #2 DUE
Lessons – 9.5 – Conversation Practice
9.6 – grammar notes
9.7 –Grammar practice
9.8 – Money Numbers
March 17
Lessons – 9.9 – plain verbs
9.10 – inflecting verbs
9.11 – finger-spelling down letters
9.12 – spatial verbs
March19
Lessons –9.13 – verb types: skit
9.14 – comprehension
9.15 – asking what is the sign
March 24
Lesson – 9.16 – practicing money numbers
Unit 9 review – Putting it All Together
March 26
Unit 10
Lessons – 10.1 – Family and Occupations
10.2 concept how long
10.3 – age numbers
10.4 – Personal and possessive Pronouns
April 7
April 9
April 14
April 16
Lessons – 10.5 – talking about children
10.6 – Comprehension
10.7 – finger spelling two or three letter combination
REFLECTIVE PAPER #3 DUE
Lessons – 10.8 – talking about extended family
10.9 – telling which order family members are
10.10 – work status
Lessons – 10.11 – employment status
10.12 – practice age numbers
10.13 – tell how people get along
Lessons – 10.14 – commenting on family members
10.15 – Culture. UNIT 10 REVIEW – Putting it All Together
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April 21
COMPREHENSION EXAM UNITS 9 & 10
April 23
April 28
Review
PRODUCTION EXAM:
April 30
REFLECTIVE PAPER #4 DUE
Unit 11
Lessons – 11.1 – Attributing qualities to others
11.2 – numbers 67-98
11.3 – role shifting
11.4 – describing characters
11.5 – winning numbers
May 5
Lessons – 11.6 – asking an opinion
11.7 personal qualities
May 7
Lessons – 11.8 – opposites
11.9 – other personal qualities
May 12
May 14
Unit 11 Review – Putting it all Together
May 19
PRODUCTION EXAM: YOUR OWN CHILDHOOD STORY
May 21
Finals Week. COMPREHENSION EXAM UNITS 7-12
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