Theme 1: Rights and Responsibilities

Voting and Civic Responsibilities

Communication

Person-to-Person Communication

• Express opinions and preferences about voting and civic responsibilities.
• Participate in sustained exchanges relating to voting and civic responsibilities.

Understanding Signed Language

• Comprehend information relating to voting and civic responsibilities.

Producing Signed Language

• Communicate main ideas and supporting details about voting and political issues.
• Produce and present situations, both spontaneous and rehearsed, which highlight community responsibilities.

Cultures

Cultural Perspectives, Practices and Products

• Discuss voting practices in the United States, particularly those relating to Deaf culture.
• Discuss predominant political affiliations.
• Discuss legislation relating to Deaf issues.

Connections, Comparisons and Communities

Making Connections Through Language

• Identify contributions of political figures from the Deaf community.

Cultural and Linguistic Comparisons

• Compare and contrast policies and practices regarding voting and civic responsibilities within the hearing and Deaf communities.

Communication Across Communities

• Investigate legislation relating to Deaf issues.

Related Vocabulary and Linguistic Elements

• Conditional
• Commands
• Vocabulary for expressing obligation
• Vocabulary for expressing opinion and defending positions

Chores

Communication

Person-to-Person Communication

• Ask and give a detailed description of household chores and responsibilities.
• Participate in a sustained conversation about household chores and responsibilities.
• Exchange information about chores in various time frames (past, present and future).
• Exchange information about renovations and upkeep of a home.

Understanding Signed Language

• Comprehend instructions related to household chores and responsibilities.

Producing Signed Language

• Produce detailed presentations about the household chores and responsibilities of various family members.
• Produce and present situations that highlight one's personal responsibilities.

Cultures

Cultural Perspectives, Practices and Products

• Discuss household chores and responsibilities of teenagers with a Deaf parent or sibling compared to those of teenagers in families without Deaf members.

Connections, Comparisons, and Communities

Making Connections Through Language

• Make connections with responsibilities in other classroom situations, such as cleaning up in art or cooking class and putting away equipment in science and physical education.

Cultural and Linguistic Comparisons

• Discuss classifier usage for household problems.
• Compare household and school responsibilities of American teenagers living at home compared to Deaf students living in residential schools.

Communication Across Communities

• Discuss using a TTY and the Internet to contact realtors, contractors and other maintenance workers.

Related Vocabulary and Linguistic Elements

• Vocabulary related to expressing feelings and opinions
• Vocabulary related to making requests and complaints
• "Do you mind?"
• Classifier usage for household problems

Theme 2: Future Plans and Choices

Education Plans

Communication

Person-to-Person Communication

• Discuss education plans, giving details such as course of study and long-range goals.
• Participate in sustained exchanges on educational plans in relation to future career goals.

Understanding Signed Language

• Understand videotaped information published for the deaf by universities such as Gallaudet University and the National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID).

Producing Signed Language

• Make presentations about educational opportunities after high school, giving details about courses of study and long-range goals.
• Produce and present situations which highlight future educational plans and long-range goals.

Cultures

Cultural Perspectives, Practices and Products

• Discuss the educational systems for the Deaf such as residential, mainstream and inclusion programs.
• Discuss interpreter training and Deaf Education programs.

Connections, Comparisons and Communities

Making Connections Through Language

• Identify connections between the study of ASL and career opportunities in other disciplines.
• Explain how the continued study of ASL improves verbal skills, abilities, and academic performance.

Cultural and Linguistic Comparisons

• Compare and contrast the different types of post-secondary educational institutions and opportunities for Deaf and hearing students, including specialized universities and training programs as well as other colleges and universities.

Communication Across Communities

• Access information about opportunities for interpreter training, Deaf Education, and exchange programs with Deaf academic institutions, using such resources as the school's career center, public library and the Internet.

Related Vocabulary and Linguistic Elements

• Vocabulary for expressing intentions
• Future tense
• Aspects of temporal/time
• Recurring and continuous time signs
• Verbal inflections terminology

Careers and Jobs

Communication

Person-to-Person Communication

• Ask and answer questions about preferences and plans concerning job or career choices.
• Ask for and give information regarding job or career choices.

Understanding Signed Language

• Comprehend information related to finding a job, such as interview questions and qualifications for a job.

Producing Signed Language

• Give details or inquire about job opportunities and career paths.
• Present material related to careers and jobs, such as culturally-authentic stories and skits.
• Present job descriptions and qualifications relating to ASL and deafness.

Cultures

Cultural Perspectives, Practices and Products

• Discuss and present examples of audism in the workplace.
• Discuss the challenges in the workplace for Deaf and hard of hearing individuals.
• Discuss the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in relation to the workplace.

Connections, Comparisons and Communities

Making Connections Through Language

• Recognize connections between the study of ASL and job or career choices in the fields of math, science, medicine, technology, business, marketing, etc.

Cultural and Linguistic Comparisons

• Compare attitudes towards Deaf and hard of hearing individuals in the workplace.

Communication Across Communities

• Locate and share information on the use of ASL in various professions, workplaces or businesses.
• Locate and discuss information found on the Internet or in print media about job opportunities using ASL.

Related Vocabulary and Linguistic Elements

• Vocabulary related to money and time
• Vocabulary related to professions, personal background and the workplace
• Vocabulary for accepting, denying and hedging
• Vocabulary for requesting information
• Vocabulary for relating intentions
• Vocabulary for giving advice
• Future and conditional tenses

Theme 3: Teen Culture

Entertainment

Communication

Person-to-Person Communication

• Exchange ideas about Deaf entertainers, storytellers, poets, writers, and others who have contributed to the culture.
• Ask and respond to questions relating to entertainment.

Understanding Signed Language

• Comprehend information relating to entertainment, Deaf entertainers, storytellers, poets, writers, and others who have contributed to the culture.

Producing Signed Language

• Produce and present situations which highlight entertainment choices and venues popular with Deaf individuals.
• Make presentations about Deaf entertainers, storytellers, poets, writers, and other who have contributed to the culture.
• Explain how to use closed-captioning.

Cultures

Cultural Perspectives, Practices and Products

• Discuss Deaf storytelling and its role in Deaf culture.
• Discuss the use of captioning in homes with Deaf children.
• Discuss the set-up of Deaf homes and how it accommodates conversational and entertainment styles.
• Discuss the role of conversing as a form of entertainment in the Deaf community.

Connections, Comparisons and Communities

Making Connections Through Language

• Relate knowledge of entertainment topics to information learned in ASL class.
• Discuss how technology such as closed-captioning contributes to the participation of the Deaf in various forms of entertainment.

Cultural and Linguistic Comparisons

• Discuss reporting styles of hearing journalists toward Deaf culture.
• Compare attitudes towards hearing and Deaf entertainers.
• Make comparisons between watching captioned television and non-captioned television.
• Recognize differences between Deaf and hearing storytelling.

Communication Across Communities

• Locate an authentic source of information on Deaf entertainers, storytellers, poets, writers, and others who have contributed to the culture, such as an individual, Internet site or article.

Related Vocabulary and Linguistic Elements

• Vocabulary related to entertainment
• Vocabulary for expressing interest, disinterest, and indifference
• Vocabulary for detailed descriptions used in storytelling
• Comparatives and superlatives
• Vocabulary relating to ADA
• Poetic structures

Sports

Communication

Person-to-Person Communication

• Exchange ideas about sports and sporting events.

Understanding Signed Language

• Comprehend information about sports and scoring regulations.

Producing Signed Language

• Describe Deaf sporting events and cultural habits.
• Produce presentations about Deaf historical sports figures such as William "Dummy" Hoy.

Cultures

Cultural Perspectives, Practices and Products

• Discuss the role of sporting events in the Deaf community.

Connections, Comparisons and Communities

Making Connections Through Language

• Make connections between the Deaf World Games and the Olympics.
• Identify sports traditions from the Deaf community (e.g. the Huddle, safe sign).

Cultural and Linguistic Comparisons

• Discuss the differences between playing on an all-Deaf team and an all-hearing team.
• Compare and contrast registers of expression in ASL and English.
• Compare and contrast Deaf and hearing attitudes towards sports.

Communication Across Communities

• Investigate information about Deaf athletes on the Internet or in other media.

Related Vocabulary and Linguistic Elements

• Vocabulary related to sports and scoring
• Vocabulary for expressing interest, disinterest and indifference
• Spatial agreement for describing positions on a field
• Classifiers relating to sports
• Comparatives and superlatives
• Directionality

Leisure Time

Communication

Person-to-Person Communication

• Express preferences and elicit those of others about leisure time activities.
• Exchange points of view and support opinions about leisure time activities.

Understanding Signed Language

• Comprehend information related to leisure time activities.

Producing Signed Language

• Produce well-organized presentations with supporting details appropriate to the type of audience and the purpose of the presentation in relation to teenage leisure activities.

Cultures

Cultural Perspectives, Practices and Products

• Discuss patterns of teen behavior and recreational pastimes in the Deaf community.

Connections, Comparisons and Communities

Making Connections Through Language

• Discuss information learned in courses such as biology about the connection between active pastimes and good health.

Cultural and Linguistic Comparisons

• Compare and contrast patterns of hearing and Deaf teen behavior and recreational pastimes.
• Identify words related to leisure time activities that are derived from French Sign Language (MFSL).

Communication Across Communities

• Expand ASL language skills and cultural knowledge by viewing programs and videos in ASL related to leisure time activities in the Deaf community.

Related Vocabulary and Linguistic Elements

• Vocabulary related to pastimes, sports and leisure
• Expressions of excitement, disappointment and opinions
• Expressions of agreement and disagreement

Theme 4: The Environment

Nature and Wildlife

Communication

Person-to-Person Communication

• Participate in a sustained exchange about plant and animal life and natural resources.

Understanding Signed Language

• Comprehend information about nature and natural resources.

Producing Signed Language

• Create presentations describing nature and natural resources.

Cultures

Cultural Perspectives, Practices and Products

• Discuss the importance of nature and natural resources to a particular region of the United States or another country.

Connections, Comparisons and Communities

Making Connections Through Language

• Share information about nature and natural resources (e.g. flora and fauna, national parks, and endangered species) learned in the sciences.

Related Vocabulary and Linguistic Elements

• Vocabulary for natural resources

Ecology

Communication

Person-to-Person Communication

• Participate in a sustained conversation about environmental and ecological issues such as pollution, recycling, acid rain, and the destruction of rain forests.
• Ask and give information about environmental and ecological concerns.

Understanding Signed Language

• Comprehend information about environmental and ecological issues.

Producing Signed Language

• Communicate problems about and solutions to environmental and ecological issues.

Cultures

Cultural Perspectives, Practices and Products

• Explain practices related to environmental and ecological issues in the U.S.

Connections, Comparisons and Communities

Making Connections Through Language

• Related knowledge of environmental and ecological issues gained in science, social studies, and health classes to information learned in ASL class.

Cultural and Linguistic Comparisons

• Compare environmental practices among various world cultures.

Related Vocabulary and Linguistic Elements

• Ecology vocabulary
• Vocabulary related to cities and development (traffic, etc.)
• Expressions related to giving opinions

Theme 5: Humanities

Current Events

Communication

Person-to-Person Communication

• Ask and answer questions concerning current events.
• Express and exchange reactions to current events.

Understanding Signed Language

• Identify pertinent information from a news source such as the NAD Broadcaster and Silent News.

Producing Signed Language

• Communicate main ideas and supporting details when presenting a current event.
• Produce and explain opinions and reactions to current news events.

Cultures

Cultural Perspectives, Practices and Products

• Discuss how the viewpoints of people from the Deaf community are reflected in news broadcasts and publications.

Connections, Comparisons and Communities

Making Connections Through Language

• Relate knowledge of current events gained in social sciences, history, government, and science classes to information learned in ASL class.

Cultural and Linguistic Comparisons

• Compare and contrast attitudes of Deaf and hearing towards world events.

Communication Across Communities

• Access current events information from an authentic news source such as the NAD Broadcaster and Silent News.

Related Vocabulary and Linguistic Elements

• Vocabulary related to the specific current events
• Time signs
• Sequencing and transition vocabulary

History, Celebrations and Traditions

Communication

Person-to-Person Communication

• Ask and answer questions about historical events, DPN (Deaf President Now), socialization and residential schools.
• Sustain a detailed conversation about historical events, socialization and traditions.

Understanding Signed Language

• Comprehend information related to history and traditions.
• Comprehend information about the role of residential schools and the Deaf community.

Producing Signed Language

• Produce a detailed presentation about a historical event or tradition in the Deaf community.

Cultures

Cultural Perspectives, Practices and Products

• Discuss customs related to celebrations and events in the Deaf community.
• Explore the role of socialization in the Deaf community (i.e. staying late, arriving late to events, proper lighting, bluntness).

Connections, Comparisons and Communities

Making Connections Through Language

• Discuss the historical importance of DPN.

Cultural and Linguistic Comparisons

• Compare and contrast socialization habits between Deaf and hearing people.
• Compare durative time signs in ASL to the progressive verb tense in English.
• Compare and contrast humor in the Deaf and hearing worlds.

Communication Across Communities

• Define the term "translate", "transliterate" and "interpret" in the spectrum of sign language.

Related Vocabulary and Linguistic Elements

• Element classifiers
• Historical vocabulary
• Temporal sequencing
• Conversation regulators
• Historical figures' name signs
• Vocabulary related to residential schools

The Arts, Architecture and Literature

Communication

Person-to-Person Communication

• Ask and answer questions concerning Deaf art, architecture and literature.
• Express and exchange reactions to Deaf art, architecture and literature.

Understanding Signed Language

• Comprehend information relating to Deaf art, architecture and literature and how they relate to Deaf culture.
• Comprehend the symbolism present in many of the "Deaf Arts".

Producing Signed Language

• Present information about Deaf art, architecture and literature and how they relate to Deaf culture.
• Communicate thoughts by using expressive ASL poetry.

Cultures

Cultural Perspectives, Practices and Products

• Discuss how the viewpoints of Deaf people have been highly influential in their representation of the arts.

Connections, Comparisons and Communities

Making Connections Through Language

• Connect knowledge of Deaf art, architecture and literature to the study of those topics in other courses.

Cultural and Linguistic Comparisons

• Relate knowledge of Deaf art, architecture and literature to those of the hearing world.
• Compare and contrast ways Deaf culture and hearing culture use humor in storytelling and other literature.
• Compare Deaf storytelling with American folklore.

Communication Across Communities

• Locate and use authentic resources in the Deaf community, such as comedians, storytellers and artists, to broaden understanding of the impact of arts on the Deaf culture.

Related Vocabulary and Linguistic Elements

• Sequencing of events
• Idioms
• Symbolism
• Irony
• Role-shifting
• Transitioning
• Non-manual markers
• Proper use of sign space