Fall 2015

American Sign Language 50 (ASL1)

LESSON PLAN ASL 50 Gerardo Di Pietro

Date:

Tuesday, September 3, 2015

Lesson
Duration:

9:00 a.m. to 11:45

2 classes per week

Class
Duration:

2 hours, 45 minutes per class

(10 minutes break)

Location:

Berkeley City College, Room 226

Topic:

Unit 1:8 Asking Who

(I selected one example of lesson plan for one hour.)
American Sign Language - Second Language Learners

Target
Language
Level:

Beginner Level 1 (ASL 50)

Class:

4th Class Day in the Fall semester after Unit 1

Course
Description:

Students will learn fundamental language skills and cultural knowledge needed to
comprehend, produce, and interact effectively with diverse ASL users. This course will
include an introduction to Deaf culture and history to increase sensitivity in cross-cultural
interactions.

Course
Student
Learning
Outcomes:
Teaching
Methods:

At the end of the course, the student will be able to:

- Ask/tell who by identifying person
- Acknowledge by glancing and nodding
- Demonstrate comprehension and production skills in order to participate in
conversations and produce narratives.
Interactive Learning
Students will apply interactive learning to what they will learn in the classroom. These handson activities include pair and group work to increase their communicative competence. Also,
they will gain a basic understanding of identifying person: gender, description and point
out/glance through classroom discussions.
For example: The teacher will briefly explain about pointing at a student in room and introduce
FEMALE and point out basic clothing, appearance and made a massive impact within Deaf
culture.
Communication Language Teaching
Students will learn to focus on collaboration, social interaction, and participation within the
classroom that will apply to real life settings, as well as a balance of fluency and accuracy
within the proper production of signs (Brown, 2007; Richard and Rodgers, 2014, p. 87, 390).
Also, they will develop communicative competence. Vocabulary and phrases based on
clothing and appearance will be described as well as the significance of identifying others and
asking wh-word questions within Deaf culture.

Fall 2015

American Sign Language 50 (ASL1)

For example: After students have successfully understood how to sign all of the gender,
clothing and physical description, they are to actively engage themselves in social interactions
and dialogue by asking their partner questions to increase their communicative skills, which
will apply to real-world settings. They will ask each other, Who is Mary? They are expected
to participate and develop critical thinking skills through pair and group dialogue interactions.
Students will sign the dialogue.
Lesson
Goal:

A: Spell a name, ask who

B: Tell who
Identify (raise brows)
gender
brief description
point out and glance
A: Glance and nod
B: Affirm (nod)

Lesson
Overview:

Gender

Clothing

Physical
description

Colors

Category

MAN
WOMAN
PERSON

SHIRT
DRESS
JACKET
HAT
PANTS
SHOES

MUSTACHE
BEARD
HAIR
EYEGLASSES

WHITE
BLACK
RED
BLUE
YELLOW
ORANGE
BROWN
GREEN
PURPLE
PINK
GREY

CLOTHES
COLOR

Vocabulary:

Grammar:

Wh-word question: WHO

Identifying sequence
Real world orientation using IX-loc
Topicalization
For dialogue:

Structure:

_________________whq
(fingerspell name) WHO
_________________t glance
(gender) (description), IX-loc

Fall 2015

American Sign Language 50 (ASL1)

Lesson Outcome
At the end of this lesson, students will
be able to:

Lesson Activity

Lesson
Assessment

Aligned with
Course
Outcomes

Aligned with
ACTFL
Standard

Ask/tell who by identifying person

Dialogue/partner
Practice

In class
observation

1,2,3

1.1, 2.1, 3.2

Acknowledge by glancing and nodding

Dialogue/partner
practice

In class
observation

1,2,5

1.3, 2.2, 5.2

Demonstrate comprehension and

production skills in order to participate in
conversations and produce narratives

Dialogue/partner
practice

Evaluation

2,3

2.1, 3.1

Rationale:

Materials:

Lesson
Sequence:

This is significant part for the students to be able to have the correct placement of hand for
fingerspelling for students names. As throughout the activity, the students will have the
ability to practice recalling fellow students names. Students will practice identifying others
and asking wh-word questions for gender, brief description and point out and glance. This
will be beneficial for the students to achieve the Student Learning Outcomes.
1. Computer
2. LCD Projector
3. Lecture of PowerPoint of Unit 1
4. Signing Naturally Level One Teachers Curriculum Guide Unit 1, p. 38-46
5. Signing Naturally Level One Student Workbook Unit 1. P. 25-27
6. Signing Naturally DVD (Disc One)
7. Partner for role play for conversation
8. Markers & Eraser
9. Signing Naturally Student Workbook
10. Exercise handout
9:00-9:05 Sign the paper for Roll Call (Documentation Purpose).
9:05-9:15 Check homework Unit 1:5 Introducing Oneself, Unit 1:6 Cardinal Numbers 11-15, &
Unit 1:7 Same or Different 2 Ask student randomly to sign production on homework.
Use PowerPoint for Unit 1 Answers
9:15-9:20 Review of previous class Teacher will ask students if they have any questions
regarding homework.
9:20-9:25 Students will practice asking names & fingerspelling names.
9:25-9:27 Teacher will introduce identifying gender. Teacher points at students genders.
Teachers will ask the students questions relating to genders.
Teacher will ask the students to review MAN and WOMAN by asking question.

9:27-9:30 Teacher will introduce signs of basic colors.

Fall 2015

American Sign Language 50 (ASL1)

Teacher will signs colors: RED, YELLOW, PURPLE, GRAY, WHITE, BLUE, BROWN,
GREEN, BLACK, PINK, and ORANGE. Teacher categorizes the COLORS that teacher
signs.
9:30-9:35 Teacher will introduce basic clothing and appearance.

Teacher signs clothing and appearance:

SHIRT, PANTS, SKIRT, JACKET, SHOES,
HAT, EYEGLASSES, HAIR, MUSTACHE, BEARD
9:35-9:55 Students will practice identifying basic clothing and hair.
Teacher will demonstrate lean forward and furrow brows, then ask one student to copy
furrowing and learning with face and head.
Students will practice furrowing their brows and leaning their heads forward with assigned
partners.
Partners are assigned to warm up furrowing their brows and leaning their heads forward for
wh-word questions.
Teacher will sign WHO and students will copy sign.
Students will practice Signer As role for spell a name, ask who and sign the question. Their
partners will practice Signer Bs role to response. The students will practice identifying others
and asking wh-word questions.

Fall 2015

American Sign Language 50 (ASL1)

9:55-10:00 Teacher will evaluate several partners to demonstrate the dialogue.

As Signer A, be sure students:
- furrow brows for wh-word question
- acknowledge by glancing at the person and nodding
As Signer B, be sure students:
- raise brows when identifying the person
- point out the person and glance as well
10:00-10:05 Wrap up
Students will view a slide: What signs have you learned so far?
Students will recall the vocabulary theyve learned.
10:05-10:15 Small Group Activity
Students will sign the dialogue with reviewing classmates names.
Students will follow the dialogue and practice with 5 different partners.
A: Spell a name, ask who
B: Tell who
Identify (raise brows)
gender
brief description
point out and glance
A: Glance and nod
B: Affirm (nod)
10:15-10:30 Wrap-up the activity. Review the activity to make sure students understand how
to identify the colors and clothing/appearance. The students will answer any questions from
the class if needed.
Discuss homework assignment that is due on next class day.
Homework:
Unit 1:8 Identify a Person Mini dialogues

Fall 2015

American Sign Language 50 (ASL1)

Video Assignment Mini dialogues

Practice with partners through lab
10:30-10:40 Class Break
10:40-11:00 Specifying Where
Teacher will demonstrate how to trace each shape and have student copy him.
Students will learn where to place a secondary item: above, below, or inside.
Students will practice indicating where to place secondary items: above, below, or inside.
Students will practice on exercise 1:1, student workbook, page 375.
11:00-11:10 Giving Commands: Objects in the Classroom
Teacher will introduce new vocabulary when he uses a student modeling the following action.
Teacher will focus on action with body. An example of vocabulary chart is listed.
Action
with Body

Classroom Actions with

Items
Items

STAND
DANCE
JUMP
TURNAROUND

WINDOW
DOOR
LIGHTS
CHAIR
BOOK
PAPER

OPEN-(object)
CLOSE-(object)
ICL turn-on lights
ICL turn-off lights
READ
FOLD
ICL crumple
THROW
LOOK-AT
SIT

11:10-11:20
Students will practice instructing a person to perform an action with his or her body.
Students will practice dialogue for actions involving the body.
Signer A: Give a command involving the body
(person + action)
Signer B: (perform as instructed)
11:20-11:25
Teacher will introduce identifying items around the classroom.
Students will learn signs useful for giving classroom instructions.
11:25-11:35 Actions involving objects
Students will learn signs describing actions with objects.

Fall 2015

American Sign Language 50 (ASL1)

Teacher will point to objects with asking these questions.
11:35-11:42
Teacher will instruct students a person to perform an action.
Signer A: Give a command involving objects
Raise brows
(object)
(person) + (action)
Have all students practice the dialogue.
To be continued following unit 1:10 for next day class.
Additional Homework: Ask students to do homework
Do Unit 1:9
Do Unit 1:10
11:45 Class will be ended.
Evaluation
Tools:

Comprehension checks
In-Class Feedback
- Upcoming Homework Assignment
Teacher will assess random students to be assigned partners through review.

Assessment:
Teacher will evaluate asking students for identifying names until they can describe persons
description with color and clothing/appearance.
Students will review the lesson of identifying people in the classroom.
Lesson Plan Assignment:
Students will practice their core vocabulary words and make a video of two new sign
statements: gender, description with two colors and items after teacher ask you who a person
is.
The students will incorporate two statements in video. They will share their video
submissions with YouTube.
Submit the assignment video through e-mail with YouTube link. The video duration should be
1 minute. The assignment be graded based on its rubric. The deadline is midnight before
Thursday, September 5.
Next class, students will show in class their statement signs that they have learned.

Fall 2015

American Sign Language 50 (ASL1)

Assignment
Rubric:

References:

Brown, H. D. (2007). Teaching by principles: An interactive approach to language

pedagogy. White Plains, NY: Pearson.
Richards, J. C. & Rodgers, T.S. (2014). Approaches and methods in language teaching
(3 ed). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
rd

Clement, D. & Terrill, L. (2013). The Keys to planning for learning: Effective curriculum,
unit, and lesson design. Alexandria, VA: The American Council on the Teaching of
Foreign Languages.
Smith, C., Lentz, E. M. & Mikos, K. (2008). Signing naturally units 1-6. student workbook
San Diego, CA: Dawn Sign Press.
Smith, C., Lentz, E. M. & Mikos, K. (2008). Signing naturally units 1-6 teachers
curriculum. San Diego, CA: Dawn Sign Press.
Image in this presentation were derived from Google Images for non-profit, educational
use.
Closure:

Students will review the lesson of identifying person in the classroom.

Students will check a new assignment through Moodle. They will expect sharing YouTube for
video statement.