American Sign Language Course

Lesson 1 • Introduction to Deaf Culture

Examines Deaf community values, identity, and social norms. Provides cultural context essential for respectful and effective ASL communication.

Lesson 2 • History and Status of ASL

Traces ASL's origins from French Sign Language through residential school influence to modern recognition. Establishes why ASL is a distinct language, not a code for English.

Lesson 3 • How ASL Works as a Language

Introduces phonology, morphology, and syntax unique to ASL. Demonstrates that visual-gestural grammar differs fundamentally from English grammar.

Lesson 1 • Fingerspelling Production Skills

Develops smooth, rhythmic fingerspelling at natural speed. Focuses on word-level flow rather than letter-by-letter spelling.

Lesson 2 • ASL Cardinal and Ordinal Numbers

Covers cardinal numbers 1–1,000,000 and ordinal forms used in everyday ASL. Number incorporation into signs is introduced here.

Lesson 3 • Time, Money, and Quantity Numbers

Applies number skills to time expressions, monetary amounts, and measurement quantities. These specialized number uses appear frequently in real-world ASL conversations.

Lesson 4 • Receptive Fingerspelling Skills

Trains the eye to read fingerspelled words as whole units rather than individual letters. Receptive skill is often harder than production and requires dedicated practice.

Lesson 1 • Colors, Adjectives, and Descriptors

Covers color signs and common descriptive adjectives used to modify nouns. Adjective placement in ASL sentences is contrasted with English word order.

Lesson 2 • Family, People, and Relationships

Builds vocabulary for family members, social roles, and relationship descriptions. Connects to pronoun use and possessive structures introduced later.

Lesson 3 • Greetings, Farewells, and Introductions

Teaches standard ASL greetings, leave-taking phrases, and self-introduction formulas. These are the first signs used in any real Deaf community interaction.

Lesson 4 • Everyday Objects and Environments

Introduces signs for common objects, locations, and settings encountered daily. Vocabulary is grouped thematically for efficient retention.

Lesson 1 • Tense, Time, and Aspect

Explains how ASL marks time through timeline establishment and aspect markers rather than verb conjugation. Students correctly set temporal context before signing events.

Lesson 2 • Negation and Affirmation Structures

Teaches negative signs, negative incorporation, and affirmative reinforcement in ASL sentences. Negation in ASL involves both manual signs and obligatory non-manual markers.

Lesson 3 • Topic-Comment Sentence Structure

Explains ASL's dominant topic-comment syntax and how it differs from English subject-verb-object order. Correct structure is essential for natural, fluent signing.

Lesson 4 • Pronouns and Referencing

Introduces personal pronouns, possessives, and the concept of establishing referents in signing space. Referencing is the backbone of ASL discourse coherence.

Lesson 1 • Depicting Spatial Relationships

Applies classifiers and spatial referencing to describe the layout of objects, people, and places. Students narrate spatial scenes accurately using established locations.

Lesson 2 • Classifiers in ASL

Teaches classifier handshapes that represent categories of objects and describe their movement, location, and appearance. Classifiers are among the most productive morphemes in ASL.

Lesson 3 • Directional and Agreement Verbs

Introduces verbs that move between established referent locations to encode subject and object simultaneously. Directional verbs reduce the need for separate pronoun signs.

Lesson 4 • The Signing Space Framework

Maps the physical boundaries of the signing space and explains how locations within it carry grammatical meaning. Spatial grammar is unique to signed languages and requires visual-spatial thinking.

Lesson 1 • Conversational Practice with Deaf Partners

Applies all conversational skills in structured interactions with Deaf community members or fluent signers. Authentic interaction accelerates acquisition beyond classroom drills.

Lesson 2 • Backchanneling and Attention Signals

Covers the visual feedback signals a listener uses to show attention and comprehension during signing. These signals maintain conversational flow without interrupting the signer.

Lesson 3 • Turn-Taking in ASL Conversation

Explains visual signals used to hold, yield, and request conversational turns in ASL. Turn-taking cues differ significantly from spoken language conventions.

Lesson 4 • Topic Introduction and Management

Teaches how to introduce new topics, shift topics smoothly, and close topics in ASL discourse. Effective topic management is a marker of conversational fluency.

Lesson 1 • Narrative Structure in ASL

Introduces the structural elements of ASL narratives: orientation, complication, resolution, and coda. Understanding narrative structure guides both production and comprehension of stories.

Lesson 2 • Descriptive and Spatial Storytelling

Applies classifiers, role shift, and spatial grammar to create vivid, visually rich narratives. Spatial storytelling is a hallmark of skilled ASL narration.

Lesson 3 • Expressive Use of Non-Manual Markers

Expands non-manual marker use beyond grammar to include emotional expression and dramatic effect. Expressive non-manual markers distinguish competent signers from fluent storytellers.

Lesson 4 • ASL Literature and Storytelling Traditions

Introduces ASL poetry, ABC stories, number stories, and handshape stories as Deaf literary art forms. Exposure to ASL literature deepens cultural understanding and creative signing range.

Lesson 1 • Fluency and Automaticity in Signing

Targets reduction of hesitation, self-monitoring, and translation from English during signing. Automaticity frees cognitive resources for meaning-making rather than form production.

Lesson 2 • Self-Evaluation and Continued Growth

Equips students with tools to assess their own ASL proficiency and design ongoing learning plans. Lifelong learning habits are necessary because ASL proficiency requires sustained community engagement.

Lesson 3 • Receptive Fluency and Processing Speed

Builds speed and accuracy in comprehending native-speed ASL from diverse signers. Receptive fluency is often the limiting factor in real-world ASL communication.

Lesson 4 • Register and Style Variation in ASL

Examines formal, informal, and intimate registers in ASL and when each is appropriate. Register awareness is essential for professional and community ASL contexts.