Instructor Notes / Lesson Plan
Subject Area: American Sign Language
Grade Level 7-12 / college student / community education
Lesson 1
Title: Introduction to the course
Objectives:
After this lesson, students will:
1. Have a copy the syllabus
2. Know their instructor's name, credentials, office hours, and contact information.
3. Be familiar with the grading policies, testing procedures, holidays, course assignments
and due dates.
4. Have introduced themselves to their classmates
5. Know what course materials will be used and the scope of the course.
6. Have been briefly exposed to the following information (all of which will be covered
more in-depth later):
- Definition of ASL
- ASL is not: Signed English, Pidgin, Cued Speech, or the Rochester Method
- Approaches to learning fingerspelling and numbers
- The relationship between ASL and the Deaf Community
- The existence of other signed languages
- Brief history of ASL
- The existence of Deaf Culture
- The need for practice and suggested methods,
Vocabulary:
AGAIN, DEAF, HE, HEARING,
"HUH?" (what), LEARN, MEET, NAME, NICE, SHE, SIGN, STUDENT,
TEACHER, THIS, UNDERSTAND, WHERE, WHO, WHY, YOU, YOUR
Plus the vocabulary that comes up during student
introductions:
NAME, WHERE,
WHO,
LIKE,
WHAT,
ABOUT
Materials: One copy of the syllabus for each student. Overheads or projection system. If you choose to do the additional activities you will need: a ruler, a quarter, and a pencil or pen.
Procedures/Activities/Agenda:
Suggestion: Write agenda on the board or use presentation software.
1. Welcome to class
2. Instructor introduction
- Name, credentials/experience, office hours, contact information, love of teaching, excitement for topic, something interesting about yourself, etc.
3. Student introductions (See introductory activity above.)
4. Syllabus: If teaching the course no-voice, create overheads of the syllabus or use presentation software. Font-size should be increased for overhead use. Do NOT just transfer 12-point type to an overhead and expect students to be able to read it.
5. Question and answers: if teaching the course no-voice you might want to use one or more of the following methods:
- use an extensive syllabus that clearly
explains your expectations
- use an interpreter the first day
- use a computer projection system and allow students to type their questions
- use a whiteboard (or smartboard or blackboard) and write out answers to
many of the most common questions students are likely to have on their first
day of class.
Additional activities depending on how much time you have:
(Refer to separate activity guide for descriptions of the
following activities.)
[under construction]
- "If it is to be it is up to me"
(fingerspelling)
- "Pencil between thumbs" (visual readiness/dexterity training)
- "Where's the quarter?" (Visual readiness)
- "My friend the frog" (visual readiness/dexterity training)
- "This finger weighs" (dexterity training)
- "Ruler behind the back" (visual readiness/dexterity training)
- "Pick a finger" (visual readiness/dexterity training)
- "Same or different" (Visual readiness)
Assign Homework:
- Be able to fingerspell first and last name
- Review each of the letters in the alphabet
- Purchase or secure a copy of the textbook/course materials
- Read the introductory pages of the text
Evaluation of student performance:
- Teacher observation
Evaluation of teaching performance:
Pass out a sheet of paper requesting the students email addresses. Type up a short email expressing your enjoyment of having met the students and your enthusiasm for the rest of the semester. Invite student comments, questions, and suggestions.