American Sign Language (ASL)

This is a working document that is being updated as time goes on. Below you will see the goals and objectives for level 1. The goals and objectives for level 2 are being added as time permits.

ASL Level 1 Expected Learning Outcomes
1. Students will know basic vocabulary and possess basic grammar skills for novice-level communication.
2. Students will be able to make introductions and share personal information about self, family, basic desires and interests.
3. Students will be able to how to talk about their surroundings, by giving and receiving directions as well as sharing information about where they live.
4. Students will be able to use basic strategies for establishment and maintenance of conversations and relationships.
5. Students will have an awareness of the existence of Deaf Culture, History, Literature, and Art.
6. Students will be able to do basic fingerspelling and signed numbers as well as recognize fingerspelling and signed numbers when done slowly.

Abilities	Level 1	Vocabulary & Examples	Level 2	Vocabulary	Level 3	Vocabulary	Level 4	Vocabulary
Fingerspelling	Fingerspelling of common names and places Basic lexicalized fingerspelling	ABC's, SPELL, [ ... ]	Additional lexicalized vocabulary,	[ ... ]
Numbers	1-30, Exposure to number patterns, 100, 1,000, and 1,000,000 palm orientation guidelines, basic math	1 - 30, double numbers, 100, 1,000, 1,000,000, plus, minus, add, divide, equal	ordinal counting, age, money,	1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc., (Ordinal hand twist), OLD-1, OLD-2, OLD-3, etc., (rolled numbers) 67, 68, 69 etc.,
Sentence Types	Yes/No Questions, Wh-word Questions, (emergent) rhetorical questions,	eye-brow movements, head tilts, who, what, when, where, why, how
Storytelling	Role shift, portrayal of emotions/attitude (personality-shifting)	facial expressions
Indexing	a. absent referents b. present referents c. non-dominant hand as a referent	he/she/it, they [see "pronouns"]
Negation	negation signs, head shake, facial expressions, reversal of orientation	no, not, none, zero, don't-like, don't-want, don't-know
Spatial referencing	Recognize signs as originating from signer's perspective and make appropriate mental adjustments. Give directions according to signers' own perspective. Cheek/shoulder-(distance), Verbs: spatial (?),	grid-placement, (near), (close), (far away), [see "giving directions"]
Time concepts	timeline, timeline proximity, time-syntax, Completion of occurrence, Occurrence in future, Frequency of occurrence l. Use of transitional phrases (FINISH)	past, present, future, time, o'clock, minute, hour, day, week, month, year, establish time first in sentences,	cheek/shoulder-(time), (comparing time: BEFORE-NOW)	seconds/minutes-(how to distinguish), recently, (very)-recently, BEFORE-NOW-(past) vs BEFORE-"something"
facial grammar	Yes-No questions, Wh-word questions	eye-brown movements,
Noun creation	PERSON/agent marker, noun/verb pairing	person-(1), person-(2), people, "ER"	Presence or non-presence of "-ER" (agent marker)	(e.g. doctor vs employee)

Pluralization	number, numerical incorporation, sweep,	many, few, these/those,
Numerical incorporation	Numerical incorporation for time, Numerical incorporation for age, Numerical incorporation for pronouns	2 o'clock, 4 days, 3-weeks, 2-months, old-5, those-3, the three of us, you-three, we-2
Describing	colors, basic shapes, basic classifiers	(outlines:) square, round, triangle, (surfaces:) flat, curved, (classifiers:) CL:B, CL:1, instrument classifiers
Giving directions	Pointing, waving, (expose to) motion paths,	around corner to right/left, straight ahead, upwards, downwards, NEXT-TO, BEHIND, IN-FRONT, NEAR/CLOSE-TO,
Verb Agreement (Directionality)	Subject-Object verb agreement	he-GAVE-me, I-GAVE-him, you-GIVE-her, GO-to, DRIVE-to, GIVE-to,		TEACH-to-me
Pronouns:	First-person, Second-Person, Third-Person Possessive Pronouns	he/she/it, you, I/me, his/hers, my/mine, yours
Classifiers	flat things, vehicles, long-skinny things	CL:B, CL:3, CL:1
Attention-getting	from nearby, from farther away, establish line of sight	shoulder tap, hand-wave/HEY, arm wave		other person taps for you
Introducing		name, introduce, nice, meet, "see you later,"
Asking	About self/conversant/third person
Correcting	Use of "wave-no" and signs for negation	"wave-no"
Confirming	Repetition of question in statement form, use of head nods and abbreviated repetition of question in statement form
Conversation maintenance	show comprehension/non-comprehension, ask for repetition, ask for slower signing	OH-I-SEE, "wow", nod, AGAIN-(ask for repetition) SLOW,
Instructions, giving and obeying	make accurate responses, give basic commands, ask for clarification to unclear instructions	MEANING-(What is the meaning of___?), FOR-ME, YOU-MIND
Identifying	Identify objects & people by appearance, location, or activity	[see sign list]
Excuse giving	classroom related, past events, future events	sorry, can't, stuck, busy,
Negotiating signing environments	a. Entering a conversation with appropriate manners b. Going between people conversing in signs c. Going around people conversing in signs d. Moving self to be more clearly seen by others e. Asking others to move to see signing more clearly f. Asking third parties g. Asking signer
Making and declining invitations	a. Accepting invitation b. Declining invitation, with reason
Deaf culture	Basic history, naming conventions (terminology), rejection of "hearing impaired", "disability," "handicapped" labels, Cultural model vs. Medical model, education, Gallaudet College, Keeping each other informed	Gallaudet, Clerk, Deaf, hard of hearing, Residential Schools, mainstream, INFORMATION-(let you know)
Deaf life	communication strategies	VP, VRS, texting, social media, interpreter, sign-language, web-cam
Hearing people	Reactions to, experiences with, professionals, services	Hearing, oral/speech, HELP-(therapy), SERVE-(service, waiter), PSYCHOLOGY, write
Employment		work, job, apply, fired
Politeness		thank-you, please, do you mind, excuse,
School	People, subjects and processes related to school	teach/teacher, learn/student, class, school, summer vacation, residential school, math, science, English, etc
surroundings	Buildings, locations, and things	house, building, tree, store, field,
Weather	basic weather types	snow, rain, sun, wind,
Food & Drink		eat, drink, [common food items]
Transportation		car, drive, bus, fly
Living arrangements		home, house, apt.
Comparing	Contrastive Structure	pointing, shoulder shifting, "or"
Family relationships		mom, dad, sister, brother...
Activities	Activities i. Daily ii. Recreational iii. Educational iv. Medical v. Religious	school, college, store, doctor's office, movies...
Affect, expressing	Opinions and attitudes	like, don't like, want, don't want, love-it, hate, boring, interesting, think, feel, don't-care, love, hate, vomit, enjoy
General understandings	Recognize that signs may have more than one English meaning, Recognize that some signs may not have a one-one correspondence with specific English words. Recognize that ASL is an oral, unwritten language.	true/sure/real need/must/have-to nice/clean single/someone/something
Visual Skills	Visual tracking Movement & path perception Shapes & form recognition
Name Signs	Exposure to the concept of "namesigns" and awareness of basic rules.
Syntax	Topic-Comment, SVO, etc.
Inflecting	Mouth morphemes, facial-expression morphemes (e.g. THIRSTY vs. CRAVE)

		small, "oo", large, "cha"		("mm") etc. [...]
Emotions, expressing		happy, sad, mad,
Greeting
Meeting		nice, meet



			* Decades and/or years in groups of 10 as in 30's, 40's, 50's... through 90's can be shown with a repeated chop motion of the wrist.

The section below is for notes and development purposes. It is not intended to make sense to anyone but the developers.

ASL 2 Learning Outcomes:
Students will continue and expand vocabulary and concepts acquired in ASL 1.
* talking about other people
* activities
*giving directions
* making requests.
* discourse skills appropriate for establishing connections with Deaf acquaintances
* handling interruptions.
* exposure to elements of Deaf culture and the Deaf community

....

4. Recognize and utilize spatial referencing
a. "wave" right-left
b. utilize non-dominant hand as spatial referent
c. describe shapes and objects
i. Objects further described according to use
d. place and locate items within a "grid" (real and imagined)
e. Subject-Object verb agreement

5. Give directions
a. On same floor, different floors & different buildings
b. Use spatial & directional referents
i. Pointing
ii. Manual signs (NEXT-TO, BEHIND, IN-FRONT, NEAR/CLOSE-TO, ACROSS-FROM, etc.)
1. Recognize signs as originating from signer's perspective and make appropriate mental adjustments.
iii. Motion paths (around corner to right/left, straight ahead, upwards, downwards, etc.)
c. Give directions according to signers' own perspective
d. Utilize common reference points for shorter directions
e. Use of ordinal numbers for reference to floor
f. Use of "area" suffix for large spaces and general locations

6. Give descriptions
a. By ethnicity
b. By height/weight/body shape
c. By Hair color and style
d. By clothing (style, color & design)
e. By unusual distinguishing features
f. Personality characteristics

7. Pronomialization
a. First-person, Second-Person, Third-Person
b. Possessive Pronouns (1st, 2nd, 3rd Person)
c. Dual personal pronouns (TWO-OF-US, TWO-OF-THEM, etc.)

8. Classifiers
a. Limb classifiers
b. Whole-body classifiers
c. Object classifiers
d. Locative classifiers
e. Descriptive classifiers

9. Discourse
a. Create a short narrative based on a sequence of actions
b. Utilize non-dominant hand to rank a group, such as family members
i. Assign specific persons to each finger on Non-dominant hand as needed
ii. Utilize appropriate finger when ranking ordinally
iii. Make continued reference to person(s) by pointing to assigned finger

10. Pragmatics
a. Attention-getting
i. From near distance
1. Tap arm, shoulder
2. arm-wave
ii. From medium (within visual range) distance
1. arm-wave
2. move self into visual range of other person with arm-wave
b. Asking questions
i. About self
ii. About conversant
iii. About third person
c. Making introductions & giving information about:
i. Self
ii. Second person
iii. Third (non-present) person

d. Correcting information
i. Use "wave-no"
ii. Use signs for negation
e. Confirming information
i. Repetition of question in statement form
ii. Use of head nods and abbreviated repetition of question in statement form
iii. Use of "THAT-ONE"
f. Conversational strategies
i. Feedback/Back-channeling
1. OH-I-SEE, RIGHT
2. "wow"
3. Nodding
4. Asking for repetition
5. Asking for other to slow their signing
6. Showing comprehension/noncomprehension
ii. Express degrees of uncertainty
iii. Check and confirm identification of people and objects
iv. Informing of interruptions
g. Make requests
i. Explain needs
ii. Utilize varying register levels according to relationship
h. Offer assistance
i. Obey & give commands
i. Make accurate responses
ii. Ask for clarification to unclear commands
iii. Identify objects & people
1. identify by appearance
a. Hair (color, style, length)
b. Ethnicity/race
c. Height
i. Must show approximate height in relation to one's self
d. Weight/Bone structure
e. Facial features
f. Unusual/Distinguishing features
2. identify by location
3. identify by activity
j. Give excuses
i. In-class
1. For events already occurred
2. For events that will occur
ii. In small groups
1. For events that are occurring at the present moment

k. Negotiating signing environments
i. Entering a conversation with appropriate manners
ii. Going between people conversing in signs
iii. Going around people conversing in signs
iv. Moving self to be more clearly seen by others
v. Asking others to move to see signing more clearly
1. Asking third parties
2. Asking signer
l. Making and declining invitations
i. Accepting invitation
ii. Declining invitation, with reason
iii. Negotiating and solving conflicts
m. Sign with one hand (food/drink/object in other)

11. Develop visual skills
a. Visual tracking
b. Movement & path perception

12. Understand elements of Deaf culture
a. Name Signs
b. Perceptions of educational approaches
i. Oralism
ii. Manualism
iii. Speech teaching
c. Appropriate ways to make interruptions
d. Differences between Hearing and Deaf cultural interactions

13. Vocabulary
a. Buildings
i. Architectural features
ii. Rooms
iii. Floors
iv. Directional
b. Places
i. General
ii. SpecificRelationships between selves and others
c. Food/Drink (Extended)
d. Problems/Reasons why one does not want something (broken, locked, closed, dirty, etc.)
e. Clothing
i. Types of articles
1. Styles
2. Patterns/Designs
3. Colors
f. Descriptors
i. Hair
1. Style/length/color
ii. Ethnicity/Race
iii. Height
iv. Weight/Bone structure
v. Objects
1. Type
2. Size
3. Style
g. Verbs
i. Plain
ii. Spatial
iii. Inflectional
h. Occupational signs
i. Workplaces
j. Relationship signs
i. Positive relationships
ii. Negative relationships
k. Daily Routines
i. Morning
ii. Evening

14. Metalinguistics
a. Able to make translations from sign to English
i. Recognize that signs may have more than one English meaning
ii. Recognize that some signs may not have a one-one correspondence with specific English words
b. Recognize that ASL is an oral, unwritten language
c. Able to generate utterances based on own interests from vocabulary and structures learned throughout course

Level 1:
Notes:
Examples of grammar principles that students should be able to answer or incorporate into their signing.

1. ___In general, how do you indicate the pronouns ME, YOU, HE/SHE/IT, WE,YOU-ALL, and THEY?
2. ___How do you negate a statement in ASL?
3, How do you indicate that something is true or assert the reality of a statement?
4. ___How are the signs WE, YOU-ALL, THEY, THESE different from the signs ME, YOU, HE, SHE, and IT?
5. ___If I raise my eyebrows and move my head and shoulders slightly forward and hold my last sign a bit longer, what type of question am I asking?
6. ___How do I change the sign TEACH into the sign TEACHER?
7. ___When I sign the phrase "the two of us", or "we", using the number handshape for two, what principle am I using?
8. ___When I want to affirm something emphatically, what sign might I want to use? [TRUE]
9. ___What are the four building blocks or parameters of a sign?

* When doing "double letters" you sometimes show the second letter by relaxing and then reforming the handshape. You also sometimes slide the hand a bit to the outside. Note: do not slide toward the center. Instead you slide further to the right if you are right handed and further to the left if you are left handed.

Notes for Level 2 Objectives:
We need to ask ourselves, "What should a level 2 student be able to do upon completion of the semester?"   The answer to that question will also include the level 1 goals.

1. ___Introduce and exchange information about themselves and their families.
2. ___Describe surroundings and give directions
3. ___Tell time and discuss routines or schedules
4. ___Make requests
5. ___Talk about or describe the following:
___occupations   ___activities (e.g. ___sports, recreation, hobbies...)   ___meals   ___health
___transportation   ___money   ___colors   ___shapes   ___home   ___people   ___school
6. ___Fingerspell and read fingerspelling, (including lexicalized signs)
7. ___Count to 100, ordinal/cardinal numbers, plus know "thousand" and "million"
8. ___Recognize and use basic classifiers
9. ___Incorporate the following grammar features into his or her signing:
___agent marker
___directionality for agency
___distributional aspect (Example: Modify the sign GIVE when you 'distribute' to multiple recipients.)
___eye-gaze
___incorporation of number--time/pronoun
___inflection for degree
___negation and assertion, (e.g. ___reversal of orientation, head-nod/shake, etc.)
___non-manual markers, (facial expressions & body language, e.g. ___"yes/no", "wh", "cs", "cond.", "th", "mm" , "rel-cl", etc.)
___pluralization, (e.g. ___horizontal/vertical sweep, clustering, reduplication, etc.)
___possession
___role shift
___spacial referencing, (e.g. ___locatives, space absent/present referent, etc.)
___temporal aspect
___topicalization

Be able to:
___ Ask someone to clean his or her bedroom and make his or her bed.
___ Ask someone to put away his clothes.
___ Ask someone to wash the dishes.
___ Ask someone to help you sweep the floor.
___ Ask someone to bring you a cup of coffee.
___ Ask someone to vacuum the living room floor.
___ Tell someone to please feed the cat.
___ Tell someone to please mow the grass.
___ Tell someone to please walk the dog.
___ Tell someone what you want (example: COFFEE, TEA, MILK, SODA-POP, CANDY), and ask where to buy it.

The following notes are from Chapter 114 of the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Languages Other Than English
Subchapter C. High School. The authors of this curriculum are using these notes as guides for curriculum development.

�114.27. American Sign Language Levels I and II - Novice Progress Checkpoint (One Credit Per Level).

(a) General requirements.

(1) Levels I and II - Novice progress checkpoint can be offered in elementary, middle, or high school. At the high school level, students are awarded one unit of credit per level for successful completion of the level.

(2) Using age-appropriate activities, students develop the ability to perform the tasks of the novice language learner. The novice language learner, when dealing with familiar topics, should:

(A) understand short-signed phrases when attending and respond expressively with learned material;

(B) produce learned signs, phrases, and sentences;

(C) detect main ideas in familiar material that is signed;

(D) be able to transcribe American Sign Language (ASL) into English gloss;

(E) recognize the importance of communication and how it relates to the American Deaf culture; and

(F) recognize the importance of acquiring accuracy of expression by knowing the components of ASL, including grammar.

(3) Students of ASL use expressive and receptive skills to reinforce comprehension.

(b) Introduction.

(1) Acquiring ASL incorporates expressive and receptive communication skills. Students develop these communication skills by using knowledge of the language, including grammar, and culture, communication and learning strategies, technology, and content from other subject areas to socialize, to acquire and provide information, to express feelings and opinions, and to get others to adopt a course of action. While knowledge of other cultures, connections to other disciplines, comparisons between languages and cultures, and community interaction all contribute to and enhance the communicative language learning experience, communication skills are the primary focus of language acquisition.

(2) Students of ASL gain the knowledge to understand cultural practices (what people do) and products (what people create) and to increase their understanding of other cultures as well as to interact with members of those cultures. Through the learning of ASL, students obtain the tools and develop the context needed to connect with other subject areas and to use the language to acquire information and reinforce other areas of study. Students of ASL develop an understanding of the nature of language, including grammar, and culture and use this knowledge to compare languages and cultures and to expand insight into their own language and culture. Students enhance their personal and public lives and meet the career demands of the 21st century by using ASL to participate in Deaf communities in Texas, in other states, and around the world.

(c) Knowledge and skills.

(1) Communication. The student communicates in ASL using expressive and receptive communication skills. The student is expected to:

(A) engage in a variety of signed exchanges of learned material to socialize and to provide and obtain information;

(B) demonstrate understanding of simple, clearly signed language such as simple stories, high-frequency commands, and brief instructions when dealing with familiar topics;

(C) present information using familiar words, phrases, and sentences to others; and

(D) demonstrate an awareness of ASL grammar, vocabulary, and phonology/cherology.

(2) Cultures. The student gains knowledge and understanding of other cultures. The student is expected to:

(A) demonstrate an understanding of the practices (what people do) and how they are related to the perspectives (how people perceive things) of the cultures studied; and

(B) demonstrate an understanding of the products (what people create) and how they are related to the perspectives (how people perceive things) of the cultures studied.

(3) Connections. The student uses the language to make connections with other subject areas and to acquire information. The student is expected to:

(A) use resources (that may include technology) in the language and cultures being studied to gain access to information; and

(B) use the language to obtain, reinforce, or expand knowledge of other subject areas.

(4) Comparisons. The student develops insight into the nature of language and culture by comparing the student's own language and culture to another. The student is expected to:

(A) demonstrate an understanding of the nature of language through comparisons of the student's own language and ASL;

(B) demonstrate an understanding of the concept of culture through comparisons of the student's own culture and the American Deaf culture; and

(C) demonstrate an understanding of the influence of one language and culture on another.

(5) Communities. The student participates in communities at home and around the world by using languages other than English. The student is expected to:

(A) use the language both within and beyond the school setting through activities such as participating in cultural events and using technology to communicate; and

(B) show evidence of becoming a lifelong learner by using the language for personal enrichment and career development.

Statutory Authority: The provisions of this �114.27 issued under the Texas Education Code, �28.001 and �28.002.

Source: The provisions of this �114.27 adopted to be effective September 1, 1998, 23 TexReg 5965.

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�114.28. American Sign Language Levels III and IV - Intermediate Progress Checkpoint (One Credit Per Level).

(a) General requirements.

(1) Levels III and IV - Intermediate progress checkpoint can be offered in middle or high school. At the high school level, students are awarded one unit of credit per level for successful completion of the level.

(2) Using age-appropriate activities, students expand their ability to perform novice tasks and develop their ability to perform the tasks of the intermediate language learner. The intermediate language learner, when dealing with everyday topics, should:

(A) participate in simple face-to-face communication;

(B) create statements and questions to communicate independently when signing;

(C) understand main ideas and some details of signed material on familiar topics;

(D) understand simple signed statements and questions and transcribe these into written English gloss;

(E) meet limited practical and social communication needs;

(F) use knowledge of the culture in the development of communication skills;

(G) use knowledge of the components of American Sign Language (ASL), including grammar, to increase accuracy of expression; and

(H) cope successfully in straightforward social and survival situations.

(b) Introduction.

(1) Acquiring American Sign Language incorporates both expressive and receptive communication skills. Students develop these communication skills by using knowledge of the language, including grammar, and culture, communication and learning strategies, technology, and content from other subject areas to socialize, to acquire and provide information, to express feelings and opinions, and to get others to adopt a course of action. While knowledge of other cultures, connections to other disciplines, comparisons between languages and cultures, and community interaction all contribute to and enhance the communicative language learning experience, communication skills are the primary focus of language acquisition.

(2) Students of ASL gain the knowledge to understand cultural practices (what people do) and products (what people create) and to increase their understanding of other cultures as well as to interact with members of those cultures. Through the learning of ASL, students obtain the tools and develop the context needed to connect with other subject areas and to use the language to acquire information and reinforce other areas of study. Students of ASL develop an understanding of the nature of language, including grammar, and culture and use this knowledge to compare languages and cultures and to expand insight into their own language and culture. Students enhance their personal and public lives and meet the career demands of the 21st century by using ASL to participate in Deaf communities in Texas, in other states, and around the world.

(c) Knowledge and skills.

(1) Communication. The student communicates in ASL using expressive and receptive communication skills. The student is expected to:

(A) engage in a variety of signed exchanges to socialize, to provide and obtain information, to express preferences and feelings, and to satisfy basic needs;

(B) interpret and demonstrate understanding of simple, straightforward, signed language such as instructions, directions, announcements, reports, conversations, brief descriptions, and narrations;

(C) present information and convey short messages on everyday topics to others; and

(D) demonstrate an awareness of ASL grammar, vocabulary, and phonology/cherology.

(2) Cultures. The student gains knowledge and understanding of other cultures. The student is expected to:

(A) use the language at the intermediate proficiency level to demonstrate an understanding of the practices (what people do) and how they are related to the perspectives (how people perceive things) of the cultures studied; and

(B) use the language at the intermediate proficiency level to demonstrate an understanding of the products (what people create) and how they are related to the perspectives (how people perceive things) of the cultures studied.

(3) Connections. The student uses the language to make connections with other subject areas and to acquire information. The student is expected to:

(A) use resources (that may include technology) in the language and cultures being studied at the intermediate proficiency level to gain access to information; and

(B) use the language at the intermediate proficiency level to obtain, reinforce, or expand knowledge of other subject areas.

(4) Comparisons. The student develops insight into the nature of language and culture by comparing the student's own language and culture to another. The student is expected to:

(A) use the language at the intermediate proficiency level to demonstrate an understanding of the nature of language through comparisons of the student's own language and ASL;

(B) use the language at the intermediate proficiency level to demonstrate an understanding of the concept of culture through comparisons of the student's own culture and the American Deaf culture; and

(C) use the language at the intermediate proficiency level to demonstrate an understanding of the influence of one language and culture on another.

(5) Communities. The student participates in communities at home and around the world by using languages other than English. The student is expected to:

(A) use the language at the intermediate proficiency level both within and beyond the school setting through activities such as participating in cultural events and using technology to communicate; and

(B) show evidence of becoming a lifelong learner by using the language at the intermediate proficiency level for personal enrichment and career development.

Statutory Authority: The provisions of this �114.28 issued under the Texas Education Code, �28.001 and �28.002.

Source: The provisions of this �114.28 adopted to be effective September 1, 1998, 23 TexReg 5965.

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�114.29. American Sign Language Levels V, VI and VII - Advanced Progress Checkpoint (One Credit Per Level).

(a) General requirements.

(1) Levels V, VI, and VII - Advanced progress checkpoint can be offered in high school. At the high school level, students are awarded one unit of credit per level for successful completion of the level.

(2) Using age-appropriate activities, students master novice tasks, expand their ability to perform intermediate tasks, and develop their ability to perform the tasks of the advanced language learner. The advanced language learner of modern languages, when dealing with events of the concrete world, should:

(A) participate fully in casual conversations in culturally appropriate ways;

(B) use American Sign Language (ASL) to explain, narrate, and describe in past, present, and future time;

(C) understand main ideas and most details of material that is signed on a variety of topics;

(D) transcribe ASL into written English gloss;

(E) cope successfully in problematic social and survival situations;

(F) achieve an acceptable level of accuracy of expression by using knowledge of ASL components, including grammar; and

(G) apply knowledge of culture when communicating.

(b) Introduction.

(1) Acquiring American Sign Language incorporates communication skills such as signing, attending, viewing, and showing. Students develop these communication skills by using knowledge of the language, including grammar, and culture, communication and learning strategies, technology, and content from other subject areas to socialize, to acquire and provide information, to express feelings and opinions, and to get others to adopt a course of action. While knowledge of other cultures, connections to other disciplines, comparisons between languages and cultures, and community interaction all contribute to and enhance the communicative language learning experience, communication skills are the primary focus of language acquisition.

(2) Students of ASL gain the knowledge to understand cultural practices (what people do) and products (what people create) and to increase their understanding of other cultures as well as to interact with members of those cultures. Through the learning of ASL, students obtain the tools and develop the context needed to connect with other subject areas and to use the language to acquire information and reinforce other areas of study. Students of ASL develop an understanding of the nature of language, including grammar, and culture and use this knowledge to compare languages and cultures and to expand insight into their own language and culture. Students enhance their personal and public lives and meet the career demands of the 21st century by using ASL to participate in Deaf communities in Texas, in other states, and around the world.

(c) Knowledge and skills.

(1) Communication. The student communicates in ASL using expressive and receptive communication skills. The student is expected to:

(A) engage in a variety of signed exchanges, including providing and obtaining information, expressing feelings and preferences, and exchanging ideas and opinions;

(B) interpret and demonstrate understanding of ASL on a variety of topics;

(C) present information, concepts, and ideas on a variety of topics to others; and

(D) use ASL at the advanced proficiency level to demonstrate an understanding of its subsystem (such as grammar, vocabulary, and phonology/cherology).

(2) Cultures. The student gains knowledge and understanding of other cultures. The student is expected to:

(A) use the language at the advanced proficiency level to demonstrate an understanding of the practices (what people do) and how they are related to the perspectives (how people perceive things) of the cultures studied; and

(B) use the language at the advanced proficiency level to demonstrate an understanding of the products (what people create) and how they are related to the perspectives (how people perceive things) of the cultures studied.

(3) Connections. The student uses the language to make connections with other subject areas and to acquire information. The student is expected to:

(A) use resources (that may include technology) in the language and cultures being studied at the advanced proficiency level to gain access to information; and

(B) use the language at the advanced proficiency level to obtain, reinforce, or expand knowledge of other subject areas.

(4) Comparisons. The student develops insight into the nature of language and culture by comparing the student's own language and culture to another. The student is expected to:

(A) use the language at the advanced proficiency level to demonstrate an understanding of the nature of language through comparisons of the student's own language and ASL;

(B) use the language at the advanced proficiency level to demonstrate an understanding of the concept of culture through comparisons of the student's own culture and the American Deaf culture; and

(C) use the language at the advanced proficiency level to demonstrate an understanding of the influence of one language and culture on another.

(5) Communities. The student participates in communities at home and around the world by using languages other than English. The student is expected to:

(A) use the language at the advanced proficiency level both within and beyond the school setting through activities such as participating in cultural events and using technology to communicate; and

(B) show evidence of becoming a lifelong learner by using the language at the advanced proficiency level for personal enrichment and career development.

Statutory Authority: The provisions of this �114.29 issued under the Texas Education Code, �28.001 and �28.002.

Source: The provisions of this �114.29 adopted to be effective September 1, 1998, 23 TexReg 5965.

Curriculum Planning Sheet: Goals and Objectives (DRAFT / working file)