South Carolina School

for the Deaf and the

Blind

American Sign Language

High School Curriculum

Kim M. Misener Dunn

Spring 2012

Authors note: American Sign Language (ASL) is recognized as a modern world language on the high school grade
level depending upon the school program of instruction in which its provided within South Carolina (SC.) All students
who take ASL as a modern world language elective course (credit) must be able to explain the five basic goals for
learning ASL: Communication, Cultures, Connections, Comparisons and Communities. These goals, known as the

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five Cs, were identified by the National Standards of Foreign Languages. In 2009, the SC Department of Education
adopted its State Standards for ASL. The SC State Standards for ASL are primarily designed for second language
learners only; hence there is a need for more defined guidelines for Deaf and Hard of Hearing students at South
Carolina School for the Deaf (SCSDB.) It is crucial to develop these guidelines to enhance students primary
language, and it needs to be meaningful, relevant and appealing for students within appropriate ASL curriculum
framework.
A high school curriculum (guidelines) for first language learners (L1) in American Sign Language (ASL) and Deaf
Studies was developed. The author has adopted the five strands, the five Cs, from the National Standards in
Foreign Language Education. Currently, there are no formal standards or benchmarks established for ASL as a
language learning curriculum for grades K-12. In the fall of 2011, Gallaudet University announced that they will form
a partnership with schools for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing across the country and expect to develop a national
standard curriculum for K-12 first language learners (L1.)
ASL is a visual, unique and complex language that requires hands, movement and facial expression, instead of
emphasizing only the skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing. The ASL framework focuses on
communication as it occurs in real settings between and among people who communicate individually and in
groups. The communication principle recognizes three communication modes that place primary emphasis on the
context and purpose of communication (National Standards in Foreign Language Education).
Three Communication Modes:
1. Interpersonal mode recognizes the exchange that occurs when individuals negotiate meaning, usually in a
face-to face or person-to person context (for example, conversation.)
2. Interpretive communication occurs when individuals receive information from a text or signed format. (For
example, understanding movies, television broadcasts or presentations.)
3. Presentational mode is the language a user creates to purvey one way messages for consumption by a
group of people (audience), as in presentations or literary works (e.g. storytelling, making presentations.)
Three Major Areas
The author has identified the high school Deaf and Hard of Hearing students at SCSDB who are in need for learning
three major areas: American Sign Language, Deaf Studies, and American Sign Language Literature.
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American Sign Language (ASL)

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Learning Outcomes:
Students will have a better understanding for using American Sign Language as
their primary language and as a means to acquire further knowledge in other
disciplines through their language acquisition. The students will demonstrate
appropriate discourse skills to establish connections with Deaf community and
organizations.
Objectives:

Using their dominant hand, the student will fingerspell American Sign Language in less than thirty
seconds.
Using a paper and pen, the student will spell American Sign Language correctly.
The student will use ASL to explain the definition of American Sign Language in no more than three
sentences.
Given a handout of the history of how ASL emerged from French Sign Language, the student will
draw a line from a column of important milestones to match the column of years.
Using the handout of the history of how Laurent Clerc influenced sign language in America, the
student will create a visual representation to compare the views of communication in Comparative
ASL/English Language in an educational settings continuum. (A poster, PowerPoint presentation, or
digital film).
Using a hand shape of their choice, the student will list ten signs and draw a picture of a lexicalized
item using the chosen hand shape.
The student will demonstrate comprehension of basic ASL syntax by repeating the sentence (e.g., OS-V, rhetorical, topic/comment).

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The student will model how English and ASL have ways to negate sentences and assert sentences
(e.g. I did not touch or it is true).
Using the classifier handout, the student will categorize eight symbols for classifiers (Descriptive,
Locative, Instrument, Plural, Body, Body Parts, Elements, Semantic).
Using a Power Point Presentation showing pictures of weather, trees, waterfalls, vehicles, animals
and people, the student will use an appropriate classifier for each process (for example, stative,
process and contact).
Using a video camera or still/digital camera, the student will create visual representations to
demonstrate hand shape, location, movement, palm orientation and non-manual markers. (Digital
arts/film, PowerPoint Presentation.)
Given a scenario, the student will role play to show what cultural norms are acceptable (for example,
two signers engaged in a conversation, what should a passerby do? ways of getting ones attention)
The student will produce numbers one through five correctly by using the proper palm orientation,
inward.
The student will produce numbers six through fifty clearly at a normal rate.
The student will explain the number rules for using 60, 66 (double number), 67 (last digit greater
than first digit).
The student will sign numbers, hundreds, thousands, hundred thousand and million with the correct
hand movement and palm orientation.
Using the number rules, the student will sign years, times (clock) and mailing addresses
appropriately.
Using the non-dominant hand, the student will correctly list items.
After completing the diagram on the levels of ASL register from Formal to Informal, the student will
perform a role play for their peers to identify which level they are acting out.
Using DiPerri materials (Multiple Meanings), the student will give examples of multiple meaning
words and their appropriate signs.
Using a variety of statements (questions, statements, orders) the student will identify a statement
and use an appropriate non - manual marker.

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Using a world map and/or a video clip of international Deaf signers, the student will correctly identify
at least 50 country signs.
The student will identify and describe simple culturally based behavior patterns of Deaf people (e.g.
importance of eye contact and manners (e.g. excuse me) ways of getting attention.
The student will attend an ASL storytelling event (e.g., a play at the school, Deaf Awareness Week,
Deaf History Month, Library Storytelling Festival).
Using a Power Point Presentation, the student will use at least three topics from school subjects
(Career, Health, Math, or Cooking) to explain information using proficient ASL skills.
Using the numerical system, the student will explain the rules for playing a card game.

Given a list of myths and misconceptions that Deaf/hearing people have about Hearing/Deaf people,
the student will choose one to three myths or misconceptions, and write an essay about them.

Activities
1. Group Activity: The student will participate in a Jeopardy Game
2. Individual\team: The student will take turns filming country signs.
3. Group: The student will participate in a Geography Dee (Deaf Bee) and
compete for a winning rank.
4. Group Activity: Using Signing Naturally I-III DVDs, the student will
watch dialogue between two signers and identify the eye gaze and
non-manual markers.
5. After viewing Using Number Signs for Everyone, Numbering in
American Sign Language, the student will explain and give examples
for using two to three digit numbers, time, years and the use of
quantifiers.
6. Group: For improving receptive skills and non-manual signals, the
student will participate in any of the following games: Facial Games,
Animal Charades, Telephone Games, Dingo (Deaf Bingo).
7. Group: Given a skit or discussion card, the student will perform /discuss
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what cultural norms in hearing/Deaf Worlds are appropriate and seek a

solution if a situation should arise.
8. Individual/Group: The student will explain a card game.
9. Individual/Group: The student will research an International Sign
Language (Guesto) and/or study another countrys sign language/

American Sign Language Literature

Learning Outcomes:
Literature represents a group of people sharing a language, a set of customs and
beliefs, as well as heritage and experiences. Traditionally, literature predates
writing and can be practiced in spoken language. ASL is a visual language,
meaning that literature can be expressed visually via poems, stories (ABC,
numbers, visual vernacular, folklores), arts (painting, sculptures, drawings) and
drama.
Students will demonstrate a basic understanding and an appreciation of Deaf
Culture and how it influences their language, ASL Literature and Arts.
Objectives:

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Given a prompt (current trends/themes), the student will draw two cards of two different handshapes
and also choose one handshape of their choice, and then produce a handshape story lasting at least
30 seconds.
After viewing Manny Hernadnezs Timed Square and Durassic, the student will imitate one of the
visual vernacular stories.
Given a list of five folklores, the student will recall the details for each of them and explain its
significance.
After viewing Braggs performance from website or tape, the student will improvise a visual
vernacular story.
Using a video, the student will produce a collection of ASL POETRY WORKS
The student will comprehend the main ideas in ASL narratives and stories (e.g., retell the main points
of a short fairytale).
The student will examine how major themes of hands, eyes, and signs appear in selected pieces of
Deaf art (e.g., discuss basic themes in artwork of Chuck Baird and Betty Miller)
The student will attend an ASL storytelling event (e.g., attend a play at the school)
The student will participate in national competitions such as Marie Philip ASL Poetry, Storytelling &
Deaf Art Competition, RIT Deaf Digital Film and Arts, and ASL Youth Films.
The student will view historical and cultural stories relating to Deaf literature and history.
The student will identify forms of literature, literary elements, and structural features. (Bird of A
Different Feather).
Using a journal, the student will free write their response/reaction to a selected story from the No
Walls of Stone: An Anthology of Literature by Deaf and Hard of Hearing Writers and relate
the problem to their own personal experience.
After viewing a Power Point Presentation on Deaf Sculptors (Dupor, Tilden, and Wonder), the student
will create a body sculpting project.
Given a list of idioms, the student will categorize which idioms go to English figurative language or
ASL.
After reading a multicultural fable, myth, legend, or fairytale story, the student will select and
transliterate it to ASL.
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Using the re-telling story in ASL rubric, the student will evaluate their peers storytelling skills.

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Activities
Group: The student will select a story from the No Walls of Stone
and role play.
Group: The student will participate in body sculpting and have
pictures taken for survey/discussion.
Individual: The student will draw a picture using a theme seeing
through Deaf eyes.
Group: The student will improvise a situation where a Deaf person
faces an obstacle in a Hearing World.
Individual: The student will retell the story of Bird of A Different
Feather.
Group: The student will create their own Deaf View Image Art
Display.

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Deaf Studies
Learning Outcomes:
Upon the completion of studying Deaf Studies, the student will demonstrate an
understanding of the impact of power and oppression on the Deaf Community,
and how Deaf people overcame the struggle of discrimination and inequity.
Objectives:

Using a graphic organizer on the philosophers, the student will compare and contrast the
attitudes of the philosophers on the Deaf people and their learning.
The student will create a visual project on the early lives of Deaf people during the Middle Ages
and the Renaissance.
The student will recall the significance of the meeting between Gallaudet and Clerc and their
journey to America.

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The student will explain how the establishment of the Connecticut Asylum for the Deaf and
Dumb impacted the other states to found schools for the Deaf across the country.
The student will produce a brochure/leaflet to highlight the events of the Milan Conference of
1880.
The student will produce a Power Point Presentation describing the history of Gallaudet
University (1864-1986.)
Using a timeline, the student will identify the communication devices that have been
transformed from the 1950s through contemporary times.
After viewing the film on the Deaf President Now (DPN) movement, the student will discuss
reasons why the DPN movement occurred and how it changed Gallaudet University and the
Deaf Community as a whole.
After viewing the film, Unveiled Audism, the student will complete a chart with the
subheadings (Education, Employment, Society, and Medicine) which shows the various forms
of oppression that Deaf people have gone through.
Given a handout on the American Disabilities Act 1990, the student will list five pros and five
cons.
The student will define the terms, discrimination, and equal opportunity.
The student will visually communicate their information on a selected Deaf Jew Survivor of the
Holocaust.
The student will compare how Deaf Jews and Deaf Americans faced oppression during the 20 th
Century.
The student will explain two perspectives on Deaf people: Cultural versus Medical/Pathological
perspectives.
The student will develop a knowledge of the importance of Deaf Awareness Week.
The student will identify local, state, national and international organizations. (e.g. Spartanburg
Association for the Deaf, SCAD, Jr. NAD, NAD, World Federation for the Deaf, World Games.)
The student will explain the history of Jr. NAD, NAD, and how to obtain a membership to these
organizations.

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Activities
Group: The student will create a class Bulletin Board or PowerPoint
Presentation by selecting pictures of assistive devices which benefit
Deaf\HH students.
Group: The student will join a team (within the class) and debate
the pros and cons of ADA 1990.
Individual: The student will research selected Deaf Jew Survivors
and create a Power Point Presentation.
Individual: The student will create a film documentary on Deaf Jew
Survivors by using a digital video camera and computer.
Group: The student will produce a website of the map of the United
States of America of how Clerc journeyed to America and how his
founding school impacted the institutions across the country.
Group: The student will produce and perform a play on the history
of Congress of Milan, 1880 which affects Deaf education within
America.
Group: The student will organize a Cultural Awareness Day. (Deaf
Artists, ASL stories/poems, Folklores/Riddles/Humor.)
Group: The student will design a bulletin board on organizations
that serve Deaf people.
Individual/Group: The student will make a timeline showing the
highlights of the DPN movement.
Individual/Group: The student will make a biography report on the
student leaders of DPN.
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Group: The student will research the notable Deaf leaders for
Hispanic, Black, and Women History Month events.
Group: The student will receive an outside guest such as an
attorney to discuss the ADA.
Individual: The student will research how Deaf people/children
were/are treated in their workplace as well as educational settings
in developing countries.
Group: The student will help develop a bulletin board timeline of
Deaf Education History from 1600 to present.

Resources and Reading:

A Journey Into the Deaf World by Harlan Lane, Robert Hoffmeister, Ben Bahan, Dawn Sign Press, 1996
ABC Stories by Sign Media, In. 1992
ASL Christmas Stories-Inter-Lingual Images and Forest Productions
ASL Literature Series~ Bird of a Different Feather and For a Decent Living, by Ben Bahan and Sam Supalla, Dawn Sign Press
ASL Numbers: Developing Your Skills (3 videos: Cardinal & Ordinal Systems, Incorporating Systems, and Unique Systems) by MJ Bienvenu
and Betty Colonomos, Sign Media

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ASL Poetry by Clayton Valli, Dawn Sign Press

Audism Unveiled by Ben Bahan, H-Dirksen Bauman, and Facundo Montenegro, Dawn Sign Press
Deaf President Now: Videotape
Deaf President Now!: The 1988 Revolution at Gallaudet University by John B. Christiansen,Sharon N. Barnartt, Gallaudet University Press, 1995
Fables by Aesop, Adapted by Judy Paris and Sandra Tracy, Dormac Inc, 1982
Have you Ever Seen? An American Sign Language Handshape DVD/Book by Adonia K. Smith and E. Lynn Jacobowitz. ASL Rose
Master ASL! Level One by Jason E. Zinza, Sign Media. 2006
Myths, J. Paris and Sandra Tracy, Dormac, Inc. 1983
No Walls of Stone: An Anthology of Literature by Deaf and Hard of Hearing Writers, Jill Jepson, Editor, Gallaudet University Press,
Number Signs for Everyone: Numbering in American Sign Language by Cinnie MacDougall, Dawn Sign Press, 1999, 2006
Mr. Shineyheads Assorted Stories, by Patrick Fischer.
Once Upon a Time. Childrens Classics Retold in ASL Adapted by the Editors of Dawn Sign Press 1992
Picture This: Multiple Meanings in English Context by Dr. K. DiPerri, Butte Publication
Picture This: Figurative Language in English Context by Dr. K. DiPerri, Butte Publication
Picture This: Multiple Meanings for Beginning English Readers by Dr. K. DiPerri, Butte Publication
Picture This: Phrasal Verbs - Figurative Language for Beginning Readers by Dr. K. DiPerri, Butte Publication
Signing the Body Poetic, Essays on American Sign Language Literature by H-Dirksen Bauman, Jennifer L. Nelson, and Heidi M. Rose, University
of California Press.
Signing Naturally, Level I, II and III, student workbook and videotext, and teachers curriculum guide and videotape by Cheri Smith, Ella Mae
Lentz, and Ken Mikos, Dawn Sign Press
The American Sign Language Handshape Game Cards, by Ben Bahan and Frank Allen Paul, Dawn Sign Press

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The Treasure by Ella Mae Lentz

The Week The World Heard Gallaudet (J. R. Gannon)
You Think DEAF People Have Problems? Angela Petrone Stratiy, 1999.
World Federation of the Deaf: A History (J.R.Gannon)

Websites:
1. www.aslresource.net/CountrySigns.html
2. www.DeafTV.com/film/Exodus (The Weiner Family) 25 minutes (A Deaf Jewish family escaped Nazis)

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