weekly

or for 16 classes

Intermediate ASL: American Sign Language

Completed by 184 learners

Ages 9-14

Live Group Course

In this 16-week online course, students will learn ASL grammar, syntax and "glossing", classifiers and how to use them, signing in the past, present and future tenses, as well as cultural information related to the Deaf Community.

Julayne Farmer

Average rating:

4.9

Number of reviews:

(279 reviews)

Live video meetings

1x per week, 16 weeks

5-8 learners per class

55 min

About Learning Overview Teacher Reviews

What's included

16 live meetings

14 hrs 40 mins in-class hours

Homework

1-2 hours per week. Homework is limited to general signing practice and preparation for game days.

Assessment

There will be classroom exercises throughout the 16-week course. I will assess each student both individually and assess the needs of that student and the larger group unit as well. Assessments will also be made during games and/or quizzes held during class: I will use these assessments to determine if one area of study needs more or less focus and adjust the class according to the learners' needs. If a parent/guardian would like a completed progress report at the end of class, one will be provided to them (please reach out and request one from the teacher as they are not normally given).

Class Experience

In this 16-week intermediate ASL course, learners will have the opportunity to continue their studies of American Sign Language. The first two weeks will be dedicated to discussing and learning ASL grammar & syntax and how to "gloss". The next section tackled will have to do with classifiers: what they are and how they are used. The last section of study will have to do with tense: how do we sign about something that happened in the past, something that's happening now and something that may/will happen in the future. Each class will consist of mirror-signing/shadowing the teacher and at least one class exercise pertaining to the information studied that day. There will be games played every third week to ensure learner comprehension of topics studied. The only way to become a better and more fluent "signer" is to put it into practice as often as possible, so learners will be encouraged to sign at home, outside of class. 

Week 1: Iconography and Sign Classification
Week 2: Directional Verbs, Temporal Inflection & Sign Recognition Challenge
Week 3: Game Day: "Tip of the Fingers"
Week 4: Learning to Sign using Different Tenses in ASL: Past, Present, Future
Week 5: How Tense Relates to the Rule of 9, Introduction to Ordering and Sequencing & Sign Recognition Challenge
Week 6:  Game Day: ASL Bingo
Week 7:  ASL Grammar and Syntax Study: Subject/Verb/Object and Object/Subject/Verb Sentence Structures
Week 8: Continued Study of ASL Syntax: Yes/No Questions, WH Questions and Rhetorical Questions
Week 9: Game Day: Two Truths and One Lie
Week 10: Study of Classifiers: What They Are and How Do We Use Them?
Week 11: Continued Study of Classifiers: Review, Common Handshapes and Practice Signing with Classifiers
Week 12: Game Day: Alpha-Sign
Week 13: Glossing in ASL: What is it and what are the Rules of Glossing?
Week: 14: Continued Study of Glossing and a Glossing Challenge
Week 15: Game Day: "Gloss This!"
Week 16: Intermediate ASL Final: A fun quiz covering topics learned over the course of the previous fifteen weeks

Learning Goals

Learning outcomes will include the following: 
Engage in more advanced conversations using ASL, translate English into ASL and vice versa, understand the use of classifiers within ASL and comprehend how to sign using different tenses.

Syllabus

16 Lessons

over 16 Weeks

Lesson 1:

Game Day: "Two Truths and One Lie"

 Students will be asked to prepare three statements about themselves: two of the statements should be true and one should be a lie. They will sign their statements to class. After the statements are translated, which will be done as a class, each student will vote on which statement they think is untrue. It is a great way to get to know more about each other as well as to practice both expressive and receptive signing.

55 mins online live lesson

Lesson 2:

Iconography and Sign Classification

 We will learn about signs that look like what they mean as well as signs that look nothing like what they mean (Iconic vs. Arbitrary). We will also discuss and learn about intialized and compound signs.

55 mins online live lesson

Lesson 3:

Directional/Indicating Signs

 We will learn verb signs which can be used directionally to incorporate pronouns without the need to actually sign those pronouns.

55 mins online live lesson

Lesson 4:

Game Day: "ASL Jeopardy"

 Students will play a game of ASL Jeopardy, covering topics talked about in the previous two classes as well as some general ASL knowledge questions which they should know the answers to at this point of study.

55 mins online live lesson

Other Details

Parental Guidance

Please note that my classes are inclusive of everyone and, therefore, if questions arise from students as to how to sign about gender neutral and/or non-binary identification signs, those questions will absolutely be answered. If this is something that makes you or your learner(s) uncomfortable, please consider a different ASL course.

Supply List

Handouts will be provided for students throughout the duration of the course.

Language of Instruction

English

External Resources

Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.

Meet the teacher

Julayne Farmer

Joined July, 2020

4.9

279reviews

Profile

Teacher expertise and credentials

I grew up with a Deaf family member. I learned the basics of American Sign Language at a very young age and found it incredibly helpful as I moved through childhood and into adulthood. I could communicate with other children who were clearly frustrated that no one either could or was willing to take the time and make the effort to interact with them. As an adult, I studied American Sign Language in college so that I could better communicate with the many deaf and hearing impaired members of my community.