Lesson: Signing Naturally 1- Unit 1

Instructor: Keely Holder

Level: Post-Secondary

Course: American Sign Language I

Time: 6:30 PM 8:20 PM (1 Hour 50 Minutes)

Week One / Class One

Signing Naturally- Level 1

Introduction & Unit 1: Introducing Oneself

Course Description: This course provides lessons about multiple sign language systems, origins
of American Sign Language and opportunities for students to develop everyday sign language
skills to interact with peers and the local deaf community. Students will acquire introductory
expressive and receptive signing skills.

Course Objectives: Upon completing American Sign Language I students will:

Be able to define multiple sign language systems

Be able to describe the origins of American Sign Language
Be able to produce a variety of everyday signs using correct hand shapes and locations by
using their expressive skills
Be able to recognize a variety of everyday signs by using their receptive skills

Lesson Objectives: Upon completing Signing Naturally-Unit 1: Introducing Oneself, students

will:

Be able to demonstrate the appropriate way to introduce themselves to peers and the deaf
community.
Be able to discriminate the differences between two signers
Be able to produce American Sign Language signs accurately with the correct hand
shape, placement and movement, based on lesson one vocabulary.
Will gain Deaf Awareness knowledge

Standards: The following standards are incorporated into Signing Naturally 1- Unit 1 Lesson:

Lesson: Signing Naturally 1- Unit 1

Communication 1.1: Students engage in conversations and correspondence in American

Sign Language to provide and obtain information, express feelings and emotions, and
exchange opinions.
Communication 1.2: Students comprehend and interpret live and recorded American
Sign Language on a variety of topics.
Connections 3.2: Students acquire information and recognize the distinctive viewpoints
that are only available through American Sign Language.

Lesson
Objectives

Standard

Activity

Homework

Assessments

1 Hour 50 Minutes
N/A
Recognize and
Demonstrate
appropriate
Introductions

Activity 1: N/A

1. Vocabulary &
Numbers 1-30
a. Teach vocabulary
related to
greetings/introdu
-ction, emotions
and feelings

Greeting
Performances:
Each pair will
perform
introducing
themselves to
the class
(Formative)

Activity 2, 3 & 4:
Communication
1.2

2. Watch Video
Conversation 1 &
Conversation 2
3. Partner Work:
Situation Practice
(pg. 1)
4. Roaming Greetings

Discriminate
differences
between
two signers

Communication
1.1

Produce
correct sign
formation for
lesson
vocabulary

N/A

5. Grammar Practice
(pg. 2)

Complete/Correct
Grammar Practice
Mistakes

Grammar
Practice
Assignment
(Formative)

6. Vocabulary and
Fingerspelling
Practice

Review Instructor
Videos

Class 2:
Receptive Quiz
(Summative)

Lesson: Signing Naturally 1- Unit 1

Knowledge of
Deaf
Awareness

Connections 3.2

7. Pre-Test Deaf
Awareness
(Formative)

Read pages 3-4

Week 1_Class 1: Descriptive Procedures

TIME

Activity:

2 minutes

Class Roll Call

Instructions:
Take roll call for class
TIME

Activity:

15 minutes

Pre-Test: Individual Work

Instructions:
Students will be provided a multiple choice Deaf Awareness test. This is a pre-test to
measure students current Deaf Awareness knowledge.
Formative Grade: Students must record and submit their answers to the Deaf
Awareness Quiz on page viii-x. (This assignment will also consist of two post-test to be
taken during Class #7 and Class #15)
TIME

Activity:

10 minutes

Learn New Vocabulary (Whole Class)

Instructions:
Text: Signing Naturally I (Page 5-6)
Introduce Alphabet and Numbers 1-30
Introduce Vocabulary (pg. 5-6)

TIME

Activity:

8 minutes

Video Conversations (Whole Class)

Post-Test: Deaf
Awareness
(Class 7:
Formative
Class 15:
Summative)

Lesson: Signing Naturally 1- Unit 1

Instructions:
Text: Signing Naturally I (Page 1)
Read Conversation 1 / Watch Conversation 1
Class Discussion (if needed)
Read Conversation 2 / Watch Conversation 2
Class Discussion (if needed)
TIME

Activity:

5 minutes

Situation Practice (Pair Work)

Instructions:
Text: Signing Naturally I (Page 1):
Students will choose a partner. Each partner will role play Situation 1 and Situation 2 (on page
1). Teacher will circulate the room to provide feedback on sign productions.
TIME

Activity:

10 minutes

Roaming Greetings (Rotating Pair Work)

Instructions:
Students will create an inner and outer circle, so that students are standing in
pairs. The students on the inner circle will face the students who are in the outer
circle. The teacher will chose either the inside or the outside circle to begin the
greeting/introductions. The students will greet each other and introduce themselves
using fingerspelling to spell out their first names.

CLASS BREAK 5 MINUTES

TIME

Activity:

20 minutes

Lesson Assessment: Greeting Performance (Pair Work)

Instructions: Student will choose a partner. Each pair will perform their introduction at the
front of the classroom.

Lesson: Signing Naturally 1- Unit 1

TIME

Activity:

10 minutes

Introduce New Vocabulary

Instructions:
Power point Meeting # 1: Introduce New Vocabulary
TIME

Activity:

10 minutes

Grammar Practice (Individual Work)

Instructions:
Signing Naturally I (pg. 2)
Teacher will review the signs for same/different. Students will view each section of
the grammar practice video. Students will record answers in their workbooks by
circling S for same or D for different.

Class Two: Receptive Quiz

Students will view a video of the instructor signing letters and vocabulary signs learned during Unit 1.
Students will record their answers on lined notebook paper and submit to teacher at the end of quiz.
Letters will be held for ten seconds. Each vocabulary sign will be produced twice. There will be a total of
twenty five signs.

Receptive Quiz Rubric

Quiz will consist of twenty-five questions. Each question will be worth four points totaling to 100 points,
if all responses are correct. Illegible responses will be marked as incorrect.

Lesson: Signing Naturally 1- Unit 1

Week 1_Class 1: RUBRICS

Rubric: Deaf Awareness Quiz (Participation Grade)

100
Pre-Test (Class 1) Completed
50 Points
Post-Test (Class 7) Completed
50 Points

50

50

Not
Completed
Completed

Completed

Not Completed

Not Completed

Not Completed

Post-Test Rubric (Class 15) (Summative Grade)

Each question is worth 5.6 points. Grade will be calculated based on one hundred points. Fifteen
points will be deducted from score if either Class 1 or Class 7 quiz was not completed. Thirty points will be
deducted from score if Class 1 and Class 7 quiz were not completed.
#
0 1 2
Correct
Score 0 6 11
% % %

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

17
%

22
%

28
%

37
%

45
%

50
%

51
%

56
%

62
%

67
%

73
%

78
%

84
%

90
%

95
%

10
0%

Sample Completed Scores

Student Name
Adams
Boss
Carter
Dale
Franklin

Class 1
Completed
Completed
Not Completed
Not Completed
Not Completed

Class 7
Completed
Not Completed
Completed
Not Completed
Not Completed

Class 15
100%
100%
80%
100%
67%

Deductions
0
15
30
30
30

Total
100%
85%
50%
70%
37%

Greeting Performance Assessment Rubric

Features

Excellent
100

Good
90

Fair
80

Poor
60

Participation

Attempted
Performance
No sign
production
errors

Attempted
Performance
Minor
production
errors, 2 or less

Attempted
Performance
3- 4 production
errors

Attempted
Performance
5 or mote
production errors

Sign Production

Unsatisfac
tory
0
Did not
attempt

Lesson: Signing Naturally 1- Unit 1

Grammar Practice (Formative Participation Grade)

Assignment Completion

100
Completed Assignment

Unit 1- Vocabulary

Alphabet (A-Z)
Numbers (0-30)

Hello
My name is...
Whats your name?
Nice to meet you
Thank You

Who
What
Where
How
Why

How old are you?

How are you?

Fine
Good
OK
Happy
Excited
Bad
Sad
Sick
Scared
Nervous

50
Completed 10 15
responses

Same
Different

Draw
Write
Print
Program
Friend
Years

Favorite
Colors
Red
Pink
Orange
Black
Tan
Brown
Green
Yellow
Blue
Purple
White
Gray

0
Completed less than 10
responses

Number of Words: 46 plus Alphabet

and Numbers 1-30 (Total: 102)

Lesson: Signing Naturally 1- Unit 1

Reflection Questions

Procedures

1. Did students understand

conversation video? Did
students need to discuss
the video? If so, for how
long and what did they
discuss?
2. Were students able to
participate in
conversations?
3. Did the students
participate in role play
situations? Were there
any problems with this
activity? If yes, what
were the problems and
how can I prevent
problems?
4. What were the results
for Grammar Practice?
Did the
students do well or did
they seem to just circle
an answer since it was
not for a grade?
5. What methods were
used to teach new
vocabulary? What did
students response to the
best?

Homework Assignments
1. Read Introduction to
American Sign
Language- pg. 3 &
Introduction to Deaf
Community- pg. 4
2. Grammar Practice
Complete/Correct
3. Review All
Vocabulary

1. Did students read page

3-4? How do I know?
2. Did students
complete/correct
Grammar Practice?
What did students learn
from this activity?
3. Did the students review
vocabulary/study for
quiz? What were the
quiz results?

Suggested Adjustments

Lesson: Signing Naturally 1- Unit 1

Lesson Notes:
This lesson can be adapted to modify educational needs for the secondary-setting.
One of the major differences between secondary and post-secondary courses is the
number of times the class meets. In this specific lesson, the post-secondary course meets
one time a week for nearly two hours. Secondary course will likely meet more frequently
for less amount of time. This lesson could be divided into five course meetings at fortyfive minutes each. An example day by day plan is below:
Day 1: Activity 1: Pre-Test
Activity 2: New Vocabulary
Activity 3: Watch Video Conversation #1
Activity 4: Roaming Greetings
Day 2: Activity 3: Conversation #2
Activity 4: Roaming Greetings
Practice Fingerspelling
Review Day 1 Vocabulary
Day 3: Perform Greetings/Introductions to Class
Activity 4a: Roaming How are you today?
This activity would be set up the same as Roaming Greetings but the
students will learn and practice to ask How are you today? and learn and
practice different responses
Read Page 3-4
Day 4: Discuss Page 3-4 Information
Grammar Practice- pg. 2
Review Day 1- Day 4 Material
Day 5: Review Games
Receptive Quiz
This lesson plan follows the communicative language teaching structure, along
with the Lets Talk proposal (Lighthouse, p. 165), therefore the lesson focuses on
creating meaningful communication. It also consists of a large portion of pair/group work
with opportunities for the teacher to provide implicit feedback. Our textbook states,
Several studies have shown that implicit corrective feedback (for example, recasts) in
pair-work is beneficial. A recent review of this research confirms that the positive effects
for recasts are strongest in the laboratory setting (Lightbrown, p. 170-171).