American Sign Language 1

This is the introductory course in an Upper School American Sign Language (ASL) sequence. In this course, students will advance in their study of ASL and Deaf Culture. Students will develop both expressive and receptive signing skills, consolidating fingerspelling and numbers, and continuing with a basic vocabulary. Students will also be introduced to ASL grammar, discovering that it is a fully independent linguistic system, distinct from American English. Finally, students will master the basic conversational and cultural behaviors necessary to hold a beginning-level conversation in ASL.