American Sign Language Level 2 Syllabus Course: ASL II Teacher: Julie Nelson Year: 2017-2018 Phone: 612-213.3343 (This is a video phone number. You will speak to an interpreter/communication assistant who will sign to me using a software program connected to a regular phone line.) Email: julied.nelson1@mpls.k12.mn.us. Please note that there is a letter «d» at the end of my first name and a number «1» at the end of my last name : julied.nelson1) Office hours/availability: Walk- Ins welcome on Monday s thru Thursday s from 3:15-4:00 p.m. I am not available on Friday s after school, except by appointment. Course Description: Students broaden their foundation of American Sign Language (ASL) within cultural contexts as they: Improve understanding of ASL through storytelling and real-world situations. Continue to improve ASL receptive and expressive skills through practicing different real-world dialogues and by expanding knowledge of ASL vocabulary and structures. Discover connections with other subjects (geography/politics, fine arts, and math/science). Examine ASL and Deaf cultures and their social practices (technology, human rights, audism & popular media) and connections between language and English-speaking cultures. Explore the unique and interesting perspectives, practices, and products of the culture and develop awareness of different worldviews. Students work regularly in pairs or groups to transfer or negotiate meaning in situations where one person has information that the other needs. This will be accomplished in sign language. Expand language-learning strategies to maintain a life-long interest in world languages and multiple cultures at home and around the world. In class, this is referred to as Community Building: all of us will sign each day in class. How to Succeed: Be brave, be a risk-taker o You will make many, many mistakes along the road to language proficiency. That is OK. In fact, it s great! The student who is willing to be brave and try will progress quickly. Pay attention o In this class you will sit up with shoulders squared. I am teaching to your eyes. Show me you are listening. Respond o You will be expected to provide suggestions and answers EVERY class period. If you don t understand the question, ask for clarification or guess! My role is to help you understand. Be honest o If you don t understand, tell me. I will teach you a visual cue to let me know I m going too fast. Be open-minded o Good news- your brain is already capable of learning languages. You ve done it before. Keep this in mind.
o o Accept feeling uncomfortable. Much like exercise, we improve when the task is a little difficult. If you are able to execute everything with perfection, you are in the wrong class. Be willing to be a Community Builder: use sign language in the classroom as a way to improve on expressive and receptive signing skills. Teacher s Role and Responsibilities: Provide a physically and emotionally safe environment o Please let me know if you ever do not feel safe in this classroom. Show respect o You are amazing. I know this. Please let me know if my actions or the actions of others feel disrespectful. Provide comprehensible language o Yes, we are communicating 90-100% in ASL. However, the materials and language used is appropriate for Phase 2 learners. Prepare you for Level III o The outline of this class was created to prepare you to be successful in subsequent levels. Required Materials: Bring these items every day. Your own thumb drive to save your work (so you can see how your signing skills develop.) Lined notebook Course texts will be used and kept in the classroom. Lesson outlines and notes will be on the gradebook/website every two weeks. An ASL dictionary is a useful tool but not a requirement for this course. Attendance: You are required to arrive to class on time and be here daily. One-minute late is tardy. Language: I will sign ASL 90% - 100% of the class period. You will do the same. Research supports that this is the best way to learn. It will be difficult and you will make mistakes. Mistakes (learning opportunities) are a requirement of this course. Bathroom/Hallway Policy: Each student will be required to use their planner to leave the room. If you lose your planner you need to go to the Front Office and buy a new one. The cost is $5.00. Students are expected to use the bathroom, get a drink, refill water bottles and visit their locker during the 7-minute passing time. Students will be not allowed to leave during the first or last fifteen minutes of class time and may only leave during work time. Don t ask for this during a lecture. You will be required to sign WATER or BATHROOM appropriately before I will agree to sign your planner. You have to fill in the information on the passport page so I will only have to sign it. I will not sign a pink slip for the bathroom or a water break in the middle of a lecture. Each student will be allowed a total of 3 bathroom/water breaks per quarter. After that I will ask for your cell phone before I allow you to leave.
Electronics: Students are not allowed to use personal electronic devices (cell phones, ipods,calculator) during class time, from BELL to BELL. Students are not allowed to use personal electronic devices (cell phones, ipods, etc.) during class time. They must be turned off and kept OUT OF SIGHT. If I see an electronic device it will be confiscated and brought to your Dean s office. This policy is in accordance with the school-wide policy and can also be found in the Washburn Student Handbook on page 13. According to the Washburn Student Handbook, on the first occurrence the device will be confiscated and can be picked up at the end of the day from your dean s office. Your second occurrence will also be confiscated and turned into your dean s office to be picked up at the end of the day. On your third occurrence, your device will be confiscated and your parent or guardian will have to come to school to pick it up. On a fourth occurrence, your device will be taken by the dean and you will meet with administration. *****Please note that all occurrences are for the entire year. There is no clean slate each quarter.***** v Parents, please direct your student to respond to your text messages and calls during passing between class time. v Parent communication will not be an excuse for using electronics during class. v Direct emergency calls to the front desk. A dean or counselor will escort your child as needed. Course Units and Quarter 1: Unit 7: Describing People and Things; Unit 8: Making Requests and Asking for Advice Quarter 2: Unit 9: Describing Places; Unit 10: Giving Opinions About Others Quarter 3: Unit 11: Discussing Plans and Goals; Unit 12: Storytelling Quarter 4: Special Unit: ASL Day Individual and Team Projects; Unit 12: Storytelling Unit 7: Identifying Present People; Fingerspelling: Clothing-Related Words; Numbers: Guess My Number; Describing Personal Items; Translating Sentences with Have I & II; Translating Sentences with Drive To, Take; and Pick Up I & II; Numbers: Asking How Many; Describing Lost Items; Numbers: Telling the Year; Cultural: Greetings and Leave-Takings; Comprehension: The Family Portrait. Unit 8: Making Requests; Fingerspelling: Months; Agreement Verbs I & II; Agreeing with Conditions: Unit 9: Discussing Neighborhoods; Places in the Neighborhood; Numbers: Giving the Time I & II; Describing Your Neighborhood: Giving Directions: Next To, Across From; Yes-No Questions I & II; Describing a Restaurant: Giving Directions: Where to Turn; Suggesting a Place to Eat; Giving Directions: Perspective Shift; Culture: Keeping Others Informed; Comprehension: Stop the Traffic. Unit 10: Giving Opinions About Tendencies; Numbers: Telling the Price I & II; Wh-word Questions Unit 11: Discussing One s Knowledge and Abilities; Review Cardinal Numbers I & II; Describing Reactions; Fingerspelling I & II: States and Provinces; Making and Cancelling Plans; First and Last Time You Did Something; Discussing Personal Goals; Comprehension: Brother on the Roof ; Culture: ASL Student in the Community; Culture: Deaf Artist: Chuck Baird. Unit 12: The Tailor ; One Fine Day. Weekly written, scripted & signed video journals. Special Unit: Students will produce an individual and group signed project to honor the 200 th birthday of ASL in the USA. Rubrics will be provided three weeks prior to the due date. The date is April 16 th, which is the founding date of the first permanent Deaf school in America: American School for the Deaf, Hartford, CT. Unit 12: Fables: The Lion and the Mouse ; The Fox and the Crow ; Telling Your Assigned Fable. Weekly written, scripted & signed video journals. The last video journal is due Friday, May 25, 2018.
Negations I & II; Numbers: Giving Phone Numbers; Asking for Advice I & II; Asking for a Sign; Comprehension: The Candy Bar ; Culture: Minimizing Interruptions; Culture: Name Signs. Weekly written, scripted and signed video journals. The first will be made in class beginning the third Monday of the term: Friday, 15 September 2017. I & II; Giving Opinions about Personal Qualities I & II; Telling Where Items are Located; Comparing Personal Qualities; Culture: Interrupting Others; Comprehension: Looking for a Misplaced Item Weekly written, scripted & signed video journals. Introduction A Brief Overview: Views on Deaf People Receptive Signing Skills Expressive Signing Skills Receptive Signing Skills Final Exam Expressive Signing Skills Final Exam Receptive Signing Skills Expressive Signing Skills Receptive Signing Skills Final Exam Expressive Signing Skills Final Exam Grading Scale: WHS GRADING SCALE Grade Definitions A 93-100% Exemplary work A- 90-92 B+ 87-89 Proficient/Thorough work B 83-86 B- 80-82 C+ 77-79 Acceptable work C 73-76 C- 70-72 D+ 67-69 Mediocre work D 63-66 D- 60-62 F 50-59 Unacceptable work Grade Make-Up: 20% will be weighted toward formative assessments (pop quizzes, daily work, and participation) 80% will be weighted toward summative assessments (evaluations of standards and benchmarks)
Students are required to complete EVERY summative assessment or project given. If the student does not complete an assessment, they will receive a NO CREDIT (NC) on their transcripts, regardless of the grade the student currently has. If the student does not rectify the NC grade within 30 DAYS, the quarter grade will convert into an F. In short, the student will fail the entire quarter if he/she doesn t complete every summative assessment. Re-Dos and Retakes: Re-Dos and retakes are not available for summative assessments. Plagiarism/Cheating: The World Language department will not tolerate plagiarism/cheating in any form. For a general definition of plagiarism/cheating please see the Washburn Student Handbook. Also, note that copying signs while watching a video and filming yourself at the same time is plagiarism/cheating. This is not your work. If the teacher suspects plagiarism/cheating, you will be asked to justify your work (e.g. you will sign the story live). If you cannot justify your work within the parameters of the World Language Department s expectations, you will receive a 0 for that assignment or assessment. Missing & Late Work: Any late assignments will receive a reduction of 1 letter grade and will receive a score of 0 three days after the assigned due date. Excused absences/makeup work: When you are absent it is your responsibility to find and complete the work you missed. Sign out a Signing Naturally DVD from the library and review the lesson. Ask for the purple disk. You will need to know which unit you missed so you can ask for the first or second disc. Consult with your classmates to find out what you missed. When you have concerns, please send an email to Ms. Nelson for clarifications. Lipreading is chancy at best. So either write your concerns in an email or in a handwritten note. I will respond within two days. Usually I respond earlier. If you are gone because of an excused absence the day something is assigned you will have 3 days to make it up. If you are absent on the day of a quiz or assessment you will also have 3 days to make-up that quiz or assessment before or after school. It is your responsibility to alert the teacher of which day you wish to take the make-up. Make-up quizzes and assessments will not be administered during class. Grading modifications will be made in accordance with IEP or 504 plans. W.H.S. Student Information/Syllabus Compliance Form ASL II: Students and their parents will sign the form attached to the end of this syllabus and return it to Ms. Nelson by no later than Friday, 1 September 2017. Thank You! Signing Millers are Awesome!!!
W.H.S. Student Information/Syllabus Compliance Form American Sign Language II Parents/Guardians and Student: please read, sign and return to Ms. Nelson by the end of the first week of school. Student Last Name: First Name: Grade Level: 9 10 11 12 Parents/Guardians: v Please sign below to verify that you have read and understood the policies of American Sign Language II. v Please note the expectation that your child is to be an active Community Builder in class. This is accomplished by having all the students sign and not use their voices in class. Parent/Guardian Signature Date Circle the best method for contacting you: e-mail cell phone home/work phone Please provide your email address and phone number below: Primary contact: Secondary contact: Additional (please initial): I give permission for my child to be photographed in class. yes no I give permission for my child to watch a rated R movie that is linked to the curriculum being studied (usually doesn t happen but just in case): yes no Students: Please sign to indicate that you have read and accept what has been outlined in the syllabus. Signature Date Comments/Questions/Concerns by student or parent: