American Sign Language: Kindergarten

Communicate effectively in more than one language in order to function in a variety of situations and for multiple purposes.

Interact with cultural competence and understanding.

Connect with other disciplines and acquire information and diverse perspectives in order to use the language to function academic and career-related situations.

Develop insight into the nature of language and culture in order to interact with cultural competence.

Communicate and interact with cultural competence in order to participate in multilingual communities at home and around the world. 

Interpersonal: Learners use American Sign Language to engage in conversation, provide information, express feelings and emotions, and exchange opinions.

Interpretive: Learners comprehend and interpret live and recorded American Sign Language on a variety of topics.

Presentational: Students present information, concepts, and ideas to an audience of viewers in American Sign Language.

Relating to Cultural Practices through Interactions - Learners provide an explanation of the relationship between the practices and perspectives of American Deaf culture.

Making Connections - Learners reinforce and further their knowledge of other disciplines through American Sign Language.

Acquiring Information and Diverse Perspectives - Learners acquire information and recognize the distinctive viewpoints that are only available through American Sign Language and Deaf culture. 

Language Comparisons - Learners discuss the nature of language through comparisons of American Sign Language and other languages

School and Global - Learners use American Sign Language within and beyond the school setting.

Proficiency Benchmark: I can communicate in conversations in ASL on both very familiar and everyday topics using a variety of practiced or memorized words, phrases, simple sentences, and questions.

Proficiency Benchmark: I can maintain signed conversation and discussion across time frames on familiar as well as unfamiliar topics using simple sentences and simple questions.

Proficiency Benchmark: I can present information on both very familiar and everyday topics using a variety of practiced or memorized vocabulary, and simple phrases in ASL.

Proficiency Benchmark: I can interact at a survival level in some familiar everyday contexts. 

Proficiency Benchmark: I can access and evaluate basic information and perspectives that are available through ASL and its culture.

Proficiency Benchmark: I can access and evaluate basic information and perspectives that are available in Deaf culture.

Proficiency Benchmark: I can identify basic differences and similarities between American Deaf culture, American Culture, and other signed languages - countries’ cultures.

Proficiency Benchmark: I can use ASL both within and beyond the classroom to interact and learn in the Deaf community.

I can recognize and express basic greetings and farewells. Examples: Hello, Good-bye

I can recognize and state basic personal information. Examples: Name, age

I can recognize and express basic likes, dislikes, and feelings through single-word responses.

I can identify people, objects, and animals using ASL. 

I can express conversational phrases with peers and adults. Examples: Please, thank you, excuse me.

I can sign the WH questions vocabulary. Examples: Who, where, when, why, what, and how?

I can comprehend and respond to simple commands and requests. Examples: Saying please and thank you; following the directions in an art activity; cleaning up classroom messes, rearranging seating, and lining up in a straight line when asked.

I can comprehend numbers of 1-20 in ASL. 

I can identify the most commonly-used ASL handshapes (BASCO15).

I can recognize WH questions in ASL storytelling. Examples: who, what, where, when, why, how?

I can recite developmentally appropriate rhymes and poetry of the culture. (up to three lines)

I can present simple prepared material with teacher guidance. Examples: Show and Tell, sharing photos or drawings.

I can present a simple ASL rhyme poem..

I can present a simple ASL rhyme poem. Examples: ASL rhymes, using most common hand shapes (BASCO15) found on YouTube. 

I can describe familiar objects, places, and people. Examples: Shapes, colors, people, things, and places (home and school).

I can explore daily activities of Deaf people. Examples: Practicing waking up using visual alerts; determining whether there is adequate lighting in the room for visual communication; inviting a Deaf guest speaker to answer common questions about being Deaf. 

I can participate in grade level cultural activities. Examples: Celebrating Clerc and Gallaudet week in December.

I can use various attention-getting strategies. Examples: Tap on the shoulder, stomp on the floor, and flick the lights on and off. 

I can examine elements of Deaf art including hands, handshapes, and eyes. Examples: Playing with handshape blocks; using handshape cards; participating in the “What Am I Looking At?” game.

I can recite developmentally appropriate rhymes and poetry of the culture. (up to three lines)

I can present simple prepared material with teacher guidance.Examples: Show and Tell, sharing photos or drawings. 

I can present a simple ASL rhyme poem. Examples: ASL rhymes, using common handshapes ( BASCO15)..

I can describe familiar objects, places, and people. Examples: Shapes, colors, people, things, and places (home and school).

I can use simple signs and/or phrases to identify familiar objects and basic concepts from other content areas. Examples: Showing signs for animals; describing weather; and identifying food items.

I can integrate ASL numbers when making observations about people and things. Examples: Counting objects; using the calendar; talking about the size of families. 

I can identify family members and family relationships. Examples: Bringing pictures of family members to class; practicing fingerspelling the names of family members or showing personal name signs, describing the relationships between family members.

I can identify community places, people and transportation. Examples: Identifying community locations, such as a church, school, home, and library; briefly describing the primary duties of emergency service personnel; describing the types of transportation used in the local community.

I can use spatial understanding to identify and outline shapes. Examples: Identifying the names of shapes; using index fingers to outline two- dimensional shapes; demonstrating tracing classifiers to outline specific three-dimensional shapes.

I can use simple signs and/or phrases to identify familiar objects and basic concepts from other content areas.

I can recognize the words /signs shared between ASL and English.

I can recognize and use authentic simple forms of address in everyday situations.

I can compare the alphabet and numbers in English and handshapes in ASL. Examples: Playing games that include a variety of ASL handshapes; viewing animated ASL handshapes on the computer; drawing in pictures of alphabet letters or numbers and making ASL handshapes out of dough.

I can experiment with forming age- and developmentally-appropriate facial expressions and non-manual signals. Examples: Practicing facial expressions based on simple emotions (happy, sad, surprised, etc.); observing topicalization when being asked questions; interpreting the meaning of various facial expressions found in photos or other sources. 

I can share experiences from American Sign Language classrooms within the school and/or community. Example: Use American Sign Language to teach basic vocabulary to friends and family. 

I can recognize the use of American Sign Language in the learner’s community. 

I can use simple signs and/or phrases to identify familiar objects and basic concepts from other content areas. Examples: Showing signs for animals; describing weather; identifying food items.

I can integrate ASL numbers when making observations about people and things. Examples: Counting objects; using the calendar; talking about the size of families.

I can identify family members and family relationships. Examples: Bringing pictures of family members to class; practicing fingerspelling the names of family members or showing personal name signs; describing the relationships between family members. 

I can identify community locations, personnel, and transportation. Examples: Identifying community locations, such as school, home, and library briefly describing the primary duties of emergency service personnel; describing the types of transportation used in the local community. 

I can use spatial understanding to identify and outline shapes. Examples: Identifying the names of shapes; using index fingers to outline two- dimensional shapes; demonstrating tracing classifiers to outline specific three-dimensional shapes.

- I can demonstrate an understanding of the similarity between voice / mouth and hand / eye communication and that different people communicate in different ways. Examples: Understanding that Deaf people use their eyes the way hearing people use their ears; observing differences in being able to communicate through windows or across wide spaces with ASL and being able to talk in the dark in spoken English; identifying ways people are different, yet similar.