American Sign Language (ASL)   

Learn to master American Sign Language through immersive, silent instructional videos that emphasize proper sign techniques and facial expressions for effective communication. You will become skillful at fingerspelling and an array of signs to engage in conversations confidently.

Discover the graceful and expressive language of sign language and learn to communicate with anyone, anywhere, just by using your hands! With this American Sign Language (ASL) course, you can unlock this rewarding ability and master communicating with Deaf people.

Throughout your online sign language training course, you will learn to fingerspell the alphabet, sign colors, numbers, objects, and family members. You will acquire a wide range of useful, everyday vocabulary that will enable you to engage in meaningful conversations with members of the Deaf community. Using video demonstrations, you will understand how to form correct signs and incorporate facial expressions to communicate beautifully in sign language.

Explore the history and usage of American Sign Language (ASL) and how to navigate the culture and social customs of the Deaf community. By the end of this sign language course, you will be confident and ready to participate in a conversation using the power of sign language.

Requirements:

Hardware Requirements:

• This course can be taken on either a PC, Mac, or Chromebook.

Software Requirements:

• PC: Windows 8 or later.
• Mac: macOS 10.6 or later.
• Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
• Adobe Acrobat Reader.
• Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.

Other:

• Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.

Instructional Material Requirements:

The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment and will be available online.

Introduction to Sign Language

What is sign language? Is it a real language? How did it develop? In this lesson, you'll discover what sign language is and who uses it. You'll also learn about the impact Deaf people have made on us as we embrace sign language. We'll discuss its use in America, and you'll begin learning this language as you learn to sign numbers 0 to 15.

Fingerspelling

Master your ABCs as you learn how to fingerspell the alphabet. You'll discover how double letters are made when they're inside a word and how they're signed when they fall at the beginning and end of words. You'll also learn tips on how to read fingerspelling.

Introducing Yourself

How do you do? Through this lesson, you'll take the first steps toward having a conversation as you learn how to introduce yourself. In addition to learning the basic signs for this kind of interaction, you'll also gain some more strategies for learning and understanding new signs, including the four aspects that make up each sign. While you add these skills to your signing toolbox, you'll also learn more about the Deaf community, including what Deaf people expect to learn about you when you meet for the first time, and the role facial expression plays in sign language.

Getting to Know You

Next, you'll build on the introduction you learned in the last lesson and see how to keep the conversation going. You'll explore the different customs of conversation in the Deaf community, such as how to know when one person is finished talking and how to take turns. In addition, we'll continue to navigate through your introduction by adding more information about yourself. Finally, you'll gain some additional vocabulary as you learn the signs for colors and numbers 16 to 30.

Continuing the Conversation

In this lesson, you'll learn more signs to help you continue the conversation you started in the two previous lessons. You'll learn about the cherished custom Deaf people have of giving name signs so you'll understand what to call yourself, your city, and your state. You'll also gain more vocabulary about objects in your living environment. You'll learn to sign the types of dwellings people live in and modes of transportation. In addition, you'll add to your knowledge of numbers by mastering the signs for numbers 31 to 66. We'll end with a discussion about an important issue in the Deaf community: whether deafness is considered a disability.

Talking About Family

Signing becomes a family affair as you learn signs for family members. You'll understand how sign language categorizes the signs for gender, and we'll discuss communication in families with a Deaf person. This includes lipreading and other communication strategies. We'll end by learning the signs for numbers 67 to 100.

Extended Family and Beyond

In this lesson, you'll learn signs for extended family members. You'll also learn signs to describe how you're related to them. We'll put together longer sentences to practice using your new vocabulary. You'll be introduced to number systems beginning with age and telling how old family members are. We'll discuss Black signs ?the sign language of a subculture within Deaf culture.

A Sign for the Times

What time is it? In this lesson, you'll discover how to tell time as well as sign the days of the week and other time periods such as minutes and hours. We'll discuss how spoken languages handle past, present, and future tenses, and then examine how sign language does this. Finally, we'll discover the impact the "Deaf President Now" movement had on the lives of Deaf people and our society.

More Time on Your Hands

You're not done with time yet! In this lesson, you'll learn signs for additional time frames such as yesterday, today, and tomorrow, and we'll combine these with signs from other lessons. You'll learn signs for indoor and outdoor activities. Then, you'll learn signs for your opinion so you can tell us which activities you like and don't like. You'll also learn about CODAs—a group of hearing people unique to the Deaf community.

Feelings and Traits

Now it's time to learn the signs for feelings and personality traits, and you'll combine these signs with signs learned in previous lessons. You'll see how to communicate how you're doing, how to ask how others are doing, and how to describe different personal attributes. You'll also learn more about Deaf culture—this time, about physical contact and getting the attention of a Deaf person both nearby and across the room. Finally, you'll gain tips for practicing your signs.

Clothing and Hairstyle

In the final lesson, you'll learn signs for clothing and hairstyles, such as jacket and long hair, and we'll combine these with signs from other lessons. You'll learn about classifiers and how to use them with patterns such as stripes. Then you'll learn signs for descriptions such as mustache and beard. You'll also explore the last of our issues of Deaf culture: teaching hearing babies to sign.

Food and Animals

We conclude the course with a lesson that will equip you to wish a friend happy birthday, offer a birthday treat, and talk about your favorite animal. You'll start by learning to sign the months of the year and how to say, "Happy birthday!" You'll also learn signs for food and animals. We'll finish by exploring how English is translated into sign language, and you'll get an introduction to the role of the professional sign language interpreter. You'll even get some tips on using an interpreter with a Deaf person.

What you will learn

• Execute basic greetings and conversation signs
• Demonstrate number signs 0-100
• Effectively perform fingerspelling
• Utilize number signs to tell time
• Display signs for family members
• Produce signs to describe daily life

How you will benefit

• Explore the history, development, and usage of American Sign Language (ASL) to support effective communication with and between Deaf individuals
• Learn how to navigate social customs within the Deaf community and develop strategies for understanding new signs to enhance conversation skills in ASL
• Acquire a wide range of vocabulary that will enable you to express yourself more effectively and engage in meaningful conversations
• Deepen your understanding and appreciation of Deaf culture and customs, including the impact of Deaf individuals on society, the importance of name signs, communication within Deaf families, and key cultural issues
• Equip yourself with practical skills for everyday situations and tools to engage in diverse conversations within the Deaf community

Take your sign language skills to the next level with additional vocabulary, grammar lessons, and cultural information.

Learn to build phrases and sentences with vocabulary learned in Discover Sign Language 1, as well as learning new vocabulary. You will practice phrases and sentences by recording their own signing and uploading it for the instructor and classmates to review. Not only that, you will continue to explore the world of Deaf culture through gaining more information on the history of Deaf culture in the United States, famous Deaf individuals, and technological and legal implications on the modern-day Deaf community.

Requirements:

Hardware Requirements:

• This course can be taken on either a PC, Mac, or Chromebook.
• A webcam.

Software Requirements:

• PC: Windows 8 or later.
• Mac: macOS 10.8 or later.
• Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
• Adobe Acrobat Reader.
• Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.

Other:

• Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.

Instructional Material Requirements:

The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment and will be available online.

Basic Introductions

In this lesson, you will be reviewing some of the vocabulary from Discover Sign Language 1 and adding some new vocabulary. The objectives for this lesson are for you to be able to build and use phrases and sentences to be able to participate in a basic conversation in ASL. You will also apply ASL grammar to ask and answer basic questions about yourself. You will learn about the origins of ASL in the United States. By the end of the lesson, you will be creating a video introducing yourself in ASL.

Asking Basic Questions

In this lesson, you will focus on asking and answering basic questions. A lesson on non-manual markers is included to meet the objectives of describing and implementing ASL grammatical features. You will practice these skills on five different scenarios. A cultural highlight regarding the Deaf President Now movement wraps up the lesson. Lastly, you will create a video of yourself signing for the lesson assignment.

Emotions

In this lesson, you will focus on signs for emotions and feelings with the goal of being able to ask how someone is feeling and being able to answer if you are asked that same question. Often, conversations have a typical pattern: greeting, introducing yourself, asking about the well-being of the other person, responding, and then concluding with a farewell. Your objectives for this lesson include applying phrases and sentences to hold basic conversational skills while using basic signs for emotions. You will apply ASL grammar to ask and answer basic questions by asking how someone is feeling. Lastly, you will develop your understanding of ASL grammar by describing what role shifting means.

Placing Food and Drink Orders

In this lesson, you are learning how to place a restaurant order in ASL using your existing vocabulary and learning a few more signs. It is fairly common for Deaf clubs to meet at local restaurants or food courts. You will use your emerging ASL grammatical skills to ask and answer basic questions while placing a food or drink order. The cultural lesson this time is on famous Deaf Americans.

Locating Objects

In this lesson, you will cover vocabulary to answer questions on locating objects, and you will practice answers for when someone needs directions. You will learn how to ask where to find something or answer how to find something. You have learned how to ask, "Where is the bathroom?" But now you need to be able to understand the directions on how to get there.

Sports and Recreation

In this lesson, you will be focusing on vocabulary for sports and recreation. Another common topic when conversing with a new person is "What do you do for fun?" While you learned some basic sports and recreation signs in Discover Sign Language 1, now you are going to expand on that topic with some additional vocabulary. Also, you will learn about Deaf Poetry and the Deaflympics.

Holidays

Holidays and celebrations are always a topic that comes up in conversations. It seems we either just finished celebrating something or are planning an upcoming holiday. Much of our gathering as family and friends centers around celebrations. In this lesson, you will learn vocabulary for major American holidays and practice communicating appropriate holiday greetings.

Emergencies

This is an important lesson, as it is imperative for everyone to be ready for an emergency. As you go through this lesson, you will learn how to ask important questions in ASL during an emergency. You will also be able to recognize when someone is talking about an emergency situation. You have built quite a bit of vocabulary (128 signs!) so far, and you have been working very hard on putting it all together into grammatically correct phrases and sentences. That pattern will continue in this lesson. Lastly, the cultural note for this lesson is on International Sign—what it is and where it is used.

Jobs and Careers

In this lesson, we will learn vocabulary for common jobs, careers, and majors to assist you with a common topic of conversation—"What do you do?" Or sometimes, "What is your major?" You will learn about compound signs during the vocabulary portion of the lesson and about the history of Deaf Education in the Deaf Culture section. Lastly, you will be asked to conduct an interview with a member of the Deaf Community.

Weather

In this lesson, you will learn vocabulary for weather and seasons. As in previous lessons, you will have the opportunity to observe and practice with our language models. The Deaf Culture note for this chapter is on assistive technology and different ways the Deaf community uses it.

Family

In this lesson, you will expand upon your knowledge of ASL signs for family members. In Discover Sign Language 1, you learned the basics—mom, dad, grandfather, grandmother, and so on. In this lesson, you will expand your knowledge with some other extended family members, as well as nontraditional family members. After all, sometimes your neighbors and coworkers are as close (or closer!) as your family. You will have the opportunity to practice using the videos showcasing the language models. Lastly, the grammar section of this lesson focuses on Noun Verb Pairs.

Colors and Animals

In this final lesson, you will focus on colors and animals with the goal of signing a children's storybook as your final assignment. There are several practice activities leading up to the final assignment. The last grammar lesson focuses on classifiers.