Big Ideas
Big Ideas
Viewing with intent supports our acquisition and understanding of a new language.
Stories
Stories are a narrative form of text that can be written or visual. Stories are derived from truth or fiction and may be used to seek and impart knowledge, entertain, share history, and strengthen a sense of identity.
give us unique ways to understand and reflect on meaning.
Expressing ourselves and engaging in conversation in a new language requires courage, risk taking and perseverance.
Cultural expression
represents the experience of the people from whose culture it is drawn (e.g., books, dance, paintings, pictures, poems, songs, architecture)
can take many different forms.
Acquiring a new language provides a unique opportunity to interact with Deaf communities and the Deaf world.
Content
Learning Standards
Content
non-manual signals
Non-manual signals (NMS) are parts of a sign that are not signed on the hands (e.g., ASL adverbs made by eyes and eyebrows; ASL adjectives made using the mouth, tongue, and lips). For this level, non-manual signals include but are not limited to:
- facial expression matching the meaning and content of what is signed (e.g., mad, angry, very angry)
- conveying “tone of voice” while signing
- mouth morpheme: “cha” (big), “fish” (finish), “diff-diff-diff” (different), “pah” (finally, tends to), “pow” (suddenly)
- head nod/shake
- WH-face (eyebrows down for a WH question, shoulders up, head tilted slightly)
- shoulder shift/contrastive structure/spatial organization
- eye gaze: must be used with deixis (pointing)
- distance signals: eyes open wide, cheek to shoulder, mouth open, teeth/tongue
- nose twitch
vocabulary and ASL sentence structures , including:
- topic-comment
- subject-verb-object (S-V-O)
- questions - WH; yes/no; rhetorical
past, present, and future time frames
ASL timeline (e.g., mark tenses with signs, as well as location, and indicate short and long time spans)
common elements of stories
place, character, setting, plot, problem, resolution
idiomatic expressions from across Deaf communities
contributions to society and other accomplishments of D/deaf
“D/deaf” refers to both “Deaf” people who identify with the Deaf culture and “deaf” people who do not. It is often used as a shortcut to describe both groups who are similar but not exactly the same when it comes to communication.
or hard-of-hearing people, including Canadians
creative works from Deaf culture
society’s perceptions
e.g., descriptive terminology, perceived capabilities, societal status
of Deaf people over time
cultural aspects
Deaf communities and culture tend to be collectivistic (i.e., focused on the group and its interests) in nature.
of Deaf communities
D/deaf perspectives and points of view
First Peoples perspectives connecting language and culture, including histories
e.g., conversations with an Elder about local celebrations, traditions, and protocols
, identity Identity is influenced by, for example, traditions, protocols, celebrations, and festivals.
, and place A sense of place can be influenced by, for example, territory, food, clothing, and creative works.
Curricular Competency
Learning Standards
Curricular Competency
Thinking and communicating
Recognize that choice of signs
degrees of: formality; (register); directness; style; and, amount of emphasis
, and how they are presented, affects meaning
Use various strategies to increase understanding and communicate
- e.g., circumlocution, paraphrasing, reformulation, reiteration, repetition, sign substitution, interpreting body language, expression, non-manual signals
- using contextual cues
- interpreting familiar words
Share meaning derived
comprehend key Information, supporting details, time, and place
from a variety of texts “Text” is a generic term referring to all forms of written, visual, and digital communication. Written and visual elements can also be combined (e.g., in dramatic presentations, graphic novels, films, web pages, advertisements).
Locate and explore a variety of media
e.g., articles, blogs/vlogs, poetry, film, drama
in ASL
Recognize the relationships between common handshapes, movement, and location of signs to make different meanings
Narrate stories in ASL
- using expressions of time and transitional signs to show logical progression
- using past, present, and future time frames
Exchange ideas and information using ASL sentences and in writing
Share information using the presentation format
e.g., digital, visual; aids such as charts, graphics, illustrations, photographs, videos, props, digital media
best suited to their own and others’ diverse abilities
Respond to questions and instructions
Seek clarification and verify
e.g., request or provide repetition, word substitution, reformulation, or reiteration
meaning
Personal and social awareness
Identify the regional variations of ASL
Engage in Deaf cultural experiences
e.g., blogs, vlogs, school visits (real or virtual), exchanges, festivals, films, plays, social media
Analyze personal, shared, and others’ experiences, perspectives, and worldviews through a cultural lens
e.g., values, practices, traditions, perceptions
Recognize First Peoples perspectives and knowledge, other ways of knowing
e.g., First Nations, Métis, and Inuit; and/or gender-related, subject/discipline specific, cultural, embodied, intuitive
, and local cultural knowledge