ASL 4

Course Syllabus

2020-2021

ASL Level 4: CSD 1760 & CSD 2790


To build on materials covered in ASL I, II and III and introduce additional grammatical principles. Emphasis is on application of grammatical principles for conversing in American Sign Language.


Instructor: Mrs. Nicole Correia

Office: Room 133A

Office Hours: By appointment only

Email: ncoelho@elwood.k12.ny.us

Text: Deaf Again: by Mark Drolsbaugh

Grading: A final grade will be based on the following:

  • Classroom participation (attendance, punctuality, and most importantly, adherence

to the no English/voices-off rule) 25%

  • Homework 10%

  • Classwork 20%

  • Quizzes/Tests/Presentations 45%


Course Goals and Objectives:

  • Students will continue to gain confidence and be comfortable in communicating with deaf individuals inside and outside the classroom.

  • Students will demonstrate the importance of using facial expression and body language when signing.

  • Students will continue developing effective signing skills through the use of ASL vocabulary and grammatical structure.


Classroom Participation : ASL is a visual language with its own grammar and syntax. Please do not use your voice in the classroom if the instructor is present. You may feel strange and uncomfortable at first, but you will learn to appreciate the reason for this rule. Please respect Deaf culture by not voicing in the classroom. You learn ASL best by staying alert, with full attention 100% of the time. Assignments can be checked!


Classroom Attendance/Punctuality: You must be in class to experience ASL. Excessive tardies will be reflected in the participation grade.


*** Do not use any cell phones in class! Deductions are made from your final grade. ***


Deaf Events/ Field Trips – We will be attending a movie with the use of Closed Captioning glasses. Volunteering our time at the annual Fall Harvest Festival at Mill Neck Manor school for the Deaf on October 10th or 11th. You will be responsible to write a paper. In the event paper, include the date of the event!

Topics covered

Expressive skills

  • Signing Interview

  • Guided Dialogues

  • Teacher-student interviews

  • Spontaneous dialogues and discussions

  • Signed presentations

Deaf History and Culture

ASL Language Structure

  • Phonology - Handshape, Movement, Palm Orientation, Location, Non-Manual Markers

  • Morphology - Inflection (Adverbs), Noun-Verb Pairs, Classifiers, Verbs, Time

  • Syntax - Word Order, Sentence Types, Negation, Pronouns and Indexing, Nouns, Adjectives, Auxiliary Verbs. Prepositions, Conjunctions, Articles


Long Island Deaf Community and Schools

  • Mill Neck Manor School for the deaf

  • Cleary School for the Deaf


College Life

  • Colleges offering ASL

  • Gallaudet University

  • RIT

  • Future College


ASL Careers

  • ASL interpreting

  • ASL Teaching

  • Deaf Education

  • Deaf Community Service

  • Audiology

  • Speech-Language Pathology

Supply List

  • 1 1/2 inch Binder

  • Loose-leaf Paper

  • Pocket Folder

  • Highlighter

  • Dry Erase Marker

  • Pen (Blue or Black Ink)