ASL Level I to IV Curriculum/Guidelines
We offer Level I to IV in American Sign Language. The classes are offered 3 times a year (Sept, Jan, and April), they run for 10 weeks, one night a
week for 3 hours each class. At the end of each Level you receive a certificate verifying how many hours you have participated in each Level. The
courses do not qualify you to be a Professional Sign Language Interpreter or to represent a Deaf person in any legal capacity.
Our Levels are recognized by the NSCC Interpreter Training Program in Dartmouth, NS. We work closely with NSCC to continually update our
curriculum to reflect what the college is looking for in an applicant to the program; one requirement being to have four Levels of ASL.
The students and instructor of our classes use the textbook A Basic Course in American Sign Language (often referred to as the ABC text) by
Tom Humphries, Carol Padden, and Terrence J. O’Rourke. The cost of the textbook is included in our fee for Level 1, and is used in all four Levels.
The instructor often uses materials, exercises and DVDs from the textbooks Vista Signing Naturally Levels 1 to 4 as extra practice and insight into the
Deaf Culture.
Our instructors are Deaf, use ASL as their first language, can lip read, and have excellent vocal skills to engage the students.
Here is a breakdown of the Levels:
Level I: Lessons 1 to 7 are covered from the textbook. This Level covers basic vocabulary, numbers, alphabet, personal pronouns,
possessives, negatives, yes/no questions, present and past tense, the basic sentence structure of ASL, directional and non-directional verbs, and
classifiers. Individual, partner and group practice occurs during the class, as well as a quiz in the 5th week and an exam (written and manual) in the
10th week. Homework is usually given at the end of each class. At this Level talking with your voice is allowed. This Level is for everyone who is
interested in exploring a new language, is interested in being able to communicate on a basic level with a deaf person, and is interested in
exploring a new culture.
Level II: Lessons 8 to 12 are covered from the textbook. This Level covers WH-Questions, self pronoun, noun-verb pairs, using
Subject as Topic, continued learning of ASL sentence structure, negative modals, responses to yes/no questions, adverbials(placement of sign) to
distinguish here or there, using body and gestures to depict grammar, and pronominal classifiers. Individual, partner and group practice
occurs during the class, as well as a quiz in the 5th week and an exam (written and manual) in the 10th week. Homework is given at the end of each
class. Using your vocal voice will be allowed only for the first 2 weeks then you must communicate with signs after this. DVDs and Power Point will
be used.
Level III: Lessons 13 to 17 are covered from the textbook. This Level covers mass quantifiers, plurals, using numbers, more negatives,
negative quantifiers, directional verbs, directional verbs incorporating two objects, time measurements, tense indicators, time repetition, time
reduplication, using a clause as a topic, comparative sentences and conjunctions. Individual, partner and group practice occurs during the class,
as well as a quiz in the 5th week and an exam (written and manual) in the 10th week. Homework is given at the end of each class; short presentations
by the students can be expected. No vocal voice is allowed in this Level. Individuals interested in this Level usually know or work with a deaf
person and/or are interested in becoming a Sign Language Interpreter and/or others may just have a love of continuing to learn ASL.
Level IV: Lessons 18 to 22 are completed in this Level. This Level covers verb inflections, adjective modulation, conditional sentences,
rhetorical questions, pluralizing classifiers, outlining shape and detail, classifiers showing motion, and an introduction to understanding the heritage
and culture of the Deaf. Individual, partner and group practice occurs during the class, as well as a quiz in the 5th week and an exam (written and manual)
in the 10th week. Homework is given at the end of each class, students will be expected to sign stories about their day to day lives, and possibly do
role modeling/skits in front of the class. No vocal voice is allowed in this Level. If a student who completes this Level is interested in applying to
NSCC for the Interpreter Training Program a letter of support will be required from SEDHHS as well as copies of your certificates from each of the
four Levels.
United Way -- Centraide - We've been a member agency of United Way since 1988. Funding is directed to programs including technical aids
and interpreting (ASL / LSQ / Oral). We are grateful for this support, without which we could not possibly offer these programs.
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