Incorporating an ASL Curriculum for Students in Grades 1-6

Gianna Occhiuto, Verrazzano Class of 2024, completed major in SLS (1-6) and minor in ASL

When I was in fifth grade, a select few students took an American Sign Language class as an extracurricular activity. I never had the opportunity to join the class, but a lot of my classmates did, and they communicated with each other through sign language across the classroom. I was fascinated by how my classmates were communicating with each other without speaking. When I started as an undergraduate at CSI, I had the opportunity to take ASL as one of my major requirements and fell in love with it. I learned so much about the language, along with the culture.

As a childhood education (grades 1-6) major with a minor in American Sign Language (ASL), I was inspired to create a capstone project that would bridge these two areas. Throughout each of the ASL courses that I have taken, I have gained an appreciation for the language, culture, and community. The result was an ASL curriculum for childhood education, a tool that not only explores the benefits of teaching ASL to hearing students but also paves the way for its incorporation into my future classroom as a teacher. I worked with Russell Rosen, my professor for ASL 215 (level IV) and 220 (Deaf People, Community, and Culture). Professor Rosen provided great insight into what should be incorporated to create a successful curriculum for teaching ASL. There is a gap in previous studies, meaning there is no curriculum for grades 1-6; there are various curriculums that high schools and colleges use based on the state. An ASL curriculum should be aligned with state standards based on the grades the students are in.

Throughout my research, I learned a lot of valuable information that I will utilize when incorporating an ASL curriculum into my classroom. Teaching ASL as a second language has various benefits, such as cognition, memory, brain development, sight, comprehension, play, and movement. It also improves students' self-esteem, engagement, and enrichment.

While completing my project, I reflected on my experience as a student teacher. I decided that teaching each lesson of the curriculum should follow the workshop model (I Do, We Do, You Do) because I found it successful when teaching my students. In addition, it would be beneficial for English Language Learners (ELL) students to learn sign language to help them learn English.

Teaching ASL as a second language to students in grades 1-6 will create meaningful teaching moments that students will cherish in their educational careers. The curriculum will promote an inclusive, diverse, and equitable student classroom.

Understanding Different Cultures and Its Importance in Giving Adequate Care

 

Jacquelyn Mahoney, Verrazzano Class of 2021, completed major in Psychology & minor in ASL

My capstone focused on how health services and medical facilities could become more accessible to benefit Deaf individuals. Research has shown that when a medically trained ASL interpreter has been present there was no communication barrier between doctors and Deaf patients. The research also showed that if medically trained ASL interpreters were not present, and medical personnel knew just a little bit about Deaf culture, then the communication between the two people would be much easier.

I feel that my capstone project has shed a very important light on this topic. Doctors and nurses may assume that a Deaf patient understands what is said to them when in reality they do not. It is important for medical staff to have knowledge about Deaf and other cultures to be more equipped to perform their jobs and give adequate care. I learned that how a person views the world is through their own eyes and the eyes of their own culture. 

One very important concept that I learned about was just how important a person’s culture is to them. One’s culture influences how a person may handle a situation, and it is important to have a basic understanding of other people’s cultures. Learning about different cultures can help make a difference in how I could handle a situation when engaging with people. 

I really enjoyed working on my capstone project and feel that it has helped me to prepare for my future career as a guidance counselor. I now have a better understanding of how people are influenced by their culture, and I know that when helping students I can be more of use to them if I have an understanding of their culture.