PROCEDURES

ALWAYS READ THE VIDEO ASSIGNMENT BEFORE YOU BEGIN ANY UNIT. It is the longest, hardest part of each unit. It will require a lot of thought & practice. You will do much better, learn much more, if you keep the video assignment in the back of your mind as you move through the other assignments.

Vocabulary for each unit
1. At the top of each unit page, you’ll see, ”Vocabulary for this unit.” This provides links to video segments, where you can view each sign in motion. Illustrations for each sign are also provided at the end of every unit, in your workbook.

Introductions
1. DON’T SKIP THESE! I elaborate on the material from the workbook, and sometimes simplify it, here. In my opinion, the authors of “Signing Naturally 2” make easy concepts harder than they have to be, by giving things technical names. Although they take great pains to separate American Sign Language from English (which I agree with in principle), the languages have some things in common, and comparing the two can be useful. That’s the kind of thing you’ll find in the introductions.

2. Another weakness of the “Signing Naturally 2” curriculum, in my view, is that the authors implicitly assume good retention and recall on your part of vocabulary and concepts learned in the previous course, “Signing Naturally 1.” I know two things from experience:

A. Everyone benefits from review.

B. If you don’t use it, you lose it, and a lot of students don’t use what they’ve learned between courses..

So, I spend some time in the introductions reminding you of what you should already know, and how it relates to what you’re about to learn.

3. Finally, you’ll be tested on information found in the introductions. So, DON’T SKIP THEM!

Workbook assignments
1. ALWAYS preview the workbook assignment before you view any video segment.

2. Some workbook assignments are to be completed and checked on your own. I discourage you from skipping them; they’re valuable practice for your unit competence videos, mid-term and final.

3. After each independent workbook assignment, there’s a “How Did You Do?” questionnaire. You’re expected to reflect on the process: was it hard for you, or easy? Why? The answer to “why” is the key to a high score. One- or two-word answers will not suffice. I want a paragraph.

4. Other workbook assignments require you to submit your answers to me. Yes, the answers are in the back. However, your errors are VITAL information for me. I’ll be able to help you master the language if I can see where you’re struggling. You’re not given points for accuracy; you’re scored on whether you submitted the assignment or not. So, don’t cheat.

Practice assignments
1. These are supplemental assignments, designed to stretch your abilities and generalize your skills. Think of them as workouts. The “How Did You Do?” queries apply here, too.

Culture assignments
1. Each lesson includes a culture assignment, wherein you’re expected to visit websites I’ve provided in order to research answers to a questionnaire. It’s like a treasure hunt, and all you have to do is fill in the blanks.

2. Bear in mind that the research you do for the culture assignments will be used in an essay at the end of each unit. In other words, you’re expected to take the information you found in each lesson, and use it to write that essay.

Essay Assignments
1. Must be at least one page in length.
2. Must be driven by facts, not your opinions, except on the poetry essay.
2. The topics are deliberately broad. I want you to take what you’ve learned through the culture assignments, and write about it. Since everyone may learn something different, the essay assignment is fairly open.

Comprehension checks
1. Some of these will be short quizzes on material contained within the workbook. Others will be video segments, wherein you’re expected to view the video online, interpret it, and submit your interpretation to me.

Discussions
1. At the end of every unit, you’re required to participate in a discussion. In each discussion, you must:

A. Respond to a question I’ve posted
B. Respond to a classmate’s answer

Videos
1. Videos are required at the end of every unit as part of a competency check. They typically consist of a vocabulary segment, two concept segments, and a numbers/spelling segment. You may be required to develop a short script, memorize it, then act it out.

*A note about videos- I’ll say this again when the time comes, but it bears repeating: Anxiety has a VERY negative affect on one’s ability to sign. This is true for all non-native signers, even professional interpreters. It’s important that you make yourself as calm as possible before you begin to film the video. For my part, you can know that I EXPECT you to make mistakes because A) You’re human, and B) You’re learning. My feedback will be just that: feedback, not criticism. You have nothing to fear from me. I’m here to help you.