Levels 1 - 18 - course descriptions

Levels 1 and 3 Saturday Academy classes will start again in May as listed below. We are now accepting registrations - contact us.
Evening and day classes for the late spring and spring semesters are listed below.


COURSE REQUIREMENTS FOR LEVELS 1 -18:

Students receive a certificate of completion for evening classes if they attend at least 8 of 9 classes.  Students who attend 6 or 7 classes may schedule make up sessions for an additional fee, then receive a certificate.  Students must have a certificate to go on to level 3.  Students who register, but attend 5 or less classes, may repeat the course and pay 1/2 the regular tuition.  All courses are 18 classroom hours.

For Saturday Academy classes, students must attend at least 5 of 6 weeks.

For Monday/Thursday classes, students must attend 10 of 12 classes.

You may register on line or contact us at:
learnasl@aslacademy.org      401 722 1022

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Level 1

Course Description:This course will teach students the foundation skills for ASL. This will include learning the four parameters of a sign – handshape, palm position, location, and movement. Students will learn a signing vocabulary to include: fingerspelling; numbers 1 – 99; colors; animals; some basic verbs and nouns; emotions; family, and foods. They will use vocabulary in meaningful contexts to develop comprehension. Three basic sentence structures will be taught, with plenty of review and practice to allow students to develop confidence. At the end of the semester, students will be able to produce a short story.

The focus of level 1 is vocabulary and smooth sign production.

Cost (any level 1 class):   $125.00.  All levels are 18 classroom hours.

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Mondays,
6:30 - 8:30 p.m

Location:ASLA classroom 221,
461 Main St, Pawtucket
Course dates:
April 9, 23, 30, May 7, 14, 21, June 4, 11, 18

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Saturdays, 9:00 a.m. to noon

Dates: May 5, 19, June 2, 9, 16, 23

Location:
ASLA Classroom 221,
461 Main St, Pawtucket, RI

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Mondays and Thursdays, 4:00 - 5:30 pm

Dates: April 26, May 3, 7, 10, 14, 17, 21, 24, 31, June 4, 7, 11

Location: ASLA classroom 221,
461 Main St. Pawtucket, RI

Still accepting registrations until May 3

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Level 2


Course description: Level 2 will start with a review of the vocabulary learned in level 1. Students will get extensive practice by using it in sentences and gaining an understanding of 3 sentence structures of ASL. They will learn additional vocabulary to include: greetings; more verbs; time; tense markers; signs for countries and cities; practice and refinement of their fingerspelling skills; wh questions, and other vocabulary used in everyday conversation. Students will start to learn the role of facial expression in ASL and utilize spatial referencing and contrastive structure.  At the completion of the course, students will be able to sign hundreds of sentences clearly and talk about a variety of subjects.  This class will be taught without voice.

The focus of level 2 is expanded vocabulary, smooth sign production, and practice with the first 3 sentence types of ASL.

The cost for any level 2 class is $125.00

Class meeting time:
Mondays, 6:30 - 8:30 pm

Dates:
April 2, 9, 23, 30, May 7, 14, 21, June 4, 11

Location: ASL Academy classrooms,
461 Main St, Pawtucket, RI.

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Level 3

Course Description: In level 3, students engage in conversation.  More nouns and verbs are added to the student’s vocabulary.  Students now use 5 sentence structures, including Topic/Comment.  They gain practice by interchanges with the teacher and classmates and receive feedback on their presentations.  They are guided through numerous practice sheets to help them gain confidence in a comfortable learning atmosphere.  This class will be taught without voice.

The focus of level 3 is conversation - learning to ask wh and yes/no questions.

Cost:  $150.00

Class meeting times: TBA

Course dates: TBA -

Location:
ASL Academy classrooms,
461 Main St. Pawtucket, RI

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SATURDAYS

Class meeting times: 9 am to noon

Course dates: May 5, 19, June 2, 9, 16, 23

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Level 4

Level 4 students continue to work with the five sentence structures they have learned.  They add new vocabulary.  Attention is focused on the ASL verb system and the use of directional verbs in their conversations.  Students get to see the various uses and limitations of these verbs as they practice.

The focus of level 4 is the verb system and understanding how to use directional verbs.

Course dates:
April 10,  24,  May 1, 8, 15, 22, 29, June 5, 12

Cost:  $150.00.
This includes all materials

Location:
ASL Academy classrooms,
461 Main St, Pawtucket, RI

Time: Tuesdays, 6:30 - 8:30

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Level 5

Course description:Students in level 5 focus on how to use classifiers and prepositions.  As they gain experience, they see how to use classifiers to show the relative position of two objects.   They will expand on the type of presentations done in levels 3 and 4.   They will widen their understanding of language - focusing on the meaning they are trying to express.

Cost:  $150.00
This includes all materials.

Meeting times: Tuesdays, 6:30 - 8:30 pm.

Dates: TBA

Location: ASL Academy classrooms, 461 Main St, Pawtucket


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Level 6

The Level 6 course is focused on CLASSIFIERS and will teach students how to set up multiple objects in the space in front of them and how to refer to them clearly.  They will utilize Signer’s Perspective as well as the concept of a Common Perspective.  They learn to describe a wall of a kitchen with multiple objects, then the entire room, then a house.

Dates:
April 3, 10, 24, May 1, 8, 15, 22, June 5, 12

Cost:  $ 150.00
(includes all materials)

Location:
ASL Academy classroom 221
461 Main St. Pawtucket, RI

Time:  6:30 - 8:30 PM

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Level 7

Course dates:
TBA

Cost:  $150.00.
This includes all materials.

Class meeting time:
Tuesdays, 6:30 - 8:30 PM

Location:  ASLA classroom 221
461 Main St Pawtucket


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Level 8

Course dates:
April  10, 24, May 1, 8, 15, 22, 29, June 5, 12

Day/Time:  Tuesdays, 6:30 - 8:30 PM

Cost:  $ 150.00.
This includes all materials.

Location:
461 Main St, Pawtucket.

ASLA classrooms,

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Level 9

Course Dates:  TBA - fall of 2012

Day / Time:  Thursdays, 6:30 - 8:30 pm


Cost:  $ 150.00.
This includes all materials.

Location:
ASLA classroom 221,
461 Main St. Pawtucket.

Level 9 students expand their vocabulary to include weights and measures and vocabulary connected to shopping.  Students
open a store in the ASL Village. They describe their store in detail, then set it up in the classroom.  Their fellow classmates are customers and make a series of purchases.  The store then closes and each customer describes their purchases, how they paid, etc.  Another student opens their store, and so on until all have been a store owner and customer.

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Level 10

Course Dates:  TBA - winter of 2013

Day / Time:  Thursdays, 6:30 - 8:30

Cost:  $ 150.00.
This includes all materials.

Location:
ASLA classroom 221,
461 Main St. Pawtucket

The focus of level 10 is vocabulary building.  Students will learn new vocabulary and use it in various contexts.  They will practice telling stories each week and learn how to effectively use role shifting to represent characters and the narrator in a story.


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Level 11

At this level, students are using a combination of the many skills they have learned. One feature is a group story where each student is assigned part of the story. Students must collaborate in establishing classifiers, name signs and spatial referents.

In levels one through ten, students have learned an extensive vocabulary. They have learned about the ASL verb system - the ASL time line, non-directional verbs, directional verbs and their eight possible functions, modifying verbs with temporal and distributional aspects to inflect them or change them into other parts of speech, and the agent sign.

They have learned how to produce adverbs and use classifiers to show prepositions. They have learned about classifiers and how to use them…and more. They have had extensive practice with grammar structures and have produced increasingly complex stories. Now, they will use all of that knowledge in telling stories with multiple characters and switching between narrator and characters through role shifting. Vocabulary is expanded as students use it in context.

Cost:  $150.00

Dates:
TBA

Location:
461 Main St, Pawtucket,
room 221

Class meeting times: Thursdays, 6:30 - 8:30

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Level 12

Cost:  $150.00

Dates:  TBA

Location:
461 Main St, Pawtucket, room 221

Class meeting times: Thursdays 6:30 - 8:30

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Level 13

Dates: TBA - fall of 2012

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Level 14

The focus of this level is advanced vocabulary.  Students learn vocabulary in context, practice in class alone, in pairs and in groups.  They will do presentations on the EYE Witness News Desk - report of news, weather, sports or traffic.  They may also present as the Mime Gourmet - showing a recipe without signs - mime only.

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Level 15


Dates:Time:  Wednesdays, 6:30 - 8:30 PM

Location:  ASL Academy

Cost:  $175.00 This includes a text and handouts.

Course description:

This course will be taught partly voice-off and partly with voice.  It will be a contrastive analysis of ASL and English.  It will demonstrate language techniques that will allow students to use their ASL vocabulary more effectively by focusing on meaning in context.

In the voiced section, students will also learn about current cultural issues.  They will use the text FHPO - For Hearing People Only, 3rd edition.

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Level 16

Course Dates: TBA

Day / Time: Wednesdays, 6:30 - 8:30 pm

Cost:  $ 200.00

Location: ASLA classroom,461 Main St. Pawtucket

“Contrastive Structure” - ASL to English / English to ASL
Students will select a poem or song to do individually,
in pairs or a group. They will also continue to use the text


For Hearing People Only
, with classroom discussion.

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Level 17

Location: ASLA classroom C,
461 Main St., Pawtucket

Course dates: TBA

Day / Time: Wednesdays, 6:30 - 8:30 pm

Cost: $200.00

Course description:Students will continue to build their vocabulary and receptive skills as they work with our new DVDs.  A lengthy story will be presented and studied on DVD.  Students will use the techniques learned to produce stories of their own.

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Level 18

Students will work with English idioms, learning how to analyze for meaning. They will continue to expand their vocabulary and see how to use the vocabulary they have learned in varied contexts.

Cost: $200.00

Location: 461 Main St., room 221

Time: Wednesdays, 6:30 - 8:30 pm

Dates:

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Level 19 - post graduate work:

Cost: $200.00

Dates: Feb 8, 15, 22, 29, Mar 7, 14, 21, 28,
April 4, 11, 18, 25, May 2, 9, 16, 23, 30, June 6