2026-2027 School Year

American Sign Language 1 Honors GVL

Course Description

This is an introductory course in American Sign Language as developed and used by the Deaf community in most areas of North America. It consists of a preparatory phase to attune students to communication in the manual-visual mode, followed by instruction and practice in the alphabet, vocabulary, sentence structure, and elementary conversation. In addition, the course will address the Deaf culture and provide opportunities for the students to experience the Deaf community.

To be successful in this class:

Students must be able to maintain the atmosphere of a “silent classroom” (quiet with very little speaking) and devote time each day at home to practice the language and do homework. (Approximately 2 hours of homework each week outside of co-op).

In addition, students must be willing and able to attend at least one Deaf event during the school year. The teacher will provide a list of possible events to attend.

Grades: 9th Grade, 10th Grade, 11th Grade, 12th Grade

Course Tuition and Enrollment Fees can be found HERE. If applicable, see below for additional course fees (supply, lab, textbook, etc.)

Course Credit: 1 Honors Foreign Language Credit.

Required Materials

Textbook:

Honors Addendum Summary

All honors students will complete:

1. Extra homework assignments

2. Extra Test Questions

3.  An additional short presentation signing in front of the class

4. One assignment each semester from a list provided by the teacher.  Possible assignments include biographical paper, oral presentation, do an interview and write reflection paper, view a movie and write reflection paper, and field trip to a deaf event and write reflection paper.

Specific assignments and details for honors work will be provided by the teacher.

Meet Caitlyn Anderson

Education:  BA Degree in ASL

Experience:  7 years experience working as a certified sign language interpreter for the Deaf (since 2018). 5 of those years as an educational interpreter, language facilitator and substitute teacher of the Deaf, and 2 years as a freelance community interpreter. 3 years of experience as a missionary to the Deaf in South Asia. 8 years of experience working at a Deaf church in North Carolina. 7 years of experience tutoring in English and ASL. 1 year of experience teaching ESL at a Deaf School.

UHC courses taught:

  • ASL 1
  • ASL 2

Began teaching at UHC in 2023