Learning vocabulary and aspects of Deaf culture
The students will learn the vocabulary for some items of clothing and about the importance of descriptions of people and clothes in Deaf culture.
Introducing clothing vocabulary
Play Scene M – Nothing to wear.
Ask the students how much they can understand. Using your copy of the Scene M transcript, help them to gain a better understanding of what is being communicated in the scene. This scene will help them to recall some of the vocabulary they learnt in Unit 6 in order to express feelings, needs, and wants.
Now play Scene P – What a bargain! and follow the process outlined above to determine your students' understanding.
Facial expressions
Replay the scene and ask the students to focus on the facial expressions that the characters use when they give descriptions. For example, when describing something as BIG, you puff out your cheeks as you sign. To express SMALL, you suck them in.
Play Clip 15.1a (features such as hair type, eyes, other). Have the students practise the vocabulary for describing people, using appropriate facial expressions where they are needed. Hand out Worksheet 15.1 (Describing people) for their reference.
Play clip 15.1a again. Ask the students to note the following aspects of signing in relation to the pictures on the worksheet.
- The sign CURLY-HAIR refers to a person with long curly hair. When you refer to a person with short curly hair, you make the same sign but make it to show the shorter hair.
- The sign EYE refers to one eye. When referring to EYES, you point to both eyes.
Describing people
Explain how descriptions of people and things are important in sign language. The information in the introduction will help you to do this.
In conversation, Deaf people can respond quickly and sustain a conversation if the other signer is describing people and things clearly. The visual aspect of a person is important when Deaf people are describing someone who is not present.
Have your students practise signing the vocabulary to each other until they become reasonably fluent at reading and signing the words, using appropriate non-manual behaviours.