ASL Flurry Extras Guided Pathway
ASL 1
This pathway has been greatly influenced by Dr. Melissa Smith’s experience teaching ASL & interpreting, earned graduate and doctoral degrees in education, and her personal experience watching her own Deaf child learn and acquire language.
Alignment with Common Learning Objectives and Outcomes:
This ASL pathway aligns with K–12 Common Core Standards and the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) World-Readiness Standards (the 5 Cs), offering content consistent with most beginning-level language curricula while centering visual language and Deaf culture. The K–12 Common Core Standards provide a framework for developing essential skills in literacy, communication, and critical thinking—applied here through visual-gestural modalities such as signing, viewing, and presenting.
Within this framework, learners build real-world ASL skills through interpersonal, interpretive, and presentational communication in authentic contexts. They explore cultures by engaging with Deaf community traditions, values, and cultural products. Through connections, learners apply ASL across content areas and access perspectives rooted in the Deaf experience. Comparisons deepen understanding of ASL and English, as well as Deaf and hearing cultures, while communities emphasize meaningful engagement beyond the classroom, fostering lifelong participation in Deaf and signing communities.