AP Themes – The Interpretive Task
It is easy to incorporate AP themes in the ASL classroom. There are resources out there for teachers to use, you just need to start looking. Begin by thinking about your end goal. What is it that you want the students to be able to do with the material? Consider all modes of communication (interpretive, interpersonal, and presentational). Find the right materials and begin to build your unit.
Here are a few ways to start a theme naturally with your students using the interpretive mode.
Music and Art
Use Deaf Singer Mandy Harvey to break down stereotypes about deaf people.
Watch a Beethoven’s Nightmare music video and show this video to have students discuss diversity in the music industry.
Watch the Daily Moth present the spotlight on Deaf Artist Jon Savage. This is a great way to start off a De’VIA art unit (I have students create art with Sharpies and computer paper) or a famous Deaf person activity.
Science and Technology
This is good information for students to learn the difference between Video Remote Interpreting and Video Relay Service.
Use this TedTalk from Heather Artinian to be a starting point to a debate about cochlear implants. Should they or should they not be used on babies? Great discussion for students.
Ai-Media and Cobi Sewell made a deaf perspective video about CIs. Students can watch, discuss and create their own opinion video backed by evidence about CIs.
Personal and Public Identities
Students can watch Trudy Suggs discuss the disempowerment of Deaf people. Great information for students to know. The themes and conversations to follow this video are endless.
Awti talks about CODA life and how Deaf parents can help their children understand the power of ASL. This could start as a good discussion point for the role of the CODA in the Deaf community.
The D/deaf identity in America is hard for students to grasp. This video can shed some light on this topic and can be used as an excellent conversation starter. BSL Zone does a great video about deaf identity found here.
Contemporary Life
Can deaf people work? That is a question students ask their teachers. Instead of just answer yes! try letting them see what challenges face deaf people in the workforce. This Australian video shows various jobs Deaf people can hold. There is also a part 2.
Bilingualism is a basic human right for Deaf children in the US and around the World. This video from the World Federation of the Deaf talks about this very topic. Such a great subject for our students. This leads perfectly into Sign Languages around the world.
Have students ever thought about having someone Deaf in their home? Is their home deaf-friendly? Do your students understand what that means? Help guide them to understand this with this video that talks about architecture changes for Deaf people. This video is also included in the thematic unit here.
Are products made by hearing people hurting the Deaf community? Ask your students. This video can help get that conversation started.
Beauty and Aesthetics
What really constitutes beauty? This is a captioned video with no sound of a South African Model whose cochlear implant was photoshopped out of her modeling pictures. This makes for a great conversation about why people find hearing aids and CIs unattractive sometimes even those who wear them.
I find it difficult to find videos where there are authentic signing taking place for beauty products. This is disheartening because I think this is a very important topic for our students to know for communication and be able to talk about. I did find 2 blogs with interpretation. Turn the sound off and go from there. This one uses voice and sign so it is annoying. However, that is a great conversation in itself! And this video uses an interpreter.
Music and ASL don’t always go hand in hand but the language can be portrayed and enjoyed by a multitude of people. VOX and TedTalk with Sun Kim do a great job of describing the beauty of ASL. Or you can play a few rounds of March Madness and let students vote for their favorite music video.
Spring Awakening shows the world Deaf actors are equivalent to hearing. This page had a short video clip and a good article to read.
Families and Communities
For a Deaf Son still does an amazing job at showing students hearing parent’s reactions to having a deaf child even though it is an older document.
This video talks about Deaf parents vs. hearing parents. How would your students react to this information?
One of my favorite videos of all time is this one done by James Kittell. It tells the opposing side of CIs with a dad having his child’s hearing surgical removed. The kids believe it and some even cry. A great debate for both sides.
have students watch the Silent Child, a short film about a deaf child whose parents do not want her to learn ASL. Have the students write a letter to the mother at the end of the movie.
Global Challenges
Global warming is an issue that is discussed daily around the world. However, textbooks are missing this important topic. This video in ASL shows why humans are responsible for these changes in our climate. This pairs well with a weather unit.
DPAN talks about a grassroots movement and employment of Deaf people in the US. This is a great movement to compare to DPN.
Natural disaster preparedness videos are a great way for students to see how prepared they are for a natural disaster. Here is an emergency kit preparedness video to add to the discussion.
What do you think? Overall, can you add these themes to your curriculum? What authentic sources do you use for AP themes and the “interpretive task”?
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