American Sign Language (ASL) 1 and 2 students completed a public service announcement video and slideshow for the quarter three project. ASL teacher Ms. Angela Lowry explained why she chose this type of assessment.

“There was a discussion with the ASL teachers of what projects students could do for third card marking,” Ms. Lowry said. “We decided on public service announcements for a few reasons. It provided a creative outlet for students while still promoting research on Deaf culture topics and verbal mixed with sign presentation forms in front of peers.”

There were a variety topics available for the students to choose from, including: hearing dogs, police abuse against deaf and hearing aid choices and costs.

“My project was on lip reading myths and hearing loss causes,” sophomore and ASL 1 student Lauren Tyrell said.  “We picked those two topics because right away we had quick ideas for the project. My favorite part of the project was learning new facts about the deaf community.”

The ASL 1 video projects didn’t have to be in full sign and they were 1-2 minutes in length, while ASL 2 students had to create 3-4 minute videos in full sign.

“I liked the chance to really put our message out there and show everyone why ASL is awesome,” junior Jono Mammel said. “I didn’t like having to be brief, but that’s just a me problem.”

The project is likely to happen again next year for ASL students.

“The majority of the projects went well with a few on either end of the spectrum between incomplete and great,” Ms. Lowry said. “However, I am thrilled to see student development, especially in ASL 2. There have been a few students who have come a very long way this year. Even some ASL 1 students can sign short conversations without scripts and have advanced very far in a short time. It makes me feel happy and proud when students can take what they learn in class and apply it to the real world.”