Taboo, Intermediate-Mid, ASL 202, Lab 05

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The activities provided by the Boise State World Languages Resource Center (WLRC) serve as foundational activities which can be adapted by any language and scaled up or down on the proficiency scale. Many of these activities offer an English Version that is “language-agnostic” to provide language instructors from around the country a platform to remix these instructional materials, infusing them with their target language and culture! The activities within the Pathways Project OER Repository seek to help students solidify their interpersonal speaking and interpretive skills through task-based situations or communicative activities. These activities should be facilitated in the target language for approximately 90% (or more), per the recommendation of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages.

How to use the WLRC Repository’s Activities:

1. Use the Activity as is:

Before you begin:

  • Most activities are 30 minutes in duration, unless otherwise specified.
  • Be sure to read through the activity description, and review the list of required materials. You will notice that the activity materials are also highlighted in yellow throughout the activity instructions.

If you have any suggestions about grammar, syntax, and content, please kindly contact pathwaysproject@boisestate.edu.

2. Remix for Your Language Classroom:

When you are ready to begin remixing the activity, in order to adapt it for the needs of your language classroom, simply click the blue “Remix This Resource” button at the top of your screen. This will then take you to a screen with a NEW, editable version of this activity. The text provided in purple is a suggestion of what you might say to your students in the target language, and may be altered for different levels and age groups. All activities have “NCSSFL-ACTFL Can-Do” statements, a warm-up, a main activity, and a wrap-up.

Many of the activities include printable cards and other instructional materials such as Google Slideshows. If you would like to make changes to these materials for your classroom, follow the instructions below:

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Taboo, Intermediate Mid

Description:

For this activity, students will practice their circumlocution skills concerning their recent vocabulary. They will be given a word to explain without using the exact word, or similar words.

Proficiency Level:

Intermediate-Mid

Keywords:

Taboo, Circumlocution, Vocabulary, Alphabetical 

NCSSFL-ACTFL World-Readiness Standards

Standard 1.1- Students use American Sign Language to engage in conversations and provide information, express feelings and emotions, and exchange opinions.

Standard 1.2 Students comprehend and interpret live and recorded American Sign Language on a variety of topics.

Standard 2.1 Students demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between the practices and perspectives of American Deaf culture.

Standard 4.1 Students demonstrate understanding of the nature of language through comparisons of American Sign Language and their own languages.

Idaho Standards for World Languages:

COMM 1.1- Interact and negotiate meaning (spoken, signed, written conversation) to share information, reactions, feelings, and opinions.

COMM 2.1- Understand, interpret, and analyze what is heard, read, or viewed on a variety of topics.

CONN 1.1: Compare and contrast information acquired from other content areas.

NCSSFL-ACTFL Can-Do Statements:

  • I can describe a concept without using direct vocabulary. 
  • I can work with a classmate to reach a common goal. 
  • I can make connections with similar vocabulary in order to convey meaning. 

Materials Needed:

Warm-up:

1. Go around the group and sign a sign having to do with the corresponding letter.  

"For our warmup, we will sign words with letters beginning from A-Z. The first person will start with 'A'. The next person will be 'B'." 

           Ex. the first person will sign “Apple” the second person will sign “Bacon” third person will sign “Candy” so on.

2. Go around until we get to Z!

"We will go around until we get to Z!"

Main Activity

1.  One person will pick up a Taboo card and not show others in the lab

"One person will pick a Taboo card. Do not show others what the card is." 

2.  The top word on the card is what they are trying to describe. 

"You are trying to describe the top word. "

3.  The words in the middle are signs they are not allowed to sign as they are describing the word.

"You cannot use any of the words in the middle." 

4.  First person to guess correctly gets 5 points along with the student with the card

"The first person to guess correctly wins 5 points." 

5.  First person to get to 50 points wins!

"The first person to get to 50 points wins!"

6.  This can change depending on how many people are in the group

Wrap-up

Ask the following questions to finish the lab: 

1. How do we feel about the can do statements?
2. Is circumlocution getting easier for you all as you progress in the higher levels of ASL?

3. Do you all feel comfortable "talking around" a word or phrase you don't know?

End of lab:

• Read Can-Do statements once more and have students evaluate their confidence. 
(Use thumbs up/thumbs down or download our student cards.) 
• Encourage students to be honest in their self-evaluation.
• Pay attention, and try to use feedback for future labs!

NCSSFL-ACTFL Can-Do Statements:

  • I can describe a concept without using direct vocabulary. 
  • I can work with a classmate to reach a common goal. 
  • I can make connections with similar vocabulary in order to convey meaning. 

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