Emily

Simon

Deaf Culture Curriculum

Version 1
Revised 2/11/15

Overview
Age:
5th Grade
Durration: 6 weeks, one hour per week
Enduring Understandings:
Curriculum
Students will understand Deafness as a culture and be able to perform basic
signs
Dramatic Arts
Students will understand the importance of facial expressions and physicality
in both scenework and movement pieces.
Social/Personal
Students will be able to identify and address discrimination that they
experience or witness.
Students will know that:
Deafness is a culture, not a disability.
They can communicate non-verbally
Facial expression communicates intent
Discrimination happens in many
different ways.
Discrimination can happen between
any differing groups
They can prevent discrimination.

E.M.S. 2/6/15

Studens will be able to:

Identify stereotypes surrounding deaf people
Identify sterotypes they have been subject to
Sign their own name
Communicate non-verbally
Use facial expression to communicate in a scene
Use physical metaphore in a movement piece
Combine scenes and movement pieces to make a
mixed-media theatrical piece.
Identify feelings created from discrimination
Identify solutions and support systems to help with
discrimination

Page 1 of 7

Day 1
Deaf Culture
Introduction Day
For the Board:
Agenda:
Warm up! (new)
Activity
New Unit!
Practice

Objectives:
Complete our activity - silently
. (fill in later)
(later) to learn a few signs

Warm up:

15 min
"Ooh, I feel so good"

Activity:

15 min
Place students in a line across the room. They must SILENTLY arrange
themselves in various orders.
Line ups to complete. Select 2 or 3
Hair length Height
How many pets you have
Alphabetically First name
Alphabetically Last name
In order of Birthdays

New Unit!

15 min
Brief discussion about Activity
Fill in the sentence:
I'm not deaf, I'm _____________
Why do you think this is such an issue?
Big bad word : Disability
What are the real limitations about being deaf? (stereotype)
Link to language gap
We are learning about a Culture, not a disability

Practice

10 min
Learn some signs for next week's in role
What signs do you already know? (circle activity)
Importance of facial expressions!
Yes/No
Toilet
Understand/Do not understand
Stop/go/start
Numbers
Name
Right/Wrong
Who/What/When/Where/Why
Please/Thank You

E.M.S. 2/6/15

Page 2 of 7

Day 2
Deaf Culture
In-role Deaf Class
For the Board:
Agenda:
Warm Up
In role expectations
In role

Objective:
To communicate non-verbally in role

Warm up:

10 min
Ooh I feel so good

Review in role:
No characters- just deaf/mute versions of ourselves.
1) stay in character
2) respect others characters
3) just go with it/don't say no

5 min

In role:

5 min
Add to Adjenda:
Game!
Learn your name

Game:

15 min
Deaf telephone
Students stand in a line all facing the back of the line.
Teacher taps first student on the shoulder and they turn
Teacher signs a simple phrase to the student.
Student turns, taps, and signs to next student etc. etc. down the line

Learn your name:

10 min
Sheets with the sign alphabet on desks
Students go and learn name
Attempt to sign name to teacher, teacher writes wthat they sign on board
If done- learn your last name! middle name? Friend's name?
Debrief:

10 min
What was easy/hard?
What were communication strategies?
Did you figure out any new signs?

E.M.S. 2/6/15

Page 3 of 7

Day 3
Deaf Culture
Stereotype activity
For the Board:
Agenda:
Warm up
Story time!
Brainstorm
Activity time!

Objectives:
To identify stereotypes
To identify solutions

Warm up:

10 min
Ooh I feel so good

Story time:

10 min
Read story and sign along (stop at dance studio)

Brainstorm:
Brainstorm stereotypes that effect deaf people
10 min
Write brainstormed stereotypes outside body shape on butcher paper
Activity:

(use music to set mood)

15 min
Make two lines of students
Each student must have one of the stereotypes in their head
Teacher walks through, as passes each student says stereotype
Give students that want to try a chance to walk through lines.
When students make it through the lines, they will identify an emotion they
feel and write it inside the body image on the butcher paper

Closure:

10 min
Brainstorm things that could help support someone who struggles with this
Write them on index cards
Tape them over the hurtful things on the butcher paper
Did it cover everything? No. Did it make a start? Yes.

If time:
Finish story

E.M.S. 2/6/15

Page 4 of 7

Day 4
Deaf Culture
Scene creation
For the Board:
Agenda
Warm up
Make a scene
Script them!
Presentations

Objective
To create a short scene in a group

Warm up:

10 min
Ooh I feel so good

Review story/Stereotype activity

Scenes:

5 min

5 min explain
Generate groups of 3 or 4
15 min work
Make a scene off of a prompt I will give you that is 20 seconds long
Scenes must:
1. establish the setting
2. introduce the discrimination
3. have a reaction (facial expressions)

Present scenes for class

10 min

Scripts:

10 min
Individually write a script for your scene.

Script prompts:
1) A deaf person is trying to order food at Mcdonalds and signs they need a
piece of paper. The person at the register is annoyed and refuses to help them
without an interpreter
2) A deaf student is reading. Their peers make fun of them by making noises
behind them to see if they will notice.
3) A deaf person signs to ask for the time of day on the street. The people they
ask continually say the time out loud and do not show on their fingers.
4) A deaf person writes down "hello" to start a conversation with a hearing
group at work. They respond by talking loudly and slowly or yelling back.
5) A group of friends in the play yard are talking about movies. A deaf student
is lip reading along. The group assumes that they don't watch movies.
6) A group is waiting for the bus. They call to their deaf friend to say the bus is
coming. When they do not respond, they grab his arm and shake him.
E.M.S. 2/6/15

Page 5 of 7

Day 5
Deaf Culture
Movement Pieces
For the Board:
Adjenda
Warm up
Movement pieces

Objective
Make a movement piece that matches your scene

Warm up:

10 min
Ooh I feel so good.

Review what we did last week: scenes

This week- emotional element

5 min

Movement pieces
15 min example/explain
What is a movement piece?
15 min work
Use of physical metaphor
Do example: Time on a test
Go back to groups: create the pieces that match your scene
MUST use facial expressions!
Present movement pieces

E.M.S. 2/6/15

10 min

Page 6 of 7

Day 6
Deaf Culture
Final pieces
On the Board:
Agenda:
Warm up
Group work
Final presentations
Final activity

Objectives
To combine your scenes with your movement pieces

Warm up:
Ooh I feel so good
Movement piece combo
Combine your scene with your movement piece
Your scene will play as you made it
At the moment when the deaf person has the reaction, the music will come in
after movement piece, have scene play out.
Check in with me for tech
Final performances
How did the movement piece enhance our understanding of the scene?
Debrief
sign: I'm hearing. I respect deaf culture
Tell me one thing that you liked from this unit
Tell me one thing you found challenging

E.M.S. 2/6/15

Page 7 of 7