Master ASL Vocabulary Unit 5 School and Life Signs

Using the Agent Marker

Classifiers V, 1, and 3

School Subjects

Signing Times

School Related People

FOOTBALL

See how the players on each team (represented by the fingers) line up and crash

into one another?

VICE-PRESIDENT

AREA (location)

CAFETERIA

GYMNASIUM

HALLWAY

Be careful that your hands are up and down,

because when the fingertips face forward,

the sign becomes ROAD.

LIBRARY

OFFICE

STADIUM/AUDITORIUM

Can you see how the hands show the people

sitting on a slope?

STUDENT CENTER

Student Center

TECHNOLOGY CENTER

THEATRE/DRAMA

CLASS

This sign can also be initialized with a “T” for

TEAM, an “F” for FAMILY, or a “G” for GROUP.

LOCKER

to LOOK-FOR/SEARCH

ROOM/BOX

Notice how the hands show the four walls of a room. Office is the

same way but with the “O” handshape.

STORE

COACH/BOSS/DEAN

COUNSELOR

Without the agent marker, this sign is counsel, or

advice.

INTERPRETER

LIBRARIAN

NURSE

PRINCIPAL

PSYCHOLOGIST

SECRETARY

to COOK

Notice how the action is that of flipping food over in a pan.

to MANAGE/CONTROL

This movement represents holding and controlling the

reins of a horse.

to PICK-ON

to SERVE

Add the agent marker and this sign becomes WAITOR.

to WRITE

ACTIVITY CENTER

FRONT

BACK

FIELD (grass + area)

Be careful not to sign FIELD TRIP, as this is not

the correct concept… unless you are taking a trip

to an actual field.

FLAG

To sign HOTEL simply change the handshape to

an “H”.

SNACK MACHINE

See how the cogs of the machine are working together?

SODA MACHINE

FRESHMAN

SOPHOMORE

JUNIOR

SENIOR

WHAT YEAR ARE YOU?

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

To sing KINDERGARTEN simply change the “E” to a “K”. You can see how they

are both under the left hand, representing basic schooling.

MIDDLE SCHOOL

JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL

To sign HIGH SCHOOL, simply fingerspell HS.

UNIVERSITY

COLLEGE is signed with a flat hand instead of a “U” handshape.

to MAJOR IN

To sign MINOR, move the dominate hand to the bottom

instead of the top.

to TAKE (something)As in to take a class

This is also the sign for ADOPT.

to FORGET

This movement represents wiping

something from your forehead.

to REMEMBER

Here we see the sign showing taking something from the head and sticking it to the thumb, as

if to remember it.

to THINK

To sign THINK-ABOUT or WONDER circle the index

finger at the temple with either one or two hands.

ART

When you change the handshape to a “D” you have

the sign for DESIGN.

AUTO BODY

BUSINESS

Notice that BUSINESS is a bigger movement but BUSY is a smaller quicker movement.

SCIENCE

See how the sign looks like you are pouring in liquid for an

experiment?

BIOLOGY

CHEMISTRY

COMPUTER TECH

Alternate Signs for Computer

DRAMA

ECONOMICS

EDUCATION

Notice how this sign is similar to teach? The information is

coming out of the brain and moving forward with the initialized letters “ED”.

ENGINEERING

The sign for MEASURE is very similar. The two “Y” hands touch instead of

one twisting.

ENGLISH

GEOGRAPHY

This is also the sign for EARTH.

GOVERNMENT

Change the handshape to a “P” and you have the sign for

POLITICS.

GYM

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

HEALTH

HISTORY

JOURNALISM

This is also the sign for PUBLICATION and

NEWSPAPER.

MATH

The root sign for MULTIPLY or FIGURE-OUT is made with two “V”

hands. Here we see it initialized with an “M” for MATH.

Other Related Math Subjects Initialized

ALGEBRA

Other Related Math Subjects Initialized

CALCULUS

TRIGONOMETRY

PHOTOGRAPHY

PHYSICS

The sign for BATTERY or ELCETRICITY is made the same way with only the index fingers.

PHYSIOLOGY

SOCIOLOGY

SPEECH

This is also the sign for LECTURE. Change the handshape to an “F” and you have PREACH.

TEACHER’S ASSISTANT

WOODSHOP

YEARBOOK

to be GOOD-AT/SKILLED

to be BAD-AT

GALLAUDET

An A Grade

An F Grade

You can also sign B and C grades on the hand in the same way.

BUS

What is a classifier? A classifier is a handshape

that conveys additional details about a sign’s

meaning. For example: The direction something moves, how a person walks, or where something is located.

The sign for Classifier is CL

When you gloss a classifier you write CL: Example:

Bicycle CL:3 (down a hill)

The Classifier 3 represents any land

vehicle.

You MUST identify with a sign what the classifier represents FIRST and then you may give

additional information about the sign with the appropriate classifier.

Classifier Examples:

The bicycle went up a hill.

BICYCLE CL:3 (go uphill)

The motorcycle did a wheelie.

MOTORCYCLE CL:3 (did wheelie)

The car crashed into a tree.

TREE CAR CL:3 (crash into tree)

The Classifier 1 generally depicts an individual and it’s location, action, and manner. Manipulate the sign to

reflect details such as walking slowly, hunched over, falling down, passing

someone, etc.

Classifier 1 can also indicate cylindrical objects as well, such as poles, logs,

pencils, etc.

MAN CL:1 (walk slowly)

MAN CL:1 (walk quickly)

KIDS CL:V (walk

together)

The classifier V (written upside-down) represents the actions of

an individual's legs or eyes.

Lying on back

Jumping

Swinging feet

Walking

ACCIDENT

MOTORCYCLE

to RIDE-A-HORSE

to DANCE

to LINE-UP

to LOOK-AT

AROUND (time)

HOUR

HALF HOUR

NOON

Here we see the sun at the directly above us.

MIDNIGHT

Now the sun is on the opposite of the earth.

TIME/WHAT TIME IS IT?

ALARM/BELL

to ARRIVE (person)

to ARRIVE (plane)

to DEPART (plane)

TRAIN

to TAKE-OFF (person)As in need to leave in a hurry.

to START/BEGIN

See how the motion looks like starting a car?

to FINISH/to be done

This sign also means to stop doing something. To CUT-IT-

OUT.

to be LATE

to TAKE (literally)

to TAKE (abstract)

to BREAK (literally)

to BREAK (abstract)

This sign also means

INTERMISSION or HALFTIME.

End of Unit 5

YEA!

Don’t you feel smart?