Lesson Goal:

Students will learn how to describe their siblings in ASL, using ranking techniques, contrastive structure, and Wh-questions to express family relationships.

Key Skills:

Using Ranking Techniques: Listing siblings in order from oldest to youngest.
Describing Sibling Relationships: Expressing closeness, distance, and shared experiences.
Asking & Answering Wh-Questions: HOW MANY SIBLINGS? WHO OLDEST?
Using Rhetorical Questions: Asking about similarities and differences (WHO CLOSE TO? DIFFERENT HOW?).

Notions Covered:

Ranking Technique: Using fingers to list siblings in order.
Contrastive Structure: Comparing different sibling relationships.
Shifting Body for Contrast: Differentiating between self and sibling information.
Ordinal Numbers: Expressing sibling order (6th–8th).

Contrastive Structure:

Use contrastive structure to indicate the number of siblings.
Shift body slightly to contrast similarities and differences between self and siblings.

Ranking Technique:

For 1 sibling: Use US-TWO to indicate a direct relationship.
For 2 or more siblings: List siblings on the weak hand, starting with the oldest at the top and moving downward.

Ordinal Numbers:

Use 6th–8th to indicate sibling order when necessary.
Incorporate ranking with fingers to visually represent sibling placement.

Vocabulary:

Vocabulary
Sibling Terms	Descriptive Terms	Ranking Technique	Rhetorical Questions
Brother	Oldest	First Finger	WHO CLOSE TO?
Sister	Youngest	Second Finger	DIFFERENT HOW?
Twin	Middle Child	Third Finger	WHICH?
Only Child	Close Relationship	Fourth Finger	WHAT?
Step-Sibling	Distant Relationship	Fifth Finger	INTERESTING!

Grammar Focus:

Contrastive Structure:
- HAVE BROTHER, HAVE NONE
- SISTER CLOSE, BROTHER FAR
Facial Expressions:
- Lowered eyebrows for Wh-questions
- Raised eyebrows for yes/no questions

Class Wrap-Up Activity:

Students will participate in a family ranking exercise, practicing descriptions of their siblings using ASL classifiers and ranking techniques.

Homework Assignment:

Signing Naturally - Homework 4:5, focusing on describing their siblings and family relationships.