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ASL Feelings & Facial Expression

Fourth graders learn feeling signs in ASL — HAPPY, SAD, MAD, TIRED — and a key idea: in ASL, your facial expression is part of the grammar. Your face must match the feeling you sign.

Grade 4Feelings40 minutes1 class periodACTFL / Visual LanguageExplicit teaching4 StandardsACTFL
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Lesson at a Glance

Everything you need before the bell rings

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to…

  • ✓Sign feelings.
  • ✓Use facial expression.
  • ✓Match face to sign.
  • ✓Share how you feel.
Essential Question

In ASL, your face helps tell the story! How do you show feelings with both your hands and your face?

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Lesson Phases
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Vocabulary Terms
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Standards Aligned
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Interactive Task
Explore · Interactive

Feelings & Faces Check

Project each item and have students answer about feelings and facial expression in ASL.

😊 Understand feelings & facial expressionTry it
Answer each question about feelings and facial expression in ASL.
The Lesson · Visual-Language Flow (Warm-Up · Present · Practice · Sign · Reflect)

40 minutes, five moves

Tap any phase to open the teacher moves and student actions.

1

Warm-Up — Your Face Tells the Story

4 min

In ASL your face helps tell the story — how do you show feelings?

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Make a happy face.
  • Ask why the face matters.
  • Set the goal.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Smile.
  • Wonder.
  • Get ready.
2

Present — Feelings

10 min

Students learn.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Send students to Feelings & Faces Check.
  • Model HAPPY, SAD.
  • Match face to sign.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Answer.
  • Copy.
  • Note it.
3

Practice — Practice

11 min

Students practice.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Sign HAPPY with a smile.
  • Sign SAD with a sad face.
  • Sign along.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Sign it.
  • Sign it.
  • Try.
4

Sign — Sign

10 min

Students sign.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Show a feeling with face + hands.
  • Ask a partner how they feel.
  • Sign to a partner.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Sign it.
  • Ask it.
  • Sign.
5

Reflect — Reflect

5 min

Students close.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Sign a feeling.
  • Match your face.
  • Complete the exit ticket.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Sign one.
  • Match it.
  • Complete the exit ticket.
Standards Alignment

Built to the standards you report on

Aligned to the ACTFL World-Readiness Standards for Learning Languages (Novice).

ACTFL
Communication 1.1

Interpersonal: express feelings.

ACTFL
Communication 1.2

Interpretive: read feeling signs.

ACTFL
Cultures 2.1

Explore ASL grammar (facial expression).

ACTFL
Connections 3.1

Connect to social-emotional learning.

Differentiation

One lesson, every learner

Multilingual Learners

ELL / EMERGING READERS
  • Feeling face cards.
  • Model face + sign.
  • Use a mirror.

Support & Access

IEP / 504
  • Start with HAPPY and SAD.
  • Model one at a time.
  • Copy together.

Stretch & Extend

GIFTED / EARLY FINISHERS
  • Add SURPRISED and SCARED.
  • Ask a partner’s feeling.
  • Keep a feelings log.
Materials

What to gather

  • 📽️Screen / board
  • 😊Feeling face cards
  • 💻Feelings & Faces Check
  • 🪩A mirror (optional)
  • ✏️Pencils
  • 🎫Exit-ticket slips
Vocabulary

Key terms — hover for a quick definition

feelingan emotionHAPPYhands brush up the chest, smileSADhands slide down the faceMADclaw hand up the faceTIREDhands droop at the shouldersfacial expressionpart of ASL grammaremotionhow you feel insidematchyour face matches the sign
Evaluate

Exit Ticket

Preview the three formative checks. Tap “Sample answer” to see what mastery looks like — hide them before you print for students.

QUESTION 1
Why does your facial expression matter in ASL?
It’s part of the grammar — it shows the feeling and tone.
QUESTION 2
How do you sign HAPPY?
Brush your hands up your chest, with a smile.
QUESTION 3
When you sign SAD, how should your face look?
Sad, to match the sign.

Reflect: feelings.

Have students sign HAPPY with a smile and SAD with a sad face. If a feeling is ever hard, it always helps to talk with a trusted adult. A printable ASL feelings sheet is in the World Languages library.

Study · Flashcards

Study the key terms

Tap a card to flip it, then rate whether you knew it. Built from this lesson’s vocabulary.

🃏 ASL Feelings & Facial ExpressionFlip
Card 1
Term
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Meaning
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Practice · Quiz

Check your understanding

A quick self-check with instant feedback, drawn from this lesson’s key terms.

📝 ASL Feelings & Facial ExpressionQuiz
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Question 1
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Practice · Worksheet

Printable worksheet

A print-and-go review sheet with a built-in answer key. Tap “Show answer key” to reveal answers, or print the clean version for students.

🖨️ ASL Feelings & Facial ExpressionPrint
Name: ________________________
Date: ____________

Part A · Write the word that matches each meaning

Word bank: emotion, facial expression, feeling, HAPPY, MAD, match, SAD, TIRED
  1. how you feel inside
  2. hands droop at the shoulders
  3. hands brush up the chest, smile
  4. your face matches the sign
  5. claw hand up the face
  6. an emotion
  7. part of ASL grammar
  8. hands slide down the face

Part B · Show what you learned

  1. Why does your facial expression matter in ASL?
  2. How do you sign HAPPY?
  3. When you sign SAD, how should your face look?
Answer key — Part A: 1) emotion · 2) TIRED · 3) HAPPY · 4) match · 5) MAD · 6) feeling · 7) facial expression · 8) SAD
Part B: 1) It’s part of the grammar — it shows the feeling and tone. 2) Brush your hands up your chest, with a smile. 3) Sad, to match the sign.