My topic for SML is learning American Sign Language I chose this topic because I have always wanted to learn a new language, ASL really appealed to me because it was so different, and would be able to open me up to a whole new different group of people, and surpass the language animals.

There are some parts of learning sign language that are more difficult, I am mostly struggling with memorization of all the different signs as well as learning the grammar rules of ASL. I am still in the process of overcoming these challenges as I still have a few misunderstandings about the ASL grammar as it is very different from english and I haven’t been able to memorize all the signs yet. However, I am proud that I have been able to learn so many new words and be able to spend so much time studying and not giving up even if some sections are hard.

In the beginning, I wanted to make i-phone cases however I soon realized that I didn’t have a real passion for making phone cases, plus I already did an SML project that involved arts and crafts. This year, I decided to pick ASL because I have always had a passion for learning languages and sign language has always been very interesting and appealed to me the most. 

I feel more creative when participating in SML because learning sign language is so new and it is something that I would never be able to do on a normal school day. Learning ASL has helped me see how different languages are and how so many people around the world perceive the world. 

In the beginning, I didn’t know anything about ASL, all I knew was that words were expressed using hand motions. Once I started actually studying ASL, I realized that it was very hard to memorize all the motions, and I also realized that the grammar in ASL was completely different. 

I learnt that as a learner, it is much easier for me to use visual aids instead of reading. The structure of SML does help me because SML gives me enough time and has a basic outline to guide me through learning a new language. The teachers and experts have helped a lot and have given me many tips on learning a new language such as using just a piece of paper and folding it into a useful tool to assist learning new vocabulary.