A few years back I got very interested in learning ASL. Fortunately for me, there were classes being offered in our town so I started attending them with Mary. Both of us really enjoyed it and we were doing really well at it. But unfortunately I had an accident and wasn't able to keep attending classes since I was in so much pain.
Since then, I had been searching for ASL classes that I could take but I wasn't able to find anything near where I lived. And that's when I ended up finding Start ASL online classes. At first, I didn't think I would be able to learn a lot from online classes, but after looking over their site, I was really impressed.
Start ASL has three different levels - 1, 2, and 3.Of course I started out on Level 1 because I needed to really refresh my memory. Each level is then broken down into different units. In Level 1, there are 13 units and I am currently on Level 4 with Mary.
Your units will look like this when you log into your account. For Unit 4, you will have vocabulary, conversation, quizzes, reading assignments, etc. Start ASL is very in depth with their learning and you will actually learn about deaf culture as well.
Your vocabulary is all through videos so you can watch the signers actually doing it. You can also slow down the video to a different speed if they go too fast for you too. Almost everything in Start ASL is done in videos since ASL is a visual language.
After learning the vocab for the unit, you'll then have conversation practice which is watching conversations on videos. You'll also have the opportunity to have a conversation with the video and pause it to make the correct reply.
In each unit you also have quizzes in which you will watch a video with someone signing and you will have to answer with multiple choice what they are saying.
Right now Mary and I are using Start ASL for our homeschool language this year and we love it. It's very in depth and we've been able to start having conversations with ourselves from it. It's perfect because we can do it right at home and the lessons are perfect for each day.
Start ASL isn't just for homeschoolers either. It's perfect for anyone who wants to learn ASL. Mary and I currently have the bronze level for Start ASL and that can be paid monthly for $9.95 or you can pay for the entire year for $99.95.
So far, it's the best program I have been able to find that offers ASL classes online. It's in depth and the videos are wonderfully helpful. You can't learn ASL just from reading books because you will have to see the signs and how they are formed. The videos are perfect for this and Start ASL is an amazing program.
CONVERSATION