Home›Lesson Plans›World Languages›American Sign Language · Grade 9

ASL Sentence Order — Time-Topic-Comment

Ninth graders learn a common ASL sentence structure — Time-Topic-Comment. You set the time first, then the topic, then comment on it. “Tomorrow, movie, I watch” means “I’ll watch a movie tomorrow.”

Grade 9Sentence Order55 minutes1 class periodACTFL / Visual LanguageExplicit teaching4 StandardsACTFL
Start the Lesson
Lesson at a Glance

Everything you need before the bell rings

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to…

  • ✓Explain Time-Topic-Comment.
  • ✓Order a sentence.
  • ✓Compare to English.
  • ✓Sign clearly.
Essential Question

ASL word order is different from English! A common pattern is Time-Topic-Comment. Can you build a sentence in order?

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Lesson Phases
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Vocabulary Terms
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Standards Aligned
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Interactive Task
Put in Order · Interactive

Order the Sentence

Project this and have students build the ASL sentence in Time-Topic-Comment order.

📝 Build the sentence in order — Time, Topic, Comment!Try it
Tap the TIME first!
The Lesson · Visual-Language Flow (Warm-Up · Present · Practice · Sign · Reflect)

55 minutes, five moves

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

1

Warm-Up — Different Word Order

6 min

ASL often orders Time-Topic-Comment — can you build a sentence?

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Show “Tomorrow, movie, I watch.”
  • Ask how it’s ordered.
  • Set the goal.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Look.
  • Wonder.
  • Get ready.
2

Present — Sentence Order

13 min

Students learn.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Present Time-Topic-Comment.
  • Note time comes first.
  • Have students copy.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Listen.
  • Note it.
  • Copy.
3

Practice — Order It

15 min

Students practice.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Send students to Order the Sentence.
  • Build it in order.
  • Sign along.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Order.
  • Sign.
  • Explain.
4

Sign — Sign

15 min

Students sign.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Sign a Time-Topic-Comment sentence.
  • Compare to English.
  • Sign to a partner.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Sign it.
  • Compare.
  • Sign.
5

Reflect — Reflect

6 min

Students close.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Say the order.
  • Give an example.
  • Complete the exit ticket.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Say it.
  • Give one.
  • Complete the exit ticket.
Standards Alignment

Built to the standards you report on

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

ACTFL
Comparisons 4.1

Compare word order.

ACTFL
Communication 1.3

Presentational: form sentences.

ACTFL
Connections 3.1

Connect to grammar.

ACTFL
Communication 1.2

Interpretive: read ASL sentences.

Differentiation

One lesson, every learner

Multilingual Learners

ELL / EMERGING READERS
  • Sentence-part cards.
  • Model each part.
  • Use a mirror.

Support & Access

IEP / 504
  • Start with Time and Topic.
  • Order two at a time.
  • Copy together.

Stretch & Extend

GIFTED / EARLY FINISHERS
  • Build three sentences.
  • Add a WH-question.
  • Compare to English order.
Materials

What to gather

  • 📽️Screen / board
  • 📝Sentence-part cards
  • 💻Order the Sentence
  • 🪩A mirror (optional)
  • ✏️Notebooks
  • 🎫Exit-ticket slips
Vocabulary

Key terms — hover for a quick definition

word orderthe order of signsTIMEcomes first in the sentenceTOPICcomes second (what you talk about)COMMENTthe rest (what about it)time-topic-commenta common ASL ordersentencea complete thoughtstructurehow a sentence is builtgrammarthe rules of the language
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
What common order does ASL often use?
Time-Topic-Comment.
QUESTION 2
In “Tomorrow, movie, I watch,” what comes first?
The time — TOMORROW.
QUESTION 3
How is this different from English?
English usually puts the subject first (“I will watch…”); ASL sets the time first.

Reflect: sentence order.

Have students build one Time-Topic-Comment sentence in ASL (like “Tomorrow, movie, I watch”). A printable ASL word-order 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 Sentence Order (Time-Topic-Comment)Flip
Card 1
Term
Tap to flip →
Meaning
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Nice work!

Practice · Quiz

Check your understanding

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

📝 ASL Sentence Order (Time-Topic-Comment)Quiz
Score: 0
1 / 6
Question 1
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Nice work!

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 Sentence Order (Time-Topic-Comment)Print
Name: ________________________
Date: ____________

Part A · Write the word that matches each meaning

Word bank: COMMENT, grammar, sentence, structure, TIME, time-topic-comment, TOPIC, word order
  1. the order of signs
  2. comes second (what you talk about)
  3. the rest (what about it)
  4. a common ASL order
  5. a complete thought
  6. how a sentence is built
  7. comes first in the sentence
  8. the rules of the language

Part B · Show what you learned

  1. What common order does ASL often use?
  2. In “Tomorrow, movie, I watch,” what comes first?
  3. How is this different from English?
Answer key — Part A: 1) word order · 2) TOPIC · 3) COMMENT · 4) time-topic-comment · 5) sentence · 6) structure · 7) TIME · 8) grammar
Part B: 1) Time-Topic-Comment. 2) The time — TOMORROW. 3) English usually puts the subject first (“I will watch…”); ASL sets the time first.