The book contains a comprehensive guide and list of over 500 name signs to help people select appropriate name signs according to ASL rules of information and use. The student workbook provides lesson objectives, activity goals and instructions, visual aids and worksheets, content outlines, quizzes, discussion questions, homework assignments, and a sign illustration section. The fifteen videotaped lessons unfold around the daily life of the Bravo family, which comprises two Deaf children, a Deaf father, and a hearing mother. Each lesson teaches conversational vocabulary used in real-life situations such as going to the grocery store, playing sports, and visiting the doctor. The 73-minute video provides language stimuli for many experimental activities described in the instructor's guide and student workbook.
Students see a variety of signing styles by people of different cultures and ages.
The binding of the instructor's guide is not strong enough to support its 900 pages. Teachers may wish to separate the guide into a three-ring binder for ease of classroom use. The video begins with a voice-over introduction, followed by two stories in ASL only, interspersed with illustrations. Renowned Deaf storytellers Ben Baker and Nathie Marbury bring these stories to life. The book provides support for the video and includes a glossary and a list of character signs.