Years 7-8 Syllabus
Years 7-8 Band Level Description
In Years 7 and 8, students are beginning their learning of Auslan. This will be influenced by the extent of students’ backgrounds and prior experiences of language learning. Students use Auslan to describe their personal worlds and interact and collaborate with teachers and peers within and beyond the classroom. Signing and viewing activities are supported by modelling, scaffolding and feedback. First-language and second-language learners may work collaboratively to facilitate learning.
Students access authentic and purpose-developed signed, visual and multimodal resources which may include advertisements, blogs, conversations, textbooks and video clips. First-language learners may source texts and other resources from the Deaf community to share with peers. Students use their Auslan and/or English literacy knowledge of metalanguage in a range of contexts to reflect on similarities and differences between Auslan and English language structures and features. They understand differences between using signs in Auslan and in using the Roman alphabet in English. They recognise that language choices reflect cultural identity, beliefs and values.
Years 7-8 Achievement Standard
By the end of Year 8, students use Auslan language to interact and collaborate with others, and to share information and plan activities in familiar contexts. They respond to others’ contributions in exchanges using familiar gestures, questions and instructions. They locate and respond to information in texts and use non-verbal, signed, visual and contextual cues to help make meaning. They respond in Auslan or English, and demonstrate understanding of context, purpose and audience in texts. They use familiar language, modelled grammatical structures, and familiar signs including fingerspelling (FS), lexical signs, depicting signs (DSs), non-manual features (NMFs) and signing space, to create texts.
Students use the parameters of signs and demonstrate understanding that Auslan has conventions and rules for signed communication. They comment on aspects of Auslan and English language structures and features, using metalanguage. They demonstrate awareness that Auslan is connected with culture and identity, and that this is reflected in their own language(s), culture(s) and identity.
Content Descriptions
Interacting in Auslan
interact with others using modelled language to exchange information in familiar contexts about self and personal worlds
- using fingerspelling for their name and the names of others, and sign names where appropriate, and patterning for commonly fingerspelled short words
exchanging greetings, thanks and apologies, adjusting language to suit context, for example, HELLO, GOODBYE, HOW-ARE-YOU? PLEASED-MEET, SEE-LATER, GOOD-LUCK, THANKS, SORRY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CONGRATULATIONS, DEAF, HEARING? MY NAME …, WHERE-FROM?
sharing information about themselves, family, friends and peers, for example,
PRO3 HAVE DOG(ONE) CATS(TWO)
He has a dog and 2 cats.
THAT BABY POSS2 SISTER?
Is that baby your sister?
PRO1 LIVE WITH WHO? POSS1 AUNT
I live with my aunt.
WHO PRO3? POSS1 FRIEND FS:MARY
Who is she? That’s my friend, Mary.
asking and responding to closed questions to interact with others and using appropriate NMFs such as lowered eyebrows/head tilt, for example, PRO2 WHO, WHEN, WHERE, WHAT, HOW-OLD, HOW-MANY
using backchannelling such as nodding and signs when interacting with NMFs, for example,
KNOW NMF:HEAD-NOD
I know.
UNDERSTAND
I understand.
KNOW-NOT DS:HEAD-SHAKE
I don’t know.
expressing feelings using lexical signs and affective NMFs, for example,
PRO1 FRUSTRATED
I’m frustrated.
PRO3 EXCITED
She’s excited.
asking for repetition, help, clarification or permission, for example,
PLEASE SLOW SIGN?
Could you sign that slowly please?
PLEASE REPEAT
Please repeat.
PLEASE PT+c HELP?
Can you help me, please?
G:HANDS-UP PLEASE PRO1 NEED TOILET
Can I go to the toilet please?
THANK-YOU PT+C HELP
Thank you for helping me.
asking and responding to questions about familiar topics such as shared school experiences, for example,
PRO2 LIKE AUSLAN?
Do you like Auslan?
SUBJECT PRO2 STUDY WHAT?
And you, what subjects do you study?
SCHOOL, PRO2 LIKE?
Do you like school?
using DSs and lexical signs to represent people, animals, transport and objects, showing locations and movement when interacting
POSS1 SISTER TALL DS:LONG-WAVY-HAIR
My sister is tall and has long wavy hair.
MY HOUSE PT+lf FRIEND HOUSE PT+rt
My house is over there and my friend’s house is over there.
expressing likes, dislikes, preferences, agreement and disagreement, using negation and associated NMFs, for example,
PRO1 LIKE WATERMELON. LIKE-NOT ORANGE
I like watermelon; I don’t like oranges.
MATH OR ENGLISH? RATHER MATH PT+c
I prefer maths to English.
PRO2 LIKE RUGBY? PRO1 DISAGREE. SOCCER BETTER
You like rugby? I think soccer is much better!
discussing plans using time markers such as TODAY, YESTERDAY, TOMORROW, NEXT-WEEK, LAST-WEEK, NUMBER OF WEEKS, WEEKEND
REGULAR SUMMER PRO1(PL) GROUP MOVE BEACH STAY WEEK(THREE)
We go to the beach for 3 weeks in summer.
sharing information about routines, interests and leisure activities
WEEKEND PRO1 GO-TO DS:FAST-REPEAT CAMP
I go camping on weekends.
exchanging information about celebrations and special events
TOMORROW, AUSLAN DAY. PRO2 FS:DO WHAT?
What are you doing for Auslan Day tomorrow?
HAPPY BIRTHDAY YESTERDAY! YOU HOW-OLD?
Happy birthday for yesterday! How old are you?
giving, accepting or declining invitations, such as
SORRY PRO1 CANT DS:GO WHY? PRO1 HAVE BASKETBALL TRAINING
Sorry, I can’t go because I have basketball training.
- following appropriate classroom protocols when interacting in Auslan, for example, tapping, pointing and waving for attention, maintaining eye gaze
engage in modelled signed and visual exchanges with peers to organise activities related to daily life and school environment
giving and following instructions for class routines, for example,
WE PLAY GAME. PLEASE STAND UP
We’re going to play a game; please stand up.
PT+C LOOK-AT PRO1
Eyes to the front.
PLEASE WITH TWO
Please find a partner.
DS:TAP-ON-SHOULDER
Get attention of person next to you.
giving and following directions or instructions in sequential order, using ordinal numbers and list buoys, for example,
BUOY:(1)PAPER LBUOY:(2)DRAW-CIRCLE LBUOY:(3)COLOUR
Firstly, get some paper. Secondly, draw a circle. Then colour it in.
negotiating turn-taking in activities and discussions, for example,
POSS1 TURN FIRST POSS2-TURN
It’s my turn first, then your turn.
discussing roles and responsibilities that involve organising, negotiating and prioritising tasks, such as devising an activity or game for the class, for example,
DEAF HISTORY PROJECT AGREE, MAKE LBUOY(1):PRESENTATION LBUOY(2):GAME
For the Deaf history project, I agree, we will make a presentation, then a game.
PRO2 TYPE PRO1 WRITE
You type and I’ll write.
- participating in games, activities or role-plays such as enacting scenarios involving being lost and asking for or giving directions, or playing Sign circle to practise new vocabulary or passing on a sign shape
- exchanging information about daily activities and individual schedules to determine agreed date/time for an event
- reviewing peer work in pairs, providing feedback and encouragement or praise on aspects and features of the signed text
- considering adaptations to Auslan use when communicating in different physical environments such as across a large yard, or when one or both hands are occupied, for example, variations in vocabulary, size of signing space, clarity of signs, use of fingerspelling and NMFs
- managing visual noise such as background, glare from windows, filming and online protocols regarding signing space on camera
Mediating meaning in and between languages
locate and process information and ideas in familiar signed, visual and multimodal texts, responding in ways appropriate to cultural context, purpose and audience
- interviewing peers about their experiences of and opinions about secondary school compared with primary school, and working collaboratively to represent findings in a multimodal presentation
- gathering information from signed texts or their peers about interests, hobbies, sports, holiday plans, food preferences, home or school routines, and summarising findings in formats such as tables, pie charts, dot points or graphs
- collecting and sequencing information from signed texts about people, schedules or events, and using the information in new ways, for example, creating a timeline, timetable or diary entry
- reading or viewing First Nations Australian authors’ stories in Auslan or English and responding to them in Auslan
- viewing and following procedural signed texts such as ‘how to’ craft activities, or following signed directions, for example, to label a school map with key locations or to create a route at the zoo to see specific animals
- observing informative signed texts such as weather reports or simple announcements about events and celebrations, identifying key points of information to inform others
- investigating how Auslan and Deaf culture are promoted in the wider community by Deaf Australia, individuals or through events such as the National Week of Deaf People (NWDP), Auslan Day, Australian Deaf Games, or Deaf art exhibitions
- watching a range of skits such as Rob Roy’s sports story and then collaboratively representing the story or characters using constructed actions (Cas), DSs and NMFs
- viewing and responding to visual texts such as handshape art, and art produced by and about Deaf people, Deaf culture or signed languages, such as Gonketa
- viewing Auslan stories, poems and performances and responding to ideas, characters and events, for example, accessing the online work of Australian Deaf artists and storytellers, or inviting Deaf artists to visit the class, in person or virtually
- accessing different versions of imaginative signed texts, for example, viewing versions of ‘The timber joke’ and ‘Deaf jokes’, and indicating which they prefer and why
- responding to signed poems and VV descriptions of a character’s appearance or events, for example, shadowing a sample of the VV work of well-known Deaf poets and artists
- viewing and comparing representations of deaf people in different media forms, for example, reality television shows with deaf contestants or movies with deaf characters
develop and begin to apply strategies to interpret, translate and convey meaning in Auslan in familiar contexts
- noticing how signs can convey rich, multilayered meaning which might not have a direct match in English, for example, in stories or fairytales
- noticing that simple phrases in English can be signed in several different ways
demonstrating the use of online sign dictionaries, for example by reviewing the various meanings of the word ‘run’, and comparing the signed concepts
- using online dictionaries to assist with short translations of Auslan into English, and vice versa
- shadowing a simple story in Auslan and retelling it as a pre-interpreting skill to a different audience, noticing which phrases and concepts create more challenge than others
- translating simple filmed texts from Auslan to English, and adding captions
- translating short, simple written or spoken texts into Auslan, for example, instructions for a game or a procedure such as recipes
- recording and translating into English some simple Auslan ‘identity stories’ filmed by members of the Deaf community
Creating text in Auslan
create signed, visual and multimodal informative and imaginative texts using modelled fingerspelling (FS), lexical signs, depicting signs (DSs), non-manual features (NMFs) and signing space
- recounting events from the weekend or a special occasion, demonstrating sequencing
- designing a multimodal presentation to explain home or school routines, or the events at a school camp or sports day
- sharing information from their home or local community using visual infographics or diagrams, for example, family traditions or cultural events
- creating an advertisement in Auslan to promote travel to a significant cultural First Nations Country/Place location, including what to see and do
- creating and comparing individual biographies, including elements such as family origins, traditions, beliefs and experiences, and considering how these influence their sense of identity
- re-enacting short stories or wordless animations that include 2 characters and their interactions, through the use of CAs and depiction
- creating a signed skit to tell a story, using a variety of NMFs, and without lexical signs
- describing items of school equipment such as those used in woodwork, science or sports, and giving simple signed explanations of how they work
creating short sequences of signs using a fixed handshape, such as the index finger ‘point’, for example,
PRO1 SEE PT+f SNAKE! DS:TRAVEL-ON-GROUND DS:WIND-UP-TOP-TREE
I saw a snake on the ground over there. The snake then slithered across and up to the top of the tree.
- creating a signed music video clip or poem in Auslan based on a source text
- developing digital glossaries of new sign vocabulary, which can be used to share their personal learning with family members or as a resource
Understanding systems of language
recognise and use modelled combinations of handshape, orientation, location, movement (HOLM) and non-manual features (NMFs) to form signs and phrases and demonstrate understanding of how these are represented in familiar contexts
- noticing that in signed languages meaning may be expressed through either whole signs or through fingerspelling, with NMFs
- noticing the variation in ‘handedness’ between signers in relation to both signs and fingerspelling: right handers using their right hand as their dominant (main) hand; left handers doing the opposite
understanding that NMFs are a significant Auslan element, paralleling vocal inflection in spoken language, and can show emotional states such as a happy expression, or grammatical information, for example, a frown to mark a negative in LIKE and DISLIKE
recognising and using signs with a change in handshape, for example, FIND or BEST, or a change in orientation, for example, CAN-NOT or HOW
observing a signs handshape and its orientation, for example, COCKATOO handshape:five, palm left, and SOCCER handshape:fist
- identifying signs that can represent a whole object or part of an object, for example, body versus legs
noticing iconic signs that provide visual images of referents such as DRINK, ELEPHANT
noticing the 5 major locations of signs on the body (body anchored signs) or in space (non-body anchored), and identifying signs associated with each, such as SEE (head/face), SAY (mouth/chin), WHY (chest), PAST (non-body anchored, head signing space), HAVE, STOP and ONE (non-body anchored, chest signing space)
noticing the path movement of a particular sign and identifying signs associated with the major types of primary and secondary path movements, for example, THROUGH (forwards) or FULL (down to up) – both primary movements; or WHEN (wiggle on cheek) or DINNER (tap on chin) – both secondary movements
noticing that in a stretch of connected signing, a sign will often be produced differently from the way it is shown in a dictionary in terms of citation and non-citation form, for example, KNOW signed at the temple location, but in conversation this sign is often dropped into a lower signing space such as cheek, or even lower
identifying which hand is dominant and which is non-dominant in 2-handed signs, and how such signs may move, for example, double-handed signs with same handshape move in the same way such as BOOK or DIFFERENT, while 2-handed signs have one stationary hand and only the dominant hand moves such as CULTURE or IMPORTANT
noticing signs can have different levels of visual motivation or iconicity, for example, those that are fully transparent (SLEEP), translucent (MILK) or arbitrary (PEOPLE), and that iconicity is often overestimated in sign languages
- experimenting with different methods of capturing signed languages such as a dot-point script, hand-drawn pictures, videos and written gloss, and planning Auslan texts
- shadowing a filmed Auslan story about an event in daily life, and copying signs and NMFs precisely from a signed text
develop knowledge, and use structures and features of, the Auslan grammatical system to understand and create signed, visual and multimodal texts
developing awareness of the range of signing space in normal signed interactions, from just above head to waist and extending to sides, noting exceptions, such as DOG location on thigh
- using a digital resource to assist in understanding that handshape and movement represent different things in each type of DS, for example, entity DSs, handling DSs and SASS DSs
- identifying concepts that can be represented in a DS by a particular handshape, for example, a distant person, pole or tree can be represented by a point handshape, a car by a flat handshape, and a cylinder such as a water bottle can be traced by a cup handshape
understanding that, typically, signers use DSs to show spatial relationships/prepositions, not separate signs such as ON or UNDER when interacting
- recognising that a noun group can include elements such as adjectives or numbers and that proper nouns can be shown through fingerspelling or sign names if appropriate
using different nouns in clauses, including those that are shown with a pointing sign, such as GIRL READ versus PRO3 READ, or VISIT FRIEND versus VISIT PRO3
using adjectives to describe nouns in different ways such as how they look (BIG or RED), feel (SOFT or HOT), smell (SMELLY) or sound (LOUD)
- using different pointing signs, such as pronouns, determiners, locatives in texts
practising indicating verbs used between referents, for example,
PRO1 HELP PRO3
I helped her
PRO3 PT+c ASK CA:SHOCKED!
She asked me and I was shocked!
developing examples of signs that tell when, where or how a verb happens, such as
FORWARD WEEK(TWO) PRO1 HOLIDAY
I am going on holiday in 2 weeks.
WANT LUNCH NOW. PLEASE
I would like lunch now please.
PRO1(PL) RUN FAR
We have run a long way.
COME HERE PLEASE
Come here please.
PRO2 QUICK FINISH
You finished quickly.
identifying verb signs SIT, EAT, FEEL, WONDER, HAVE and understanding that they are central to a clause, noticing there is no verb ‘to be’ in Auslan
exploring different types of verbs in a text, for example, doing (WALK, WRITE), saying (TELL, CALL (YELL), ANNOUNCE), sensing (SEE, THINK) or possessing
noticing that adverbial signs modify the meaning of verbs, such as DRIVE CAREFUL, and that these can also be communicated effectively through NMFs, for example, DRIVE NMF:CAREFULLY
understanding that single-digit numbers can be merged into other signs (numeral incorporation), such as those for ages, for example, AGE-YEARS(FIVE), or adverbs of time, for example, WEEK-AGO(THREE)
- recognising that there is flexibility in sign order, for example, parts of a sentence can be signed simultaneously, but generally a time-topic-comment structure is followed
- distinguishing between yes/no questions and wh- questions and statements, and their corresponding NMFs
compare Auslan language structures and features with English, using familiar metalanguage
- identifying aspects of Auslan which are the same in English, such as the fingerspelled alphabet
noticing different ways that English words are borrowed into Auslan, such as the use of fully fingerspelled words, FS:EGG, fingerspelling the first letter of English words such as F for father, abbreviations such as state names FS:NSW, TAS, organisation names such as FS:WAAD, and lexicalised fingerspelling such as HOW
- discussing how signers can compare or contrast ideas by locating things in the same or opposing sides of signing space
- comparing features of metalanguage in Auslan and English, for example, identifying adjectives shown through either lexical signs or DSs in Auslan and comparing these with similar adjectives expressed in English
- understanding how noun signs can be modified to show pluralisation, for example, one house versus 3 houses in a row
understanding that adverbs in Auslan are shown through DSs and NMFs, compared with the way English adverbs are formed, such as very, quickly
PRO1 BIKE FAST NMF: INTENSITY
I was riding my bike very fast.
- understanding that frequency or duration in English is expressed by adding words like ‘a lot’, whereas in Auslan it is shown through repetition or how a sign is modified
using time markers such as FINISH to show past tense in Auslan compared with using, for example, ‘ed’ in English
understanding that some Auslan signs can translate multiple English words as an equivalent, for example, GO-TO (one sign) versus go to (2 words)
- comparing Auslan and English pronouns, in particular noticing that Auslan pronouns do not show gender, but can show location and a specific number of referents
- comparing a short text in Auslan with an equivalent English text, for example, a short film clip in Auslan and a paragraph in English written on the same topic, noticing similarities and differences in structure and language features, including time markers, use of space, CAs, DSs, and topicalisation and other features
- identifying examples of signers pointing to an established location to refer to a non-present referent, for example, by viewing a short Auslan story that sets up different characters in space to each side of signer, then responding to questions about what each character did in the story, comparing with English representation of characters
- identifying how signers use space to make clear how a character enacts a verb through a text, for example, by pointing back to an established location to refer to a noun referent, using CAs, DSs and space to make a story interesting and to support understanding
- researching and identifying the origins of Auslan, and reflecting on possible influences today, for example, expressions related to social media or expressions that have come from other sign languages such as BSL and ASL
Understanding the interrelationship of language, culture and identity
recognise how identity is shaped by language(s), culture(s), attitudes, beliefs and values
- identifying ways in which deaf people design and adapt spaces to create ‘Deaf space’ to maximise visual access to information, for example, using open-plan, well-lit areas, minimising glare/reflection, and having suitable placement of the interpreter
- recognising that Auslan users come from a range of places and backgrounds, and may be multilingual in both signed, spoken and written languages, and may have variation in language patterns and usage depending on educational experiences, family background and socio-economic status
- surveying Deaf people about their experiences and perspectives on the significance of Deaf places that contribute to a shared sense of identity, for example, the Deaf Club, Deaf schools or sites of historic significance such as the original Deaf Society/Mission buildings, and presenting findings in a multimodal presentation
- reflecting on how First Nations Australians’ languages have strong connections to Country/Place and how these can be compared with language variation and sense of place and space in the Deaf community
- identifying examples of deaf people’s visual orientation towards the world, such as using visual applause or being astute in reading body language
- developing and annotating a timeline of key events, developments and reforms in the history of Auslan, and the impact of these on members of the Deaf community
- investigating the use of digital technology by Auslan users, for example, social media, texting, video calling and online platforms, National Relay Service (NRS), Video Remote Interpreting (VRI), Video Relay Service (VRS), and discussing how these modes of communication impact on issues such as accessibility and communication between members of the Deaf community and the community at large
- reflecting on their expectations of learning Auslan and presenting their reflections in a printed or digital class journal
- viewing face-to-face or online interactions in Auslan between peers, and interpreting culturally-determined manners or behaviours
- identifying the importance of signing space and proxemics in Auslan, particularly in relation to a person passing between 2 signers, or to the positioning of communication partners