The nature of the learners

Learners at this level are expanding their social networks, experiences and communication repertoire in both their first language and Auslan. They continue to need guidance and participate in structured, collaborative tasks that both recycle and extend language. They are gaining greater independence and becoming more conscious of their peers and social context. They are gaining awareness of the world around them and of nature of the Deaf community in Australia. They notice similarities and differences between Auslan and Deaf culture and their own language(s) and culture(s).

Auslan learning and use

Learners use well-known phrases in Auslan to participate in classroom routines, presentations and structured conversations with the teacher and peers. They focus on aspects of their personal worlds and are introduced to content related to Auslan, the Deaf community and other learning areas. Learners develop their capability in Auslan through scaffolded tasks and texts such as descriptions and stories. They are learning to apply their knowledge of key signs and textual features to predict the meaning of unfamiliar language. They use modelled language to create texts such as narratives. They use Auslan to paraphrase; form questions to request information; interview others; plan, rehearse and deliver short presentations; and to compare interests and activities. They extend their language use by expressing ideas through expanding and connecting clauses.

Contexts of interaction

Learners use Auslan to interact with the teacher and their classmates, and may use technology to communicate with deaf peers in other contexts. Tasks are typically structured, collaborative and at times competitive, such as group performances, class displays or games. Language development and use are incorporated into collaborative and interactive learning experiences and activities. Learners may notice the use of Auslan in the community, such as in the media.

Texts and resources

Learners engage with a growing range of signers and videoed signed texts. They also engage with resources prepared by their teacher, including games, performances, presentations and language exercises. They may have additional access to Auslan and Deaf culture through resources created for the Australian Deaf community, such as children’s television programs, websites or video clips. In addition, they make use of texts from other signed languages that make extensive use of the ‘visual vernacular’.

Features of Auslan use

Learners are expanding their knowledge of vocabulary and sentence construction. With support, they use constructed action to show participants in a narrative, modify indicating verbs for non-present referents with increasing accuracy across a text, and use more complex entity depicting signs. Learners are developing a metalanguage for describing aspects of Auslan and how it is structured, such as how signers use different means to refer to things for cohesion in a text. They are increasingly aware of the connection between language and cultural practices and compare such connections to their own language and culture.

Discussion, reflection and explanation ensure the continued development of learners’ knowledge base and metalinguistic and intercultural capabilities. Understanding of the relationship between language, culture and identity is developed through guided investigation of how language features and expressions carry specific cultural meaning; through critical analysis of cultural stereotypes, attitudes and perspectives; and through exploration of issues related to personal and community identities. Students reflect on the relationship between language, culture and identity and how these affect communication and intercultural experience through the lens of their own bicultural experiences.

Level of support

Support provided by the teacher at this level includes explicit instruction, description, and comparison of Auslan and English; modelled language use and examples of texts; and feedback on and review of student work. Learning experiences incorporate implicit and explicit form-focused language learning activities and examples of texts and tasks. Learners need practice and guidance in using dictionaries, especially Signbank, and access to word charts, vocabulary lists and examples when translating and creating texts.

The role of English

Auslan is used for classroom routines and language learning tasks and may be used as the language of instruction for learning the content of other learning areas. The language of response varies according to task demands, with Auslan used primarily for communicating in structured and supported tasks and English for open-ended, comparative tasks that develop learners’ understanding of language and culture. English may also be used to research cultural issues where the source text is not available in Auslan.