Years 1-2 Auslan Syllabus
Years 1-2 Syllabus
Years 1-2 Band Level Description
In Years 1 and 2, Auslan learning builds on each student’s prior learning and experiences with language. Students continue to communicate and work in collaboration with teachers and peers through purposeful and structured activities involving signing and viewing. They interact in Auslan to share information about themselves and their immediate environments, using play-based and action-related learning. They may also interact in Auslan within their family and the Deaf community. In informal settings, students use local and digital resources to explore and interact with Auslan and signing communities in diverse locations. They continue to receive extensive support through modelling, scaffolding, repetition and reinforcement.
Students recognise key words and phrases, imitate language gestures, and use modelled language to communicate with others. They bring prior knowledge of signed language and gestures to the classroom. They create simple informative and imaginative texts that may include pictorial representations, words and short statements. They collaborate and respond to visual and multimodal texts that may include conversations, picture and story books, animated captioned cartoons, films and performances. They notice that languages contain words which have been borrowed from another language, and that there are similarities and differences between languages and cultures.
Years 1-2 Achievement Standard
By the end of Year 2, students use Auslan to interact and share information related to the classroom and themselves. They use cues to respond to questions and instructions. They locate and convey key items of information in texts using non-verbal, visual and contextual cues to help make meaning. They use familiar signs including fingerspelling (FS), lexical signs, depicting signs (DSs), non-manual features (NMFs) and signing space, to create texts.
Students recognise and use the parameters of signs. They demonstrate understanding that Auslan has conventions and rules for signs and features of language. They give examples of similarities and differences between some features of Auslan and English. They understand that language is connected with culture and identity, and notice how this is reflected in their own language(s), culture(s) and identity.
Content Descriptions
Interacting in Auslan
exchange greetings and personal introductions and respond to classroom-related instructions and routines
using everyday greetings and social exchanges to interact with others, such as greetings according to relationship, context and time of day, thanking, apologising, expressing wishes or congratulations, for example,
THANK-YOU HELP PT+c
Thank you for helping me.
GOOD-LUCK TOMORROW
Good luck tomorrow.
SORRY. FS:ACC
Sorry. That was an accident.
comparing likes, dislikes, pastimes and preferences, for example,
PRO1 LIKE APPLE PRO2 LIKE ORANGE
I like apples and you like oranges.
WHO PLAY [insert SPORT or MUSICAL INSTRUMENT]?
Who plays [insert sport or musical instrument]?
asking and answering questions about families, friends, pets or routines, for example,
PRO2 ARRIVE SCHOOL HOW? CAR TAXI WALK BUS?
How do you get to school? By car, taxi, walking or bus?
POSS2 PET NAME WHAT?
What is your pet’s name?
POSS2 MUM WORK WHERE?
Where does your mum work?
POSS2 FAVOURITE SPORT WHAT?
What’s your favourite sport?
POSS1 BIRTHDAY WHEN FS:DEC
My birthday is in December.
POSS2 FAVOURITE ANIMAL WHAT?
What’s your favourite animal?
WHO LIKE [insert COLOUR]?
Who likes [colour]?
exploring different ways of expressing emotion using NMFs and lexical signs, for example,
PRO1 FEEL SAD. WHY? TUMMY HURT
I feel sad because my tummy hurts.
contributing to sharing ‘morning news’ about personal experiences or recent events and associated emotions, using specific time markers such as TODAY, TOMORROW and WEEKEND
YESTERDAY PRO1 SAD
Yesterday, I felt sad.
TODAY PRO1 HAPPY
Today I feel happy.
WEEKEND PRO1 WATCH FOOTBALL. GAME GOOD!
I watched football on the weekend. It was a good game!
sharing opinions and descriptions using DSs and evaluative language and superlatives, as well as describing relationships with others, for example,
FS:SAM BEST FRIEND, PRO3 DS:SPEED NMF:EYEBROWS RAISED, EYES NARROWED, LIPS TURNED UPWARDS
Sam is my best friend, he runs fast.
PRO3 HAVE BROWN DS:LONG-HAIR BROWN DS:POINT-TO-EYES
She has brown wavy hair, and brown eyes.
DAD LOVE FOOTBALL. PRO3 HAVE GOOD BALL SKILL.
Dad loves football. He has good ball skills.
POSS1 DOG BIG FLUFFY BROWN
My dog is big and has brown, fluffy fur.
- following communication protocols and Deaf etiquette to effectively interact and be visible such as turn-taking strategies and NMFs to express agreement or disagreement while socialising with peers
role-playing being the teacher, providing and following instructions using plain or modified indicating verbs, for example,
PRO2 FIRST, SECOND, THIRD, PRO2 NEXT
You go first, second, third and you’re next.
PT+f HERE SIT BOOK READ, FINISH PUT PT+rt
Over here we sit and read books, and when we’re finished, we put them away.
PENCIL PRO1 GIVE
I’ll give out the pencils.
ACTIVITY FINISH PACK-UP PLEASE
Activity is finished now. Please pack up.
following directions in activities such as an obstacle course or action game, using directional terms or DSs, for example,
DS:TURN-LEFT DEAD-END DS:TURN-RIGHT
Go left, then at the end turn right.
PLEASE BRING WATER PT+f FRIDGE
Please bring the water from the fridge.
asking for help or permission, for example,
PLEASE PT+c HELP?
Can you help me, please?
PRO1(PL) CAN SHARE?
Can we share these?
AGAIN PLEASE?
Can you please sign it again?
SLOW PLEASE?
Can you sign it slowly please?
participate in a range of play-based activities, using modelled expressions and visual cues
participating in group games that require recalling information, such as going around a circle and adding to a lengthening sequence of events, for example,
YESTERDAY ZOO, PRO1 SAW GIRAFFE
Yesterday at the zoo, I saw a giraffe.
YESTERDAY ZOO, PRO1 SAW GIRAFFE, KOALA ...
Yesterday at the zoo, I saw a giraffe and a koala ...
- taking turns in games or activities that involve information exchange such as Twenty questions with yes/no answers, or Guess who?, for example, using and responding to directional terms or DSs to complete an obstacle course or action game
- leading class activities, for example, a ‘Follow the leader game providing movements for others to copy
collaborating in activities that involve making decisions about choices or contributions such as playing a game of Good choice or bad choice?, for example,
STEALING MONEY; GOOD OR BAD CHOICE?
Is stealing money a good choice or a bad choice?
PUSH FRIEND; GOOD OR BAD CHOICE?
Is pushing a friend a good choice or a bad choice?
HELPING WASH DISHES; GOOD OR BAD CHOICE?
Is helping to wash the dishes a good choice or a bad choice?
participating in role-plays that involve scenarios such as ordering a meal, buying food or other items, transacting payment or giving feedback
PRO1 WANT ICE-CREAM. PRO1 NEED PAY $5.00 LADY
I want ice cream. I need to pay the lady $5.00.
CHOCOLATE ICE-CREAM DELICIOUS
Chocolate ice cream is delicious.
interacting with a signing puppet or doll in an imaginary setting, for example, by signing questions such as
PRO2 LIKE FS: DO WHAT?
What do you like to do?
WHY?
Why?
- participating in Auslan games that use simple clauses in creative ways, for example, playing the improvisation game ‘Space jump’
playing whole class games such as TIME WHAT WOLF?, using o’clock times
Mediating meaning in and between languages
locate, with support, key information in familiar texts, and respond using gestures, images, words and modelled phrases
- completing information gap activities by gathering information from peers about topics such as family members, favourite foods, toys or games
- identifying and categorising objects that relate to properties such as colour, number, size or shape and responding by describing objects using DSs
- watching short Auslan texts about topics such as hobbies, animals or sports, and recording key points of information using tables or graphic organisers
- recognising that gestures and body language are integral to communicating in language for First Nations Australians, and showing examples of how they are also reflected in Auslan
- reporting key points obtained from predominantly visual infographics or diagrams related to different learning areas, for example, using space and spatial awareness to depict and describe the life cycle of a butterfly
working with information to create a class video, such as categorising signs in simple Auslan texts according to handshape, for example, a flat handshape equals SCHOOL, BOOK, MUM
- following a procedural signed text to collect information needed to complete a task, such as how to build an object with building blocks or how to make a sandwich
- viewing short Auslan stories and responding by identifying and comparing favourite elements, characters and events, for example, watching The very cranky bear and describing the bear using constructed actions (CAs), DSs and NMFs
- responding to performances of VV and Deaf poetry that evoke emotions such as sadness, fear or excitement, and indicating enjoyment or personal feelings
responding to forms of Deaf art such as handshape creations, for example, reproducing key elements in own artwork, using signs such as LOVE, LOOK GOOD, NOT BAD or UGLY
- viewing visual stories from sources such as National Simultaneous Storytime books, demonstrating understanding through retelling or enacting or using DSs, and focusing on the importance of eye gaze and role shift in CAs, when responding to the text
- responding imaginatively to stimuli, using gestures, handshapes, facial expressions and signs, for example, acting out different ways a character in a story may have responded
recognise language that carries cultural meaning in everyday social interactions
translating simple Auslan signs for peers, by fingerspelling or writing the English word, for example, distinguishing between signs and fingerspelled version of DOG, CAT, BIRD, and names, understanding that fingerspelling is a tool for translation between Auslan and English
highlighting non-equivalent Auslan signs with English, such as
BA-BA
(bizarre) and
PAH
(finally)
- looking at how deaf and hard of hearing people express stories in Auslan and noticing how embedded the stories are in Deaf culture and identity, for example, explaining in detail why they are late to class
developing understanding of the iconicity of some signs, such as basic iconic signs for sports, for example, RUNNING, SWIMMING and discussing possible translation of these signs
- viewing videoed examples of Auslan signers from different parts of Australia, and identifying the different signs used in southern and northern dialects, for example, signs for colours and some numbers
- considering the meaning behind their sign name if appropriate, indicating whether it is related to appearance, personality, a characteristic, story, habit or family
- viewing a simple Auslan or English video and translating main sequence of events into English or Auslan, noticing any difficult to translate elements
- labelling objects in the classroom and in learning resources, such as books and wall charts with pictures of lexicalised signs, for example, an image of an apple matched with an image of the sign for ‘apple’
Creating text in Auslan
with support, create signed, visual and multimodal texts, using familiar fingerspelling (FS), lexical signs, depicting signs (DSs), non-manual features (NMFs) and signing space
- creating and presenting a modelled show-and-tell describing an object or animal using lexical adjectives such as colours, or DSs relating to size, weight, pattern, texture and shape
- presenting specific information such as a weather report using digital presentation as a visual prompt, using DSs (entity, size and space specifiers (SASSs) and handling) to share information with the class or teacher
- describing their favourite places and activities in a presentation, using pictures, photos or objects
- matching bilingual captions/labels to images of First Nations Country/Place locations in their local area or elsewhere in Australia
- demonstrating a simple procedure using list buoys and related sign vocabulary to explain the different steps, for example, how to play a game or how to find a hidden object
- creating a text about personal experiences such as a holiday or weekend event, or daily routines/family life such as how they travel to school, what they eat for lunch, using lexicalised signs, time markers, CAs, DSs and NMFs, where appropriate and relevant
- creating their own variations of familiar stories or picture books only using SASSs, entity and handling DSs
creating sequences of signs using a fixed handshape, such as using only the pointer handshape to sign
YOU THINK I SHY?
You think I’m shy?
- planning and enacting imagined adventures, using CAs such as eye-gaze change, body shift and head orientation, for example, riding a bike up hill and then down again really fast
making their own handshape creations, for example, flat hand = FISH, pointer finger = A PERSON
Understanding systems of language
recognise modelled combinations of signs and use Handshape, Orientation, Location, Movement (HOLM) and non-manual features (NMFs) to make meaning
noticing the location of a sign on the body or in space and considering its connection to the sign’s meaning, for example, signing THINK or KNOW on the location of the head related to our brain doing the thinking or containing knowledge
- recognising the use of specific handshapes when signing, for example, COCKATOO handshape:five and SOCCER handshape:fist
practising the parameters of HOLM and NMFs to produce meaningful signs such as handshape:hook, or tapping the nose twice (SISTER), the chin twice (DINNER), or cheek twice (FUNNY)
developing double-handed signs such as SET UP and CONFIDENT, where both hands are engaged
- practising signing at a consistent speed and pace
recognising movements of the hands in modelled signs, for example, GIRL or BOY
- using fingerspelling to identify common classroom items using clear letter formation
recognising that some signs are iconic, linking to the appearance of a referent, for example, HOUSE, TREE, ELEPHANT, and that some are not iconic, such as SISTER, WHY, SIMPLE
following a simple handshape chart, such as categorising handshapes with the signs, showing handshape incorporating HOLM, for example, the flat handshape for COMMUNITY, MUM, HEAD and HAT
- practising signing with correct mouth gesture, for example, not ‘mumbling’ by using a small mouth movement and not ‘yelling’ by using an overly large mouth movement
recognise that signs and features of language are used to construct meaning in Auslan
- showing understanding of signing space, movement, CAs, DSs and NMFs, such as using medium signing space for normal signed discourse and larger space for more energetic/emotional signed discourse, or smaller space for discreet signed discourse
understanding how to create complete sentences through movement within signs, for example,
FINISHED CALL PRO3 (sign moves from the signer to referent)
I called him.
PRO2 HELP PRO3(PL) (the sign HELP moves from the referent location to the signer’s body, expressing that the help was given to them)
You helped them.
- identifying how DSs can be represented by handshapes and SASSs, for example, a person, pole or tree can be represented by a pointer handshape, a cylinder can be traced by a cup handshape, and SASSs can also be used to show size and length of an object such as a ruler
understanding that signing involves a combination of signs, CAs and DSs to convey detailed information, for example, The man walked slowly can be expressed as
MAN WALK SLOW
or
PT+f DS:MAN-WALKS-SLOWLY
or
CA:MAN-SWINGS-ARMS-NONCHALANTLY
noticing that single-digit numbers can be separate lexical items or merged into other signs (numeral incorporation), such as those for ages, for example, AGE-YEARS(FIVE), or adverbs of time such as WEEK-AGO(THREE)
categorising noun signs in clauses such as common and proper nouns, for example, DOG, PARIS, fingerspelled nouns such as
GIRL READ versus PRO3 READ
recognising that there is no verb ‘to be’ in Auslan, for example,
PRO1 COLD
I am cold.
PRO2 GO SHOP?
Are you going shopping?
practising the signing of examples of adjectives that describe nouns in different ways, such as how they look (BIG or RED), feel (SOFT or HOT), smell (SMELLY) or sound (LOUD) and using lexicalised signs such as colour and sound, or for size, shape, weight, texture
- recognising that adjective signs can reinforce the signers’ messaging or description and are used for distinguishing between statements and those that are questions
- using NMFs and SASSs to represent meaning, such as widening eyes and puffing cheeks for depicting growth, puffing cheeks and slumping shoulders for depicting heaviness, narrowing eyes and mouth for something thin
- noticing that Auslan pronouns are different from English because they do not show gender, but they can show location and a specific number of referents, using NMFs
notice that Auslan has features that may be similar to or different from English
- noticing that Auslan has more flexibility in word order than English
- comparing differences in forms of address in signed and spoken languages, for example, not using a person’s name when signing directly to them, unlike the use of names in English and some other languages
- participating in shared reading of children’s books containing Auslan images and English text, asking and answering questions about unfamiliar words and phrases, and noticing the comparative number of signs and words used in the book
- recognising that there are many sign languages around the world and that sign languages in English-speaking countries, such as Auslan, American Sign Language (ASL) and British Sign Language (BSL), are different
- creating a chart or poster to compare signs used in ASL, BSL and/or New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) that are similar to Auslan
- recognising that different texts serve different purposes in both Auslan and English, for example, comparing the Auslan and English texts in a procedure such as a recipe or in a narrative such as a story
recognising lexicalised signs when comparing Auslan expressions used in everyday interactions such as greetings with equivalent English expressions, for example, HOW-ARE-YOU? compared with How are you?, and combining with NMFs to convey meaning, mood and tone
- comparing sentences in Auslan and English, for example, comparing how features of CAs, such as body movement, mannerism, role shift, eye gaze and NMFs, may or may not be present in an English translation
- creating a poster, chart or diagram of the origins of Auslan from BSL and Irish Sign Language (ISL) used by early settlers and convicts in the early 1790s
Understanding the interrelationship of language, culture and identity
notice that people use language in ways that reflect cultural identity
- identifying and showing markers of social and cultural identity when introducing themselves, their family names, given name/s, and/or sign names if appropriate, in a role-play
- noticing how identity is represented in a sign name, discussing the names of class members and where that name came from, if appropriate
- identifying themselves as members of a Deaf community, describing their ways of communicating with deaf, hard of hearing and hearing children, family members and the Deaf community
- exploring symbols and language used by First Nations Australians and the Deaf community in a range of contexts, for example, finding out what the symbols on flags represent
- exploring the Deaf way’ such as the use of physical space to ensure signers can see each other, being able to communicate through windows or from a distance, and recognising the importance of facial expression, eye gaze and NMFs in conveying information in a visual-gestural language and culture
- considering roles and responsibilities in relation to membership of a community, for example, in a Deaf community, by describing how they can help others to be aware of their communication preferences in the classroom, or with responsibilities related to a local community, such as how to be a caring neighbour
- identifying different ways Deaf community members communicate with each other and with members of the wider hearing community using Auslan or English, including face-to-face or online, interpreters and relay services
- using a Y-chart to compare aspects of their lives as deaf or hard of hearing children with those of hearing children, for example, ways of playing games such as the swimming-pool game Marco Polo, which uses splashing instead of calling out their name
- talking about Auslan signs or informal signs they might use at home that are different from signs used by other people