Years 3-4 Auslan Syllabus
Years 3-4 Syllabus
Years 3-4 Band Level Description
In Years 3 and 4, Auslan learning builds on each student’s prior learning and experiences with language. Students continue to communicate and work collaboratively through purposeful and creative play in structured activities involving signing and viewing. They use Auslan to interact with teachers and peers, and plan activities in familiar settings that reflect their interests and capabilities. They may also bring their experience of interacting in Auslan within their family and/or the Deaf community to the classroom. In informal settings, they use local and digital resources to explore Auslan and other signing communities. They continue to receive extensive support through modelling, scaffolding, repetition and the use of targeted resources.
Students develop signing skills and use gestures, words and modelled expressions, imitating the movement, location and handshape of signs. They use their literacy capabilities in Auslan and/or English to recognise some similarities and differences between Auslan and English. They locate information, respond to, and create informative and imaginative texts. They access authentic and purpose-developed Auslan texts such as picture books, stories, digital and animated games, timetables, recipes and advertisements. They recognise that language and culture reflect practices and behaviours.
Years 3-4 Achievement Standard
By the end of Year 4, students use Auslan to initiate structured interactions to share information related to the classroom and their personal worlds. They participate in activities that involve planning and transacting. They locate and respond to key items of information in texts, using strategies to help interpret and convey meaning in familiar contexts. They use familiar and formulaic language and basic syntax, including fingerspelling (FS), lexical signs, depicting signs (DSs), non-manual features (NMFs) and signing space, to create texts appropriate to context.
Students use combinations of signs and demonstrate understanding that Auslan has language conventions and rules to create and make meaning. They identify patterns in Auslan and make comparisons between Auslan and English. They understand that Auslan is connected with cultural identity, and identify how this is reflected in their own language(s), culture(s) and identity.
Content Descriptions
Interacting in Auslan
initiate exchanges and respond to questions about self, others and the classroom environment, using modelled and familiar expressions
encouraging and praising each other using phrases such as
GOOD WORK, EXCELLENT TRY, CONGRATULATIONS PRO2 WON, LUCKY/GOOD-LUCK, UNLUCKY/BAD-LUCK
good work, excellent try, congratulations that you won, lucky/good luck, unlucky/bad luck
discussing preferences spontaneously in relation to school or general activities, using comparative language, for example,
PRO1 LIKE MATH, SCIENCE BUT POSS1 FAVOURITE ART, WHY? PRO1 LIKE PAINTING
I like maths and science, but my favourite subject is art because I like painting.
asking factual questions with relevant lexicalised signs, CAs, DSs and NMFs to request information about planned activities in the Deaf community or local and national events, in relation to details such as place, time or cost, for example,
DEAF CLUB START WHEN?
When does Deaf Club start?
PT+dn YEAR DEAFLYMPICS WHERE?
Where are the Deaflympics this year?
NAIDOC ASSEMBLY MEET TIME WHAT?
What time do we meet for the NAIDOC assembly?
developing appropriate conversational behaviours such as sharing ideas through turn-taking, acknowledging and extending others’ contributions using discourse markers, interjections, fillers and NMFs such as
OH!
WHOA
(a claw handshape with movement in front of face expressing SORRY or DANGER)
WOW
PRO2-KNOW
UM
AH (I see)
sharing feelings about important experiences or events, using NMFs to show manner, for example,
PRO1 EXCITED HOLIDAY SOON
I am excited about the holidays.
POSS1 FRIEND CHANGE OTHER SCHOOL PRO1 SAD
I was sad when my friend changed schools.
comparing routines or activities in face-to-face or online exchanges, using signs for time, sequence and location, for example,
WHAT TIME PRO2 USUALLY GO-TO BED?
What time do you usually go to bed?
EVERY MONDAY POSS1 CLASS LBUOY(1):READING LBUOY(2):MATHS LBUOY(3):SWIMMING. POSS2 CLASS G:WELL?
Every Monday my class has reading, then maths, then swimming. What about your class?
using persuasive language in social interactions with each other, with NMFs and lexicalised signs such asMUST/MUST-NOT versus CAN/CAN-NOT to explicitly express opinion or stance on an issue, or use of conditionals to demonstrate cause and effect, for example,
FS:IF PRO2 DRIVE DANGEROUS, PRO2 WILL CRASH
If you drive dangerously, you will crash.
using appropriate protocols when following instructions or gaining the attention of a group, such as flashing lights, waving, multiple tapping or foot stomping in some contexts, waiting for eye contact or pauses in signing, and using language such as EXCUSE ME or SORRY INTERRUPT or QUICK INTERRUPT when interrupting a conversation
developing communicative strategies in conversations such as clarifying own and others’ points of information, for example,
PRO2 MEAN …?
Do you mean …?
THAT RIGHT (CORRECT)?
Is that right?
KNOW WHAT PRO1 MEAN?
Do you know what I mean?
THIS PRO2 FINISH THIS?
Do you think that’s finished now?
RIGHT (CORRECT) PRO1?
… am I right?
- understanding how to walk between signers engaged in conversation without interrupting, whereby the signer walks in front of the person signing and the person walking behind is responsible for steering the signer away from bumping into people, objects or poles
participate in activities that involve planning and transacting with others, using a range of phrases and structures in familiar contexts
- working together in projects such as short films or displays to demonstrate content knowledge from different curriculum areas, sharing decisions about content, vocabulary and sequencing, for example, making a film to describe the basic needs of an animal
playing group games that involve the exchange of information, such as a treasure hunt or guessing game, using lexicalised signs and SASSs and DSs for appropriate questioning, for example,
BROWN EYES CURLY HAIR, PRO3 HAVE, YES-NO?
Does he have brown eyes and curly hair?
CAN COOK WITH?
Can you use it for cooking?
DS:OPEN-DOOR PT+f DS:WALK-THROUGH
Open the door and walk through.
negotiating roles and responsibilities such as group leader, note-taker or reporter, and expressing preferences when working on shared projects, using expressions such as
PRO1 RATHER THAT JOB PRO2 WANT, WHAT?
I would prefer to do that; What job do you want to do?
PRO1 FILM PRO2 QUESTION
I’ll film; you ask the questions.
working together on collaborative tasks such as craft activities, using interactional phrases such as
CAN PRO2 BRING SCISSORS PAPER, PLEASE?
Can you please bring scissors and paper?
- using a structured script or story to create a role-play in groups, for example, a script for a visit to a restaurant or adjusting aspects of popular stories, using CAs, NMFs and role shifts
contributing to the development of a set of class rules, for example,
PT CHEWING FORBIDDEN
We are not allowed to have gum.
MUST DS:CHAIRS-IN DS:ENTITY
We must push our chairs in.
MUST PUT POSS2 HAND UP CA:HAND-UP
You must put your hand up.
ALWAYS NICE
Always be nice
relaying messages between different members in Auslan games such as Auslan whispers, passing on visual images or jigsaw activities, using DSs or lexicalised signed sentences, for example, one student has half an image of a pink elephant, and signs to others PINK ELEPHANT, YOU HAVE? YES-NO?
- creating a class profile or map identifying student connections to different countries
Mediating meaning in and between languages
locate and respond to key information related to familiar content obtained from signed, visual and multimodal texts
- using information collected from peers about interests, preferences or routines and presenting findings to the class using visual supports/graphic organisers, for example, determining the percentage of environmentally friendly methods of transport that students use to get to school
categorising object and signs based on their handshapes in activities such as a handshape bingo game, listing or signing signs related to the fixed handshape selected by the teacher, for example,
handshape:five = COCKATOO, WHERE, HOW-MANY, FIRE
- watching an Auslan video explaining the basic rules in a game or sport and following instructions by playing the game
- learning that First Nations Australian languages change according to connections and relationships between people, and giving examples of how this occurs in Auslan
- paraphrasing, retelling or recalling key points of information used in announcements, short documentaries or news items, such as signing back the information in Auslan or explaining the content to a peer who watched a different item
- watching a story in Auslan and sequencing the events, using visual cues
- viewing short Auslan stories or signed presentations by a teacher, peer or visitor, identifying specific points of information and recording observations in table form, for example, who, what, when, where
using CAs and gestures to predict subsequent events in a cartoon or short film clip, answering, for example,
NEXT, WHAT?
What happens next?
- comparing 2 signed versions of a popular story, indicating their preference for one version over the other and explaining why
- drawing a personal interpretation of a VV description of a character’s appearance
- viewing performances by Deaf theatre companies and/or signed theatre performances and expressing their reactions using NMFs to show changing emotions such as anticipation, fear or relief
- demonstrating understanding of a narrative through retelling or enacting or using DSs, focusing on the importance of eye gaze and role shift in CAs, when responding to the text
develop strategies to comprehend and adjust Auslan to convey cultural meaning
- noticing how signs can convey rich, multilayered meaning which might not have a direct match in English, for example, using only NMFs to convey how powerfully the big bad wolf blows down the houses in The Three Little Pigs’, or CAs to convey Jack’s focus and exertion in climbing the beanstalk in Jack and the Beanstalk
comparing single signs and words that have direct matches to phrases in English, for example, GO-TO meaning to travel to/to attend/to go/to in English or more lexicalised words such as MOTHER, SCHOOL
- identifying a list of non-equivalent Auslan sign/gestures used by deaf people that might be easily understood by hearing people, for example, head nodding and shaking, pointing to the wrist for time, shrugging shoulders for don’t know
- creating a class signed translation of repeated lines in familiar children’s stories, such as We’re Going on a Bear Hunt, using DSs to show prepositions throughout the story
identifying the iconicity of some signs, such as SNORKELLING, SAILING, and noticing how similar they are to the object/referent, and how this helps with translating
- translating English adjectives to Auslan, using SASSs, DSs and NMFs
exploring similarities and differences in Auslan dialects that differ in the northern regions (NSW, Qld and ACT) and southern regions (Vic, SA, WA, NT and Tas), such as ANIMAL or AFTERNOON, and colour signs
- creating bilingual texts for the classroom or school community, such as posters including signed images or digital library displays, and discussing how to represent meaning in different languages for different audiences
- explaining and identifying the meaning behind their sign name if appropriate, based on factors such as personality traits, physical characteristics or notable skills
- watching a simple Auslan video and translating this into written English
Creating text in Auslan
create and present informative and imaginative signed, visual and multimodal texts, using fingerspelling (FS), lexical signs, depicting signs (DSs), non-manual features (NMFs), signing space, formulaic expressions and modelled textual conventions
- planning and rehearsing a presentation of factual information at a school assembly, for example, information about significant events such as the National Week of Deaf People or Harmony Day, using visual supports such as a timeline
- creating and presenting an informative video about their school to support newly arrived deaf students, using Auslan and visuals, including a signed glossary of the most relevant signs
- explaining a favourite computer game, sport or playground game to a younger audience, highlighting key terms and supporting the information with pictures, gestures and demonstrated actions, for example, teaching how to play handball or Duck, duck, goose
- creating simple descriptions in Auslan and matching them to appropriate First Nations Country/Place locations in their local area or elsewhere in Australia
- creating card games to play with peers that contain pictures, labels and signs, for example, cards relating to different forms of transport
- creating an informative video for younger peers, identifying the Auslan signs and putting them into handshape categories
- conveying information, such as a digital report in a school newsletter, about cultural events, for example, an excursion to a Deaf event/school, Auslan Day, a deaf visitor or about local community, national or international events such as Anzac Day or Chinese New Year
- creating a short signed performance by experimenting and adapting key elements of a popular picture book or humorous story, using elements of CA such as role shift and eye gaze, NMFs, signing space and signing techniques, according to characters
- performing stories for a live audience or community festival with a focus on NMFs to express emotion and humour
- participating in storytelling games or imaginative activities, for example, the joint construction of a progressive story
Understanding systems of language
recognise and use combinations of signs to form words and phrases
using the 5 major locations of signs on the body or in space, and identifying signs associated with each, such as SEE (head/face), SAY (mouth/chin), WHY (chest), TALK (hand) and ONE (signing space)
- understanding that NMFs are an element of a sign and are used to show emotional states as well as demonstrating emphasis, weight, exertion, proximity, texture and speed, for example, puffed cheeks to demonstrate heaviness of an object being carried
noticing the orientation of handshapes in signs by focusing on a handshape of the week, such as a pointer handshape, and linking with lexicalised signs like BOY, THINK, PEOPLE
identifying and demonstrating compound signs and recognising the HOLM and NMF of signs to create new meaning, for example, the sign RED + BALL = TOMATO
- distinguishing between single-handed signs such as MUM, SON, 2-handed signs such as BOOK, CHURCH, and double-handed signs such as TOILET, CONFUSE and TOMATO
- using pace and speed to demonstrate anticipation and/or to enhance storytelling
- recognising the pattern and describing how the movement changes between groups of related numbers, for example, 5, 15, 50, fifth
- noticing that meaning through fingerspelling can be expressed at a slow, medium and fast speed to match the deaf audience, given the environment, context and the familiarity with the word or concept they are spelling
recognising and identifying the fully lexicalised signs that originated as partly-lexical DSs, for example, AEROPLANE, TICKET, DRINK, MEET and MEETING
- understanding and identifying the concept of linguistic aspects in HOLM
recognising how to sign with correct mouth gesture to show emphasis and represent force and noise, for example, expressing certainty by mouthing ALP while signing PRO1 SURE
recognise and use Auslan language conventions, grammatical structures and basic syntax, in familiar texts and contexts
recognising that Auslan users’ use of signing space, movement, CAs, DSs and NMFs enrich many elements of the language, for example, integrating NMFs to show adjectival meanings such as READ CAREFUL, with the sign CAREFUL accompanied by appropriate NMF
- demonstrating examples of types of DSs, including entity, handling and SASSs, and their use in context
- noticing how signers visually reconstruct their own or another’s talk and/or actions using all elements of CA which includes eye gaze, NMFs and role shift, for example, identifying when the signer changes character or reacts in a particular way
using verb and noun lexicalised signs to describe a person, animal or items, for example,
FOOTBALL WHERE PT+f GYM
The football is at the gym.
contributing examples of signs that tell when, where or how a verb happens, such as
WANT LUNCH NOW
I’d like lunch now.
<PRO1(PL) RUN FAR
We have run far.
PLEASE COME HERE
Come here please.
PRO2 QUICK FINISH
You finished quickly.
noticing the relationship between the location of referents and the direction of some indicating verbs, for example, role-playing CALL PRO1, CALL PRO2
recognising and responding to verbs in signed text, for example, doing (WALK, WRITE) and saying (TELL, CALL (YELL), ANNOUNCE) verbs in teacher instruction and narrative texts
- distinguishing between and using yes/no questions and wh- questions, and noticing that each type of question has different NMFs
recognise familiar Auslan structures and features and compare with those of English, in known contexts
comparing word order in Auslan phrases with written English, for example,
FORWARD WEEK(TWO) PRO1 HOLIDAY
I am going on holiday in 2 weeks.
recognising some signs are borrowed from other sign languages around the world, such as ASL and BSL, for example, the kiss fist gesture is a form of ASL expression meaning TRULY LOVE IT
- noticing that differing purposes in the creation of Auslan texts result in differing types and amounts of signing, for example, the use of more CAs in narratives
recognising there are lexicalised signs for common English words and abbreviations such as the days of the week, name of the month or names of states, for example, FS:VIC, NSW, SA
recognising the features of using different NMFs, eye gazing and mannerism to gain, hold and finish explaining the context, and considering words in English which perform similar functions such as Yes, Really?, Wow and That’s it.
- comparing Deaf and hearing jokes, noticing that Auslan jokes have an emphasis on visual elements and Deaf ways, for example, the timber joke
- keeping an Auslan/English bilingual class record of lexicalised Auslan signs and informal signs that they might use at home and at school
Understanding the interrelationship of language, culture and identity
identify connections between Auslan, cultural practices and identity
- exploring the positive effects of learning Auslan, such as the ability to express themselves and to belong to the Deaf community
- recognising and identifying behaviours, rights, roles and responsibilities as a member of the Deaf community in relation to ownership and maintenance of Auslan, and how these rest within the Deaf community
- recognising the distinctive behaviours and attitudes in the Deaf community that is the ‘Deaf way’, such as ‘the long goodbye’ and storytelling in social settings, for example, over-explaining why one arrived late, and direct/blunt comments
- exploring representations of information used in cultural expressions of First Nations Australians and making connections with those of Auslan language and culture, for example, the different regional words used by First Nations groups to identify themselves, such as Zenadth Kes, Koori, Koorie, Noongar and Nunga, and comparing this with the way identity is expressed by Auslan users
- recognising that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ use of signed languages is a mode of communication
- considering markers of social and cultural identity and their adaptations to Auslan use when communicating in different environments, such as in video chats, 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
- comparing social etiquette in different communities and cultures, for example, the importance of eye contact in the Deaf community or comparing manners in different intercultural contexts
- identifying different ways Deaf community members communicate with each other and with members of the wider hearing community, including face-to-face or online, such as National Relay Service (NRS) or Video Relay Service (VRS), through social media, the use of written English, or using interpreters
- recognising variation in adaptation of signing between different users of Auslan, for example, people who are deafblind use hand-over-hand signing, haptics and tactile fingerspelling
- developing a timeline about significant Auslan milestones such as the introduction of Auslan in Deaf schools and the publication of the Auslan dictionary
- understanding the effects of and variation in signers and signs across Australia, for example, differences in age, schooling or location such as northern/southern dialects