Skip to the main content

SL 3-4 Strand - Communicating meaning in Auslan

Interacting in Auslan

initiate exchanges and respond to modelled questions about self, others and the classroom environment, using formulaic expressions

AC9L2AU4C01

  • exchanging greetings, thanks and apologies, adjusting language to suit the situation, for example, PLEASED MEET PRO2, GOOD-LUCK, THANKS, SORRY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CONGRATULATIONS, DEAF, HEARING? POSS1 NAME …, WHERE FROM?

  • responding to questions, directions and requests, using NMFs, for example, the raising and lowering of eyebrows to indicate a question is being asked

  • asking each other about their daily life, for example,

    PRO2 ARRIVE SCHOOL HOW? CAR?

    How do you get to school? By car?

    PRO2 REGULAR GO-TO BED WHAT TIME?

    What time do you go to bed?

    WEEKEND, WHAT FS:DO?

    What did you do on the weekend?

  • sharing real or imagined personal experiences using specific time-related signs, for example,

    LONG-AGO PRO1 FLY NEW ZEALAND

    A long time ago I went on a plane to New Zealand.

    LAST WEEK PRO1 GO BEACH

    Last week I went to the beach.

    YESTERDAY BOOK PRO3 GIVE FS:SAM

    Yesterday she gave the book to Sam.

  • expressing preferences in relation to people, places or things, for example,

    PRO1 LIKE THAT, THAT, BUT THAT BEST BOOK

    I like that one, and that one, but that one is the best book.

  • exchanging information about significant people in their lives, such as family members or friends, describing their appearance, characteristics or personality, for example,

    POSS1 COUSIN PRO2 KNOW DS:LONG-HAIR GLASSES?

    You know my cousin with long hair and glasses?

    POSS1 BROTHER OLDER. PRO1 TALL. TRUE FUNNY

    My brother is older, and tall, and really funny.

  • describing activities, interests or favourite pastimes, using modifications to show manner, for example,

    PRO1 WORK LITTLE, LATER WORK-HARD (intensity)

    I worked on it a little bit, then later I worked really hard on it.

  • attracting attention or asking for help, repetition or clarification, for example,

    PLEASE AGAIN SIGN

    Please sign that again.

    PLEASE EXPLAIN AGAIN

    Please explain that again.

    WHAT MEAN?

    What do you mean?

    PRO2 MEAN …?

    Do you mean …?

  • using appropriate protocols in the Auslan classroom, for example, stopping activities and paying attention when lights are flashed, or hands are waved
  • positioning seating to keep visual communication clear, sitting across from/opposite signers when communicating, keeping appropriate space between signers and using voice-off when possible

Literacy

Intercultural understanding

participate in activities that involve planning with others, using a range of familiar phrases and modelled structures

AC9L2AU4C02

  • working together in collaborative tasks such as craft activities, using interactional phrases, for example,

    PLEASE PRO2 BRING SCISSORS PAPER?

    Can you please bring scissors and paper?

  • following and giving directions for activities such as a treasure hunt, using prepositions and entity DSs, for example,

    DS:TURN-LEFT DEAD-END DS:TURN-RIGHT

    Go left, then at the end turn right.

    DS:OPEN-DOOR PT+f DS:WALK-THROUGH

    Open the door and walk through.

  • responding to and giving classroom instructions, for example,

    PLEASE WITH TWO DS:SIT-OPPOSITE

    Please find a partner and sit opposite each other.

    DS:LINE-UP PLEASE

    Line up, please.

    DS:LOOK-AT PRO1

    Look at me.

  • playing games such as board games, negotiating turn-taking, for example,

    LBUOY(1):PRO1 FIRST LBUOY(2):NEXT LBUOY(3):NEXT

    It’s my turn first, then your turn and then yours.

  • negotiating roles and responsibilities in shared learning activities, using expressions such as

    PRO3 TYPE PRO1 WRITE PRO2 WHAT?

    He will type, I’ll write, and what are you doing?

  • participating in Auslan games using simple clauses in creative ways, for example, playing the improvisation game Space jump or Charades
  • playing games that involve identifying and classifying specific points of information, for example, Celebrity heads
  • maintaining eye contact when communicating and using backchannels, for example, head nodding to indicate understanding, or raised eyebrows or head shaking to indicate lack of understanding

  • using expressions of support, encouragement or praise during shared activities, for example, GOOD, EXCELLENT, CONGRATULATIONS

Literacy

Intercultural understanding

Mediating meaning in and between languages

locate and respond to key information related to familiar content obtained from signed, visual and multimodal texts

AC9L2AU4C03

  • retelling key points of information used in classroom interactions and school activities, such as announcements or directions for a game or task

  • surveying peers in relation to their interests and preferences, and summarising findings in formats such as profiles, charts or graphs, for example,

    FOOTBALL, PRO2 LIKE, YES-NO?

    Do you like football? Yes or no?

    PINK, PRO2 LIKE, YES-NO?

    Do you like pink? Yes or no?

  • viewing short Auslan stories or signed presentations by a teacher, peer or visitor, identifying specific points of information, and recording observations in table form regarding who, what, when, where

  • learning that First Nations Australian languages change according to connections and relationships between people, and giving examples of how this occurs in Auslan
  • following the steps of a signed demonstration or procedure, such as a simple game or recipe, checking with each other about processes and ingredients
  • drawing a personal interpretation of a VV description of a character’s appearance
  • engaging with different kinds of Deaf expression, such as handshape poems or art, indicating their response using lexical signs
  • comparing 2 signed versions of a popular story and indicating their preference for one version over the other

Literacy

Critical and creative thinking

develop strategies to comprehend and adjust Auslan in familiar contexts to convey cultural meaning

AC9L2AU4C04

  • developing understanding of how deaf people modify space to maximise visual attention and adapt Auslan use and size of signing space when communicating in different physical environments such as in video chats or across a large yard
  • identifying and comparing signs and words in Auslan and English versions of favourite stories, or songs, if appropriate, noticing how signs can represent concepts which might not have a direct match in English, and vice versa
  • playing matching-pair games with Auslan sign-image flashcards and English flashcards, for example, matching cards associated with weather or animals
  • creating captions in English for short recorded signed phrases
  • creating bilingual texts for the classroom or school community, for example, posters, library displays or digital newsletter items, discussing how to represent meaning in each language, for different audiences
  • recognising variation in adaptation of signing between different users of Auslan, for example, some people who are deafblind use hand-over-hand signing and tactile fingerspelling
  • creating bilingual cards for use by younger children that include pictures, labels and signs, such as a transport-themed card game
  • learning to film themselves and analyse the video or to read simple glosses produced by the teacher, and understanding that the English word used is often not an exact match for the meaning of the sign
  • participating in shared reading of purpose-developed Auslan-English texts and answering questions about unfamiliar signs, noticing word/sign matches and mismatches in the text

Literacy

Intercultural understanding

Creating text in Auslan

create and present informative and imaginative signed, visual and multimodal texts, using familiar fingerspelling (FS), lexical signs, depicting signs (DSs), non-manual features (NMFs) and signing space, formulaic expressions and modelled textual conventions

AC9L2AU4C05

  • presenting routine class information such as weather reports or daily schedules, using visual prompts and signed descriptions
  • creating signed, multimodal presentations with selected points of information about their home or local community, such as language, family traditions or cultural events, using modelled signs and phrases
  • demonstrating a simple procedure such as brushing teeth or making a sandwich, using DSs, gestures, objects and list buoys
  • creating simple descriptions in Auslan and matching them to appropriate First Nations Country/Place locations in their local area or elsewhere in Australia
  • working with classmates to create a simple story using handshapes

  • assuming the role of a character from a story and creating and performing a dialogue of an imagined interview with questions such as

    POSS2 TRUNK DS:LONG-NOSE WHY?

    Why is your trunk so long, baby elephant?

  • creating a humorous skit using CAs
  • using a VV description to create an imaginary scene such as a person driving
  • participating in storytelling games or imaginative activities, for example, the joint construction of a progressive story

Literacy

Personal and social capability

Back to top of page