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SL 7-8 Content Descriptions - Communicating meaning in Auslan

Content Descriptions

Interacting in Auslan

initiate and sustain exchanges in familiar and some unfamiliar contexts related to students’ experiences, feelings and views, adjusting their language in response to others

AC9L2AU8C01

  • using signs to agree or disagree on relevant topics, such as,

    AGREE YES HOMEWORK SHOULD

    Yes, I agree we should do homework.

    PRO1 KNOW WHAT MEAN, BUT …

    I know what you mean, but …

    PRO1 DOUBT

    I’m not sure.

    AGREE-NOT, PRO1 THINK …

    I don’t agree; I think …

  • using appropriate NMFs when turn-taking during class activities, for example,

    HOLD

    Hold that thought.

    QUICK INTERRUPT

    Can I just interrupt you quickly?

    WAIT … COME

    Can you just wait a moment … Right, what did you want?

  • participating in face-to-face or online interactions with deaf children or students of Auslan to compare and contrast aspects of their school and learning experiences

  • contributing to discussion and debate by expressing opinions, responding to others’ perspectives, and using reflective language, for example,

    NEVER THOUGHT YEAH

    Oh yeah, I hadn’t thought of that before.

  • discussing the qualities looked for in friendships and relationships and giving reasons for these preferences

  • responding to class and school signed announcements with more elaborate responses, for example,

    YES PRO1 CAN COME TO PRO2 HELP BUT CAN-NOT THURS

    Yes, I can help you with that, but not on Thursday.

  • using appropriate protocols to join or leave conversations, for example, waiting for eye gaze or for the signer to finish and not asking for a full recount

  • clarifying meaning, for example, by using fingerspelling to explain unfamiliar vocabulary, as in,

    PRO2 MEAN [FINGERSPELLED WORD]?

  • commenting on information provided by others to indicate or to clarify understanding, for example,

    DS:NOD INTERESTING

    Mmm, interesting.

    TRUE WHAT ABOUT …?

    True, but what about …?

  • extending discussion or debate by asking follow-up questions, clarifying their own contributions or suggesting relevant comparisons
  • adjusting styles of communication according to situation, for example, getting someone’s attention for a non-urgent matter versus an emergency situation
  • organising standing or seated positions and ‘signing space’ when talking to one or more people, and adjusting the physical environment to be well-lit and without glare to enable effective communication

Literacy

Intercultural understanding

collaborate in activities that involve the language of transaction, negotiation and problem-solving to plan projects and events

AC9L2AU8C02

  • working in pairs or small groups to design and create visual resources that promote Auslan as an important area of study
  • working collaboratively to create instructional or procedural texts for younger learners
  • brainstorming, planning and working together to advertise and present an intercultural event for their year-level peers
  • preparing for the visit of a member of the Deaf community, discussing how to ensure effective communication between the visitor and deaf and hearing members of the class

  • providing feedback on completed events or activities and exchanging reflections, for example,

    FIRST PRO1 DOUBT FS:IF WILL GO-WELL, HAVE-A-LOOK GO-GREAT

    At the start, I wasn’t sure it would work, but after a while I thought it went well.

    PRO1 WRONG NEVER AGAIN FS:DO SAME

    I won’t do that ever again.

  • problem-solving around collaborative activities such as model-building, using wh- questions, for example,

    WHY FAIL WHY?

    Why isn’t it working?

    WHO THINK CAN FIX?

    Who thinks they can fix it?

    FINISH, NEXT WHAT?

    What do we do next after we finish this?

  • giving directions for outdoor activities such as an obstacle course or bushwalk, including expressions such as

    HAVE DS:ROUND-OVAL FIRST RUN DS:DRAW-LINE THEN STOP. NEXT CLIMB DS:CLIMB-OVER DS:LAND-ON-FEET THEN CRAWL DS:CRAWL-UNDER-FLAT-THING

    There’s a big oval. First you will run along one side of it. Then stop at the wall. Next you will climb over the wall then crawl under the net.

  • investigating appropriate ways to join or take leave of a group interacting in Auslan and following appropriate protocols in interpreting situations outside the classroom, for example, in the playground
  • sharing responsibility for providing information and context for a new participant joining a conversation

Literacy

Personal and social capability

Mediating meaning in and between languages

interpret information, ideas and opinions in a range of signed, visual and multimodal texts, and respond appropriately to cultural context, purpose and audience

AC9L2AU8C03

  • viewing signed texts such as media reports on activities such as Deaf sports or festivals and events in the Deaf community, and providing an overview of different perspectives presented
  • researching signed texts such as interviews or videos to select information needed to prepare a signed presentation on a particular event or person

  • interviewing older members of Deaf families or Deaf communities and reporting back to the class about any differences in signing they noticed such as more use of fingerspelled words, less use of DSs and NMFs, or the use of different signs such as FILM (old sign), TOILET (old sign)

  • reading or viewing First Nations Australian authors’ stories in English or Auslan and responding to them in Auslan
  • analysing online profiles and news stories about high-profile members of the Deaf community such as Colin Allen, Dr Breda Carty or Dr Robert Adam, and presenting a review of media representation
  • viewing and responding to signed poetry from around the world and noting differences and similarities in VV approaches
  • evaluating one signed story presented by 2 deaf people and noting the variation in NMFs and manner, and how feelings and attitudes are expressed by signers
  • evaluating Deaf performances or art forms that use technology, colour or imagery for deliberate visual effect, to express the Deaf experience such as the De’VIA movement, and preparing a response outlining the differences between Deaf art and De’VIA, and what makes De’VIA important to Deaf culture
  • identifying and profiling deaf artists who make use of music and other art forms
  • comparing visual elements of signed media texts with those of equivalent texts produced for a hearing audience
  • exploring the concept of metaphorical iconicity used in poems and narratives, for example, by shadowing selected elements

Literacy

Critical and creative thinking

interpret and adjust signed, spoken and written language to convey meaning in a range of familiar and some unfamiliar cultural contexts

AC9L2AU8C04

  • interpreting simple interactions between deaf students or guests and non-signers

  • interpreting Auslan phrases and expressions that do not translate literally, identifying similar English expressions and considering possible consequences of lack of equivalence in terms of intercultural communication, for example, TRAIN GONE SORRY, or to ‘kick the bucket’

  • translating simple filmed texts in Auslan into written English captions
  • translating short English texts such as news items or own stories into Auslan, for review by their peers, noting any variations in choices and discussing possible reasons for these
  • translating an Auslan version of a well-known text such as a song or story, considering why some words or expressions require a freer translation than others to achieve equivalence
  • creating translations of English song lyrics or poetry for presentation in Auslan
  • interpreting a theatre set sketch/picture from paper and signing it to a peer, describing the interior lay out of the room, using Auslan and integrating elements of space and DSs
  • analysing how elements of theatre performance such as emotional nuance are communicated through interpreters in a live setting
  • discussing the possibility for both consecutive and simultaneous interpreting of information in communicative exchanges
  • recognising that not all words and signs are semantically equivalent, identifying translations for English idioms such as ‘hit the hay’ and ‘raining cats and dogs’
  • creating own simple gloss or annotations that show notations for using space, CAs, DSs and NMFs

Literacy

Intercultural understanding

Creating text in Auslan

create and present signed, visual and multimodal, informative and imaginative texts, selecting fingerspelling (FS), lexical signs, depicting signs (DSs), non-manual features (NMFs) and signing space, appropriate to text type

AC9L2AU8C05

  • creating signed announcements to inform members of the school community about events such as a Deaf arts performance, festivals or the National Week of Deaf People
  • developing a signed news report or public announcement to inform an imagined audience of a new baby animal arrival at the zoo, or a topical news event at school
  • recounting their own and others’ experiences of school-related or personal events, such as school camps, holidays or concerts
  • creating an advertisement in Auslan to promote travel to a significant cultural location on a First Nations Country/Place, including what to see and do
  • creating individual biographies, including elements such as family origins, traditions, beliefs, experiences, and considering how these influence their sense of identity, including First Nations Australians
  • providing instructions in an engaging or entertaining style to create interest in a group activity such as a maths game or sign linguistics game
  • creating digital clips or social media posts designed to persuade and encourage a change in behaviour among peers on an issue of relevance such as the importance of recycling
  • creating and performing a signed song, poem or skit for a school talent show
  • retelling of a humorous anecdote or hosting improvisation games requiring a spontaneous response such as ‘60 seconds to make the audience laugh ...’
  • playing with light and shadow as a means of highlighting handshapes and movement, for example, in shadow puppet performances
  • role-playing an imagined dialogue, partially scripted, incorporating elements of dramatic effect, such as emotion or humour
  • role-playing interpreting in a range of contexts, for example, in a shop or at a sports match
  • making a short documentary in Auslan about a topical issue, moving through the processes of drafting, translating, editing and captioning, trialling alternative captioning tools

Literacy

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