Skip to the main content

SL 9-10 Strand - Communicating meaning in Auslan

Interacting in Auslan

initiate and sustain interactions in familiar and some unfamiliar contexts to exchange ideas, experiences and opinions about their own and others’ personal worlds

AC9L2AU10EC01

  • using consistent patterning of fingerspelling for proper nouns and lexicalised fingerspelling, with DSs used more frequently to convey meaning

  • initiating greetings thanks and apologies with unfamiliar people, for example, SCHOOL WHERE, SIGN NAME HAVE, DEAF, HEARING?

  • exchanging information about themselves and their world using NMFs, for example,

    KNOW-WHAT? PRO1 NEW DOG

    Guess what? I have a new dog.

    POSS2 WEEKEND GOOD BAD?

    How was your weekend?

  • asking for and providing additional detail, such as in a mock interview activity, for example,

    POSS2 STORY WOW. NMF:LEANING-FORWARD TELL MORE

    Your story is interesting. Please tell me more.

    FS:IF PRO2 BOSS PRO2 WILL CHANGE WHAT?

    What would you change if you were boss?

  • participating in conversations with their peers using strategies to sustain interactions, such as turn-taking and asking for repetition, clarification or confirmation, for example,

    WHAT? PLEASE AGAIN

    Could you repeat that, please?

    STILL GO-AHEAD

    Go ahead …

    FS:SO PRO2 SAY PRO1 FIX THAT?

    So, you want me to fix that?

    PLEASE SLOW SIGN?

    Could you sign that slowly, please?

    PRO2 SAY BEFORE WHAT?

    What did you just say, sorry?

  • using appropriate NMFs to enhance communication through backchannels and exclamations, for example,

    SURPRISE

    Oooh (with appropriate intonation)

    INCREDIBLE

    No way!

    HOLD …

    Hang on a minute …

  • describing and comparing topics, setting up use of space, for example, a weather report,

    PT+up WEATHER QUEENSLAND HOT

    The weather in Queensland is hot.

    PT+dn WEATHER TASMANIA COLD

    The weather in Tasmania is cold.

  • expressing degrees of emotions and intensity through variations of signs and NMFs, for example, angry versus furious, happy versus ecstatic

  • using discourse markers in a role-play or turn-taking activity, for example, ANYWAY, THEN, PAUSE-NOD, list buoys, FS:SO, NOW, BUT, and others, as well as hand clasp, hand drop to indicate turn-taking

  • explaining or justifying an opinion using conditional statements such as if … then … or when, for example,

    STUDY SCIENCE WHY-NOT?

    Why do you not want to study science?

  • using persuasive language and NMFs to present a point of view in face-to-face or online interactions, for example,

    PRO1 THINK SCHOOL UNIFORM GOOD BECAUSE ALL STUDENT ALIKE FEELMATTER-NOT RICH POOR ALIKE

    I think school uniforms are good because they keep students equal, and it doesn’t matter if they are rich or poor.

    PRO1 THINK SPORT GOOD BECAUSE PEOPLE PLAY OUTSIDE IMPROVE MENTAL HEALTH (wellbeing)

    I think sport is great because it encourages people to go out and improve their wellbeing.

  • discussing an event involving 2 or more people using DSs and tracking referents with CAs, for example, recounting a lunchtime incident
  • adjusting their language to socialise with different audiences using appropriate code-switching techniques, for example, interacting in class or in the playground, or at an excursion with students from different year levels
  • using culturally appropriate protocols when working with an interpreter such as not interrupting or blocking the line of sight
  • using appropriate protocols within and beyond the classroom such as gaining group attention through flashing lights, tapping, foot stomping and waving, and maintaining eye gaze, backchannelling and limiting the use of voice when interacting with unfamiliar Auslan users

Literacy

Personal and social capability

use signed and visual exchanges to discuss, plan and reflect on activities, events and experiences with peers

AC9L2AU10EC02

  • participating in visits or virtual interactions with members of a Deaf club or organisation and sharing responsibility for individual elements of a report that highlights key features of the experience
  • working with peers to solve problems and to peer coach, for example, how to use video editing, online dictionaries, virtual platforms and/or captioning programs
  • working collaboratively to plan a fundraising/school event or a promotional display for Auslan during NWDP and evaluating the experience to improve subsequent planning and organisation
  • contributing an item of information for a collaborative digital book to describe views on different aspects of Deaf culture, such as protocols associated with signing

  • planning and presenting a procedural task with multiple steps incorporating DSs, such as following a recipe or giving instructions on how to care for an animal, for example,

    TODAY PRO1 EXPLAIN RULES

    Today I will explain the rules.

    MUST CAREFUL FEED

    You must be careful when feeding.

  • participating in improvisation games that require spontaneous and imaginative responses to a stimulus
  • creating a performance such as a skit or humorous story for a class talent show

  • negotiating roles and responsibilities in a shared task such as a National Week of Deaf People (NWDP) presentation, for example,

    PRO2 INTRODUCTION PRO1 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COUNTRY

    You do the introduction. I will do the Acknowledgement of Country

  • discussing and documenting success of an activity and aspects to change or improve on for future planning

Literacy

Personal and social capability

Mediating meaning in and between languages

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

AC9L2AU10EC03

  • collecting information from a variety of signed sources to inform class discussions on current affairs such the prevalent use of social media by young people, and discuss ways in which deaf students can access and utilise social media
  • researching, composing and presenting a persuasive speech designed to invite action or support on a selected issue such as a recycling, the environment, or other social or political cause
  • following procedural signed texts such as directions to follow in an unfamiliar environment, for example, at a school camp or on an excursion
  • reading or viewing First Nations Australians’ stories in Auslan or English, and creating a profile of them in Auslan
  • watching and summarising information provided by a guest speaker and comparing their own ideas and opinions with those of their peers
  • developing questions to interview an Auslan user about their experiences or opinions on specified topics, selecting key elements from the interview to produce a digital profile to share with the class
  • gathering information from signed texts from the Deaf community and Deaf-related organisations, such as emergency announcements or information, or advocacy texts, and rephrasing key points in a form suitable for a different audience or purpose
  • viewing texts such as interviews, news reports or vlogs and selecting points of information or details to use in their own texts or opinion pieces
  • evaluating Deaf performances or art forms that manipulate technology and the use of colour and light to create special effects
  • responding to signed poems and VV descriptions of a character’s appearance, for example, shadowing a sample of the VV work of well-known Deaf poets and artists
  • obtaining information about high-profile members of the international Deaf community to create profiles for a digital magazine or website, for example, the president of the World Federation of the Deaf (WFD)
  • viewing and responding to creative texts such as television programs, movies, songs and short stories

Literacy

Intercultural understanding

apply strategies to interpret and translate signed interactions, visual and written texts, to convey meaning and intercultural understanding in familiar and unfamiliar contexts

AC9L2AU10EC04

  • experimenting with literal Auslan translations of popular English idioms, noticing when this creates confusion, for example, ‘It’s raining cats and dogs’
  • recognising the need to recast language and considering why one language may use more words/signs than another to communicate a particular meaning, for example, when Auslan uses spatial concepts or DSs to describe an event, which will take longer to explicate in a linear spoken language
  • considering approaches to translation, for example, in relation to free versus literal translations by Deaf or hearing interpreters
  • comparing their own translations of short texts from Auslan to English, and vice versa, with those of their classmates, noting choices drawn from online sign dictionaries and discussing variations and possible reasons for these
  • translating poems, short stories or songs from English into Auslan
  • exploring the role and function of Deaf interpreters and differences between Deaf interpreters and hearing Auslan-English interpreters
  • developing guidelines on culturally appropriate and ethical behaviour when interpreting and translating, for example, considering potential consequences of inaccurate interpreting
  • interpreting simple interactions or role-plays between deaf students and non-signers such as a hearing teacher, librarian or canteen manager
  • participating in an excursion to an interpreted theatre event or other interpreted event, discussing interpretation later in class
  • transcribing part of a text using either annotation software or glossing, and recording what signs, spatial locations and NMFs are used

  • filming various Auslan multi-channel signs and expressions used by Auslan signers and attaching English captions with appropriate translations, for example, PAH! (finally) and BA-BA (odd/bizarre/unusual)

  • shadowing and comparing different translations of online Auslan and English public announcements and government policy/information texts
  • identifying strategies used by deaf people to negotiate physical environments, for example, while walking on a footpath together and signing, one person will always be monitoring the path ahead and be alert of any obstacles, and identifying other ways deaf people draw on additional perceptual resources
  • creating and presenting to their peers a signed interpretation of a wordless animation

Literacy

Intercultural understanding

Creating text in Auslan

create signed, visual and multimodal, informative and imaginative texts, selecting features of signing, depicting signs (DSs), non-manual features (NMFs) and signing space, for familiar and some unfamiliar contexts and purposes, to engage different audiences

AC9L2AU10EC05

  • presenting a biographical report on a prominent deaf person, using visual prompts to describe their life and achievements, and incorporating some commentary and personal opinion
  • providing instructions in an engaging or entertaining style to create interest in a group activity such as an information-gap game or a sign linguistics game
  • creating digital clips, social media posts or presentations in Auslan that are designed to persuade, inform or invite response on an issue of relevance such as recycling and ‘zero waste’
  • reflecting in Auslan on the impact of a visit to a significant cultural First Nations Country/Place location, and, with permission, referring to cultural knowledge of the site
  • creating a promotional signed text about the aims and goals of an upcoming event such as the school fete, an environmental walk, or a fundraiser for a local charity
  • composing and presenting a handshape or signed poem on a theme such as friendship or a favourite hobby or place
  • creating a short film in Auslan that incorporates a storyline or cultural twist appropriate for a deaf audience
  • create the next scene, a new character or an alternative ending for a signed fable, short story or cartoon
  • creating the script for a role-play about future travel plans, or a best/worst holiday experience, and performing with partner, incorporating elements of tension, humour or emotion
  • using VV to tell a simple story, incorporating close and distant focus

Literacy

Back to top of page