Auslan

Auslan News: Celebrating a Term of Learning and Connection

This term, our students achieved fantastic milestones in Auslan! Across all year levels, students have been developing their communication skills, building vocabulary, and gaining a deeper understanding of Deaf culture.

• Prep: Our youngest learners focused on signs for clothing, weather, and family, while building basic sentences. They also discovered Deaf media by watching Auslan videos of Sally and Possum.
• Years 1 & 2:  Students focused on time concepts, practicing phrases such as ‘On Monday, I went…’, ‘Last Sunday, I played…’, and ‘Last week, we had…’. Transitioning between spoken language and using Auslan just for 40 minutes a week can be challenging, but our students are doing remarkably well!
• Year 3: Students put their skills into practice by recording and exchanging video messages with classmates to practice every day, meaningful conversation.
• Years 4 to 6: Older primary students recorded and sent video message to peers in other classes, creating a fun and interactive way to connect across year levels.
• Years 5 & 6: In addition to their conversational video exchanges, senior students completed research projects on inspirational Deaf Leaders of their choice and presented their findings to the class.

I am extremely proud of the effort, growth, and enthusiasm every student has shown this term. It has been a wonderful and successful term of Auslan learning!

Dianne Herrmann

Auslan Teacher