Auslan 

We are excited to introduce Auslan (Australian Sign Language) as a new subject at our school this year. Students in Prep, Grade 1 and Grade 2 have enthusiastically begun their journey into learning the language of the Australian Deaf community.

To begin our learning, students explored the question: What is Auslan? We discussed that Auslan is a visual language used by many Deaf and hard of hearing people across Australia. We have watched short informative videos to help students build understanding about deafness and communication. This sparked thoughtful conversations about inclusion, awareness and different ways people communicate.

Students have been learning important conversation skills through our “Hello Song,” practising signs for Hello, How are you?, and responses such as I am well, tired and hungry. 

A major focus so far has been colours. Students have learnt to sign a range of colours and enjoyed singing and signing along to I Can Sing a Rainbow. Activities such as Colour Jenga, scavenger hunts, and colouring worksheets have helped reinforce vocabulary whilst also having some fun together.

Finger spelling has also been introduced, with students learning to sign the letters of their own names using laminated name cards. As an exit pass, students proudly demonstrated the starting letter of their name in Auslan.

It has been wonderful to see students confidently using their hands, faces and bodies to communicate. We are especially looking forward to sharing our songs and signing at the upcoming Family Afternoon on March 19th and celebrating our learning with the school community. We look forward to continuing to build our Auslan skills throughout the year and celebrating this rich and expressive language together :)