Languages- Auslan

ir fingerspelling  Communicating with the Specialist Team

We look forward to partnering with you in 2024, and welcome your input:

Amanda Oakley (Languages- Auslan) Amanda.Oakley2@education.vic.gov.au

Shar Stjerne (Languages- Auslan) Shar.Stjerne@education.vic.gov.au

A big thank you to all of the students who have enthusiastically welcomed Auslan into their weekly routine at school during  2023. Seeing them eagerly greet their friends, greet other students and teachers in Auslan is a wonderful sight to see. We have heard several stories from students who have already used their skills within their community to communicate with a person who is Deaf or Hard of Hearing (HoH). We hope that in addition to learning a new language, learning to communicate in Auslan will build students' understanding of what being inclusive means, the importance of communication, diversity, and the value of shared experiences with others. 

Foundation 

The Foundation have continued building their familiarity with some common handshapes and many created fishbowls, rivers or the sea around their 'fish' flat handshape. We have also started to explore question words and discussed the difference between spoken English and Auslan.

We read the familiar story 'Where is the Green Sheep' by Mem Fox and students cut and pasted the sign pictures in order followed by drawing their own Green Sheep hiding somewhere. 

The past week has been filled with finishing off work, revising signs from the year with games and learning some festive signs that are common for many at this time of the year.

Many of the Foundation students are now signing their full name when we take the roll at the beginning of each session. At a minimum, EVERY student signs the first letter of their name, and as they have been building their skills and confidence, they are signing more letters. I look forward to observing this confidence grow next year, when students will have time to consolidate their fingerspelling skills. 

Year One 

Year One students have been busy placing their fish in bowls, rivers and the sea and discussing the various handshapes. They are regularly naming many handshapes when we learn new signs. In addition, the students are becoming more visually receptive when watching Auslan interpreted stories online, and can identify many familiar signs. 

The students have all been working hard at practising their fingerspelling and most students are signing their name or well on the way to remembering each letter without the need to look at a prompt sheet. Moving into Year 2 in 2024, students will continue to build this knowledge and skills with the goal of confidently fingerspelling their own name and the names of their peers. 

 Similar to the Foundation students, they have been learning about similarities and differences between English and Auslan languages in terms of syntax and grammar, in particular, the use of question words/signs. 

The students have participated in revision games, puzzles and finishing off tasks based on colours, numbers, alphabet, and animals.

Year 2

The year two students have been consolidating their communication skills around colours, fingerspelling and festive vocabulary to round off their first term of Auslan studies. Co-creating posters for the classroom to share their knowledge of the different colours was a great lesson. Lots of fine motor skills being strengthened by sticking little stickers on our colour posters which were then hung on the wall and utilised by all the students coming into the classroom to support various games and activities. 

To round off the year, the students were given the opportunity to create a Christmas card for a teacher, to celebrate the end of the year and to share the festive signs they had been learning. All the teachers were very appreciative of their kinds words and creativity.

Thank you, Year Two students. It has been a wonderful term introducing you to Auslan.

Year 3 & 4

In Year Three and Four the students have been putting sentences together from some of the lessons over the last term. There are new signs that have been integrated into their I like/don't like statements around food and sports. There are many students that are very confident in fingerspelling their names and recognising their peers names. 

Games and activities have been a shared experience to review their new vocabulary and a way to watch others signing and recognise different styles. Being comfortable in using the facial expressions and body language to expand on their communication has been a delight to watch. The students also had the choice to makes some Christmas cards for their teachers and it was wonderful to hand them out.

Well done Year Three and Four students on a wonderful term. The students should be very proud of what they have achieved in such a short time. See you in the new year. 

Year 5 & 6

It's wonderful to share with you that the Year Five and Six students have been actively consolidating their learning through various class activities. Exploring different areas of the Deaf community is a valuable and enriching experience for students. Combining this with their own interest in sports and activities provided a spring point into some great discussions.

The upcoming Australian Deaf Games in Newcastle (13-20, January 2024) is a fantastic world event and highlights the achievements and capabilities of Deaf athletes. The Games will be broadcast on Fox Sports on Foxtel. The link (https://austdeafgames.org.au/) is a valuable resource for more information so the students can explore and stay connected with the events.

The Year Five and Six students have been actively involved in creating resources such as posters, flashcards, and games. This has been a valuable addition to their learning and others around the school. Festive vocabulary was the focus of the last class for the year and students had the opportunity to create a Christmas card for one of the Teachers if they chose too. All recipients of the cards were very appreciative. 

Thank you to all the Five/Six students. You have been an amazing group to teach this term. Good luck to the Year Six cohort!

And in Graduation news.

I would like to offer the Auslan award to 

Ryley D. 

Ryley has shown great initiative, keen interest and stepped up to the challenge of a new subject in the last term of his primary schooling. He is courteous and mindful of others and asks interesting, yet topical questions. He made me feel very welcomed into a new school and offered help when needed. Ryley is a willing contributor to class discussions with thoughtful responses that show critical thinking skills and empathy towards our diverse community. I look forward to hearing great things from Ryley in the future. 

Congratulations to all 2023 Graduates.

In the new year.

We are very excited about bringing in new resources, activities, vocabulary and more in the year to come. 

Hoping you all have a wonderful holiday and see you in 2024.