Auslan Report
Welcome to our first Auslan newsletter for Term 2! This fortnight Grade Preps will be learning the topics Deaf Culture and Feelings. Grades 1-6 students will learn about Food and Inside Appliances. When learning about Deaf Culture, Grade Preps will draw one of the three culturally important things to do when you meet a Deaf person. These involve eye contact, smiling and greeting. Students will also understand how deaf people communicate using the Auslan language and the things that are important to deaf people in the community.
When learning about Feelings, Grade Preps will learn to sign the words: proud, silly, love, calm, excited, scared, sad, happy, bored, sick, nervous, angry, surprised, shy, safe, tired, and brave. Students will practise the Feelings song with the teacher and will draw a picture of their face and choose a feeling for the facial expression. Grade Preps will share their drawings and sign how they are feeling.
Grades 1-6 will learn about Food that will focus on a picnic setting. The words they will learn to sign are: picnic, basket, rug, sandwich, cheese, meat, lettuce, nuts, cake, water, roll, biscuit, rice and noodles. Grade 1/2 students will create a Picnic lunch by working in pairs. They will discuss with a partner some foods that they would pack in their picnic lunch box or picnic basket using Auslan. From there they will draw and share their items using Auslan. Grade 3-6 students will do a similar activity by students telling their partners in Auslan what they want in their picnic basket. The other student will draw it in the picnic basket template. From there students will check if they were correct and then change roles. Grade 5/6 students will have the extra challenge by drawing their ideal picnic lunch in the template sheet first and then using Auslan to describe what was in the picnic basket.
When learning about Inside Appliances, students will practise signing the following words: lamp, heater, charger, dishwasher, vacuum, fan, kettle, rice cooker, iron, clothes dryer and hairdryer. Grade 1/2 students will use mimes (constructed action) to indicate one of the signs taught, e.g. standing in front of a heater rubbing their hands together to indicate a heater as the appliance. Someone from the other group watching will indicate what the mime was and answer with the correct sign. Grade 3/4 students will play an inside appliance matching card game which will be played in pairs or small groups. This will involve each student turning over 2 cards in an attempt to match them with a word and picture. As they turn each card they must sign what is on the card or fingerspell the word if it’s a word. When they find a match they keep the cards. Grade 5/6 students will play the spell/sign game. This activity will entail students being seated in a circle on the floor. The first student finger spells one of the words on the whiteboard indicating an inside appliance and the following students in the circle will finger spell the corresponding/associated signs until all are completed.
As our students build their repertoire of words, engage in conversations and enjoy practising signs together as learnt by our students! Please scan the QR Code below which will provide you with YouTube videos to assist in practising together at home.
Keep updated on learning Auslan each fortnight in our Partners in Learning Newsletter!
Jess Pfister
