Auslan News
Molesworth St Campus
From Simone, Junior school Auslan teacher
Welcome to the first Molesworth Auslan newsletter!
Due to the growing nature of the Auslan subject, the Molesworth and Errol campuses will now have individual newsletters as we are doing such different things at each campus! It’s so exciting to watch each year level evolve to reach their full academic potential, and we are thrilled to see students taking on the challenge to further themselves.
It was wonderful to meet 36 different sets of parents during these recent parent-teacher interviews, and hear the feedback that many of your children are teaching you Auslan at home! Numerous parents asked how they could better support their children, so the Molesworth newsletter will contain each fortnight’s posters and suggestions for helping kids practise at home (without it feeling like homework).
This fortnight, we learnt how to sign different clothing, describe them in terms of texture and colour, and ask a shopkeeper to buy clothes in exchange for an amount between $1-$20. Ms Simone played the role of the ‘shop keeper’, with all exchanges taking place through Auslan, and only students who could sign a new item of clothing would be able to buy from her Auslan shop. Students pretended to buy hats, pyjamas, shoes, raincoats, jeans, coats, jumpers, shorts, dresses, gloves, socks, school uniforms, skirts and T-shirts until the shop was empty!
Many shy students - who don’t normally raise their hand - were more inclined to try this game as there was the kinaesthetic reward: holding what they had “bought”, feeling the texture and, in some cases, trying on over-sized pieces of clothing. There were a lot of laughs as we began our clothing signs journey, with students parading adult sized clothing to their peers and showing off their amazing Auslan recall skills.
The second main activity from the last fortnight was a design, colour, and cut task in which students created two different outfits for themselves (see left). After cutting along the dotted lines, they were able to lift the flaps and mix and match the two outfits. They later shared their work with peers or the whole class, signing the items of clothing they had drawn.
Every class complained that they didn’t get to take these home to show you all—so please feel free to print the blank copy to try at home! This activity supported their fine motor skills, creativity, interpersonal skills, and Auslan recall.
How can I help?
‘Auslan Time with Geo’ is a free YouTube resource that is wonderful for practicing Southern dialect Auslan. Like all languages, Auslan has regional variations, and there are small differences between the Auslan used in different Australian states and territories.
Fun fact: Some families even switch between Auslan, American Sign Language (ASL), Signed English, and unique family signs! (Just like hearing families may have inside jokes, Deaf families often have special sign names or family-specific signs for one another.)
If you'd like to practise with your child at home—especially during daily routines like getting ready for school—watching this short video together could be a fun and effective way to build your Auslan skills as family
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/a8wKQ2Ma7EQ
Please feel free to print our classroom posters to practice with your children.
Lastly, we are excited to introduce our Auslan Student of the Week award starting this week. This award will celebrate students who demonstrate exceptional effort, creativity, or improvement in their Auslan learning. It’s a great way to acknowledge their hard work and encourage continued engagement.
