Auslan Report

Grade Prep

In weeks 5 and 6 of Term 2, Grade Preps will learn about Sea Animals and Days, Weeks and Months. When learning about Sea Animals students will play a mime game where they work in a whole class circle or small groups. One student will mime a Sea Animal and the other students must guess what it is - by signing the animal. All Grade Preps will have the opportunity to mime as roles will be swapped. They will be encouraged to play with ‘no voice’ to emphasise signing in Auslan. Grade Preps will also practise a poem called ‘Under the Sea’. 

Grade Prep students will practise the Days, Weeks and Months by working in a circle and the teacher or student starting by fingerspelling a day of the week. Students will need to guess the sign and then take turns also fingerspelling a day of the week. Learning will continue in the lesson by Grade Preps practising the Days of the Week Song.

Grade 1

In weeks 5 and 6 of Term 2, Grade 1’s will learn the topics Camping and Birds. In the camping lesson students will create camping scenes in small groups using Constructed Action/mime. Examples of some of the scenes they could mime are: Packing the car, Arriving, Collecting wood and starting a Campfire. Each group will choose a scene to prepare using Constructed Action (mime) and communicate using Auslan only. Groups will share their scenes with the whole class and other students will follow the mime. 

When learning about Birds, Grade 1’s will play a Concentration Game (match pictures of the birds). As students each take a turn to turnover a card in an attempt to match them, they must also practise the Auslan signs to name the type of bird. This activity will engage students and support their Auslan learning. 

Grades 2-6

In weeks 5 and 6 of Term 2, Grades 2-6 students will learn about Use of Space and Back to Basics. In the Use of Space lesson, students will talk about Real and Diagrammatic Space. Real Space is when you are referring to something that is really there and Diagrammatic Space is when you use your hands to explain a diagram or map. This is frequently used in Auslan and important to know how it is used. Lesson Activities will encourage students to show good/appropriate signing space versus not good/inappropriate signing space and use real space to indicate an object/item in the classroom.

When learning about Back to Basics students will revise fingerspelling and signing of the alphabet. Grades 2-6 students will be given categories such as Family and Colours to practise fingerspelling Auslan signs. They will need to fingerspell and combine signs to create clauses such as R, E, D car. Grade 5/6 students will extend their clauses using more words to sign and fingerspelling, for example, Tree tall wind FALL. 

Keep updated on learning Auslan each fortnight in our Partners in Learning Newsletter during Term 2. 

Mrs Jessica Pfister