Auslan F-6
Foundation students have participated in two Auslan lessons so far. They are learning how to sign “How are you?” and respond with “Good, thank you.” They have also played games to help them recognise Auslan colours. The students are enthusiastic about learning new signs, which is wonderful to see.
Grades 1/2 students have been revising farm animals and using this vocabulary to practise answering questions in Auslan, such as “Pig, colour what?” The class has enjoyed watching Auslan stories about animals, including Pip and Annie Go to the Country—an engaging story about two platypuses visiting the countryside and meeting a variety of animals. This story provided valuable opportunities to revisit and reinforce signs students have already learned, all presented in Auslan.
Students also participated in interactive games such as Pass the Sign, where a sign or short sentence is passed along a line of students. Through this activity, children practised gaining a partner’s attention, maintaining eye contact, and improving the accuracy of their signing in a fun and supportive environment.
Grade 3 and 4 students have been exploring Australian and zoo animals while continuing to build their Auslan skills. They have learned new animal signs and used these to practise asking and answering questions, such as “Goats, how many?” and responding with “Goats, four.”
We have been discussing how Auslan and English have different sentence structure and that in Auslan we start with the topic word first. We have also talked about Iconic signs which are signs that look like the word we are signing. A lot of the animal signs fall into this category.
Students have participated in games, including Guess the Sign, where one student changes a sign and others work together to identify what has changed. The class has also been practising the Auslan alphabet by playing Hangman using our vocabulary words. These activities have helped reinforce both signing accuracy and confidence in a fun, interactive way.
Grade 5 and 6 students recently enjoyed reading You Are in the Wrong Book by Nick Bland. The story follows Nicholas Ickle as he attempts to tell his tale, only to be continually interrupted by characters from other books. Inspired by this playful idea, students designed their own interrupting characters and learned to sign the phrases My name is, This book is about…, and Go away, you are in the wrong book in Auslan.
As part of their learning, students have continued exploring the differences between Auslan and English sentence structure, with a focus on how Auslan often begins with the topic, especially when asking questions. The class has also been practising the Auslan alphabet through games of Hangman using our vocabulary words. Students are becoming faster and more accurate with their fingerspelling and increasingly confident using questions within games. Below is an example of their wonderful creations.
