Auslan Report

Grade Prep

In the first two weeks of Term 3, Grade Preps will learn the topics Fruit and Zoo Animals. When learning about Fruit the teacher will mention a fruit and ask the students if they can recall the sign. Together the class will sign each of the fruit signs taught in the video. Grade Preps will also learn the Fruit Salad poem and change the fruit signs in the song.

When learning about Zoo Animals, Grade Preps will practise the song ‘We’re Going to the Zoo’ and change the animals and their actions/movements. The teacher will demonstrate to encourage the students to recall the zoo animal signs.

Fruit salad:

Yum yum

Fruit in my tummy

What fruit do you like?

What fruit don't you like?

I like sweet apples

In my fruit salad

I don’t like sour lemon

In my fruit salad

Fruit salad

Yum yum

Fruit salad

In my tummy

We’re Going to the Zoo (song)

We all go Zoo tomorrow

Zoo tomorrow

Zoo tomorrow

We all go Zoo tomorrow

We can stay all day.

We will see Lions sleeping

Lions sleeping

Lions sleeping

We all go zoo tomorrow

We can stay all day

We will see giraffes chewing

Giraffes chewing

Giraffes chewing

We all go zoo tomorrow

We can stay all day

We will see monkeys climbing

Monkeys climbing

Monkeys climbing

We all go zoo tomorrow

We can stay all day.

Grade 1

In the first two weeks of Term 3, Grade 1’s will learn the topics, Restaurant (dinner) and School Signs. When learning about Restaurant (dinner), students will focus on food preferences and practise the food signs. The activity will involve a student standing in front of the class and signing a food that they like and other students respond to what they see. Each student will have a turn signing the food they like. They can also sign what food they don’t like which will include using the appropriate facial expression to convey this. Grade 1’s will also revise their breakfast food, fruit and picnic lunch signs previously learnt.

Students will learn School Signs by participating in a game called Kim’s Game. This activity involves a variety of items placed on a tray with a covering. The teacher will remove the covering and ask all students to look closely at the items. Students will have their eyes closed and backs turned while the teacher removes an item. Students will need to look at the

tray again to decide what is missing. Once they identify the item students will use Auslan to explain which item is missing. The game will continue to give students an opportunity to practise signing different school signs.

Grades 2-6

In the first two weeks of Term 3, Grades 2-6 will learn the topics Australian Animals and HOLM NMF (Expression). When learning about Australian Animals, Grade 2 students will play The 4 Corner Game, Grade 3/4 students will do a find your Australian animal group activity and Grade 5/6 students will do a describing animals circle. In the 4 corner game (Australian animals), 4 pictures of Australian animals are placed in a corner around the room. The teacher signs one of the animals and the students move as quickly and safely as possible to that picture. The game continues so students can focus on learning the Australian animal signs. The teacher will also fingerspell animal names to challenge students further.

The ‘Find your Australian animal group’ activity will encourage students to solely use Auslan with no voice. Each student is given an animal written on a strip that they must keep secret. Each student approaches another student and needs to find out if their animal is the same by only using Auslan signing. Students with the same animal will need to go into the same area allocated by the teacher. Students will also be encouraged to fingerspell animal signs.

In the describing Australian animals circle, the first student signs an Australian animal (no voicing), the next student repeats the sign and adds a descriptive sign which can be a colour or one of the signs previously taught e.g. koala fur. Students continue in the circle introducing other Australian animals including signing a description. Fingerspelling can also be included to challenge students.

When learning about HOLM NMF students will revise HOLM (handshape, orientation, location, movement) and discuss NMF (non manual features) - facial expression and body language. Students will continue to consolidate their understanding of what happens when

you change Handshape, Orientation, Location, or movement. When changing any of those features, the sign also changes. The focus on this lesson will be on what happens when you change the NMF. Grade 2-6 students will work in pairs to use NMF to represent an activity or opinions/feelings. Students will be given the opportunity to explore other ideas that they could practise NMF changes with.

Keep updated on learning Auslan each fortnight in our Partners in Learning Newsletter during Term 3.

Mrs Jessica Pfister