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• VCASFU087

  Understand the interrelationship between text types, linguistic features, cohesive devices, audience, context and purpose

  Elaborations

  • analysing expository texts, identifying characteristic language elements and features
  • analysing a videoed class debate to identify how language is used to justify opinions and persuade others
  • analysing an Auslan text in depth, for example by identifying characteristic features of the particular text type and discussing how language choices are made to take account of a text’s intended audience and purpose
  • noticing how grammatical choices shade meaning, reflect perspective and establish relationship between text participants, for example choosing to be more or less English-like in a particular context or relationship
  • noticing how signers can compare or contrast ideas by locating things in the same or opposing sides of signing space
  • applying knowledge of ellipsis to achieve cohesion

  VCASFU087 | Languages | Auslan | First Language Learner | F–10 Sequence | Levels 9 and 10 | Understanding | Systems of language

• VCASFU139

  Recognise and restrict signing to the standard signing space, and understand that pronouns, depicting signs and verbs can be located meaningfully in that space

  Elaborations

  • describing the range of signing space in normal signed discourse
  • comparing and contrasting Auslan and English pronouns
  • noticing that the beginning and end locations of some verbs can be modified to show the referents involved, for example:
    PRO1 ASK PRO3 versus PRO1 ASK-_her
    
  • identifying what sorts of things can be represented in a DS by handshape, for example, point can mean a person or tree or pole

  VCASFU139 | Languages | Auslan | Second Language Learner | F–10 Sequence | Foundation to Level 2 | Understanding | Systems of language

• VCASFU105

  Recognise similarities and differences in language features of different types of texts, and notice how signers build cohesion in texts

  Elaborations

  • recognising that texts are made up of one or more clauses, which have one or more signs in them, which together make meaning
  • looking at short recounts or narratives in Auslan and identifying information necessary to communicate with others such as who was involved or when and where the event happened
  • recognising that different signed texts serve different purposes and discussing and comparing these purposes, for example, a procedure is to explain how, a narrative is to entertain
  • identifying how signers use space to track participants through a text, for example by pointing back to an established location to refer to a noun referent
  • identifying the many ways signers can refer to the same referent in a text, for example by using DSs, points or list buoys, and noticing how such strategies help maintain interest and support understanding

  VCASFU105 | Languages | Auslan | First Language Learner | 7–10 Sequence | Levels 7 and 8 | Understanding | Systems of language

• VCASFC026

  Translate high-frequency signs/words and expressions in simple texts such as repeated lines in a story or captions, noticing similarities, differences and instances of equivalence

  Elaborations

  • comparing key signs in Auslan used in versions of children’s stories, for example, ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’, to English words used in written texts, and noticing how signs can convey rich, multilayered meaning which might not have a direct match in English captioning
  • playing matching-pair games with Auslan sign flashcards and English word cards, matching cards in both languages associated with concepts such as weather or animals
  • discussing the types of words/signs that seem to have direct matches/equivalents and those that equate to chunks of English in a single sign, for example GO-TO meaning to travel to/to attend/to go to in English
  • identifying the iconicity of some signs, such as RAINBOW or DRINK, and how similar they are to the object/referent, and discussing how this transparency might help ‘translatability’ of concepts for non-signers
  • identifying a list of gestures used by deaf people that might be easily understood by hearing people, for example, head nodding and shaking, pointing to the wrist for time, shrugging shoulders for don’t know
  • creating a class signed translation of repeated lines in familiar children’s stories, such as I’ll huff and I’ll puff and I’ll blow your house down and filming segments of such stories to screen to younger children in story reading sessions

  VCASFC026 | Languages | Auslan | First Language Learner | F–10 Sequence | Levels 3 and 4 | Communicating | Translating

• VCASFU053

  Explore the current status and profile of Auslan and of the Deaf community in contemporary Australian society, considering issues such as language transmission, usage and documentation

  Elaborations

  • discussing the diversity of Auslan users in the Australian community, including people who are deaf, those who are hard of hearing and hearing people such as CODAs and interpreters
  • investigating the signed languages used by deaf and hard of hearing members of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities
  • exploring variation in Auslan fluency among classmates and members of the Deaf community, considering the relevance of factors such as where and when individual users learnt to sign and whether they are from a Deaf or hearing family
  • mapping sign language use around the world using data from Ethnologue, for example by identifying and labelling countries with correct naming of the sign language used, such as France = LSF: Langue des Signes Française; Germany = DGS: Deutsche Gebärdensprache
  • finding representations of signing deaf people in the media or in literary texts, and evaluating how they and the language are represented
  • investigating the profile and distribution of members of the Deaf community, for example across states of Australia or by age or gender, using data from censuses and other sources to summarise and represent information in graph/visual forms, and to suggest possible explanations of patterns or statistics
  • understanding the role and function of Auslan–English interpreters and Deaf interpreters and the access and opportunities they provide to language users
  • recognising that many languages are well-documented, strong, healthy and widely used by many people across generations while others are less documented and robust
  • recognising that some languages have no written form and have historically been passed on face to face/orally, which means that they are less well recorded or documented
  • recognising language documentation as an important means of recording, maintaining, transmitting and revitalising a language
  • understanding the nature of transmission of Auslan, for example, that in most cases Auslan is not passed on from parent to child but from peers, or is learnt by children from adults outside the family, and that some deaf people learn Auslan later in early adulthood
  • describing how Auslan has been transmitted across generations and how it has been recorded, investigating reasons for the ‘oral’ tradition language transmission
  • using the UNESCO atlas to map the world’s minority languages and those that are in critical endangerment and to document the vitality of signed languages

  VCASFU053 | Languages | Auslan | First Language Learner | F–10 Sequence | Levels 5 and 6 | Understanding | Language awareness

• VCASFU126

  Understand that Auslan and Deaf culture are interrelated, that they shape and are shaped by each other, that their relationship changes over time and across contexts, and that they may be differently interpreted by users of other languages

  Elaborations

  • appreciating distinctions between Deaf cultures and other cultural minorities, such as the fact that most deaf people are born to hearing parents and acquire Deaf culture in addition to the culture of their families of origin from peers and other Auslan users in school or as adults in the Deaf community
  • exploring ways in which language choices reflect attitudes towards certain topics, such as oralism or cochlear implants, identifying examples of sign choices that reflect particular attitudes or views
  • understanding that knowledge about past and present Deaf people and about Deaf cultural values is embodied in and transmitted through Auslan, for example, ways of producing the sign for SIGN embody cultural meaning, regarding distinctions made and values placed on fluent or awkward signing
  • identifying differences between the use of personal names in Auslan and in other languages, for example, Auslan signers not using a person’s name sign when addressing them directly, in contrast to the practice in many spoken languages
  • considering cultural explanations for conversational strategies used by Auslan signers to avoid conflict and to maintain privacy, such as changing signing space and style, and using indirect language such as signing lower or under the table, or fingerspelling instead of signing overtly
  • appreciating the cultural value and importance of festivals and other events in the Deaf community, such as NWDP, as celebrations of language, history, culture and identity
  • reflecting on the ways that culture is interpreted by others, for example by identifying how stereotypes about deaf and hearing people influence perceptions among members of either community
  • understanding that ‘sound’ is accessed differently in Deaf culture, that the meaning and importance of sound in deaf people’s lives is usually not the same as in hearing people’s experience

  VCASFU126 | Languages | Auslan | First Language Learner | 7–10 Sequence | Levels 9 and 10 | Understanding | Role of language and culture

• VCASFC021

  Adjusting and responding to language and behaviour for various purposes in the classroom and wider school community, for example by asking and responding to questions, and indicating understanding

  Elaborations

  • asking for repetition and clarification, for example:
    WHAT?
    What was that?
    PLEASE AGAIN SIGN
    Please sign that again.
    WHAT MEAN?
    What do you mean?
    
  • responding to instructions when completing work or preparing for class
  • adopting different roles for effective group or pair-work interactions, such as group leader, note taker or reporter
  • using appropriate protocols when gaining the attention of a group, such as flashing lights, waving, multiple tapping or foot stomping in some contexts, waiting for eye contact or pauses in signing and using language such as EXCUSE or SORRY INTERRUPT or QUICK INTERRUPT when interrupting a conversation
  • responding appropriately to impromptu or more formal class and school announcements, such as assembly procedures
  • indicating understanding, for example:
    RIGHT-YEAH
    Aaah, right.
    
  • clarifying points of information, for example by asking:
    PRO2 MEAN…?
    Do you mean …?
    THAT RIGHT?
    Is that right?
    …RIGHT PRO1?
    … am I right?
    
  • using eye contact and clear signing with peers, teachers, visitors and community members
  • using an increasing range of interaction skills, such as initiating, maintaining and changing topics, remaining on task and taking turns in conversations
  • understanding how to walk between signers engaged in conversation without interrupting
  • developing appropriate conversational behaviours such as sharing ideas, acknowledging and extending others’ contributions and making use of discourse markers, fillers and NMFs, such as:
    SURPRISE
    oooh (with appropriate intonation)
    INCREDIBLE
    No way!
    WOW
    Wow!
    UM
    um
    
  • understanding and producing phrases to encourage and praise each other, for example, GOOD, EXCELLENT, CONGRATULATIONS

  VCASFC021 | Languages | Auslan | First Language Learner | F–10 Sequence | Levels 3 and 4 | Communicating | Socialising

• VCASFC023

  Conveying information about aspects of school, culture and community, using knowledge of the intended audience to modify content

  Elaborations

  • assembling an information pack about their school to support newly arrived deaf students using Auslan and visuals, including a signed glossary of the most relevant signs
  • conveying information about cultural events, for example a digital report about a Deaf visitor for a school newsletter or a class website
  • presenting factual information related to cultural activities and significant events such as Deaf festivals or sporting events, using visual supports such as a timeline
  • explaining a favourite computer game, sport or playground game to a younger audience, highlighting key terms and supporting the information with pictures, gestures and demonstrated actions
  • planning, rehearsing and delivering short presentations on chosen topics that take into account the particular purpose and intended audience
  • relaying messages between different members of groups/teams during different stages of a group activity such as a cross-country or relay event, noting any changes in meaning or content at the end of the process
  • signing a weekly informative text such as announcements, news updates or weather forecasts for the school website

  VCASFC023 | Languages | Auslan | First Language Learner | F–10 Sequence | Levels 3 and 4 | Communicating | Informing

• VCASFC133

  Express imaginative ideas and visual thinking through the use of familiar signs, mime and gestures, with a focus on emotions, appearance and actions

  Elaborations

  • using iconic signs to create variations to actions involved in familiar nursery rhymes, such as ‘Incy Wincy Spider’
  • exploring emotions through the use of NMFs, for example by re-enacting a familiar scenario and modifying emotions each time, for example by switching from fear to excitement to anger
  • depicting the movement of people, animals or means of transport by using handshapes in creative ways
  • creating amusing sequences of signs using a fixed handshape, such as the index finger ‘point’,
    PRO2 THINK PRO1 SHY?
    Do you think I’m shy?
    
  • using gestures and modelled signs to create short skits that convey emotions and behaviours associated with characters from familiar stories or rhymes
  • enacting the movements and characteristics of a particular animal through the use of constructed action

  VCASFC133 | Languages | Auslan | Second Language Learner | F–10 Sequence | Foundation to Level 2 | Communicating | Creating

• VCASFU144

  Notice that people use language in ways that reflect their culture, such as where and how they live, who they live with and what is important to them

  Elaborations

  • recognising that people from different places and backgrounds may use different languages and have ways of living and communicating that differ from their own
  • appreciating that culture and cultural difference means that people may value different things or live differently, noticing observable examples of such difference, such as ways of greeting (bowing versus shaking hands) or conveying information (through words versus signs)
  • exploring how learning Auslan involves entering into a visual world or culture, for example by exploring different connections with physical space, such as being able to communicate through windows, or from a distance
  • exploring how deaf people live in ways that may be different from how hearing people live, for example by responding to stimulus questions such as How do deaf people ensure they can always see other people who are signing? How do deaf people watch movies or television programs?
  • recognising the importance of facial expression, eye gaze and NMFs in conveying information in a visual-gestural language and culture
  • recognising the importance of community and culture in relation to their own lives and communities and in relation to other language groups and their communities

  VCASFU144 | Languages | Auslan | Second Language Learner | F–10 Sequence | Foundation to Level 2 | Understanding | Role of language and culture

• VCASFU231

  Recognise similarities and differences in language features of different types of texts and in Auslan and English texts of a similar type, and notice how texts build cohesion

  Elaborations

  • recognising that texts are made up of one or more clauses, which have one or more signs in them, which together make meaning
  • comparing a short text in Auslan with an equivalent type of English text (for example, a recount in both languages) and noticing similarities and differences in structure and language features
  • examining different examples of an Auslan text on the same topic, or telling the same story, and identifying different choices signers made in the production of the text, for example the amount of fingerspelling or CA they used
  • analysing linguistic structures and features associated with more dynamic texts, such as back-channels and hesitations used in casual conversations
  • identifying examples of signers pointing to an established location to refer to a non-present referent
  • identifying how signers use space to make clear the actor or undergoer of a verb through a text, for example by pointing back to an established location to refer to a noun referent
  • identifying the many ways signers can refer to the same referent in a text, for example by using DSs, points or list buoys, and how such strategies help maintain interest and support understanding

  VCASFU231 | Languages | Auslan | Second Language Learner | 7–10 Sequence | Levels 7 and 8 | Understanding | Systems of language

• VCASFU018

  Understand that people use language in ways that reflect their culture, such as where and how they live, who they live with and what is important to them

  Elaborations

  • recognising that people from different places and backgrounds may use different languages and have ways of living and communicating that differ from their own
  • appreciating that culture and cultural difference means that people may value different things or live differently, and noticing observable examples of such difference, such as ways of greeting (bowing versus shaking hands) or conveying information (through words versus signs)
  • exploring how hearing people live in ways that may be different from how deaf people live, for example by responding to stimuli such as: Compare how deaf and hearing people know someone is at the front door. or How do deaf and hearing people wake up in the morning?
  • recognising the importance of facial expression, eye gaze and non-manual features in conveying information in a visual-gestural language and culture
  • recognising the importance of language, community and culture in relation to their own lives and in relation to other language groups and their communities
  • considering how some spaces make deaf people feel comfortable, for example, contexts where distance between signers allows for easy visual access

  VCASFU018 | Languages | Auslan | First Language Learner | F–10 Sequence | Foundation to Level 2 | Understanding | Role of language and culture

• VCASFU180

  Reflect on how communities’ ways of using languages are shaped by, reflect and strengthen cultural values and beliefs and how these may be differently interpreted by users of other languages

  Elaborations

  • explaining the role of Auslan and Deaf culture in maintaining, reflecting and strengthening the Deaf community and its networks and significant places
  • understanding that knowledge about past and present Deaf people and cultural experience and values is embodied in and transmitted through Auslan, for example ways of producing the sign for SIGN reflect cultural values placed on fluency
  • identifying the cultural importance of elements of communication such as the use of signing space and proxemics by Auslan users, particularly in relation to a person passing between two signers, or to the positioning of communication partners
  • identifying cultural differences in the use of personal names in Auslan and their own background language, such as the fact that Auslan signers do not use a person’s name sign when addressing them directly as do users of many spoken languages
  • recognising that different types of expressive and imaginative performance in Auslan carry cultural as well as linguistic information, for example, a film or theatrical performance that represents typical miscommunication experiences between deaf and hearing people
  • reflecting on the ways culture is interpreted by others, for example by identifying how stereotypes about deaf and hearing people influence perceptions
  • understanding that ‘sound’ is accessed differently in Deaf culture, that the meaning and importance of sound in deaf people’s lives is not the same as in hearing people’s experience

  VCASFU180 | Languages | Auslan | Second Language Learner | F–10 Sequence | Levels 5 and 6 | Understanding | Role of language and culture

• VCASFU230

  Recognise and use elements of clause structure, such as noun groups/phrases or verb groups/phrases and using conjunctions to join clauses

  Elaborations

  • categorising noun signs into those for people, animals, places or things
  • learning that proper nouns can have a sign name or be fingerspelled
  • recognising different nouns in clauses, including those that are shown with a pointing sign, such as GIRL READ versus PRO3 READ, or VISIT FRIEND versus VISIT PRO3
  • knowing that adjectives describe nouns in different ways, such as how they look (BIG or RED), feel (SOFT or HOT), smell (SMELLY) or sound (LOUD)
  • recognising that a noun group is a group of signs that relate to a person, place or thing that can include elements such as adjectives or numbers
  • recognising that expanding a noun into a noun group enriches meaning
  • identifying verb signs (SIT, EAT, FEEL, WONDER, HAVE) and recognising that they are central to a clause
  • noticing there is no verb ‘to be’ in Auslan, which is a significant difference to English
  • exploring different semantic types of verbs in a text, for example by showing how:
    • doing (WALK, WRITE) and saying (TELL, CALL-OUT, ANNOUNCE) verbs in narrative texts give information about a characters’ actions
    • sensing (SEE, THINK) or possessing (THAT’S-TYPICAL-OF-THEM, OWN) verbs indicate what characters think, feel or own
  • relating verbs identify or describe a noun (for example, HAVE in PRO3 HAVE LONG-HAIR)
  • noticing that some signs modify the meaning of verbs, such as READ CAREFUL and that these are called adverbs
  • contributing examples of signs that tell:
    • when a verb happens (IN-2-WEEKS PRO1 HOLIDAY or WANT LUNCH NOW)
    • where a verb happens (PRO3 RUN FAR or COME HERE)
    • how a verb happens (FAST or SLOW or PRO2 QUICK FINISH)
  • noticing that sometimes Auslan signers have information about how a verb happens through NMFs not separate signs (for example, WRITE-_carelessly)
  • recognising that a verb group is a group of words built up around a verb that may include adverbs which modify the meaning of verbs and that adverbs and DSs can enrich a verb group
  • understanding that a clause is one or more signs expressing a single idea and that a clause has at least one verb, but often one or more nouns as well, for example:
    CALL-_him
    I called him.
    MAN THERE GO-TO POSS3 HOUSE
    That man went to his house.
    BIG MONSTER SCREAM
    A big monster screamed.
    
  • noticing that while word order in sentences is often important for meaning, there is flexibility in word order in Auslan and that because parts of a sentence can be signed simultaneously in Auslan, it is hard to establish word order
  • distinguishing between yes/no questions, wh- questions and statements and their corresponding NMFs

  VCASFU230 | Languages | Auslan | Second Language Learner | 7–10 Sequence | Levels 7 and 8 | Understanding | Systems of language

• VCASFC062

  Translate and interpret unfamiliar texts in Auslan or English and compare their translation to those of their classmates, considering why there might be differences in interpretation and how language reflects elements of culture and experience

  Elaborations

  • identifying Auslan phrases and expressions encountered in unfamiliar texts that do not translate literally into English, comparing their interpretation with those of their classmates
  • considering possible consequences of lack of equivalence between Auslan and English words and phrases in terms of intercultural communication, providing examples from their own experience
  • analysing an Auslan version of a frozen text such as the Australian National Anthem, considering why some words or expressions require freer translation than others
  • developing in consultation with deaf Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and elders an Acknowledgement of Country in Auslan that is appropriate to their school location for use in gatherings, events and school assemblies
  • paraphrasing and summarising short Auslan texts containing unfamiliar content, providing simple translations in written English
  • translating simple filmed texts in Auslan into transcribed written English captions
  • shadowing quality signed texts in Auslan as a pre-interpreting skill and as a means to enhance presenting skills and confidence as a subset of interpreting skills
  • comparing translations in Auslan, BSL and International Sign of stories such as ‘Little Red Riding Hood’ to Auslan versions of the same stories, discussing differences in vocabulary and approaches to translation on a free to literal continuum
  • comparing their own translations of short set texts in Auslan or English with those of their classmates, noting variations and discussing possible reasons for these
  • observing and interacting with deaf guests to the classroom who use different signed languages, such as ASL or a traditional signed language used by deaf Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, identifying any differences between languages and acting as interpreter with support
  • evaluating different interpretations of selected texts, using translation resources such as Mac software, digital dictionaries and online materials, considering questions such as Does this represent the exact meaning? What other ways could this be interpreted or translated?
  • explaining the role of accredited Auslan–English interpreters and that of Deaf interpreters in the Deaf community, demonstrating through role-play correct protocols for working with interpreters
  • exploring metaphors used in Deaf art and discussing whether these translate well to the hearing world
  • role-playing basic sight translation techniques with simple, school-specific or everyday texts, using an autocue or text and signing the translation to camera
  • developing a written English glossary of terminology in relation to sign language translation and interpreting

  VCASFC062 | Languages | Auslan | First Language Learner | F–10 Sequence | Levels 7 and 8 | Communicating | Translating

• VCASFC037

  Interact with people for different purposes, using descriptive and expressive language to give opinions, talk about themselves and show interest in others

  Elaborations

  • comparing personal experiences and opinions and expressing agreement or disagreement in a respectful manner, for example:
    AGREE YES or PRO1 AGREE
    Yes, I agree.
    PRO1 KNOW WHAT MEAN, BUT…
    I know what you mean, but …
    DOUBT
    I’m not sure
    AGREE-NOT
    I don’t agree …
    
  • using NMFs and eye gaze to gain, hold or finish a turn when communicating in pairs or groups
  • discussing school experiences or events, for example:
    THEATRE GOOD, LONG-_really
    I liked the theatre performance but it was soo long.
    SCHOOL SWIMMING RACE, GOOD BAD, PRO2 THINK WHAT?
    What did you think about the swimming carnival?
    
  • using interactional strategies such as paraphrasing, questioning and interpreting non-verbal cues when communicating with their peers or teacher
  • participating in online exchanges such as vlogs with deaf Auslan users in other contexts to discuss topics of shared interest, such as peer pressure or family expectations
  • exchanging views with their peers to identify values that they hold as important, for example, caring for the environment or providing support resources for the deaf community such as subtitles on TV/movies

  VCASFC037 | Languages | Auslan | First Language Learner | F–10 Sequence | Levels 5 and 6 | Communicating | Socialising

• VCASFU228

  Identify and describe all elements of sign production, including handshape and its orientation, movement, location and non-manual features, and look at the link between signs and their referents in terms of iconicity

  Elaborations

  • realising that meaning is communicated through the use of signs, pictures, written or spoken words or miming
  • identifying a sign's handshape and its orientation, for example, COCKATOO (hs:5, palm left) and SOCCER (hs:fist)
  • identifying and demonstrating signs with a change in handshape, for example FIND or BEST
  • identifying and demonstrating signs with a change in orientation, for example CAN-NOT or HOW
  • noticing the path movement of a particular sign and identifying signs associated with the major types of path movements, for example, THROUGH (forwards) or FULL (down to up)
  • noticing the five major locations of signs on the body or in space, and identifying signs associated with each, such as SEE (head/face), SAY (mouth/chin), WHY (chest), TALK (hand) and ONE (signing space)
  • thinking of body-anchored signs, such as HEAD or WHY, and signs that are not body anchored, such as HAVE or STOP, and recognising that non-body anchored signs can be located in space around the signer
  • understanding that NMFs can also be an element of a sign and can show emotional states such as a happy expression, or grammatical information, for example, a frown to mark a negative, and identifying examples of NMFs in a text
  • noticing that in a stretch of connected signing a sign will often be produced differently to the way it is shown in a dictionary
  • distinguishing between single, double and two-handed signs, and identifying which hand is dominant and which is non-dominant in two-handed signs
  • noticing that in signed languages meaning can be expressed through whole signs or through fingerspelling
  • comparing iconic signs that provide visual images of referents, such as DRINK, ELEPHANT with English words that map to the sound images of the referents, such as animal noises, or words for sounds such as bang or woof woof
  • identifying signs with different levels of iconicity, for example, those that are fully transparent, translucent or arbitrary
  • experimenting with different methods of capturing signed languages, such as: a class-invented script, drawing pictures, videoing, English glosses or ASL-phabet

  VCASFU228 | Languages | Auslan | Second Language Learner | 7–10 Sequence | Levels 7 and 8 | Understanding | Systems of language

• VCASFU158

  Understand that clauses can be enriched through the use of adjectives and adverbs (when, where, how), often produced with non-manual features

  Elaborations

  • exploring different semantic types of verbs in a text, for example by showing how:
    • doing (WALK, WRITE) and saying (TELL, CALL-OUT ANNOUNCE?) verbs in narrative texts give information about a characters’ actions
    • sensing (SEE, THINK) or possessing (BELONG, OWN) verbs indicate what characters think, feel or own
    • relating verbs identify or describe a noun, for example, HAVE in PRO3 HAVE LONG-HAIR
  • understanding how DSs and adverbs can give extra information about an activity
  • noticing that some signs modify the meaning of verbs, such as READ CAREFUL and that these are called adverbs
  • contributing examples of signs that tell
    • when a verb happens (IN-2-WEEKS PRO1 HOLIDAY or WANT LUNCH NOW)
    • where a verb happens (PRO3 RUN FAR or COME HERE)
    • how a verb happens (FAST or SLOW or PRO2 QUICK FINISH)
  • understanding that, in terms of meaning, a basic clause represents: a happening or a state (verb), who or what is involved (noun or nouns) and the surrounding circumstances (adverb or adverbs)
  • knowing that signing involves either telling with signs or showing with DSs and periods of CA
    MAN WALK SLOW
    DS(point):man-walks-slowly
    CA:man-swinging-arms-nonchalantly
    

  VCASFU158 | Languages | Auslan | Second Language Learner | F–10 Sequence | Levels 3 and 4 | Understanding | Systems of language

• VCASFU247

  Understand that signs can include different information including a gestural overlay, and identify how signers establish spatial locations, types of depicting signs and ways of showing constructed action

  Elaborations

  • recognising that Auslan has fully-lexical signs that are in the dictionary and have a standard handshape, movement and location, and partly-lexical signs that cannot be listed in a dictionary in all forms as gesture changes the form each time they are signed
  • noticing that meaning is created in Auslan from fully-lexical signs, partly-lexical signs, non-lexical signing and gesture and comparing with the range of ways English speakers create meaning, including spoken words, modifying intonation, and gesture
  • noticing that fully- and partly-lexical signs can include grammatical information not included in a ‘citation’ form, for example, the sign TELL-_me is not listed separately to TELL (towards neutral space) and GO-TO includes GO-TO-_often
  • noticing that single-digit numbers can be separate lexical items or merged into other signs (numeral incorporation) such as those for ages (for example, 5-YEARS-OLD) or adverbs of time (for example, 3-WEEKS-AGO) or pronouns (WE3, WE4)
  • identifying where and how a signer has established a location in space, for example through the use of points, non-body-anchored signs or fingerspelled words
  • recognising that signers must make explicit which referent is associated with a location, but do not need to continue to make this explicit throughout a text
  • recognising that signers can set up referents in the signing space close to them (viewer space, for example, using a bC handshape (use of non-dominant hand) to indicate putting a glass on a table) or distant (diagrammatic, for example, using 5claw in two locations to represent two houses)
  • recognising that in viewer space, signers can use locations for present referents, non-present referents, or abstract referents that do not exist in space
  • identifying instances of DSs and their type independently
  • comparing English adjectives with SASS DSs
  • learning that the function of CA is to represent the words, thoughts or actions of a protagonist in a text, either themselves or another
  • knowing that in CA a signer can shift into the role of another, or themselves at a different time, through eye gaze change, body shift, head orientation change, and matching facial expressions

  VCASFU247 | Languages | Auslan | Second Language Learner | 7–10 Sequence | Levels 9 and 10 | Understanding | Systems of language

• VCASFU179

  Explore the current status and profile of Auslan and of the Deaf community in contemporary Australian society, considering issues such as language transmission, usage and documentation

  Elaborations

  • describing the visibility and use of Auslan in the wider community, for example in television programs, on the news, at community events, sporting fixtures and in emergency announcements
  • discussing the diversity of Auslan users in the Australian community, including people who are deaf, those who are hard of hearing and hearing people such as CODAs and interpreters
  • investigating the signed languages used by deaf and hard of hearing members of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities
  • exploring variation in Auslan fluency among classmates and members of the Deaf community, considering the relevance of factors such as where and when individual users learnt to sign and whether they are from a Deaf or hearing family
  • mapping sign language use around the world using data from Ethnologue, for example by identifying and labelling countries with correct naming of the sign language used, such as France = LSF: Langue des Signes Française; Germany = DGS: Deutsche Gebärdensprache
  • finding representations of signing deaf people in the media or in literary texts, and evaluating how they and the language are represented
  • investigating the profile and distribution of members of the Deaf community, for example across states of Australia or by age or gender, using data from censuses and other sources to summarise and represent information in graph/visual forms, and to suggest possible explanations of patterns or statistics
  • understanding the role and function of Auslan–English interpreters and Deaf interpreters and the access and opportunities they provide to language users
  • recognising that many languages are well-documented, strong, healthy and widely used by many people across generations while others are less well-documented and robust
  • recognising that some languages have no written form and have historically been passed on face to face/orally, which means that they are less well recorded or documented
  • recognising language documentation as an important means of recording, maintaining, transmitting and revitalising a language
  • understanding the nature of transmission of Auslan, for example, that in most cases Auslan is not passed on from parent to child but from peers, or is learnt by children from adults outside the family, and that some Deaf people learn Auslan later in early adulthood
  • describing how Auslan has been transmitted across generations and how it has been recorded, investigating reasons for the ‘oral’ tradition language transmission
  • using the UNESCO atlas to map the world’s minority languages and those that are in critical endangerment and to document the vitality of signed languages
  • exploring how different technologies are used by deaf people to support social networks and strengthen their community and language
  • explaining the significance of stories linked to Deaf social history and the responsibility of the Deaf community to convey shared experiences that relate to Deaf history and significant sites, for example by sharing stories about school days in the past
  • identifying examples of deaf people who have been recognised for different reasons in wider Australian society, for example, Alastair McEwin or Drisana Levitzke-Gray, and discussing how such recognition contributes to broader awareness of Auslan in Australia

  VCASFU179 | Languages | Auslan | Second Language Learner | F–10 Sequence | Levels 5 and 6 | Understanding | Language awareness