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• VCASFU051

  Identify structures, language features and cohesive devices used in different types of texts, recognising that language choices reflect purpose, context and audience

  Elaborations

  • examining different examples of an Auslan text type (for example, one to inform or one to persuade) and identifying choices signers made, for example the amount of fingerspelling they used
  • noticing how signers achieve textual cohesion and coherence through the use of connectives that create links between clauses, for example BUT and G:WELL
  • identifying the many ways signers can refer to the same referent in a text, for example by using DSs, points, list buoys, and how such strategies support understanding
  • annotating in ELAN or similar software where a signer is using established locations to refer to a noun referent

  VCASFU051 | Languages | Auslan | First Language Learner | F–10 Sequence | Levels 5 and 6 | Understanding | Systems of language

• VCASFU192

  Identify different types of non-manual features and characteristics of signs, including iconicity, and explore the use of software to transcribe and annotate signed texts

  Elaborations

  • identifying, demonstrating and describing the various types of NMFs: movements of the eyebrows, eyes, nose, mouth, cheeks, shoulders and body, and describing their function
  • understanding that signs can be iconic in a number of ways, such as representing a whole object or part of an object
  • identifying signs with different levels of iconicity, for example, those that are fully transparent, translucent or arbitrary
  • recognising that signed languages involve more iconicity because they are visual not auditory, with most referents having visual features
  • identify and classify examples of spatial modifications of nouns and verbs in a video text using video annotation software, for example, ELAN
  • ‘reading’ and transcribing glossed texts, including interpreting the markings that show how a sign is modified in space, NMFs, DSs and examples of CA

  VCASFU192 | Languages | Auslan | Second Language Learner | F–10 Sequence | Levels 7 and 8 | Understanding | Systems of language

• VCASFU072

  Reflect on how language use is influenced by communities’ world views and sense of identity and on how language and culture influence each other

  Elaborations

  • exploring the nature of culture and how it is related to ways of thinking and using language, for example by comparing the cultural concept of Deaf identity with a medical model of deafness
  • exploring ways in which language choices, such as sign choices, reflect attitudes towards certain topics, for example, oralism
  • analysing how concepts related to cultural practices are expressed through language, for example, by identifying particular elements of naming systems, such as the use of pointing, NMFs and name signs, as in the case of number name signs of older deaf people who attended the Victorian School for Deaf Children
  • identifying and discussing core cultural concepts reflected in Auslan such as the collective nature of the Deaf community, the importance of respect for elders and of reciprocity and responsibility, for example, how signing TAP-MANY, TAP-2H++ reflects understanding of responsibility to share information and pass on knowledge, or greater use of the ‘flat hand’ rather than the ‘point hand’ and use of full titles in acknowledgements and forms of address when introducing an esteemed Deaf elder
  • investigating how Auslan users interact with their social and physical environment, for example, locating other signers, gravitating to spaces that are visually accessible
  • identifying culturally significant attitudes and beliefs conveyed through Auslan that relate to history, significant individuals, places or events, for example, attitudes to spoken language that reflect the history of suppression of signed languages, as in the use of signs that reference tensions between oral and signing deaf people or between hearing and deaf people, such as the sign for communication breakdown which infers lack of awareness or understanding of cultural values, beliefs and language on the part of the other party
  • comparing elements of communication in different contexts and exchanges that are culturally specific, such as back-channelling, the use of silence or eye contact, head nodding to indicate understanding rather than agreement, and the implications of such cultural variability in contexts such as courts of law
  • observing that concepts may be culture and language specific, for example, in relation to time and space, as in the spatial mapping for timelines in Auslan
  • understanding how developing sign language literatures which recount significant journeys and events associated with the beginnings of Deaf education and the development of Deaf communities not only map history but also embody values and mores of Deaf cultures, for example, accounts of the Gallaudet and Clerc reciprocal relationship, or the US Civil War deaf soldiers’ story as told by Ben Bahan
  • exploring ways in which the production and affect related to the sign for COCHLEAR-IMPLANT have evolved over time due to shifting values and perceptions of the Deaf community in relation to the implant, noting, for example, the transition from a negative affect to more neutral production of the sign
  • researching examples of deaf leaders who have established organisations or services which met the cultural needs of their community, for example, Dorothy Shaw and Deaf Action Books, Nola Colefax and the Australian Theatre of the Deaf

  VCASFU072 | Languages | Auslan | First Language Learner | F–10 Sequence | Levels 7 and 8 | Understanding | Role of language and culture

• VCASFU066

  Investigate and explain why signs are structured as they are, including with respect to iconicity, and compare transcription of Auslan video annotation software with glosses

  Elaborations

  • understanding that signs can be iconic in a number of ways, such as representing a whole object or part of an object
  • identifying signs with different levels of iconicity, for example, those that are fully transparent, translucent or arbitrary
  • recognising that signed languages show more iconicity than spoken languages because they are visual not auditory, and that most referents have visual features
  • identifying and classifying examples of spatial modifications of nouns and verbs in a video text using video annotation software, for example, ELAN
  • glossing a text independently, identifying what signs are used, any NMFs, and any examples of DSs and CA
  • beginning to use annotations in a glossed text to show spatial modification of nouns and verbs

  VCASFU066 | Languages | Auslan | First Language Learner | F–10 Sequence | Levels 7 and 8 | Understanding | Systems of language

• VCASFU017

  Recognise that Auslan is a legitimate language, one of many languages used in Australia and around the world

  Elaborations

  • identifying different languages used by their classmates or members of their families, for example by creating a class profile or language map
  • exploring similarities and differences between the many languages used in Australia and represented in the school, including spoken and signed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages, and comparing the ways different languages use writing, sound/speech, gestures, drawings, art and signs to communicate
  • recognising the unique nature of signed languages and understanding that there are many different signed languages in use around the world, including in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, and that there is not one ‘universal’ signed language
  • recognising that Auslan is a legitimate language, different from mime and gestures such as those used to accompany songs in spoken languages

  VCASFU017 | Languages | Auslan | First Language Learner | F–10 Sequence | Foundation to Level 2 | Understanding | Language awareness

• VCASFU234

  Explore connections between language, identity and cultural practices, values and beliefs and the expression of these connections in Auslan

  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 deaf people live in ways that may be different from how hearing people live and that they are primarily visual, for example by responding to stimulus questions such as How do deaf people ensure they can always see other people who are signing?
  • recognising the importance of facial expression, eye gaze and non-manual features in conveying information in a visual-gestural language and culture
  • exploring the nature of culture as an essential part of human life, understanding that it is shared, passed on between generations and is closely connected to language and identity
  • understanding that culture is more than the visible aspects of people’s lives; that it also includes invisible elements such as beliefs and values, how people think about themselves and others, how they relate to their social and physical environments; and considering how this understanding applies to users of Auslan
  • recognising that in each culture there are general rules for what to say and do, when, where and with whom, and that these rules differ from culture to culture, for example, the Deaf culture places greater importance on eye contact than cultures that communicate through spoken languages
  • identifying the importance of signing space and proxemics in Auslan, particularly in relation to a person passing between two signers, or to the positioning of communication partners
  • recognising that shared experiences shape cultural values in Auslan as in other cultures, for example the experience of deaf children being excluded from family and social discourse during dinner table conversations or social events gives rise to the value placed in the Deaf community on ensuring inclusivity and sharing information with each other
  • 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
  • recognising the role of the Deaf community and its networks and significant places in maintaining, reflecting and strengthening Auslan and Deaf culture

  VCASFU234 | Languages | Auslan | Second Language Learner | 7–10 Sequence | Levels 7 and 8 | Understanding | Role of language and culture

• Auslan - First Language Learner - F–10 Sequence: Levels 3 and 4 achievement standards

  By the end of Level 4, students communicate with each other, the teaching team and others about aspects of their personal worlds, daily routines, preferences and pastimes at school and in the Deaf community. They show aspectual marking on verbs to indicate frequency when communicating about daily...

  Level description | Languages | Auslan | First Language Learner | F–10 Sequence | Levels 3 and 4

• Languages | Auslan: Learning in Auslan

  Auslan (Australian Sign Language) is the language of the Deaf community of Australia and is descended from British Sign Language (BSL). Auslan and other signed languages around the world are fully-fledged languages that are visual-gestural in nature. They have a complete set of linguistic...

  Overview material | Auslan

• VCASFU233

  Develop awareness of the sociocultural context, nature and status of Auslan and of the Deaf community in multilingual Australia

  Elaborations

  • identifying the importance of place and space in the Deaf community, exploring why some places and spaces ensure that a visual language is more accessible to deaf people and promotes a sense of cultural belonging, for example by identifying factors that make a classroom ‘Deaf friendly’, such as U-shape seating, minimisation of window glare/reflection, good lighting and acoustics, flashing lights, suitable interpreter location
  • identifying examples of deaf people’s visual orientation towards the world, such as using visual applause or being astute in reading body language
  • describing how and why deaf people use vibrating devices to alert them to alarms or information, or have flashing lights for the door, phone, alarm clock, baby cry alarm and other systems
  • understanding cultural values associated with the conferring of name signs on those such as second language learners of Auslan who are joining the Deaf community
  • explaining the role and function of Auslan–English interpreters and Deaf interpreters and the access and opportunities they provide
  • identifying and describing physical markers of identity among deaf people, including the use of sign language and/or hearing devices such as hearing aids, cochlear implants and FM systems
  • exploring variation in Auslan fluency among their classmates and members of the Deaf community, identifying the influence of variables such as where and when people learnt to sign and whether they are from a deaf or hearing family
  • investigating how Auslan and Deaf culture are promoted in the wider community, for example through the influence of organisations such as Deaf Australia; the work of high-profile individuals such as activists or actors; or through events such as NWDP Deaf Festival, Australian Deaf Games or Deaf art exhibitions
  • understanding the nature of the transmission of Auslan, for example how in most cases Auslan is not passed on from parent to child but often from child to child, or to children by adults outside the family, and knowing that some Deaf people learn Auslan as a late acquired language in early adulthood
  • exploring the nature of multilingualism in the Deaf community, including the use of Auslan, English and other signed and spoken languages, considering how and when people typically switch between languages and dialects
  • investigating the use of digital technology/communication by Auslan users, for example, social media, SMS/texting and NRS and VRS, discussing how these modes of communication impact on issues such as accessibility and communication between members of the Deaf community
  • investigating communication methods used by deaf and hard of hearing members of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities
  • discussing behaviour associated with cultural practices, language and traditions, for example, by discussing the concept of reciprocity as a manifestation of how community members share responsibility for each other’s wellbeing, or the value placed on the use of sign language for shared understanding and trust

  VCASFU233 | Languages | Auslan | Second Language Learner | 7–10 Sequence | Levels 7 and 8 | Understanding | Language awareness

• VCASFC184

  Collate and analyse information accessed through a variety of signed texts to present an overview or develop a position on issues or interests

  Elaborations

  • viewing signed texts such as media reports on activities such as deaf sports, and providing an overview of different perspectives
  • researching signed texts such as magazine features, interviews or web posts to select information needed to prepare a signed presentation on a particular event or person
  • interviewing a member of the Deaf community about a historical or cultural event and using information provided to create and present a signed review
  • evaluating information obtained from signed media reports, posters, websites and brochures that involve different representations of deafness
  • surveying friends and family members about views on learning Auslan, analysing findings in terms of variations in understanding and attitudes
  • obtaining information about high-profile members of the international Deaf community to create profiles for an e-magazine

  VCASFC184 | Languages | Auslan | Second Language Learner | F–10 Sequence | Levels 7 and 8 | Communicating | Informing

• VCASFU213

  Explore the relationship between particular text types, audience, purpose and context and analyse language features used by signers to create cohesion and achieve the purpose of the text

  Elaborations

  • analysing specific types of text by identifying characteristic language features
  • analysing a videoed class debate to see how language is used to justify opinions and persuade others
  • conducting an in-depth analysis of a selected sign text, taking into account audience, purpose and topic to explain language choices made by the signer
  • noticing how grammatical choices can shade meaning, determine perspective and establish relationship, for example the effect of choosing to be more or less English-like
  • expanding understanding of textual conventions, for example by explaining why signers choose alternatives to actor-verb-undergoer in a real text to topicalise an important point
  • noticing how signers can compare or contrast ideas by locating things in the same or opposing sides of signing space
  • analysing the ways in which Auslan uses NMFs to link clauses and achieve textual cohesion

  VCASFU213 | Languages | Auslan | Second Language Learner | F–10 Sequence | Levels 9 and 10 | Understanding | Systems of language

• VCASFU174

  Identify and describe elements of sign production, including handshape and its orientation, movement, location and non-manual features, and explore the processes of annotating Auslan videos or reading and transcribing glossed texts

  Elaborations

  • noticing that in a stretch of connected signing a sign will often be produced differently to the way it is shown in a dictionary
  • identifying some NMFs in a signed text
  • recognising that some signs can occur with a standard mouth gesture and that these are sometimes called multi-channel signs
  • 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
  • identifying some iconic signs and considering how they are iconic
  • exploring with support software such as ELAN to annotate signed texts with some grammatical marking such as NMFs
  • ‘reading’ and transcribing glossed texts, including indicating understanding that there are markings to show NMFs and spatial locations

  VCASFU174 | Languages | Auslan | Second Language Learner | F–10 Sequence | Levels 5 and 6 | Understanding | Systems of language

• VCASFU143

  Recognise that Auslan is a legitimate language, one of many languages used in Australia and around the world

  Elaborations

  • identifying different languages used by their classmates or members of their families, for example by creating a class profile or language map
  • exploring similarities and differences between the many languages used in Australia and represented in the school, including spoken and signed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages, and comparing the ways different languages use writing, sound/speech, gestures, drawings, art and signs to communicate
  • recognising the unique nature of signed languages and understanding that there are many different signed languages in use around the world, including in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, and that there is not one ‘universal’ signed language
  • recognising that Auslan is a legitimate language, different from mime and gestures such as those used to accompany songs in spoken languages
  • exploring why and how some people are deaf, and identifying different ways that they access language; and investigating the use of hearing aids, FM systems or cochlear implants

  VCASFU143 | Languages | Auslan | Second Language Learner | F–10 Sequence | Foundation to Level 2 | Understanding | Language awareness

• VCASFU249

  Explore the relationship between particular text types, audience, purpose and context and analyse language features used by signers to create cohesion and achieve the purpose of the text

  Elaborations

  • analysing a videoed class debate to see how language is used to justify opinions and to persuade others
  • conducting an in-depth analysis of a selected sign text, taking into account audience, purpose and topic to explain language choices made by the signer
  • expanding understanding of textual conventions, for example by explaining why signers choose alternatives to actor-verb-undergoer in a real text to topicalise the important point
  • noticing how signers can compare or contrast ideas by locating things in the same or opposing sides of signing space
  • noticing how signers construct cohesive and coherent texts through the use of text connectives such as lexical signs THEN or G:WELL or NMFs and pausing
  • identifying all the ways a signer refers to the same referent throughout a text to create cohesion

  VCASFU249 | Languages | Auslan | Second Language Learner | 7–10 Sequence | Levels 9 and 10 | 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

• Auslan - First Language Learner - F–10 Sequence: Levels 5 and 6 achievement standards

  By the end of Level 6, students use Auslan to interact with people for a range of different purposes. They use descriptive and expressive language to share and compare experiences, ideas and opinions, such as THEATRE GOOD, LONG -_really, LONG-_really. They participate in class discussions and show...

  Level description | Languages | Auslan | First Language Learner | F–10 Sequence | Levels 5 and 6

• Auslan - Second Language Learner - 7–10 Sequence: Levels 9 and 10 achievement standards

  By the end of Level 10, students interact with peers, teachers and others using Auslan to communicate about personal interests and broader issues relating to the Deaf community. They participate in class discussions, explaining and clarifying positions, asking follow-up questions, using non-manual...

  Level description | Languages | Auslan | Second Language Learner | 7–10 Sequence | Levels 9 and 10

• VCASFU108

  Explore connections between language, identity and cultural practices, values and beliefs and the expression of these connections in Auslan

  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 ‘difference’, such as ways of greeting (bowing versus shaking hands) or conveying information (through words versus signs)
  • recognising how they as deaf people live in ways that may be different from how hearing people live and that these ways are primarily visual, for example by responding to prompts such as: Compare how deaf and hearing people get the attention of someone on the other side of the room; and How do deaf and hearing people make sure they wake up at a particular time 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
  • understanding that culture is more than the visible aspects of people’s lives, that it also includes invisible elements such as beliefs and values, how people think about themselves and others, how they relate to their social and physical environments; and considering how this understanding applies to themselves as users of Auslan
  • recognising that in each culture there are general rules for what to say and do, when, where and with whom, and that these rules differ from culture to culture, for example, the Deaf culture places greater importance on eye contact than cultures that communicate through spoken languages
  • identifying the importance of signing space and proxemics in Auslan, particularly in relation to a person passing between two signers, or the positioning of communication partners
  • recognising that shared experiences shape cultural values in Auslan and in other cultures, for example, the experience of deaf children being excluded from family and social discourse during dinner table conversations or social events gives rise to the value placed in the Deaf community on sharing information with each other
  • considering how some spaces make deaf people feel comfortable, for example, open-plan spaces with long sight lines allowing easy visual access

  VCASFU108 | Languages | Auslan | First Language Learner | 7–10 Sequence | Levels 7 and 8 | Understanding | Role of language and culture

• 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

• VCASFU054

  Reflect on how communities’ ways of using language are shaped by and reflect 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 reflects cultural values placed on fluency
  • identifying the cultural importance of different 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 the positioning of communication partners
  • identifying cultural differences between the use of personal names in Auslan and other languages, such as the fact that Auslan signers do not use a person’s name 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
  • 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
  • exploring ways in which deaf people’s art incorporates sign language motifs and images as forms of cultural expression
  • analysing stories about deaf people’s history for the ways in which they embody cultural values and information, for example accounts of Thomas Pattison, FJ Rose and William Thomson establishing the first schools for deaf children

  VCASFU054 | Languages | Auslan | First Language Learner | F–10 Sequence | Levels 5 and 6 | Understanding | Role of language and culture