Auslan

By the end of Level 2, students interact with the teaching team, class visitors and each other to share information about themselves, their families, friends, routines, pastimes and experiences. They use fingerspelling or sign names as appropriate and lexical adjectives or size and shape specifiers (SASS) depicting signs (DS) to describe the appearance and characteristics of family members, friends or teachers, for example, POSS1 BROTHER OLD++ TALL SKINNY or POSS3 SISTER FRECKLES. Students recount shared and personal experiences and favourite activities, using plain or indicating verbs that are modified, such as PRO1 GO-TO-_right, PLAY-_continuous, RETURN-_left, or LAST-WEEK PRO1-_plural VISIT NANNA. They sequence events correctly using time markers such as YESTERDAY, LAST-YEAR, TWO-DAYS-AGO. ...

By the end of Level 2, students interact with the teaching team, class visitors and each other to share information about themselves, their families, friends, routines, pastimes and experiences. They use fingerspelling or sign names as appropriate and lexical adjectives or size and shape specifiers (SASS) depicting signs (DS) to describe the appearance and characteristics of family members, friends or teachers, for example, POSS1 BROTHER OLD++ TALL SKINNY or POSS3 SISTER FRECKLES. Students recount shared and personal experiences and favourite activities, using plain or indicating verbs that are modified, such as PRO1 GO-TO-_right, PLAY-_continuous, RETURN-_left, or LAST-WEEK PRO1-_plural VISIT NANNA. They sequence events correctly using time markers such as YESTERDAY, LAST-YEAR, TWO-DAYS-AGO. They use everyday social exchanges such as greeting, thanking and apologising, and express feelings through the use of NMFs and lexical signs. They compare likes, dislikes and preferences, for example, PRO1 LIKE APPLE DON’T-LIKE ORANGE. They use appropriate NMFs to ask and respond to a range of wh- questions and yes/no questions. They indicate agreement/disagreement or understanding/lack of understanding by using other NMFs. They follow directions for class routines, for example, PLEASE DS:line-up-facing-front, and give and follow instructions of two or more steps, using directional terms or DSs such as DS:turn-left T-JUNCTION DS:turn-right.

Students follow culturally appropriate protocols, such as responding to and using attention-gaining strategies such as flashing lights, waving or tapping a shoulder or table, using voice-off while signing, and observing appropriate distance between signers. They recall and retell specific points of information from texts such as class messages, directions, introductions and ‘visual vernacular’ descriptions, and they recognise familiar fingerspelled words. They follow procedural texts involving several steps and retell them using list buoys. They view short Auslan stories and respond by identifying and comparing favourite elements, characters and events. They use features of constructed action (CA) such as shifting eye gaze, or head or body–head orientation when creating imagined texts, and use NMFs to modify manner or intensify adjectives, such as REMEMBER PRO1 JUMP-_{really-far-and-high}. They identify themselves as members of different groups and describe their relationships with deaf, hard of hearing and hearing children, family members, and the community. They identify similarities and differences between how people interact and share stories in Auslan and in spoken languages.

Students know that Auslan is a language in its own right, different from mime and gestures used in spoken languages. They know that eye contact is necessary for effective communication and that meaning is communicated visually through the use of signs, fingerspelling, NMFs and non-conventional gestures. They recognise and describe the main elements of Auslan signs: handshape, movement and location; and identify and categorise signs according to these. They recognise that some signs link to visual images, for example DRINK, ELEPHANT. Students know that some words, such as proper nouns, are borrowed from English by fingerspelling and mouthing, and that locations or orientations of signs can be modified meaningfully, for example to show who is involved in an event. They recognise that signers can tell with lexical signs or show with DSs and CA, and that clauses include a verb and sometimes nouns. They recognise the importance of facial expression, eye gaze and NMFs in a visual-gestural language and culture.

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 routines, for example pro3 tap-shoulder-_repeatedly, and use modifications to show manner when describing actions and activities. They initiate and maintain interaction by using discourse markers such as fillers, checking and clarifying their understanding. They contribute to class activities and shared learning tasks that involve transacting, planning and problem-solving, for example, by giving and following directions, LIBRARY IN DS: turn-right AUSLAN DICTIONARY DS: fat-book SHELF++ THAT. PLEASE BRING-

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 routines, for example pro3 tap-shoulder-_repeatedly, and use modifications to show manner when describing actions and activities. They initiate and maintain interaction by using discourse markers such as fillers, checking and clarifying their understanding. They contribute to class activities and shared learning tasks that involve transacting, planning and problem-solving, for example, by giving and following directions, LIBRARY IN DS: turn-right AUSLAN DICTIONARY DS: fat-book SHELF++ THAT. PLEASE BRING-_me, expressing preferences, asking for clarification and using persuasive language PLEASE POPCORN GIVE-_me++ BEG? They use appropriate cultural protocols in different situations, for example, to gain 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 walking between signers without interrupting them. They paraphrase information from a variety of Auslan texts and sources used in school and in the Deaf community. They recall specific points of information and recount main points in correct sequence EVERY MONDAY POSS1 CLASS LIST-BUOY-1 READING LIST-BUOY-2 MATHS LIST-BUOY-3 SWIMMING. They plan, rehearse and deliver short presentations about topics such as cultural activities or events in the Deaf community, with the support of materials such as photos, props, timelines or maps. They take into account the purpose and intended audience of a text. They view imaginative texts such as stories, poems and theatre performances, identifying how signers represent their own or others’ actions through constructed action (CA). They create simple imaginative texts of their own, using CA to represent their own or other people’s actions, thoughts, feelings or attitudes. They create signed class translations, for example, of repeated lines in familiar children’s stories, and simple bilingual texts for the classroom or school community, such as posters or bilingual picture dictionaries.

Students identify places that are important to the Deaf community and describe how such places evoke a sense of belonging and pride. They recognise that the single most unifying factor of the community is the use of Auslan; and they describe ways in which Auslan and associated communicative and cultural behaviours are similar to or different from wider community spoken languages and forms of cultural expression.

Students demonstrate how the formational elements of handshapes and their orientation, movement, location and non-manual features can be arranged in signs, identifying, for example, whether a sign is body anchored or not, or is single, double or two-handed. They know the functions of different pointing signs, such as pronouns, determiners or locatives; and can identify examples of signers using a location to refer to a previous referent. They use metalanguage to talk about Auslan, using terms such as constructed action, depicting signs, indicating verbs, non-manual features, pointing signs and clauses. They recognise variation in how Auslan is used, for example by recognising regional dialects and differences in signing space. They identify different ways that Deaf community members communicate with each other and with members of the wider hearing community, for example, face to face, via technology, social media and interpreters. They know that culture is closely related to language and to identity and that it involves visible and invisible elements.

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 interest and respect for others, for example by using active watching behaviours, signing clearly, pausing for others to respond, asking pertinent questions, making constructive comments, rephrasing, repeating and linking their own contributions. Students use non-manual features (NMFs) such as eye gaze to gain, hold or finish a turn when communicating in pairs or groups. They provide context for a new participant joining a conversation, PRO1 TALK-OVER MATH TEACHER. They use action-oriented language...

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 interest and respect for others, for example by using active watching behaviours, signing clearly, pausing for others to respond, asking pertinent questions, making constructive comments, rephrasing, repeating and linking their own contributions. Students use non-manual features (NMFs) such as eye gaze to gain, hold or finish a turn when communicating in pairs or groups. They provide context for a new participant joining a conversation, PRO1 TALK-OVER MATH TEACHER. They use action-oriented language to make shared arrangements, organise events and complete transactions, negotiating roles, responsibilities and priorities and taking into account the views of others.

Students locate, summarise and compare information from a range of sources. They present information on selected issues to inform, alert or persuade people, for example, by creating announcements to inform about an emergency or about a clean-up the environment appeal, or instructions for a computer game. They use a range of connectives to create textual cohesion. They view and compare expressions of Deaf experience through different visual art forms, such as painting, photography or sculpture. They view and respond to different types of creative and imaginative texts, discussing ideas, characters and themes; and they identify how a signer has referred to the same referent in different ways, for example with a lexical noun then with a depicting sign (DS). They create and perform their own short imaginative texts based on a stimulus, concept or theme using space to track a character or location throughout a text. They translate a variety of familiar school and community texts from Auslan to English and vice versa, identifying which words/signs/phrases require interpretation or explanation. They create bilingual texts and resources for their own language learning and to support interactions with non-signing people. They describe their connections with the Deaf community and how these contribute to their sense of identity. They reflect on differences between how signed language and spoken language users may be perceived, for example in relation to different protocols when joining interactions, taking turns, using names, or passing between people who are communicating with each other.

Students describe a sign’s form in terms of all the elements and how they are put together, including types of NMFs. They recognise when a signer has established a location in space in a text and describe how this was done, for example through the use of points, non-body-anchored signs or fingerspelled words. They distinguish between the three types of DSs and what they represent and how they are used in clauses. They identify and describe how constructed action (CA) can be shown in different ways, for example, through a change in eye gaze, body, or head orientation, and by matching facial expressions and reference to another character. They identify how signers use space to track a referent through a text, for example by pointing back to an established location to refer to a noun or by modifying indicating verbs. They understand different ways that English words are borrowed into Auslan and identify connections between Auslan and other signed languages, for example, BSL, ISL and ASL. They recognise the diversity of Auslan users in the community, including people who are deaf, hard of hearing and hearing people such as CODAs or interpreters.

Students recognise how Auslan has been transmitted across generations and describe different ways it has been documented and recorded. Students reflect on the ways culture is differently interpreted by others, for example by identifying how stereotypes about deaf and hearing people influence perceptions.

By the end of Level 8, students interact to share ideas and interests and to offer opinions, using compound and complex sentences, for example by using lexical conjunctions as well as non-manual features (NMFs). They participate in discussions and debates, acknowledging others’ opinions and developing and supporting arguments. They collaborate in activities that involve planning, project design and problem-solving, for example, G:WELL RIGHT-YEAH , BUT I WANT ADD COMMENT. They use evaluative language to reflect on learning activities and to provide feedback to others. They follow protocols for interacting with sign language interpreters in various contexts.

Students locate, collate, summarise and analyse ideas and information from a variety of sources, such as interviews, documentaries...

By the end of Level 8, students interact to share ideas and interests and to offer opinions, using compound and complex sentences, for example by using lexical conjunctions as well as non-manual features (NMFs). They participate in discussions and debates, acknowledging others’ opinions and developing and supporting arguments. They collaborate in activities that involve planning, project design and problem-solving, for example, G:WELL RIGHT-YEAH , BUT I WANT ADD COMMENT. They use evaluative language to reflect on learning activities and to provide feedback to others. They follow protocols for interacting with sign language interpreters in various contexts.

Students locate, collate, summarise and analyse ideas and information from a variety of sources, such as interviews, documentaries or speeches, and they use such information in new forms. They use primary or secondary signed sources in their research, for example, when exploring significant events in Deaf history. They use specialised language to create texts such as vlogs, advertisements or research-based factual reports designed to convince or persuade others. They analyse elements of different imaginative texts such as poetry, performances, signed stories, skits and sketches, and explain how sign choice, NMFs and the use of different stylistic techniques combine to convey ideas and emotions. They create imaginative and expressive texts that draw from their experience as Auslan users and members of the Deaf community, including metaphorical iconicity to create particular effects and to engage interest.

Students translate and interpret unfamiliar texts in Auslan or English and compare their own translations to those of their classmates, considering why there might be differences between them. They create bilingual texts to use in the wider school community. They describe how the concept and the experience of Deafhood and visual ways of being apply to themselves and others. They reflect on how their own ways of communicating may be interpreted when interacting with hearing people, and on their use of different communication strategies and behaviours, such as their use of gesture, facial expression and body language.

Students know that signs can be iconic in a number of ways, and identify iconic signs that represent a whole object or part of an object. They distinguish between character and observer space, classify verb types according to how they use space, and identify constructed action in a text. They explain the form and function of a range of clause types, including what NMFs are used, for example, questions, topicalisation, negation or conditionals. They identify all the ways a signer refers to the same referent throughout a text to create cohesion. They recognise that Auslan is constantly evolving and changing, for example, by identifying changes to Auslan that reflect changes in social relationships, community attitudes and changing technology. Students reflect on how all ways of language use are influenced by communities’ world views and identities, for example by comparing the cultural concept of Deaf identity with the medical model of deafness.

By the end of Level 10, students exchange information, ideas and opinions on a broad range of social, environmental, educational and community issues. They summarise and justify points of view and use reflective language to respond to others’ opinions and perspectives, for example, RIGHT-YEAH, PRO2 DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE NEVER THOUGHT. They initiate, sustain, support and extend discussion, using strategies such as paraphrasing, inviting opinions and elaborating responses, for example PRO2 CONFUSE PRO1 WIND-BACK. They select appropriate vocabulary and use supporting evidence when clarifying and justifying statements. They use respectful language to negotiate, problem-solve and to manage different perspectives when engaging in collaborative tasks, for example, PRO1 FEEL PRO2 RIGHT TALK...

By the end of Level 10, students exchange information, ideas and opinions on a broad range of social, environmental, educational and community issues. They summarise and justify points of view and use reflective language to respond to others’ opinions and perspectives, for example, RIGHT-YEAH, PRO2 DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE NEVER THOUGHT. They initiate, sustain, support and extend discussion, using strategies such as paraphrasing, inviting opinions and elaborating responses, for example PRO2 CONFUSE PRO1 WIND-BACK. They select appropriate vocabulary and use supporting evidence when clarifying and justifying statements. They use respectful language to negotiate, problem-solve and to manage different perspectives when engaging in collaborative tasks, for example, PRO1 FEEL PRO2 RIGHT TALK OVER…. BECAUSE….

Students research, analyse and evaluate information from a range of sources and perspectives, and create sustained signed texts designed to entertain, inform, persuade or inspire different audiences. They use non-manual prosodic features to create emphasis or other effects.

Students analyse different types of creative and performative texts, considering how specific techniques and modalities are used to different effect, for example, using repetition of handshapes and movement paths of signs to create rhyme, or the use of visual metaphors to convey meaning. They compare responses to texts that present particular values or points of view, for example, Deaf poetry. They create their own imaginative texts such as narratives or poems, combining and switching between types of language, for example, telling with lexical signs or showing with constructed action (CA) or depicting signs (DSs) and frames of spatial reference to indicate character or observer point of view.

Students translate and interpret a range of signed texts, comparing their translations and explaining factors that may have influenced their interpretation. They identify the relationship that exists between language, culture and identity and explore how individual and community identity are conveyed through cultural expression and language use. They reflect on the experience of communicating in a visual world and on associated challenges and advantages experienced as deaf people in a hearing world.

Students identify and describe metaphorical iconicity, for example, love, avoid/resist, and compare this with the use of metaphors in English. They distinguish character or observer frame of reference in a text; between main and subordinate clauses; and demonstrate how the inclusion of CA and DSs impacts on clause structure. They analyse different types of text, such as expository texts, identifying characteristic language elements and features. They investigate variation in the use of Auslan, explaining influences such as geographical location, social groupings and history, educational experience, the age of learners, family background and degree of contact with Signed English or other languages. They make comparisons between the ecologies of Auslan and those of signed languages in other countries, taking into account issues such as language policies and language rights, advocacy, reform and language vitality. They identify factors that help to maintain and strengthen Auslan use, such as intergenerational contact and bilingual school programs. Students know that Auslan plays an important role in the expression and maintenance of Deaf culture and in assuring the rights of deaf people.

By the end of Level 8, students interact with the teaching team, class visitors and each other to share information about themselves, their families, friends, routines, pastimes and experiences. They refer to family members and classmates using fingerspelling or sign names as appropriate, and use lexical adjectives and some SASS depicting signs to describe people’s physical appearance and characteristics, for example POSS1 SISTER E-M-M-A, PRO3 SHORT RED HAIR. They use entity depicting signs to discuss movement and location. They recount shared and personal experiences, using simple clause structures, modifying some verbs for present referents or single absent referents for example PRO1 LIKE TV. They ask and respond to simple questions and distinguish between statements and questions...

By the end of Level 8, students interact with the teaching team, class visitors and each other to share information about themselves, their families, friends, routines, pastimes and experiences. They refer to family members and classmates using fingerspelling or sign names as appropriate, and use lexical adjectives and some SASS depicting signs to describe people’s physical appearance and characteristics, for example POSS1 SISTER E-M-M-A, PRO3 SHORT RED HAIR. They use entity depicting signs to discuss movement and location. They recount shared and personal experiences, using simple clause structures, modifying some verbs for present referents or single absent referents for example PRO1 LIKE TV. They ask and respond to simple questions and distinguish between statements and questions using grammatical non-manual features (NMFs). They express likes, dislikes and feelings using lexical signs and affective NMFs, such as DON’T-LIKE DRAWING. They follow directions for class routines and instructions of two or more steps, using directional terms or depicting signs such as DS:turn-left DEAD END DS:turn-right.

Students follow culturally appropriate protocols, such as responding to and using attention-gaining strategies such as flashing lights, waving or tapping a shoulder or table, using voice-off while signing and observing appropriate distance between signers. They identify specific points of information in signed texts, for example, colours, numbers, size or time. They present factual information about familiar topics, using modelled lexical signs and formulaic constructions. They demonstrate simple procedures using known signs, gestures, objects and list buoys. They recount and sequence events, using familiar signs and visual prompts and time markers such as 3-YEARS-AGO, IN-TWO-WEEKS or LAST NIGHT. They restrict signing to the standard signing space. They view short imaginative and expressive texts, such as poems and stories, demonstrating understanding through drawing, gesture and modelled signs. They create simple imaginative texts and retell wordless animations, using familiar signs, gestures, modelled language and visual supports, modifying NMFs and lexical signs to indicate manner. They translate high-frequency signs/words and expressions in simple texts.

Students identify themselves as members of different groups and describe their relationships with deaf, hard of hearing students, family members and the larger Deaf community and also with the wider ‘hearing’ world. They consider how these different relationships contribute to their sense of identity. They identify places that are important to the Deaf community and describe how such places evoke a sense of belonging and pride. They recognise that one of the most unifying features of the Deaf community is the use of Auslan.

Students know that Auslan is a language in its own right, different from mime and gestures used in spoken languages, and that eye contact is necessary for effective communication. They know that meaning is communicated visually through the use of signs, fingerspelling, NMFs and non-conventional gestures. They identify and describe the handshapes, movements and locations of signs. They identify some signs that link to visual images, for example HOUSE, DRINK, and demonstrate signs that are body anchored, such as HUNGRY or SLEEP, and non–body anchored, such as HAVE or GO-TO. They identify 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; and they identify ways signers refer to the same referent in a text, for example, by using DSs, points or list buoys. They know that signs can be displaced in space for a range of purposes, such as to show locations or to indicate participants in a verb. They know that signing involves telling, depicting or enacting.

Students recognise variation in the use of Auslan, such as regional dialects and differences in signing space. They understand different ways that English words are borrowed into Auslan and how these become lexicalised. They recognise variation in how Auslan is used, for example by recognising regional dialects and differences in signing space and explain the nature of transmission of Auslan. They identify different ways Deaf community members communicate with each other and with members of the wider hearing community; and describe how digital forms of communication, such as social media, SMS/texting and NRS, have improved accessibility for the Deaf community and contribute to the vitality of Auslan. They recognise the importance of facial expression, eye gaze and NMFs in a visual-gestural language and culture.

By the end of Level 10, students use Auslan to share information, experiences, interests, thoughts and feelings in relation to their personal and immediate worlds. They describe the appearance of people, objects and places using SASS depicting signs and spatial location, for example, HAVE DS: round-oval DS: located HERE NEXT-TO HAVE BUILDING BIG. THERE. There’s an oval there and next to it is a big building. It’s there. They participate in shared learning activities and experiences that involve planning, transacting and problem-solving, using simple signed statements and asking for repetition and clarification when required. They follow protocols when interacting with each other, with interpreters or Deaf visitors to the classroom, for example, waiting for eye contact or pauses to walk...

By the end of Level 10, students use Auslan to share information, experiences, interests, thoughts and feelings in relation to their personal and immediate worlds. They describe the appearance of people, objects and places using SASS depicting signs and spatial location, for example, HAVE DS: round-oval DS: located HERE NEXT-TO HAVE BUILDING BIG. THERE. There’s an oval there and next to it is a big building. It’s there. They participate in shared learning activities and experiences that involve planning, transacting and problem-solving, using simple signed statements and asking for repetition and clarification when required. They follow protocols when interacting with each other, with interpreters or Deaf visitors to the classroom, for example, waiting for eye contact or pauses to walk in-between signers engaged in conversation without interrupting them. Students increasingly use conventional Auslan signs or classifier handshapes in depictions and rely less on their idiosyncratic systems. They modify some indicating verbs for non-present referents and use constructed action to represent others in recounts. They make explicit which referent is associated with location, for example, BROTHER THERE HAVE OWN IPAD. They recall and retell specific points of information from texts such as class messages, directions, procedures, introductions and ‘visual vernacular’ descriptions. They create textual cohesion through the use of connectives such as lexical signs NEXT or G:WELL, or non-manual features (NMFs) and pausing. They create bilingual texts such as notices or digital displays and resources for the classroom. They reflect on how their own ways of communicating may be interpreted when interacting with hearing people, and on how they adapt their ways of communicating and behaving when interacting with them. They reflect on the experience of communicating in a visual world and on the challenges and advantages experienced by deaf people in a hearing world.

Students describe how constructed action (CA) can be shown in different ways, including eye gaze, head orientation change or body shift. They identify where and how a signer establishes location in space, and they distinguish between real and abstract space. They build metalanguage to talk about aspects of Auslan, for example, using terms such as SASS, NMFs, CA, depicting signs; and they make connections with terms they use in learning English, such as verb, adjective, noun. They know that different languages and cultures influence and borrow from each other and identify connections between Auslan and other signed languages, for example, BSL, ISL and ASL. They make comparisons between Auslan and signed languages in other countries. Students know that Auslan plays an important role in the expression and maintenance of Deaf culture and in assuring the rights of every deaf person.