Deaf Culture Beginnings

Overview

Students will be introduced to Deaf Culture—what it is, how it shapes identity and communication, and how Deaf community values can be understood through observation and discussion.

Learning intentions

Students will be able to:

• explain what “Deaf Culture” means and what “cultural” differences can include
• identify key features of Deaf community values and beliefs
• compare ideas about identity and communication with respectful language

Success criteria

Students can:

• describe at least three components of Deaf Culture (e.g., community, language, shared experiences)
• name two or more values/beliefs held by Deaf people and explain them simply
• participate respectfully in class discussions and respond to prompts using sentence starters

Curriculum links

• Languages: communicating in and through language with attention to meaning, audience and purpose
• Languages: intercultural understanding by noticing differences and making respectful comparisons
• Languages: building vocabulary and using it appropriately in spoken/written responses (including multimodal texts)

Lesson structure (30 minutes)

1. 0–4 mins | Hook & Activate

• Show a short, captioned teacher narration or image sequence: “What do you notice? How do people communicate?”
• Students do a quick think–pair–share: “What might ‘culture’ mean in a Deaf community?”

2. 4–10 mins | Mini-lesson: What is Deaf Culture?

• Explain clearly: Deaf Culture is a shared community with its own identity, values and ways of communicating and belonging.
• Introduce key ideas using a graphic organiser on the board: Community, Language/communication, Shared experiences, Values.

3. 10–16 mins | Explore Values with Visual Sorting

• In small groups, students sort picture cards into two categories: “Things that show Deaf Culture” and “Things that may be part of individual experiences.”
• Teacher circulates, prompting: “Which value does this card suggest? How do you know?”

4. 16–22 mins | Whole-class Discussion & Modelling Sentences

• Use sentence starters for Year 5–6:
• “One value in Deaf Culture is… because…”
• “Deaf Culture involves…”
• “I notice that…”
• Students contribute one idea each; teacher tracks responses on a class chart titled “Deaf Culture: Key Components & Values.”

5. 22–28 mins | Reflection: Exit Ticket

• Students complete a short written or drawn response:
• “Today I learned Deaf Culture is…”
• “Two cultural values/beliefs are…”
• Offer choice: written, labelled diagram, or oral recording (teacher-supported).

6. 28–30 mins | Closure

• Quick recap: teacher reads two student exit ticket answers (anonymous) and highlights correct use of components/values.

Resources

• Captioned video clip or image slideshow (teacher-selected, age-appropriate)
• Graphic organiser template: “Deaf Culture Components & Values”
• Picture/symbol card set for sorting activity
• Sentence starters strip for discussion
• Exit ticket sheets with simplified sentence stems
• Visual aids (icons for “community”, “language”, “values”, “respect”)
• Subtitles/closed captions enabled on any media
• Peer support roles card (e.g., “reader”, “explainer”, “timekeeper”)

Assessment

• Formative: observe group sorting and listen for correct identification of components/values.
• Formative: review exit tickets for understanding of Deaf Culture meaning and at least two cultural values/beliefs.
• Teacher checks respectful language use during discussion (participation and response to prompts).

Differentiation

• Visual learners: use the graphic organiser, picture cards, and icon-based vocabulary supports.
• EAL learners: provide simplified vocabulary sheets and bilingual-friendly word banks (teacher-selected terms) plus sentence starters.
• SEN/support: allow drawing or matching activities instead of extended writing; provide partially completed organisers.
• Peer support: assign structured roles within groups and use a “help me say” strategy card to scaffold speaking.
• Extension for advanced learners: ask students to add a “This shows Deaf Culture because…” explanation card using evidence from the visuals and discussion.

Extension (optional)

• Students research a famous Deaf figure (artist, athlete, activist, storyteller, or academic) and create a digital presentation for the next lesson including:
• who the person is
• one value/belief that connects to Deaf Culture
• one respectful message about identity and communication
• one reference to a source (teacher-approved, no links required)