Getting Started with Auslan

Lesson Overview

Lesson Title: Introduction to Auslan
Unit Title: Exploring Auslan Language
Lesson Number: 1 of 10
Duration: 60 minutes
Year Level: Year 6
Learning Area: Languages – Auslan
Curriculum Alignment:
Based on the Australian Curriculum: Languages – Auslan – Years 5–6

Relevant Content Descriptions:

• Communicating:
  • Use simple signs to exchange information about self, family, and personal world.
  • Recognise and reproduce iconic signs and expressions in familiar contexts.
• Understanding:
  • Identify key elements of Auslan grammar, including non-manual features (e.g. facial expressions and body positioning).
  • Recognise the cultural significance of Auslan to the Deaf community in Australia.

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Learning Intentions

• Students will be introduced to Auslan as the official sign language of the Australian Deaf community.
• Students will understand the role of Auslan in Australian culture and history.
• Students will be able to recognise and sign basic greetings and self-introductions using Auslan.
• Students will use visual and spatial skills to copy and practise signs accurately.

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Success Criteria

By the end of the lesson, the student will:

• Name Auslan as the sign language used in Australia.
• Describe one reason why Auslan is important for the Deaf community.
• Perform 3–5 basic greetings and an introduction sign sequence in Auslan with correct facial expressions and handshapes.
• Use eye contact, hand dominance, and appropriate spatial referencing when signing.

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Resources Required

• Printed flashcards of signs: Hello, My name is, What’s your name?, Nice to meet you
• Mirror for student facial expression practice
• Mini whiteboard and marker
• Introduction video to Auslan from a prerecorded local Auslan user (ensure it’s accessible offline or saved in advance)
• Word wall showing Auslan signs and corresponding English phrases
• Printed Auslan alphabet sheet
• Teacher Auslan chart for demonstration

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Lesson Sequence

🔹 Starter (10 mins) – Activating Curiosity

Activity: Deaf or Hearing? Guess Who!

• Show images of famous Australians, including one or two Deaf celebrities (e.g. Emma Watkins, Nyle DiMarco – though not Australian, likely familiar and engaging).
• Ask: “What do these people have in common? What’s different?”
• Use this as an entry point into discussing that some Australians communicate using sign language.

Explicit Teaching Point:
Auslan stands for “Australian Sign Language”. It is not universal — every country has its own sign language, just like spoken languages.

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🔹 Introduction to Content (15 mins)

Mini-lesson: What is Auslan?

• Present five key facts:
  1. Auslan is not a signed version of English.
  2. It has its own grammar and rules.
  3. It uses facial expressions and body language as part of the sentence.
  4. It is the primary language of the Australian Deaf community.
  5. There are regional dialects and variations across Australia.

Watch: 3-4 minute segment of Deaf person explaining (with subtitles) what Auslan means to them. Discuss what was noticed.

Guided Discussion Prompt:
Why might having access to Auslan be important to someone who is Deaf?

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🔹 Main Skill-Building Activity (20 mins)

Activity: Sign and Practise – My First Signs
Teach the following signs using a combination of visual prompts, modelling and repetition:

1. Hello
2. My name is
3. What’s your name?
4. Nice to meet you
5. Goodbye

➡ Use call-and-response teaching: teacher signs slowly, student copies.
➡ Student uses mirror to ensure accuracy with facial expressions.
➡ Reinforce correct hand dominance and signing space.

Pair Roleplay (Teacher as Partner):

• Teacher signs: “Hello, what’s your name?”
• Student replies using their name and asks in return.

Challenge Extension (if ready):

• Practise spelling their name using fingerspelling from the Auslan alphabet chart.

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🔹 Application & Creative Response (10 mins)

Task: “Nameplate in Sign”

• Student writes their name on a card and draws the sequence of signs for “Hello, my name is ___”.
• Add stickers or colours to decorate.
• Teacher takes a small photo of the student performing the greeting signs (with consent), to be added to the class display wall for future lessons.

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🔹 Reflection & Wrap-Up (5 mins)

Reflection Circle (Individual Response):
Student responds verbally or in writing to the following prompts:

• One sign I remember from today is…
• One thing I learned about the Deaf community is…
• One thing I want to learn to sign is…

Teacher Note: Use student interest to inform next lesson’s vocabulary list.

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Assessment Opportunities

• Formative Assessment:
  Observe student’s participation in mimicking signs, handshape accuracy, and use of facial expressions.
• Observation Checklist Criteria:
  • Maintains eye contact when signing
  • Uses accurate handshape for introduced vocabulary
  • Uses correct directional movement when introducing name
  • Responds to simple sign-based question

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Differentiation

Support:

• Provide step-by-step visual scaffold booklet with photos of each hand movement.
• Use simplified instructions in spoken and written form with key words bolded.

Extension:

• Challenge student to teach one sign to a family member and demonstrate at the start of next lesson.
• Allow student to experiment with using signs in a short video monologue introduction (recorded on classroom tablet).

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Teacher Reflection (Post-Lesson Notes)

• What signs did the student connect with most?
• Did the student begin to use visual attention cues (looking before signing)?
• What would improve engagement or comprehension next time?

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Cross-Curriculum Priorities

• Intercultural Understanding: Explore communication needed by diverse members of our community.
• Personal and Social Capability: Build empathy through exposure to language needs in society.
• General Capability – ICT: Could extend future lessons into creating sign videos or digital portfolios.

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End of Lesson One

Next lesson: Fingerspelling and Numbers in Auslan

💡 Tip for Teachers: Keep a consistent visual sign word wall and refer to it repeatedly. Build in common classroom instructions using Auslan signs as routines progress through the 10-week unit.