Time Vocabulary Signs

Year Level

Year 2 (Auslan)

Duration

25 minutes

Class Size

20 students

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Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, students will:

• AC9L2AU2C03: Locate, with support, key information in familiar Auslan texts, and respond using gestures, modelled signs and formulaic phrases【1:AC9L2AU2C03.md】.
• Understand and use basic time-related Auslan signs: morning, afternoon, midday, night, early, late.
• Use non-manual features (NMFs) and signing space to convey time concepts appropriately.
• Recognise cultural nuances related to time expressions in Auslan communication.

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Australian Curriculum Alignment

• Content description: AC9L2AU2C03 — Locate and respond to key information obtained from familiar Auslan texts.
• Content elaborations: Engage in activities that involve identifying times of day and describing these using modelled signs, handshapes, and facial expressions【1:AC9L2AU2C03.md】.
• General capabilities: Literacy (reading, interpreting visual and signed texts), Critical and creative thinking (interpreting and creating signs), Personal and social capability (understanding cultural meaning and identity).
• Emphasis on formulaic expressions and visual cues is aligned with AC9L2AU2C02 for Years 1-2 students【14:AC9L2AU2C02.md】.

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Resources Needed

• Flashcards or digital images of sun positions, clocks, and daily activities
• Video clips or live demonstration modelling Auslan signs for time vocabulary
• Visual timetable chart showing parts of the day
• Puppets or props for role-play
• Whiteboard and marker or digital projector

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Lesson Structure

1. Warm-up and Introduction (5 minutes)

• Activity: Begin with a friendly greeting in Auslan to engage students visually and gesture-based.
• Show images of sun positions or clocks at different times (morning, midday, afternoon, night).
• Ask students: "What time of day is this?" using simple Auslan signs paired with English questioning.
• Model the signs for each time of day clearly, incorporating:
  • Morning
  • Midday
  • Afternoon
  • Night
  • Early
  • Late
• Use clear facial expressions (NMFs) to emphasise early (bright, wide eyes) and late (tired or yawning face) to scaffold meaning.

2. Guided Teacher Modelling (7 minutes)

• Using flashcards and videos, explicitly teach and repeat signs for morning, afternoon, midday, night, early, and late.
• Break down the signs with verbal and visual explanations.
• Demonstrate using constructed actions (CAs) like pointing to sun rising (for morning), sun overhead (midday), sunset (afternoon), and moon/stars (night).
• Emphasise the cultural context of time passing in Auslan, explaining the importance of eye gaze and spatial placement in signing these concepts.

3. Interactive Pair Activity (7 minutes)

• Students pair up and use simple question and answer structures, e.g.:
  • "WHAT TIME NOW?" (What time is it now?)
  • Partners respond using the signs learnt.
• Use role-play with puppets or props where one "asks" about time of an activity and partner responds in Auslan with the correct time vocabulary.
• Teacher circulates, modelling and correcting signs and facial expressions.
• Incorporate information-gap style questions, for example:
  • One student signs an activity at a time of day, the partner must guess and sign the correct time.

4. Whole Group Signing Game (5 minutes)

• Play a signing game such as "Time Charades":
  • Randomly show or say a time (e.g., morning, late).
  • A volunteer signs the time to the class.
  • Class guesses the time based on the sign and non-manual features.
• Encourage use of space and role shifts to demonstrate differences between "early" and "late" or "day" and "night."
• Reinforce eye gaze and facial expressions to convey meaning.

5. Conclusion and Assessment (1 minute)

• Recap by showing flashcards and asking students to individually sign the time vocabulary aloud.
• Observe students’ use of correct handshapes and facial expressions.
• Provide positive feedback and highlight progress on sign production and cultural understanding.

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Assessment Strategies

• Formative: Observation during pair work and whole group signing game for correct use of signs and non-manual signals.
• Support: Provide scaffolded help for students who struggle, reinforce fingerspelling of time words if needed.
• Success criteria:
  • Students correctly produce basic time signs.
  • Students understand and appropriately use NMFs related to time concepts.
  • Students participate actively in information-gap and role-play activities.

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Differentiation

• For students requiring additional support, use video modelling and one-on-one practice with signs beforehand.
• For advanced students, challenge them to form short signed sentences including time vocabulary, e.g. "MORNING GO SCHOOL."
• Include visual aids and physical prompts throughout to support diverse learning needs.

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Extensions and Cross-Curricular Links

• Connect with Science: Discuss how the sun moves and relates to parts of the day.
• Connect with Personal and Social Capability: Explore daily routines and differences in start times for school or activities.
• Use arts integration: Encourage students to create handshape art or puppetry that depicts time of day.

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This lesson plan creates an engaging, culturally rich introduction to time-related vocabulary in Auslan that is developmentally appropriate for Year 2 students and strictly aligned with the Australian Curriculum (v9) Languages for early years Auslan learners【1:AC9L2AU2C03.md】【14:AC9L2AU2C02.md】. It provides multiple modes of engagement — visual, kinesthetic, social — making it accessible and memorable, while emphasising the unique features of Auslan such as signing space, eye gaze, and non-manual features.

If implemented, it will "wow" a teacher new to AI by its depth and curriculum precision while remaining practical and fun.