Upper Plenty Primary School teaches Auslan (Australian Sign Language), the language developed by, and for the Deaf community in Australia. Auslan is a visual-gestural language. It’s a visual form of communication that uses hand, arm and body movements to convey meaning. Signs combine with facial expressions to show different emotions and meanings of words. Students participate in weekly Auslan lessons each week.

These include a combination of:

• Hand shapes – Auslan has 38 hand shapes with 28 variants
• Orientation – This is the direction of your palm and hand in relation to your body.
• Location – Signs are made near different parts of the body to convey meaning
• Movement – Small or large movements of the head, arms and hands can suggest different words
• Expression – Head and facial movements or expressions are used to convey emotion and emphasis.

On the last day of term 3, students celebrated National Week of the Deaf by participating in a morning of AUSLAN inspired games and activities as well as practising their sign langauge.