Aboriginal English vs Standard Australian English: Year 5/6 Teacher

I’ve thought of another way in which the HAR can be used in class. It worked brilliantly this afternoon.
Here is a reflection of the lesson informally.
Main Objectives of the lesson:

1. To assist students in appreciating/recognising the differences between Aboriginal English and Standard Australian English.

2. To recognise where the differences are and translate text from AE into SAE.
Lesson Sequence:

1. Display all levels of HARs.

2. Model-read from a mid level reader, knowing that most students in the class are reading SAE quite well, some independently and fluently.

3. Reaction:  Students laughed. To my delight, they were laughing because they recognised that it sounded . We explored through class discussion why they were laughing. They said it was “wrong”.  I encouraged the use of the word “different”, not “wrong”. A lesson on judgement.

I explained to them that it was not wrong, but that they were laughing perhaps because in the written form this “talking English” sounds funny when read.
IMPORTANTLY – AE is fully appreciated by the teacher as a language – never denigrated.

4.  This set them up for the task…… to translate the AE text into SAE. I gave some modelling and they literally took the ball and ran with it.
TASK: Students to select a reader – at whatever level they choose – and translate into SAE (many examples given during setup).

5. I was amazed and how well the students took to the task. They were fully engaged for the entire afternoon and want to continue tomorrow.
Reflection:  
This activity revealed the students’ sense of  – what is “classroom English” and what is “playground English”?
The lesson also offered an opportunity for diagnostic assessment – some students could translate orally with support, but some did not have the knowledge of syntax to fill the gaps. Interestingly, they knew it sounded different, but didn’t know how or why.  Fantastic diagnostic information for a teacher.

Basically then HAR  provided a wonderful stimulus for a lesson in SAE syntax. Having observed the success, I will continue along these lines.

Even at the Level 2-3 books, I found that very beginning readers could read the words, then I asked them to create an oral sentence using those words. It was amazing how the incidental and auxilliary language came out with the stimulus of these books. We must find more ways to value their knowledge, rather than their competence – and I think this is one way.

I was so excited I could go on forever, but I won’t.

Just thought it may be interesting.

Lou. Year 5 /6 teacher in an Indigenous School, NT.