Core Skills Analysis
Languages and intercultural understanding
Mikhail visited a deaf school in Osaka, learned a little Japanese Sign Language, and met deaf students. Mikhail exchanged information about sign language, cultures, interests, animals, and food, including Vegemite and Cadbury Freddo. Through these conversations, Mikhail learned that people can communicate and share experiences across language and cultural differences. The visit also offered a personal opportunity to practise curiosity and respectful interaction with students whose experiences included deafness.
English and communication
Mikhail shared ideas about interests, animals, and familiar foods while communicating with students from another cultural and language community. Learning some Japanese Sign Language gave Mikhail experience with a visual form of communication and showed that meaning can be conveyed in ways beyond spoken language. By exchanging information, Mikhail practised attending to another person’s communication and expressing ideas so they could be shared. The encounter also helped Mikhail connect familiar experiences, such as Vegemite and Cadbury Freddo, with a new social setting.
Tips
Tips: Help Mikhail keep a small illustrated sign-language journal, recording signs learned during the visit alongside their meanings and a simple drawing or memory of using them. Invite Mikhail to create a two-culture food-and-interest comparison page featuring the foods and topics exchanged, then discuss how familiar items can prompt conversation. For an experiential extension, learn a few additional Japanese Sign Language greetings from a reliable educational resource and practise them together, focusing on respectful communication. Mikhail could also make a short photo-free presentation or illustrated reflection about what the visit taught them about sharing culture and connecting with others.
Book Recommendations
- El Deafo by Cece Bell: A graphic memoir about growing up deaf that can support thoughtful discussion of communication, identity, and friendship.
- Show Me a Sign by Ann Clare LeZotte: A historical novel about a deaf community on Martha’s Vineyard, offering a story-based connection to sign language and community.
Learning Standards
- English — EN4-URB-01: Mikhail encountered and exchanged ideas about experiences and cultural perspectives, connecting with how texts and communication represent people and values.
- English — EN4-ECA-01.5: The visit involved communicating ideas with others; extending this through a short spoken reflection would connect to delivering spoken texts effectively.
- English — EN4-ECA-01.6: A follow-up illustrated or multimodal reflection could represent Mikhail’s experience and learning.
- History/HSIE — HT4-7: Sharing cultural experiences provided an opportunity to recognise perspectives shaped by different contexts.
- History/HSIE — HT4-10: A follow-up written, visual, or oral account of the visit would communicate learning about a past experience using an appropriate form.
Try This Next
- Sign journal: Draw or describe a Japanese Sign Language sign learned and note when it was used.
- Culture-exchange prompt: Make an illustrated page comparing the foods, animals, and interests shared during the visit.
- Reflection writing prompt: “One thing I learned about communicating across cultures was…”
- Conversation quiz: Recall two topics Mikhail exchanged with the students and one food mentioned.