Embedded Files
In the Foundation Phase, the skills in the Home Language curriculum are: Thinking and Reasoning, and Language Structure and Use. These are integrated into all four language skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing).
The Home Language curriculum is packaged according to the following skills:
Listening and Speaking:
Children are constantly developing their listening and speaking skills not only in each of the components of Language but also during other subjects. Because listening and speaking are crucial to all learning, it is important that these skills are effectively developed early in a child’s academic life. Hence, in the Foundation Phase, there is time specifically dedicated to the development of these two important skills.
Listening and speaking should involve two main activities:
• Oral work, including discussing the date, weather, birthdays, roll call and show and tell; and
• Focused listening and speaking activities
Reading and Writing:
In Grades 1-3, Reading and Writing take place in Reading and Writing Focus Time. It is here, through clear, focused lessons that children will be taught to be effective readers and writers. Time every day must be set aside for focused lessons covering reading (Shared Reading, Group Guided Reading, Paired and Independent Reading, Phonics) and writing (Shared Writing, Group Writing and Individual Writing, grammar and spelling activities). During this time the teacher does group guided reading with two groups while other children are busy with consolidation activities such as written comprehension, phonics, spelling, grammar and writing. Paired / independent reading can also take place at the same time.
Lessons on reading should focus on four main aspects:
• Shared reading, where the teacher and class read together
• Group guided reading, where groups of children read together
• Paired reading, where two children read together or take turns reading to each other, and
• Individual reading, where children read on their own
See the breakdown for more information on how to teach children to read.
Lessons on writing should focus on four main aspects:
• Shared writing, where the teacher models how to write a text, and acts as a scribe directed by the class
• Group writing, where children learn how to put together words and sentences
• Individual writing, where children write on their own, and
• Grammar and spelling activities
Grade 1
Grade 1
Term 1:
Term 1:
Listening and speaking
Listens without interrupting
Talks about personal experiences
Sings songs and does the actions
Listens to simple instructions
Listens to stories, rhymes, poems and songs with interest and acts out part of the story, song or rhyme
Answers questions
Sequences pictures of a story
Talks about pictures in posters, theme charts, books etc.
Participates in discussions, taking turns to speak and respecting others in the group
Describes objects in terms of colour, size, shape, quantity using correct vocabulary
Reading and phonics
Phonemic awareness
Emergent reading skills
Group guided reading
Shared reading
Writing
Activities to strengthen fine muscles and develop fine and gross motor skills and eye-hand co-ordination
Development of letter formation in formal handwriting lessons
Shared, Group and Independent Writing
Term 2:
Term 2:
Listening and speaking
Joins in the choruses of songs, stories, rhymes
Says poems and rhymes and does the actions
Identifies part from the whole such as parts of a bicycle, plant
Listens to instructions (group and daily routines) and responds appropriately
Passes on messages
Listens to stories with interest, drawing a picture to show understanding
Answers closed and open-ended questions
Describes objects in terms of age, direction, sequence using correct vocabulary
Listens to stories and identifies the main idea
Participates in classroom discussions
Asks questions related to stories told and read
Understands and uses appropriate language of different subjects
Reading and phonics
Phonemic awareness
Group guided reading
Shared reading
Paired/Independent reading
Writing
Development of letter formation in formal handwriting lessons
Shared, Group and Independent Writing
Term 3:
Term 3:
Listening and speaking
Listens to instructions and announcements and responds appropriately
Listens without interrupting showing respect for the speaker
Talks about personal experiences such as tells news using the correct sequence
Listens to a story with interest and enjoyment, drawing a picture and writing a caption about it
Sequences pictures of a story and matches captions with the pictures
Role plays different situations, using appropriate language
Participates in discussions, asking and answering questions
Listens for the detail in stories and answers open-ended questions
Identifies similarities and differences using correct vocabulary
Uses an ever-increasing vocabulary when speaking
Reading and phonics
Phonemic awareness
Group guided reading: Five Finger Strategy
Shared reading
Paired/Independent reading
Writing
Revise the formation of lower case letters and continue to teach the capital letters and the numerals
Demonstrate the correct spacing of letters in a word and words in a sentence
Shared, Group and Independent Writing
Demonstrate the writing process (drafting, editing, writing and publishing)
Model the use of correct punctuation and writing in the past tense
Term 4:
Term 4:
Listening and speaking
Listens without interrupting, taking turns to speak and asking questions for clarification.
Talks about personal experiences and feelings such as tells news
Listens to stories and expresses feelings about the story
Uses terms such as sentence, capital letter, full stop
Listens, enjoys and responds to picture and word puzzles, riddles and jokes, using language imaginatively
Participates in discussions, reporting back on behalf of the group
Uses simple strategies for finding information. For example, carries out a survey on how children come to school
Classifies information. For example, by using loose pictures
Listens to instructions and announcements and responds appropriately
Tells a familiar story which has a beginning, middle and end, varying tone and volume of voice
Answers closed and open-ended questions
Reading and phonics
Introduce new consonant blends. Continue word building and aural recognition activities
Group guided reading
Shared reading
Paired/Independent reading
Writing
Revise the formation of lower and upper case letters
Continue to teach the correct spacing of letters in a word and words in a sentence as children copy words and sentences from the chalkboard and from sentence strips
Shared, Group and Independent Writing
Grade 2
Grade 2
Term 1:
Term 1:
Listening and speaking
Listens without interrupting, showing respect for the speaker
Takes turns to speak
Talks about personal experiences. For example, tells personal news
Uses correct words for the context such as an invitation
Suggests solutions to a problem especially during Mathematics
Listens to a story with enjoyment and answers questions related to the story
Repeats a sequence of events in the story correctly
Listens to instructions containing at least two parts and responds appropriately
Tells a story that has a beginning, middle and end
Participates in discussions, asking and answering questions and suggesting ideas
Reading and phonics
Revise the single letters and consonant digraphs taught in Grade 1
Introduce common vowel digraphs
Simultaneously work on word building and aural recognition activities
Group guided reading, Shared reading and Independent reading
Writing
Revise the formation of lower and upper case letters, the correct spacing of letters in a word and words in a sentence
Children copy words and sentences from the chalkboard and from sentence strips
Shared, Group and Independent Writing
Term 2:
Term 2:
Listening and speaking
Listens without interrupting showing respect for the speaker
Takes turns to talk, showing sensitivity to others and giving positive feedback
Talks about personal experiences. For example, tells news without repetition
Understands and uses appropriate language of different subjects such as language specific to Mathematics
Suggests solutions to a problem especially during Mathematics
Listens to stories for a longer period with enjoyment
Expresses feelings about a story or poem
Identifies similarities and differences
Compares and classifies things explaining classification such as animals with 4 legs and those with 2 legs
Listens to more complex instructions and responds appropriately
Listens to stories and poems and identifies the main idea, details and sequence of events
Answers closed and open-ended questions and gives reasons for answers
Responds to riddles and jokes
Makes up own rhymes using imaginative language
Participates in discussions and asks questions for clarity
Reading and phonics
Introduce 3 new vowel digraphs, silent ‘e’ and 3-letter consonant blends
Continue word building and aural recognition
Ensure that children understand the words they are sounding and can use them to form meaningful sentences
Group guided reading, Shared reading, Paired and Independent reading
Writing
Children use print script to copy and write longer and more varied pieces of writing neatly and correctly from a printed text
Shared, Group and Independent writing
Term 3:
Term 3:
Listening and speaking
Listens without interrupting, showing respect for the speaker and asking questions for clarification
Talks about personal experiences and more general news, e.g., tells news
Uses an ever-increasing vocabulary when speaking
Participates in discussions, asking and answering questions
Suggests solutions to a problem especially during Mathematics
Listens to a sequence of instructions and responds appropriately
Listens to stories and predicts the ending, or makes up own ending for the story
Tells simple stories varying tone and volume of voice
Listens for the detail in stories and answers open-ended questions. For example, works out cause and effect
Role plays different situations, e.g., takes on the role of news presenter
Uses appropriate language with different people such as interviews different people
Tells jokes and riddles using language imaginatively
Reading and phonics
Use consonant blends and digraphs to build up and break down words
Continue aural recognition activities
Group guided reading, Shared reading, Paired and Independent reading
Writing
Children continue to use print script in written recording but begin to learn a type of joined print script
Shared, Group and Independent writing
Term 4:
Term 4:
Listening and speaking
Listens without interrupting, asking questions for clarification and commenting on what was heard
Talks about personal experiences and more general news. For example, tells news using descriptive language
Uses terms such as noun, adjective, verb, pronoun, preposition, comma, question mark, paragraph when talking about own writing
Understands and uses appropriate language of different subjects
Suggests solutions to a problem especially during Mathematics
Listens to a complex sequence of instructions and responds appropriately
Participates in discussions, suggesting topics for discussion and asking questions for information and reporting back on the group’s work
Participates in playing word games such as I spy…
Tells jokes and riddles using appropriate volume and intonation
Listens and responds to a speaker the child cannot see
Listens for the detail in stories and answers higher-order questions, e.g., “Do you think he was right to…?”
Answers open-ended questions and justifies answer, e.g., “Why do you say that?”
Expresses feelings about a text and gives reasons, e.g., “It made me angry because…”
Reading and phonics
Introduce new vowel digraphs, diphthongs and blends
Ensure that children understand the words they are sounding and can use them to form meaningful sentences
Guide children to use their phonic knowledge to spell unfamiliar words
Group guided reading, Shared reading, Paired and Independent reading
Writing
Children continue to use print script in written recording but begin to learn a type of joined print script
Shared, Group and Independent writing
Grade 3
Grade 3
Term 1:
Term 1:
Listening and speaking
Talks about personal experiences. For example, tells news expressing feelings and opinions
Listens without interrupting, showing respect for the speaker and taking turns to speak
Uses appropriate language when speaking to friends and adults, recognizing the way the class uses slang
Listens to a complex sequence of instructions (at least 4) and responds appropriately
Listens for the main idea and for detail in stories and answers higher-order questions
Asks questions for clarification and comments on what was heard
Expresses feelings about a text and gives reasons
Participates in discussions, asking questions and showing sensitivity to the feelings of others
Answers questions and gives reasons for the answers
Reading and phonics
Revise the single sounds and the consonant and vowel digraphs taught in Grade 2
Discuss the role of letters of the alphabet in different words drawing attention to the different sounds the same letter or letters represent
Work on word building and aural recognition activities
Group guided reading, Shared reading, Paired and Independent reading
Writing
Children may still be using print script in written recording until the end of the second term
Handwriting lessons will focus on practicing the joined script or cursive writing
Shared, Group and Independent writing
Term 2:
Term 2:
Listening and speaking
Listens and responds to radio or intercom announcements and instructions
Talks about personal experiences such as tells news expressing feelings and opinions
Listens to stories, poems and songs and expresses feelings about the story, poem or song, giving reasons
With support, predicts what will happen in a story
Works out cause and effect in a story using connecting words such as ‘because’
Uses language to investigate and explore such as suggesting alternatives
Asks questions to clarify, plan and get information on an activity
Analyses, compares and contrasts information such as the eating habits of a child and a monkey
Understands and uses appropriate language of different subjects such as Life Skills
Suggests solutions to a problem, specifically word problems in Mathematics
Listens to more complex instructions (at least 5) and responds appropriately
Makes an oral presentation
Listens to stories, read by the teacher or over the radio, for a longer period with interest
Tells a short story with a simple plot and different characters
Participates in group and class discussions, suggests topics and contributes ideas
Talks about a general news event, expressing feelings and opinions
Listens to, and composes, riddles and jokes
Reading and phonics
Introduce new vowel blends and guide children to recognize that a particular sound can be represented by different combinations of letters
Ensure that children understand the words they are sounding and can use them to form meaningful sentences
Group guided reading, Shared reading, Paired and Independent reading
Writing
Children make the transition from using print script in written recording to a joined script or cursive writing by the end of this term
Handwriting lessons will focus on practicing the individual lower case and capital letters and the joins needed for the new script
Children must be able to transcribe from print script (e.g. in a book) into the joined script or cursive writing.
Shared, Group and Independent writing
Term 3:
Term 3:
Listening and speaking
Makes an oral presentation: tells news or talks about an experience logically and in sequence
Uses an ever-increasing vocabulary when speaking
Suggests solutions to a problem, specifically word problems in Mathematics
Interviews people for a particular purpose such as to find out about a person’s work
Listens to a story and works out cause and effect in the story
Participates in discussions, giving useful feedback to others
Puts events in order of logical sequence
Listens for the detail in stories and other oral texts and answers open-ended questions
Tells a story with a beginning, middle and end
Reading and phonics
Phonics activities
Group guided reading, Shared reading, Paired and Independent reading
Writing
Children made the transition from using print script in written recording to a joined script or cursive writing
Handwriting lessons will focus on practicing the individual lower case and capital letters and the joins needed for the new script
Children must be able to transcribe from print script, into the joined script or cursive writing
Shared, Group and Independent writing
Term 4:
Term 4:
Listening and speaking
Uses terms such as subject, verb, object, question, statement, command, synonym, antonym, exclamation mark when
discussing texts
Understands and uses appropriate language of different subjects
Engages in conversation as a social skill, accepting and respecting the way others speak
Uses language imaginatively: tells jokes and riddles using appropriate volume and intonation
Listens for the detail in stories and answers open-ended questions
Tells a story using descriptive language, different gestures and facial expressions
Listens to a story and works out cause and effect in response to questions
Plans and makes an oral presentation: tells personal news, describes something experienced, recounts an event etc. using a visual aid
Expresses feelings and opinions about a text and gives reasons
Discusses solutions to a problem using higher order thinking skills
Reading and phonics
Revise the phonics taught so far
Introduce more complex combinations
Group guided reading, Shared reading, Paired and Independent reading
Writing
Focus on activities that increase the writing speed whilst maintaining neatness and legibility
Transposing from print to the joined script or cursive writing
Shared, Group and Independent writing
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