English Home Language

The Home Language level provides for language proficiency that reflects the basic interpersonal communication skills required in social situations and the cognitive academic skills essential for learning across the curriculum. Emphasis is placed on the teaching of the listening, speaking, reading and writing skills at this language level. This level also provides learners with a literary, aesthetic and imaginative ability that will provide them with the ability to recreate, imagine, and empower their understandings of the world they live in. However, the emphasis and the weighting for listening and speaking from Grades 7 onwards are lower than those of the reading and writing skills.

The Home Language curriculum is packaged according to the following skills:

Listening and Speaking:

Listening and Speaking are central to learning in all subjects. Through effective listening and speaking, learners collect and synthesise information, construct knowledge, solve problems, and express ideas and opinions. Critical listening skills enable learners to recognise values and attitudes embedded in texts and to challenge biased and manipulative language. Listening and speaking are different but co-dependent skills. Both are continually present informally in the classroom as learners receive and discuss information. Formal listening and speaking of special forms, e.g. debate, need focused instruction. Formal and informal listening and speaking are integrated with reading, writing and language practice, while speaking may give written text an oral form (e.g. reading aloud).

Reading and Viewing:

Well-developed reading and viewing skills are central to successful learning across the curriculum. Learners develop proficiency in reading and viewing a wide range of literary and non-literary texts, including visual texts. Learners recognise how genre and register reflect the purpose, audience and context of texts. Through classroom and independent reading, learners become critical and creative thinkers

Writing and Presenting:

Writing is a powerful instrument of communication that allows learners to construct and communicate thoughts and ideas coherently. Frequent writing practice across a variety of contexts, tasks and subjects enables learners to communicate functionally and creatively. Writing which is appropriately scaffolded using writing frames (as and when necessary), produces competent, versatile writers who will be able to use their skills to develop and present appropriate written, visual and multi-media texts for a variety of purposes.

Language Structures and Conventions:

Learners will learn how language is used, and will develop a shared language for talking about language (a ‘metalanguage’), so that they can evaluate their own and other texts critically in terms of meaning, effectiveness and accuracy. They will also be able to use this knowledge to experiment with language to build meaning from word and sentence levels to whole texts, and to see how a text and its context are related. Through interacting with a variety of texts, learners extend their use of vocabulary and correctly apply their understanding of Language Structures and Conventions.

Grade 4

Link to resources >>

Term 1:

• Listening and Speaking

  • Listens to a short story

  • Listens to a poem/song

  • Listens to a story e.g. folklore

  • Listens to and discusses an instructional text

  • Listens to and discusses current issues

• Reading and Viewing

  • Reads a short story

  • Reflects on text read independently

  • Reads a poem/song

  • Reads a story e.g. folklore

  • Reads an instructional text

  • Reads information text

• Writing and Presenting

  • Writes a story based on a personal experience/event

  • Writes a poem/song

  • Writes a story e.g. folklore

  • Writes instructions

  • Writes a news report

  • Uses the writing process

• Language Structures and Conventions

  • Word level work:

    • Common nouns, proper nouns, countable and uncountable nouns

    • Abstract and concrete nouns, compound nouns

    • Prefix, roots and suffix

    • Personal pronouns, possessive pronouns, demonstrative pronouns

    • Articles

    • Plurals

  • Sentence level work:

    • Simple sentences

    • Complex sentences

    • Subject, object

    • Statements, questions

  • Word meaning:

    • Rhymes, borrowed words

    • Proverbs, idioms

    • Antonyms

  • Spelling and punctuation:

    • Full stop, comma

    • Capital and lower case letters

    • Colon, semi-colon

    • Question mark, exclamation mark

    • Dictionary use

Term 2:

• Listening and Speaking

  • Listens to weather reports

  • Listens to and discusses a short story

  • Listens to and discusses a fable/myth/legend

  • Listens to and carries out instructions

  • Listens to and gives directions

• Reading and Viewing

  • Reads information texts with visuals

  • Reads a short story

  • Reads a fable/myth/legend

  • Reads an instructional text

  • Reflects on texts read independently

• Writing and Presenting

  • Writes information text

  • Writes a character description

  • Writes a fable/myth/legend

  • Writes an instructional text

  • Uses the writing process

• Language Structures and Conventions

  • Word level work:

    • Adjective, degrees of comparison

    • Main verbs, regular verbs, transitive and intransitive verbs

    • Regular and irregular verbs, finite and infinite verbs, stative verbs

    • Auxiliary verbs, modal verbs

    • Moods

  • Sentence level work:

    • Simple past tense, future tense

    • Subject, object, subject-verb agreement

  • Word meaning:

    • Idioms and proverbs

  • Spelling and punctuation:

    • Full stop, comma, question mark, exclamation mark

    • Word division

    • Dictionary use

Term 3:

• Listening and Speaking

  • Listens to extracts from a novel

  • Participates in group discussions

  • Listens to and discusses information text

  • Listens to a poem

  • Performs a poem/lines

  • Listens to information text with visuals

  • Listens to a drama

  • Role plays a character

• Reading and Viewing

  • Reads a novel

  • Reflects on text read independently

  • Reads information text

  • Reads a poem

  • Reads information texts with visuals

  • Reads a drama

• Writing and Presenting

  • Writes a diary entry

  • Writes a descriptive paragraph

  • Writes a poem

  • Writes information from a table/graph/map into a paragraph

  • Writes a dialogue

  • Uses the writing process

• Language Structures and Conventions

  • Word level work:

    • Adverbs

    • Conjunctions

    • Prepositions

    • Stems

    • Collective nouns

    • Reflexive pronouns

  • Sentence level work:

    • Complex sentences, simple sentences

    • Past continuous tense, future continuous tense

    • Statements

    • Verb clause

    • Subject-verb agreement

  • Word meaning:

    • One word for a phrase

    • Figurative language, similes, metaphors

    • Personification

    • Alliteration 

    • Rhythm, rhyme

  • Spelling and punctuation:

    • Capital and small letters

    • Full stop, comma, colon, semi-colon, question mark

    • Dictionary use 

    • Abbreviations – acronyms, truncation, initialization

Term 4:

• Listening and Speaking

  • Listens to a newspaper/magazine article

  • Listens to a short story

  • Listens to advertisements

  • Participates in discussion

• Reading and Viewing

  • Reads a newspaper/magazine article highlighting social issues

  • Reads a short story

  • Reads information text

  • Reflects on texts read independently

• Writing and Presenting

  • Writes a newspaper/magazine article about a social issue

  • Writes a friendly letter

  • Writes an advertisement

  • Uses the writing process

• Language Structures and Conventions

  • Word level work:

    • Conjunctions 

    • Auxiliary verbs

    • Adverbs of place and degree

    • Conjunctions 

    • Pronouns

    • Infinitive verbs

  • Sentence level work:

    • Subject, object

    • Subject-verb agreement 

    • Tenses

    • Noun phrase, noun clause

    • Adjectives, adverbs

    • Main clause, simple dependent clause

  • Word meaning:

    • Synonyms, antonyms

    • Simile, metaphor, idiom, proverb

  • Spelling and punctuation:

    • Dictionary use

    • Word order

    • Word division

    • Capital letters

    • Full stop, comma, exclamation mark, colon

Grade 5

Link to resources >>

Term 1:

• Listening and Speaking

  • Listens to and discusses a story

  • Listens to and discusses information text

  • Listens and responds to a newspaper article

  • Presents an unprepared speech

  • Listens to a poem

  • Performs a poem/lines

• Reading and Viewing

  • Reads a story

  • Reads an information text

  • Reads a newspaper article

  • Reads a poem

  • Reflects on texts read independently

• Writing and Presenting

  • Writes a story

  • Writes an information text

  • Writes a newspaper article

  • Writes descriptive/narrative text

  • Writes a poem

  • Uses the writing process

• Language Structures and Conventions

  • Word level work:

    • Common and proper nouns

    • Noun prefixes, suffixes

    • Finite verbs, infinite verbs

    • Prepositions, determiners, articles

    • Adjectives, adverbs, pronouns, conjunctions

  • Sentence level work:

    • Simple and complex present tense

    • Simple past and future tense

    • Subject-verb agreement

    • Tenses

    • Subject, object

    • Concord

    • Statements

    • Simple sentences

  • Word meaning:

    • Synonyms, antonyms

    • Personification

    • Proverbs, idiom, simile, metaphor

    • Alliteration, onomatopoeia

    • Rhymes, rhythm

  • Spelling and punctuation:

    • Full stop, comma, quotation marks, question marks

    • Dictionary use

    • Word order

    • Capital letters

    • Word division

Term 2:

• Listening and Speaking

  • Gives and follows instructions

  • Participates in interviews

  • Listens to a poem

  • Performs an oral poem/choral chant

  • Listens to and discusses folklore

  • Participates in group discussions

• Reading and Viewing

  • Reads an instructional text

  • Reads a report with visuals

  • Reads a poem

  • Reads folklore

  • Reflects on texts read independently

• Writing and Presenting

  • Writes instructions

  • Writes a report

  • Writes a poem

  • Write folklore

  • Writes a character description

  • Uses the writing process

• Language Structures and Conventions

  • Word level work:

    • Adverbs of manner, time, place, degree

    • Prepositions, moods, adjectives, pronouns, conjunctions, interjections

    • Connections

    • Collective nouns, abstract nouns

    • Infinite verbs, gerund,

    • Singular and plural

  • Sentence level work:

    • Simple sentences, complex sentences

    • Past continuous tense, future continuous tense, present continuous tense

    • Active and passive voice

    • Reported speech

    • Question form

    • Object

    • Direct and indirect speech

  • Word meaning:

    • Full stop, exclamation mark

    • Abbreviations - acronyms, initialization, truncation

    • Alliteration, assonance, consonance

    • Personification, metaphor, simile

    • Rhythm, rhyme

  • Spelling and punctuation: 

    • Full stop, exclamation marks, quotation marks, question marks

    • Abbreviations – acronyms, initialization, truncation

    • Word division

    • Dictionary use

Term 3:

• Listening and Speaking

  • Listens to a novel

  • Describes events

  • Listens to and discusses an advertisement

  • Listens to and discusses a story

  • Listens to and discusses a weather report

  • Listens to and discusses a play

• Reading and Viewing

  • Reads a novel

  • Reads an advertisement

  • Reads a story

  • Reads a weather report

  • Reads a play

  • Reflects on texts read independently

• Writing and Presenting

  • Writes a book review

  • Writes an advertisement

  • Writes a story

  • Writes a character description

  • Writes a weather report

  • Writes a play/dialogue

  • Uses the writing process

• Language Structures and Conventions

  • Word level work:

    • Relative and reflexive pronouns

    • Adjectives, adverbs, conjunctions, connections, interjections, pronouns

    • Degrees of comparison

    • Infinitive verbs, gerunds

    • Types of nouns

  • Sentence level work:

    • Simple present tense, simple past tense

    • Future tense

    • Concord

    • Simple short sentences, compound sentences

    • Subject-verb agreement

    • Statements, questions, commands

    • Direct and indirect speech

  • Word meaning:

    • Similes, metaphors

    • Proverbs, idioms

    • Homophones, homonyms, polysemy

    • Onomatopoeia

    • Synonyms, antonyms

    • Oxymoron

  • Spelling and punctuation:

    • Full stop, comma, inverted commas, colon, semi-colon, quotation marks

    • Dictionary use

    • Word division

    • Abbreviations

    • Capital letters

Term 4:

• Listening and Speaking

  • Listens to a story

  • Acts out a story

  • Listens to a report

  • Gives an oral report

  • Listens to and discusses information text

  • Listens to and discusses instructional text

• Reading and Viewing

  • Reads a story

  • Reads a report

  • Reads an information text with visuals

  • Reads an instructional text with visuals

  • Reflects on texts read independently

• Writing and Presenting

  • Writes a friendly letter

  • Writes a report

  • Writes a descriptive essay

  • Writes an instructional text

• Language Structures and Conventions

  • Word level work:

    • Prepositions, determiners, adjectives, adverbs, nouns, pronouns, conjunctions

    • Moods

    • Definite and indefinite articles

    • Stems, prefixes, suffixes

  • Sentence level work:

    • Subject, object

    • One word for a phrase

    • Conditional clauses

    • Noun phrase, adjectival phrase, adverbial phrase, prepositional phrase, verb phrase

    • Noun clause, verb clause

    • Negative form

    • Question form

    • Subject-verb agreement

    • Clauses and phrases

  • Word meaning:

    • Synonyms, antonyms

    • Homophones, homonyms, polysemy

    • Metaphors, similes, proverbs, idioms

    • Metonymy

  • Spelling and punctuation:

    • Word division

    • Dictionary use

    • Capital letters

    • Word division

    • Vocabulary development

Grade 6

Link to resources >>

Term 1:

• Listening and Speaking

  • Listens to radio or newspaper reports and discusses current issues

  • Listens to and discusses folklore

  • Listens to a persuasive text

  • Listens to and discusses a dialogue

  • Listens to and discusses a poem

• Reading and Viewing

  • Reads newspaper articles

  • Reads folklore

  • Reflects on texts read independently

  • Reads a persuasive text

  • Reads a simple play or drama

  • Reads a simple poem

• Writing and Presenting

  • Writes a newspaper article

  • Writes folklore

  • Writes a persuasive text

  • Writes a dialogue

  • Writes a poem

  • Uses clear structure in writing

• Language Structures and Conventions

  • Word level work:

    • Nouns: common, abstract

    • Interrogative pronouns

    • Tenses

    • Conjunctions, prepositions

  • Sentence level work:

    • Subject

    • Subject-verb agreement

    • Reported speech

    • Simple present tense, simple past tense, simple future tense

    • Simple and complex sentences

    • Statements, questions, commands

  • Word meaning:

    • Antonyms, synonyms

    • Proverbs, metaphors, idioms

    • Alliteration, assonance, consonance

    • Personification

  • Spelling and punctuation:

    • Word division 

    • Dictionary use

    • Full stop, comma, colon, semi-colon, question mark, exclamation mark, quotation marks

Term 2:

• Listening and Speaking

  • Listens to and discusses an instructional text

  • Listens to a novel

  • Listens to and discusses a story

  • Listens to and discusses an information text

  • Participates in group discussions

• Reading and Viewing

  • Reads a recipe or other instructional text

  • Reads a short novel

  • Reads a story

  • Reads an information text

  • Reflects on texts read independently

• Writing and Presenting

  • Writes an instructional text

  • Writes a book review

  • Writes a story

  • Writes an information text

  • Uses the writing process

• Language Structures and Conventions

  • Word level work:

    • Stems, prefixes, suffixes

    • Finite and infinitive verbs

    • Auxiliary verbs

    • Attributive adjectives

  • Sentence level work:

    • Subject, object

    • Present continuous tense, past continuous tense, future continuous tense

    • Present perfect tense

    • Simple past tense

  • Word meaning:

    • Idioms

  • Spelling and punctuation:

    • Word division

    • Dictionary use

Term 3:

• Listening and Speaking

  • Discusses a novel

  • Listens to and discusses folklore

  • Listens to a short story

  • Listens or view audio/visual /read

  • text: cartoon / comic strips

  • Listens to and discusses drama

• Reading and Viewing

  • Reads a novel

  • Reads folklore

  • Reads a short story

  • Reads a cartoon / comic strip

  • Reads reviews of play/drama

  • Reflects on texts read independently

• Writing and Presenting

  • Writes a book review

  • Writes a character sketch

  • Writes a friendly letter/diary entry

  • Writes a cartoon/comic strip

  • Writes a dialogue / a short play script

  • Uses the writing process

• Language Structures and Conventions

  • Word level work:

    • Interrogative, demonstrative, indefinite pronouns

    • Gerunds

    • Predictive adjectives

    • Tenses

    • Connecting words

    • Participles

    • Moods

    • Adjectives, adverbs

    • Stems, prefixes, suffixes

  • Sentence level work:

    • Simple present tense, past tense, future tense

    • Future perfect tense, past perfect tense

    • Active voice, passive voice

    • Direct and indirect speech

  • Spelling and punctuation:

    • Dictionary use

    • Word division

    • Comma, quotation marks

Term 4:

• Listening and Speaking

  • Listens to and discusses an information text

  • Role play interview in class

  • Listens to and discusses an instructional text

  • Listens to a story

  • Listens to and discusses poems

• Reading and Viewing

  • Reads an information text

  • Reads an instructional text

  • Reads a story

  • Reads a poem

  • Reflects on texts read independently

• Writing and Presenting

  • Writes a descriptive paragraph

  • Writes an instructional text

  • Writes a summary

  • Writes a poem

  • Uses the writing process

• Language Structures and Conventions

  • Word level work:

    • Adverbs of degree, duration, frequency, manner, place, time

  • Sentence level work:

    • Direct and indirect speech

    • Compound and complex sentences

    • Noun phrases and clauses

    • Verb phrases and clauses

    • Subject, object

  • Word meaning:

    • Understatement

    • Multiple meaning

    • Ambiguity

    • Pun

    • Similes, metaphors, personification, onomatopoeia

    • Symbol

  • Spelling and punctuation:

    • Question mark, colon, semi-colon

    • Contraction

    • Parentheses