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 7

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Term 1:

• Listening and Speaking

  • Short stories / folklore

  • Retell a story

  • Poetry

  • Prepared reading

  • Drama

  • Dialogue

  • Listening comprehension

  • Group- / panel discussion

• Reading and Viewing

  • Short stories / folklore

  • Comprehension 

  • Poetry

  • Drama

• Writing and Presenting

  • Narrative paragraph

  • Short story

  • Poetry

  • Dialogue

  • Review

  • Letter

  • Descriptive essay

• Language Structures and Conventions

  • Parts of speech

  • Sentence types

  • Tenses

  • Punctuation

  • Idioms

  • Proverbs

  • Alliteration

  • Similes, metaphors

  • Synonyms, antonyms

  • Homophones, homonyms, polysemy

  • Phrases and clauses

  • Spelling

Term 2:

• Listening and Speaking

  • Tell a story

  • Listening comprehension

  • Debate

  • Group- / class discussion

  • Prepared / unprepared speaking

  • Role play drama

  • Investigation role play

• Reading and Viewing

  • Youth novel

  • Drama

  • Comprehension

  • Debate

  • Novel

  • Instructional text

  • Poetry

• Writing and Presenting

  • Narrative essay

  • Advertising

  • Instructional texts

  • Drama review

  • Exam preparation

• Language Structures and Conventions

  • Parts of speech

  • Subject and predicate

  • Sentence types

  • Tenses

  • Synonyms, antonyms

  • Literal and figurative language

  • Direct and indirect speech

  • Emotive language

  • Idioms and proverbs

  • Punctuation

Term 3:

• Listening and Speaking

  • Questionnaire or form

  • Comprehension

  • Interview

  • Giving directions or instructions

  • Forum- / panel discussion

  • Drama

  • Role play meeting procedure

  • Current news

  • Prepared / unprepared reading

• Reading and Viewing

  • Questionnaire

  • Comprehension

  • Poetry

  • Youth drama / radio drama

  • Notice or agenda and minutes

  • Visual text / graphs

  • Newspaper or magazine article

  • Novel / short story

• Writing and Presenting

  • Questionnaires, forms

  • Dialogue

  • Written interview

  • Notice / agenda and minutes

  • Newspaper article

  • Narrative / descriptive essay

• Language Structures and Conventions

  • Parts of speech

  • Clauses and phrases

  • Sentence types

  • Synonyms, antonyms, homonyms

  • Punctuation

  • Abbreviations

  • Direct and indirect speech

  • Roots of words

  • Tenses

  • Direct and reported speech

  • Active and passive voice

  • Chronological order

  • Paragraph types

  • Persuasive and emotive language

  • Bias, prejudice and stereotypes

  • Rhetoric devices

  • Literal and figurative language

Term 4:

• Listening and Speaking

  • Introduction to speaker / vote of thanks

  • Unprepared speech

  • Reading aloud

  • Listening comprehension

  • Debate / group discussion

  • Prepared speech

  • Exam preparation

• Reading and Viewing

  • Youth novel / short story / drama

  • Comprehension

  • Diary / email / flyers

  • Poetry / folklore

  • Exam preparation

• Writing and Presenting

  • Giving directions

  • Diary entry / email / poster / flyer

  • Flyers

  • Exam preparation

• Language Structures and Conventions

  • Parts of speech

  • Sentence types

  • Clauses

  • Synonyms, antonyms

  • Literal, contextual and figurative language

  • Punctuation

  • Direct and indirect speech

  • Questions and prompts

  • Concord

  • Bias, stereotypes, prejudice

  • Emotive and manipulative language

  • Exam preparation

Grade 8

Link to resources >>

Term 1:

• Listening and Speaking

  • Group discussion

  • Listening comprehension

  • Prepared speech

  • Multimedia text

  • Unprepared speech

  • Newspaper / magazine article

  • Forum discussion

  • Interview / questionnaire

  • Investigative report

• Reading and Viewing

  • Youth short stories

  • Visual text

  • Poetry

  • Novel / short story / drama

  • Report / magazine article

• Writing and Presenting

  • Narrative / reflective essay

  • Friendly letter

  • Report / magazine article

• Language Structures and Conventions

  • Parts of speech

  • Subject and predicate

  • Concord

  • Punctuation

  • Synonyms, antonyms

  • Literal and figurative language

  • Phrases and clauses

  • Tenses

  • Bias, prejudice, stereotypes

  • Sentence types

Term 2:

• Listening and Speaking

  • Instructions / directions

  • Comprehension

  • Information texts

  • Forum / panel discussion

  • Interview

• Reading and Viewing

  • Non-fiction text

  • Youth novel / short story

  • Book review

  • Debate

  • Recorded forum

  • Poetry

  • Dialogue

• Writing and Presenting

  • Book review

  • Dialogue

• Language Structures and Conventions

  • Parts of speech

  • Punctuation

  • Sentence types

  • Tenses

  • Direct and indirect speech

  • Synonyms and antonyms

Term 3:

• Listening and Speaking

  • Recorded dialogue

  • Comprehension

  • Group discussion

  • Unprepared speech

  • Prepared speech

  • Prepared reading

• Reading and Viewing

  • Drama / play

  • Poetry

  • Newspaper / magazine article

  • Youth novel / short story / drama

  • Dialogue / review

• Writing and Presenting

  • Letter to the press

  • Formal / informal letter

  • Short story

  • Argumentative / descriptive essay

• Language Structures and Conventions

  • Parts of speech

  • Punctuation

  • Tenses

  • Direct and reported speech

  • Emotive and manipulative language

  • Fact and opinion

  • Bias, prejudice and stereotypes

  • Introductory, definition and concluding paragraphs

  • Antonyms, synonyms, paronyms

Term 4:

• Listening and Speaking

  • Comprehension

  • Conversation

  • Debate

  • Group discussion

  • Text read aloud

  • Prepare for examination

• Reading and Viewing

  • Newspaper / magazine article

  • Poetry

  • Short story / novel / drama / play

  • Prepare for examination

• Writing and Presenting

  • Diary entry

  • Journalistic report

  • Prepare for examination

• Language Structures and Conventions

  • Parts of speech

  • Punctuation

  • Direct and reported speech

  • Question forms

  • Ambiguity

  • Voice

  • Gerund

  • Prepare for examination

Grade 9

Link to resources >>

Term 1:

• Listening and Speaking

  • Group discussion

  • Listening comprehension

  • Prepared reading

  • Verbal transactions

  • Dialogue

  • Unprepared oral

• Reading and Viewing

  • News report

  • Comprehension

  • Advertisement / poster

  • Youth novel / short story / drama

  • Poetry

  • Multimedia text

• Writing and Presenting

  • Contract

  • Dispute report

  • Letter of appreciation

  • Narrative / descriptive / reflective essay

  • Interview

• Language Structures and Conventions

  • Spelling

  • Parts of speech

  • Concord

  • Tenses

  • Punctuation

  • Direct and reported speech

  • Idioms and proverbs

  • Voice and mood

  • Simple, compound, complex sentences

Term 2:

• Listening and Speaking

  • Story

  • Forum / group discussion on culture

  • Unprepared reading

  • Interview / speech

  • Verbal advert

• Reading and Viewing

  • Drama / short story / folklore / novel

  • Poetry

  • Will and testament

  • Summary

  • Newspaper / magazine article

  • Visual text: advert / cartoon / graph

• Writing and Presenting

  • Write a diary entry / constitution / policy

  • Text review / documentary

  • Notice, agenda and minutes

  • Advert review

• Language Structures and Conventions

  • Parts of speech

  • Stems, prefixes and suffixes

  • Sentence types

  • Generalizations

  • Literal and figurative meaning

  • Punctuation

  • Definition paragraph, introductory paragraph, concluding paragraph

  • Paronyms, metonymy, neologism, synonyms, antonyms

Term 3:

• Listening and Speaking

  • Dialogue / negotiations

  • Will and testament

  • Interview

  • Debate

  • Prepared speech

• Reading and Viewing

  • Dialogue

  • CV and covering letter

  • Novel / youth novel / short story / folklore / drama

  • Poetry

  • Cartoon

• Writing and Presenting

  • Narrative / descriptive / reflective essay

  • Invitation and acceptance cards

• Language Structures and Conventions

  • Parts of speech

  • Tenses

  • Sentence types

  • Paragraph types

  • Paronyms, polysemes, homonyms, homophones

  • Punctuation

  • Alliteration, assonance, consonance, personification, onomatopoeia, pun

Term 4:

• Listening and Speaking

  • Listening comprehension

  • Meeting procedure

  • Forum discussion / panel discussion / group discussion

  • Role play

  • Conversation

• Reading and Viewing

  • Short story / youth novel / novel

  • Poetry

• Writing and Presenting

  • Letter of application

  • Emails

  • Obituary / diary entry

• Language Structures and Conventions

  • Parts of speech

  • Direct and indirect speech

  • Active and passive voice

  • Ambiguity, cliché, redundancy, tautology, slang, jargon

  • Spelling

  • Stereotypes, prejudice, bias

  • Revision for exams