DIPLOMA IN GRADE R TEACHING

ENGLISH HOME AND FIRST ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE AND

LITERACY LEARNING IN GRADE R 1

YEAR 2
R-EHF 211

LEVEL 6
CREDITS 19

CURRICULUM AND LEARNING GUIDE

Copyright  SANTS Private Higher Education Institution. Pty. Ltd.

PO Box 72328, Lynnwood Ridge, 0040

2020

 All rights reserved. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of research, criticism or
review as permitted under the Copyright Act, no part of this book may be reproduced or
transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying
and recording, without permission in writing, from SANTS.
ENGLISH HOME AND FIRST ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE AND LITERACY LEARNING IN GRADE R 1 CURRICULUM AND LEARNING GUIDE

2020 Edition

Program coordinator Prof Ina Joubert

SANTS Private Higher Education Institution

Discipline coordinator Mrs Rita Prinsloo

SANTS Private Higher Education Institution

Modules coordinator Dr Giulietta Harrison

SANTS Private Higher Education Institution

Author(s) Anya Morris

Africa A+ Schools

Reviewer Mr Arthur Hall

AROS

Language editor Dr Laraine O’Connell

Language Practitioner

Technical editor Ms Julie Dorling

SANTS Private Higher Education Institution

Graphic artist N/A

Printing BusinessPrint

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DIPLOMA IN GRADE R TEACHING PROGRAMME

1. WELCOME TO THE MODULE

Dear SANTS student,

We welcome you to the Introduction to the English Home and First Additional
Language and Literacy Learning in Grade R 1 (R-EHF 211) module that forms part of
the Diploma in Grade R Teaching programme and wish you success in your studies.

The purpose of the Diploma in the Grade R Teaching programme is to offer a

curriculum that develops teachers who can acquire and eventually articulate focused
knowledge, skills and general principles appropriate for Grade R teaching, as specified
in the Revised Policy on the Minimum Requirements for Teacher Education
Qualifications (Department of Higher Education and Training, 2015).

The diploma qualification requires that teachers develop a depth of specialised

knowledge, practical competencies (skills) and experience in a Grade R context. As
part of the diploma qualification, you will need to gain experience in applying what you
are learning during a period of Workplace Integrated Learning (WIL). This means you
will spend some time teaching Grade R learners in an authentic (real) context.

The Diploma in Grade R Teaching qualification programme is aligned with the Revised
Policy on the Minimum Requirements for Teacher Education Qualifications, in
particular Appendix C of the policy that outlines the Basic Competencies of a Beginner
Teacher (Department of Higher Education and Training, 2015, Government Gazette,
No. 38487, p. 62).

2. OUTCOMES OF THE PROGRAMME

At the end of the three-year Diploma in Grade R Teaching programme, you must
demonstrate the following competencies related to your own academic growth and
potential to work with Grade R learners:

• Read, write and speak the language in ways that facilitate your own academic
learning.
• Read, write, and speak the language/s of instruction related to Grade R in ways
that facilitate teaching and learning during play or instruction in the classroom.
• Demonstrate competence in communicating effectively, in general and in
relation to Grade R specialised knowledge in order to mediate and facilitate
learning.
• Interpret and use basic mathematics and elementary statistics to facilitate your
own academic learning.
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• Use information and communications technology (ICT) in daily life and when
teaching Grade R.
• Explain the contents and purpose of the national curriculum with particular
reference to Grade R.
• Demonstrate skill in planning, designing, and implementing learning
programmes that are developmentally appropriate and culturally responsive to
the Grade R context.
• Demonstrate competence in identifying and accommodating diversity in the
Grade R classroom, and in early identification of learning and social problems.
This includes planning, designing and implementing learning programmes to
accommodate diversity.
• Demonstrate competence in observing, assessing and recording learner
progress regularly.
• Reflect upon and use assessment results to solve problems and to improve
teaching and learning.
• Conduct yourself responsibly, professionally and ethically in the classroom, the
school and the broader community in which the school is located.
• Display a positive work ethic that benefits, enhances and develops the status
of the teaching profession and of early childhood education more broadly.

3. PROGRAMME STRUCTURE
The diploma is presented on the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) exit level 6
with a minimum total credit of 364, earned over the three years. The table below shows
the curriculum implementation plan of the diploma you are studying. It also tells you
how many credits each module carries. You will also see at which NQF level the study
material has been prepared and which modules you need to pass each year. This
three-year programme has been planned to strengthen the competencies you will
need as a beginner teacher.

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Outline of modules of the Diploma in Grade R Teaching programme

Module name Code NQF L Credits Module name Code NQF L Credits
YEAR 1
SEMESTER 1 SEMESTER 2
Introduction to the Language and
Academic Literacy R-ALI 110 5 14 R-LLL 120 5 12
Literacy Landscape in Grade R
Introduction to Mathematics
Fundamental Mathematics R-FMA 110 5 14 R-MAT 120 5 12
Learning in Grade R
Introduction to Life Skills in Grade
Computer Literacy R-CLI 110 5 14 R-LSK 120 5 12
R
Education Studies 1:
Education Studies 2: Theories of
Theories of Child R-EDS 111 5 12 R-EDS 122 5 12
Teaching and Learning in Context
Development in Context
Language of Conversational C-LCX 120
Competence: isiXhosa / isiZulu / C-LCZ 120 5 10
Sepedi C-LCS 120
54 48-58
Workplace Integrated Learning Year 1 R-WIL 101 5 16
Sub-total credits for Year 1: 118 -128
YEAR 2
SEMESTER 1 SEMESTER 2
English Home and First First Additional Language and R-FLA 221
Additional Language and Literacy Learning in Grade R 1: R-FLX 221
R-EHF 211 6 19 5 12
Literacy Learning in Grade Afrikaans / isiXhosa / isiZulu / R-FLZ 221
R1 Sepedi R-FLS 221
Home Language and R-HLA 211
Literacy Learning in Grade R R-HLX 211 English First Additional Language
6 16 R-FLE 221 5 12
1: Afrikaans / isiXhosa / R-HLZ 211 and Literacy Learning in Grade R 1
isiZulu / Sepedi R-HLS 211
Professional Studies 1: The
Professional Studies 2: Grade R
Teacher and the Child R-PFS 211 5 12 R-PFS 222 6 14
Curriculum in Practice
Friendly Environment
Mathematics Learning in Education Studies 3: Curriculum,
R-MAT 211 6 16 R-EDS 223 6 14
Grade R 1 Pedagogy and Assessment
Life Skills in Grade R 1 R-LSK 211 6 16
60-79 28-40
Workplace Integrated Learning Year 2 R-WIL 202 6 20
Sub-total credits for Year 2: 120 - 127
YEAR 3
SEMESTER 1 SEMESTER 2
English Home and First First Additional Language and R-FLA 322
Additional Language and Literacy Learning in Grade R 2: R-FLX 322
R-EHF 312 6 19 6 14
Literacy Learning in Grade R Afrikaans / isiXhosa / isiZulu / R-FLZ 322
2 Sepedi R-FLS 322
Home Language and R-HLA 312
Literacy Learning in Grade R R-HLX 312 English First Additional Language
6 16 R-FLE 322 6 14
2: Afrikaans / isiXhosa / R-HLZ 312 and Literacy Learning in Grade R 2
isiZulu / Sepedi R-HLS 312
Mathematics Learning in Education Studies 4: Education
R-MAT 312 6 16 R-EDS 324 6 14
Grade R 2 Policy and Practice
Professional Studies 3: Early
Professional Studies 4: Critical
Years Teacher Identity and R-PFS 313 6 14 R-PFS 324 6 14
Issues in Education
the Profession
Life Skills in Grade R 2 R-LSK 312 6 16
62-81 28-42
Workplace Integrated Learning Year 3 R-WIL 303 6 22
Sub-total credits for Year 3: 126 - 131
Total credits for programme 364 - 386

Language competencies will be assessed during the course of your programme.

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The modules in the programme are divided into four broad types of learning
(Department of Higher Education and Training, 2015, pp. 9-11). Engaging in each
type of learning should help you develop specific knowledge, values, attitudes,
competencies and skills so that you can achieve the overall exit level outcomes of the
programme.

The different types of learning are:

Fundamental learning

• This type of learning includes your personal and academic development and
involves academic literacy, fundamental mathematics and computer literacy.

Disciplinary learning

• This type of learning includes subject matter knowledge for example, the study
of education and its foundations and specific specialised subject matter such
as language;
• You will also learn about:
o how the child grows, develops and learns;
o the processes of teaching and learning;
o the relationship between child development and teaching and learning;
and
o the historical, socio-political, policy and curriculum contexts of
education, particularly in South Africa.

Situational learning

• Situational learning means that you must know about the varied learning
contexts (circumstances) of learners.
• Such modules focus on professional studies, and explain:
o the complex context of teaching and learning in general and Grade R
in particular;
o the multifaceted roles a teacher plays; and
o the relationships between teaching and learning in the context of the
school and specifically the Grade R classroom.

Pedagogical learning

• This learning means you will learn more about the content you will teach and
how to teach and assess it i.e. you will study the principles, practices and
methods of teaching, learning and assessing;

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• You will also gain subject knowledge and learn how to present concepts, apply
methods, strategies, approaches and the rules of your specific discipline
(subject) when teaching.

Types of learning and modules in the Diploma in Grade R Teaching programme

Types of learning Modules
Fundamental learning Academic Literacy
Student personal and Fundamental Mathematics
academic Computer Literacy
development
Disciplinary learning Education Studies 1: Theories of Child Development in Context
Education studies Education Studies 2: Theories of Teaching and Learning in Context
Education Studies 3: Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment
Education Studies 4: Education Policy and Practice
Situational learning Professional Studies 1: The Teacher and the Child Friendly
Professional studies Environment
Professional Studies 2: Grade R Curriculum in Practice
Professional Studies 3: Early Years Teacher Identity and the
Profession
Professional Studies 4: Critical Issues in Education
Pedagogical learning Introduction to the Language and Literacy Landscape in Grade. R
Pedagogy Introduction to Mathematics Learning in Grade R
Mathematics Learning in Grade R 1 and 2
Introduction to Life Skills in Grade R
Life Skills in Grade R 1 and 2

Languages:
Five language options:

English Home and First Additional Language and Literacy Learning in

Grade R 1 and 2
Choose another (additional) language at Home Language level OR
First Additional Language level: Afrikaans, isiXhosa, isiZulu, Sepedi
Only if Afrikaans is chosen as another language: choose between
isiXhosa, isiZulu, Sepedi as Language of Conversational Competence
(LoCC)

Afrikaans Home Language and Literacy Learning in Grade R 1 and 2

English First Additional Language 1 and 2
Choose between isiXhosa, isiZulu, Sepedi as Language of
Conversational Competence (LoCC)

isiXhosa Home Language and Literacy Learning in Grade R 1 and 2

English First Additional Language 1 and 2
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Types of learning Modules

isiZulu Home Language and Literacy Learning in Grade R 1 and 2
English First Additional Language 1 and 2

Sepedi Home Language and Literacy Learning in Grade R 1 and 2

English First Additional Language 1 and 2

We call these four types of learning, the knowledge mix of a module (Department of
Higher Education and Training, 2015, p. 11). The level of knowledge for this module is
set at level 6 and it carries 19 credits. For every credit you should spend approximately
10 hours mastering the content. You will thus have to spend at least 190 hours studying
the R-EHF 211 material and doing the assignments and any assessments.

The knowledge mix of this level 6 module with the related credits is as follows:

• Disciplinary learning, (Study of education and its foundations, 1 credit, Subject

knowledge, 9 credits),
• Pedagogical learning, (General pedagogic knowledge, 1 credit and Pedagogic
content knowledge, 7 credits), and
• Situational learning with 1 credit.

4. PURPOSE OF THIS MODULE

Purpose

Through this module, students will (a) understand the structure of the English
language with an emphasis on phonology and morphology for teaching Grade R, (b)
understand how the structure of the English language impacts and therefore has
particular implications for emergent literacy practices (c) understand and analyse
literature, (d) understand and use children’s literature (fictional texts) to enhance
language development and literacy teaching for Grade R, (e) draw on language and
learning theories to plan an appropriate language and literacy programme in Grade R,
(f) discuss the essential elements of a language-rich environment, (g), explain some
of the barriers to learning which impedes optimal language acquisition and effective
instruction in literacy.

This module will also introduce students to pedagogical components essential for
teaching English as an additional language.

Learning Outcomes

At the end of this module, students should be able to:

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• Understand the structure of the English language

• Discuss the implications of the structure of the English language on teaching
emergent literacy to Grade R learners
• Plan appropriate instruction for emergent literacy practices in Grade R
• Analyse children’s literature (fictional texts) understand the importance of
children’s literature in emergent literacy practices
• Describe elements of a language-rich environment
• Appropriate methods for teaching English as first additional language
• Support learners with learning barriers to language acquisition and literacy
teaching.

Content

• Understand the structure of the English language, emphasising the following as

it related to Grade R language and literacy teaching:
• Phonology
• Morphology
• Plan appropriate instruction for Language and Literacy teaching in Grade R:
• Emergent literacy practices
• Phonological awareness
• Language and listening comprehension
• Analyse children’s literature (poetry and prose) appropriate for Grade R
• Understand the importance of children’s literature in promoting emergent
literacy practices
• Use children’s literature to teach:
o phonological awareness
o language and listening comprehension
• Identify and apply suitable theories and methods for teaching Home Language
English in Grade R
• Assess Grade R learners’ development in emerging literacy
• Describe elements of a language-rich environment
• Construct appropriate resources for language and literacy teaching, example,
prepositional charts
• Select appropriate instructional methods for teaching English as additional
language in Grade R
• Identify and support learners with barriers to language acquisition and literacy
teaching.

Competencies

• Applied subject and pedagogical content knowledge;

• Planning and development of responsive learning environments;

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• Planning and assessment of and for learning;

• Language integration in Grade R;
• Strategies to support language transitions to Grade 1;
• Applied knowledge of classroom practice;
• Identification of language learning barriers;
• Development of resources; and
• Reflection on teaching practice.

5. WORKING THROUGH THE CURRICULUM AND

LEARNING GUIDE (CLG)
We developed the CLG to help you master the content through a distance education
mode. You will not have full time tutoring or support but the Student Orientation
Booklet, accessible at MySANTS, offers guidelines for distance learning. Aspects
such as plagiarism are also explained in this booklet. Make use of MySANTS as a
support system for any academic queries.
These guidelines will help you to:

• Work consistently throughout the semester;

• Manage your time efficiently;
• Complete assignments on time; and
• Prepare for tests and examinations.

As you read the CLG, draw on your own experiences and the knowledge you already
have. The core text and recommended reading texts included in the CLG will also
help you to deepen your understanding of the content and concepts you are working
through.

In the CLG, you will find a glossary (word list). The word list will help you understand
difficult concepts by providing the definitions (meaning) of such words.

You will also find icons (small pictures). The icons indicate the type of activity you
must do. If you do each activity as suggested, you ought to advance and consolidate
your understanding of the core concepts in the module. You will find a list of the icons
used in this CLG on the next page.

Reading and writing activities have been designed to help you make connections
with what you already know, master the content and reflect on what you have learnt.
Scenarios (situations resembling an authentic (real-life) context) and dialogues
provide background to what you are learning. The review/self-assessment questions
are based on the learning outcomes.

Doing each activity will help you understand the content. Get a book or file in which
you complete all your activities. Write full sentences and always use your own words
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to show your understanding. Working systematically through each activity, according

to the estimated time for each activity as provided, will also help prepare you for
assessments (assignments and the examination).

Try to find other students to work with. It is easier to share ideas and complete
activities when working in a study group. Doing so, may help you to master the
content more easily.

Commentaries appear at the bottom of some activities. Commentaries are not

answers but rather a reflection to guide your understanding of the activity and to assist
you in knowing whether your own answer is appropriate or not. These commentaries
alert you to aspects you need to consider when doing the activity.

WRITING ACTIVITY
An activity is designed to help you assess your progress
and manage your learning. Sometimes you will have to
define, explain, and/or interpret a concept. Scenarios and
dialogues are often used to contextualise an activity.
They will also help you bridge theory and practice by
linking the concept and real life situations. When
responding to the activities, use your own words to show
your understanding. Do not copy directly from the text of
the CLG. At the end of most activities, you will find
commentary that aims to guide your thinking and assess
how well you have understood the concepts. The
activities are numbered for easy reference.
READING ACTIVITY
Reading activities may require you to read additional
material not printed in the Curriculum and Learning
Guide. These readings will be either the full text or part of
a core or recommended journal article. Journal articles
will give you an expanded or alternative view on a
concept. You might be required to explain the concept
from a different perspective or compare what has been
stated in the CLG with what you read in the journal article.
STUDY GROUP DISCUSSION
All study group discussion or peer activities require
preparation BEFORE the discussion. Preparation
includes reading and completing activities in writing.
Study group discussions are an opportunity for reflection
and for you to apply what you have learnt. Sharing your
learning experiences may help you to learn with and from
each other. Study group discussions can be done in your
own study group or with a peer.

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REFLECTION
Reflection means to think deeply or carefully about
something. Reflection activities require you to review
critically what you have learnt and link this with your
personal experiences or what you have observed during
Workplace Integrated Learning (WIL).
REVIEW/SELF-ASSESSMENT
Often questions are provided at the end of each unit to
assist self-assessment. These questions are similar to
the type of questions that you may be asked in
assignments or examinations.

6. SELF-DIRECTED LEARNING
As a distance education student, it is your responsibility to engage with the content
and to direct your own learning by managing your time efficiently and effectively.

We designed the following self-directed learning programme template so that you can
plan your time carefully and manage your independent learning. The template will also
help you to keep to due dates and thus complete the assignments on time. Careful
time management and breaking the work up into manageable chunks will help you
work through the content without feeling too stressed. Once you have worked through
the activities you should be able to contribute to discussions in your study group and
during the non-compulsory student academic support sessions with peers and
academic tutors.

When completing the template, consider the following:

• This module is offered in the first semester of your second year of study.
• The first semester is 15 - 20 weeks long.
• The module carries 19 credits and has been developed for NQF level 6.
It should take you about 190 hours to work through this module.
• The 190 hours will be spent reading, studying, and completing the
activities in this CLG, as well as the assignments. You will also spend
time preparing and writing the examination.
• The estimated time to read for and complete each activity has been
suggested.
• You will need 5 to 10 hours to finish each assignment. This means you
will need to budget about 20 hours in total.
• You should plan to spend about 10 to 20 hours preparing for the
examination in order to be successful.

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Plan your studies and keep pace of your progress by completing the template below.
It is not divided into specific weeks, but into the number of units in the CLG. Depending
on the nature of the content, it is possible to complete two or more units in one week.
Sometimes, you may only be able to complete one unit in a week. Use the template
as a guide to help you plan and pace yourself as you work through the content, and
activities in each unit.

Add dates to the template indicating when you plan to start working through a particular
unit. In addition, using a SANTS academic calendar will also assist you to pace your
learning. There is also space to indicate the due dates (deadlines) of the assessments.

DATE
UNIT IN CLG CONTENT IN CLG
PLANNED
The structure of the English
language
UNIT 1: LANGUAGE
AND LITERACY Emergent literacy in the Grade R
THEORY classroom

Children’s literature for Grade R

learners

A language rich environment

UNIT 2: TEACHING
ENGLISH LANGUAGE
Teaching language and literacy
AND LITERACY TO
in the Grade R classroom
GRADE R LEARNERS
Supporting learners with barriers
to learning in Grade R

UNIT 3: TEACHING
ENGLISH AS A FIRST Teaching English to Grade R
ADDITIONAL learners whose mother tongue is
LANGUAGE IN GRADE not English
R

ASSIGNMENT 1

ASSIGNMENT 2

EXAMINATION

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7. CORE READING
The core texts in this CLG are available online on MySANTS and EBSCOhost. Access
the library tab on MySANTS and click on the EBSCOhost link. Please read this text as
you need to refer to it when answering some of the questions in the activities.

1. Joubert, I. (Ed.), Bester, M., Meyer, E., Evans, R. & Phatudi, N. (2019). Literacy
in the Foundation Phase. 3rd ed. Pretoria: Van Schaik Publishers.
Available at:
http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=2125844&s
ite=ehost-live

2. Evans, R., Joubert, I., & Meier, C. (Eds.). (2018). Introducing children’s literature:
A guide to the South African classroom. Pretoria: Van Schaik Publishers.
Available at:
http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=1775016&s
ite=ehost-live

3. Sibanda, L. (2020). Impact of linguistic complexity in English language texts on

South Africa’s primary school grade 3 to 4 transition. Issues in Educational
Research, 30(2), pp. 673–690.
Available at:
http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eue&AN=143769687&
site=ehost-live

8. RECOMMENDED READING
As a distance education student, you cannot only rely on your CLG and the reader.
We recommend that you also study the following sources so that you have broader
insight into the study material:

1. Department of Basic Education. (2011). Curriculum Assessment Policy

Statement: English Home Language Grades R – 3 (CAPS). Pretoria: Government
printers.
Available online at:
https://www.education.gov.za/Curriculum/CurriculumAssessmentPolicyStateme
nts(CAPS)/CAPSFoundation.aspx

2. Department of Basic Education. (n.d.). Guidelines for Responding to Learner

Diversity in the Classroom. Pretoria: Government printers.
Available online at:
https://www.thutong.doe.gov.za/.

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9. ASSESSMENT OF THE MODULE

The SANTS assessment policy is included in the Student Orientation Booklet and is
also available on MySANTS. The policy provides information regarding the types of
assessment you will need to do. It includes information about progression rules,
perusal of marks, or requests for remarking assessments.

In this module, both formative and summative assessment are done over a period of
time (continuous assessment). The activities in the Curriculum and Learning Guide
(CLG) are varied and are aimed at assisting you with self-directed learning. Reflecting
on what you are learning and discussing it in a study group is always helpful. The
personal reflection is aimed at revision, reinforcement, and self-assessment while
informal peer assessment takes place during the group discussions. The following
table provides a summary of the assessment for this module:

9.1 Summary of assessment

Summary of assessment
TYPES OF FORM OF ASSESSMENT WEIGHTING
ASSESSMENT
Formative assessment Two written assignments (100 60%
marks each)
Summative assessment Examination (50 marks) 40%
TOTAL 100%

9.2 Self-assessment

An activity aimed at self-assessment is included at the end of each unit. Before you
complete the self-assessment activity, reflect on what you have learnt in the unit.
Revise the main concepts and if there is any topic or concept, of which you are unsure,
go back to the relevant unit and revise it.

9.3 Assignments
To support you in your self-directed learning and to keep track of your own progress,
we will provide guidelines or the memoranda on MySANTS after the assignments have
been marked and returned.

In order to demonstrate that you have gained the knowledge, skills, values and
attitudes described in the learning outcomes of the module, you need to do the
following:

• Complete and submit each assignment (100 marks) before the due date.

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• Submit both assignments that constitute 60% of your final promotion mark to
qualify for admission to the examination.

The task brief (specific information regarding what to do and how to prepare for each
assignment) will be explained in the assignment itself. These assignments are
provided at the beginning of the first semester together with your CLG for this module.
The assignments are also available on MySANTS.

9.4 Semester examination

At the end of the semester, you have the opportunity to sit for a formal summative
assessment. This includes the following:

• Write a formal examination, out of 50 marks that will constitute 40% of your
final promotion mark. Please read the SANTS Assessment Policy that
deals with all aspects of the general assessment and the examination
policy.
• A minimum of 40% in the examination is required to qualify for a
supplementary examination.

10. PLAGIARISM WARNING FOR STUDENTS

Plagiarism is a form of academic misconduct that can lead to educational or
disciplinary action and has severe consequences - in some cases civil or criminal
prosecution.

You are guilty of plagiarism if you copy from another person’s work (e.g. a book, an
article, a website or even another student’s assignment) without acknowledging the
source and thereby pretending it is your own work. You would not steal someone’s
purse so why steal his/her work or ideas. Submitting any work that you have written
but have already used elsewhere (thus not “original”), is also a form of plagiarism
(auto-plagiarism). An example is when you submit the same assignment or a part of it
for two different modules.

Avoiding plagiarism by being academically honest is not difficult. Here is what you
should do:

• Submit only your own and original work.

• When using another person’s actual words, sentences or paragraphs,
Indicate exactly which parts are not your own (even if presented in the
CLG). You must do this by referencing in accordance with the Harvard style
- a recognised system specified by SANTS, and you must use quotation
marks (“...”).

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• You must also reference precisely when using another person’s ideas,
opinions or theory. You must do so even if you have paraphrased using your
own words.
• You must acknowledge any information or images that you have
downloaded from the Internet by providing the URL link (web address) and
the date on which the item was accessed (downloaded).
• Never allow any student to use or copy any work from you and then to
present it as their own.
• Never copy what other students have done to present as your own.
• Prepare original assignments for each module and do not submit the same
work for another module.
• Always list any student who contributed to a group assignment. Never
submit the work as if only you worked on the assignment.

The Examination Regulations and Procedures policy contains the following in

Section 7.10:

Students may not act in a dishonest way with regard to any test or examination
assessment, as well as with regard to the completion and/or submission of any
other academic task or assignment. Dishonest conduct includes, among other
things, plagiarism, as well as the submission of work by a student for the
purpose of assessment, when the work in question is, with the exception of
group work as decided by the Academic Committee, the work of somebody else
either in full or in part, or where the work is the result of collusion between the
student and another person or persons.

All cases of suspected plagiarism will be investigated and if you are found guilty, there
are serious consequences. Disciplinary action that may result includes:

• You may lose marks for the assignment/activity. Your marks may be reduced
by as much as 50%. You may even be given zero.
• The module may be cancelled and you will have to enrol again. This is a
great waste of time and money.
• Your registration for that entire year may be cancelled. That means not all
the marks you achieved in all the modules you enrolled for will count
anything.
• In some cases, prosecutions in courts of law may be instituted.

Plagiarism is considered such a serious academic crime that you are required to sign
the standard document (Declaration of Original Work) to every assignment that you
submit by either using the assignment booklet or electronic submission. The
Declaration of Original Work is printed on the cover of the assignment booklets.

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CONTENT
DIPLOMA IN GRADE R TEACHING PROGRAMME ............................................... ii
1. WELCOME TO THE MODULE ....................................................................... ii
2. OUTCOMES OF THE PROGRAMME ............................................................ ii
3. PROGRAMME STRUCTURE ........................................................................ iii
4. PURPOSE OF THIS MODULE ..................................................................... vii
5. WORKING THROUGH THE CURRICULUM AND LEARNING GUIDE
(CLG) ............................................................................................................. ix
6. SELF-DIRECTED LEARNING ....................................................................... xi
7. CORE READING .......................................................................................... xiii
8. RECOMMENDED READING........................................................................ xiii
9. ASSESSMENT OF THE MODULE .............................................................. xiv
9.1 Summary of assessment ..................................................................... xiv
9.2 Self-assessment .................................................................................. xiv
9.3 Assignments........................................................................................ xiv
9.4 Semester examination.......................................................................... xv
10. PLAGIARISM WARNING FOR STUDENTS ................................................. xv

ENGLISH HOME AND FIRST ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

LEARNING IN GRADE R 1 ...................................................................................... 1
1. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................ 1
2. STRUCTURE AND OUTCOMES OF THIS MODULE .................................... 2
3. GLOSSARY .................................................................................................... 4

UNIT 1: LANGUAGE AND LITERACY THEORY ..................................................... 7

1. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................ 7
2. STRUCTURE AND LEARNING OUTCOMES FOR UNIT 1 ........................... 7

SECTION 1: THE STRUCTURE OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE .......................... 8

1. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................ 8
2. DEFINITION OF LANGUAGE AND LITERACY.............................................. 8
3. CHARACTERISTICS OF LANGUAGE ........................................................... 9
4. THE BASIC STRUCTURE OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE ........................ 10
4.1 Phonology ............................................................................................ 11
4.2 Morphology .......................................................................................... 12
4.2.1 Nouns ...................................................................................... 13
4.2.2 Verbs ....................................................................................... 14
4.2.3 Adjectives ................................................................................ 14
4.2.4 Adverbs ................................................................................... 15
4.2.5 Punctuation marks ................................................................... 15

SECTION 2: EMERGENT LITERACY IN THE GRADE R CLASSROOM .............. 17

1. INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................... 17

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2. LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT THEORIES .................................................. 19

2.1 Introduction .......................................................................................... 19
2.2 Language acquisition and language learning ....................................... 21
2.3 Language development in children ...................................................... 22
2.3.1 Burrhus Skinner and the theory of behaviourism ..................... 22
2.3.2 Jean Piaget and the theory of constructivism .......................... 23
2.3.3 Lev Vygotsky and the theory of social constructivism .............. 23
2.3.4 Maria Montessori and the Montessori Method ......................... 24
2.3.5 Noam Chomsky and the Language Acquisition Device (LAD)
theory....................................................................................... 24
2.3.6 Michael Long and the theory of interaction .............................. 24
2.3.7 Jim Cummins and Stephen Krashen and their theories on
second- language acquisition .................................................. 25
3. EMERGENT LITERACY ............................................................................... 29
3.1 Introduction .......................................................................................... 29
3.2 Emergent literacy ................................................................................. 29
3.3 Nurturing emergent literacy in the South African context ..................... 33
3.4 Factors motivating the learning of FAL ................................................. 33
3.4.1 Factor 1: Motivation ................................................................. 33
3.4.2 Factor 2: Listening and auditory perceptual skills .................... 34
3.4.3 Factor 3: Personality of the Grade R learner and teacher ....... 34
3.4.4 Factor 4: Age ........................................................................... 35
3.4.5 Factor 5: Memory .................................................................... 35
3.4.6 Factor 6: Linguistic variables ................................................... 36
3.5 Managing language diversity in the Grade R classroom ...................... 36
4. EMERGENT LITERACY AND THE SOUTH AFRICAN CAPS ENGLISH
LANGUAGE CURRICULUM ......................................................................... 38
4.1 Emergent literacy and the Grade R English HL curriculum .................. 38
4.2 Emergent literacy: Content, concepts and skills ................................... 40

SECTION 3: CHILDREN’S LITERATURE FOR GRADE R LEARNERS ............... 46

1. INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................... 46
2. WHAT IS CHILDREN’S LITERATURE? ....................................................... 48
3. ANALYSING CHILDREN’S LITERATURE ................................................... 50
4. CHILDREN’S LITERATURE TO TEACH ENGLISH ..................................... 51
4.1 Create a reading corner in the Grade R classroom .............................. 51
4.2 Develop a culture of reading in the Grade R classroom ....................... 52
4.3 Plan learning activities, using children’s literature ................................ 52
4.4 Resources ............................................................................................ 54

UNIT 2: TEACHING ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERACY TO GRADE R

LEARNERS ............................................................................................................ 59
1. INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................... 59
2. STRUCTURE AND LEARNING OUTCOMES FOR UNIT 2 ......................... 60

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SECTION 1: A LANGUAGE-RICH ENVIRONMENT .............................................. 61

1. INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................... 61
1.1 A language-rich environment ............................................................... 61
1.2 The importance of a language-rich environment .................................. 63
2. SETTING UP A LANGUAGE-RICH ENVIRONMENT FOR GRADE R
LEARNERS .................................................................................................. 63

SECTION 2: TEACHING LANGUAGE AND LITERACY IN THE GRADE R

CLASSROOM ......................................................................................................... 69
1. INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................... 69
2. OVERVIEW: PLANNING GRADE R TERMS 1-4 ......................................... 70
3. THE TEACHER’S TOOLBOX ....................................................................... 72
4. PLANNING: TERM 1 LANGUAGE AND LITERACY .................................... 76
4.1 Term 1 task 1 ....................................................................................... 77
4.2 Term 1 task 2 ....................................................................................... 84
4.2.1 Grade R SBA exemplar booklet ............................................... 84
4.2.2 CAPS English Home Language Grades FP R - 3 .................... 86
4.3 Term 1 task 3 ....................................................................................... 90
4.3.1 Grade R school-based assessment (SBA) .............................. 90
4.3.2 Reasons why Grade R teachers assess .................................. 91
4.3.3 Assessment tools used by Grade R teachers .......................... 91
4.3.4 Assessment type and tools ...................................................... 93

SECTION 3: SUPPORTING LEARNERS WITH BARRIERS TO LEARNING IN

GRADE R .............................................................................................................. 100
1. INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................ 100
2. IDENTIFYING BARRIERS TO LEARNING LANGUAGE............................ 100
2.1 The communication process .............................................................. 100
2.2 Identifying barriers to learning language ............................................ 102
2.2.1 Types of barriers to learning language .................................. 104
3. INCLUDING GRADE R LEARNERS WITH BARRIERS TO LEARNING
LANGUAGE ................................................................................................ 106
3.1 Strategies for teachers: including learners with barriers to learning
language ............................................................................................ 106

UNIT 3: TEACHING ENGLISH AS A FIRST ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE IN

GRADE R .............................................................................................................. 110
1. INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................ 110
2. SECOND LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT IN CHILDREN ............................ 111
2.1 Stages of second language acquisition .............................................. 111
2.1.1 Silent/receptive stage ............................................................ 111
2.1.2 Early production stage ........................................................... 111
2.1.3 Speech emergence stage ...................................................... 112
2.1.4 Intermediate fluency stage..................................................... 112
2.1.5 Continued language development/advanced fluency ............ 112
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2.2 Factors that play a critical role in motivating EFAL learning ............... 112
3. TEACHING ENGLISH TO FAL GRADE R LEARNERS ............................. 114
REFERENCES.................................................................................................... 123

ADDENDUM A: GRADE R LESSON PLANNING FORM .................................... 128

ADDENDUM B: ANSWERS TO ACTIVITY QUESTIONS ................................... 132

ACTIVITIES 1 – 42

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1: The English Alphabet .............................................................................11

Figure 2: Parts of a sentence ............................................................................... 13
Figure 3: Punctuation ........................................................................................... 15
Figure 4: Children’s literature that undermines stereotypes ................................. 51
Figure 5: An example of a language-rich environment ......................................... 61
Figure 6: Storage containers ................................................................................ 64
Figure 7: Example of a literacy area ..................................................................... 65
Figure 8: Learners’ own stories ............................................................................ 66
Figure 9: Posters .................................................................................................. 67
Figure 10: Sorting pages ........................................................................................ 72
Figure 11: A toolbox ............................................................................................... 72
Figure 12: Visual perception ................................................................................... 79
Figure 13: Google Translate ..................................................................................118
Figure 14: Labels in different languages ...............................................................119

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1: Parts of English Speech ........................................................................ 12

Table 2: Language Development Theorists......................................................... 22
Table 3: Ms. Nkosi’s Grade R English HL planning ............................................. 41
Table 4: Identifying the children’s literature ......................................................... 49
Table 5: Interview form ........................................................................................ 50
Table 6: Ms. Dlamini’s English HL planning ........................................................ 53
Table 7: Resources: Children literature ............................................................... 54
Table 8: Planning form ........................................................................................ 56
Table 9: Planning Terms 1‒4 English HL activities .............................................. 71
Table 10: Planning Terms 1–4 assessment........................................................... 71
Table 11: Example 1: Everyday objects ................................................................ 73
Table 12: Example 2: Nature................................................................................. 74
Table 13: Example 3: Picture book ....................................................................... 75
Table 14: Term 1 planning ..................................................................................... 77
Table 15: Ms Mokoena’s emergent literacy planning ............................................ 87
Table 16: Planning form ........................................................................................ 89
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Table 17: General and perceptual skills assessment tools ................................... 93

Table 18: Emergent literacy assessment tools ...................................................... 94
Table 19: Term 1–4 Grade R HL skills................................................................... 94
Table 20: Rubric .................................................................................................... 95
Table 21: Assessment suggestions....................................................................... 96

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ENGLISH HOME AND FIRST ADDITIONAL

LANGUAGE AND LITERACY LEARNING IN
GRADE R 1

1. INTRODUCTION
Welcome to the module on English Home and First Additional Language (FAL) and
Literacy Learning in Grade R 1 (R-EHF 211). This is the first of the two modules in the
series and include both English Home Language and First Additional Language
learning and teaching.

South Africa is a multilingual nation with 11 official languages. Multilingual means

the use of more than
According to the 2011 census, English (8,1%) is the sixth-most one language
common home language in the country, after Zulu (25,3%), Xhosa (multi = many
(14,8%), Afrikaans (12,2%), Sepedi (12,4%), and Setswana lingual = language)
(11,1%) (Statistics South Africa, 2020). Please refer again to your
first year module titled Introduction to Language and Literacy Landscape in Grade R
(R-LLL 120) that deals with the multilingual context of South Africa.

Internationally, English is one of the most widely-spoken languages in the world. Being
fluent in English brings more opportunities in business, higher education, finance,
media and the internet.

This module on how to teach English in Grade R is set out in three units:

• In Unit 1 you begin with the basic structure of English, followed by theories
(ideas) on how children acquire and learn language, and end with children’s
literature. Unit 1 builds a foundation for learning how to teach English in Grade
R in Units 2 and 3.
• In Unit 2 you learn how to teach English language and literacy to Grade R
learners. Using CAPS (DBE, 2011) as a guide, you learn how to set up a
language-rich classroom and support learners with barriers to learning
language.
• In Unit 3 you learn about teaching English as a First Additional Language
(FAL). Although Grade R CAPS does not include a FAL, this module addresses
the issue of South African teachers and learners in classrooms where the
language of learning and teaching (LoLT) is English but whose mother tongue
is not English.

Learning should be an enjoyable and enriching experience for learners and teachers.
Although the module activities are playful and there are many audio-visual aids, we
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are serious about helping you to understand how to teach English language and
literacy to Grade R learners.

“Education is the great engine of personal development. It

is through education that the daughter of a peasant can
become a doctor, that the son of a mineworker can become
the head of the mine, that a child of farm workers can
become the president of a great nation. It is what we make
out of what we have, not what we are given, that separates
one person from another” (Nelson Mandela, 2003).

Image created by OpenClipart-Vectors. (n.d.)

Language is a powerful tool in educating children for a better life. It is very important
to help children grow up to be good listeners, speakers, readers and writers.

In this module, you discover how to start Grade R learners on the road to being fluent
in English. Let us begin the journey!

2. STRUCTURE AND OUTCOMES OF THIS MODULE

At the end of this module students should be able to:

• Understand the structure of the English language.

• Understand the implications of the structure of the English language on
teaching emergent literacy to Grade R learners.
• Plan appropriate instruction for emergent literacy practices in Grade R.
• Analyse children’s literature (fictional texts).
• Understand the importance of children’s literature in emergent literacy
practices.
• Describe elements of a language-rich environment.
• Plan appropriate methods for teaching English as a first additional language.
• Support learners with learning barriers to language acquisition and literacy
teaching.

Module 1 is the first of the two English Home and First Additional Language and
Literacy Learning in Grade R (R-EFH 211) modules. After you have studied Module 1
you will have achieved the following outcomes:

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ENGLISH HOME AND FIRST ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE

AND LITERACY LEARNING IN GRADE R 1

Unit 1 Unit 2
Language and literacy theory Teaching English Language and
literacy to Grade R learners
Outcomes: At the end of this unit
you will be able to: Outcomes: At the end of this unit
• Understand and explain the you will be able to:
structure of the English • Describe elements of a
language; language-rich environment;
• Understand and discuss the • Plan appropriate instruction for
implications of the structure of emergent literacy practices in
the English language on Grade R;
teaching emergent literacy to • Support learners with learning
Grade R learners; barriers to language acquisition
• Plan appropriate instruction for and literacy teaching; and
emergent literacy practices in • Reflect on your learning in terms
Grade R; of teaching English language and
• Analyse children’s literature literacy to Grade R learners.
(fictional texts);
• Understand and discuss the
importance of children’s
literature in emergent literacy
practices; and
• Reflect on your learning in terms
of language and literacy theory.

Unit 3
Teaching English as a First Additional Language
(FAL) in Grade R

Outcomes: At the end of this unit you will be able to:

• Plan appropriate methods for teaching English as a
first additional language; and
• Reflect on your learning in terms of teaching English
as a First Additional Language (FAL).

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3. GLOSSARY

Some of the words used in this module will be new to you. Module 1 assists you in the
following ways:

• Word boxes with explanations are included throughout the module.

• New words may have a similar but more commonly-used word in brackets
behind the new word.
• The glossary below lists unfamiliar words and their meanings.

Accommodation - Piaget’s theory on what happens in the brain when

and assimilation children learn. Assimilation is absorbing new knowledge
into your brain. Accommodation is changing or adapting
the existing knowledge in your brain to fit in with the new
knowledge.

Alalia - Not making any attempt to speak even though speaking

is developmentally appropriate for the child’s age.

Aphasia - A communication disorder caused by damage to the part

of the brain that controls language.

Apraxia - The person knows what they want to say but the words
do not come out of their mouth. The pathway between a
person’s brain and speech muscles does not connect.

Assessment - Standards by which a child’s behaviour is judged.

criteria

Children’s - Written materials that entertain and educate children,

Literature e.g. storybooks, picture books, comics, and factual
books with photos.

Code-switching - Using two languages while speaking, e.g. I like vrugte

(Afrikaans for fruit)

Dysarthria - Slurred, slow speech as a result of nerve or muscle

damage to the speech organs, e.g. lips, tongue, vocal
cords or diaphragm. Children with cerebral palsy may
have dysarthria.

EFAL - English as a First Additional Language (EFAL) is a term

used in CAPS (DBE, 2011) to refer to the English being
learned by children whose home language is not English.

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Emergent - What children know and can do with language before

Literacy they formally learn how to read and write. Emergent
literacy is based on the belief that children learn
language from birth because they are surrounded by
speaking, reading, and writing.

Empiricist - A belief that language develops when children interact

Theory with their environment and other people. Knowledge is
gained through sensory experience.

Expressive - Expressive refers to language going out, i.e. the ability to

language speak, question, and share ideas and experiences with
others in logical and meaningful ways.

Home Language The language used in the home. Also known as mother
tongue language or first language.

Language - A system of communication which consists of a set of

sounds and written symbols used by humans for talking
and writing.

Language - Acquiring a language means absorbing a language

acquisition without actually thinking about its sounds and structure.
Children acquire their home language by listening to their
parents and caregivers as they go about their everyday
lives.

Language - A circumstance or obstacle that prevents

barrier communication.

Language - Learning a language means to purposefully learn the

learning sounds and structure of a language by actively engaging
in listening, speaking, reading and writing exercises.
School children learn English by having language
lessons with their teacher.

Literacy - A person’s ability to read and write.

LoLT - LoLT is an acronym for Language of Learning and

Teaching. It refers to the main language used by a
school. In a school where English is the LoLT, all the
teachers use English to teach in the classrooms, all the
learning materials are written in English, and all the
learners are expected to speak, read and write in
English.

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Morphology - The study of words, i.e. how words are formed and how
they relate to other words in the same language.

Nativist Theory - A belief that language is innate or instinctive. Humans

are born with a brain that has the ability to learn
language.

Phoneme - Units of sound in a language that distinguish one word

from another, e.g. the b, h and m sound in bat, hat, mat.

Phonology - The study of sounds and their meanings.

Receptive - Receptive refers to language that is coming in i.e. the

language ability to understand what is being spoken and read.

SBA - School-based assessment, i.e. assessment of children

done by teachers at school.

Selective - When a child can speak but for some reason chooses
mutism not to, e.g. a child who speaks at home but never speaks
when at school.

Seminal - Strongly influencing later developments, e.g. Vygotsky’s

theories are seminal because they inform many of
today’s ideas on child development.

Stuttering - To struggle when speaking, often repeating or

prolonging certain sounds. Also known as stammering.

Theory - A set of ideas that explains something. A theorist is the

person who creates these ideas and names them.

Zone of - Vygotsky’s term for describing the difference between

Proximal what a learner can learn without help, and what the same
Development learner can learn with help from a more knowledgeable
(ZPD) person such as a parent, caregiver, older child or
teacher.

Let us begin with Unit 1.

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UNIT 1: LANGUAGE AND LITERACY THEORY

1. INTRODUCTION

Unit 1 introduces you to the basic structure of the English language (Section 1), how
children learn and acquire language (Section 2), and children’s literature (Section 3).
These three sections form a theoretical foundation for learning the practicalities of
teaching English to Grade R learners in Units 2 and 3.

2. STRUCTURE AND LEARNING OUTCOMES FOR UNIT 1

Unit 1 is made up of three sections. Each section has learning outcomes:

UNIT 1
LANGUAGE AND LITERACY THEORY

SECTION 1 SECTION 2
The structure of the English Emergent literacy in the Grade R
Language classroom

Learning outcomes: At the end of Learning outcomes: At the end of

this section you should be able to: this section you should be able to:
• Explain the difference between • Distinguish between the main
language and literacy; theories on how children acquire
• List the essential characteristics language;
of language; • Describe emergent literacy;
• Differentiate between parts of the • Explain why emergent literacy is
English language in terms of important for teaching and
phonology and morphology; and learning the English Language in
• Reflect on what you have learned Grade R;
about the structure of the English • Demonstrate ways of nurturing
language. emergent literacy in the Grade R
classroom; and
• Reflect on what you have learned
about Emergent Literacy in Grade
R. classroom.

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SECTION 3
Children’s literature for Grade R learners

Learning outcomes: At the end of this section you should be able

to:
• Describe types of children’s literature;
• Appraise children’s literature in terms of what is appropriate for
Grade R learners;
• Adapt children’s literature for the purpose of teaching and
learning Grade R English Language; and
• Reflect on what you have learned about children’s literature.

Let us start with Section 1.

SECTION 1: THE STRUCTURE OF THE ENGLISH

LANGUAGE

1. INTRODUCTION
Do you remember learning about nouns, verbs, and adjectives at school? This section
refreshes your knowledge about the basic structure of the English language so that
you are well informed when you teach English to Grade R learners.

Section 1 has three parts:

• Definition of language and literacy.

• Characteristics of language.
• The basic structure of the English language
o Phonology.
o Morphology.

Each part follows in order below, starting with a definition of language and literacy.

2. DEFINITION OF LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Let us start by understanding the difference between language and literacy:

• Language is a system of communication with a set of sounds and written

symbols used by people for speaking, reading and writing.
Language has four parts:

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1. Phonology (sounds);
2. Semantics (meaning of words and sentences);
3. Syntax (how words become sentences); and
4. Pragmatics (the rules that govern how language is used).

• Literacy is a person’s ability (skill) to read and write. Literacy needs to be

formally taught to children by someone who already knows how to read and
write, e.g. a teacher at a school. If children do not learn how to read and write,
they become illiterate, i.e. adults who are unable to read or write. There are
many kinds of literacy when literacy is understood in its broader sense, e.g.
computer literacy, emotional literacy, and media literacy. In this module, we are
going to learn about emergent literacy.

3. CHARACTERISTICS OF LANGUAGE
Here are a few things to keep in mind as you learn about teaching language to young
children:

Language is ‘living’ because it is influenced by culture and trends and it changes all
the time. For example, 25 years ago the word google did not exist but it is now part of
the English dictionary where it means searching for information on the Internet,. This
happened because people started to talk about googling information.

Language is learned from other human beings

Children learn to speak by interacting with their parents and caregivers, and then they
go to school where teachers help them to learn to read and write. When children grow
up in the absence of human contact, they do not learn to talk, read or write.

Language has made human civilization possible

The development of today’s technology, medicine, art and science has come about
because of language. Talking, listening, reading and writing enable us to be
innovative, creative, to communicate and solve problems. What would we do if we did
not have language?!

Language is symbolic
Language is a system of sounds and symbols that stand in place of the real thing, e.g.
the word cat stands in place of a real cat.

Language is diverse
There are many different languages spoken around the world. In South Africa, we
have 11 official languages: Sepedi, Sesotho, Setswana, siSwati, Tshivenda,
Xitsonga, Afrikaans, English, isiNdebele, isiXhosa and isiZulu.

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Language is not neutral

Listening, speaking and reading teach us about the world. This means that we need
to think critically about the language we use and hear.

300 minutes
1
Learning about language

Read Chapter 1 of the following core reading (available via EBSCOhost) carefully
and answer the questions that follow in your learning journal:

Joubert, I. (Ed.), Bester, M., Meyer, E., Evans, R. & Phatudi, N. (2019). Literacy in
the Foundation Phase. 3rd ed. Pretoria: Van Schaik Publishers.
Available at:
http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=2125844&site
=ehost-live

1. Define the term ‘language’ in your own words.

2. Add to the list of the characteristics of language on the previous page, from the
core reading.
3. Is language exclusive to humans? Motivate your answer.
4. Summarise the observations about how young children learn language in
Paragraph 1.6 in your own words.
5. Name and explain the three main theories of language acquisition (page 10 and
11).
6. Explain the main language development stages of young children. Draw a
timeline in which you indicate which phase happens around which age of the
child.
7. What do the acronyms BICS and CALP mean and why are these concepts
important to you as a Grade R teacher?
8. Name any other interesting points in Chapter 1, that stood out for you when you
read it.

4. THE BASIC STRUCTURE OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE

The English language is made up of different sounds (phonology) and letters. They
are put together in a particular order according to a set of rules (morphology), to make
words and sentences.

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4.1 Phonology

Phonology refers to the different sounds in language. There are 26 letters in the
English alphabet. Each letter has a sound; some letters have more than one sound,
e.g. the a in cat and car are two different sounds. Two letters together can create one
sound, e.g. the ph sound in the word photo sounds like an f.

Figure 1: The English Alphabet

Public Domain Vectors (2018)

If we put phonemes (alphabet sounds) together in a particular order, we create a word,

e.g. c + a + t = cat. The order and rules (morphology) are important, e.g. if we use the
same three letters (c, a, t), we can make the words atc and cta, but neither make any
sense to English speakers because the letter order is incorrect.

Speech is what happens when humans start talking. English speech can be broken
down into eight basic parts. Table 1 lists the eight parts of speech and provides an
example of each in red.

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Table 1: Parts of English Speech

Part of Speech Example
Noun The dog barked
Pronoun It woke up the baby
Verb The baby cried
Adverb The baby cried loudly
Adjective The loving mother rocked the baby
Preposition The dog looked at the baby
Conjunction The mother and baby smiled
Interjection Thank goodness! The baby is sleeping again.
Table created by O’Brien (n.d.)

You will learn more about each part of speech in the next section on morphology.

4.2 Morphology

Morphology refers to the structure of a language. The English Structure: The way
in which the parts of
language is structured according to a set of rules called grammar. a system or object
If we follow these rules, we can use letters of the alphabet to make are arranged or
organized.
words, and words to make sentences. When we group sentences
together, we make a paragraph. A book is made up of chapters and each chapter
contains paragraphs.

A simple sentence contains a noun and a verb, starts with a capital letter and ends
with a full stop, e.g. Sipho laughs. A phrase is an incomplete sentence, e.g. a brave
woman.

A complex or compound sentence has many parts, e.g. The flowers in Mzoli’s garden
are beautiful and just looking at them makes me feel happy. Complex and compound
sentences may contain conjunctions and prepositions. Conjunctions are words that
join words and phrases together, e.g. and, but. Prepositions are words that tell you
about the relationship between words, e.g. with, in, out, at, next to, by, before, from.

60 minutes
2
Sentences
1. You can find out more about sentences by watching a short video on types of
sentences: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3epNegcz6g
2. Now that you know what a sentence is, create your own sentence. Write it
down in a book or on A4 paper.

Well done! Now, let us identify each part of the sentence below:

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Figure 2: Parts of a sentence

4.2.1 Nouns

A noun is a word that we use to name a thing, person, animal, feeling, idea, or place.

There are many types of nouns:

• Proper nouns start with a capital letter and name a specific person or a
place, e.g. Mpho, Michael, Polokwane, and Africa.
• Common nouns are unspecific, e.g. child, dog, supper, shoe, happiness,
and house. Common nouns can be subdivided into types. Here are three
examples of common nouns:
o Collective nouns are names for a group of things e.g. a swarm (of
bees), a herd (of cows), a school (of fish).
o Concrete nouns are the names for things you can touch, hear, smell,
taste and see, e.g. ball, shoe, pencil, baby, orange.
o Abstract nouns are names for the things you cannot see or touch e.g.
happiness, joy, anger.
• Singular nouns name only one thing, e.g. dog, leaf, mouse, man, child.
• Plural nouns name more than one of the same thing e.g. dogs, leaves,
mice, men, children.
• Pronouns are words that stand in place of nouns, e.g. I, me, he, she,
herself, you, it, that, they, each, few, many, who, someone, everybody.

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30 minutes
3
Nouns
1. You can find out more about nouns by watching a short online tutorial on
nouns at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tquecIG-Pws
2. Now that you know what nouns are, write down six nouns of your own.

4.2.2 Verbs

Verbs are sometimes called doing words because they denote an action or a state of
being. Nouns and verbs usually work together. Examples of verbs are:

• The dog is running away.

• I walk to the shop.
• The bus driver yelled at Gloria.

30 minutes
4
Verbs
1. You can find out more about verbs by watching a short online tutorial on verbs
at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PcGumUky5hI
2. Now that you know what verbs are, write a sentence of your own and then
underline the verb/s.

4.2.3 Adjectives

Adjectives qualify (give more information about) nouns, e.g. a happy girl, a red dress,
a soft bed, a paper hat, a fierce lion.

30 minutes
5
Adjectives
1. You can find out more about adjectives by watching a short online tutorial on
adjectives at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94cdAyyPj3Q
2. Now that you know what adjectives are, write down five adjectives of your
own (with their nouns) e.g. happy child.

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4.2.4 Adverbs

Adverbs qualify (give more information about) verbs, adjectives and other adverbs,
e.g. The cow ran fast. Tanya is very confident. The dog barked loudly. The principal
praised the teacher loudly.

30 minutes
6
Adverbs
1. Find out more about adverbs by watching a short online tutorial on adverbs
on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_txnezQ12c0
2. Now that you know what adverbs are, write down two sentences with an adverb
in each sentence. Underline the adverbs in your sentence.

4.2.5 Punctuation marks

Punctuation marks, e.g. question and exclamation marks, commas, semi-colons, and
full stops, are added to a sentence to make it easier to understand.

Lynne Truss (2003) points out the importance of punctuation in her book titled ‘Eats,
Shoots and Leaves’:

Truss uses the following two sentences to explain punctuation. Sentence 1 and
sentence 2 below contain the same words in the same order, but the way Sentence 2
is punctuated completely changes the meaning of the sentence:

Sentence 1:
The panda eats shoots and leaves

Created by wal_172619. (n.d.)

Sentence 2:
The panda eats, shoots, and leaves.

Created by Succo. (n.d.)

Figure 3: Punctuation

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30 minutes
7
Punctuation
1. You can find out more about punctuation by watching a short video
on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgcokHqAXUk
2. Now that you know what punctuation is, punctuate the three sentences below.
• The mother eats the children play.
• Help Is the fire engine coming.
• Woman without her man is nothing.

Punctuation is fun. Here are some ways of punctuating the sentences in Activity 7:
• The mother eats; the children play.
• Help! Is the fire engine coming?
• Woman: without her, man is nothing!

Let us put what we have learned about the English language into action in the
activity below:

150 minutes
8
English language structures

Refer to Chapter 9 of the core reading:

Joubert, I. (Ed.), Bester, M., Meyer, E., Evans, R. & Phatudi, N. (2019). Literacy in
the Foundation Phase. 3rd ed. Pretoria: Van Schaik Publishers.
Available at:
http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=2125844&site
=ehost-live

1. Make a summary of the language skills that a Grade R learner should master,
on page 240, in your learning journal. Think about those skills, while doing the
activity that you are about to do.
2. Write answers to the following questions in your learning journal, using
sentences with nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, pronouns, conjunctions and
punctuation marks:
• What is your name and when and where were you born?
• What are the names of your parents or guardians?
• What language do you speak at home?

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• When did you start to speak, read and write English?

• What encouraged you to speak English?
• Were there any barriers to your learning to speak English? What were those
barriers?
• How did you feel about learning English?
• What advice would you give to a mother who asks you how she can
encourage her child to speak English?
3. Identify English language structures
Using coloured crayons, do the following to the sentences that you wrote in your
notebook for Part 2 (above):
- underline four sentences in red crayon
- colour all the verbs yellow
- colour all the nouns green
- draw a black circle around all the adjectives
- draw a blue line under all the proper nouns
- draw a yellow line under all the adverbs

Well done! You have completed Unit 1 Section 1. This means that you:

• Understand the difference between language and literacy,

• Are familiar with the characteristics of language, and
• Know the basic phonology and morphology of the English language.

Now that you know about the structure of the English language, let us find out how
children acquire and learn language.

SECTION 2: EMERGENT LITERACY IN THE

GRADE R CLASSROOM

1. INTRODUCTION
You have come this far in your studies because you are able to Theory: a set of
ideas that explains
read, write and understand words and sentences. Literacy is something.
important. Let us find out what is happening in South Africa with
children’s literacy:

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120 minutes
9
Reading: Children’s literacy in South Africa

PIRLS is an international literacy test that measures Grade 4 children’s ability to read
with understanding. South Africa participated in the 2016 PIRLS testing. Nic Spaull,
a South African educationalist, summarised the results on his website.

https://nicspaull.com/2017/12/05/the-unfolding-reading-crisis-the-new-pirls-2016-
results/

1. Read the results of the PIRLS testing in South Africa (SA). An abbreviated
(shortened) summary of the report is provided in the shaded box below.
2. Underline or highlight the key (important) points.
3. Reflect on what this report means to children (their future as adults), teachers
(their role and responsibility), and South Africa (the impact on the SA economy).

4. Write your own answers to the following questions. Write in your notebook.
• What are the implications for learners who cannot read?
• What are the implications for adults who cannot read?
• Why are children in South Africa reading so badly?
• What can teachers do to support learners who struggle to learn to read?
• What can Grade R teachers do to build a strong foundation for learning to
read in Grade 1?

1. 8 out of 10 SA learners cannot read: 78% of SA Grade 4 learners cannot

read for meaning.
2. SA scores last in reading of 50 countries: South African Grade 4 learners
have scored the lowest mark in the latest 2016 round of the PIRLS (Progress
in International Reading and Literacy Study) released today. The study
included countries such as Iran, Chile, Morocco, and Oman.
3. SA lags far behind other countries: While 78% of SA Grade 4 learners
cannot read, in America only 4% and in England just 3% cannot read. In Iran
only 35% of Grade 4 learners could not read for meaning and in Chile it was
only 13%.
4. Reading crisis deeper than previously thought: When South Africa
participated in prePIRLS 2011 (an easier version of PIRLS), we thought that
58% of SA Grade 4 learners could not read for meaning. The true figure for
learners that cannot read for meaning is 78% – revealed today.
5. Some evidence of improvement in reading 2006 to 2011 but stagnant
since 2011: The only good news coming out of PIRLS 2016 is that there may

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have been significant improvements in reading between 2006 and 2011.

Because the scale scores are now comparable. We can compare the
performance of Grade 4s in 2006 and Grade 4s in 2011 and 2016. This
comparison seems to suggest a quite significant increase in reading scores
between 2006 and 2011. Unfortunately, there is no evidence of improvement
between 2011 and 2016.
6. SA reading scores stagnant since 2011: There has been no improvement in
reading scores over the last five years (i.e. 2011 to 2016).
7. SA gender gap in reading 2nd highest in the world: Girls score much higher
than boys in reading across the board. In Grade 4 girls are a full year of
learning ahead of boys. This gender gap is the second largest among all 50
countries that participated. Only Saudi Arabia’s is higher. The gap between
boys and girls is also growing over time. The gap between boys and girls was
larger in 2016 than in 2011.
8. SA boys’ scores seem to have declined between 2011 and 2016: The
average Grade 4 girl in SA scored 341 in 2011 and 347 in 2016. The average
Grade 4 boy in SA scored 307 points in 2011 and 295 points in 2016.
9. Declining number of SA students reaching high levels of reading
achievement: In 2011, 3% of SA Grade 4 students reached the High
International Benchmark. In 2016 only 2% reached this same benchmark.
(Spaull, 2017)

Learners first learn to read, and then read to learn. When learners do not learn to read
in Foundation Phase, they will have great difficulty learning knowledge concepts and
skills in their Senior Primary and High School years. Without being able to read, most
learners cannot complete high school or gain entry to college or university. Not being
able to read is a real handicap to becoming secure and independent in today’s world.

Grade R plays a key (very important) role in the development of literacy. When
Grade R teachers nurture children’s emergent literacy skills, they are helping learners
to build a strong foundation for learning to read and write in Grade 1. Now that we
know how important literacy is, let us find out more about language and literacy
development in Grade R learners.

2. LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT THEORIES

2.1 Introduction

Speaking, reading and writing are unique to human beings; it is one of the reasons
why we are the most successful species on this planet. Language development is a
complex and dynamic process that happens in the left hemisphere of the human brain,
specifically in parts of the brain called Broca's area (speech) and Wernicke's area
(comprehension, i.e. being able to understand what is being said, read and written).

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In this section you will be introduced to different language development theories so

that you can understand how children learn language in Grade R. There are three
parts to Section 2:

1. Language Development Theories.

2. Emergent Literacy.
3. Nurturing Emergent Literacy in the Grade R classroom.

Part 1 begins with understanding the difference between language and literacy,
followed by language theorists Skinner, Piaget, Vygotsky, Montessori, Chomsky,
Cummins, Krashen, and Long’s ideas on how young children learn to talk, read and
write.

Part 2 introduces you to Emergent Literacy; an idea that is central to teaching and
learning language in the South African Grade R classroom.

Part 3 looks at the South African language context and how this informs what teachers
do in Grade R.

There are two important things to keep in mind throughout this module:

1. Learners do not officially learn a second language in Grade R; according to

CAPS (DBE, 2011), second language learning begins in Grade 1. So why is
this module about second language learning, i.e. FAL and EFAL? The reason
is that most South African learners and teachers come from homes where
English is not their mother tongue, but the language of learning and
teaching (LoLT) in many schools is English. This means that lots of learners
are learning in their second or even third language. This module shows you
how to be effective English teachers in a Grade R classroom with EFAL learners
(children learning English as a first additional language).

2. Your core reader, Literacy in the Foundation Phase, refers to teaching English
in Foundation Phase. As this module pertains only to Grade R, you need to
exclude any formal Grade 1–3 teaching activities, because there is no formal
teaching in Grade R.

Let us begin with a reading that will give you an overview of the South African language
policies, introduce you to theories on language development, and provide some
practical suggestions on how to teach English as a First Additional Language (EFAL)
to learners whose home language is not English.

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120 minutes
10
Reading: The South African context

Read the following core reading (available from EBSCO) and answer the questions
that follow:

Sibanda, L. (2020). Impact of linguistic complexity in English language texts on

South Africa’s primary school grade 3 to 4 transition. Issues in Educational
Research, 30(2), 673–690.

1. South Africa is called the ‘rainbow nation’ due to its wonderful diversity. It is a
unique country in that it has 11 official languages. How do you think that impacts
the teaching of English as a first or first additional language?
2. Name the challenges that the author of the article identifies, relating to the ability
of primary school children’s reading abilities. Then add some of your own.
3. What was your experience in the classroom to date as to the language of
learners? How many different language groups are represented in your class?

The next paragraph summarises key theories (ideas) on how children learn language.

2.2 Language acquisition and language learning

Children learn to speak, read and write in two ways:

1. Language acquisition means absorbing a language without actually thinking

about the language’s sound system and structure. Children acquire their home
language by listening to their parents and caregivers as they go about their day-
to-day lives. A child can be fluent in their home language, but they may not
know the sounds and structure of their home language.

2. Learning a language means to purposefully learn the sound system and

structure of a language by actively engaging in listening, speaking, reading and
writing activities. Learners usually learn a second language in a classroom with
a teacher who has planned sound and structure lessons for the learners.

Language acquisition and language learning are two separate processes; ideally, they
go hand in hand when we teach learners a language. In this module we have assumed
they are developing hand in hand.

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2.3 Language development in children

There are many different theories on how children learn to speak, read and write. The
following section introduces you to some of the seminal (important and longstanding)
theorists who have influenced how we teach literacy skills to children today. These
theorists can be grouped into two main groups: empiricists and nativists.

Table 2: Language Development Theorists

Empiricist theorists Empiricists believe that knowledge is gained through
sensory experience. Language therefore develops
when children actively engage with their
environment and other people. B. F. Skinner, Jean
Piaget, Lev Vygotsky, Maria Montessori, and
Jerome Bruner are well-known empiricists.

Michael Long and Stephen Krashen are called

interactionists because they believe that children
learn language by interacting with other people
around them.

Image created by Johnson

(n.d.)
Nativist theorists Nativists believed that language is innate or
instinctive. Humans are born with a brain that has
the ability to learn language. Noam Chomsky is a
well-known nativist. For more information you can
watch a 2-minute video on Chomsky
at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Cgpfw4z8c
w

Image created by
OpenClipart-Vectors (n.d.)

Below is a summary of each theorist and their ideas on language development. Each
summary is accompanied by examples of how the theory could be applied in the Grade
R classroom.

2.3.1 Burrhus Skinner and the theory of behaviourism

According to Skinner (1957), a child’s behaviour is determined by the consequences

that follow behaviour. If a child is rewarded, they are likely to repeat the same
behaviour. If the child is punished or receives no reward, then they are unlikely to
repeat the behaviour. Skinner’s theory has been challenged because it does not
explain how children acquire a new word or idea that they have never heard before.
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Here are some ideas for applying Skinner’s behaviourist theory in the Grade R
classroom:

1. Smile, clap your hands and give a small reward, e.g. a gold star sticker,
when you see the children listening, sharing ideas, looking at books,
drawing and emergent writing.
2. Discourage behaviour that undermines language development, e.g. frown
at the child who is not listening.

2.3.2 Jean Piaget and the theory of constructivism

According to Piaget (1954), children are not blank slates when they start school; they
have already learned much by interacting with the environment and other people from
the day they were born. Children learn by constructing new knowledge from what they
already know (prior knowledge). Children learn by comparing new knowledge with
their prior knowledge (assimilation) and then making mental adjustments to fit in the
new learning with their prior knowledge (accommodation).

Here are some ideas for applying Piaget’s constructivist theory in the Grade R
classroom:

1. Find out what the children already know before planning your Grade R
language activities.
2. Plan language activities based on children’s interests.
3. Provide opportunities for children to compare what they already know with
the new knowledge they are learning.

2.3.3 Lev Vygotsky and the theory of social constructivism

According to Vygotsky (1978), children learn by interacting with adults and more
capable peers. Children construct new knowledge when they move from what they
already know to knowing something they did not know before. Vygotsky calls this
space between knowing and not knowing, the Zone of Proximal development or ZPD.
Working in the ZPD requires the support of more knowledgeable adults or children to
help children move from what they know, to learning something new. Learning
activities must target the ZPD for learning to happen, i.e. activities shouldn’t be too
easy or too difficult. Jerome Bruner’s idea of scaffolding as a way in which adults
support children’s learning, builds on Vygotsky’s theory of learning.

Here are some ideas for applying Vygotsky’s social constructivism theory in the Grade
R classroom:

• Do group-work activities.
• Encourage discussion and debate in the classroom.
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• Invite the more able learners to mentor the younger or less able learners.
• Group learners in pairs and ask them to talk and work together on an activity.
• Ask open-ended questions that cannot be answered with a yes or no or one-
word answer, e.g. What do you know about …? How would you …? Why do
you think ….?
• Be a language role model – speak clearly in full sentences, introduce new
words, and play fun word games. Write words and sentences in front of the
learners and then read the writing aloud together. Show the learners that you
enjoy reading and writing.

2.3.4 Maria Montessori and the Montessori Method

According to Montessori (1972), the learning environment and sensory play are key to
children’s learning. Children learn best when they feel safe and are actively engaged
in meaningful play with concrete (real) objects (things), using their sense of touch,
smell, taste, hearing and sight.

Here are some ideas for applying the Montessori Method in the Grade R classroom:

• Create an exciting learning environment where learners feel safe but

stimulated.
• Set up play activities using concrete (real) everyday items e.g. bucket, water,
jug, and encourage the learners to touch, taste, smell, hear and look.
Label classroom items such as the door, window, chair, table.

2.3.5 Noam Chomsky and the Language Acquisition Device (LAD) theory

According to Chomsky (1968), human beings are born with the ability to learn
language. Chomsky calls this innate ability the Learning Acquisition Device (LAD).
Chomsky says that the LAD shrinks with age, which explains why young children are
able to learn a new language more easily than adults. Chomsky’s theory has been
challenged by documented cases of children being unable to speak because they
grew up without hearing language.

To find out more about Chomsky, watch the following 2-minute

video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Cgpfw4z8cw

To apply Chomsky’s theory in the Grade R classroom:

• Expose young learners to different languages, e.g. English and isiZulu.

2.3.6 Michael Long and the theory of interaction

According to Long (1996), language is learned by interacting with the people around
you. Children learn language naturally by being around, seeing and hearing others
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who speak, listen, read and write. Long’s theory is similar to Vygotsky’s idea that social
interaction leads to learning. The difference between the two is that Vygotsky’s theory
refers to first-language learners whereas Long’s theory is about learning a second
language.

Here are some ideas for applying Long’s Interaction theory in the Grade R classroom:

• Provide opportunities for learners to listen and actively participate in language

activities with other learners, e.g. to play freely with their friends in the fantasy
play area or outside in the garden.
• Provide opportunities for adults to talk, read and write with the learners, e.g.
invite a parent to come to school and teach the learners a song, or tell a story,
or talk about the things they do.
• In the classroom the teacher can encourage interaction by:
o Asking learners to find a partner and talk to each other about ….
o Do Show-and-Tell with the learners where one learner is showing and
talking while the other learners are watching and listening.

2.3.7 Jim Cummins and Stephen Krashen and their theories on second-
language acquisition

Cummins and Krashen are experts on second-language acquisition and learning. We

have included some of their ideas as many South African learners learning English in
Grade R are likely to be second-language learners.

Jim Cummins

According to Cummins (2000), competency in the mother tongue makes it easier for
children to learn a second language because all languages have a common operating
system he calls Universal Grammar. In other words, the skills you learned while
learning to speak your home language can be transferred to learning a second
language.

Cummins says that children acquire two different kinds of language proficiencies
(abilities):

1. Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills (BICS) is the ability to listen and

speak to others. Children informally acquire BICS within two or three years
simply by being around and engaging with other people. When people say,
children can easily pick up a language, they are talking about BICS.
2. Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (CALP) is the ability to cope
with the academic side of language development, e.g. writing, reading,
problem-solving, analysing and theorising. CALP needs to be formally taught,

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e.g. at school by a teacher, and it takes between five and seven years for
children to acquire CALP.

Here are some ideas for applying Cummins’ theory in the Grade R classroom.

• Encourage parents to nurture their children’s home language by talking,

reading, telling stories and asking questions.
• Explain to parents that their children will learn English quicker if their home
language is well developed.
• Keep in mind that second-language learners who seem to be fluent in English
(BICS) may not have the same level of thinking skills (CALP).

Stephen Krashen

Although Krashen’s (1985) creative construction language theory has been criticised
for being rather vague, he offers some helpful insights that we can apply to teaching
English in Grade R. According to Krashen, emotion, motivation and stress are key
factors when learning a new language. If a child is anxious, bored or unhappy, they
are unlikely to learn anything new. Krashen also believes that teaching a language
does not require a teacher to do extensive (a lot of) drilling and teaching of rules; it is
more important to make learning a new language meaningful and interesting for the
children.

Watch the 2-minute video clip on the website: https://www.sk.com.br/sk-krash-

english.html. You will see Krashen demonstrate two ways of teaching a new
language and understand why it is important to make the learning interesting and
meaningful.

Here are some ideas for applying Krashen’s theory in the Grade R classroom:

• Make the classroom a safe and happy place.

• Use the learners’ ideas and interests for teaching English so that learning the
language becomes meaningful for the learners.
• Do not force a learner to speak; rather wait until they are ready to express
themselves naturally.
• When a learner makes a mistake, do not correct their mistake in a way that
might embarrass them; it is better to introduce the correct word or sentence
naturally when an opportunity arises.
• Provide opportunities for the learner to hear English spoken naturally, e.g. Invite
an English-speaking parent to read a story to the class in English.

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60 minutes
11
Matching theory to practice

Let us reflect on what you have learnt by matching theory and practice (what
teachers are doing in the classroom) in the table given below. Draw a line from the
name of the theorist to the teacher activity that best matches the theorist’s ideas on
language. The first one has been done to show you how.

a Skinner 1. The teacher has asked the Grade 4 learners to come

and read stories to the Grade R class. After the story,
the teacher will ask each learner to find a friend and
discuss the open-ended question “Which part of the
story did you like best, and why?”
b Piaget 2. The teacher gave the learners a gold star for their good
behaviour because they listened during story time.
c Vygotsky 3. The teacher has created a sensory classroom with lots
of concrete objects that the learners can touch, hear,
smell, see and talk about. The teacher believes that the
environment is an important part of learning
language.
d Montessori 4. The teacher doesn’t force the learners to speak nor does
she correct their mistakes. The teacher knows that
learners will talk when they are ready.
e Chomsky 5. The teacher encourages talking in the classroom
because she believes that the best way to learn
language is for learners to actively participate in
language activities with other children and adults.
f Long 6. The teacher has planned a language activity that begins
with a tiger story because the learners are very
interested in the tigers they saw during their outing to
the zoo.
g Cummins 7. The teacher advises the Xhosa parents to strengthen
their child’s home language because it will help the
child to learn English as a second language.
h Krashen 8. The teacher is keen to introduce a second language in
Grade R because she knows that all children are born
with the ability to learn language.

When you have finished the matching activity, you can check your answers in
Addendum B.

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120 minutes
12
Reflection: Language Development Theories

1. Think about the seven theorists and reflect on your experiences about their
theories (ideas) on language development. Make short notes or develop a mind
map to guide your thoughts. Use the following questions to guide your
reflection:
• Sit quietly and think about your childhood:
o Which of the seven theories were in action when you were at school?
Can you match what was happening in your classroom (when you
were a 6-year-old), with the ideas of the seven theorists?
o What are your feelings about the implementation of those theories at
your childhood school?
• Now that you are an adult and have read about the seven theorists, whose
theories are the most meaningful to you now? Why are they meaningful to
you?
• If you were a Grade R teacher, whose theories would you put into action?
2. Write in your notebook:
• Describe the theories implemented in your childhood school. Who were the
theorists and how were their theories implemented at your school when you
were young?
• Summarise two of the theories that are meaningful to you (write 5 – 7
sentences about the important points of each theory).
• Explain why these two theories are meaningful to you.
• Describe four examples of what these two theories could look like in the
Grade R classroom.
• Analyse how these theories are the same as or different to the ones
implemented at your childhood school.

Commentary:
Reflection helps you to think about what you have learned, how it matches or differs
from your own experience, and how you can apply your learning when you are
teaching Grade R. Here are some ideas on how to reflect:

1. Find a quiet place. Take a notebook and a pen or pencil with you.
2. Read the reflection questions.
3. Sit quietly and take 15-30 minutes to think about the questions in relation to
what you have learned in this section. Reread the module notes if you have
forgotten or are not sure about a key point. Make rough notes.

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4. Write in your notebook in your own words. Writing what you have learned in
your own words will help you to understand the new ideas and concepts you are
learning.

Now that you know some of the theories on how children acquire and learn language,
it’s time to learn about emergent literacy.

3. EMERGENT LITERACY

3.1 Introduction
Emergent literacy is also a theory (an idea) about language development. Marie Clay
coined the term emergent literacy in 1996 as a result of her work with children who
were struggling to read and write.

It is important for Grade R teachers to understand emergent literacy because:

o Emergent literacy is how we teach language to Grade R learners according

to the South African CAPS (DBE, 2011) language curriculum.
o Emergent literacy prepares children for formal reading and writing which
starts in Grade 1.

In this section you will find answers to:

• What is emergent literacy?

• What does the South African CAPS (DBE, 2011) language curriculum say
about emergent literacy?
• How do we nurture emergent literacy in the Grade R Classroom?

3.2 Emergent literacy

Emergent literacy is what young children know and can do with language before
they formally learn how to read and write. Emergent literacy is based on the belief
that children learn language from birth because they are surrounded by speaking,
reading, and writing. For example:

1. Young children are decoding (making meaning) images and sounds they see and
hear around them from the day they are born.
2. Scribbling and drawing pictures are early forms of writing.
3. Play develops emergent literacy skills. When children play they are practising their
listening, speaking, and thinking skills.
4. Adults and older children in the home are important role models because children
imitate what they hear and see being spoken, read and written.

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Can you remember your first emergent literacy experiences?

90 minutes
13
Emergent literacy in the home

Think of yourself when you were a small child. By whom or what and how were you
introduced to language? Look at the ideas below and then write down your own
experiences under the topics given below.

Did you hear and see

your parents or
caregivers speaking,
reading or writing?

What did you see and Did you hear people

hear on the TV and talking and see texting on
computer screen? the cell phone?

Were there books, Did someone read to you

magazines and or tell you stories?
newspapers in your
home? Did you see
someone reading
them?
What writing did you When you went out, what
see on the things writing did you see around
around you, e.g. the you?
cereal box? Did your
mother say the words
‘Coco Pops’?

Images sourced from Clipart-library.com. & Pixabay.com

1. My first language experiences were ...

2. My favourite childhood story was ...
3. What helped me to learn language was ...
.

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In Activity 14 you and your fellow SANTS students can work together on understanding
emergent literacy in your study group.

180 minutes
14
Group task 1: Emergent literacy

This group activity has four parts. Before you begin with Part 1, read the
commentary at the bottom. It will assist you and your fellow students to get the best
out of the group task.

PART 1: Welcome and introductions

• Students take 1 minute each to introduce themselves to the group by saying
their name, where they live and work, and the name of their favourite
childhood story or book.
• Students take 3-5 minutes each to share with their small group of colleagues,
their own early literacy experiences (you can read or talk about the notes you
made for Activity 13).

PART 2: Video
Watch the following 20-minute video with your fellow students. Although the video
reflects the American preschool context, it will give you lots of ideas on how to
nurture (develop with loving care) emergent literacy skills in the Grade R classroom.

While you are watching the video, take note of the following:
• The teachers in the video use language all the time to facilitate learning and
language development.
• The teachers in the video do not tell the learners what to do; they ask open-
ended questions that encourage the learners to discuss, think, reason and
solve problems for themselves.
• Notice the environment. What encourages the learners in the video to listen,
talk in sentences, comprehend (understand) what others say, and learn new
words?

When the group is ready, watch the video together

on: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHNymBouF0w

PART 3: Discussion
Watch the video again. Stop and discuss the video whenever you and your
colleagues see something that is important or interesting. You can use the following
questions to guide your discussion:
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• What did you notice?

• Where did you see the theories of Skinner, Piaget, Vygotsky, Montessori,
Chomsky, Long, Cummins and Krashen being applied in the video?
• What did the teachers in the video do to nurture the learners’ emergent
literacy skills?
• How did the teachers in the video support the learners who were not first-
language English speakers?
• Discuss how Grade R teachers could nurture emergent literacy in the South
African context. What are the challenges? What are the advantages?

PART 4: Application
• Work with your fellow students to write a list of emergent literacy activities
that teachers could do with Grade R learners. Write on newsprint in large
letters. Display the newsprint where everyone can see what has been written.
• Each group presents its list of emergent literacy activities to the whole group.
• The participants each write their own list of emergent activities. Write your list
in your notebook.

Congratulations. You have added some teaching tools to your teaching toolbox (you
will learn more about the idea of a teaching toolbox later in the module).

Commentary:
• A group task is a collaborative activity, so make sure that everyone has an
opportunity to share their ideas and experiences. If the group consists of
more than 10 students, it’s a good idea to break into smaller groups (four to
seven students per group).
• Appoint a timekeeper who makes sure the group keeps on task and on time.
You do not want to get distracted and run out of time.
• While you are watching the video, pay attention to what the teachers are
saying and doing in the video. What kind of questions does the teacher ask
that gets learners listening, thinking and speaking? How does the teacher
model language? How has the teacher set up the learning environment to
encourage language? What resources has the teacher provided that
encourages listening, speaking, thinking, emergent reading and writing?
• The questions in PART 3 serve as a guide. If other relevant questions arise,
take time to discuss them.
• Adapt what you see in the video to the South African Grade R context.
• Enjoy sharing; it is the best way of learning.

It is important to remember that there is no formal language and literacy teaching

in Grade R. Teachers develop Grade R learners’ language by nurturing the learners’
emergent literacy skills. The next section covers nurturing emergent literacy in the
South African Grade R context.
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3.3 Nurturing emergent literacy in the South African context

There are two distinct contexts in South Africa when teaching English as a FAL. Each
context is summarised below:

1. English-orientated context

In this context, the Grade R classroom has two

language groups: 1) learners whose first language First language: the language
you speak most often and are
is English, and 2) learners whose first language is comfortable with. It is usually
a person’s mother
not English. The classroom is usually in an urban tongue/home language.
area, the teacher is an English first-language
speaker. The language used in the classroom is English. Learning English in
an English-orientated classroom is easier because the learners hear English
spoken all the time while they are at school.

2. English-limited context

In this context, the Grade R learners are learning English but they do not speak
English at home. The classroom is usually in a rural area and the teacher is
not a first-language speaker. Learning English in an English-limited classroom
is challenging because there are few opportunities to hear and speak English.

3.4 Factors motivating the learning of FAL

The following six factors explain why some learners learn a second language quicker
than others. Each factor includes the Grade R teacher’s role in enabling effective EFAL
learning in an English-limited classroom.

3.4.1 Factor 1: Motivation

Motivation is a critical factor in learners’ learning a second language. What motivates

EFAL learners and how can a Grade R teacher encourage this motivation?

There are two kinds of motivation:

Extrinsic motivation (from outside Intrinsic motivation (from within)
the person) Refers to learners being willing and
Refers to learners being willing and responsive because of a feeling that
responsive because of comes from inside their bodies, e.g.
an external reward, e.g. money, feeling happy and proud, curiosity, having
avoiding punishment, being given a a purpose, wanting to be part of the group,
sweet or a star sticker, being made a wanting to be like the teacher.

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classroom leader, and praise from

the teacher.
Intrinsic motivation is key to FAL learning. Grade R teachers can encourage
intrinsic motivation in learners in the following ways:

• Plan language activities that are enjoyable and meaningful for Grade R
learners. This will motivate learners because the activity makes them feel happy
and they can understand the purpose of the activity.
• Engage the Grade R learners socially so that they feel part of a group. The
teacher divides the learners into pairs or small groups. The teacher then gives
each group or pair an emergent literacy activity that gets them talking, listening,
looking at books, playing, drawing and painting together.
• Be a role model. A teacher who is enthusiastic and interested in the English
language will inspire the learners to be curious and motivated to learn English.

3.4.2 Factor 2: Listening and auditory perceptual skills

Grade R learners who can listen with attention, understand what they hear, and tell
the difference between sounds, will find it easier to acquire a second language. Grade
R teachers can help learners to develop listening and auditory perceptual skills in the
following ways:

• Observe, assess and identify gaps in the learners’ listening and perceptual
skills.
• Plan activities that will develop the learners‘ listening and auditory perceptual
skills. Examples of activities that will help learners develop these skills are:
o Rhymes and songs. Dramatising the rhyme or song will help FAL
learners to understand the rhyme and song.
o Storytelling. Use pictures, sounds and gestures to help the FAL learners
to understand the story.
o Phonics games that help learners to hear different sounds, e.g. I spy with
my little eye … Using concrete objects will help the FAL learner to match
the sound to the word (object).

3.4.3 Factor 3: Personality of the Grade R learner and teacher

Each person is unique and special; teachers and learners too. This uniqueness which
is part of each person’s personality, affects the teaching and learning in the classroom.
E.g., confident and shy learners will respond differently to the teacher’s personality.
Grade R teachers can motivate learners by appreciating and valuing diversity in
the following ways:

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• Take a sincere interest in the learners and, in turn, share your interests
with them in appropriate ways. If you have a passion for something, use it for
teaching language and literacy. Here is an example: If you love books, make
books with the learners every time they learn a new concept, e.g. make Fruit
picture books, Wild Animals storybooks, Big Books, maths books (number,
shape, space and place, sorting, pattern), My News books, We are learning
about the … sound books etc. Take the learners to the library, invite a librarian
to visit the classroom, and read to the learners from a book every day.
• Create a classroom environment where mistakes are seen as part of
learning. Always encourage and praise a learner who tries to communicate in
a new language.
• Plan a variety of language activities because learners learn and respond in
different ways to learning a new language.

3.4.4 Factor 4: Age

Grade R is an optimal time for learning a new language because younger learners
acquire a new language quicker than older learners. Grade R teachers need to use
every opportunity to encourage and engage learners in speaking, listening, emergent
reading and writing activities.

3.4.5 Factor 5: Memory

A Grade R learner with good memory skills will be able to remember more sounds,
words and language rules when learning a new language. Grade R teachers can help
learners to develop memory skills in the following ways:

• Play memory games:

o Kim’s Game (described in the section on visual perceptual skills).
o Matching pairs of picture cards. A small group game played as follows:
Lay five pairs of picture cards upside down on the mat. Each learner takes
a turn to turn over two cards. The aim of the game is to find a matching pair.
When a learner turns over a matching card, they are allowed to keep the
cards. The learner with the most cards at the end of the game is the winner.
Start by matching only 5 pairs of picture cards. Making the game easy in
the beginning motivates the learners to play. As their memory skills
improve, make the game more challenging by adding more pairs of cards.
o Grandmother went to the shop game. The learners sit in a ring. The
teacher starts the game by saying ‘Grandmother went to the shop and
bought a loaf of bread’. The learner sitting next to the teacher repeats what
the teacher says and adds another item, e.g. ‘Grandmother went to the
shop and bought a loaf of bread and an apple’. The learners take turns to
say what the learner before them has said and adds another item. The

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game stops when it becomes too hard to remember all the items. The next
learner starts a new game.

3.4.6 Factor 6: Linguistic variables

Languages belong in families. IsiXhosa, isiZulu, isiNdebele and siSwati belong to the
Nguni family. Afrikaans and English belong to the Germanic family. French belongs to
the Latin family. Sepedi, Setswana and Sesotho belong to the Sotho family. It is easier
to learn a new language that belongs to the same family of languages. E.g. it is easier
for an Afrikaans learner to learn English than Zulu or Setswana.

3.5 Managing language diversity in the Grade R classroom

Diversity is part of most Grade R classrooms. Diversity comes in many forms:

language, culture, learning ability, learning styles, family and home contexts.
Managing this diversity can be challenging for Grade R teachers.

Here are a few tips for managing language diversity:

• Enjoy the diversity in the classroom.

• Have clear ground rules for the classroom. Involve all the learners in making
the ground rules and make sure everyone understands the rules.
• Communicate regularly with learners’ parents and caregivers. Share what the
learners are learning in the classroom. Invite the parents and caregivers to
share their culture and language.
• Reflect on how different cultural norms can affect behaviour in the classroom.
Find respectful ways to accommodate differences.
• Display key words in all the languages used in the classroom.
• Greet the learners in their home language.
• Play music in the languages used in the classroom.

60 minutes
15
Now let’s confirm what you have learned in this section so far. Answer the following
questions in your notebook or learning journal:
1. Explain the six different factors that may influence a Grade R learner’s ability to
learn English as an additional language, in your own words.
2. Think of ways that you can manage diversity in the Grade R classroom. Refer to
what you have learnt in this section, but also think of more innovative ways to
manage diversity.

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3. Describe four things a teacher can do to manage a large Grade R class of EFAL
learners.

There are many ways of appreciating and managing diversity. You will find more tips
and examples in this module and Module 2. In Activity 16 you are going to apply what
you learned in Activity 15 to a case study.

150 minutes
16
Case study: An English-limited Grade R classroom

1. Read the following case study:

Ms Ndlovu is the Grade R teacher at Umzinto Primary school where English is

the language of learning and teaching (LoLT). Zulu is Ms Ndlovu’s first language
and English is her second language. The Grade R learners who are attending
school for the first time speak Zulu. They know very little English. Ms Ndlovu has
asked you for help. What can she do to help the children in her Grade R class
become more proficient (better) in English?

Share the six strategies (ways of solving the problem) on how to support the
learning of English that you learned about in Activity 15.

2. Read the commentary below. It will help you with Activity 16.
3. Write in your notebook:
o List (write the names) four strategies (plans) Ms Ndlovu could use to support
her Grade R learners who are learning English as a second language
(EFAL).
o Describe each of the six strategies (explain what each strategy can do).
o Give an example of how each strategy could help Ms Ndlovu’s Zulu-
speaking learners to learn English.

Commentary:
• You will find strategies on how to support the learning of English as a FAL in
the core reader:
Joubert, I. (Ed.), Bester, M., Meyer, E., Evans, R. & Phatudi, N. (2019).
Literacy in the Foundation Phase: 3rd ed. Pretoria: Van Schaik Publishers.
• You may write your six strategies in your notebook in your own way. If you
would like to try something new you can organise your strategies into a table
as follows:

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o Copy the table (below) into your notebook, using a pencil (make sure the
rows are wide enough so you have plenty of space for writing). Fill in the
information on each of the six strategies across the table.

Name of Description of L Strategy Example of strategy

Strategy
1.

2.

3.

4.

6.

Now that you understand the South African context, let us find out what the National
South African Curriculum says about nurturing emergent literacy skills in Grade R.

4. EMERGENT LITERACY AND THE SOUTH AFRICAN

CAPS ENGLISH LANGUAGE CURRICULUM

4.1 Emergent literacy and the Grade R English HL curriculum

The Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement

(CAPS) English Home Language (HL) Foundation
Phase Grades R-3 (DBE, 2011) guides South African
teachers on what to do when teaching English to Grade
R – 3 learners.

Pages 20–21 are dedicated to understanding the

Grade R context.
Let us read pages 20–21 for Activity 17 to find out what
the CAPS (DBE, 2011) curriculum says about nurturing
emergent literacy in the Grade R classroom. At the end
of the activity you can decide whether or not the CAPS
curriculum supports the nurturing of emergent literacy
in Grade R.
(DBE, 2011)

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120 minutes
17
Reading: Nurturing emergent literacy in Grade R

1. Read pages 20‒21 in the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement: English
Home Language Grades R – 3. Pretoria: Government printers or online at:
https://www.education.gov.za/Curriculum/CurriculumAssessmentPolicyStatem
ents(CAPS)/CAPSFoundation.aspx

2. Underline or highlight key information on emergent literacy on pages 20–21.

This is the information that you will need for your mind map below.

3. Draw a mind map in your notebook:

• Write Emergent literacy in Grade R in the centre of your mind map.
• Write 10 things that relate to emergent literacy in Grade R (from pages 20–
21) around the centre. Below is an example of a mind map to show you how
to make your own mind map in your notebook.

Focus on Informal and

spontaneous learning …

Emergent
Literacy in
Grade R

4. Do you think the CAPS (DBE, 2011) supports the nurturing of emergent literacy
in Grade R?
Put a next to the statement you think is correct:

Yes – the CAPS Grade R curriculum supports the nurturing of

emergent literacy in Grade R
No – the CAPS Grade R curriculum does not support the nurturing
of emergent literacy in Grade R

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5. Write a paragraph in your notebook on the reasons for your choice of statement
above. In other words:
• If you put a next to Yes then write why you think the CAPS Grade R
curriculum suppports the nurturing of emergent literacy in Grade R.
• If you put a next to No then write why you think the CAPS Grade R
curriculum does not support the nurturing of emergent literacy in Grade R.

Here are five key (important) things that Grade R teachers need to know about
emergent literacy:

• The South African Department of Basic Education (DBE) supports the

nurturing of emergent literacy in Grade R. According to CAPS there is no
formal language teaching in Grade R. The emergent literacy content,
concepts and skills to be nurtured in Grade R are on pages 31–54 in the CAPS
Foundation Phase English Home Language (DBE, 2011) document.
• Although the DBE allocates 10 hours per week to learning language in Grade
R, the learners are learning language every minute of the day by simply
listening, talking, thinking and doing. Teachable moments are therefore
important, and teachers should grab every opportunity to nurture emergent
literacy skills in learners.
• Language is integral to the learning of Life Skills and Mathematics. The
best kind of learning and teaching involves listening, talking, thinking, reading
and writing.
• Learners learn language best when they are actively engaged with real
objects, using their senses (seeing, tasting, smelling, hearing and touching).
• There is no testing in Grade R. Assessment in Grade R is informal and is
based mostly on observation by the teachers.
• Emergent Literacy in Grade R forms the foundation for learning to read and
write in Grade 1.

4.2 Emergent literacy: Content, concepts and skills

Pages 31–53 in the CAPS Foundation Phase (FP) English Home Language (HL)
(DBE, 2011) document provides you with the content, concepts and skills for nurturing
emergent literacy in Grade R.

You will find pages 31–54 online

at: https://www.education.gov.za/Portals/0/CD/National%20Curriculum%20Statemen
ts%20and%20Vocational/CAPS%20English%20HL%20GRADES%20R-
3%20FS.pdf?ver=2015-01-27-154201-167

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Although language is integrated into everything that happens in the Grade R

classroom, pages 31–53 are separated into four school terms (to make it easier for
teachers to understand and work with):

Pages 31–36 Term 1 Grade R language content, concepts and skills

Pages 37–42 Term 2 Grade R language content, concepts and skills
Pages 43–47 Term 3 Grade R language content, concepts and skills
Pages 48–53 Term 4 language content, concepts and skills

Each term is, in turn, separated into three parts:

1. Listening and speaking (oral);

2. Emergent reading; and
3. Emergent writing.

Thinking, reasoning, language structure and use are integrated into each part. Ideas
for assessment are included.

Here is an example to show you how one Grade R teacher nurtures learners’ emergent
literacy, using the content, concepts and skills in the CAPS FP English HL document:

Ms Nkosi’s planning

Ms Nkosi brings her favourite storybook, The Three Little Pigs to school (you can find
the story on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtHjB6rRmQc).
Term 1 emergent literacy activities using The Three Little Pigs and the concepts and
skills from pages 31–36 in CAPS FP English HL (DBE, 2011). Table 3 below is a copy
of Ms Nkosi’s planning. Ms Nkosi has written the activities for the learners on the left
and the matching content, concepts, and skills on the right (in the shaded column).

Table 3: Ms. Nkosi’s Grade R English HL planning

Activity Term 1 English language
concepts and skills the
learners will be learning
(pp. 31 – 36)
Introduction:
1. Sing an action song ‘Pakisha uhambe’ Listening and Speaking
• Sings simple songs and does actions
with the learners as they get ready for story
time.
Emergent Reading
2. Ask the learners a riddle by saying, “I am • Begins to recognise that words are
thinking of an animal that starts with the made up of sounds
sound ‘d’ (dog/duck) … ‘c’ (cat/cow) …. ‘p’
(pig) …

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Body:
Listening and Speaking
3. Read the story, The Three Little Pigs, to • Listens to stories with enjoyment and
the learners, showing the pictures as I read joins in choruses at appropriate times.
the story. Encourage the learners to join in
the repetitive parts of the story by doing
the actions and saying the words e.g.
knocking on the floor and saying “Little pigs,
little pigs, let me in”, and puffing while
saying “And I’ll huff and I’ll puff till I blow
your house down.”
4. Ask questions about the story: Listening and Speaking
 Tell me what you see on the cover of • Listens attentively to simple
the book (author, illustration, title). questions
 What is a carnivore, a herbivore and an • Gives explanations
• Develops language to develop
omnivore?
concepts
 What should the pigs do differently next
time? Emergent Reading
• Draws picture, capturing main idea of
the story
5. Ask each learner to paint a picture about
the story of the three pigs and to write Emergent writing
their own name at the top left-hand side • Develops hand-eye coordination
of their picture by copying their flashcard • Crosses the midline
name. Invite the learners to write words • Writes from left to right
• Uses a range of writing tools
on their drawings.
• Forms letters
• Understands that drawing and writing
are different

Closure: Staple all the drawings together to Emergent Reading

make a book. Write a date and a title e.g. The • Reads independently for pleasure
Grade R storybook of the Three Little Pigs. 2
March 2020. Put the book on the classroom
bookshelf for the learners to read.

Please note that Table 3 does not include all of Ms Nkosi’s planning details, i.e. a list
of resources, the date of the activity, and the topic.

Oh dear! Ms Nkosi has filled in tomorrow’s English HL activities but has forgotten to
write in the emergent literacy skills the learners will be learning. You can help Ms
Nkosi. Complete Activity 18 by writing the emergent literacy skills in the planning form
below.

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90 minutes
18
Matching activities and skills

1. Turn to pages 31–36 in the CAPS FP English HL (DBE, 2011) document.

2. Match each activity (in the left column below) with the appropriate (correct)
emergent literacy concepts and skills from pages 31–36.
3. Write the emergent literacy skill (in the right column) next to the activity (in the
left column). The first one has been done to show you how.

Activity Term 1: English language

concepts and skills the
learners will be learning
(pp. 31 – 36)
Introduction:
1. Introduce the Grade R topic, Wild Animals. Listening and Speaking
The learners sing and act out the song, • Sings simple songs and does
Five Little Elephants. actions

Body:
2. Discussion: ask the learners, ? and How is
a domesticated animal like a sheep or a dog
different from a wild animal? Show the
learners a picture book with wild animal
pictures ‒ lion, elephant, tortoise, etc.
Encourage the learners to talk about the
animals.

3. Write two flashcards. One flash card says,

Wild animals, the other says Domesticated
animals. Show the learners the cards. Read
the cards aloud with the learners. Discuss
the letters on the cards.

4. Put the two flashcards on the mat. The

learners sort plastic animals: each learner
chooses one animal and puts it next to one
of the cards. As each learner puts their
animal next to the card, they read the card
by saying it aloud.

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5. Phonics games (using flashcard letters):

• Hold up the flashcards and ask: Who
can find me the letter s? Repeat the
question, using letter sounds d, m, t, and
o.
• Pose a riddle: I am thinking of a wild
animal. It is long, it has no legs and its
name starts with an s sound. What is it?
(snake). Ask the learners to move their
bodies like a real snake while they are
saying the s sound. Repeat with e
(elephant), l (lion), m (monkey), and t
(tiger). When the learners guess the
name of the animal, the teacher writes
the word on a blank flashcard
snake lion
Closure:
6. Divide the learners into small groups. Each
group chooses one of the flashcards with the
name of a wild animal. The learners draw a
picture of their wild animal. The teacher
encourages the learners to copy the
flashcard word. The teacher staples all the
drawings together to make a book. The
teacher writes “Wild Animals” on the cover
and puts the book in the book corner for the
learners to read.
Commentary:
When you have completed Activity 18 you can check your answers in Addendum
B.

Let us apply what we have learned about emergent literacy in Grade R by completing
Activity 19.

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90 minutes
19
Case study: Thabo’s emergent literacy

Read the case study below:

Thabo is a learner in your Grade R classroom.

Although Thabo’s home language is Xhosa, the language of learning and
teaching (LoLT) at the school is English. Thabo’s mother has written you a letter
asking why Thabo is not being taught to read and write in English. Thabo’s
mother asks you to please send reading and writing homework every day.

Write a response to Thabo’s mother in your notebook in which you:

• Explain what emergent literacy is and why it is important to nurture Thabo’s
emergent literacy.
• Explain the reason why you cannot send Thabo home with reading and
writing homework.
• Name five emergent literacy activities that Thabo and the learners are doing
in Grade R. Explain how each of these five activities will help Thabo’s
language development.
• Make two suggestions to Thabo’s mother on how she can support Thabo’s
emergent literacy development in the home.

Commentary:
This activity is good practice for something that you may come across when you
are teaching Grade R.
• Be courteous (polite and friendly) when you write a response. Keep in mind
that Thabo’s mother only wants the best for her son and does not know about
emergent literacy and that formal reading and writing only starts in Grade 1.
• You will find the answers to Thabo’s mother’s questions in:
o Emergent Literacy (in the module above),
o Your notebook, and
o Ms Nkosi’s planning form.

You have completed Unit 1 Section 2 on language development. In the next section,
you will be learning about children’s literature and how to use books, stories and
rhymes for teaching Home Language in Grade R.

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SECTION 3: CHILDREN’S LITERATURE FOR

GRADE R LEARNERS

1. INTRODUCTION
In Section 3 you will be introduced to different types of Children’s literature:
written material that
children’s literature and find out how to discriminate between entertains and educates
good and bad children’s literature. You will also learn how to children e.g. rhymes,
stories and picture books.
use children’s books, stories and rhymes for teaching English
Home Language (HL) to Grade R learners. The section ends with where to find
resources.

Section 3 has three parts:

• What is children’s literature?

• Analysing children’s literature.
• Using children’s literature to support Grade R learners learning English.

Let us begin with a reading that gives a detailed overview of children’s literature. In
Activity 20 you will learn about the history of books, how to care for books, why books
are important, and how to evaluate children’s books.

90 minutes
20
Reading: What is a book?

1. First read the commentary below; it will help you to get the most out of your
reading.
2. Read pages 61–78 Evans, R., Joubert, I., & Meier, C. (Eds.). (2018). Introducing
children’s literature: A guide to the South African classroom. Pretoria, South
Africa: Van Schaik Publishers. (Access via EBSCOhost).
3. Write in your notebook (when you have finished your second reading). Make
notes on the following:

• The value of books. Start with Books are important because ... and then
write all the reasons why books are important. You will find information on
the value of books on pages 61–67. Begin reading from the heading, 3.3
THE VALUE OF BOOKS.

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• The elements of a story. List the different elements (parts) of a story and
briefly explain each one in 2–4 sentences. You will find the information on
pages 70–72. Begin reading from the heading, 3.5 WHAT MAKES A GOOD
BOOK?
• Selecting suitable books. Write a list of things to think about when
choosing books for children. You will find the information on pages 72–75.
Begin reading from the heading, 3.5.2 Selecting suitable books.
• Caring for books. Write a page on how to teach learners about caring for
books. You will find the information on pages 75–77. Begin reading from the
heading, 3.6 CARING FOR BOOKS.
• Accessing books. List six ways of how to get children’s books for free. You
will find the information on pages 77–78. Begin reading from the heading,
3.7 ACCESSING BOOKS.

Commentary:
• Reading and thinking about the 26 pages will take a few days. Here are some
tips to help you with your reading:
o Read pages 61–86 twice:
 Reading 1: Skim read, i.e. page through, reading only the
headings. This will give you an overview of what you are about
to read.
 Reading 2: Read for key (important) information.
o Read a bit each day, go at your own pace, and stop reading when you
feel tired (this is hard work for your brain).
o As you read, underline or highlight key points and make notes in the
margins of the pages. You can also use sticky notes to mark important
pages.

You now have a good understanding of what a book is and how to care for books. The
next step is to reflect on your experience of children’s literature when you were a child.

180 minutes
21
Reflection: Literature in childhood

Let us take a walk down memory lane. What can you remember about the stories,
books and rhymes in your childhood?

1. Rewrite and complete the sentences below:

1.1 When I was a child, my favourite story was …
1.2 When I was a child, my favourite rhyme was …

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1.3 The person who told stories and read books when I was a child was…
1.4 My feelings about books and stories in my childhood are …
1.5 My childhood literature has influenced me in the following ways: …

2. Write in your notebook:

2.1 Five English rhymes you learned in your childhood.
2.2 Five English stories you heard in your childhood.
2.3 Five English songs you learned in your childhood.

3. How could you use these rhymes, songs, and stories to teach English emergent
literacy skills to Grade R learners? Write one or more ideas next to each rhyme,
song and story. An example has been provided in the commentary.

Commentary:
• Write out the five English rhymes, songs and stories in full, i.e. write all the
words of the songs and rhymes, and a short version of each story.
• If you did not learn 15 English rhymes, songs and stories in your childhood,
then you can find them at the library or online by googling preschool songs,
stories for preschool children and rhymes for preschoolers.
• Match each English rhyme, story and song with one emergent literacy activity
for Grade R learners. Here is an example: The rhyme Incy Wincy Spider can
teach children a new word (spout) and rhyming (spout – out, rain – again).

Well done! You have just added 15 new tools to your teaching toolbox.

2. WHAT IS CHILDREN’S LITERATURE?

Think of a book you have read. The book had words and sentences, a beginning, and
an ending. You turned the pages from right to left and your eyes moved from left to
right, starting at the top and ending at the bottom of the page. Did you enjoy the book?

Children’s literature is different from adult literature. Books for young children have
more colour, more illustrations, larger print, simpler sentences and words (with an
occasional long and exciting word like Tyrannosaurus Rex), and the content is
appropriate for children.

Here are some examples of children’s literature:

• Picture storybooks • African fables • Factual books
• Rhymes and poems • Fairy tales • Picture Dictionary

Look at the literature in Table 4 below. Can you identify which is children’s literature?

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Table 4: Identifying the children’s literature

Created by
Buissinne (n.d.)

Images sourced from Amazon.com & Pixabay.com

Let us find out more about children’s literature by talking to an expert on children’s
literature.

180 minutes
22
Visit to the library

1. Phone a local library and ask to book an appointment with a librarian who knows
about children’s literature.
2. Visit the library on the appointed day and interview (talk to) the librarian about
children’s literature, using the interview form (below).
3. Ask the librarian to recommend picture storybooks for Grade R learners. Look at
the books and choose 20. Write the names of the 20 picture books in your
notebook. Well done! You have added another 20 tools to your teaching toolbox.
4. Write a reflection on your visit to the library in your notebook, using the following
questions as a guide:
• What did you enjoy about your visit to the library?
• What was challenging about the visit to the library?
• What did you learn from the librarian?
• How can the library help you to teach English to Grade R learners?

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Commentary:
• If a local library is not available, you can phone or visit a local school and
make an appointment with the school librarian.
• When you write the title (name) of a book, add the names of the author/s and
illustrator.
• Build a partnership with your library; it is a wonderful resource for good
children’s literature.

Table 5: Interview form

INTERVIEW FORM
Name of the library:
Name of the librarian:
Date of visit and interview:
Questions to ask the librarian
1. What is your favourite children’s storybook? Why is it your favourite book?

2. What kinds of books are available for Grade R learners? Can you show me some
of these books?
3. Is there good and bad children’s literature? What is the difference?
4. How I can use a storybook for teaching Grade R?
5. How can a school, preschool or crèche with few resources get more books?
6. What other children’s activities are available at the library?
7. How does a person join a library? Can children join? Does it cost anything?
Thank the librarian for their time and expert advice on children’s literature for
Grade R learners.

3. ANALYSING CHILDREN’S LITERATURE

When you appraise (decide what is good and bad) children’s literature, you can decide
which books, stories and rhymes are the best for your Grade R learners. Here are
some suggestions on how to appraise children’s literature:

• Look at the front and back cover of the book. If it has been awarded a prize for
literature, you can count on its being a good book.
• Look at the illustrations (pictures) in the book. Are they colourful and of high
quality? Is there a good balance between text (writing) and images (pictures)?
• Is the book well made, i.e. is the paper of good quality, the cover sturdy and
are there no loose pages?
• Is the book large enough for all the children to see the pictures when the
teacher shows the book to the children?
• Does the book teach the children something, e.g. to solve a problem, to be
kind and caring, or provide some knowledge about the world?

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• Good children’s literature does not talk down to children. The humour in a
good book can be enjoyed by children and adults.
• Good literature avoids stereotypes. Here are some examples of books with
stereotypes:
o Hansel and Gretel and Cinderella (stepmothers are mean)
o Sleeping Beauty and Rapunzel (women are helpless and need rescuing)
o Three Little Pigs and Little Red Riding Hood (a wolf is a bad animal)
o Noddy (the only character of colour, is represented negatively)

Stereotypes are usually found in older storybooks. Today’s books avoid or actively
undermine stereotypes. Here are some examples:

Figure 4: Children’s literature that undermines stereotypes

Images sourced from Amazon.com

4. CHILDREN’S LITERATURE TO TEACH ENGLISH

Children’s literature is a wonderful tool for teaching children because it makes learning
come alive. You have already seen how Ms. Nkosi uses a story for teaching language
skills. In this section you will learn how to create a book corner, develop a culture of
reading in the classroom, and plan learning activities, using children’s literature.

4.1 Create a reading corner in the Grade R classroom

The following are some ideas on how to create a reading corner in a Grade R
classroom:

• Source a selection of exciting age-appropriate children’s literature. If you have no

books in your classroom, ask your local library or non-profit organisations such
as Biblionef (http://www.biblionefsa.org.za/) for assistance.

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• Create a quiet but inviting book corner in the classroom. Put out a variety of age-
appropriate books on a low shelf, add a mat, and put some comfortable cushions
on the floor. Change the books each week to keep the learners interested.
• Find opportunities for learners to spend time in the book corner, looking at books.

4.2 Develop a culture of reading in the Grade R classroom

Developing a culture of reading in your classroom is easy if you follow the following
strategies:

• Teach the learners how to read and care for books. This means handling books
with clean hands, carefully turning over one page at a time, and putting the book
back where it belongs.
• Read a story to your learners every day. When reading a new story for the first
time, read it to the end without asking questions or stopping to make comments
so that the learners can get a sense of the whole story. When you read the story
again, stop and ask questions and invite learners to comment.
• Show the learners that books are special by reading with expression and
enjoyment.
• Encourage learners to bring their favourite books from home to school. If the
books are age-appropriate, read them out loud to the learners.
• Reward positive emergent reading behaviour, e.g. praise or hand out a sticker to
learners who show an interest in books.

4.3 Plan learning activities, using children’s literature

Here is another example of how a Grade R teacher plans literacy activities, using a
children’s book and the CAPS FP English HL (DBE, 2011) document.

Ms. Dlamini downloads the book, Friends

from the free storybook website
called www.africanstorybook.org. Ms.
Dlamini prints each page and staples the
pages together to make a book.

Ms. Dlamini plans language activities, using Created by Zondi, Dlamini, &
the Friends book, and the Term 1 language Groenewald (2014)
concepts and skills on pp. 31 – 36 in the CAPS
English HL FP (DBE, 2011) document.

Table 6 is a copy of Ms. Dlamini’s planning.

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Table 6: Ms. Dlamini’s English HL planning

Grade R language and learning ring Term 1 language content,
concepts and skills the learners
will be learning [pp. 31–36 in
CAPS English HL FP (DBE, 2011)
Introduction: Emergent Reading
1. Play a phonics game I spy with my little eye a • Begins to recognise that words
friend whose name begins with …... are made up of sounds
Body: Listening and Speaking
2. Look at the cover of the book and discuss • Listens attentively to simple
the title and authors. Ask the learners what theyquestions
think the book is about. • Gives explanations
3. Read the book, Friends, and discuss the Listening and Speaking
illustrations. • Listens to short stories with
enjoyment
• Talks about pictures
4. Teacher writes the words soccer, swim, hide- Emergent Reading
and-seek, and read. Read the four words with • Begins to recognise that words
the learners. Ask the learners: are made up of sounds
• Understands that print
• What sound does ……(word) start with? communicates meaning
Let us say it. • Understands that the written
• How many letters are there in …(word)? word refers to spoken words
• What sentences can we make with these
words? Listening and Speaking
• Develops language to develop
concepts
5. Divide the learners into groups: Group 1 Emergent Reading
soccer, Group 2 swim, Group 3 hide-and-seek, • Responds to stories through
and Group 4 read. Each group takes a turn to movement and drama activities
dramatise what the friends do, i.e. play • Understands that print
soccer, swim, play hide-and-seek, and read. communicates meaning
Show the word that matches the activity being
dramatised.

6. The learners sit in a ring. Ask the learners Listening and Speaking
open-ended questions: • Listens attentively to simple
- What is it like to have friends? questions and responds
- What happens when you do not have appropriately
friends? • Gives explanations
- How do you make friends? • Develops language to develop
concepts
7. Put paper and crayons on the tables. Invite the Emergent Writing
learners to draw a Friends picture. As each • Draws pictures to convey a
learner draws a picture, write a word that the message
• Develops eye-hand coordination

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learner wants to say about friendship, on his/her

picture.
8. Display the drawings on the wall while the Listening and Speaking
learners tidy up, singing ‘Siyaqoqa (We are • Sings simple songs
packing away)
Closure: Listening and Speaking
9. Invite the learners to take turns to show and • Talks about pictures
talk about their pictures. Read out loud what is
written on the drawings. Emergent Reading
• Understands that print
communicates meaning
• Uses memory skills
(Like Ms. Nkosi, Ms. Dlamini has not included all the planning information in her
planning form above)

4.4 Resources

Here are some resources to help you find good children’s literature:

Table 7: Resources: Children literature

Resource What the organisation offers
http://www.wordworks.org.za/story- Wordworks offers free language games
based-resources/ and activities that can be downloaded and
printed.
https://www.africanstorybook.org/ African storybooks offer free storybooks set
in the African context. The books can be
downloaded and printed.
https://bookdash.org/ Picture storybooks created in South Africa
for young children.
http://www.biblionefsa.org.za/ Biblionef supplies free children’s books to
schools and preschool centres. Contact
Biblionef and apply.
YouTube Google what you need, e.g. picture book
about cows, and you’ll be surprised by the
number of resources available on
YouTube.
Your local library Access to quality children’s literature.

You are now going to plan your own Grade R language and literacy activity, just like
Ms Nkosi and Ms Dlamini. It is exciting that you have come this far in your module so
that you are now ready to plan your own learning activities.

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180 minutes
23
Planning a Grade R language and literacy activity

1. Find five picture books that you like. You can google the children’s literature
resources (Table 7) or visit the library.
2. Write down the name and author of the books in your notebook. Well done. You
have just added some more tools to your teaching toolbox.
3. Choose one of the children’s books that you like. Read the book. Before you
start your planning, analyse the book to make sure it is appropriate for Grade R
learners. You can do this by reading the four sentences in the boxes below. If the
sentence is true, put a  in the blank box next to the sentence. You will know
it is a good story is you have ticked all four boxes. Choose another book if the
boxes are not all ticked.

The content of the book is age-appropriate for Grade R learners.

The story illustrations (pictures) are of a high quality.

The story illustrations are large and easy for the children to see.

The book avoids stereotypes.

The setting of the book relates to my Grade R context, i.e. my

children will find the book interesting and meaningful.

4. Use your children’s book as a tool for teaching. Sit quietly and think how you
can use the story to plan a Grade R emergent literacy activity. Read the
commentary below for ideas and guidance. Make rough notes (write your ideas
on loose paper).
5. Write your emergent literacy activities in the planning form or redraw your
own (Table 8 on the next page). Match each language activity to a CAPS English
HL content, concept, or skill (pages 31–36). Write the activities in the left-hand
column. Write the skills in the right-hand column (shaded).

Commentary:
• Here are some ideas and suggestions for planning your activity:
o Introduce the activity with a sound game, e.g. I am thinking of a word that
starts with a c and it says meow. What word is it? (cat) ...
o Read the book to the learners. Read without interruption or questions. Do not
forget to discuss the cover – What is the title of the book? Who is the author
of the book?

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o Look for activity ideas in 1) the examples (Ms. Nkosi, Ms. Dlamini) used in
this module, and 2) pages 31–36 in CAPS English HL FP (DBE, 2011)
document.
o Ask open-ended questions that get the learners talking and thinking. Open-
ended questions cannot be answered with a yes or no or one word.
o Remember that you are nurturing emergent literacy, so say no to formal
reading and writing activities.
• The planning form below is a guide. You can use another planning form that you
prefer, e.g. you may already be using a planning form at your school or at your
WIL school if you are not teaching as yet.

Table 8: Planning form

Grade R language and learning
Resources:

Activity English concepts and skills

the learners will be learning
Introduction:

Main:

Closure:

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Well done! You have completed Unit 1. This means you have learned the basic
structure of the English Language, how children acquire and learn language, the
concept of emergent literacy, and how to use children’s literature for teaching English
in Grade R. Complete Activity 24 to make sure your understanding of Unit 1 is
consolidated. If not, go back to the relevant section in the module and study it again.

180 minutes
24
Self-assessment: Unit 1

1. Read the tasks in the table below. When reading each task, ask yourself: “Can I
do this?”
2. Make short notes on each to see if you can, then answer in one of three ways:
• If you are confident that you can complete the tasks put a tick in the YES box
• If you can complete some of the tasks but not all, put a tick in the UNSURE
box.
• If a task seems completely unfamiliar to you, put a tick in the NO box.

Tick () the boxes in the table when you have decided which ones match your level
of learning.

3. When you have ticked all the boxes, go back to the tasks with the boxes ticked
UNSURE or NO. Reread the relevant sections in the module and look at the
notes you made in your notebook. Do this until you feel confident that you can
tick YES to all the tasks.

4. Move forward to Unit 2 when you have ticked all the YES boxes.

Now that I have worked through this unit: YES UNSURE NO

I can explain the difference between language and literacy.

I can describe the essential characteristics of language and explain why

literacy is important.
I can identify the basic structures of the English language by doing the
following:
• Underline the nouns in the sentence: The boy loves to play with
his dog.
• Underline the verbs in the sentence: The dog chased the cat
who ran up a tree.

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• Underline the adjectives in the sentence: Musi found a strong

stick and used it for chasing away the fierce rooster.
• Underline the adverbs in the sentence: Lila was very tired; she
had worked hard all day, so she went to bed early.
I can punctuate the sentence: I find happiness in cooking my family and
my dog
I can explain the following theorists’ ideas on how children learn
language:
Skinner
Piaget
Vygotsky
Montessori
Chomsky
Long
Cummins
Krashen
I can choose three language theorists and explain how I could
implement their ideas in a Grade R classroom.
I can explain the concept of emergent literacy.
I can give reasons why it is important to nurture emergent literacy in the
Grade R year.
I can list three ways in which the CAPS Grade R curriculum supports
the nurturing of Emergent Literacy in Grade R.
I can match emergent literacy concepts and skills (CAPS FP English HL
pages 31–36) to the four activities in the table below.
1. Drawing a picture
2. Playing I spy with my little eye … game
3. Playing in the fantasy/home corner with friends
4. Storytime
I can list three examples of children’s literature in the Grade R
classroom and explain how a teacher chooses children’s literature that
is appropriate for Grade R learners.
I can create a 20-minute Grade R emergent literacy activity, using
children’s literature, and write it in a planning form.
I can write a one-page reflection on:
• My experience of learning the English language
• What I can do differently in the Grade R classroom because of
what I have learned in Unit 1.

In Unit 2 you will learn more about teaching English Language and Literacy to Grade
R learners.

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UNIT 2: TEACHING ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND

LITERACY TO GRADE R LEARNERS

1. INTRODUCTION
Unit 2 is the practical application of Unit 1 theories and ideas. In other words, you are
going to find out how to teach English to Grade R learners.

There are three sections in Unit 2:

• Section 1: A language-rich environment.

• Section 2: Teaching language and literacy in the Grade R classroom.
• Section 3: Supporting learners with barriers to learning language in Grade R.

The structure of the unit and the learning outcomes of each of the sections is shown
on the next page.

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2. STRUCTURE AND LEARNING OUTCOMES FOR UNIT 2

After completion of Unit 2, you will be able to do the following:

UNIT 2
TEACHING ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERACY
TO GRADE R LEARNERS

SECTION 1 SECTION 2
A language-rich environment Teaching language and literacy in
the Grade R classroom
Learning outcomes: At the end of
this section you should be able to: Learning outcomes: At the end of
• Identify the elements of a this section you should be able to:
language-rich classroom • Appraise your own professional
environment; and personal strengths and skills;
• Explain why a language-rich • Apply an understanding of how
environment is important for children acquire language and
learning language; literacy to teaching and learning
• Design, illustrate, label and English Language in Grade R;
describe a language-rich • Use the CAPS Grade R English
environment for Grade R language curriculum as a guide for
learners; planning language and literacy
• Create an English language-rich activities for Grade R learners;
resource for a Grade R • Identify resources for teaching and
classroom; and, learning Grade R English
• Reflect on what you have learned Language;
about a language-rich • Appraise and adapt planning,
environment. classroom and resources to
accommodate the classroom
context; and
• Reflect on what you have learned
about teaching language and
literacy in Grade R.

SECTION 3
Supporting learners with barriers to learning in Grade R

Learning outcomes: At the end of this section you should be able to:
• Identify barriers to acquiring language;
• Appraise and then adapt teaching and learning activities and settings to
accommodate children with barriers to learning English language; and
• Reflect on what you have learned about supporting learners with barriers
to learning language.

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SECTION 1: A LANGUAGE-RICH ENVIRONMENT

1. INTRODUCTION
We will first have a look at what a language-rich environment means, and then help
you understand how to create a language-rich environment in your classroom.

1.1 A language-rich environment

A Grade R language-rich environment is when there are lots of opportunities for

learners to experience language, e.g. by seeing print (posters, labels, books),
listening to stories, observing others read and write, using crayons and paper to draw
and write, listening to and taking part in discussions, and sharing ideas and
experiences.

Figure 5: An example of a language-rich environment

Image created by author (2019)

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Let us take another walk down memory lane and find out what kind of language
environment you experienced when you were a child.

30 minutes
25
Reflection: Growing up in a language-rich environment

• Read the nine questions below.

• Reflect on each question by thinking about the language and print in your
childhood.
• Answer the nine questions in the following way:
o If the answer is yes, put a in the box next to the question.
o If the answer is no, put an X in the box next to the question.

Think back to when you were a child:

Were there books, newspapers and/or magazines in your home?

Did you go to the shops? Did you see labels and signs in the shops?

Did you hear your parents and family talking?

Did you watch TV?

Did you hear a radio playing in your home?

Did you see your parents and family reading messages, texting and
speaking on a phone?
Did your parents or family tell you stories or read stories to you?

Did your parents or family ask you questions and give you instructions?

Did you see your parents or family reading and writing?

Count how many you have. If you have more than four, then you probably grew
up in a language-rich environment.

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1.2 The importance of a language-rich environment

A language-rich environment supports a child’s development in the following ways:

• Children learn speaking, emergent writing and emergent reading skills by

seeing and hearing the language used by others around them.
• Language and learning go hand in hand. It is through language that children
develop their cognitive skills, e.g. thinking critically, problem-solving,
remembering, and understanding mathematics concepts.
• Children learn to communicate and to socialise with others by listening and
talking.

Grade R teachers need to give learners every opportunity to be in a language-rich

environment. Young learners learn language by speaking, seeing words in print,
experimenting with writing, playing sound and word games, and listening to stories
and rhymes. When a teacher expects learners to be quiet all the time, they miss out
on learning language, social and cognitive skills.

2. SETTING UP A LANGUAGE-RICH ENVIRONMENT FOR

GRADE R LEARNERS
Let us find out how you can create a language-rich Grade R classroom. Here are some
ideas to get you started:

1. The first and most important step is to make your classroom into a safe and
welcoming learning space. Learners cannot learn if they feel anxious or
unwelcome in the classroom.

2. Set up a print-rich classroom that nurtures visual discrimination (ability to see

differences) and emergent reading and writing skills.

Do it in the following way:

• Label the classroom.

o Label the window, door, wall etc. Add matching words in the learner’s
home language. The learners will soon learn which language is which if
you differentiate the languages according to colour, e.g. all the English
words are written on yellow paper, the Xhosa words on green paper, and
the Afrikaans words on blue paper.

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Figure 6: Storage containers

Image created by author (2018)

- Label storage containers with what is inside.

- Label activity areas in the classroom, e.g. book corner, puzzles
- Label furniture, e.g. chair, table
(Add labels in other languages in an EFAL classroom).

o Display the letters of the alphabet.

The learners make alphabet posters or friezes (long posters) for the classroom.
Ask the learners to cut out (or draw) pictures from old magazines and match them with
one of the alphabet sounds, e.g.

a - astronaut, apple, ant

h - hair, hot air balloon, heart
n - nose, necklace, numbers

• You can go one step further by writing and reading the words with the
learners who then match the word to the picture.

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Figure 7: Example of a literacy area

Image created by author (2018)

• Create a literacy area with a table, chairs, crayons, pencils, erasers, pens,
paper, laptop, newspaper, magazines, scissors, a punch, etc. Encourage the
learners to use the area for drawing, writing and making their own books.

• Create sentences based on the learners’ interests and experiences. Here

are some examples:

o Siya tells the class his news: his mother has had a baby. Here are
some ideas on how to use Siya’s exciting news for teaching emergent
literacy skills:
- Write on paper in large letters, Siya has a new baby sister. Her name
is Thandi. Show the two sentences to the learners and read them out
loud together. Ask the learners: How do we know where to start
reading? (capital letter) Where is the end of the sentence? (full stop).
How many words are there in our sentence? Which word is the
longest? Which word is the shortest? Can you say the ‘s’ sound in
Siya? What other word starts with an s?
- Cut up the sentence into words. Move the words around – make new
sentences, e.g. Thandi is a baby, and nonsense sentences, e.g. baby
Siya has new. You are helping learners know that the position of a
word is important.

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o Encourage learners to create their own stories. Write out the story in
the learner’s words. Encourage the learners to make sentences. Invite
the learners to illustrate their story by drawing a picture. Display the
sentences and drawings on the classroom wall. Read out loud.

Figure 8: Learners’ own stories

Image created by author (2018)

• Make posters for the classroom:

o Divide the group into small groups. Invite each group to make a poster.
Invite each group to present and talk about their poster to the other
children.
o You can also use a blackboard to make a poster. Write in front of the
learner so they can see how you are writing. Invite the children to illustrate
the poster, using chalk.

Here is an example of two posters. The first is a poster on the topic Water, made
by the learners and teacher. The second is a blackboard poster made by the
teacher.

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Figure 9: Posters

Image created by author (2018)

3. Set up a sound-rich classroom that nurtures listening and phonological skills:

• Read out loud to the learners every day.
• Play sound games that introduce phonics (letter sounds) to learners e.g.
o I spy with my little eye something starting with a … (sound).
o I am thinking of a part of your body that starts with a t. What is it? (toe).
• Play word games that nurture auditory discrimination (ability to hear same and
different sounds) in learners, e.g.
o I am thinking of a word that rhymes with ‘bat’. What is it? (cat, hat, mat,
pat).
o Which word does not belong – school, pool, cool, dog? Why does it not
belong?
• Teach the learners rhymes and songs. Act out the words together.
• Do not use baby talk – encourage learners to use the correct words e.g. say
stomach instead of tummy.
• Model language for the learners by speaking clearly and in full sentences. If
you do not know the word, tell the learners that you do not and then show them
how you use a dictionary or Google to look up the word.

Apply what you have learned to Activity 26 by creating a language-rich resource for
the Grade R classroom.
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240 minutes
26
Making a language-rich resource

1. Make a poster for a Grade R classroom (first read the commentary below on
how to make a poster).
2. Take a photo of your completed poster. Print the photo and stick it in the space
below marked My Poster.
3. Write (in your notebook) four ways in which your poster supports the
development of language and literacy in the Grade R classroom.

Commentary:
• Classroom resources must be of a high quality. Here are some tips to help you
make a professional-looking poster:
o Plan your poster in rough on A4 paper. Choose a topic for your poster. Decide
on the message (what you will write), and where to put it on your poster.
Think how you will make your poster colourful and interesting.
o Get good quality materials. You will need a large (A2 or A3) blank sheet of
paper and thick coloured marking pens (kokis). You will also need materials
to decorate your poster, e.g. coloured paper, pictures out of old magazines,
crayons or paint.
o Begin by drawing faint pencil lines on the large blank sheet of paper. Use a
ruler to help you to write the message in straight lines. Draw the words on
the poster in pencil on the lines. Make sure all the letters are even in size.
o Practise writing with the marking pen on scrap paper before you start writing
over the pencil words.
o When you are happy with the results, take a deep breath and start to make
your poster:
 First write over the pencilled words with your marker.
 When the writing is dry, use your eraser to remove any visible pencil
marks.
 Decorate your poster.
 Enjoy sharing your poster.

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My Poster

You have completed Section 1 of Unit 2 which means you understand what a
language-rich environment is and how important it is for learning emergent literacy
skills. The next section, Section 2, shows you how to plan and teach Grade R
emergent literacy skills.

SECTION 2: TEACHING LANGUAGE AND

LITERACY IN THE GRADE R CLASSROOM

1. INTRODUCTION
The secret to effective teaching is planning. When teachers put time and care into
planning, they create enjoyable and meaningful learning activities that result in
learners’ acquiring emergent literacy concepts and skills.

Module 1 covers planning Term 1. Terms 2, 3 and 4 are covered in Module 2. Before
we start planning Term 1, let us take an overview of the planning for the Grade R year.

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The terms emergent literacy and the Grade R HL concepts and skills mean the same
thing and are used interchangeably in this module.

2. OVERVIEW: PLANNING GRADE R TERMS 1-4

There are three requirements for teaching Grade R language and literacy:

1. A passionate and caring teacher who understands emergent literacy.

2. A language-rich learning environment.
3. Two Grade R curriculum documents from the South African Department of Basic
Education:

1. CAPS English Home Language (H L) 2. Grade R SBA Exemplar booklet

Foundation Phase Grades R–3.

(DBE, 2011) (DBE, 2017)

You can download the document at: You can download the booklet at:
https://www.thutong.doe.gov.za/ https://www.thutong.doe.gov.za/

You have learned about emergent literacy and how to create a language-rich
environment so let us take a closer look at the two Grade R documents. The first task
is to identify which pages will be helpful to you for when you are planning how to teach
language and literacy to Grade R learners.

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Table 9: Planning Terms 1‒4 English HL activities

CAPS English Home Language (H L) Foundation Phase
Grades R – 3 (DBE, 2011).

Grade R teachers will find the following

24 pages helpful for planning Terms 1–4:
Page 22 The Grade R daily programme
Pages 31–36 Term 1 Grade R HL activities
Pages 37–42 Term 2 Grade R HL activities
Pages 43–47 Term 3 Grade R HL activities
Pages 48–53 Term 4 Grade R HL activities

Table 10: Planning Terms 1–4 assessment

Grade R SBA Exemplar booklet

(DBE, 2017)

Grade R teachers will find the following 12

pages helpful for planning Terms 1–4:
Pages 5 and 10 Term 1 Grade R English HL assessment and rubric
Pages 14 and 19 Term 2 Grade R English HL assessment and rubric
Pages 23 and 28 Term 3 Grade R English HL assessment and rubric
Pages 32 and 37 Term 4 Grade R English HL assessment and rubric

Pages 13, 22, 31 and 40 Terms 1–4 General and Perceptual Skills

TIP: Here are two easy ways to help you sort and find the Grade R pages:

1. Use stickies to mark the Grade R pages.

2. Fold back the pages you do not need i.e. the Grades 1–3 pages.
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Figure 10: Sorting pages

Created by author (2020)

Think of these pages as your teaching tools. Before we start planning Term 1,
let us first look at what the term means and what other language teaching tools
are available.

3. THE TEACHER’S TOOLBOX

Every handyman has a toolbox

When handymen need to fix something, they take out their A tool is
something you use
toolbox. They find the right tool (hammer, screwdriver, saw, to help yourself to
pliers, measuring tape), and then use the tool to do a good job. do a better job.

Figure 11: A toolbox

Created by Ckler-Free-Vector-Images (n.d.)

Every teacher has a teaching toolbox with tools for planning language and literacy
activities for learners.

Here are some Grade R teacher tools:

o CAPS FP English Home Language (DBE, 2011);
o Grade R SBA Exemplar Booklet (DBE, 2017);
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o Books, posters, picture books and stories;

o Songs and rhymes;
o Everyday objects from the home and school, e.g. clothing,
shoes, hats, plastic cups, playdough, toys, paper, crayons;
o Recyclables, e.g. Bottle tops, old buttons, lids, milk cartons,
used boxes, ribbon, toilet rolls, newspaper, old magazines;
o Nature, e.g. rocks, pebbles, sticks, leaves, seeds, shells,
bark; and,
o Imagination (a most important tool!).

Image created by OpenClipart-Vectors (n.d.)

The following three examples show you how Grade R teachers use their teaching tools
for nurturing emergent literacy:

Table 11: Example 1: Everyday objects

Gr R teachers’ tools Teaching emergent literacy to Grade R learners
• CAPS FP English HL The Grade R teacher asks the learners to sit on the
curriculum page 31: mat. The teacher poses a problem “Gogo says
Uses Language to think her house is in a mess. How can we help her to sort
and reason. out the mess?”
Classifies familiar items
such as put all the toys in The teacher tips out the black bag so that all the
the box, books on the objects lie in a heap in the middle of the mat.
shelves, crayons in tins,
sorts. The learners sort the items by grouping them
• Big black bag filled with together e.g. clothes, shoes, food, stationery,
objects from home and cleaning materials, etc. The learners and teacher
school, e.g. toys, discuss the reasons for putting things together. The
stationery, clothes, shoes, teacher writes large print labels for each pile of
toiletries, newspapers and sorted items. The learners match each label to the
kitchen items. correct pile of sorted items.

The class reads the labels together. The teacher

and learners discuss the sounds and letters of each
word.

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Table 12: Example 2: Nature

Gr R teachers’ tools Teaching emergent literacy to Grade R learners
• CAPS FP English HL The Grade R teacher tells the learners a simple story
curriculum p. 34 based on an image created from pebbles, shells,
Listening and Speaking, leaves and sticks.
and p. 35: Emergent
Writing.
• Items from nature, e.g.
pebbles (with faces
drawn on them), shells,
leaves, sticks.
• Blank paper, crayons

Image created by author (2020)

Example of a simple story: Here are my friends. We

are in a boat. We are going to catch fish with our
fishing rods.

The teacher then asks the learners each to find a

partner. The teacher hands each pair of learners a few
stones, shells, leaves and sticks. The teacher asks the
partners to work together to create their own simple
story, using the stones, shells, leaves, and sticks.

When the learners have created their story, they draw

the story on A3 paper. The teacher writes a sentence
about each story on the learners’ drawing.

The teacher invites the learners to share their stories

with the class. The learners listen to the story and read
the sentence together.

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Table 13: Example 3: Picture book

Gr R teachers’ tools Teaching emergent literacy to Grade R learners
• CAPS FP English HL The Grade R teacher and learners discuss the cover
curriculum p. 34 of the book. The teacher askes the learners, “What
Listening and Speaking, sound does Ferdinand start with?” and “Do you know
and p. 35 any other words starting with the f sound?” The
Emergent Writing, and teacher writes the learners’ f words on flashcards,
Works with Words and they read each word together.
• Crayons, blank paper
The teacher reads the story of Ferdinand but stops
• A picture storybook that
the story at an exciting part before the story ends.
the learners haven’t yet
The teacher says “Oh dear! What will happen next?
seen or listened to.
How will the story end?” The learners and teacher
discuss possible endings giving reasons why they
think it will end that way.

The teacher asks the learners to draw a picture of

how they think the Ferdinand story will end. The
teacher invites the learners to tell their story endings
to the class. When everyone has had a turn, the
teacher reads the story of Ferdinand from beginning
to end.
Image from Wikipedia.org (You can hear and see the story
on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04g3aq5Lljs)

90 minutes
27
Reflection: My teaching toolbox.

We have said that every teacher has a toolbox. Take a moment to reflect on the
tools in your teaching toolbox.

1. Sit quietly for 10 minutes. Think about your own teaching toolbox. What do you
already know (your knowledge), what can you do (your abilities), and what do
you have (the things and people around you) that could help you to plan
activities for Grade R learners? These are all tools that you can use for teaching
emergent literacy.
2. Write the names of your teaching tools in the mind map below. To complete
your answer, consult the CAPS FP English Home Language curriculum ((DBE,
2011) as well as the Grade R SBA Exemplar Booklet (DBE, 2017).. We have
added both to show you how to do the mind map:

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My Teaching Toolbox

Grade R SBA
Exemplar
Booklet

CAPS FP English
Home Language
document

3. Write a one-page reflection about your teaching toolbox. Use the following
questions to guide you:
• What is the strongest teaching tool in your toolbox?
• What is missing from your toolbox? Where are the gaps?
• What could you do about the gaps in your toolbox?
• Who can help you strengthen your teaching tools?

We are now ready to start planning Term 1.

4. PLANNING: TERM 1 LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Table 14 sets out the planning tasks for Term 1 and shows you where to find the
information to help you with these tasks.

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Table 14: Term 1 planning

Term 1: Tasks Where to find information to help
you do Term 1 tasks
Task 1. Assess and strengthen Grade Page 13
R learners’ general and perceptual Grade R SBA Exemplar Booklet
skills. (DBE, 2017).

Task 2. Plan Term 1 emergent literacy Pages 31–36

activities. CAPS English Home Language
Foundation Phase (DBE, 2011).
Task 3. Assess Term 1 emergent Pages 5 and 10
literacy concepts and skills. Grade R SBA Exemplar Booklet
(DBE, 2017).

Let us go through each planning task in more detail.

4.1 Term 1 task 1

Assess and strengthen Grade R learners’ general and perceptual skills. Many
learners come to Grade R unprepared. It is Perceptual skills: the ability to recognise,
important for teachers to spend the first few organise, understand, and respond to messages
coming from our brain and senses (hearing, sight,
weeks of Term 1 observing and strengthening touch, smell, taste).
the learners’ general and perceptual skills in readiness for Grade R. Learners who do
not have these skills will find Grade R challenging. You will find a checklist of skills to
observe and assess in Term 1 on page 13 of the Grade R SBA Exemplar Booklet.

Sections 1 and 2 below explain the general and perceptual skills that are pertinent
(important) to Grade R. Because language is part of everything we do, each skill is
explained in relation to the development of Grade R emergent literacy.

1. General skills

General skills are those things that a learner needs to be able to do in order to be
happy and productive in a Grade R classroom. If learners feel happy and productive,
they learn a new language more easily. General skills include personal, social,
cognitive and physical skills.

• Personal skills (independence and a positive self-image). Learners with

personal skills dress themselves, go to toilet unaided, can play and make
choices on their own, are confident, and talk to others. The following activities
and actions by the teacher will strengthen Grade R learners’ personal and
emergent literacy skills:

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o Allow free playtime with other learners

o Listen to the learners, value and use their ideas. E.g. The teacher says
“Everyone – let’s listen to Busi; she has a good idea ...”
o Give learners positive feedback, e.g. “I really like your drawing because you
have .... (give reasons why you like it)”
o Let learners make some of the decisions e.g. “We are going to paint today;
what four paint colours should we choose?”

• Social skills (friendliness, cooperation and respect). A learner with social skills
makes friends easily, take turns, knows how to share and to respect others.
The following activities and actions will strengthen Grade R learners’ social and
emergent literacy skills:

o Pretend playing with other learners in the fantasy/home corner area.

o Working together in pairs or small groups e.g. making a poster or building a
puzzle together.

• Cognitive skills (concentration, memory, comprehension [understanding]).

A learner with cognitive skills pays attention, follows simple instructions,
finishes a task, understands and remembers. The following activities and
actions will strengthen Grade R learners’ cognitive and emergent literacy skills:

o Storytime followed by a discussion about the story

o Learning a rhyme or song
o Games – matching pictures and words, memory card game

• Physical Skills (body strength, small and large motor coordination). A child
with physicals skills can sit without slumping or wriggling, hold a pencil correctly
and draw. The following activities and actions encouraged by the teacher will
strengthen Grade R learners’ physical and emergent literacy skills:

o Outdoor play: obstacle course, climbing on the jungle gym, ball games
o Painting, drawing, clay, playdough, cutting with scissors
o Puzzles, Lego, bead-threading

2. Perceptual skills

Perceptual skills are the ability to recognise, organise, understand, and respond to
messages coming from our brain and senses. For example: if you put your hand on a
hot stove, your sense of touch will send a message to your brain that your hand is very
hot. Your brain recognises that your hand is burning, understands that this is a bad
thing for your body, and sends your hand a message to quickly move away from the
hot stove.

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There are many perceptual skills; the three most important perceptual skills for
learning language in Grade R are visual perception, auditory perception and motor
perception. Each perceptual skill is explained below accompanied by examples of
activities on how to strengthen these skills (adapted from https://www.swft.nhs.uk/):

• Visual perception is the brain’s ability to make sense of the messages coming
from what the eyes are seeing. Here is an example: look at the image below.
What do you see?

Figure 12: Visual perception

Image created by Sanda (2012)

Do you see a young lady or an old woman? It all depends on your visual perception
i.e. how your brain makes sense of what your eyes are seeing when they look at this
image.

Visual perception is important because seeing is our dominant way of making

sense of the world around us. Visual perception is important for learning how to read
and write in Grade 1. There are a number of different visual perceptual skills. The ones
that are important for learning English in Grade R are listed below:

• Visual discrimination is the ability to tell the difference in shape, size and
colour. Learners with weak visual discrimination skills will have trouble seeing
that each letter in the alphabet is different. The following activities will
strengthen Grade R learners’ visual discrimination skills:

- Spot the difference games e.g. Where’s Wally?

- Building puzzles.
- Sorting objects according to shape and/or colour.

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- Looking at picture books.

• Visual memory is the ability to remember what you have seen. Learners with
weak visual memory skills find it difficult to recall what they have seen and
learned. The following activities will strengthen Grade R learners’ visual
memory and emergent literacy skills:

- Make two identical pictures (photocopies). Make some changes to the one
picture. Ask the learner to look at both pictures and find the differences.
- Read a picture storybook together. Shut the book and ask the learners
about the story.
- Play Kim’s Game (Put 6–10 items on a tray. Let everyone look at the items
on the tray. Cover the tray and ask the learners to remember what is on the
tray. You can also take one item away (without the learners seeing) and
then ask the learners what is missing from the tray.

• Auditory perception is the brain’s ability to make sense of what the ears are
hearing. Auditory perception is important for learning letter sounds (phonics)
and emergent reading skills. There are a number of different auditory
perceptual skills. The ones that are important in Grade R are listed below:

o Auditory figure ground is the ability to notice one sound when there are
many other sounds around e.g. hearing the teacher’s voice even though all
the learners are talking loudly. Could learners, who are labelled naughty,
just be learners with weak auditory figure ground skills? The following
activities and actions will strengthen Grade R learners’ auditory figure
ground skills:

- Whisper instructions
- Play music. Ask learners to listen for particular sounds
- Play Wolfie Wolfie What’s the time?

o Auditory discrimination is the ability to tell the difference between sounds.

Auditory discrimination helps learners to discriminate (know the differences)
between the 26 sounds in the alphabet, and similar sounding words, e.g.
cat and mat. The following activities will strengthen Grade R learners’
auditory discrimination skills:

- Game: “I spy with my little eye something that starts with a ...” (letter
sound)
- The teacher says to the learners “I am thinking of a word that rhymes
with ‘let’ and it goes very fast in the air. What is it?” (jet). Repeat with
other rhyming words, e.g. hair and bear, school and pool, dot and hot.

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- Teacher tells the learners, “Stand up if your name begins with a ‘t’
sound.” (Vary the letter sounds and actions e.g. “ …. wave your arms if
your name starts with a b”, and “kick your legs if your name starts with
an m”).

o Auditory memory is the ability to memorise the information received

through the ears. Learners with weak auditory memory skills will have
difficulty following the teacher’s instructions and understanding what is said
and read in the classroom. The following activities will strengthen Grade R
learners’ auditory memory skills:

- Copycat clapping. Clap a sequence of slow and fast beats. Invite the
learners to copy the sequence.
- The learners sit in a circle and play the Gogo (Grandma/Ouma) went
to market and bought a ........ game. Each learner has to remember
what the other learners have said before adding their own shopping
item.
- Hide behind a screen (or an upturned table) and make familiar
sounds (jangling keys, stirring a spoon in a cup, pouring water into a
bucket, cutting paper with scissors). The learners say what the
sounds are and where they heard them.

• Motor perception is the brain’s ability to make sense of what the body is doing.
There are a number of different motor perceptual skills. The ones that are
important for learning emergent literacy in Grade R are listed below:

o Eye-hand coordination is the ability to do something with your hands

guided by the use of the eyes, e.g. copying a letter, word or number.
Learners with poor eye-hand coordination will have difficulty drawing and
writing. These activities will strengthen eye-hand coordination in Grade
R learners:

- Building puzzles.
- Building with Lego or similar construction toys that engage the learners
in fitting small pieces together.
- Drawing and painting.

o Spatial awareness is the brain’s ability to know where the body is in space.
This can be in relation to 1) other parts of the body, e.g. put your hand on top
of your head, or 2) to other objects, e.g. put your hand on the chair, stand
next to the door. Learners with weak spatial awareness skills often appear
clumsy and disorganised. They may have difficulties with visual perception,
e.g. they confuse ‘b’ and ‘d’ because they do not know left from right.

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The following activities will strengthen Grade R learners’ spatial awareness

skills:

- Play Simple Simon says ... (e.g. put your right hand on your left knee).
- Action songs using the body, e.g. Heads and shoulders, Hokey Pokey
- Playing with sand, water, fingerpaint, dough and clay.
- Climbing, swinging and sliding.

Apply what you have learned about general and perceptual skills to a case study in
Activity 28:

150 minutes
28
Case study: Rudy’s general and perceptual skills

1. Read the case study of Rudy in the box below:

Case Study: Rudy

You are a Grade R teacher at Inyoni Primary. Your colleague, Jenny, has come
to you for advice as she is worried about Rudy, a six-year-old boy in her Grade R
class. Rudy never sits still in class and he is often slumped over the table. When
Jenny asks Rudy to look at the alphabet letters, he cannot tell the difference
between similar-looking letters like b and d.

When the class discusses a story, Rudy is the only learner who cannot remember
the details of what happened in the story, even though he has just listened to the
story.

Jenny says that Rudy has no idea how to match a letter sound to a word, e.g. if
Jenny asks, What word starts with a ‘p’? then Rudy will shout out, table. Rudy
cannot copy any of the alphabet letters and scribbles when he is supposed to be
drawing. Jenny says that Rudy also cannot tell which hand is his left or right hand.
Jenny says that Rudy starts to cry and does not want to come to school. Jenny
wants to know what she can do to support Rudy.

2. Read the case study again, but this time underline all the things that tell you that
Rudy’s general and perceptual skills are not well developed.

3. Match (in the box below) Rudy’s challenges with a general or perceptual skill.
You will find the skills in the notes above. The first two have been matched to
show you how. Redraw and complete the table.

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Rudy’s behaviour General and perceptual skills

Rudy never sits still and he often slumps General physical skill
over the table.
When Rudy looks at the alphabet, he Visual discrimination
cannot tell the difference between similar- Spatial awareness
looking letters, e.g. b and d.
Rudy cannot remember the details of what
happened in a story, even though he has
just listened to it.
Rudy cannot match a letter sound to a word.

Rudy cannot copy any of the letters and he

scribbles when he is supposed to be
drawing.
Rudy cannot tell his left from his right hand.

4. Make a list of activities that Jenny, the teacher, and Rudy’s parents can do with
Rudy while waiting for him to be assessed by a professional. The first one has
been done below to show you how. Redraw and complete the table. .

Rudy’s challenges Supporting activities to do with Rudy

1. Rudy never sits still and he often 1. School: outdoor play (obstacle
slumps over the table. course, jungle gym), movement and
dance rings. Home: play soccer,
swimming lessons
2. When Rudy looks at the alphabet 2.
letters, he mixes up similar-
looking letters such as b and d.
3. Rudy cannot remember the 3.
details of what happened in a
story even though he has just
listened to it.
4. Rudy cannot match a letter 4.
sound to a word.

5. Rudy cannot copy any of the 5.

letters and he scribbles when he
is supposed to be drawing.
6. Rudy cannot tell his left from his 6.
right hand.

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Commentary:
Your advice to Jenny on how to support Rudy would start with:
1. Talk to the HoD and Rudy’s parents.
2. Have Rudy assessed by a professional.
3. Do activities with Rudy that will help strengthen his general and perceptual
skills.

Now that you have understood the importance of general and perceptual skills in
Grade R, let us move onto Term 1 Task 2: Plan emergent literacy activities.

4.2 Term 1 task 2

Plan Term 1 Emergent Literacy Activities. For Task 2 you will need the:

• Grade R SBA Exemplar Booklet, and the

• CAPS English Home Language Foundation Phase (pages 31–36).

These two documents are your essential guides to planning. Each document is
discussed below, followed by an activity and an example that show you how to use
the two documents for planning emergent literacy activities.

4.2.1 Grade R SBA exemplar booklet

A good place to start your planning is to look at what must be SBA: School-Based
assessed. Read page 5 in the Grade R SBA Exemplar Booklet. Assessment.
Page 5 lists the five core (most important ones) Home Language
(emergent literacy) skills that Grade R learners must be able to do by the end of Term
1. These five skills are:

1. Listens attentively to simple questions and announcements and responds

appropriately.
2. Distinguishes aurally between different letter sounds, especially at the
beginning of own name.
3. Draws or paints pictures to convey messages during creative art activities such
as personal experiences.
4. Identifies similarities and differences.
5. Tells stories and retells the stories of others in own words.

Keep in mind that these five skills are the minimum HL skills for Term 1 Grade R.
Most learners in Grade R are able (and should be encouraged) to do more than the
five minimum requirements.

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Now that you know the five HL skills that Grade R learners must be able to do by the
end of Term 1, you can start to plan your Term 1 emergent literacy activities that will
enable your Grade R learners to develop those five skills. Activity 29 will help you to
find emergent literacy activities that match the Term 1 English HL assessment skills
(page 5).

60 minutes
29
Emergent literacy activities for term 1

1. Read the left column which is headed Grade R English HL skills to be assessed
in Term 1 (page 5). This list is exactly the same as the list of five skills on page
5 in the Grade R SBA Exemplar Booklet (DBE 2017).
2. Match each Grade R HL skill to be assessed in Term 1 (left column) with an
emergent literacy activity (right column). The first one has been done to show
you how.

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Grade R English HL skills to be Term 1 English HL activities that Grade R

assessed in Term 1 (page 5) teachers can do with learners
1. Listens attentively to simple Creative Art: The teacher puts out paints and
questions and paper and invites the learners to use the
announcements, and paint and paper to draw three things that
responds appropriately. make them feel happy.

2. Distinguishes aurally (using Play game: Simple Simon says … The

your ears) between different teacher tells the learners to say, “Simple
letter sounds, especially at Simon says put your hand on your head.” The
the beginning of own name. learners listen and respond appropriately
by following the teacher’s instruction. The
teacher repeats the game, using different
instructions e.g. stand on one leg/clap hands
/nod your head.
3. Draws or paints pictures to Puppets: The learners each make a puppet
convey messages during from a toilet roll, using pens, coloured paper,
creative art activities such as feathers, material and wool. At small-group
a personal experience. time, each group of learners makes up one
story about their puppets. At storytime,
each small group takes a turn to tell their
puppet story to the other learners.
4. Identifies similarities and Play a phonics game: The teacher says to
differences. the learners “Stand up if your name starts with
a p.” The learners whose names start with a
p sound (Pumla, Pieter, Patience), stand up.
The teacher repeats the game using different
alphabet sounds and actions, e.g. “Jump up
and down if your name starts with an s,
“Dance if your name starts with ad.”
5. Tells stories and retells the Matching game: At small-group time, one
stories of others in own group of learners plays Picture Dominoes.
words. The learners play the game by matching the
pictures that go together. The teacher asks
the learners, “What is the same?” and “What
is different?”

4.2.2 CAPS English Home Language Grades FP R - 3

This CAPS (DBE, 2011) document gives you ideas on how to plan Term 1 on pages
31-36. You are reminded that listening and speaking, reading and writing are
integrated (all happening at the same time in the classroom), even though CAPS has
separated the Term 1 activities into three parts:

o Listening and Speaking (pages 31-32)

o Emergent Reading (pages 33-34)

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o Emergent Writing (pages 35-36)

Here is an example of how one Grade R teacher, Ms Mokoena, used the CAPS HL
document to plan emergent literacy activities.

Ms Mokoena says that she is a better teacher when she writes out her planning
because her best ideas come when she has a pen and paper in her hands.

When you read Ms Mokoena’s planning in Table 15, take note of the following:

• The Resources are Ms Mokoena’s teaching tools.

• The Outcomes are four of the five skills listed on page 5 in the Grade R SBA
Exemplar Booklet (DBE, 2017).
• Ms Mokoena has used the CAPS English HL (DBE, 2011) document to get
ideas for what to do, e.g. “Sings simple songs and does actions” and “Identifies
parts of the whole such as names and points to parts of the body” are on page
31.
• The three parts (Listening and Speaking, Emergent Reading, and Emergent
Writing) are integrated in Ms Mokoena’s activity.
• Ms Mokoena encourages talking and doing, i.e. active learning.

Table 15: Ms Mokoena’s emergent literacy planning

Emergent literacy activity

Term 1 topic: My Body

Resources:
• My Body poster
• Blank flash cards, black marker,
Prestik, pen (teacher)
• blank paper and crayons (learners),

Outcomes:
1. Listens attentively to simple questions and responds appropriately.
2. Distinguishes aurally between different letter sounds.
3. Draws pictures to convey messages during creative art activities such as a
personal experience.
4. Identifies similarities and differences.

Introduction:
• Sing and act out a song (to the tune of Here we go round the mulberry
bush):
Verse 1: This is the way I clap my hands, clap my hands, clap my hands,
This is the way I clap my hands, early in the morning

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Verse 2: This is the way I stamp my feet …

Verse 3: This is the way I nod my head …
Verses 4-7: Ask the learners, “What other body parts can we sing about in
our song?”

Body (main part of the activity):

• The learners talk about the poster and respond to questions, e.g. “What
are the names of the parts of the body?” As the learners say the names, the
teacher asks the learners to point to the same body part on their own body.

• Write the name of each body part on a flashcard in big letters, e.g.

hand leg head

• Read the flashcards out loud with the learners. The learners point to the part
of their own body that matches the word they see and hear. Ask the learners,
“What sound does that word start with?” and “Which words sound similar,
(almost the same)?” ”Why do hand/head sound similar?”
• Play the game Simon says .... wave your (instead of saying the word, the
teacher shows the flash card with the body part name, hand). Repeat, using
different action words, kick/nod/bend, with the different flashcards e.g.
leg/head/arm.
• Ask the learners to match the flashcards to the matching body part on the
poster.

Conclusion:
• Hand each learner a blank sheet of paper and ask the learners to draw their
own body.
• While the learners are drawing, the teacher walks around and writes the
name of the body parts on the learners’ drawings. The teacher encourages
the learners’ emergent writing by inviting them to copy the name of the body
part.

You are now ready to plan your own Grade R emergent literacy activity.

120 minutes
30
Plan a term 1 emergent literacy activity

1. Plan a Term 1 emergent literacy activity for Grade R learners.

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2. Write your planning on the planning form below (Table 16).

Commentary:
• Use your teaching toolbox. Here are some Grade R tools to help you plan
your Term 1 emergent literacy activity:
o CAPS FP Home Language (pages 31–36). .
o Grade R SBA Exemplar (page 5)..
o The Grade R topic for the week.
o A story or picturebook or a poster that the learners will enjoy.
o An object from your home or something a learner has brought to
school.
o Things the learners are interested in and talking about in the
classroom.

Please note that the SANTS lesson plan template is the preferred template for
planning lessons (Attached as addendum A).

Table 16: Planning form

Name of Activity: …………………………………………………………………………….……..

Resources: ……………………………………………………………………………….………...

……………………………………………………………………………………………………...…

Outcomes: …………………………………….………..…………………………………………..
………………………………………………………………………………………….………..……

…………………………………………………………………………………………………..…….

Introduction: …………………………………………………………………………………..…….

………………………………………………………………………………………………..……….

Body (main)…………………………………………………………………………………..………

………………………………………………………………………………………………..……..

……………………………………………………………………………………………..………….

……………………………………………………………………………………………..………….
………………………………………………………………………………………………..……….
Conclusion: …..…………………………………………………………………..…………..…….

…………………………………………………………………………………………………..…….

…………………………………………………………………………………………………..…….
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4.3 Term 1 task 3

Assess Term 1 Emergent Literacy skills. This is the third and last task for Term 1.

4.3.1 Grade R school-based assessment (SBA)

Let us start by reading what the DBE has to say about assessment in Grade R.

90 minutes
31
Reading: Assessment in Grade R

1. Read pages 1-4 in the Grade R SBA Exemplar Booklet (DBE, 2017). You can
find pages 1–4 online at https://www.thutong.doe.gov.za/.
2. Underline or highlight key information on assessment on pages 1–4. This is the
information that you will need for your mind map.
3. Draw a mind map in your notebook:
• Write Assessment in Grade R in the centre of your mind map.
• Write 8 key points (from pages 1–4) around the centre that teachers need
to remember when assessing Grade R learners.

Assessment in
Grade R

4. Read each statement below. Decide if the statement is true or false. Put a
in the box next to the statements you think are true (correct). Put an X next to
the statements you think are false (incorrect). The first one has been done to
show you how.

The Department of Basic Education (DBE) supports assessment in Grade R.

Learners are formally tested in Grade R.

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Grade R assessment takes place through observation in an ongoing and

planned way.
Grade R teachers use rubrics and checklists to assess learners.

Grade R teachers must keep a portfolio with all the learners’ work.

Assessment in Grade R is 100% formative.

Commentary:
When you have completed Activity 31 you can check your answers in Addendum B.

The DBE supports the assessment of learners in Grade R but stipulates (insists on):

• No testing or formal assessment activities for Grade R learners. Teachers

assess Grade R learners by observing what the learners do and say.
• Observation is not a one-off process, i.e. a teacher does not observe one thing
about a learner only once a term. Assessment is formative, on-going and
holistic, i.e. a teacher is continually assessing all parts of a child’s development
(physical, cognitive, social and emotional) throughout the year.
• Observing for assessment in Grade R is well-planned.
• Assessment in Grade R is play-based and integrated into the daily Grade R
programme.

4.3.2 Reasons why Grade R teachers assess

Ms Mokoena said that planning made her a better teacher. Ms Mokoena says that
assessment helps teachers to:

• Know and appreciate the strengths of each child.

• Identify the gaps in a child’s learning and know what kind of support to provide.
• Know what activities to adjust or change in order to accommodate (fit in with)
the learners’ strengths and gaps.
• Make sure that every child is making progress each term by comparing each
term’s assessment.

4.3.3 Assessment tools used by Grade R teachers

You will need the following assessment tools:

1. An assessment plan;
2. Pen and paper;
3. Your eyes and ears;
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4. Grade R SBA Exemplar Booklet; abd

5. CAPS English HL FP Grades R–3.

Let us discuss each assessment tool in more detail:

1. An assessment plan

Although learners are assessed informally in Grade R, it does not mean that the
assessment process is unplanned or unstructured. On the contrary (opposite), there
is a lot of planning and preparation to do for assessment. At the beginning of the school
year the Grade R teacher needs to have the following ready:

• A list of learners’ names

• A schedule of dates and times so that the teacher knows when to observe
and who to observe
• A checklist with assessment criteria (standards by which something is
judged) so the teacher knows what she is observing and can record the
observation
• A rubric so that the teacher can judge what she is observing, and
• A file for each learner in which the teacher keeps any evidence and
materials that show a learner’s progress while in their class, e.g. learner’s
drawings and art, notes from parents and caregivers, photos, reports from
specialists (doctors, psychologists, speech and occupational therapists).
These materials are selected by the teacher because they show the
learner’s strengths, gaps, progress or lack of progress. These materials help
the teacher to make a judgement because the teacher can see and compare
with what the learner has done earlier. The teacher can also use the file at
parent meetings to show parents and caregivers the learners’ strengths and
gaps in learning.

2. Pen and paper

A Grade R teacher will need the following to record observations:

• A small notebook and pen are useful to write down important observations
that happen unexpectedly in the classroom or playground. This notebook is
often called a lapbook because it sits on the teacher’s lap or in a pocket for
the day, ready to be taken out and an observation quickly written down.
• Examples of checklists, recording sheets, and parent report forms are
in the Grade R SBA Exemplar Booklet (DBE, 2017).

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3. Your eyes and ears

Observation means to carefully look and listen. Observation also means to:

• Be purposeful, i.e. remain focused on who and what to observe (according

to your assessment schedule and checklist),
• Stay objective (unbiased) i.e. do not allow your personal feelings to
influence what you see and hear, and
• Use your judgement i.e. sometimes you see and hear something
unexpected and you need to decide if it is important and how it fits in with
what you know about the child.

4. Grade R SBA exemplar booklet

The DBE has published the booklet as an assessment guide for Grade R teachers.

You can find the document online at

https://www.thutong.doe.gov.za/Default.aspx?alias=www.thutong.doe.gov.za/inclusiv
eeducation

4.3.4 Assessment type and tools

There are two different types of Grade R English HL assessments:

1. General and perceptual skills assessment

The first type of assessment helps Grade R teachers to find out whether learners are
developing holistically and if they have the basic skills necessary to learn
emergent literacy skills. Assessment tools, i.e. a checklist and a parent report form,
are provided for each term (note that the checklist integrates all the general and
perceptual skills for Home Language, Mathematics, and Life Skills). Table 17 below
will help you to find each checklist and parent report:

Table 17: General and perceptual skills assessment tools

Term 1 Term 2 Term 3 Term 4
Checklist Page 13 Page 22 Page 31 Page 40
Parent report Page 12 Page 21 Page 30 Page 39

2. Emergent literacy skills (CAPS English HL)

The second type of assessment helps Grade R teachers to appraise the development
of the learners’ emergent literacy skills as set out in the Grade R section of the
CAPS English HL FP document. Assessment tools, i.e. a list of emergent literacy skills
and matching rubrics are provided for each term. Examples of recording sheets and
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checklists are included in the booklet, but most are incomplete. Table 18 below will
help you to find the list of emergent literacy skills and rubrics:

Table 18: Emergent literacy assessment tools

Term 1 Term 2 Term 3 Term 4
List of Skills to be assessed Page 5 Page 14 Page 23 Page 32
Rubrics Page 10 Page 19 Page 28 Page 37

The next section provides more information about the two assessment tools in Table
18 above.

List of skills to be assessed

Table 19 below lists the minimum emergent literacy skills for the Grade R year:

Table 19: Term 1–4 Grade R HL skills

Term 1
Skills to be assessed (page 5)
1. Listens attentively to simple questions and announcements and responds
appropriately.
2. Distinguishes aurally between different letter sounds, especially at the
beginning of their own name.
3. Draws or paints pictures to convey messages during creative art activities such
as a personal experience.
4. Identifies similarities and differences.
5. Tells stories and retells stories of others in own words.
Term 2
Skills to be assessed (page 14)
1. Sings songs, recites rhymes and performs actions with whole class.
2. Listens without interrupting, taking turns to speak.
3. Looks carefully at pictures and talks about common experiences.
4. Discusses and describes characters in stories.
5. Begins to write, observing conventions of directionality: writes from left to right,
and top to bottom of the page.
Term 3
Skills to be assessed (page 23)
1. Draws pictures to convey a message about a personal experience and uses
this as a starting point for writing; teacher adds a word or phrase to the drawing.
2. Listens attentively to questions and gives answers.
3. Recognises and names some letters of their own name.
4. Matches words to objects: matches labels to labelled items on an interest table.

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Term 4
Skills to be assessed (page 32)
1. Uses language to develop concepts in all subjects: quantity, size, shape,
direction, colour, speed, time, age and sequence.
2. Interprets picture to construct ideas, make up own story and read the pictures.
3. Copies letters and numerals from the classroom environment when writing.

Rubrics

Why do we have rubrics? Rubrics help teachers to appraise (judge) the strengths
and weaknesses of the learners’ skills by giving a mark between 1 and 7 (1 is the
lowest mark and 7 is the highest mark).

What is a rubric? Each skill has three different competency levels. Each level is
coded and marked accordingly:

• Code 1 (when a learner is not yet competent because the learner

struggles, is unable and very unsure) scores either 1 or 2 (out of 7)
• Code 2 (when a learner is competent because the learner tries,
participates and is starting to do the skill) scores either 3 or 4 or 5 (out
of 7)
• Code 3 (when a learner is exceptionally competent because the learner
is very good at the skill, easily identifies, and has good concentration and
understanding) scores 6 or 7 (out of 7)

Here is an example of a Term 1 HL rubric:

Table 20: Rubric

Home Language Rubric 1: Listens attentively to simple questions and
announcements and responds appropriately
(Code) 3 Good at listening to simple questions and announcements and
responds appropriately
(Code) 2 Attempts to respond appropriately. Tries to listen to simple
questions and announcements
(Code) 1 Unable to listen to simple questions and announcements and
struggles to respond

Important points to note:

• Learners are expected to progress each term, e.g. In Term 1 Grade R

learners are expected to draw, in Term 2 they have progressed to
emergent writing, in Term 3 they are able to recognise and name some
letters, and in Term 4 they are able to copy some letters and numbers.

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• The skills listed above (Table 20) are the minimum assessment
standards for Grade R English HL.
• Assessment is not a one-off activity done once a term. Assessment is
a continuous process, i.e. the teacher observes each learner many
times in different situations. This helps the teacher to know that her
information about the learner is correct.
• Parents and caregivers need to be regularly informed about their
learners’ progress.

CAPS English Home Language (HL) FP Grades R–3

The CAPS (DBE, 2011) curriculum for Grade R provides suggestions for assessment
for each term. These suggestions are a helpful addition to the Grade R SBA
assessment checklists. They are also a source of ideas for classroom activities. The
Grade R assessment suggestions in the CAPS English HL document can be found on
the pages listed in Table 21 below:

Table 21: Assessment suggestions

Term 1 Term 2 Term 3 Term 4
Listening and Page 32 Page 38 Page 44 Page 49
Speaking
Emergent Page 34 Page 40 Page 46 Page 51
Reading
Emergent Page 36 Page 42 Page 47 Page 53
Writing

You can find the CAPS English HL FP Grades R-3 online

at https://www.thutong.doe.gov.za/.

Now that you have a clear picture of assessment in Grade R, let us integrate (put
together) planning and assessment. In Activity 32 you match each of the five Term 1
skills (Table 19th assessment skills) with an appropriate (correct) literacy activity.

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30 minutes
32
Matching assessment skills to learning activities

Match the Term 1 assessment skills (in the left column) to appropriate English HL
activities (in the right column). One has already been matched to show you how to
do the others.

Term 1 HL skills to be English HL activities

assessed
1. Listens attentively to simple A. Play ‘I spy with my little eye
questions and something that starts with a … (letter
announcements and sound)’
responds appropriately.

2. Distinguishes aurally B. The learners draw their news, e.g.

between different letter what they did over the weekend.
sounds, especially at the
beginning of own name.

3. Draws or paints pictures to C. In pairs: the learners tell their partners

convey messages such as a their news, e.g. what they did over the
personal experience during weekend. The partner then retells the
creative art activities. other child’s news to the whole
group.

4. Identifies similarities and D. Play ‘Simple Simon says …’ game,

differences. e.g. the teacher says to the learners,
“Put your hand on top of your head”
and the learners listen to the
instruction and respond appropriately
by putting their hands on their heads.

5. Tells stories and retells E. In small-group time the teacher puts a

stories of others in own heap of everyday objects in the
words. middle of the mat and invites the
learners to match the everyday
objects e.g. shoe + sock, toothbrush
+ toothpaste, cup + saucer. The
learners and teacher discuss what
was the same, what was different and
why.

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Commentary:
When a teacher matches learning activities with assessment skills, two things
happen:
• The learners learn the HL skills by doing the learning activity
• The teacher assesses the learners’ HL skills by observing the learner doing
the learning activity.

We call this assessment for learning.

When you have completed Activity 32 you can check your answers in Addendum B.

When you meet your fellow students, complete the following group task together.

240 minutes
33
Group task 2: Planning Grade R emergent literacy activities

1. Break into small study groups (4 – 6 students), or work in pairs in your own study
group. Working with your group, take 10 minutes to write a list of six things a
Grade R teacher could do to create a stimulating language-rich environment in
the classroom..
2. Everyone watches the following video of a teacher telling a story to a group of
learners:
https://www.ntataise.co.za/videos/index.html?re=1&te=2
3. Break into pairs (2 students). Discuss the following question with your partner
for 3 minutes:
• “What did you notice about the video?”
4. The whole group breaks into small groups. The small groups discuss the
following question for 10–15 minutes:
• “How could the teacher (in the video) use the story for teaching the learners
the following Term 1 English HL skills (in the box below)?”

1. Listens attentively to simple questions, announcements

and responds appropriately.
2. Distinguishes aurally between different letter sounds,
especially at the beginning of their own name.
3. Draws or paints pictures to convey messages such as a
personal experience during creative art activities.
4. Identifies similarities and differences.
5. Tells stories and retells stories of others in own words.

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5. Each small group plans five different Grade R emergent literacy activities to
match the five Term 1 Home language skills (in the box above). Each group
does the planning in the following way:
• First discuss with your group what five literacy activities will match the skills
in the box above.
• Write the five literacy activities on newsprint, using a marker.
6. The small groups regroup into one large group for presentations by each small
group.
7. Each small group takes a turn to share their five activities with the other
groups.
8. The whole group discusses the presentations in terms of how to
• Support Grade R learners whose mother tongue is not English, and how to
• Involve parents and caregivers in their learners English language learning.
9. Each student makes a list or take photographs for their teaching toolbox of:
• The things a teacher could do to create a language-rich environment.
• The five Term 1 emergent literacy activities.

Commentary:
• Small groups allow each student to participate and to share their ideas. Split your
group into two smaller groups if the group has more than eight students.
• Find ideas on emergent literacy activities by looking at:
o Ms Dlamini, Ms Nkosi and Ms Mokoena’s planning.
o The notes you have written in your notebook.
o The Grade R SBA Exemplar Booklet.
o The CAPS English HL document.

You have completed Section 2 of Unit 2, which means you now have a good
understanding of how to teach Grade R learners language and literacy skills. The
following section is on learning how to support Grade R learners with barriers to
learning language.

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SECTION 3: SUPPORTING LEARNERS WITH

BARRIERS TO LEARNING IN GRADE R

1. INTRODUCTION
Not all learners happily embrace learning language. For some Barrier: a
learners, learning to listen, speak, read and write is a challenging circumstance or
obstacle that keeps
experience because they have a barrier to learning language. people or things
apart or prevents
Something is blocking their listening, speaking, emergent reading communication or
progress.
and writing development.

It is important to address barriers to learning language because language is how we

engage with the world around us. Language supports abstract thought, i.e. it helps us
to think and reason. Without language, it is difficult to communicate with others, read
a book, learn maths, or follow instructions. Language is everywhere.

This section on supporting learners with barriers to learning in Grade R has two parts.
The first part is about identifying Grade R learners with language barriers. The second
part is about finding ways to include learners with language barriers in the Grade R
classroom.

2. IDENTIFYING BARRIERS TO LEARNING LANGUAGE

Before we identify language barriers, let us first understand what it means to
communicate.

2.1 The communication process

Communication is more than just the transmission (sending) of information. A key part
of communication is to make sure that the message was received and understood
properly.

The communication process is made up of (Ondondo, 2015):

1. The sender – the person who starts the communication.

2. The encoding – what and how the sender constructs the communication.
3. The message – what the sender wants to communicate.
4. The medium – the type of communication e.g. SMS, email, phone call, speech,
letter.
5. The receiver – the person who receives the communication.
6. The decoding – how the receiver interprets or understands the communication.

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7. The feedback – how the receiver responds to the communication and what
happens as a result of the response.

Here is an example of how the communication process works in the Grade R

classroom:

1. Ms Smit is the Grade R teacher (sender). Ms Smit and the Grade R learners all
speak English.
2. Ms Smit looks at all the learners, claps loudly and says, “Everyone, tidy up.”
(encoding).
3. Ms Smit has clapped and told everyone to tidy up because she wants everyone
to get ready for break (message).
4. Ms Smit has used her voice and hands (medium) to communicate her message.
5. The learners (receivers) see and hear the clapping and the instruction to tidy
up.
6. The learners understand that they must pack away immediately (decoding).
7. The learners pack away and Ms Smit smiles at them (feedback). She is pleased
that they have listened.

The communication between Ms Smit and the Grade R learners went smoothly
because all the learners received and decoded Ms Smit’s message in the same way.
But what happens when there is a learner with a barrier to language in the classroom?
Here is an example:

Musi was born with normal hearing and eyesight. When Musi was one year old he
became ill with measles and is now partially deaf in both ears. Musi did not attend
preschool; he stayed at home with his grandmother until he started Grade R with
Ms Smit. Musi looks forward to coming to school each day to see and talk to his new
friends.

Let us replay the scenario with Ms Smit and the Grade R learners but this time Musi
is in the classroom.

Ms Smit (sender) looks at all the learners, claps loudly and says, “Everyone, tidy up”.
(encoding) because Ms Smit wants everyone to get ready for break (message).

All the learners and Musi (receivers) see Ms. Smit but Musi does not hear her voice.
The learners start to pack away the toys. Because the sound of the clapping blocked
the sound of Ms Smit’s voice, Musi did not receive the message, so he decoded what
he saw differently. Musi’s decoding (Ms Smit is clapping because she is happy) did
not match Ms Smit’s message. Musi does not tidy the toys away; he continues to
play. The feedback is that Ms Smit gets angry and shouts at Musi because she thinks

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he has not listened. Musi feels confused and upset. His grandmother notices that he
no longer wants to go to school.

Musi’s deafness has resulted in a receptive language barrier, i.e. Musi’s deafness
means that he has difficulty understanding what is coming in. Musi does not have an
expressive language problem because he has no trouble expressing himself by
talking to his friends and sharing his ideas.

There are many potential barriers to learning a language. Barriers are linked to
diversity. When a teacher does not value and accommodate (make room for) diversity
in the classroom, it leads to more barriers. We are going to explore some of the
common language barriers a Grade R teacher might come across in the classroom.

Keep in mind that language problems need to be properly diagnosed. If you

notice a Grade R learner struggling to communicate, refer the parents or
caregivers to a language specialist.

2.2 Identifying barriers to learning language

This section identifies the various barriers to learning language in Grade R. The focus
is on barriers to listening and speaking since there is no formal reading and writing in
Grade R. Here are some common disorders and perceptual developmental delays that
serve as barriers to learning language in the Grade R classroom:

• Language disorders

Language and speech therapists working with Grade R learners are familiar
with the following speech disorders:
o Apraxia: the nerves connecting the child’s brain and speech muscles do
not work. The learners know what they want to say, but the words do not
come out. Apraxia is common in learners with autism.
o Stuttering (also called stammering): The learner cannot express
themselves easily when talking. Their speech is repetitive and uneven, e.g.
“I... I… I I I… w... w… w… wan …want… to … p p p p p p … play with the
… b..b…b.b..ball” The cause of stuttering is often unknown.
o Dysarthria: The child’s speech is slurred and slow as a result of damage to
a nerve or muscle controlling the speech organs i.e. the lips, tongue, vocal
cords and diaphragm. Learners with cerebral palsy may have dysarthria.
o Selective mutism: The learner can speak but for some reason chooses not
to; e.g. a learner may speak at home but never speaks at school.
o Aphasia: The learner cannot communicate because the part of their brain
which governs language is damaged.

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o Alalia: The learner is not making any attempt to speak even though it would
be normal for them to speak and there seems to be nothing wrong with their
speech organs or brain. The cause is often unknown.

(adapted from https://www.speechpathologygraduateprograms.org/2018/01/10-most-

common-speech-language-disorders/)

• Poor perceptual skills

As discussed earlier, poor auditory perception, visual perception and motor

perception skills are barriers to learning language in Grade R. Learners with
weak visual perception will have difficulty in decoding verbal messages,
following instructions, remembering the sounds of the letters of the alphabet
(phonics), and understanding oral texts. Learners with weak visual perception
will have difficulty recognising the letters of the alphabet, not seeing similarities
and differences e.g. b and d will look the same, and failing to recognise common
words such as their names. Learners with weak motor perception will have
difficulty drawing, positioning letters correctly, and copying (because they
cannot remember what they have seen).

• Diversity and the curriculum

The Guidelines for Responding to Learner Diversity in the Classroom states:

“One of the most significant barriers to learning is the school curriculum” (p. 2.
DBE, n.d.). How interesting! We will learn more about the curriculum as a barrier
to learning in Module 2.

Barriers to learning arise when teachers do not value and support diversity in
the classroom (DBE, n.d.). What would happen if Ms Smit appreciated and
accommodated (made room for) Musi’s diversity (his deafness)? Let us read
what the DBE has to say about diversity and barriers to learning:

30 minutes
34
Reading: identifying barriers to learning

1. Read page 3 in the Guidelines for Responding to Learner Diversity in the

Classroom (DBE, n.d.).
2. Identify five barriers to learning on page 3. Write down the five barriers to
learning.

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Commentary:
• The Guidelines for Responding to Learner Diversity in the Classroom is
available Fonline at https://www.thutong.doe.gov.za/
• Module 2 (R-EHF 312) expands further on how to support EFAL learners and
teachers.

2.2.1 Types of barriers to learning language

According to Ondondo (2015), we can categorise (group) barriers to learning language

into four types:

1. Process barriers;
2. Physical barriers;
3. Semantic barriers; and
4. Psychosocial barriers.

Each type is discussed in more detail below. The case study of Musi and Ms Smit is
used to demonstrate the different types of barriers.

1. Process barriers

If any part of the communication process (the sender, encoding, medium, message,
decoding, feedback) breaks down, it creates a barrier to learning language. The case
study of Musi and Ms Smit is an example of a process barrier.

2. Physical barriers

Physical barriers are caused by damage to the brain. Here is an example of a physical
barrier:

• A learner has been in a car accident and injured her head. The child’s head has
healed but she cannot speak like she did before the accident because a part of
the language centre inside her brain has been damaged, causing aphasia.
• Other physical barriers are deafness, poor eyesight, poor co-ordination, and
medical conditions, e.g. cerebral palsy.
• The environment can also be a physical barrier e.g. a classroom next to a busy
road is so noisy that the learners cannot hear what the teacher is saying.

3. Semantic barriers

A semantic barrier is created when a learner does not understand the words and
sentences being used in the classroom. The words and sentences may be new, or in

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an unfamiliar language, or they mean different things to the teacher and child. Here is
an example of a semantic barrier:

• The teacher is English speaking and the learners are Zulu speaking. The
teacher explains a new concept, using words that are new to the learners. The
learners cannot learn the new concept because they do not know what the
words mean.

4. Psychosocial barriers

The word Psychosocial can be broken into two parts: psycho (what happens inside
the brain) and social (what happens with other people). A psychosocial barrier refers
to the mental and social blocks that disrupt or prevent learning and development. Here
are some examples of psychosocial barriers:

• A very shy learner cannot make friends and will not work with other learners
during groupwork time.
• A learner comes from a home where corporal punishment is frequent, and now
does not know how to behave in the absence of corporal punishment in the
classroom.
• A learner comes from a home where the parents are emotionally traumatised
by events in the home, e.g. the parents are getting divorced, a family member
is terminally ill, one parent is being abused, or the family breadwinner has lost
their job.
• Cultural differences may also become a psychosocial barrier, e.g. a teacher
becomes upset when a learner does not look at her when she is talking to the
child, but in that child’s home it is disrespectful to look adults in the eye.

Let us apply what we know about the four types of barriers to Ms Smit’s Grade
R classroom.

Because Musi was partially deaf (physical barrier) and because Ms Smit’s clapping
made the classroom noisy (physical/environmental barrier), he did not receive Ms
Smit’s message (process barrier). Musi then decoded what he saw (Ms Smit clapping)
in a way that did not match Ms Smit’s message (process barrier). The feedback (Ms
Smit’s getting angry) confused and upset Musi, and changed his positive attitude to
school into a negative attitude (psychosocial barrier).

Some barriers, e.g. deafness, are fixed. In other words, you cannot easily change
these barriers. A teacher can however find ways to lessen the impact of the barrier
e.g. Ms Smit can look at Musi when she talking (so Musi can lipread) and she can use
flashcards, e.g. when it is tidy-up time, Ms Smit claps her hands and points to a label
on the wall that says in big letters, Tidy-up time.

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Some barriers are temporary, i.e. not fixed, and will disappear after a while. An
example of a temporary barrier is where a family breadwinner loses his job but after
two months finds another job.

The next section focuses on how to minimise the impact of barriers to language by
including learners with barriers.

3. INCLUDING GRADE R LEARNERS WITH BARRIERS TO

LEARNING LANGUAGE
Let us take another walk down memory lane. What can you remember about barriers
to learning language when you were at school?

60 minutes
35
Reflection: Barriers to learning language

1. Reflect on the following questions:

1.1 What barriers to learning language did you notice when you were a child?
1.2 Who experienced these barriers to learning?
1.3 How did the teachers respond to learners with barriers to learning
language?
1.4 What did the school do to support learners with barriers?
1.5 How are the schools tackling barriers to learning language today? Has it
changed from when you were a child?

2. Write your reflection answers in your notebook.

3.1 Strategies for teachers: including learners with barriers to

learning language

Here are some ideas on how Grade R teachers can include learners with barriers to
learning:

• Have a positive attitude

Instead of seeing learners with barriers, rather see learners who bring a rich
diversity to the Grade R classroom. A barrier is a rather negative word, i.e. it
means something that stops or blocks progress. Diversity is a more positive word,
i.e. it means recognising that each learner is unique. Bringing diversity into the
classroom is to enrich learning and teaching in Grade R.
• Reflect. Take time to look at your classroom and the learners, and to think about:

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o Where are the learning barriers in my classroom?

o How can I minimise (make smaller) or take away these learning barriers?
• Involve the parents and caregivers.
• Provide a wide variety (different kinds) of learning activities so that everyone can
participate in the classroom with enjoyment.
• Provide a range (from easy to challenging) of learning activities so that every
learner experiences success in the Grade R classroom.
• Observe and track the progress of the learners in order to identify barriers to
learning.

Module 2, English Home and First Additional Language and Literacy Learning (R-EHF
312) explores in more detail strategies for including learners with barriers to learning
language.

60 minutes
36
Case study: Language barriers in Grade R

Read the case study in the box below and then answer the questions.

Case study
You and Mr Smith are the Grade R teachers at Marionhill Primary School. You are
an experienced Grade R teacher. Mr Smith has just qualified as a teacher and it is
his first week in a school. At break Mr Smith comes and sits next to you. He says he
would like your advice on what to do with a boy in his class called Keegan. Mr Smith
tells you that Keegan is a problem because:
• He cannot speak Afrikaans which is the LoLT in the school.
• Keegan sits at the back of the class and distracts the other learners around
him because he is always asking what he must do even though Mr Smith
writes the tasks on the board for everyone to see.
• When Mr Smith holds up a flashcard and asks Keegan to read the word on
the flashcard, Keegan starts to cry.
• When it is story time Keegan shouts out that he cannot see the pictures in
the book, and this spoils storytime for everyone in the class.
• When Keegan draws his nose is almost touching the paper. Keegan just
scribbles all over his notebook when he is asked to copy a word.

Mr Smith says he is finding Keegan’s behaviour very distracting. He knows that

Keegan has a barrier to learning language, but he does not know what the barrier is
or what to do to support Keegan. Mr Smith asks you if you could give him some
answers.

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Questions:
Write answers for Mr Smith in your notebook:
What are the barriers blocking Keegan’s learning?
How can Mr Smith support Keegan?

Commentary:
• You can find ideas on how to support learners with barriers to learning
language in the section above.
• In Keegan’s case, you would first advise Mr Smith to talk to the HoD about
speaking to Keegan’s parents and getting Keegan professionally assessed.

You have completed Unit 2. This means you have learned about setting up a
language-rich Grade R classroom, planning Grade R emergent literacy activities, and
supporting learners with barriers to learning language. Complete Activity 37 to make
sure your understanding of Unit 2 is complete. If not, go back to the relevant section
to study it again.

240 minutes
37
Self-assessment: Unit 2

1. Read the tasks in the table below. When reading each task, ask yourself: “Can
I do this?” Make short notes to guide your understanding and knowledge of each
question.
2. Afterwords you can reflect in one of three ways:
• If you are confident that you could complete the task put a tick in the YES
box
• If you could only complete some of the task but not all, put a tick in the
UNSURE box.
• If the task seems completely unfamiliar to you, put a tick in the NO box.

Tick () the boxes in the table when you have decided which ones match your level
of learning.

3. When you have ticked all the boxes, go back to the tasks with the boxes ticked
UNSURE or NO. Reread the relevant sections in the module and look at the
notes you made in your notebook. Do this until you feel confident that you can
tick YES to all the tasks.
4. Move forward to Unit 3 when you have ticked all the YES boxes.

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Now that I have worked through this unit, I can: YES UNSURE NO
1. Clarify (explain) the term language-rich environment.
2. Describe 8 ways to create a language-rich Grade R
classroom.
3. Explain how a language-rich classroom helps Grade
R learners to learn emergent literacy skills.
4. Explain the meaning of a teaching toolbox. Reflect on
the resources you have in your teaching toolbox. List
the resources in your teaching toolbox.
5. Define general skills. Define perceptual skills. Explain
why general and perceptual skills are important parts
of learning language and literacy skills in Grade R.
6. Provide four examples of how a Grade R teacher can
support learners with weak general and perceptual
skills.
7. Plan Emergent Literacy activities for Term 1 as follows:
• Plan a 10-minute Term 1 Emergent Literacy activity
that will help Grade R learners to learn the following
skill: Listens attentively to simple questions and
responds appropriately.
• Plan a 10-minute Term 1 Emergent Literacy activity
that will help Grade R learners to learn the following
skill: Distinguishes aurally between different letter
sounds.
• Plan a 10-minute Term 1 Emergent Literacy activity
that will help Grade R learners to learn the following
skill: Draws pictures to convey messages during
creative art activities such as a personal experience.
• Plan a 10-minute Term 1 Emergent Literacy activity
that will help Grade R learners to learn the following
skill: Identifies similarities and differences
8. Identify four barriers to learning language.
9. Adapt a language activity to support a Grade R FAL
learner with a barrier to learning English.
Write a one-page reflection on:
• Your own early language and literacy experiences
• Your own personal and professional strengths and
challenges

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• What you can do differently in the Grade R

classroom because of what you have learned in
Unit 2

In Unit 3 you will learn about teaching English as a First Additional Language (FAL) in
Grade R.

UNIT 3: TEACHING ENGLISH AS A FIRST

ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE IN GRADE R

1. INTRODUCTION

Everyone has the right to receive education in the official language or languages of
their choice in public educational institutions where that education is reasonably
practicable (The South African Constitution, p. 13, 1996).

Every learner in Grade R has the right to be taught in their home language (mother
tongue/first language). For example: a Grade R learner from an Afrikaans home has
the right to attend a school where the LoLT (Language of Learning and Teaching) is
Afrikaans.

This right is based on sound educational research that found that young learners learn
best when taught in their home language (Cummins, 2000; Espinosa, 2010; Ball,
2010).

There are, however, many Grade R settings where South African learners are not
being taught in their mother tongue because it is not reasonably practicable. Here are
three typical case studies:

o Carlo and his family have moved to South Africa from the Congo. Carlo’s home
language is French; Carlo does not speak or understand English. Carlo joined
Ms Smit’s Grade R class two weeks ago. The LoLT in Ms Smit’s class is
English. Ms Smit is becoming concerned as Carlo has not yet spoken a word.

o Ayanda grew up with her Xhosa grandmother in the Eastern Cape. When her
grandmother died, Ayanda went to live in Cape Town with her uncle and his
family. She attends Grade R at the local school and walks there each morning
with her cousins who go to the same school. The LoLT at the school is English.
Ayanda cannot speak English but she is starting to understand a few English
words because her cousins speak English.

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o Lerato’s parents are Zulu. They have a deep respect for and pride in their
heritage and culture. They have, however, decided to send Lerato to a school
where the LoLT is English. They feel that being fluent in English will be in
Lerato’s best interests when she grows up. The family speak Zulu and English
at home. Lerato’s Grade R teacher can see that while Lerato is not completely
fluent in English, she understands instructions and can speak in short
sentences.
EFAL: English as a First
In Unit 3 you will learn how to support and teach EFAL Additional Language i.e. a
term used to refer to the
learners like Carlo, Lerato and Ayanda. There are two English being taught to
learners whose home
sections in Unit 3: language is not English.

• Section 1: Second language development in learners; and

• Section 2: Teaching English to FAL Grade R learners.

Let us begin by understanding how learners learn a second language.

2. SECOND LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT IN CHILDREN

The following section covers two important things that teachers need to know about
learners’ learning another language. The first is what is happening cognitively (inside
a child’s brain) when they are learning a second language. The second is what
motivates a learner to learn another language.

2.1 Stages of second language acquisition

There are five distinct stages of second language acquisition (originally espoused
by Krashen and adapted by Resilient Educator, 2018).

Each stage is described below in relation to a Grade R EFAL learner:

2.1.1 Silent/receptive stage

This stage may last from several hours to several months, depending on the individual
learner. During this time, the EFAL learner is listening and learning new words. The
learner may engage in self-talk (talking aloud to themselves) but they do not usually
speak to others or have any real understanding of the new language.

2.1.2 Early production stage

This stage may last about six months. The learner has acquired up to 1 000 words
and now starts to speak these words, using one word or short phases e.g. “Juice”’,
“Want biscuit”, and “Ball mine”. The learner’s speech is not grammatically correct.

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2.1.3 Speech emergence stage

By this stage, the EFAL learner has a vocabulary of up to 3 000 words. The learner
starts to communicate with others, putting the words into short phrases, sentences,
and questions. Their speech may still not be grammatically correct. This is an
important stage during which learners gain greater comprehension (understanding)
and begin emergent reading and emergent writing in the second language.

2.1.4 Intermediate fluency stage

This stage may last for a year or more after the speech emergence stage. During this
stage, the EFAL learner increases their vocabulary to about 6,000 words and
communicates, using more complex sentences. The learner may also start to think in
their second language.

2.1.5 Continued language development/advanced fluency

It takes most EFAL learners at least two years to reach this stage. For EFAL learners
to maintain this level of fluency, they need ongoing opportunities to engage in
discussions and express themselves in their new language.

Go back to the Unit 3 introduction and reread the case studies of Ayanda, Lerato and
Carlo. At what stages do you think each of Carlo, Ayanda and Lerato are in the five
stages of second language acquisition described above? Rewrite and complete the
following:

• Carlo is at the _______ stage.

• Ayanda is at the _______ stage.
• Lerato is at the _______ stage.

2.2 Factors that play a critical role in motivating EFAL learning

The secret to effective EFAL learning is motivation, i.e. interested, enthusiastic

learners and a teacher for whom EFAL learning is meaningful. The following
motivating factors play an important role in how effectively a learner learns a second
language:

The Grade R teacher’s attitude

The teacher is key to the learning of EFAL. Here are some tips from teachers on how
to motivate Grade R learners:

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• Make the Grade R classroom a safe and happy space where mistakes are
seen as a necessary part of learning. Feeling safe and happy makes learners
feel more confident and willing to speak a new language.
• Show interest in a child’s home language Ask a learner to teach you a word
or phrase in their home language. Give an instruction in the child’s language.
Say hello and goodbye in th child’s home language. Learn a child’s favourite
HL song. Talk to the parents about their home language. All of these actions
tell the EFAL learners and their parents that you value them. This affirmation
builds self-confidence which motivates learning.
• Being enthusiastic and having fun with the English language (e.g. telling
Knock-Knock jokes, posing riddles, learning nonsense rhymes, tongue
twisters, and playing word games like I spy with my little eye), tells a child that
learning English is fun. Below are four examples:

Knock-Knock Joke 1 Nonsense Song or Rhyme

Teacher says: Knock Knock Munching Mangoes Munching Mangoes
Learners say: Who’s there? Mish Mash Mush. Mish Mash Mush.
Teacher says: Cows go Jump into the river. Jump into the river.
Learners say: Cows go who? Splish Splash Splosh. Splish Splash Splosh
Teacher says: No, silly. (sing it to the Frere Jacques tune)
Cows go moo

Knock-Knock Joke 2 Tongue Twister

Teacher says: Knock Knock She sells seashells on the seashore
Learners say: Who’s there?
Teacher says: Theodore (ask the learners to see how quickly they can
Learners say: Theodore say the sentence)
who?
Teacher says: Theodore
was open so I didn’t knock. I
just walked into your house.

The EFAL learning materials

Krashen (1982) noted that learners were unlikely to learn a second language
effectively if the EFAL materials were difficult to understand, not at the appropriate
level (too easy or too difficult), and uninteresting to learners. A Grade R teacher needs
to provide a range of interesting English language activities that actively engage
the learners.

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The EFAL context

Some contexts may motivate learning English as a second language; others may
discourage EFAL learning. Here are some examples of Grade R contexts that motivate
EFAL learning: parents who are enthusiastic about their child’s learning English, and
the learner spending time playing with English-speaking learners. Here are some
examples of contexts that could discourage EFAL learning: A Grade R learner coming
to school hungry, stress caused by political unrest and violence in the community, and
an EFAL teacher who is not a confident English speaker.

It is important to keep in mind that EFAL Grade R learners are experiencing a barrier
to learning because they are learning new concepts in a language that is not their
home language. Happily, this is not a fixed barrier, as most learners learn a new
language quickly.

3. TEACHING ENGLISH TO FAL GRADE R LEARNERS

In this Section, we will first outline the different approaches a Grade R teacher can use
to teach EFAL (English as a first additonal language).

1. The audio-lingual method involves a ‘drill routine’ of listening and speaking in

language learning. The child’s first language is not used at all. Instead, instructions
are given in English, and the learner repeats it. For example. The teacher says: I
ate the sandwich. And learners repeat: I ate the sandwich.
2. The communicative language teaching (CLT) approach means that the
language is used in the context of a real conversation between the teacher and
learners, so that they learn the language in the context.
3. The task-based language approach is an approach in which learning revolves
around the completion of meaningful tasks.
4. The total physical response approach is based on the way children learn their
mother tongue. The teacher has 'language-body conversations' with the learners,
for example saying ‘look at me’ or ‘sit on the chair’ and the learner does so.
5. The bilingual approach means that the first language of the learner, as well as
the new language (in this case English) are used. The teacher may for example
explain the meaning of the word in the learners’ first language.
6. An eclectic approach to language teaching means that the teacher may choose
to use more than one method, based on the needs of the learners.
7. Code-switching means that the teacher may change from one language to the
other constantly during the conversation.

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The video in this next activity will help you to understand these techniques in practice,
and give you practical ideas on how to teach EFAL learners. You will also have the
opportunity to apply this to practical examples, in Activity 40 on page 124.

90 minutes
38
Supporting English language development in EFAL learners

1. Watch the 10 minute video, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKeVY5k3cDU

2. Write notes on how the teachers (in the video) support the learners who cannot
speak English.
3. Write in your notebook how you could adapt the activities in the video for the
Grade R EFAL learners.

Commentary:
• It is a good idea to watch the video the first time without stopping or
interruption. This gives you an overview of the whole video.
• Watch the video again with a pen and paper next to you. This time, stop the
video whenever you see the teachers in the video supporting the learners who
cannot speak English. Make brief notes on what the teacher is doing.
• Apply what you have seen in the video. Write in your notebook how you could
do or adapt some of the ideas you have seen for Grade R EFAL learners in
South Africa.
• The notes you make are now part of your teaching toolbox.

Let’s first go back to your core reading to build your understanding of the theory. Ideas
and activities on how to teach English to EFAL Grade R leaners follow.

480 minutes
39
Reading: Developing listening and speaking skills

1. Read Chapters 3 and 4 (listening and speaking skills) and Chapter 10 (teaching
EFAL) to give you some background on how to go about developing listening
and speaking skills, and teaching FAL learners in Grade R in your core reader:

Joubert, I. (Ed.), Bester, M., Meyer, E., Evans, R. & Phatudi, N. (2019). Literacy
in the Foundation Phase. 3rd ed. Pretoria: Van Schaik Publishers.

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Before you start reading, read the commentary below. It will help you get the
best out of this reading activity on the different methods of teaching language
to FAL learners.

2. Make notes on how to teach English to Grade R FAL learners, using the
following methods (refer back to the sections in this module where this was
discussed and also see what you can add from the core reading as you go
along):

2.1 Audio-lingual method.

2.2 Communicative language teaching (CLT) approach.
2.3 Task-based language approach.
2.4 Total physical response approach.
2.5 Bilingual approach.
2.6 Eclectic approach to language teaching.
2.7 Code-switching.

Commentary:
• As Module 1 pertains only to Grade R and because there is no formal teaching in
Grade R, ignore (take no notice of) any formal Grades 1–3 teaching activities when
reading the pages above.
• It is a good idea to underline the important points while you are reading. This will
help you when you make notes on the different approaches to teaching EFAL.
• Write half a page on each method. Write the name of the method, explain the
method, and provide an example of how the method works in the Grade R context.
• When you have made your notes on the different approaches to teaching EFAL,
you will have added more tools to your Grade R teaching toolbox.

Here are some practical ideas and activities on how a Grade R teacher can support
EFAL learners by using the different EFAL approaches.

• Make sure your classroom is safe, warm and welcoming for all learners.

• The key to learning a new language is consistency and practice. An EFAL

learner who uses English on a regular basis will grow in fluency and confidence.
This means that Grade R teachers need to provide EFAL activities every day
so that learners can regularly practise their English skills. The activities can
range from quick and simple (instructions in English, code-switching, learning
an English rhyme, singing an English song), to a 20-minute learning activity
(listening to a simple story in English and then dramatising the story, using
code-switching).

• Take an interest in getting to know the learners’ home languages, e.g. learn
common words and phrases in the learners’ home languages and use them
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every day e.g. thank you – dankie – enkosi or sit down everyone – almal sit –
hlala phantsi. Display welcome signs on the door or wall in all the learners’
home languages. Greet each learner every morning in their home language.

Hello
Molweni Dumelang
Goeie
More Sanibona

• Involve parents and caregivers of EFAL learners in the Grade R classroom

activities. Invite them to:

o Teach a song in their home language

o Tell a well-known story to the Grade R learners in their home language
e.g. The Three Little Pigs. The teacher then retells the story in English.
o Share their traditions with the learners, e.g. Diwali – the Hindu festival of
lights.
o Here is an idea (adapted from the Teacher Education in Sub-Saharan
Africa [TESSA] website) on how to involve parents and caregivers in
their children’s literacy development:

Games and songs from parents and caregivers

• Week 1: Ask your learners to ask a parent, grandparent or caregiver to teach

them a song or rhyme or chanting game they used to enjoy when they were
children. Next day, list the songs, rhymes and chanting games that learners
have brought from home. Group together learners who learned or know the
same rhyme or chanting game or song. The teacher says: “Each group is going
to teach their rhyme/game/song to the class this week!”

• Week 2: Each day of the week the Grade R teacher takes one group each day
(until each group has had a turn) and writes out their words, song, rhyme or
chant on a large poster-size piece of paper. The learners in the small group
illustrate (draw or paint) the poster. The teacher displays the poster on the wall
where everyone can see it.

• Week 3: Each day one small group teaches their song, rhyme or game to the
whole class:
o The group explains their song/rhyme/game to the whole class.

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o The group and teacher read the words on the poster together out
loud to the class. The teacher uses her finger to show which word
is being read.
o The group, teacher and whole class read and do the actions of the
words.
o The teacher and class discuss the words on the poster. The
teacher asks questions about the letters and sounds they have
read e.g. Can you see a p? What sound does this letter make? The
teacher also points out the grammatical features e.g. Where is the
full stop? and What does it mean when you see a full stop? (It tells
the reader that it is the end of the sentence.), and, Who can see a
capital letter? and What does a capital letter mean? Discuss what
can be learned from it. Make notes as you did before.

• In future: Stick the posters on the wall. Read them out loud regularly. Show
the parents and use the songs, rhymes and chanting games that learners
have brought from home in the end-of-year concert.

• Code-switch i.e. use two or more languages when speaking to learners, e.g.
The Grade R teacher introduces the topic for the week by saying “Today we
are learning about fruit”, “Vandag leer ons van vrugte”, “Namhlanje sifunda
ngeziqhamo.” During discussions, invite the FAL learner to translate a word or
sentence that was said or read in English into their home language.

Google Translate is a useful tool for teachers who want to find out what a word
or sentence is in Xhosa, French or isiZulu. Go
online https://translate.google.com/. Type in the word or phrase you know.
Choose the language you would like the word to be translated into, and up pops
the word.

Figure 13: Google Translate

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• Make labels in different languages. Here is an example: If you have English,

isiXhosa and Afrikaans speaking learners in the class then the labels will be in
all three languages.

Each language would be in a different colour so that learners know that all the blue
words in the classroom are (a) isiXhosa, the green ones are (b) Afrikaans, and the
yellow ones are (c) English. Because the learners are learning English, you would
make the yellow English labels much bigger than the other languages.

a) deur

b) umnyango

c) door

Figure 14: Labels in different languages

Image created by author (2020)

• Use visual cues and body actions to explain words and sentences, e.g. when
it’s time to say goodbye, the teacher waves her hands as she says the word
Goodbye. When the teacher says the word big, she makes her body look big
by stretching out her arms and legs while she is saying the word big.

Activity 39 helps you to match the different EFAL teaching approaches to activities
that a Grade R teacher can do when teaching English to learners whose mother
tongue is not English.

60 minutes
40
Matching EFAL approaches to Grade R activities

Match each EFAL approach (left-hand column) with one of the Grade R EFAL
activities (right-hand shaded column) in the box below. The first one has been done
to show you how.

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EFAL Approach EFAL Activity

Audio-lingual method When the learners are learning the English word
big, the teacher and the learners say the word big
and make their bodies big (standing up with
arms out). When the learners learn the word small
the teacher and the learners say the word small
and make their bodies small.

Communicative The teacher reads a story of The Three Little Pigs

language teaching in English, with the learners repeating the
(CLT) approach English words of the wolf (I’ll huff and I’ll puff and
I’ll blow your house down) and the pigs (Not by the
hair of my chinny chin chin, I will not let you in) in
the story.

Task-based language The teacher uses all of the EFAL approaches,

approach actively engaging the learners in learning
language in natural and communicative ways.
Total physical The teacher plays the I spy with my little eye
response approach game. The teacher says, I spy with my little eye,
something that starts with the h sound. Who can
show me the letter? Who can find something that
starts with h? The learners point to the h card,
repeat the h sound, and then find an object that
matches the h sound and letter, e.g. choosing the
hat from a pile of objects on the mat.

Bilingual approach The teacher labels the classroom in English and

the home languages of the learners, e.g. the
door is labelled door and deur and umnanygo.

Eclectic Approach The teacher gives the Xhosa-speaking learners a

task by giving instructions in English, e.g. when
it is tidy-up time, the teacher says, Tidy up.

See the answers in Addendum B.

Commentary:
Read what you have learnt earlier in this guide to remind you of each EFAL
approach. This will help you to match the EFAL teaching and learning approaches
to the activities.

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You have completed Unit 3. Let us take time to review what you have learned in Unit
3. In Activity 41 you will work through a list of questions to make sure you have a
complete understanding of Unit 3.

240 minutes
41
Self-assessment: Unit 3

1. Read the tasks in the table below. When reading each task, say to yourself: “Can
I do this?” Make short notes to guide your understanding and knowledge.
2. You can reflect your answer in one of three ways:
• If you are confident that you can complete the task, put a tick in the YES box
• If you can complete some of the task but not all of it, put a tick in the UNSURE
box.
• If the task seems completely unfamiliar to you, put a tick in the NO box.

Tick () the boxes in the table when you have decided which ones match your level
of learning.

3. When you have ticked all the boxes, go back to the tasks with the boxes ticked
UNSURE or NO. Reread the relevant sections in the module and look at the
notes you made in your notebook. Do this until you feel confident that you can
tick YES at all the tasks.

4. You have completed Unit 3 when you have ticked all the YES boxes.

Now that I have worked through this unit, I can: YES UNSURE NO
1. Describe the five distinct stages of second-language
acquisition.
2. Identify the factors that play a critical role in motivating EFAL
learning in learners. Give an example of each factor in the
Grade R setting.

3. Explain the term LoLT used in the CAPS curriculum.

4. Explain each of the following EFAL approaches:

• Audio-lingual method
• Communicative language teaching (CLT) approach
• Task-based language approach
• Total physical response approach
• Bilingual approach

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• Eclectic approach to language teaching

5. Give one example of how to teach Grade R EFAL learners,

using the audio-lingual method.
6. Give one example of how to teach Grade R EFAL learners,
using the communicative language teaching (CLT)
approach.
7. Give one example of how to teach Grade R EFAL learners,
using the task-based language approach.
8. Give one example of how to teach Grade R EFAL learners,
using the total physical response approach
9. Give one example of how to teach Grade R EFAL learners,
using the bilingual approach.
10. Give one example of how to teach Grade R EFAL learners,
using the eclectic approach to language teaching.
11. Explain code-switching as an EFAL strategy in the Grade
R classroom.

Your Module 1 journey is nearly over. Activity 42 is a final reflection on your learning
experience.

90 minutes
42
Reflection: My module 1 learning journey

1. Reflect on your Module 1 experience

Page through your notebook. Think of all the new things you learned. Look at
the writing you did, the materials you created, and the sharing with your fellow
students.
2. Write a reflection
Write a one-page reflection on your Module 1 learning journey:
• What did you enjoy about Module 1?
• What did you learn that really stood out for you?
• What were the challenges in Module 1?
• How did you manage these challenges?
• What you will do differently because of what you have learned in Module 1?

Well done! You have completed the English Home and First Additional Language and
Literacy Learning in Grade R 1 module. We hope this module inspired you to be the
best Grade R teacher you can be. You are now ready to proceed to English Home and
First Additional Language and Literacy Learning in Grade R (R-EHF 312) which is
offered in your third year of study.

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ADDENDUM A: GRADE R LESSON PLANNING FORM

SANTS Private Higher Education Institution

GRADE R LESSON PLANNING FORM
NAME: STUDENT NO.

1. SUBJECT e.g. English HL 2. KNOWLEDGE/CONTENT AREA e.g.

Phonics

1.2 DATE
y y y y m m d d 3. THEME e.g. Healthy living, My body etc.
2 0 - -

4. TYPE of LESSON / LESSON FOCUS

e.g. Outdoor lesson, group work, class work etc.

PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS LESSON PLANNING TEMPLATE IS AVAILABLE IN ELECTRONIC

FORMAT ON MySANTS
5. NCS AIMS/General aims (tick boxes)
Learners are able to:
 Identify and solve problems and make decisions using critical and creative thinking.
 Work effectively with others as members of a team, group, organisation and community.
 Organise and manage themselves and their activities responsibly and effectively.
 Collect, analyse, organise and critically evaluate information.
 Communicate effectively using visual, symbolic and/or language skills in various modes.
 Use science and technology effectively and critically showing responsibility towards the
environment and the health of others.
 Demonstrate an understanding of the world as a set of related systems by recognising that
problem-solving contexts do not exist in isolation.

6. SUMMARY OF THE CONTENT TO COVER IN THIS LESSON

(Briefly summarise the content that you will be presenting in this lesson.)

7. LESSON OBJECTIVE(S):
7.1 PRE-KNOWLEDGE
(Write down learners’ existing knowledge, skills and values.)
At the start of this lesson the learners should already know… and can do…

7.2 CONCEPTS and NEW KNOWLEDGE

(Write down the new knowledge, skills and values that you are going to teach taking INTEGRATION into consideration.)

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Language: English (HL/FAL) Mathematics Life Skills

7.3 LESSON OBJECTIVES

(In your own words, write the lesson objectives based on the general and specific aims from CAPS.)
By the end of the lesson the learners should be able to…

7.4 FUTURE LEARNING

(Briefly describe what the learners will learn in the lesson that follows this one)

7.5 DIFFERENTIATION
(Briefly describe how you will present this lesson taking the following aspects into consideration)

Learner support Enrichment activities Concerns

(Indicate what measures are in place for (Indicate what measures are in place for (e.g. Loadshedding – won’t be
learners who struggle to grasp the learners who grasped concepts quickly. able to listen to audio book. Will
concepts. How will you support them and How will you challenge them and keep have to read story instead,
keep them from getting negative and them from getting bored?) using instruments for sound
frustrated?) effects.)

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8. LESSON PHASES:

8.1 INTRODUCTION OF THE LESSON 8.1.1 Time allocated:

(Give a detailed description of how you plan to begin your lesson by explaining: you will
greet the learners, set the atmosphere for the lesson, awaken the learners’ prior knowledge,
and create a link between what they already know to the new knowledge that you will be
presenting. Also explain how the THEME you selected in 3 above will help you do this.): 8.1.2 LTSM:
(Describe the resources and
media you will be using in
the introduction phase of the
lesson)

8.2 DEVELOPMENT – PRESENTING THE NEW KNOWLEDGE 8.2.1 Time allocated:

(Give a detailed description of WHAT content you will be presenting (selected in 7.2), HOW
you will present it, and WHAT ACTIVITIES THE LEARNERS WILL BE DOING.):
8
8.2.2 LTSM:
(Describe the resources and
media you will be using in
the development phase of
the lesson)

8.3 CONSOLIDATION 8.3.1 Time allocated:

(Give a detailed description of how you plan to end the lesson by explaining how you will
consolidate the new knowledge, incorporate assessment of the objectives and wrap up. If
applicable, mention here any HOMEWORK/FUNWORK that you will give the learners.):
8.3.2 LTSM:
(Describe the resources and
media you will be using in
the consolidation phase of
the lesson)

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9. ASSESSMENT
At the end of the lesson, I will assess whether the learners have achieved the objectives in the following ways (tick the
appropriate blocks):

9.1 FORMS OF ASSESSMENT:

 Written work (drawings, painting etc.)

 Demonstrations (performing actions, experiments etc.)
 Performances (answers questions, making a speech, presenting a poem, reading aloud, role play, dialogue
 Models (artwork, constructions, collages etc.)

Assessment strategy Assessor Assessment instrument

 Observation  Teacher  Checklist
 Listening  Self  Assessment scale
 Reading  Peer  Analytical rubric
 Interpreting  Holistic rubric
 Reviewing 
 Questioning
 Writing

10. REFLECTION
Briefly reflect on your lesson by discussing its strengths (what went well), its weaknesses (what did not work), what did you
find challenging, if the lesson objectives were met and what would you improve if you had to teach this lesson again. Use
the following questions to guide your reflection:

• Describe aspects of your lesson that worked really well.

• Which areas of your lesson did not go according to plan? Explain why you think this may have happened.
• Look again at your lesson objectives. Did you meet them? Why/why not?
• What did you learn about the learners in your class today?
• What was your most challenging moment in this lesson and why? How will you respond next time?
• To what extent were the learners productively engaged in the learning process? Discuss.
• If you had the opportunity to teach this lesson again to this same group of learners, what would you do differently?
Why?
• What evidence/ feedback do you have that the learners achieved an understanding of the lesson objective(s)?

11. REFERENCE LIST

(List all the text books, workbooks, documents such as the CAPS document, websites etc. that you used to prepare this lesson.)

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ADDENDUM B: ANSWERS TO ACTIVITY QUESTIONS

Activity 11: Matching Theory to Practice
Correct answers: Skinner (2), Montessori (3), Chomsky (8), Long (5),
Piaget (6), Cummins (7), Krashen (4)

Activity 18: Matching Activities and Skills

Correct answers:
Activity Term 1: English language
concepts and skills the learners
will be learning
(pp. 31 – 36)
Introduction:
1. Introduce the Grade R topic, Wild Animals. The learners Listening and Speaking
sing and act out the song, Five Little Elephants. • Sings simple songs and does
actions
Body: • Listens attentively to
2. Discussion: ask the learners, ? and How is a …questions and ….responds
domesticated animal like a sheep or a dog different from appropriately.
a wild animal? Show the learners a picture book with wild • Talks about pictures …
animal pictures ‒ lion, elephant, tortoise, etc. Encourage • Identifies and describes
the learners to talk about the animals. similarities and differences.
• Gives explanations.
3. Write two flashcards. One flash card says, Wild • Uses language to develop
animals, the other says Domesticated animals. Show the concepts
learners the cards. Read the cards aloud with the
learners. Discuss the letters on the cards.
Emergent reading
Begins to make meaning of
4. Put the two flashcards on the mat. The learners sort
written text.
plastic animals: each learner chooses one animal and puts
• Understand that print
it next to one of the cards. As each learner puts their animal
communicate meaning …
next to the card, they read the card by saying it aloud.
• Understands that written words
5. Phonics games (using flashcard letters): refer to spoken words
• Hold up the flashcards and ask: Who can find me •
the letter s? Repeat the question, using letter sounds • Distinguishes aurally between
d, m, t, and o. different sounds …
• Pose a riddle: I am thinking of a wild animal. It is • Begins to recognise that words
long, it has no legs and its name starts with an s are made up sounds …
sound. What is it? (snake). Ask the learners to move
their bodies like a real snake while they are saying Listening and Speaking
the s sound. Repeat with e (elephant), l (lion), m • Plays games …
(monkey), and t (tiger). When the learners guess the
name of the animal, the teacher writes the word on
a blank flashcard

snake lion
Closure:
6. Divide the learners into small groups. Each group
chooses one of the flashcards with the name of a wild

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animal. The learners draw a picture of their wild

animal. The teacher encourages the learners to copy Emergent Writing:
the flashcard word. The teacher staples all the • Develops fine motor skills ..
drawings together to make a book. The teacher writes • Develops fine motor control
“Wild Animals” on the cover and puts the book in the …
book corner for the learners to read. • Uses …. writing tools …
• Draws …. to convey a
message …
• Understands that writing
and drawing are different ..

Activity 31: Reading: Assessment in Grade R

Correct answers:
The Department of Basic Education (DBE) supports assessment in Grade R.

Learners are formally tested in Grade R. X

Grade R assessment takes place through observation in an ongoing and
planned way.
Grade R teachers use rubrics and checklists to assess learners.

Grade R teachers must keep a portfolio with all the learners’ work. X
Assessment in Grade R is 100% formative.

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Activity 32: Matching Assessment Skills to Learning Activities

Correct answers:
Term 1 HL skills to be English HL activities
assessed
1. Listens attentively to simple A. Play ‘I spy with my little eye something
questions and announcements that starts with a … (letter sound)’
and responds appropriately.

2. Distinguishes aurally B. The learners draw their news, e.g. what

between different letter sounds, they did over the weekend.
especially at the beginning of
own name.

3. Draws or paints pictures to C. In pairs: the learners tell their partners

convey messages such as a their news, e.g. what they did over the
personal experience during weekend. The partner then retells the
creative art activities. other child’s news to the whole group.

4. Identifies similarities and D. Play ‘Simple Simon says …’ game,

differences. e.g. the teacher says to the learners, “Put
your hand on top of your head” and the
learners listen to the instruction and
respond appropriately by putting their
hands on their heads.

5. Tells stories and retells E. In small-group time the teacher puts a

stories of others in own words. heap of everyday objects in the middle of
the mat and invites the learners to match
the everyday objects e.g. shoe + sock,
toothbrush + toothpaste, cup + saucer. The
learners and teacher discuss what was the
same, what was different and why.

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Activity 40: Matching EFAL Approaches to Grade R activities

Correct answers:
EFAL Approach EFAL Activity
Audio-lingual method When the learners are learning the English word big, the
teacher and the learners say the word big and make their
bodies big (standing up with arms out). When the learners
learn the word small the teacher and the learners say the
word small and make their bodies small.

Communicative language The teacher reads a story of The Three Little Pigs in English,
teaching (CLT) approach with the learners repeating the English words of the wolf
(I’ll huff and I’ll puff and I’ll blow your house down) and the
pigs (Not by the hair of my chinny chin chin, I will not let you
in) in the story.

Task-based language The teacher uses all of the EFAL approaches, actively
approach engaging the learners in learning language in natural and
communicative ways.
Total physical response The teacher plays the I spy with my little eye game. The
approach teacher says, I spy with my little eye, something that starts
with the h sound. Who can show me the letter? Who can find
something that starts with h? The learners point to the h
card, repeat the h sound, and then find an object that
matches the h sound and letter, e.g. choosing the hat from a
pile of objects on the mat.

Bilingual approach The teacher labels the classroom in English and the home
languages of the learners, e.g. the door is labelled door
and deur and umnanygo.

Eclectic Approach The teacher gives the Xhosa-speaking learners a task by

giving instructions in English, e.g. when it is tidy-up time,
the teacher says, Tidy up.

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