Grade 2 English Home language Teacher's Guide - NB · PDF fileBefore you start teaching Home Language ... stories yourself from the CD with the Teacher’s Guide. (c) BEST BOOKS

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Before you start teaching Home Language

1. The daily timetable for Home Language

Learners’ language skills develop not only in language components, but also continuously in other subjects. Therefore the language teaching plan has been integrated with all the other subjects and it is developed across the curriculum. Yet, the presentation of Home Language is not a random discovery of language. Your days should have a set structure in which the various language skills receive specified, purposeful practice.

The teaching plans of the New All-In-One series provide for the following lessons each week:• three lessons of 15 minutes each for Listening and Speaking

• three lessons of 15 minutes each for Shared Reading• five lessons of 15 minutes each for Phonics, Spelling and high-

frequency Sight Words• five lessons of 30 minutes each for Group-guided Reading• three lessons of 15 minutes each for Handwriting• four lessons of 15 minutes each for Writing

The teaching plan provides the lessons as they are presented through the day. The lessons have been designed in such a way that the activities for each day relate to one another logically. Of course, you are free to move the lessons around to fit into your timetable.

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday FridayNews period: Greeting, weather chart, register, news, introductory story

News period: Greeting, weather chart, register, news, introductory story




Listening and Speaking15 minutes

Listening and Speaking 15 minutes


Shared Reading from Big Book15 minutes



Phonics/sight vocabulary/spelling15 minutes





Handwriting 15 minutes



Group-guided Reading30 minutes





Writing15 minutes

Writing15 minutes

Writing15 minutes

Writing15 minutes

2. Study the timetable

2.1 The news period

Every day starts with a news period. Important: The news period is a separate 10 minutes and the time used for it is not part of the Home Language lessons. • Learners of this age are eager to tell others what is going on in their

lives. The news period allows learners to get the news off their chests. If there is no fixed time for this, they will interrupt you all day long with stories they want to tell.

• As learners of this age can easily talk about things that make them happy or sad, or things that upset them, the news period can be a valuable observation and information-gathering session for you. You might perhaps hear about a new baby in the family and understand why the learner is forever looking for attention in class. A learner might tell about somebody touching him/her where it makes him/her feel uncomfortable. A learner might even tell about the umpteenth time a parent has smacked him/her – or the mother, etc. React to these cues. Make further inquiries when you are alone with the learner without making an undue fuss about it. Follow up the “news” if it is possible. No child should suffer unnecessarily if a teacher can prevent it.

Let learners sit at your feet on the carpet during the news period. While you have them near you, you can quickly do the following:• Set up a weather chart with the help of the learners. This will give learners

perspective regarding their environment and nature around them.• Ask who has a birthday and make a fuss of the birthday child. Most

people regard a birthday as important and this usually goes for the majority of learners in the class. The classroom may be the only place where a child receives special attention on his/her birthday. Do it with your whole heart.

– Put a bright crown on the birthday child’s head. It can be made from magazine paper if silver or gold paper is not available.

– Let the learners sing the birthday song for the birthday boy/girl. – Clap hands for the birthday child – a clap for each year.

• Close the news period by letting all the learners go to the restroom and by checking if everybody has washed his/her hands before they return to class. Learners will not want to go to the restroom every ten seconds, but their books will be much cleaner if their hands are clean.

2.2 Listening and Speaking

If you study the proposed timetable, you will notice that the day’s Home Language activities begin with either a listening and speaking activity (arising from the oral story) or by reading a story from the Big Book (shared reading). On Mondays, the week is started by listening to the story and the Big Book.

The oral storyThe introductory story provided with each lesson was specially written to introduce the daily topic. Moreover, it contains a wide variety of the vocabulary and subject concepts planned for the week. Read it to learners. Emphasise the words in bold print and check that learners understand them. The stories were written with the distinct purpose of fitting into the learners’ field of interest and language skill. The sentences are short, the language clear and the vocabulary is spot on! For the first topic, you will find the stories in the lesson plan, but from topic 2, you must download the stories yourself from the CD with the Teacher’s Guide.

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2.3 Shared Reading

To make absolutely sure that the learners do indeed understand the concepts, it would be a good idea to start with the oral story on Mondays and directly afterwards read the Big Book story to the learners to emphasise the concepts visually too. For the rest of the week, it will be either listening and speaking, or shared reading, usually from the Big Book.

Reading from a Big Book or other enlarged text is done three times a week. If possible, select Big Books with text that relates to the topic. If you are using the New All-In-One Big Book series, the text will match the topic beautifully and you will find a good representation of various text types in the Big Books.

The teaching plans spell out very clearly to you which listening and speaking activities follow the reading from the stories/Big Book.

2.4 Phonics, sight vocabulary and spelling

Somewhere in the introductory listening and speaking lesson, the sound for the week is introduced. In the lesson plans, you will see exactly how this should be done. That is why the first lesson of the day is always followed by a lesson in which phonics, sight vocabulary and spelling are done. The proposed activities in the lesson plans also indicate clearly to you what needs to be done.

2.5 Handwriting

Introduction of the sound is followed by a Handwriting lesson, three times a week, in which the learner learns how to write the new letter and for example, a spelling and sight word or two.

2.6 Group-guided Reading

Now the learners already know something about the new sound and they know how to write the sound. They have also been introduced to the new spelling and sight words. The new sounds and words are now applied during group-guided reading. For the group-guided reading, two types of readers are used: • phonic reading lessons in the Learner’s Book, and • graded readers of your own choice.

2.6.1 The phonic reading lessons in the Learner’s Book

The Learner’s Book for Home Language contains two graded reading texts for each week. You will find a third reading text for Day 5’s reading lesson on the worksheets (on the CD included with this guide). The text for all three reading texts has been written with great care and relates to the beginning knowledge and listening and speaking lessons. The text has also been written especially so that it focuses on the sounds and high-frequency sight words you have introduced.

High-frequency sight wordsDid you know that with only 200 high-frequency sight words that you can read 60–75% of them in any text? These words are called high-frequency words, and examples are: is, it, I, am, we, this, now, will, yes, no, etc.Carefully selected high-frequency words are introduced as soon as the learners know the letters/phonics in the word. The aim is for the learners to recognise these words by sight at the end of each week and so that they don’t need to sound them any more when they read. The words have been chosen so that the learners will be able to write them correctly by the end of the week.When you use the New All-In-One series, you will know exactly when to introduce which words as this will be fully described in the teaching plans.

The three phonic reading texts are read with all the learners so that the phonics and sight words are incorporated and drilled in well.Each phonic reading text in the Learner’s Book and on the worksheet is followed up by some word-building, spelling and writing exercises that relate to the reading text. It is used as the basis for independent writing. When the learners have read and practised the lesson with you, you explain the writing assignments to them. Then the learners separate into their reading groups where they come and read the reading texts in the Learner’s Book and the graded reader to one another and to you.

The reading groups swap and you see the groups every second day. When the group is with you, you let them quickly read the phonic lesson in the Learner’s Book to you and then discuss the reading in the graded book of your choice with them. A hint: The three phonic reading pieces for the week deal with the same sounds and contain more or less the same spelling and sight words. With the first reading piece for the week in the Learner’s Book, the new sight words and new letters are introduced. Pay special attention to working longer in the big group. Check that every learner masters the new sound. With the second reading piece, the same sound, spelling and sight words are practised again, but in a new reading piece. The learners will generally master it easily and you may pay less attention and give the learners more space to try on their own. Now, you pay more attention to reading groups. When the third reading piece (Day 5) is done, you explain only the instructions and let the reading groups read the reading piece by themselves and execute the instructions by themselves. You pay exclusive attention to reading groups or move from group to group, see which learner is still not managing it and give individual help where needed.

2.6.2 Graded readers

The graded readers that you hand out to the various reading groups may be any reader from a series of your choice and should be chosen to suit the reading level of each group. The following will help you choose the reader/text:• The text should be read with ease but still have some comprehension

and decoding skill challenges.• The learner should recognise and quickly decode 90-95% of the words.

You will know that your choice was successful if the learners in the group• read quite fluently and with appropriate expression• are interested in the text• don’t need to finger-point while reading• are able to read the text silently without sounding the words out loud.

When the learners have read: 1) their phonic reading text, and 2) their reading text in the graded reader, to you or to their reading group, they return to their tables. While you are busy with the other reading group(s), they do the word-building and writing assignments that go with the reading lesson in the Learner’s Book. You have already explained the activities to them. The assignments are usually word-building exercises with the sounds introduced up to that stage and a simple sentence or two they have to write. In the first 15 minutes of the reading lesson, you have already explained the assignments to the learners and they will know what to do. They do the assignments in their class workbooks and the assignments are regarded as part of the reading session.

2.7 Writing

The New All-In-One series provides for four writing sessions of 15 minutes each which relate to the shared reading and group-guided reading and then builds on it. These writing sessions can • be writing assignments for the learners to complete individually• be writing assignments to be planned and done in small groups, and • sometimes be done in the big group when the learners, for example,

supply sentences to you for a reading or writing piece.

The teaching plans explain exactly what to do in each writing session and which aspects you should highlight. Later in the year, when the learners can attempt more complex tasks, this is changed to three writing sessions of 20 minutes each.

Study the table below to see how you can handle the text in the Learner’s Book, the graded readers in the reading groups and where the writing assignments fit in:

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Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday FridayListening and Speaking15 minutes



Shared reading from Big Book15 minutes













First 15 minutes Do the first prescribed reading lesson in the Learner’s Book with all the learners (approximately 15 minutes). Follow the steps as described in the Teacher’s Guide.

Groups 2 and 3 come to read Lesson 1 to you (15 minutes per group).

First 15 minutes Do the first prescribed reading lesson in the Learner’s Book with all the learners (approximately 15 minutes). Follow the steps as described in the Teacher’s Guide.

Groups 2 and 3 come to read Lesson 1 to teacher (15 minutes per group).

This is the third lesson with the same sounds/topic. You will find this lesson on the free worksheet. Today, you check how the learners can handle the new reading independently. Follow the following procedure:• Read the lesson once

with the learners. Explain the written assignments that follow the reading lesson.

• The class separates into pairs that read the reading lesson on the worksheet to one another by themselves.

• They discuss the assignments and see if they understand them.

• Then they go to their tables and complete the assignments by themselves.

• You walk from group/learner to group/learner and do revision/enrichment as necessary. Use this time to do observation/assessment.

When learners are not in the group reading to the teacher, the following procedure is followed:1. The learners read the

new reading piece in the Learner’s Book to one another again.

2. When they have finished this, they read in the reading group the graded supplementary reader selected for the group by the teacher.

3. Then they go to their tables and complete the written phonics and language assignments supplementing the reading lesson in the Learner’s Book, in their class workbooks.

When learners are not in the group reading to you, the following procedure is followed:• The learners read the

new reading piece in the Learner’s Book to one another again.

• When they have finished this, they read in the reading group the graded supplementary reader selected for the group by the teacher.

• Then they go to their tables and complete the written phonics and language assignments supplementing the reading lesson in the Learner’s Book, in their class workbooks.

Second 15 minutes• Group 1 comes and

reads Lesson 1 to the teacher.

• Groups 2 and 3 read the reading piece in the Learner’s Book to one another and if time permits, they begin with the phonics and reading assignments that supplement the reading lesson in the Learner’s Book.

Second 15 minutes• Group 1 comes and

reads Lesson 1 to the teacher.

• Groups 2 and 3 read the reading piece in the Learner’s Book to one another and if time permits, they begin with the phonics and reading assignments that supplement the reading lesson in the Learner’s Book.

Handwriting15 minutes



Writing15 minutes

Writing15 minutes

Writing15 minutes

Writing15 minutes

Now that you have studied the timetable, you can surely see that Listening and Speaking, Shared Reading, Phonics, Group-guided Reading and Writing form a tight unit with activities closely related to and supplementing one another. You now also understand how the day’s timetable is constructed and you are ready to start with the teaching plans for the first topic.

Good luck! An exciting year lies ahead for you and the learners.

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Topic 1: This is me

Week 1 to 2

Week 1 briefly

Listening and SpeakingGeneral• Our topic for the listening, speaking and reading activities is, “What I need to live” and the listening and speech lessons focus mainly on the learner’s

body and movements of the body.• Begin the year by giving only one instruction at a time during this 2-week topic and expecting each learner in class to listen to you immediately, to

remember what you have said and to respond to it immediately. Do not repeat the instruction. The learners must learn from the outset to listen to you when you speak.

• Insist also that the learners sit still and listen without interrupting you or other classmates.• For this topic, preferably ask simple straightforward questions, and let the learners answer as a group this week. By the second week, you may

expect them to start answering individually, because they should no longer feel so uncomfortable in class.• They learn a rhyme and recite it as a group. Volunteers may also recite the rhyme with the group’s inputs.Auditory memory/order/differences/similarities/constancy• You will expect the learners to remember three auditory words/sounds in a series and to repeat them in the correct order and also to lay out three

familiar letters in the order you have called them. The learners must also remember three pictures you have flashed in a series, lay them out and name them in the correct order.

• Much attention is also paid to the skill of discriminating a particular sound from a noisy background (figure-background discrimination).Subject concepts• Colours: Recognition of the primary colours (yellow, red, blue) and secondary colours (green, orange, purple), as well as black and white, is

practised.• Subject concepts: Small/smaller/smallest; big/bigger/biggest; long/longer/longest; tall/taller/tallest; short/shorter/shortest; first/second/last; more/less

are repeated and practised in a large variety of activities.• This week, the following concepts are emphasised and practised: In front of/first/at the front; behind/last/at the back; under/bottom/on the bottom/on/

on top; next to/beside/alongside; down/downward/at the bottom; go away/come back.

Reading and PhonicsGeneral• Explain how to handle the Learner’s Book, Phonics Book and class workbook and let the learners practise holding a book correctly and turning the

pages correctly. Eye-motor skills• Big up/down eye movements are practised while playing.Reading (Group-guided Reading, Shared Reading)• Do the first couple of group-guided reading lessons step by step with the learners in group context to familiarise them with the reading procedure.• The reading lessons in the Phonics Books are introduced and the procedure of reading groups and how to complete the assignments in the

Learner’s Book are explained. • Use the first week of the topic, or even both weeks, to determine the learners’ reading skills with the aid of the reading lessons in the Learner’s Book

so that you can determine at what level of difficulty the graded reader should be.• Sight words: a, at, am, as, had, has, but, cut, bigPhonics• This week, single sounds are revised.• Spelling words: cat, bad, dog, hop, sit, fin, bus, run, my, fly, leg, wet

WritingHandwriting• The learner’s dominant hand is established and the correct sitting posture, positioning of the book and pencil grip are confirmed again.• Capital letters with straight lines: “i I”; “l L”; “t T”• Correct spaces between words, correct line on which to write.• To develop hand muscles, the learners will have to cut out on thick, straight lines.WritingThe following are emphasised:• Sentences begin with capital letters and end on a punctuation mark. Emphasise question marks, exclamation marks, commas and full stops.• Capital letters in names• Own sentences with at least one spelling word• The learners contribute to sentences from a piece of writing you write.

Baseline assessmentThis week, you particularly check the learner’s knowledge of single sounds. You also check pencil grip and sitting posture.

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Interest tables for week 1

The table of interest takes a place of prominence in the Grade 2-classroom. The table should not be too high – preferably at the learners’ eye level when they are sitting. The display is changed and/or added to during the week. Every week, it will be explained to you what must be exhibited on the table of interest. If possible, learners should be allowed to handle the objects such as toys on the display table. Objects that should not be handled or touched should be pointed out to them beforehand. Use neatly printed name cards to name everything that is exhibited so as to encourage reading skills. These name cards are read regularly, even in the shared reading sessions.

Day 1 and 2I discover what we need to live: Water, food, air and light Provide a heading card for the interest table: What we need to livePlace large pictures of a boy and a girl around the heading. Lay out the following pictures around the children, each one with a word card added: • Water – a picture of a tap• Food – a pictures of fruit and

vegetables• Air – a picture of a sunny day in the

park, for example• Light – a picture of the sun or a

candle Also display a punnet of six to eight small plants of the same size (such as those you buy at a nursery). The plants are used in the experiments.

Day 3 and 4I discover more about various foods for growth, energy and healthKeep the interest table as it was. Put another heading beneath the previous heading: Foods for growth, energy and healthMove the pictures and word cards from Lesson 1 to one side. Lay out the following pictures and word cards on the other side:• Growth – pictures of baby, school-going child,

grownup• Energy – a picture of children playing.• Health – pictures of a healthy and a sickly, thin child.Place a large variety of foods (or pictures of the foods) randomly on the table. During the lesson, the learners, with your help, will sort the foods beneath the correct headings. Examples of foods/pictures you may place on the table:• Growth: Lean meat, packet of dried beans, tray

of eggs, a carton of milk, cheese, as examples of proteins and calcium

• Energy: Potatoes as example of carbohydrates, avocado pears and nuts as examples of good fats

• Health: Various fruits and vegetables as examples of vitamins and minerals; whole-grain products as examples of fibre.

Day 5 I discover more about healthy eating habitsKeep the previous two headings. Add a third heading: Healthy and unhealthy foodSupplement the pictures/examples of food on the interest table with examples of unhealthy food and place them randomly among the healthy foods on the table. Examples: Hamburger, ice-cream, cake, bacon, muffin, chips. During the lesson, with your help, the learners will sort the foods beneath the correct headings.Also prepare the following pictures to use during the lesson: • A large picture of healthy teeth and one of

tooth decay• Food triangle: Growth/energy/health• Family relaxed at a dining room table. • Family eating take-aways in front of TVAlso display a small set breakfast table with • breakfast cereal or oats• a fresh fruit• small yoghurt, and • a glass of milk. Remeber the important name cards! Without it the display table will lose value.

Rhymes for week 1 and 2

A rhyme about healthy foods:

Food favourites

My daddy likes his rice and meatand mummy prefers veggies to eat.

Dinah likes potato, mash and fishand granny prefers a macaroni dish!

I like butter and jam on bread,but our little baby puts his bowl on his head!Mart Meij

A rhyme about healthy habits:

Keeping alert

C’mon and shake, shake, shake, shake those sillies out!Shake, shake, shake, shake those sillies out! (x2)

Wibble your wobbles away,flick those itchies away,jump those jumpies out,yawn those sleepies out!

Shake, shake, shake,shake those sillies out! (x2)Traditional

Songs for week 1 and 2You will find the lyrics and notation on the CD with the resources.

I keep my body fit

Clap your hands and stamp your feet and raise your arms up high!

Ears must hear and eyes must seeand little nose must smell.

Laugh, laugh, laugh and then go swimming around.

Laugh, laugh, laugh and make a happy sound.Rina Erasmus

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Essential hints and background knowledge before you start with week 1

The Learner’s Books• The learners don’t write in the Learner’s Book for Home Language and

good care should be taken of the books so that they can be used for more than one year.

• It is a good idea to give each learner a set of small paper squares of various colours in a plastic bag. These squares are put on the correct answer, etc. In this way, you can easily check whether the learners understand the work, or not. Small number cards may also be used when learners have to arrange sentences in order or, for example, number pictures in order of preference/importance.

• The assignments in the Learner’s Book are always read to the learners as the vocabulary is still too difficult for the average learners to read by themselves, even though they know the concepts.

The relationship between oral work and activities in the Learner’s BookDo not neglect oral work! It is the practical experience of learning matter that is important, not only the completion of the written assignments in the Learner’s Books. While the learners are still inexperienced, you may perhaps do the assignments in the normal big group context for this week in the Learner’s Books. • Use this week to make sure that the learners understand the procedure

for group reading and the activities in the Learner’s Book. • Guard against discipline breaking down. It is now the time to enforce

strict, but fair discipline. Once it has been broken down, you are going to have difficulty restoring it. Don’t be in too much of a hurry to let learners work on their own – make sure that they all know exactly what to do and how to do it, before allowing too much freedom.

• Remember to read and explain the instructions to the learners.• Give step by step instructions – not everything at the same time.• Check every step while it is being carried out.• Pay attention to accuracy, sitting posture, pencil grip, work speed.

The worksheetsThe Learner’s Book is supplemented with worksheets you will find on the enclosed CD. On the worksheets, there is one reading text with associated reading and writing exercises the learners should attempt by themselves (this is the reading lesson for Day 5). In some weeks, there are also other additional worksheets. The year and term plans show you clearly where to use the worksheets. The teaching plans also show you step by step where and how to use them.

The class workbook for Home Language• It is not sufficient for learners to work only on the writing boards and

complete worksheets. In Grade 2, written work is often done in a book. In the New All-In-One series, we call this book a class workbook. Class workbooks are used in different ways in different schools: Some schools have a book for each subject, others work in one book only. It doesn’t matter – when a class workbook is mentioned, it will refer to the book in which the learner will do all written assignments.

• It is a good idea to start the written work for the day by letting the learners write the date on the page where you want the learners to work. Thus every learner will know exactly where to work and unnecessary uncertainty is eliminated.

The phonic booksWhen the lesson plans refer to phonic books, the New All-In-One Phonics Book for Learners for Home Language is referred to. The New All-In-One Phonics Book for Learners for Home Language has been written so that it fits in exactly with the phonics teaching plan described in the lesson plans. The name of the book is not written out in full in each lesson and it will only be referred to as Phonics Book. Where the Phonics Book for Learners is used, the lesson has been described so fully that you can perform the activity even without the Phonics Book for Learners. This will just mean that you will have to draw various pictures yourself and prepare the exercises by yourself beforehand. It will be easier to use the Phonics Book for Learners.

You may of course use another phonics book of your choice but then you should just make sure that you practise the sound(s) in it that are prescribed.

When you procure the New All-In-One Phonics Book for Learners for Home Language, you should look carefully because there is also a New All-In-One Phonics Book for Learners for First Additional Language which is totally different to the Phonics Book for Home Language. Check that you use the correct book for the correct subject!

Shared ReadingReading from a Big Book or other large textbook is done three times a week. If possible, select Big Books with text that suits the topic. In this way, reading the book serves as enrichment and consolidation of the topic. The text may be a story, factual information, a poem, a comic, etc. If possible, select different styles of text to introduce various styles of text to the learners.

If you are using the New All-In-One Big Book series, you will find a good representation of various types of text in the Big Books and you won’t have to look for Big Books depicting the various styles of text. Some of the New All-In-One Big Books also have pages you may remove. On these pages, you will find, for example, rhymes or riddles or jokes that match the topic and can be put up as class posters, as well as applicable pictures for sorting and memory exercises.

Do the following during the Shared Reading session:• Continually demonstrate how to hold a book and turn the pages

correctly.• Demonstrate how to read a book: Start reading from the front to the

back of the book, from left to right, top to bottom.• Demonstrate the concept of “book”: Cover, front, back, title, index.• Let the learners use the pictures to predict what the story is about and/

or perhaps make up their own story by “reading” the pictures.• Describe the characters in the story and guide the learners to do the

same.• Let the learners sequence the pictures in the story.• Discuss and explain features of print, e.g. punctuation marks, text

features, language patterns, phonic recognition and word identification strategies where/when applicable.

Listening routineTeach the learners, from the very first day, to listen when you speak. Do this by telling them, for example, to immediately put their hands on their heads when you say, “Listen . . . ”

Never repeat instructions many times. If you do, learners will soon realise that they do not have to listen the first time you speak, but only once your voice sounds impatient.

The short-term memory and instructions you give in classDo you know that the average adult can remember only seven units, e.g. numbers, in a series? A learner in Grade 3 can perhaps remember four to five, but the average learner in Grade 2 can only remeber three to four. Therefore, rather start with only one instruction at a time and make sure that every learner in class remembers the instruction.

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Later on, you may give two instructions in a series, but make sure that the learners are able to remember both instructions – and to execute them in the correct order. Only when you are sure that they have mastered this may you give three instructions in a series – but not before the end of the third term.

Using the writing boardThe tables and chairs of the learners should be arranged in such a manner that everybody can see the writing board very clearly. Take care that learners do not see the board at an angle or sit with their backs to the board. This will result in inversion of letters when they write and if they struggle to see, will be distracted quite easily.

What about learners sitting opposite each other?Learners sitting opposite each other also gives rise to problems, especially in the beginning of the year when they are still learning to write and are unsure of direction and position in space. As they are sitting opposite their friends, they compare themselves in mirror image. Their friends will naturally do exactly as they do and this may result in learners becoming unsure of themselves. They will, for instance, pack out their letters and numbers in mirror image and even do their word-building exercises in the same way.

Individual writing boardsSmall, individual writing boards are absolutely essential and fairly cheap learning aids which can be used with great success in a Grade 2 classroom.The writing boards are rather easy to make:• Saw squares of hardboard (30cm x 30cm).• Paint the squares with matt green or black chalkboard paint. (NB: Not

an oil-based paint!)

Learners may bring an old duster (or any other piece of cloth) or board cleaner. The latter can be bought at stationery shops and almost all stores stock dusters.The board cleaner/duster can be used to instil a sense of responsibility and neatness in the learners. They have to care for and look after these items.

Resources on the CD included with the Teacher’s GuideA wide variety of resources for Home Language is included on the CD that accompanies the Teacher’s Guide. You find the resources like this:• Click on RESOURCES FOR THE TEACHER.• Click on HOME LANGUAGE – and there you have it! Pages that you

can print yourself. You can copy these pages as many times as you wish; they are there for you to use.

Worksheets for the learnersIt is just as easy to access the worksheets. Follow these steps: • Click on WORKSHEETS.• Click on HOME LANGUAGE – and there you have the worksheets

that you will use throughout the year. Only use these worksheets when the lesson plan recommends that you do so. This week, you will use worksheets 1 and 2.

Here are the resources for you to use this week: • Sheets of small phonics cards to be used individually by the learners.

Duplicate a set for each learner, but this week, you hand out only the letter of one single sound. Put the rest away until the teaching plans tell you when to hand out a letter card again. Cut loose the cards of single sounds beforehand for the learners and place them in a sturdy plastic bag or small box that will last the whole year. Mark the learners’ bags/boxes. The learners will work with these cards almost daily. Impress upon them that they should take good care of the cards.

• A set of writing strips that will be used at least for terms 1 and 2. Duplicate a set for each learner. You will use these writing strips year after year and if you could laminate them, this will make the strips last even longer. This week, the writing strips for the letters “l L”, “i I” and “t T” are used.

• Worksheet 1 with a writing assignment and worksheet 2 with the subsequent graded reading lesson and writing assignment.

Important background knowledge about baseline assessment and readiness for Grade 2Begin this week with baseline assessment so that you can determine with certainty how ready the learner is to start with the Grade 2 work. You will probably find that the learners are very tired by the end of the day. This is because the new teacher and new grade are a big adjustment for most learners and demand much emotional energy from them. Therefore, you cannot begin to look at the learners’ physical and emotional readiness for your baseline assessment immediately; they are still too overwhelmed by all the new things around them.

You should definitely do baseline assessment in week 1 to determine each learner’s dominant hand, eye and foot and to make sure that the learner does indeed use the dominant hand consistently.

Young children learn by using their bodies.

With the average learner, skills develop more or less as follows: Laterality → Midline-crossing → Balance → Dominance → Rhythm and Coordination. A learner who has not yet reached a certain skills level will try to avoid activities so as not to stand out among his/her classmates. Therefore, the skills must be improved step by step through specialised exercises, while you are assessing which learners have no problems, which have problems and which ones get stuck where. Because consistent use of dominance is so extremely important in schoolwork, you will already check this week if the learners are using their dominant side consistently or not. Please read this background knowledge about dominance first before you begin to follow the lesson plans. You will find hints for doing this and for what to check in a wide variety of lessons.

In week 2, you will find hints in the lessons for baseline assessment of the learner’s physical and fine motor readiness. By week 3, the learners will already have adjusted so well that you will be able to do baseline assessment of the learner’s emotional and social readiness for Grade 2.

After having completed the baseline assessment of readiness for Grade 2 in week 4, you will assess the other skills (Laterality → Midline-crossing → Balance → Dominance → Rhythm and Coordination) one by one with the aid of step by step guidelines that follow the lessons.

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Important knowledge: Dominance What is dominance?In almost all people, one side of the body is “cleverer” than the other side. This is why people usually prefer a specific hand with which to write and a specific foot with which to kick. This is called dominance. The dominant foot, eye, hand and ear are usually on the same side of the body, although this is not always the case. Cross-dominance occurs when, for instance, the right eye but the left hand is dominant. For many years, there has been a dispute about whether or not cross-dominance gives rise to learning problems. However, the majority of experts agree that cross-dominance is less than ideal.When does dominance begin to develop?Dominance develops quite early! After the toddler has discovered that he/she can move one side of the body without the opposite side moving too, he/she discovers that one side is cleverer than the other side. The “clever” side is the dominant side. By the time the average child is one year old, you can usually already see which hand is the child’s dominant hand. However, many learners are still unsure about their dominance and just in case it really is a fact that cross-dominance may cause problems, we pay much attention to establishing and exercising the dominant hand and eye from the outset.How do I know which side is a learner’s dominant side?Determine dominance in the following manner: • Hand: Stand directly in front of the learner and hold out a pencil to him/her. The hand used to take the pencil

from you is the dominant hand.• Foot: Let the learner kick a ball. The foot with which he/she instinctively kicks is the dominant foot.• Eye: Let the learner peep through a cardboard toilet roll. The eye with which he/she instinctively peeps is the

dominant eye.• Ear: Use a toy telephone to talk to the learner. The learner will instinctively hold the telephone to the dominant

ear.Which is correct – left dominance or right dominance?Most people are right dominant (meaning the right side of their bodies is dominant), but it does not really matter which side of the body is dominant. You should never force a left-handed learner to write with his/her right hand. If a learner is still unsure of his/her dominant side, check which eye is dominant. Encourage the learner to write with the hand on the same side as the dominant eye and to kick with the foot on that side as well.

Teaching plans for week 1 The first week of the 2-week topic: What I need to live

Day 1For this first topic, approximate times are sometimes indicated in the steps in the lessons. Thereafter you will have a good idea of how to use time, and duration is then no longer indicated in such detail.

Listening and Speaking, lesson 1 – 15 minutes; Shared Reading, lesson 1 – 15 minutes; Phonics, lesson 1 – 15 minutes; Handwriting, lesson 1 – 15 minutes; Group-guided Reading, lesson 1 – 30 minutes

Listening and Speaking, lesson 1 for week 1 15 minutes

Step 1: Let the learners sit comfortably in front of you. Introduce yourself to the class. Ask a few learners to introduce themselves. Can they say their names and surnames? Step 2 – News: Ask the learners how they came to school. Did they rise early? Were they scared/excited to come to school? Step 3 – Days of the week: Show them how the weather chart works. Read the names of the days of the week. Step 4: Weather chart and birthdays. Step 5: Toilet routine. Step 6 – Back in class: Teach the learners how to greet one another in the FAL.NOTE: These steps will give you a good idea of how to use the news period. These steps are provided for the first week only, because you will then know exactly what to do. First 10 minutes of the day

Resources: The “Tinky, the flower bulb”-story, the learners’ bodies, small name cards with the learners’ names on them.

Step 1 – Story: Read the “Tinky, the flower bulb”-story, to the learners. Emphasise the concepts in bold print. These are the subject vocabulary, special concepts and contents the learners will discover with you today. ± 3 minutes

Tinky, the flower bulbThe Spring fairy dances cheerfully across the field like a light breeze. She taps lightly everywhere with her wand. “Get up! Wake up! Time to begin to grow . . . ” she sings.

The seeds under the ground yawn and stretch themselves. They look around them and then they are really excited. Spring is here! They can begin to grow. Immediately, they begin to stretch themselves and grow. Quite quickly, some of them poke their heads above the ground and greet the sun.

Tinky, the flower bulb, is excited too. Oh! She has looked forward to this day so much! Throughout winter, she lay under the cold ground and dreamt about this day. She just knew what she would look like with a tall, sturdy green stem. She will make some green leaves and then, oh then, she will make the biggest bunch of blood red flowers anybody has ever seen!

Tinky begins to grow immediately. She grows and grows. She uses the food from the soil to grow strong. She is looking forward to meeting the sun. She pokes her head out of the ground. Amazed, she looks around. It doesn’t look at all like she had thought it would. Where is the sun? Where are the other plants? Where is the fresh air?

Tinky wants to cry from disappointment. She has looked forward to this day when she would see the sun and feel the wind on her body. Now, this place doesn’t look any different from under the ground. It is just stuffy without much fresh air. Where is the fresh breeze then to blow new air over her? Yes, it is a tiny bit lighter and warmer than under the ground but she is bitterly disappointed, the sun is not at all as shiny and warm as she had thought.

Tinky looks around her. She sees no other plants. Perhaps she has made a mistake? Perhaps she has lain upside-down and has grown downwards instead of upwards?

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The seeds that have lain under the ground with Tinky are just as glad to poke their heads above the ground. They are basking in the lovely sunshine and turn their faces to the sun and light. They dance in the fresh breeze. They suck up the food and water in the soil with their roots and they grow and grow. It is so much fun above the ground, they don’t even notice that Tinky isn’t there.

Tinky feels sad. She does not even feel like growing any further. She is feeling as if she is going to suffocate because she is not getting enough fresh air to breathe. Slowly, slowly, her stem does indeed grow taller. But oh dear, her stem stays thin and slack. Why is her stem so thin and slack? She has dreamt of a thick green stem.

Oh, Tinky feels so miserable, she just wants to die. Then she hears a sound she thinks she knows. Something is

making a “tip, tip, tip” sound. Yes, she knows that sound. Rain! Wonderful! She needs water, perhaps this is what is wrong! She needs water to grow and become strong.

But Tinky is even disappointed in the rain! She has always thought that rain is wet, but the rain here isn’t wet at all, even though it makes a “tip, tip, tip” sound. She stretches her little leaves to feel the rain, but there’s nothing! After a long while, some water does reach her feet and Tinky drinks a few drops. Oh, this tastes good, even though she is still thirsty! Oh, if there could only be light and sun like in her dreams. Poor Tinky. She stays thirsty, she doesn’t see light and it is dark, dark around her . . . almost as dark as under the ground. Tinky does not manage to grow. Her stem becomes slacker and slacker and her leaves become limper and limper . . .

Here comes the Spring fairy. She comes to see if her flower children are growing well and are happy. Quite satisfied, she looks at the plants. They have grown very well indeed, she thinks happily. Then she frowns. ”Where is Tinky?” she wants to know.

“We haven’t seen her at all,” the others answer. The Spring fairy flies around like a light breeze and calls:

“Tinky! Tinky! Where are you?”Tinky, who was about to give up hope and just wanted to

die, hears the fairy calling her. She raises her limp leaves slightly and with a weak little voice she answers: “Here . . . ”

Surprised, the fairy looks around. She hears Tinky, but can’t see her at all.

Then she sees an old, rusted tin lying on the ground. Could this be? She taps her wand against the tin. “Tinky, are you there?” she asks.

“Yes . . . ” the faint answer comes.The Spring fairy hits the tin CLANG with her wand and

the tin flies through the air! Tinky blinks her eyes. What has happened now? Suddenly,

it is light and warm. A light breeze strokes her thin stem and limp, yellow leaves. Now this is how she had thought it would be above the ground!

“You poor little thing,” the Spring fairy says worriedly. “You have come up under a tin! You did indeed get food from the soil and even a little rain water. But my dear child, a little water is not enough. Nobody can live without light and air and enough food and water. I wish people would learn not to dump their rubbish in the veld. This has probably been lying here for years.”

From that day on, Tinky was so glad she had food, water, light and air. She really made every effort and grew strong. She showed that she was happy by making the biggest bunch of blood red flowers anybody has ever seen.

Step 2 – Memory and initial sounds: Ask a few simple questions about the contents so that the learners can answer them easily. (Later in the term, the questions will require more insight and interpretation of the story.) Examples: Who woke up the seeds with her magic wand? Which sound does the word “spring” begin wtih? Which sound does the word “winter” begin with? What/who did Tinky Flower Bulb want most to see? Which sound does the word “sun” begin wtih? Which word in the story begins with an “s” too? What did Tinky hear that made a “tip, tip, tip, tip” sound? Which sound does the word “tip” begin with? Which one of the following words begin with “t” too: Wag, dog, tap? ± 2 minutes

Step 3 – Analysing and synthesising words into and from syllables, initial sounds: Say some of the longer words in the story and let the learners clap them in speech syllables. Examples: Yel-low, rus-ted, a-gainst, ly-ing, big-gest, wan-ted, un-der, etc. Now proceed with the initial sounds of names. What was the flower bulb’s name? Can the learners tell which initial sound the name begins with? Do the same with your name and the names of the learners in the class. Now give the learners turns to introduce themselves. It is early in the year! If a learner is too hesitant to introduce him-/herself, do this on behalf of the learner. Repeat the learner’s name for the class, emphasise the initial sound. Let the learner go and write the initial sound of his/her name on the board. Emphasise that the name is written with a capital letter at the beginning. Let the learner write small and capital letters next to each other on the board. Step 4 – Auditory discrimination of differences, similarities, constancy: Stand in a circle and say a sound. Learners whose names begin with that sound may stand in the circle with you. The class claps the classmates’ names in speech syllables. Each learner gets a name card they will stick on their personal shelf/chair. 5–8 minutesStep 5 – Phonics: The learners have written the letter of the initial sound of their names on the board. Tap on the board in random order and let the learners read the letters. What can they see in the classroom that begins with that letter? 3-4 minutes

Shared reading from Big Book, lesson 1 for week 1 15 minutesResources: Big Book 1. If you are using the New All-In-One Big Book series, it is the, The dragon and the princess-story. If you are not using the series, try to select a book which relates to the topic and which is preferably written in narrative format.

Today, the book is read purely for the joy of it. However, you will check carefully to what extent the learners are attentive and interested in the story. Step 1 – Before reading: Discuss the cover. What do the learners think the story is about? Why do they think that? Now read the title to the learners. Do they still think the same? ± 2 minutesStep 2 – Book education: Show them how to hold a book correctly and how to turn the pages. Select a learner to demonstrate. ± 2 minutesStep 3 – Reading for pleasure: Today, the story is read purely for pleasure. Follow these steps on each page:• Open at the page and allow the learners a minute or so to look at the

picture. Discuss the illustration, let the learners predict what will happen on the last page. Read the two pages to the learners. Point with your finger/a marker at each word as you read.

• Ask a simple comprehension question or two about the page. Examples: What could the cruel dragon do with its nose? Why couldn’t the princess get away?

• Then turn to the next page. Read the page. What does the group think will happen now? 8-10 minutes

Step 4 – After having read the story: • Ask some topic-oriented questions. Examples: Did the learners like the

story? Why do they say that? Who were the principal characters in the The dragon and the princess. What did they look like?

Hint: Encourage the learners to hold up three fingers and to mention something for each finger. Example: The princess 1) has long hair and 2) she is slim and 3) she wears a long dress. Another example: The dragon was 1) big, 2) green and 3) its skin was covered in scales.

Some more examples of questions: What can dragons do that is different? Why did the dragon want the princess to talk to him? What did the dragon try to get the princess to talk about? Do you think the princess knows what she needs to live? What was the most important thing the princess wanted to stay alive? • Quick phonics: Select learners to come and write the letter of the initial

sound of the name of each character in the book on the board. Let the learners clap the words slowly in syllables and write them on the board syllable by syllable. The learners read the words. Another idea: Say a sound and let the learners find a word with that sound on the page. Read the word. Clap it in sounds/speech syllables. Let someone write it on the board. ± 2 minutes

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Possible baseline assessment in this lessonIn this lesson, check which learners are still struggling to pay attention throughout the lesson. Can you see why? Could they see what you showed them in the book? Could they hear well? Check if there are learners who strain forward because they don’t see/hear well and move them to a spot at your feet in the future.

Phonics, sight vocabulary and spelling, lesson 1 for week 1 15 minutesResources: New All-In-One Phonics Book for Learners, pp. 2 and 3. If you are not using the book, various pictures of approximately 20 words consisting of only three single sounds, e.g. pen, car, sun, bus, lip, cat, etc. If you are using the Phonics Book for Learners, you need not find the pictures yourself and everything is ready for you on pp. 2 and 3: Flashcards of all the single sounds, flashcards of the spelling words for the week, flashcards of the sight words for the week, the learners’ small phonic cards, writing boards and chalk.Beforehand: Duplicate a set of cards of single sounds for each learner. Cut the cards loose and place them in sturdy plastic bags with the learners’ names on them.

Step 1 – Introducing the single sound(s): Lay out a large variety of pictures of words consisting of only three single sounds on the writing board, or use p. 2 in the Phonics Book. The learners name each picture, clap the word in sounds and then tell which sound they hear at the beginning, in the middle and at the end of the word. Example: Pen: P-e-n. Pen begins with “p”. There is an “e” in the middle. The word pen ends on “n”. Repeat with all the words. 5 minutesStep 2 – Auditory differences/similarities of single sounds: Use p. 3 in the Phonics Book, or put up on the board sets of five pictures of which four begin with one sound and one with another sound. The learners name the pictures, clap the words in sounds and tell which word does not begin with the same sound/does not have the same sound in the middle. Do the same with middle and end sounds. 5 minutesStep 3 – Speed reading of sounds with flashcards: Flash the single sounds one by one on flashcards. The learners read the sounds. 2 minutesStep 4 – Introducing the new spelling words: Flash the spelling words one by one. Let the learners read the words and clap them in sounds. Put up the words on the board. Read the words again. 3 minutes

Important note: It will be a good idea to remind learners that letters/sounds are not always pronounced the same way, though they look exactly the same. A few examples: Cat/car; hen/bed; dog/cot, yes/by.Mostly learners will be able to deduce the correct pronunciation through context, but the “y” can sometimes be problematic. Here is an easy rhythmic phrase to teach learners: Y says “eye” in shy and why.

Possible baseline assessment in this lesson Today, you merely check which learners cannot pay attention. Try to find out why not. Can the learner see? Can the learner hear? Does the learner struggle to concentrate and is he/she easily distracted by classmates? Write it all down in your observation book, so that you can pay special attention to these learners.

Handwriting, lesson 1 for week 1 15 minutesResources: Writing strip with the letter “i I” on it, class workbook or handwriting book, the sentence you write on the board (explain each letter while you are writing it), sharp pencils.

Step 1 – Spatial concepts: Give instructions such as: Put your hand in the middle of the writing board/under the writing board/on the writing board, etc. Use only the concepts prescribed for the week. Step 2 – Hand-motor skills: Let the learners stretch their hands and then curl them into the position in which a crayon should be held. Demonstrate the correct pencil grip. 5 minutesStep 3 – Writing strip with the letter “i I” on it: • One row of the small letter “i”, one row of the capital “I”, one row of

capital and small letters alternately.• One or two rows of a short sentence in which the letter appears often.

Here is an example: Irma sits on a tin. Another idea: Ivan has six figs. 10 minutes

Possible baseline assessment in this lessonWhich hand does the learner use for writing? Does the learner use that hand consistently? Did the learner choose that hand by him-/herself, or was the learner uncertain? • Which hand does the learner put in the middle of the writing board? This

will probably be the dominant hand (provided the writing board is right in front of the learner, otherwise they will put the hand nearest to the board in the middle of the board).

• Does the learner use the same hand for both instructions?

Group-guided reading, lesson 1 for week 1 30 minutesResources: Reading lesson on p. 1 in the Learner’s Book, flashcards of all the single sounds, flashcards of the sight words learnt this week, each reading group’s graded reader from a reader series of your choice. Learners’ phonics cards, class workbooks and stationery, colouring pencils.

Step 1 – Introduction: Introduce the Learner’s Book. Show the learners how to hold the book and turn its pages. Step 2 – Eye exercise: The learners put the books right in front of them. They hold a red pencil in one hand and a yellow pencil in the other hand and place their hands on both sides of the book. Now call the colours in turns. The learners look at the correct colours without turning their heads or body, only the eyes may move. 3 minutesStep 3 – Reading activities in big group: Open on p. 1. Let the learners study the picture. Can they guess what the lesson deals with? Read the sentences to the learners while they are following the words with their fingers. Ask a question or two to relate the contents of the lesson to the topic of the week. Examples: What is there in the lesson which we need to live (sun)? Why didn’t Kit want to sleep anymore? What did Kor want very much? Read the sentences again one by one. Clap each sentence in words with the learners. Name the punctuation marks. The learners read the sentences with you again and use the correct intonation. They point to the words with their fingers as they read. Flash a sight word. Let the learners find the word in the lesson and put a block around it. Clap the word in sounds. Write the word on the writing boards. Repeat with several sight words. Flash some single sounds of your choice. The learners read the sounds and put blocks on the letters they can find in the reading text. Select individual learners to read the word. Can they find the single sound you have flashed in the reading lesson? Read the word that contains the sound. Clap the word in sounds. Clap some of the words in the reading lesson slowly in sounds. Can the learners hear what the word is? Can they find the word in the text?Step 4 – Assignment: Explain the assignment that follows the reading lesson. The learners do a word-building and writing exercise in their class workbooks. The learners first build the words with their phonics cards and then write down the words. Then the learners find the two words from the box in the reading lesson and write a sentence with each word. The learners who can work fast may draw a picture for it as well. 12–15 minutes

Second 15 minutes• The learners separate into their reading groups and read p. 1 of the

Learner’s Book to one another. Then they read their reading lesson in the graded reader of your choice to one another. When they have finished reading, they go to their tables and continue with the easy word-building exercise.

You take reading group 1 to come and read for you. 15 minutes

Possible baseline assessment in this lesson Check which hand the learner uses to put the block on a letter/picture. It will most probably be the dominant hand. Does the learner always use the same hand?

Day 2Shared reading from Big Book, lesson 2 – 15 minutes; Phonics, lesson 2 – 15 minutes; Group-guided reading, lesson 2 – 30 minutes; Writing, lesson 1 – 15 minutes

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Shared Reading from Big Book, lesson 2 for week 1 15 minutes

At the beginning of each day: Greeting and news periodStep 1: The learners introduce themselves to one another again – first name and surname. Step 2 – Discussion: Ask the learners what they did the previous day. Step 3: Weather chart and birthdays. Step 4 – Days of the week: Use the weather chart and introduce the names of the days of the week. Check if the learners understand the concept of “yesterday” by asking them to tell what they did yesterday at school. Step 5: Toilet routine. Step 6 – Back in the class: The learners greet one another in the FAL. First 10 minutes of the day

Resources: New All-In-One Big Book 1 for Home Language, Grade 2: The dragon and the princess. If you don’t have this Big Book, you may use any book of your choice dealing with the topic and merely follow the general guidelines for the lesson.

In the previous lesson, you read the book purely for the pleasure of the story. Today, you talk about text characteristics and punctuation marks.Step 1 – Emergent reading skills: First speak about the concept of “book” and let the learners indicate the cover, front, back and a page. Demonstrate how to hold a book correctly and how to turn the pages. 2-3 minutesStep 2 – Before: Before you begin to read the page, first ask a learner or two a question about the story since they have already heard it once. Examples: Do you think this really happened? Did the dragon eventually release the princess? 2 minutesStep 3 – Shared Reading and Listening, text characteristics: Follow these steps:• Read the text on the first page once. Pay special attention to using

voice and tone.• Let the learners count the sentences on the page. How do they know

where a sentence ends? Explain again how the various punctuation marks are used and let the learners name the punctuation marks. Read the sentence with the correct intonation and also with wrong intonation so that the learners can understand the value of the punctuation marks.

• Let the learners clap the words in each sentence. Count the words in a sentence or two. Select learners to come and point out punctuation marks/capital letters/a sight word or two. Ask for initial sounds of some of the words.

Follow the same three steps for each subsequent page. Make sure that every learner listens when you read. And remember! You give an instruction or ask the question only once! The learners must learn very quickly that you speak only once! ± 8 minutesStep 4 – Talking about the contents: After the reading session, you ask some simple questions about the contents and relate the questions to the learners’ own life experience. Examples: Why was the princess scared? Did the dragon know immediately what the princess needed to live? How did the dragon become aware of what people need to live? Why does love make us so happy? Do we need love to live? ± 1 minute

Possible baseline assessment in this lessonCheck the learner’s attention span again. Which learners cannot pay attention throughout? Make a list of the names so that you can check why these learners are struggling to pay attention.

Phonics, lesson 2 for week 1 15 minutesResources: The same pictures of words consisting of three single sounds you used in the previous lesson. If you are using the Phonics Book, you need not look for pictures, but you simply use pp. 4 and 5. Some more resources: The flashcards of the single sounds, flashcards of the spelling words and sight words for this week, the learners’ small phonics cards, writing boards and crayons.

Step 1 – Speed-read the familiar sounds: Revise speed-reading of the single sounds by flashing the phonics cards faster and faster while the learners are reading them. Vary the order in which you flash the cards! 2 minutes

Step 2 – Auditory discrimination, analysis and synthesis; visual memory: The exercises described here are the activities on pp. 4 and 5 in the Learner’s Book. When you use the Phonics Book, you need not pick out pictures, they are there for you already! • Put up five of the familiar pictures on the board. Clap them in sounds.

Learners shut their eyes. Take one picture away. Learners open their eyes and say which picture is missing. Clap the word in sounds. Lay out four pictures. Clap them in sounds. Learners shut their eyes. Add one picture. Which picture has been added?

• Put up five pictures on the board. Write the letters of the initial and end sounds under each picture. Select learners to fill in the middle sound. Example: C __ t (cat) 5 minutes

Step 3 – Practising new spelling words: Flash the prescribed spelling words one by one. The learners read the words and clap them in sounds. Let the learners use the words in sentences. The learners write the words on their writing boards. 5 minutesStep 4 – Sight words: Flash the sight words of the week and let the learners read the words. Clap the words in sounds. 3 minutes

Possible baseline assessment in this lesson• When the learners write on the writing boards, you can check if they use

their dominant hand consistently. Also check how skilfully the learner handles the chalk and if the chalk grip is correct.

• Use the time while the group is reading to you to determine the learners’ reading skill, find a graded reader for each learner and divide the learners into reading groups.

Group-guided Reading, lesson 2 for week 1 30 minutesResources: Still the phonic reading lesson on p. 1 in the Learner’s Book, pencils and colouring pencils, each reading group’s graded reader from a reader series you choose, your big flashcards of the sounds, sight and spelling words learnt to date, class workbooks, stationery and colouring pencils.

Step 1 – Before the class separates into reading groups: Quickly speed-read the sounds, sight words and spelling words learnt to date. 5 minutesStep 2 – Reading groups with you: Today groups 2 and 3 come to read their lesson to you. Follow the same steps with groups 2 and 3 as you followed yesterday with group 1. Remember to speed-read sounds, sight words and spelling words in the small reading group too. Approximately 10-15 minutes for each group that reads by youStep 3 – Other reading groups: The learners who are not reading to you, follow this procedure:• The rest of the learners separate into pairs and read phonics reading

lesson on p. 1 in the Learner’s Book and the reading lesson in the graded reader you have selected for them.

• When they have finished reading, they go to the tables. The learners who have not yet completed the assignments in the class workbooks complete them. When they have finished, they also read independently according to their reading skill from a graded book.

Possible baseline assessment in this lessonYou will probably use the first week to determine the learners’ reading skills and select graded readers that match their reading ability.

Writing, lesson 1 for week 1 15 minutesResources: Still the reading lesson on p. 1 in Learner’s Book, writing board, individual writing boards, wall chart showing the rule for full stops as found among the resources on the CD.

Step 1 – Teaching writing orally, relating to reading lesson – capital letters: The learners open the Learner’s Book at p. 1. They identify the capital letters at the beginning of sentences. Ask them questions to emphasise capital letters. Examples: Which words are written with capital letters at the beginning? (Beginning of a sentence, name.) Let the learners find the names in the lesson and make sure that they begin with a capital letter. Which names do they find? Point out to the learners that words such as Kit and Dot are also names, but not words such as me, sun and she. Let the learners point out all the capital letters that indicate the beginning of a sentence.

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The learners identify some more capital letters at the beginning of the sentences in the reading text. 5 minutesStep 2 – Teaching writing orally, relating to reading lesson – full stops: Can the learners think by themselves how they know where a sentence begins (capital letter) and ends (full stop)? Which punctuation mark appears at the end of each sentence? Explain that punctuation marks are writing signs too. You must write a full stop to show that a sentence is complete. Hint: Read the lesson all in one breath to show the learners how it would sound if there were no full stops. Of course, you will be so out of breath that you almost want to faint by the last line of the lesson!

Show the wall chart of the “full stop” rule. The learners discuss the wall chart. Give an example of a short sentence and let one learner come and write the sentence with the correct punctuation marks on the board. Example: Kit hops on my bed. One more example: This is Dot and this is Kit. Let one learner come and colour the full stop on the board according to the full stop wall chart to emphasise it visually. 3-5 minutesStep 3 – Written application, capital letters and full stops: The learners write down one of the sentences from the board with the correct punctuation marks. When they have all finished, the whole class reads the sentence together. Now encourage the learners orally to write a new sentence by replacing words. Example: Kit sits on my bed. Kit becomes Dot and bed becomes tin and the new sentence is: Dot sits on my tin. The learners write their own sentence. 5-8 minutes

Day 3Listening and Speaking, lesson 2 – 15 minutes; Phonics, lesson 3 – 15 minutes; Handwriting, lesson 2 – 15 minutes; Group-guided Reading, lesson 3 – 30 minutes; Writing, lesson 2 – 15 minutes

Listening and Speaking, lesson 2 for week 1 15 minutes

Remember! At the beginning of each day: The news periodStep 1: Explain again how the news period works. Step 2: The learners introduce themselves to their classmates again to get to know one another. Step 3: News. Step 4 – Weather chart: Draw up the weather chart for the day. Emphasise the days of the week, repeat them and let the learners begin to learn them with the aid of the weather chart. Discuss concepts such as: Which day is/was it today/yesterday/will it be tomorrow? How many days are there in a week?Step 5: Birthdays. Step 6: Toilet routine. Step 7: The learners greet one another in the FAL. First 10 minutes of the day

Resources: The learners’ bodies, the “The big fight in the supermarket”-story, pictures on the interest table, the “Food favourites”-rhyme, writing boards or something similar to represent a bowl for each learner, learner’s chair.

Step 1 – Listening: Tell the “The big fight in the supermarket”-story. Emphasise and explain the words in bold print – parts of the body and action words.

The big fight in the supermarketOne evening, when the supermarket has already been locked up for the night, a big argument starts among the vegetables.

“I am the best vegetable,” pumpkin boasts. “I give the children beautiful hair and rosy cheeks, because I’m full of vitamins and give energy.”

“What use is beautiful hair when you can’t see?” the carrots ask. “We take care of good eyes.”

“On no, we are the best,” the bunch of spinach says. Spinach is full of iron and iron builds your blood!”

“I have never heard of anyone who can cook without an onion,” the pocket of onions boasts. “We are also full of vitamins. We keep germs away.”

Now the meats in the fridge can no longer keep quiet when they listen to the vegetables like this. “It’s not only you who are healthy, meat is healthy too,” the packet of sausage says. The chicken breasts agree. “We are full of protein, we build people’s muscles so that they can grow big and strong.”

“Yes, yes,” the cheese cries proudly from the fridge next to the meat. “We are also full of protein, just like meat. We also build people’s muscles so that they can grow strong.”

The vegetables don’t want to hear that other foods are healthy too, they just want to be the best.

“Tomato and lettuce and onion give all the food in the shop a recipe for preparing a salad. You cut up the tomato into small pieces in a bowl,” says onion.

Tomato feels faint when she hears that. “It is so that my vitamins can come out and make people healthy,” she says bravely.

Cucumber wants to be in the salad so much that he shouts: “Put me in the salad too, put me in the salad too!”

“Me too, me too,” the green peppers cry out. They don’t care at all about being cut up, they just want to show their vitamins to everybody.

The boxes of oats and mealie meal can’t help but laugh at the vegetables and meat and cheese.

“Have you ever heard of people eating salad for breakfast? People eat cereal for breakfast so that they can be alert and clever. You know breakfast is the most important meal of the day,” they brag.

“And what about eggs, people eat eggs for breakfast, they need the protein to make them strong,” the eggs call from their trays on the shelf.

Now the foods in the supermarket are really talking. The eggs tell the other foods that they can be scrambled, fried and boiled. They are also full of protein which makes people strong. The cereals also have reason to boast, they are full of vitamins. They also have many recipes for porridge, cake and rusks.

The vegetables tell the others about all the things that can go into soup. Turnip! Celery! Tomatoes, potato and onions! And meat! Wow, soup has many vitamins and proteins, all the foods decide.

And then the potato remembers something else. “Starch!” he calls.” Potato has starch, this causes people not to grow hungry quickly.”

“Oh no!” the onion laughs until the tears are streaming down. “Stop now, my head is spinning from all the vitamins and proteins and now starch too!”

“Oh well,” eggplant says from his corner over there. “Let’s go to sleep now, we are all necessary to keep people healthy and strong.”

There now, the supermarket is quiet. All the proteins, vitamins and starch are sleeping now . . .

Oh dear! I mean all the vegetables and meat and dairy products are sleeping now . . .

Step 2 – Memory and order: The learners retell the story – check the correct order of events. 5 minutes for steps 1 and 2Step 3 – Vocabulary and personal experience: Can they remember which foods were mentioned in the story? Initial sounds? Clap the words in speech syllables. Mention a food group and let the learners name the foods that fit into it. Initial sounds? Clap the words in speech syllables. Let the learners talk informally about their personal preferences regarding healthy foods. 5 minutesStep 4 – Listening and Speaking — rhyme: Recite the “Food favourites”-rhyme for the learners. The learners listen without interrupting. Let the learners join in reciting the rhyme line by line. The learners now stand on their chairs with their writing boards (baby’s bowl) in their hands and recite the rhyme with you again. At the end, they dramatise what Baby Brother does with his bowl 5 minutes

Possible baseline assessment in this lessonLet the learners hop around on one foot. Which foot do they prefer? You can be almost certain that it will be the dominant foot.

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Phonics, sight vocabulary and spelling, lesson 3 for week 1 15 minutesResources: The same pictures of words consisting of three single sounds you used in the previous lesson. If you use the Phonics Book for Learners, you need not look for pictures, but you simply use pp. 4 and 5.Some more resources: The flashcards of the single sounds, flashcards of the spelling words and sight words for this week, the learner’s small phonics cards, writing boards and chalk. Beforehand: Write/put up the sounds randomly on the writing board.

Step 1 – Speed-read the familiar sounds: Divide the class into two groups. Each learner gets a turn to identify the sounds orally as a group.Hint: The group that answers must stand; this will prevent learners from the other groups from answering.

When a learner in the group makes a mistake, the other group gets a turn again. Repeat until one group, as winner, identifies all the sounds without making mistakes. Be sensitive towards learners who do make mistakes. 2-3 minutesStep 2 – Auditory analysis and synthesis: The exercises described here are the activities on p. 6 and at the top of p. 7 in the Phonics Book for Learners. If you use the Phonics Book, you don’t need to pick out pictures, they are already there for you! • Lay out the pictures on the board again. The learners clap them in

sounds. Then they count how many words there are with a/e/i/o/u in the middle of the word. Which sound are there the most words of? (Box 1)

• Say two words with the same sound in the middle. Example: Dam, man. Learners tell which sound they hear. (Box 2)

• You may also put up about four pictures on the board, say a word and let them tell which picture on the board has the same sound in the middle. (Box 3)

Enrichment: If you are using the New All-In-One Phonics Book for Home Language, there is a delightful exercise in figure-background discrimination in Box 4. 5 minutes

Step 3 – Practising spelling words and sight words: Flash the prescribed spelling words. The learners read the word and clap it in sounds. Select a learner to use the word in a sentence. Can a second learner think of another sentence? Now speed-read the spelling words. Do the same with the sight words. 5 minutesStep 4 – Auditory discrimination: Flash the new sound/one of the new sounds. Say two words, one with the sound, one without the sound. The learners must write only the word with the sound you are holding up. 2 minutes

Possible baseline assessment in this lessonYou should now start to check which learners still don’t know the single sounds, so that you can pay special attention to them by, for example, practising the reading lesson individually with them.

Handwriting, lesson 2 for week 1 15 minutesResources: Writing strip of the letter “I L”, class workbook or handwriting book, the flashcards of spelling words for the week, sharp pencils.

Step 1 – Hand and finger motor skills: Repeat the exercise in hand and finger motor skills as described for Day 1. 1 minuteStep 2 – Writing strip of the letter “l L”: • One row of the small letter “l”, one row of the capital letter “L”, one of

capital and small letters alternately.• One or two rows of a short sentence in which the sounds appear

frequently. Example: Lebo licks a lolly. 8 minutesStep 3 – Spelling words: They write the spelling words of the week as neatly as they can. 6 minutes

Possible baseline assessment in this lessonPay special attention to sitting posture. Eyes rule – distance from the book. Are there learners who are sitting with their noses in the book? Can the learner see well?

Group-guided Reading, lesson 3 for week 1 15 minutesResources: Phonic reading lesson on p. 2 in the Learner’s Book, for each learner in class a card of the capital letter of his/her name and a card with a full stop on it, a green and red colouring pencil and wonder glue for each learner, each reading group’s graded reader from a reader series you choose, phonics cards, individual writing boards and chalk, class workbooks, colouring pencils.

First 15 minutes: Work in the big groupStep 1 – Eye exercise: Hand out the Learner’s Books, a capital letter card and a card with a full stop on it to each learner. The learners put the books right in front of them and paste their capital letter card on a green pencil and a full stop card on one end of the red pencil with wonder glue. They hold a green pencil in their left hand, the red pencil in the right hand and put their hands on both sides of the book. Now mention the colours/punctuation marks (capital letter . . . full stop . . . capital letter . . . full stop . . ./green . . . red, green, red, etc.) alternately. The learners look at the correct colour/punctuation mark without turning their head or body; only the eyes may move. 1 minuteStep 2 – Speed-reading: As always, begin each day’s reading lesson by speed-reading the familiar sounds, sight words and spelling words. 2-3 minutesStep 3 – Practising and explaining: Learner’s Book, p. 2. • The learners study the picture. What do they think the lesson deals

with? Allow them some time to try and read the lesson softly to themselves. Beforehand, remind them of the 5-finger strategy when they get stuck with a word. Have they predicted the contents of the lesson correctly? Read the sentences with the learners.

• Speak very briefly about what I need to live. What did Kit want to eat? Why is a fig not food for a cat? Is a rat food for Kit? Does the food of people and of animals differ? What is breakfast? Why is it important? 5 minutes

• Do search-reading: Say a word and let the learners point out the correct word. Clap the word in sounds with the learners. Read the lesson for a second time with the learners.

• Say a sight word that appears in the lesson. Who can be the first to find it in the lesson? Select a learner or three to come and write the word on the board.

• Clap a sight word or any other word in the lesson slowly in sounds. Can the learners tell which word they hear? Find the word in the lesson. Read the word. The learners clap the word(s) in sounds. Repeat with some more words. 5-6 minutes

• Explain the assignment at the bottom of the reading text in the Learner’s Book: The learners identify pictures and match them with the text. Then they write a short sentence independently to answer the question. The second assignment requires the learners to choose between words/phrases to complete sentences from the reading lesson. Then they write the sentence as a whole in their class workbooks. 2-3 minutes

Second 15 minutes: Separating into reading groups• The learners separate into their reading groups and read the phonic

reading lesson in the Learner’s Book and the reading lesson in the graded reader you have handed to each one, to one another.

• Then they go to their tables and complete the assignment in the Learner’s Book.

• You take reading group 1 to come and read to you. Follow more or less the same steps as those described above. 15 minutes

Writing, lesson 2 for week 1 15 minutesResources: Reading lesson on p. 2 in the Learner’s Book, writing board and chalk.Beforehand: Write the following sentences one underneath the other on the writing board: Dot wants an egg. Kit wants a rat. Do you want ham, Kit? I put ham on my bun.

Step 1 – Teaching writing orally, relating to reading lesson – capital letters: Turn to the reading lesson on p. 2 in the Learner’s Book. The learners identify the capital letters at the beginning of each sentence. Ask questions to emphasise capital letters. Why is Dot/I/Kit/No, etc. written with a capital letter? Point out to the learners again that Dot is also used as a name, but I/No/Egg is not a name. The learners identify some more capital letters at the beginning of the sentences in the reading text.

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Let the learners now identify the other capital letters of names in the sentences. Encourage the learners to distinguish between capital letters at the beginning of a sentence as names/merely as the first word of the sentence. Step 2 – Teaching writing orally, relating to reading lesson – full stops, spaces between words: Which punctuation mark is at the end of a sentence? Display the full stop chart again. The learners identify the rest of the full stops in the reading text. Let one learner come and write one of the sentences on the board. Let another learner then come and colour the capital letter in green and another learner colour the full stop in red. The learners now count the number of words in the sentence and hold up the correct number of fingers. Explain to the learners that spaces are left between the words so that the reader of a sentence can see clearly which sounds form one word, just like one finger is clearly visible on its own. The learners write the whole sentence in the air with their fingers/hands and emphasise the capital letter with big writing movements, clap on the table for each space and press the fist on the table to emphasise the full stop. Step 3 – Written application, capital letters and full stops: The learners write down any one of the first sentences from the board, with the correct punctuation marks, but they must also colour the capital letter and full stop separately in green and red. When they have all finished, a few learners read the sentence they have chosen. You may also see by raising of hands which sentence has “won”. The learners who have chosen the same sentence read it as a group to the rest of the class. Ask individual learners to explain why they have chosen that particular sentence. Let the learners draw a picture next to their sentence.

Day 4Shared Reading, lesson 3 – 15 minutes; Phonics, lesson 4 – 15 minutes; Group-guided reading, lesson 4 – 30 minutes; Writing lesson 3 – 15 minutes

Shared reading from Big Book, lesson 3 for week 1 15 minutes

Remember that each day begins with a greeting and news session!Step 1: Greet one another in the HL. Step 2 – News: What happened to them yesterday? What will happen today that they look forward to? Step 3 – Weather chart, birthdays: Practise the names of the days of the week again. Which day is it today/was it yesterday/will it be tomorrow? How many days are there in a week? What did they do at school yesterday? Step 4: Toilet routine. Step 5 – Back in class: Greet one another in the FAL. First 10 minutes of the day

Resources: Still Big Book 1.

Today, the Big Book is read for the third time. This time, you guide the learners to note specifics in the text and pay special attention to the learners’ ability to do figure-background discrimination.Step 1 – Shared Reading and Listening: Read the story again. Discuss the pictures. Ask questions such as: • Where is the princess? What does the dragon do? Can the princess

get out? How many eyes are there in the picture? Do the dragon’s eyes look very cruel? Who can show me the gate in the picture? Let the learners explain how the characters in the story differ from one another.

• Colour: Ask questions regarding colour on each page. Focus on recognition of the colours reddish, yellow/golden yellow and blue. Example: Show me something red/yellow/blue in the picture. Expand on colour recognition: Can they show something red/yellow/blue in the class? What is it? Encourage them to answer in a sentence: It is a . . .

• Spatial concepts: Ask questions relating to the prescribed spatial concepts. Example: Where is the princess? IN the cage. Where is the dragon? IN FRONT OF the princess. Also apply the concepts in class context. Example: Show me something ON my table.

Follow the same steps with each subsequent page. Make sure that every learner listens when you read. 5-10 minutes

Step 2 – Read: Read the book again without interruption and encourage the learners to join in the reading.Step 3 – Revising sounds, search-reading: Flash the sounds the learners have already learnt one by one and let the learners read them. Open the Big Book at any page you choose. Now point out one sound at a time and select a learner or two to come and find it for you on that page. Do the same with the sight words. ± 5 minutes

Phonics, sight vocabulary and spelling, lesson 4 for week 1 15 minutesResources: Pp. 8-11 in the Phonics Book for Learners OR the following pictures for p/d/b: Dance, pot, bone, pen, bath, donkey, bin, bag, paw and for f/w/s: Flag, fish, number 7, wool, frog, snake, wind, worm, wall, etc. The flashcards of the single sounds, spelling words and sight words introduced to date, the learners’ small phonics cards, writing boards and chalk.

Step 1 – Differences/similarities b/d/p and f/w/s: Today, you make very sure that every learner can hear and see the difference between the plosives b/p/d and the fricatives f/w/s. Use the exercises on pp. 8-11 in the Phonics Book. Name the pictures slowly for the learners and let them write the letters of the sounds they hear at the beginning of the words (Box 1). Then put pictures up on the board of which three, for example, begin with p/b/d, and one does not. The learners must say the initial sounds and tell which sound/picture does not match because it does not begin with the same sound (exercise in Boxes 2 and 3). Put up some letters p, b and d on the board, and let the learners read them. Listen carefully for learners who might be struggling and record their names. Do the same with f/w/s (Boxes 4-6). 8 minutesStep 2 – Speed-reading: Speed-read the plosives and fricatives, so that you can check which learners make mistakes with them. Speed-read the high-frequency sight words and a few spelling words. Now and then select a learner to come and write the sight word/spelling word you have just flashed on the board. PRAISE correct spelling! 3-5 minutesStep 3 – Word families: Continue to use the sight and spelling words of the past week or two. Put up three words on the board. Two words must contain the same sound, e.g. bag, man, him. Learners read the words and tell which word does not fit in and why it does not fit in. Clap the three words in sounds. Point out one of the three words and let the learners read the word. Turn the word around. The learners write the word on their writing boards. Repeat with several words. 3-5 minutes

Enrichment idea: Say the sounds needed to build one of the spelling words/sight words (still use the prescribed spelling and sight words for the exercise). The learners pick out the letters among the other letters and lay them out on the table/desk. Can they shuffle them to form a spelling word and then lay out the spelling word? The learners clap the word in sounds and write the word on their writing boards.

Possible baseline assessment in this lesson• Check very carefully which learners do not discriminate between the b,

p, d. Can they hear the difference or does the problem emerge when they have to write the sounds?

• Also check carefully which learners do not hear the fricatives (f, s, w) correctly. This indicates a hearing problem, because the letters are written completely differently and do not look the same at all.

Group-guided reading, lesson 4 for week 1 15 minutes Resources: Still p. 2 in the Learner’s Book, each reading group’s graded reader from a reader series you choose, class workbooks, colouring pencils.

Today, groups 2 and 3 come to read their lesson to you. Follow the same steps with groups 2 and 3 as you followed yesterday with group 1.The groups that are not reading to you follow these steps:Step 1 – Reading in pairs: They separate into pairs and quickly read their lesson in the Learner’s Book to one another. Then they read their lesson in the supplementary, graded reader you have selected for them to one another. Step 2 – Completing assignment and individual reading: When they have finished this, they return to their tables. They complete the activity in the Learner’s Book, and then they go and read a story they choose with a classmate or individually in the reading corner or at their table.

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Writing, lesson 3 for week 1 15 minutesResources: Worksheet 1, pencils, colouring pencils, scissors, old magazines, glue.

Step 1 – Writing words with single sounds: The learners name the pictures and write the words in the correct box. Step 2 – Figure-background discrimination: The learners read the sounds. They page through old magazines and look for a small picture that begins with the sound. They cut out the picture and paste it in the box.Hint: If the learners do not complete the assignment in the time allowed, this is the ideal opportunity for giving them some homework. 5 minutes

Possible baseline assessment in this lesson• Which hand does the learner use for handling the scissors? And to

colour in? • Complete your baseline assessment of dominance. If there are still

learners about whose dominance you are uncertain, you should now assess them in a one-on-one-situation.

• Use the words the learner wrote independently on the worksheet to assess how well he/she knows and can use the single sounds.

Day 5Listening and Speaking, lesson 3 – 15 min; Phonics, lesson 5 – 15 minutes; Handwriting, lesson 3 – 15 minutes; Group-guided Reading, lesson 5 (reading lesson 3) – 30 minutes; Writing, lesson 4 – 15 minutes

Listening and speaking, lesson 3 for week 1 15 minutes

Remember to start each day with a greeting and news sessions. Step 1: Greet one another in the HL. Step 2: News. Step 3: Weather chart, birthdays. Step 4: Toilet routine. Step 5: Back in class, the learners greet one another again, but now in the FAL. You now know what is expected of you in the morning’s greeting and news sessions and this step will no longer be described in the lesson plans. First 10 minutes of the day

Resources: The “Stomach ache”-story, pictures of healthy and unhealthy foods for group work game. Beforehand: Put pictures of healthy and unhealthy foods that will be familiar to the learners in bags. Put down the bags in groups before the lesson begins to allow more time for the game.

Step 1 – Listening: Make sure that the learners are comfortable and they are all paying attention. Tell the “Stomach ache”-story. 3 minutes

Stomach acheKnock-knock-knock at the door of the doll’s house.

Mrs Sarah picks up her child and puts her on her hip. She opens the door for Mrs Lindiwe and her child, Prudence. She invites the guests in and says, “Sorry, my house is so untidy and I get little done. My child is so difficult today.

She has stomach ache and I think she has eaten something that has upset her tummy. It is her grandmother who is forever stuffing her with unhealthy food.”

“Oh don’t worry,” says Mrs Lindiwe. “I know what you are going through. My child’s grandmother is just as bad. She always gives Prudence sweets and cake and cold drink. The child’s teeth will all go bad.” The two ladies sit and gossip about everybody, while their children lie on the floor, completely forgotten.

Here comes another guest. It is Mrs Mother. She brings tea. Two gentlemen, Tom and Tswane, shyly follow Mrs Mother into the doll’s house. “Make clever sandwiches for the ladies and gentlemen,” Mrs Mother says. “Make clever sandwiches with something out of all the make-clever nutrient groups! Brown whole-wheat bread from the make-clever cereal group, with butter from the make-clever dairy group on it. Then there is cheese, from the dairy group and tomatoes and onions from the make-clever vegetable group.”

Mister Tswane mutters, “I prefer jam sandwiches from the get-fat-and-taste-good group!” but he takes a lot of sandwiches before they leave the doll’s house!

Mrs Lindiwe has brought along a packet of jelly beans and jelly tots. Now it’s dinner time for Gloria and Prudence. The ladies lay the table and dish up the food for the children. There’s a green bean and a yellow pumpkin jelly tot, a piece of scorched-black-meat and a red strawberry jelly tot. It’s a whole plateful of healthy food! The ladies feed their children and eat on their behalf. Soon the plates are empty and Gloria and Prudence receive a second, a third and a fourth plate of food each.

Mrs Lindiwe believes that if a child finishes his/her food, he/she may have pudding. The children receive a big helping of pudding each and the two ladies enjoy themselves.

When Mrs Mother calls them for lunch, Mrs Sarah and Mrs Lindiwe complain that they are not hungry and have stomach ache. “I can’t understand that,” says Mrs Mother. “Make-clever sandwiches don’t cause stomach ache! You didn’t perhaps eat too many sweets, did you?”

Both ladies reply, “Not at all. We haven’t eaten a thing! We have only fed our children. And it was wholesome food such as beans and pumpkin!”

Step 2 – Memory: Can the learners name a few unhealthy foods from the story? Can they remember the names of the lady/ladies and her/their child(ren)? Who was Prudence’s mommy? Whose mommy was Mrs Sarah? Which colour was the wholegrain bread/pumpkin/jelly tot/meat/bean? Which healthy foods were mentioned in the story? Why were the ladies no longer hungry later on? Step 3 – Questions: Which foods do you sometimes eat that come from the fattening group? Do you think everyone’s good-tasting group will be the same? Let the learners encourage one another to enjoy healthy food too. ± 3 minutesStep 4 – Listening with comprehension and memory: Name one unhealthy and one healthy snack/food. The learners identify the unhealthy snack/food. Example: Beans, jelly tots and jelly beans. Vary the assignment with one unhealthy and two healthy types. Example: Whole-wheat sandwich/jam sandwich/egg sandwich. ± 2 minutesStep 5 – Group work game: Divide the learners beforehand into groups of six. Give each group some pictures of unhealthy and healthy food. The learners decide in their group which pictures they will use to try and catch out the other groups. One group is now allowed one minute to ask the other groups a question about a series of pictures. ± 7 minutes

Phonics, sight vocabulary and spelling, lesson 5 for week 1 15 minutesResources: The flashcards of the sounds and sight words introduced to date, flashcards of the spelling words of this week and last week, crowns for the “Spelling King/Queen” game, pp. 12-13 in the Phonics Books for Learners if you are going to do enrichment too.

Step 1 – Speed-reading: First speed-read all the sounds introduced to date. Also select individual learners to speed-read some of the sounds and now the sight words. Let a few learners see individually how quickly they can read the words. Speed-read the spelling words of the week. Step 2 – Auditory discrimination of constancy: Focus particularly on the new words. Show one of the familiar sounds: Say three words in a series, which word does not begin with the same sound/does not have the same sound in the middle? 5 minutesStep 3 – Play “Spelling King/Queen”: “Spelling King/Queen” works like this: The chairs are lined up in rows in front of the board. Four of the chairs are close to the board. These are the thrones of the king, queen, prince and princess. Make four crowns. Four learners go to the board. Say a word. They write it on the board behind their hands (keeping them covered so that the others cannot see them). Uncover the word. Written correctly? Then they are the spelling king, queen, prince and princess and they receive crowns and sit down on the thrones. Then the next four learners get a turn and everybody moves up four chairs. If they have not spelled the word correctly, they remain at the board and must try again.Enrichment: On pp. 12-13 in the Phonics Book for Learners, there are some exercises you may use for enrichment. 10 minutes

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Handwriting, lesson 3 for week 1 15 minutes

Resources: Writing strip of the letters “t T”, class workbook or handwriting book, sharp pencils.

Step 1 – Hand and finger motor skills: Repeat, for a third time, the exercise in hand and finger motor skills as described for Day 1. Make it slightly more difficult by executing the repetitions rhythmically. 1-2 minutes

Step 2 – Writing strip of the letters “t T”: • One row of the small letter “t”, one row of the capital letter “T”, one row

of capital and small letters alternately.• One or two rows of a short sentence in which the sounds appear often.

An example: Tom and Tess sit still. 12-13 minutes

Possible baseline assessment in this lessonAre there learners who don’t complete the handwriting assignment? Do you know why not? Are they distracted? Do they find it difficult to start? You should take them in hand immediately and pay attention to it so that such poor habits don’t become the norm. If they are struggling to work from a writing strip, you should try to find out why.

Group-guided Reading, lesson 5 for week 1 30 minutes Resources: Worksheet 2, the graded readers you have handed out to each group, class workbooks, colouring pencils.

The reading lesson on the worksheet is written only with sounds that have been practised over and over. The learners should be able to read it easily and you will use the reading session to find out which learners have not yet managed this. Follow these steps:

First 15 minutesStep 1 – Speed-reading: Speed-read the sounds, sight and spelling words. Make it more interesting for the learners by letting them read, for example, in thick voices, in whispers, read without moving their lips, etc.Hint: From time to time, select a few learners who have done this the “best” and this group may, for one session, go and do the speed-reading by themselves in the reading corner. In this way, you will be able to check which learners are merely echoing the classmates and which learners are really reading.

Step 2 – Phonic reading lesson: Worksheet 2. Read the page only once with the whole class. Quickly discuss the contents in terms of “What I need to live”. Then ask individual learners to read a page. The learners who read out loud must follow the text with their fingers. Then say a word from the reading lesson and let the class find the word on the page. 15 minutes

Second 15 minutesStep 3 – Group reading: The learners separate into their reading groups and read the phonic reading lesson on worksheet 2 and the graded readers you have handed out to each group to one another. You move from group to group, helping where necessary and recording your observations of their reading progress and participation.Step 4 – Word-building exercise and written assignment: The learners complete the word-building assignment and the written assignment: The learners build words in the boxes and write one sentence with one of the words. Encourage the learners to check punctuation marks. 15 minutes

Writing, lesson 4 for week 1 15 minutesResources: Learner’s Books, p. 3, class workbooks, pencils.

Step 1 – Preparing for independent writing: Explain the assignment on p. 3 in the Learner’s Book to the learners. Let them read the sentences and indicate where the capital letters and full stops should be. Step 2 – Written application, capital letters, spacing and full stops: The learners do the assignment in their class workbooks. They select any picture and write at least two sentences in their class workbooks. Check particularly how they use capital letters and full stops and the correct spaces between words. 15 minutes

Possible baseline assessment in this lesson• Are there learners who still don’t understand the concept of capital

letters and full stops? • Are there learners who still don’t understand that there should be

spaces between words? These learners now need some of your attention individually.

Notes

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Week 2The second week of the 2-week topic: What I need to live

Week 2 briefly

As for last week, where there is a shift in emphasis/more difficult assignments are added as mentioned for you here:

Listening and Speaking• Continue to pay much attention to having the learners sit still and listen without interruption. If you encourage firm discipline at the beginning of the

year, it will be so much easier later in the year! • From this week, you may begin to give two SHORT instructions at a time. Continue to make sure that every learner in class responds IMMEDIATELY

without repeating the instructions again. If you find that you have to repeat the instructions, you should go back to one instruction at a time. • Still ask simple straight questions, but now expect the learners to begin to answer individually, because they should now be feeling more comfortable

in class.• Learners should remember three auditory words of three sound-related pictures and repeat them in the correct order. As the learners have to

remember the order of a story and lay it out in pictures, it should be approximately 4-6 pictures, not more. Subject concepts• Colours: Rote recognition and naming of the primary and secondary colours, as well as black and white PLUS naming and recognition of colours,

e.g. as light blue/dark blue. • This week, the following spatial concepts are emphasised and practised: Behind/last/at the back; under/bottom/at the bottom; above/on/on top next

to/beside/alongside; down/downward; go away/come back PLUS in/out; inside/outside; into/out of; inward/outward.

Reading and PhonicsEye motor skills• Big to-and-fro movements crossing the midline.Read (group-guided reading, shared reading)• Indicate punctuation marks (?!) in the text. Pay special attention to the influence of punctuation marks on, for example, intonation, when you read.• Preliminary reading: Predict the story as a group, based on the illustration.• Search-read: Find words with ee/oo in the text, look for specific sight words in the text.• Sight words: Good, look, door, room, soon, been, see, keep, seen, week, sleep. • Reading technique: Role of punctuation marks (?) and exclamation marks (!) in intonation.Phonics• This week, double sounds oo and ee are revised.• Pay special attention to the correct identification of the difference between o/oo, e/ee.• Spelling words: Book, moon, cool, soon, food, weep, heel, jeep, seed, green.• Easy spelling rule: Look but lock, peek but peck.

WritingHandwriting• Some more capital letters with straight lines: “f F”, “e E”, “h H”.• Correct spaces between words, correct line on which to write.• Exercise to develop muscles in hand and to cross midline.WritingThe following are emphasised:• Sentences begin with capital letters and end with a punctuation mark. Emphasise question marks, exclamation marks, commas and full stops.• Own sentences with at least two spelling words.• Capital letters in names PLUS capital letters in surnames.• Drawing a flow chart about themselves, with sentences based on the flow chart.

Baseline assessmentThis week, you particularly check the learners’ physical readiness and fine motor coordination. By the end of the week, you also assess how well the learners know the single and double sounds. You will again find hints to guide you in the lessons.

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Interest tables for week 2You will find most of the pictures proposed for the interest table among the free resources.

Day 1 and 2I discover why I need water and where the water comes from From the previous week’s lessons: The heading cards What I need to live, as well as the cards for Air, Water, Sunlight, Food. Picture of a boy and a girl with 60% stuck to their chests.Pictures and name cards of the various water sources.Also display the following under the heading: Water• A container of clean water and a container of dirty

water• A bowl of grapes – for demonstration of rinsing• A packet of ice• A tube of toothpaste and a toothbrush• A bar of soap• Ice made of boiled water and ice made from water

that wasn’t boiled• A bottle of soapy solution and a bubble-blowing stickAlso remember to point out to the learners the plants in the previous week’s experiments.

Day 3 and 4I discover why I need sunlight and also more about the dangers of too much sunExtend the display on the table and display the following under the heading card Sunlight: Display the following pictures: • A child who is protected from the sun • A person who is not protected from the

sun• People enjoying sunny weather• People who are miserable and chilled

in grey weatherAlso display the following objects:• Two wet cloths• A bottle of sunscreen lotion• An umbrella• A sunhat

Day 5I discover why I need air to live and also more about the dangers of dirty/not enough airDisplay the following pictures:• respiratory system• air pollutionIf possible, also display the following:• A fan with ribbons tied to it• Something with a strong aroma• Some balloons• Two candles, one glass flask and lighter


Clapping sentences in words, longer words in syllables and words in soundsOne of the most important skills learners have to master in the Foundation Phase regarding reading and writing is breaking up long series of sounds into smaller units. Sentences must be broken up into words, long words must be broken up into syllables and syllables and short words must be broken up into sounds.

Clapping sentences in wordsThe average learner probably don’t know what sentences and words are. Neither do they know that sentences consist of words. In order to teach them this concept, we let them clap sentences in words. However, many words consist of more than one syllable. In order not to confuse the learners, you should take care to let them clap only sentences consisting of monosyllabic words. Example: My name is John. I am in Grade 1.

Clapping words in syllablesWhen the instruction tells the learners to clap a word in syllables, at this stage, we simply mean that the learner should clap it in speech syllables, because they do not have any idea yet of the spelling rules regarding syllables. Example: They must clap the word “daddy” and will probably clap: da-dy. This is absolutely correct and you won’t correct them. What you will do is to say something such as: Well done! Dad-dy. Then you clap the word correctly and emphasise both the letters “d”. In this way, the learners are made aware incidentally of the correct spelling. Later in the year, you will pay more attention to this.

Clapping words in soundsWe begin by clapping words consisting of three sounds in sounds. Bear in mind that some sounds consist of more than one letter. Example: B-oo-k, r-ea-d. The words are NOT clapped as r-e-a-d, but as r-ea-d.

Lightning conductors When you notice that the learners’ attention begins to stray or that they begin to look tired, you can say something such as: Let’s put on our glasses so that we can see better (they shape spectacles with their fingers); Let’s push up our antennae so that we can hear better (raise arms and wave them about), etc. Any physical activity full of fun will work and it may be done while sitting or standing up.

Resources on the CD in the Teacher’s Guide• A set of phonics cards of the double sounds oo/ee. On the same page,

there are also sound combinations: oa, ai, ea, etc. Don’t hand out these phonics cards now – only when the teaching plans require this.

• Writing strip for the following three letters with straight lines: “f F”, “e E”, “h H”.

• Worksheets 2 and 3.

Background informationIn baseline assessment up to week 6, you will assess step by step to what extent the learner has mastered skills from Grade 1 so that he/she is now ready for Grade 2. In the lessons, you will receive clear guidance so that you will know exactly what to do and what to check. You will assess, among other things, the learner’s physical coordination (particularly fine-motor coordination) and emotional readiness for Grade 2. The learner’s perceptual skills (auditory, visual and fine motor) and level of language development are also important. When the learners lag behind in one of these facets, it is often the cause of the deficiencies that occur. You cannot plan the help teaching plans if you don’t know WHY the learner is lagging behind. In the assessment hints, you will find ample guidance on what to check.Hint 1: Before presenting the lesson, you should carefully study both the lesson and the assessment hints so that you know beforehand what to do and what to check for in the assessment.

Hint 2: You should bear in mind that you should not use the learners’ baseline assessment to label their capabilities, but rather to decide how to go about the initial activities and to assess which aspects of the work should receive more attention. For example, you may have learners in your class who are lagging behind because of their circumstances at home but who progress rapidly in all the subjects when they receive the correct guidance.

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Some useful knowledge about readiness for Grade 2 and baseline assessmentBaseline assessment: Fine motor coordination and readiness for Grade 2Here is a 10-point checklist to determine if a learner’s fine motor skills are good enough for Grade 2:The learner should be able to1. thread beads of 5c size on a string2. trace the outlines of a picture confidently3. colour in neatly between the lines4. cut out pictures with simple outlines easily5. build a tower of at least seven wooden blocks6. hold a pencil correctly7. write neatly and within a given time8. cross his/her midline smoothly with the eyes9. cross his/her midline smoothly without turning the book or the body skew10. pick up phonics cards and put them on other phonics cards easily.Baseline assessment: Emotional readiness for Grade 2Here is a 10-point checklist to assess if a learner is emotionally ready for Grade 2:1. The learner usually appears happy.2. The learner has a positive self-concept.3. The learner can accept criticism without crying or becoming angry unnecessarily.4. The learner has self-confidence.5. The learner is willing to attempt tasks and assignments independently.6. The learner can complete assignments without asking every few minutes if it is correct/nice.7. The learner can control his/her impulsivity.8. The learner does not wander about unnecessarily or hinder classmates.9. The learner is not excessively restless.10. The learner focuses his/her attention on an assignment long enough.

Teaching plans for week 2 The second week of the 2-week topic: What I need to live

Day 1Listening and Speaking, lesson 1 – 15 minutes; Shared Reading, lesson 1 – 15 minutes; Phonics, lesson 1 – 15 minutes; Handwriting, lesson 1 – 15 minutes; Group-guided Reading, lesson 1 – 30 minutes

Listening and Speaking, lesson 1 for week 2 15 minutesResources: The “The talkative glass of water”-story, one set of the following syllable cards for each learner: School, bag; wa, ter; ri, vers; se, ven; as, king; fa, mi, ly; su, per, mar, ket.

Before you start with the lesson!Hint 1: Remember that each day begins with a 10 minute greeting session. This activity is no longer described because you now know what to do.Hint 2: The approximate times are no longer indicated in the steps of the lessons because you now have a good idea of how much time you should spend on each step.

Step 1 – Listening: Tell the “The talkative glass of water”-story. Emphasise the concepts in bold print.

The talkative glass of waterButi comes home from school. He has walked far in the hot sun and he is thirsty. He throws down his schoolbag in the hallway and walks to the kitchen. He knows there is always cold water in the fridge. He pours a tall glass of ice cold water for himself. Just when he wants to take a big gulp, the water tells him: “Hey, wait, wait a bit.”

“Huh?” Buti asks. Who is talking to me? Is it the glass, is it the water? He has never heard of water that can talk!

“How can you just drink me if you don’t first know where I come from?”

Now he looks carefully at the water. Is this special magical water? Water that can talk?

“From the fridge, where else?” Buti asks.

“Where else? Where else?” the glass says amazed. “Do you want to tell me that you will just gulp me down without asking about my past? Let me tell you. The sun draws up the water to the clouds. When the clouds grow too heavy from all the water, it rains. The rain that doesn’t sink away into the ground, it runs off and forms rivers.”

Now Buti knows this is magic water. “I’m seven years old already and I have never seen the sun drawing water up into the sky,” he says amazed and carefully puts his glass down on the table.

“You can’t always see it, the water is so fine in the sky, people can’t see it. But sometimes, you can indeed see it, the people say it is fog, then the sky looks so grey.” Oh yes, Buti has seen that.

When he has nodded his head, the water continues. “The sun draws all this water up into the sky and then you can see it again.”

“Yes, yes,” Buti calls out. “I know, it is clouds!” The water sparkles satisfied in the glass and continues. “If

there is so much water in the cloud that the cloud becomes too heavy, the water begins to fall . . . ”

“Rain!” Buti shouts. “Do you know, when it is very cold in the clouds and warm on the earth and the rain starts falling, it can turn to ice? We call it hail”, Buti says.

The water thinks a moment. This it doesn’t know, it has never heard of that, but Buti seems to know what he is talking about.

Water continues. “The rain sinks into the ground. Whatever is too much, runs off to the rivers and dams. Have you ever seen a dam?” the water in the glass asks Buti.

“Of course,” Buti answers, “but what is that to you? You come from the tap, not from the dam.”

“Not from the dam? I ask you, what do you know? Of course I come from the dam. Rivers are caught up in dams.”

“Oh no,” Buti says. “If all the rivers are caught up in dams, then what about the rivers that run into the sea?

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“Dams also become full, you know. There are also streams that eventually flow into the river,” the water in the glass says cheekily. “But I, I am very special. You just want to gulp me down and you don’t even know how special I am? What a shame!”

“You look just like water to me. What’s so special about you? Are you magical water?” Buti asks. Now he is a little afraid to drink the water.

“Wait, wait a bit, little guy. I am special because I am spring water. My family and I live deep, deep under the ground in open spots among the rocks and then we just bubble out of the ground all by ourselves,” the water boasts. “You may drink me. There are no germs in me and I am healthy,” the water says and sparkles in the glass.

“Thank you, water, I’m glad you have come from the spring, into the bottle, on the supermarket’s shelf, in my mom’s shopping trolley, into the fridge and into the kitchen,” Buti says and takes a big mouthful of water.

Step 2 – Memory and initial sounds: Ask some simple comprehension and content questions and give individual learners turns to answer. Encourage learners to await their turns. Who did the water begin to talk with first? Why did the water want to talk with Buti? Who do you think knew the most about water? Where does water come from? What new things did Buti learn from the water in the glass? Does the water come only from a tap? Why is the water in the glass special water? What is spring water? Why can’t you drink water that has germs in it? Where was the water before Buti began to drink it? Do you know what to do to get water clean? ± 5 minutesStep 3 – Breaking up words into speech syllables: Let the learners clap some of the longer words in the story in speech syllables. Example: School-bag, wa-ter, un-der, shop-ping, bub-ble, tal-king, heal-thy, fa-mi-ly, a-fraid, su-per-mar-ket. ± 2-4 minutesStep 4 – Auditory and visual memory: Each learner gets a set of syllable cards. Let the learners read each syllable out loud and then shuffle the cards. Tell them to lay out two parts to form a word. Example: “Listen carefully, school + bag.” The learners take out the two parts and lay them out in the correct order to form the familiar word. Step 5 – Sounds: The learners identify the two initial sounds of each syllable. You may also tap on two initial/end sounds in two syllables so that the learners execute two instructions when identifying them. 5-8 minutes

Possible baseline assessment of physical readinessPhysical readiness • Throughout the day, check if the learners pay careful attention at the

beginning of the day, but become excessively tired by the end of the day.

• On the other hand, you may also check if there are learners who appear listless in the morning and later on brighten up.

Record your observations in the observation book so that you can follow up and find out why this is so.

Shared reading from Big Book, lesson 1 for week 2 15 minutesResources: Still Big Book 1.

The Big Book is used for the fourth time. Today, you check the learners’ ability to recall the story.Step 1 – Memory: • Can the learners remember what the story was about? What happened

first? Second? Third? etc. How did the story end? Also ask what happened at the beginning/end of the story. Turn to the applicable pages each time, read the pages and let the learners decide if their answers were correct.

• While you are on the page, point out one familiar word on the page. Let the learners clap it in speech syllables and say the initial sound.

• Are there any of the familiar sight words on the page? Quickly flash a sight word that appears on the page. The learners read the words and now you ask a learner to come and point them out on the page. Let the learners also clap the words in sounds and select a learner or three to go and write the sight words on the board. ±8 minutes

Step 2 – Shared reading: Read the whole story from beginning to end, without interruption, without asking questions, just for the pleasure of it. By this time, the learners will know the story very well. Do they want to join in the reading?Hint: When the refrain appears when the story is read again, you simply keep quiet, look at the learners encouragingly and they will begin to say the refrain spontaneously. 5 minutes

Step 3 – Higher-order questions: Ask some higher-order questions (remember that the learner must explain the answer and that the answer should therefore always include the word because). Examples: How did the story make them feel? Why? Why do you think the dragon captured the princess? Did the dragon know how to look after the princess? Why do you say that? Why wasn’t the princess satisfied with the golden furniture in her cage? Why did the dragon want so much for the princess to talk to him? How did the princess and the dragon become friends? What did the dragon fear when he hid the princess in the cage at the back of his cupboard? Do you think the princess was clever to stop talking and singing? Why? Why did the princess not forget the dragon? Why was the friendship of the dragon and the princess an example of love and caring? 2 minutes

Possible baseline assessment in this lessonPhysical readiness • Check the learner’s energy level. Has the learner been able to

pay attention from this morning or does he/she appear to become excessively tired? Does the learner become tired because he/she is not physically ready to concentrate for such a long time, or because he/she has perhaps not eaten for a long time and is hungry?

• When you are reading from the Big Book and the learners are sitting on the carpet with you, check if there are learners who are continually moving forward or who screw up their eyes to see the pictures better. Does the learner perhaps have an eye problem?

Phonics, sight vocabulary and spelling, lesson 1 for week 2 15 minutesResources: The following pictures: Bee, weep, tree, green, cheese, sleep, tent, bed, leg, net, jeep. If you are using the New All-In-One Phonics Book for Learners, you don’t need to look for the pictures, the exercises have already been worked out for you on pp. 14 to 15. Flashcards of the sounds introduced to date plus oo and ee. Flashcards of the spelling words for this week and last week, flashcards of the sight words introduced to date plus the set of new sight words, the learners’ small phonics cards, writing boards and chalk.Beforehand: Cut loose the cards of the double sounds for each learner and keep them ready to hand out.

Step 1 – Speed-reading of the familiar sounds: Revise speed-reading of the single sounds practised to date by flashing the cards faster and faster while the learners read them. Vary the order in which you flash the cards!Step 2 – High-frequency sight words: Speed-read the high-frequency sight words with single sounds learnt in week 1. ± 2-3 minutesStep 3 – Introducing the ee sound: Use pp. 14 and 15 in the Phonics Book. If you are not using the Phonics Book, put up pictures of the following on the board: Tree, bee, weep, sleep, green, cheese. The learners name the pictures and identify the long sounds in the middle of each word, they say the sound out loud and write the sound on their writing boards (Box 1 on p. 14). Step 4 – Auditory differences, similarities, constancy: Put up some pictures with ee and others with e on the board. Let the learners name the pictures and then say the sound they hear in the middle of each word (Box 2 on p. 14).Step 5 – Auditory memory: Read/say some words with e/ee and let the learners, without the help of pictures, tell which sound they hear. They may, for example, write the sound they hear on their writing boards and hold them up so that you can check who is still struggling (exercises on p. 15). 5-8 minutesStep 6 – Speed-reading of the single sounds and double sounds: Flash the double sounds on flashcards and let the learners read them a few times. Sort the double sounds among flashcards of single sounds. Speed-read again. Flash a sound. How many of the sounds can the learners find among their phonics cards in a given time? (Count slowly to 10, for example.)

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Let the learners pick out the new sound more than once. ± 3 minutesStep 7 – Introducing the new spelling words: Flash the spelling words one by one. Let the learners then read words and clap them in sounds. Put up the words on the board. Read the words again. ± 2 minutes

Possible baseline assessment in this lessonFine motor coordination • Could the learner pick out the phonics cards among the others.• Does the learner manage to shuffle the words on the small phonics

cards and lay them out in the correct order? (Here we are only talking about whether the learner’s hands can handle the cards – not whether he/she knows the sounds!)

Handwriting, lesson 1 for week 2 15 minutesResources: Exercise books, pencils.

Step 1 – Hand and finger motor skills: The learners each get an elastic band around their fingers. They see how big they can stretch the band with their fingers. The same exercise is done before all three of the handwriting lessons. ± 1 minutesStep 2 – Writing strip of the letters “f F”: One row of the small letter “f”, one row of the capital letter “F”, one row of small and capital letters alternately.One or two rows of a short sentence containing the sounds. Example: Fran looks in her book. Step 3 – The sound of the week: One or two rows in which the learners write the sounds of the week (ee, oo) as beautifully as they can. 14 minutes

Possible baseline assessment of fine motor coordination in this lesson

• Does the learner hold the pencil correctly? Without gripping it too tightly? Without dropping it? Without the point breaking time and again?

• Does the learner write without pressing too hard/gently?

Group-guided reading, lesson 1 for week 2 30 minutesResources: Reading lesson on p. 4 in the Learner’s Book, flashcards of the familiar sounds PLUS aa and ee, flashcards of the sight words learnt this term, each reading group’s graded reader from a reader series of your choice.

First 15 minutesStep 1 – Big group: Learner’s Book p. 4. • Eye exercise: Three learners work together. Each group receives one

marble and a shallow, round container such as a cake tin’s lid. One learner places his/her wrists on the table, holds the container and rolls the marble around without lifting his/her hands from the table. The second learner puts his/her hands behind his/her back and follows the movement of the marble with his/her eyes only, without moving his/her head. The third learner checks if the second learner keeps his/her head still. As soon as the head moves, it is the next learner’s turn.

• ± 2 minutesStep 2 – Reading activities:• Let the learners study the picture. Can they guess what the reading

lesson is about? Read the sentences to the learners while they are following the words with their fingers. Quickly talk again about the dangers of too much sun. Ask questions to check the learners’ comprehension. Examples: Why did Lee sit in the sun for such a long time? Who tried to warn Dan that the sun was too hot? How did Dan feel when he had been in the sun too long? How did Dan’s mother help him? Do you think Dan will sit in the sun again for hours without sunscreen lotion?

• Read the sentences again one by one. Clap each sentence in words with the learners. Name the punctuation marks. The learners read the sentences with you again and use the correct intonation. They point with a finger at the words as they are reading.

• Flash a sight word. Let the learners find the word in the lesson and put a block on it. Clap the word in sounds. Write the word on the writing boards. Repeat with several sight words.

• Flash some of the familiar sounds you choose. The learners read the sounds and put blocks on the letters of the sounds they can find in the text. Select individual learners to read the words. Can they find the new sounds (oo, ee) in the reading lesson? Read the word. Clap the word in sounds.

• Clap the words in the reading lesson slowly in sounds. Can the learners hear what the word is? Can they find the word in the text?

Step 3 – Assignment: Explain the assignment that follows the reading lesson. The learners do a word-building exercise, then they write down the sentences in the correct order in their class workbooks. ± 12 minutes

Second 15 minutes• The learners separate into their reading groups and read the page in

the Learner’s Book to one another. Then they read their reading lesson in the graded reader you have selected to one another. When they have finished reading, they go to their tables and continue with the word-building exercise.

• You take reading group 1 to come and read to you. 15 minutes

Possible baseline assessment in this lessonPhysical readiness• Does the learner manage to do the eye exercise correctly? How do the

eyes move? Smoothly or jerkily?

Reading groups• Does the learner manage to read the graded book you have selected?

Should you scale up or down? It is important that the learner should read the book fairly comfortably; you don’t want to discourage the learner!

Day 2Shared Reading, lesson 2 – 15 minutes; Phonics, lesson 2 – 15 minutes; Group-guided Reading and reading in pairs/independent reading, lesson 2 – 30 minutes; Writing, lesson 1 – 15 minutes

Shared Reading, lesson 2 for week 2 15 minutesResources: Still Big Book 1; yellow, red, blue and green blocks.

Step 1 – Group work: Divide the class into four colour groups. Let the learners put down a block/pencil of their colour in front of them. Start at the beginning of the story and swap the groups on each page. Indicate the group that should read with a picture or toy from the story. Example: Yellow – crown, Red – fire, Green – dragon. Read the story and let the groups join in the reading as you indicate them. Step 2: Let the groups swap colours. Turn to only the learners’ favourite parts in the story. Encourage dramatisation. Step 3: Give two learners turns to read the story to the class.

Possible baseline assessment of physical readiness in this lesson

Does the learner manage to pay attention throughout or does the learner appear to become tired? Does the learner only pay attention when it is his/her turn to read?

Phonics, sight vocabulary and spelling, lesson 2 for week 2 15 minutesResources: The flashcards of the single and double sounds introduced to date, flashcards of the spelling words for this week and last week, flashcards of the sight words for weeks 1 and 2, the learners’ small phonics cards, writing boards and chalk, pp. 16 and 17 in the New All-In-One Phonics Book for Learners. If you are not using the Phonics Book, pictures of a broom, cook, school, wool, boot, pot, clock, dog, fox, box, food, hook, book.

Step 1 – Speed-reading of the familiar sounds: Revise speed-reading of the single and double sounds learnt to date by flashing the cards faster and faster while the learners are reading them. Vary the order in which you flash the cards! ± 3 minutesStep 2 – Differences and similarities (o/oo): If you are using the New All-In-One Phonics Book for Learners, you will find the activities described here on pp. 16 and 17.

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• Put up the prescribed pictures with the oo-sound on the board. The learners name the pictures and tell which sound they hear in the middle of the words (Box 1). Shuffle the pictures with the o-pictures and sort them under pictures with o and pictures with oo. Cover the pictures. How many words with o and how many with oo can the learners remember? (Box 2)

• Practise the learners’ auditory memory and read/say some words with o/oo and let the learners, without the help of pictures, tell which sound they hear. They may, for example, write the sound they hear on their writing boards and hold it up, so that you can check who is still struggling (exercises on p. 17). ± 5 minutes

Step 3 – Revising previous spelling words: Speed-read the spelling words with single sounds from the previous week. Flash a word or three and let the learners write it/them on their writing boards.Step 4 – Practising new spelling words: Flash the spelling words prescribed for the week one by one. The learners read the words and clap them in sounds. Let the learners use the words in sentences. Flash the words again one by one (for 2-3 seconds). Take away the word. The learners write it on their writing boards. Flash the word again and keep it there. The learners check if they have written the word correctly. They correct it if it is wrong. Repeat with all the spelling words.Step 5 – Sight words: Speed-read the familiar sight words learnt to date. Introduce the new sight words. Learners clap them in sounds and write them on their writing boards. ± 8 minutes

Note: The o/oo sounds are examples of how sounds written exactly the same differ in pronunciation. Examples: Cook and book compared to moon and soon; broom compared to wool. Make sure that learners understand it and practise the correct pronunciation – especially with those learners who do not speak English at home.


• Does the learner manage to handle the Learner’s Book/writing boards/chalk? Are there learners who still often drop the Learner’s Book/writing boards/chalk?

• Are there learners who are struggling to pick up the sound cards and hold them up? Can you see why?

These can all be indications that the learner is not yet physically ready and is still clumsy. These learners need special help.

Group-guided reading, lesson 2 for week 2 30 minutesResources: Still the phonic reading lesson on p. 4 in the Learner’s Book, pencils and colouring pencils, each reading group’s graded reader from a reader series you select, your large flashcards of the sounds, sight and spelling words learnt to date.

Step 1 – Before the class separates into reading groups: Quickly speed-read the sounds, sight words and spelling words learnt to date.Step 2 – Reading groups with you: Today, groups 2 and 3 come to read their lesson to you. Follow the same steps with groups 2 and 3 as you followed yesterday with group 1. Remember to do speed-reading of sounds, sight words and spelling words in the small reading group too. Step 3 – Other reading groups: The groups who are not reading to you, follow this procedure:• The rest of the learners separate into pairs and read the following to

one another: The phonic reading lesson on p. 4 in the Learner’s Book, and the reading lesson in the graded reader you have selected for them.

• When they have finished reading, they go to the tables and complete the exercise in their class workbooks. When they have finished this, they read by themselves from a graded book according to their skill.

Possible baseline assessment in this lessonPhysical readiness• Could the learner pay attention throughout from this morning until now?

Without being tearful? Without becoming excessively tired?

Writing, lesson 1 for week 2 15 minutesResources: P. 4 in the Learner’s Book, wall charts of the punctuation marks (see resources), writing board.

Step 1 – Teaching writing orally, relating to reading lesson – capital letters and full stops: Write down about four sentences from the reading lesson which begin with capital letters and end with full stops, one beneath the other on the board. (Avoid sentences with quotation marks, question marks and exclamation marks.) The learners count the number of sentences on the board. How do they know where each sentence begins/ends? The learners identify the capital letters at the beginning of each sentence. Ask questions to emphasise capital letters. Examples: Why is Lee in the third paragraph written with a capital letter too, even if it’s not the beginning of a sentence? Step 2 – Teaching writing orally, relating to reading lesson – exclamation mark: Write a sentence ending with an exclamation mark from the reading lesson on the board. Example: He sits in the sun for another hour! The sun is just too hot! Explain the purpose of an exclamation mark. Let the learners read the sentences again and use the exclamation mark. Display the wall chart of the “exclamation mark” rule. The learners discuss the wall chart. Give an example of a short sentence and let one learner write the sentence with the correct punctuation marks on the board. Give another learner a turn to write his/her own short sentence with an exclamation mark on the board. The class reads the sentence together.


Listening and Speaking, lesson 2 for week 2 15 minutesResources: The “At the swimming pool”-story, red and blue blocks for each learner.

Step 1 – Listen: Read the “At the swimming pool”-story to the learners. Make sure that the learners understand the words in bold print.

At the swimming poolIt is a bright, sunny day. The sunflower growing by the swimming pool turns her face to the sun and sighs contentedly. Sun. Sun. Lovely sun. She can’t believe that there are people who think that the sun can be bad for you. Everybody knows that nothing can survive without the sun. Too much sun? BLAH! She will never get too much sun!

The sunflower can hear that children are coming to the swimming pool. They laugh and yell. They are surely coming to enjoy the sun too, she thinks. It is pleasant to hear children yelling and laughing and jumping into the water. As long as no one picks her.

Hey! What kind of flower is this that is now suddenly standing here next to the swimming pool? She wonders. It has come here with the children. First, it was just a thin old stem, but just look at it now! Just when the sun came, it unfolded into a beautiful multi-coloured flower. See, sunshine is good!

Sun umbrella stands up straight in the ground. Oh, she is glad she is no longer in the shop. This is her first outing. The sun is so lovely on her body. BLAH to the people who say that sun is not good for you. The sun is gorgeous.

Next to her, another umbrella is put up. “Eish! What has happened to you?” she asks the other umbrella.

“Sun,” says the drab umbrella. “This is from standing in the sun too much and too long. I know this is what I’m made for, but oh well, even for us the sun can be too much. The sun has almost burnt me to a cinder. I think this may be my last summer.”

The sunflower can’t believe her ears, too much sun? But the old umbrella does look bad, even she has to say so.

The children laugh and jump into the water. They are enjoying the sunny day at the swimming pool. One mommy calls her children: “Anne and Carl, come let me put sunscreen lotion on you!”

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Anne comes running along and stands still so that Mommy can apply sunscreen lotion to her whole body. She also puts her hat with the wide brim on her head before continuing to play. Only Carl doesn’t want to listen. “I don’t want to come now, I’m having too much fun playing,” he shouts. “The sun won’t burn me. I’m in the water the whole time.”

No matter how much Mommy calls, he just pretends that he doesn’t hear anything. The sun won’t burn him, his skin is strong; he already has a nice tan. He doesn’t mind freckles.

Late in the afternoon, when the sun is beginning to set, the umbrellas are taken down and they all go home. Only sunflower remains. See, she thinks. A little sunshine hasn’t harmed anybody.

But just around the corner, in the blue house, it is another story. Carl’s whole body is burnt blood red. No one can touch him because he is too sore. He cries. He feels sick. His body hurts. His head aches. Carl is ill. Mommy is so worried, they take Carl to hospital.

At the hospital, the doctor looks at Carl over his glasses. “Young man,” he says, “you thought you were too big and strong for sunscreen lotion, didn’t you? You thought it was only for little girls, didn’t you?” Carl only nods. He is feeling too miserable to argue. “Sun stroke,” the doctor says and gives him medicine and ointment.

That evening as Carl is lying in bed, he knows. Sunshine is fun, but too much sun is definitely not good for you. Even if you are a big boy who is in Grade 2 already!

Step 2 – Listening and Speaking: Ask some easy, straightforward questions about the contents of the story. Example: What does a sunflower look like? Why did Sunflower think that he could never get enough sunshine? How do the two umbrellas planted at the swimming pool differ? Why does the one umbrella look dull? Why does Mommy apply sunscreen lotion to Anne’s body? What else did Anne use to protect herself from too much sun? Why doesn’t the boy want to protect himself from the sun? What happened to Carl? What is sunstroke? ± 5 minutes for step 1 and 2Step 3 – Speak: Let the learners take out a blue and a red block. The learners who have been badly sunburnt before must put a red block on the table; the others put a blue block on the table. Let the learners with blocks of the same colour sit together. The learners begin to share their personal experiences. Give each group an applicable instruction. Examples: Red group: Tell the blue group why they should always ensure that they are protected from the sun. Blue group: Tell the red group how and where you should protect yourself from the sun. Write key sentences on the board to summarise the discussion. ± 5 minutesStep 4 – Memory: Keep the groups. Say some words from the story. Give one learner from each group a turn to repeat the words. The learners repeat the words in order. Which group has listened the best now? ± 5 minutes

Phonics, sight vocabulary and spelling, lesson 3 for week 2 15 minutesResources: The flashcards of the sounds introduced to date, flashcards of the spelling words for this week and last week, flashcards of the sight words introduced to date, the learners’ small phonics cards, umbrella, small picture of umbrella for each learner, writing boards and chalk, pp. 18 and 19 in the New All-In-One Phonics Book for Learners. If you are not using the Phonics Book, pictures of the following: School, tree, bee, cheese, book, weep, cook, moon, wool, green, foot.

Step 1 – Speed-read the familiar sounds: Write or paste big phonics cards firmly to an umbrella, one sound on each segment. Now divide the learners into four groups. Each group represents a sound. Call out two learners from a group to the front. Blindfold one of the learners. The other learner must hold the umbrella horizontally in one hand and twirl it with the other hand. When the umbrella stops, the class calls out “umbrella”. The blindfolded learner must touch any part of the umbrella with a ruler. When the learner touches his/her team’s letter, the group gets a full stop.When the full stop has been assigned, the whole class reads the sounds clockwise from the letter indicated. Now it is the next group’s turn. Repeat until each group has had two turns. Who has two full stops? ± 5 minutes

Step 2 – Differences and similarities (oo/ee): If you are using the New All-In-One Phonics Book for Learners, you will find the activities described here in the exercises on pp. 18 and 19. • Put up the prescribed pictures on the board. The learners name the

pictures and sort them under pictures containing oo and pictures containing ee (boxes 1 and 2 and 4). Cover the pictures. How many words with oo can the learners remember and how many with ee?

• Also give them some sentences containing the words, but omit the oo/ee from the words. The learners must complete the sentences. (This is referred to as cloze.) Example: The m____n peeks from the tr___s. Another example: I sw___p the floor with a br___m. (Exercise in box 3.)

Step 3 – Practise spelling words: First flash the spelling words. The learners read the words and clap them in sounds. (Remember: S-w-ee-p because ee is one sound). Write the words. Select a learner to use a word in a sentence. Can a second learner think of another sentence?Step 4 – Speed-reading sight words: Speed-read the sight words introduced already. Let the learners write one of the words on their writing boards/the big board for variation. ± 5 minutesStep 5 – Word-building: Flash three sounds forming a word in order and let the learners lay them out in order to build a word. Read the word. Clap the word in sounds. Shuffle the letters. Build the word again. Repeat with more spelling and sight words. Hint 1: Use the prescribed spelling words for the week for this exercise.Hint 2: Make it slightly more difficult: Flash the phonics cards of the sounds and remove them. The learners must REMEMBER the order and lay the letters out in that order. ± 5 minutes

Handwriting, lesson 2 for week 2 15 minutesResources: Writing strip, class workbooks, pencils.

Step 1 – Hand and finger motor skills: Repeat the exercise in hand and finger motor skills as described for Day 1. ± 1 minuteStep 2 – Writing strip of the letters “e E”: • One row of the small letter “e”, one row of the capital “E”, row of capital

and small letters alternated.• One or two rows of a short sentence in which the sounds appear

several times. Example: I sleep and weep. Step 3 – Spelling words: The learners write the spelling words of the week as beautifully as they can. ± 14 minutes

Possible baseline assessment of physical readinessCould the learner hold the pencil correctly? Without it slipping from his/her fingers? What does the position of the hand look like? Are there learners who are struggling to handle the book? Can you find out why?

Group-guided Reading, lesson 3 for week 2 30 minutesResources: Lids of large cake tins or shoeboxes, marbles, phonic reading lesson on p. 5 in the Learner’s Book, each reading group’s graded reader from a reader series of your choice, phonics cards, individual writing boards and chalk, small counter/block to use as marker, class workbooks, colouring pencils.

First 15 minutes: Work with the big group firstStep 1 – Eye exercise: Three learners work together again. Each group gets one marble and a shallow container such as the lid of a cake tin/shoebox. One learner puts his/her wrists on the table, holds the lid and lets the marble roll in it without raising his/her hands from the table. The second learner sits with his/her hands behind his/her back and follows the movement of the marble without moving his/her head. The third learner watches to see if the second learner keeps his/her head still. Each learner must try to follow the marble for 30 seconds. As a variation from Monday’s lesson, the lids may be bigger. ± 3 minutesStep 2 – Reading activities:• Let the learners study the picture. Can they guess what the reading

lesson is about? Read the sentences to the learners while they are following the words with their fingers. Did they guess correctly what the lesson was about? Relate the contents of the lesson with the topic of Day 3 and 4 (need for air to live). Ask questions to determine the learners’ comprehension. Examples: Why did the friends want to fall asleep? Who saved them? etc.

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• Read the sentences again one by one. Clap each sentence in words with the learners. Find the capital letters at the beginning of sentences. Find the names and check if they are written with capital letters. Name the punctuation marks. The learners read the sentences with you again and use the correct intonation. They point with their fingers at the words they are reading.

• Flash a sight word. Let the learners find the word in the lesson and put a block around it. Clap the word in sounds. Write the word on the writing boards. Repeat with several sight words.

• Flash some of the familiar sounds you choose. Focus on the sounds of the week (double sounds oo, ee). The learners read the sounds and put blocks on the sounds they find in the reading text. Select individual learners to read the words. Clap the word(s) in sounds.

• You clap some of the words in the reading lesson slowly in sounds. Can the learners hear what the word is? Can they find the word in the text? ± 10 minutes

Step 3 – Assignment: Explain the assignment that follows the reading lesson. The learners do a word-building and drawing assignment in their class workbooks. ± 2 minutes

Second 15 minutes• The learners separate into their reading groups and read the page

in the Learner’s Book to one another. Then they read to one another their reading lesson in the graded reader you choose. When they have finished reading, they go to their tables and continue with the word-building exercise.

You take group 1 to come and read to you. 15 minutes


It has been a long day! Are there learners who appear excessively exhausted? Weepy? In the end didn’t want to participate in activities any longer? Later in the day, become more aggressive/disruptive?

Writing, lesson 2 for week 2 30 minutesResources: Learner’s Book, p. 6, writing board and chalk.

Shared writingThe learners have now discovered that sentences begin with capital letters and end with full stops. The aim of this writing lesson is to show the learners how to plan before they write sentences. The activities will also show them how they can use clever and descriptive words when they write sentences. Step 1 – Describing a friend: Learner’s Book, p. 6. The learners choose a name for the child in the picture and you/a learner write(s) the name on the board. Now they select from the key words two words each time which they think will suit the child best. You write the words on the board. They use the words in one sentence to describe the child. Example: Hair: Long, black; next to the words, you now write the sentence the class has provided. Maria’s hair is long and black. They read the sentence. Keep this up until the whole flow chart has been completed. Emphasise using capital letters at the beginning of a sentence/names and the importance of the full stop. ± 8-10 minutesStep 2 – Describing another friend: Repeat all of this and let the learners describe another friend. Perhaps you select learners to come and write the sentences on the board? Read the sentences with the learners. ± 7 minutes

Enrichment: If time permits, they may also describe a classmate based on the flow chart, without telling who they have described. The other classmates must guess who it is.


It has been a long day! Are there learners who appear excessively exhausted? Weepy? In the end, didn’t want to participate in activities any longer? Later in the day, become more aggressive/disruptive? If the learners are not hungry or ill, they might not be physically ready for such a long, full day. Observe these learners carefully during the rest of the week to assess their readiness.

Day 4Shared reading, lesson 3 – 15 minutes; Phonics, lesson 4 – 15 minutes; Group-guided reading, lesson 4 – 30 minutes; Writing, lesson 3 – 15 minutes

Shared reading from Big Book, lesson 3 for week 2 15 minutesResources: Still Big Book 1, picture of the story for discussion, titles of the Big Book and the storybook from the reading corner on cardboard strips.

Today, you use the Big Book’s features to excite learners’ desire to read other books too. This may be done as follows:Step 1 – Front cover: Quickly discuss the book’s front cover again with the learners. What happens in the illustration? Can the learners, based on the front cover, predict what the story is about? Now use any richly illustrated storybook of your choice. Discuss the front cover. Can the learners, based on the front cover, predict what the story is about? Step 2 – Title: Read the title of the Big Book. Put up the title on the board.Step 3 – List of contents: Does the book have a list of contents? And the storybook? Read the list of contents and the page numbers. Turn to the pages and read the titles and the first sentence or two of each new story/rhyme. Step 4 – Contents: Page through the storybook. How many pages are there? Read the first page or three and discuss the pictures. Step 5 – Encouraging reading culture: Put the new storybook in the reading corner to excite the learners’ curiosity and encourage them to page through it by themselves in their spare time.

Phonics, sight vocabulary and spelling, lesson 4 for week 2 15 minutesResources: The flashcards of the sounds and sight words introduced to date, flashcards of the spelling words for this week and last week, the learners’ small phonics cards, writing boards and chalk, the ee/oo pictures used this week.

Step 1 – Speed-reading: Speed-read the single and double sounds introduced to the learners to date. Also speed-read the high-frequency sight words, and some spelling words. Now and then select a learner to come and write the sight word/spelling word just flashed on the board. PRAISE correct spelling! ± 3 minutesStep 2 – Auditory differences/similarities (o/oo): Put up the pictures with ee and oo one by one on the board. The learners name the pictures and tell if they have heard an ee or oo in the word and then they write down the sound they have heard on their writing boards so that you can check if they have heard correctly (boxes 1 and 3 in the Phonics Book, pp. 19 and 20). Say three words in a row, all with o or oo or e or ee. The learners must identify which sound they have heard in all the words. They write the sound on their boards and hold up the boards for you to check. Example: Moon, soon, spoon. They have heard the oo sound. Another example: hen, wet, net. They have heard the e sound in all the words. ± 5-7 minutesStep 3 – Visual similarities/differences o/oo and e/ee: Use the sight and spelling words with the double sounds. Put up three words on the board. Two words must contain the same sound. Examples: Green/moon/sleep, book/cook/week. Learners read the words and tell which word does not fit and why it does not fit. Clap the three words in sounds. Show one of the three words and let the learners read the word. Turn the word face down. The learners write the word on their writing boards. Repeat with several words. 5-6 minutes

Possible baseline assessment of fine motor readiness in this lesson

How quickly and neatly can the learners write the words? Accurately? Clumsily? Does the learner make a mess? Because of ignorance or clumsiness?

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Group-guided Reading, lesson 4 for week 2 30 minutesResources: Still the phonic reading lesson on p. 5 in the Learner’s Book, pencils and colouring pencils, each reading group’s graded reader from a reader series of your choice, your big flashcards of the sounds, sight and spelling words learnt to date.

Step 1 – Before the class separates into reading groups: Quickly speed-read the sounds, sight words and spelling words learnt to date. Step 2 – Reading groups with you: Today, groups 2 and 3 come to read their lesson to you. Follow the same steps with groups 2 and 3 as you followed yesterday with group 1. Remember to do speed-reading of sounds, sight words and spelling words in the small reading group too. Step 3 – Other reading groups: The groups that are not reading to you follow this procedure:• They separate into pairs and read the following to each other: The

phonic reading lesson on p. 5 in the Learner’s Book and the reading lesson in the graded reader you have selected for them.

• When they have finished reading, they go to their tables and complete the exercise in their class workbooks. When they have finished that, they read independently from a graded reader according to their reading skill.

Writing, lesson 3 for week 2 15 minutesResources: Worksheet 3, pencils and colouring pencils.

This worksheet is almost identical to p. 6 in the Learner’s Book. The learners fill in their names and then draw a circle around the words in the flow chart that match them. They also draw a circle around the words indicating what they like/don’t like. Then they draw themselves and complete the picture. You walk among the learners and help where necessary.On Day 5, the learners will use their flow chart to write sentences about themselves in their class workbooks.

Possible baseline assessment of fine motor readiness in this lesson

• Let the learners first trace the picture on the outlines and then colour it. Does the learner manage to outline the picture fairly well?

• Does the learner manage to colour between the lines fairly well?

Day 5Listening and speaking, lesson 3 – 15 minutes; Phonics, lesson 5 – 15 minutes; Handwriting, lesson 3 – 15 minutes; Group-guided reading, lesson 5 (reading lesson 3 on worksheet) – 30 minutes; Writing, lesson 4 – 15 minutes

Listening and Speaking, lesson 3 for week 2 15 minutesResources: The “The sparrows’ tour”-story.

Step 1 – Listening: Read the “The sparrows’ tour”-sory, to the learners. Some of the concepts will be unfamiliar to the learners and you must demonstrate/explain them to make sure that everybody understands them.

The sparrows’ tour“Oh Dad, I’m so tired of always just staying on the farm, can’t we go and tour a bit and see the country?” Salie, the sparrow, moans.

“Yes, you know dear,” Mom Sparrow tells Dad and preens her feathers. “It is that time of year again when Farmer begins to spray poison in the orchards. And you know what that means.” Dad Sparrow who can just see what will happen now, pretends to know nothing. He just stares across the fields.

“It will be like it always is in spring here on the farm,” he says. Mom Sparrow ruffles her feathers again. “Do you remember the poison that spilled and poisoned the seed in the shed? Oh, and not to mention the poisonous vapours that hung in the air. You know little Hannah is having so much trouble with her chest. This time last year, she could hardly breathe.” Simon Starling says . . .

Dad Sparrow sighs. Big mouth Simon Starling always has so much to say. He always has something to tell about the pollen of the trees in the air which can make you allergic and smoke from veld fires in the air which gives you a runny nose. Maybe he knows all about the insecticide in the air the farmer uses to kill the bugs that are eating his wheat. He says: “Yes all right. We can go and tour.”

“Tour! Tour! What a lovely idea!” the starlings chirp. Dad Sparrow does not feel like doing this. To go and tour with a bunch of noise makers in tow? Oh no. He signals to his wife while Simon Starling is still trying to gather the starlings for the tour when the whole sparrow family is already flying away.

The sparrow family flies fast and far before they rest for the first time. “Whereto now?” Dad asks.

“Look at these big buildings. I think it is the city. I have never been in the city. Let’s go there,” Hannah says excitedly and immediately flies in the direction of the city. It takes the sparrow family two days to reach the city.

In the morning when they wake up, Hannah is sick. Her chest is congested and she is gasping for breath. A finch peeps from her nest. “You are new here, aren’t you? It is the poisonous gases coming from all the factories here in the surroundings. If you have a child with a bad chest, this is definitely not the right place for you. Fly on a bit farther to the east. In the residential areas, it is not so bad,” she advises. “Many trees have already been planted which absorb the poisonous gases and the air is cleaner there.”

The sparrows thank her for her kindness and fly east. But poor Hannah’s chest is so bad they have to rest every few minutes They only reach the centre of the city late in the afternoon. They rest a little on the sidewalk. Oh dear, it is time to go home for the people who are working in the city. There are so many cars and buses! The air is actually grey and the sidewalk is black from the soot and fumes from the cars’ exhausts. The exhaust fumes from the many cars make not only Hannah short of breath! Now everybody is gasping.

“Go home,” Mom Sparrow gasps. “Go home,” Dad Sparrow gasps. With much effort, the little group flies off. When it grows

dark, they look for somewhere to sleep in a big tree.In the morning, when they wake up, Hannah carefully takes

a breath. Not bad. She breathes in deeper. She smells the clean air! Her chest is no longer congested! They are in a park with many trees. This must be what the finch talked about! The trees take the poisonous gases into their leaves and release lovely oxygen.

“Now, if I have to choose between insecticide in the air at the farm and the poisonous exhaust fumes in the city, I think we should stay right here in the park,” Dad Sparrow says.

“I agree,” Mom Sparrow says and preens her feathers. “It’s just a pity that I can’t tell Simon Starling what I have learnt about clean air,” she thinks.

And this is how a new family has moved into the park.

Step 2 – Speaking: Talk about the need for clean air for breathing. Ask some insight questions about the story. Why does Salie the sparrow want to move? What was Mother Sparrow worried about? Do you think birds really go on tours? Why? Is a neighbourhood near a factory a good idea? Why? Was the park’s air different from that at the factory? How do the trees help us to breathe in fresh air? Where would you have liked to live if you were a bird? You may also refer to the reading text, Sun, wind and water, in the Learner’s Book, p. 5.Step 3 – Auditory analysis and synthesis: Let the learners clap some longer words in speech syllables. Example: Sa-lie, Spar-row, ex-haust, star-ling, ma-ny, fac-to-ry, fea-thers, poi-son, af-ter-noon, some-where, Han-nah, pi-ty. Repeat the words by clapping them yourself, the learners must listen and then say the complete words. Step 4 – Auditory memory: Use the same words and say two words first. The learners repeat the words together. Say three words. Which learners can remember three long words? With which sound did the last word begin? And the first word?

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Possible baseline assessment in this lessonPhysical and fine motor readiness Today, check for the last time which learners do not meet the physical requirements of the school day. Examples: Become too tired, discouraged, cannot keep up with classmates, etc.

Phonics, sight vocabulary and spelling, lesson 5 for week 2 15 minutesResources: The flashcards of the sounds and sight words introduced to date, flashcards of the spelling words for this week and last week, class workbooks, pencils.

Step 1 – Speed-reading: First speed-read all the sounds introduced to date. Select individual learners to speed-read a few sounds. Now speed-read the sight words. Let a few individual learners see how quickly they can read the words. Speed-read the spelling words of the week. Clap some of the words in sounds.Step 2 – Spelling test: The learners write a short spelling test. Words: Moon, pot, weep, man, sit, jeep, seed, cat, good, bun, green, food, bed, lip, man. Give them one short sentence as dictation too: My book is green OR I can see a green jeep.

Possible baseline assessment in this lessonUse the spelling test to see if the learners know the sounds. Check the following: • Are there any specific sounds with which the learners struggle? Then

you should practise the sounds individually with them.• Is the beginning of the word correct but the word is often not completed/

the last sound is wrong? Then it is a memory problem and the learner cannot remember what to write. Encourage the learner to write faster to accommodate the short-term memory.

• Are there learners who can write the individual words but not the sentence? This might also be a problem with the short-term memory. It would help if you let the learners clap the sentence in words, and then let them write it.

Handwriting, lesson 3 for week 2 15 minutesResources: Writing strip of the letter “h H” (refer to the resources on the CD).

Step 1 – Hand- and finger-motor skills: Play a puppet game. Let each learner stick five small stickers on the fingers of their dominant hand. The learners must then show only the colour(s) you mention. Who can hold up the correct finger every time without the other fingers “jumping up” too? Step 2 – Writing strip of the letter “h H”: • One row of the small letter “h”, one row of the capital letter “H”, one row

of capital and small letters alternately.• One or two rows of a short sentence containing a lot of the sound.

Example: Hess and Henry sit in the hut. Step 3 – Sentence with spelling words: They write a sentence or two with spelling words of the week as beautifully as they can. Example: My book is green.

Group-guided reading, lesson 5 for week 2 30 minutesResources: Worksheet 4, colouring pencils, HB pencils.

This worksheet now applies the phonics, language and reading activities the learners have practised the whole week. The reading lesson is written only with sounds that have been practised over and over. The learners should be able to read it reasonably easily and you use the reading session to find out which learners are still not managing it. Follow these steps:Step 1 – Speed-reading: Work with the whole class. Speed-read the sounds, sight and spelling words. Make it interesting for the learners by letting them, for example, read in thick voices, in whispers, without moving their lips, etc.Hint: Now and then, select learners who have done this “the best” and allow this group to speed-read on its own in the reading corner for one session. In this way, you will have better control and will be able to see which learners merely echo classmates and which learners really read.

Step 2 – Phonic reading lesson: Worksheet 4. Read the page only once with the whole class. Then say a word from the reading lesson and let the class find the word on the page. Quickly discuss the contents or how punctuation marks and capital letters were used. Then ask individual learners to read a page. The learners who are not reading aloud must follow the text with their finger. Explain the writing assignment. Step 3 – Reading groups: The learners separate into their reading groups and read to one another the phonic reading lessons on the worksheet and in the graded readers that you have handed out to each group. You move from group to group, help where necessary and record your observation of their reading progress and participation. When the learners have finished reading, they continue with the easy assignments at the bottom of the page. While they are busy with this, you may take individual learners/small groups for a few minutes of additional help.

Possible baseline assessment in this lesson• The reading lesson on the worksheet is written according to the norm

we expect from the average learner in the second week of Grade 2. Listen carefully how the learners read the lesson by themselves. This will give you a good idea of the learners’ reading skill.

• Use the word-building activity to see to what extent the learner can apply the sounds learnt to date.

• Use the easy written activity to see if the learners can identify the difference between the single and double sounds and also to see if the learners manage to copy the worksheet correctly into the book.

Writing, lesson 4 for week 2 15 minutesResources: The flow chart the learners drew up about themselves on free worksheet 3, class workbooks, pencils.

Step 1 – Relating to reading lesson: Read the assignments to the learners again. Make sure that they understand what is expected from them. Let a few learners make sentences based on their flow chart. Step 2 – Written application: The learners complete the sentences about themselves in their class workbooks. At this stage, you may expect an average of two to four sentences from the learners.

Notes

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Topic 2: Myself and others

Week 3 to 5

Week 3 briefly

Listening and SpeakingGeneral:• Our topic is, “Myself and others”. The listening and speech lessons are focused on interaction among the learners in the class. Basic good manners,

how to be assertive and how to deal with conflict at school are practised in the speech lessons. Next week, we will extend this to good manners, responsibility and dealing with conflict at home, in public places and with strangers.

• Insist that the learners take turns speaking and that everybody gets a turn to speak. Guard against one learner always dominating the discussion. Also check that everybody listens respectfully when a classmate is speaking and that classmates are not interrupted inappropriately.

• This week, you begin to ask simple “Why?” questions. The learners must begin to explain their answers. Our aim is for every learner in class to know before the end of the term that an answer must always be followed by “because …” You may now also consistently expect individual learners to answer.

• Learners must remember three auditory words or three sound-related pictures and repeat them in the correct order. When the learners have remembered and laid out the order of a story with pictures, there should be 4-6 pictures and no more.

Reading and phonicsEye-motor skills• Big S-movements crossing the midline.Reading (group-guided reading, shared reading)• Text characteristics: Indicate punctuation marks in text. Pay special attention to the comma and the influence of the comma in text and as you are

reading. Count the number of sentences on a page.• Begin to expect learners to describe an object in the pictures in terms of two criteria. Let the learners, for example, hold up two fingers and tick off

the criteria on their fingers. Example: It is a small, blond girl; it is a short, red pencil. Later in the term, we will increase this to three criteria.• Before reading: Predict the story as a group based on the illustration; encourage learners to try to read the reading lesson softly first before you read

it to the class.• Search-reading: Find new sounds and selected sight words in the reading text.• Reading technique: Role of punctuation marks ? and ! and . and , and the influence of the punctuation marks on intonation. • High-frequency sight words: The previous series of words PLUS she, wash, wish, shall, he, has, had, her, him, his.Phonics• All single sounds, oo and ee PLUS sh. • Pay special attention to correct discrimination of difference between s/sh, e.g. sip/ship.• Spelling words: Sheep, shoot, shut, ship, fish, dash, rush, brush.

WritingHandwriting• Capital letters with curved lines: “o O”, “c C”, “q Q”. Refer to teaching plans.WritingThe following are emphasised:• Sentences with attention to correct punctuation marks, as well as capital letters at the beginning of a sentence and in names and surnames.• Writing lists with commas between words, providing a heading.• Supplementing “My own dictionary” with new sight and spelling words.• Own sentences with at least two spelling words.• Drawing up a flowchart about a classmate, with sentences based on the flowchart.• Writing lists of words one beneath the other and providing a heading.• Learners providing sentences for a piece of writing written by the teacher and then put it up in the class.

Baseline assessmentThe learners should now have adjusted fairly well to the new class. It is safe to begin to look at the learners’ social and perceptual readiness for Grade 2. You will again find hints to guide you in the lessons.

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Day 1 and 2I discover more about characteristics of a good friend and about friendship at schoolDisplay the following objects which are typical in a Grade 2 class. Add name cards to everything:• A map of the classroom• Various items and objects that are

present in the classroom, a pencil, ruler, book, writingboard, clay, etc.

• Readers about school and learners• Various games available in the

classroom• School wear• School bags, etc.Set up a puppet theatre or take out puppets. Encourage role-play.Make a main heading card: Good friendsAlso make the following three word cards and display the following at each word card:Share – lunchbox, toysCare – small notes, cardsHelp/lend – ruler, eraser, colouring pencils, glue

Day 3 and 4I discover more about helpfulness and good manners at schoolDraw a map of the school grounds and display it on the interest table.Display photos of the staff members with name cards added. Link the faces with the classroom/office/garden, etc. where the person works.Also display the following:• Pictures of schoolchildren• School wear• Monitor’s/prefect’s clothes/badgeDisplay the learners’ set of rules for their behaviour towards friends and the staff members.

Days 5I discover more about self-concept, what a bully is and how to deal with a bullyMake a heading card: My emotionsUse the pictures of emotions you will find among the resources on the CD. Match the following word cards with the correct pictures:• frightened• proud• discouraged• jealous• shy• angry• terrified• surprised• sad• glad• happy• friendlyAllow the learners to classify the pictures by themselves, e.g. positive/negative emotions, opposites such as glad/sad, etc.Make a poster or two and put them up on the classroom wall. Examples: • Everybody is special• If you feel uncomfortable, say no!Display the picture cards you will find with the resources on the CD on the interest table. Place the following headings beneath the pictures:Take a standNo! TellTell someone elseAlso display a puppet theatre and various puppets.

Rhymes for week 3 to 5

In the (name of your class there) class

I can’t wait to go to schoolto learn is really cool!We colour pictures and build with clayand then go out to play.Mart Meij

Body rhyme

Look at my body, how it swings,Look at my fingers, full of rings,Twist and turn high on my toes,Up and down my pretty head goes.See the new shoes on my feet,This is me, am I not sweet?Anonymous

Cross with a friend

I am very cross with FredHe pinched my lunchbox and my bread.He must ask me, really nice,Then I’ll gladly give him a slice!Anonymous

Our hardworking family

My daddy works in town from dusk to dawnAnd then he still has to mow the lawn.In the morning Mommy works for Doctor HoodThen she has to clean our house and cook the food.Big sis lays the table when she’s home from schoolAnd Grandpa and Grandma wash the dishes – they’re really cool!I’m clever and able and also like to help outI make my own bed and push our baby about!Mart Meij

Finger rhyme for both hands

Thumb: Help your mamma wash the dishesIndex: Put away your toys.Middle: Hang up clothes as Mamma wishesRing: Brush your teeth without a noise.Pinkie: Do it quick-quick and hop into bed!Now you can ask your mamma for:Thumb: A story as long as the black cat’s tailIndex: A song to be sung just for youMiddle: A prayer to God’s angels round your bedRing: A hug, ’cos your mamma loves you.Pinkie: A kiss goodnight as she puts out the light!Cicely van Straaten

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Cleaning the house

First little girl puts the toys in a boxSecond little girl picks up the shoes and socksThird little girl sweeps the floorAnd hangs the towels behind the doorFourth little girl gives the pets their foodBut fifth little girl is lazy and in a

very bad

mood!Mart Meij

My shoes

I think my shoes are feeling very sadBecause they really do look bad.The laces and the soles are muddy.The uppers terribly scratched and dusty.I will quickly polish them shiny and brightBefore the unhappy pair takes flight.Mart Meij

Keep your hand before your mouthsaid the chicken nor a mouse, said the frog to the fawnwhen you yawn, when you yawn!Traditional

Song for the topic

You will find the lyrics and notation on the CD of resources.

Going to school

School time, school time, each and ev’ry day.School time, school time, we are on your wayHere we learn to read and listen,how to count and gather wisdom.School time, school time, each and ev’ry day.

School time, school time, all my friends are there.School time, school time, we play everywhere.Do you need some friends at break time,come and play and you can be mine.School time, school time, all my friends are there.

Essential hints and background knowledge before you start with the teaching plans for week 3

The board schemeWhen you discuss the work with the learners, you build a board scheme: First with pictures, then you add word cards to the pictures and later you may remove the pictures and leave only the word cards. Board schemes are built in every lesson. Pictures, word cards and illustrations remain on the wall and on the interest table until the end of the day or lesson or the week’s topic, as the lesson plans indicate to you. Display tables and board schemes are very important, because they • present the study material visually and in a structured way to the

learners• form excellent aids for incidental and shared reading• help learners to form structure and• facilitate essential consolidation and drilling work.Our aim is for the learners one day to start thinking in schemes in this way too – just because they have experienced this in class every day.

An own dictionaryThis week, the learners begin building their own words. Among the resources, you will find an “Own dictionary” you may duplicate for every learner. Fold the pages double and staple the pages together to form books. In the dictionary, some familiar sight words have already been filled in. Once a week, the learners fill in their spelling words and sight words on the correct page of the dictionary. When the learners are busy with writing activities and ask you how to spell a word, they must first look in their dictionary to see if the word is there. If the word isn’t there, you write the word on the board or otherwise, you write the word for the learner in his/her dictionary.

More about sight wordsHigh-frequency sight words In the first topic, it was explained to you what high-frequency sight words are (those 200-250 words that make up 60-75% of all reading texts, e.g. is, and, on, the, not . . . ).

It is these sight words on which we hammer in the lessons, because these are the words the learners will encounter every day when they are reading and writing. Once they can read these words by rote, their reading will be so much more fluent and if they can write these words correctly, you will know that 60-75% of all their written work will be correct. High-frequency sight words are presented along with the spelling/sounds, as soon as the learners know the sounds in the word. The high-frequency words are drilled in just like the spelling words and you must insist that the words are written correctly when they have been practised with the learners. The phonic teaching plan will tell you EXACTLY when to introduce which word and by the end of the year, the learners will be able to read and write the first 200 high-frequency sight words by rote. But some other types of sight words are also involved.

Words that fall outside the spelling patternThe learners should learn some words on sight, because they fall outside the familiar spelling pattern. An example: “see” compared to the familiar we, he, me. The spelling of these words is practised purposefully with the learners when they are relevant. Such exceptions are indicated to you in the phonic teaching plan and you will know when to pay attention to them.

Topic-related sight wordsSome topic vocabulary eventually become sight words because the learners begin to recognise these words on sight in the context and from the shape of the words. Such words are, for example, traffic officer, hospital, swimwear. Spelling of these words is not drilled into the learner. These are words the learners will generally sound or derive from the context. The words are rarely recognised on sight out of context. Even you may not be able to immediately say a word such as “announcement” on sight, but you will, for example, first read the first syllable or two and then from your background knowledge be able to say the word without reading it. You will find these topic-related sight words on the interest table, in the topic-related Big Books and reading lessons.

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You clap them in syllables with the learners and then they write them in a phonetically recognisable way, this is quite acceptable. When they can spell them correctly after having clapped them in syllables, it is of course wonderful! High-frequency sight words, on the other hand, are drilled in and you must insist that the spelling of these words is correct.

A note about self-confidenceLearners have been in school for approximately a month now. They should be growing in self-confidence.• Learners who have a dominating personality and always want to do

something first themselves must be taught to give others a turn and await their turn.

• The quiet, shy learners have to be motivated and encouraged to tell/do something too.

• Bullying is prevalent in every school. To curb this, learners should learn how to cope with it early on. In this Sounds, sight words and careful attention is paid to this problem. Make sure that every teacher in the school will take action immediately when bullying is reported.

An information sheetIt is necessary for the parents/guardians to fill in an information sheet containing all the personal information of the learner at the beginning of the year:• full names• identity number• address• telephone number• particulars of the parents’ work and the telephone numbers• general practitioner’s name and number, if any• a contact person if the parents cannot be contacted• allergies/illnesses/medication, etc.This page is pasted in the front of the Learner’s Book so that the information is always available. It also gives the learner a feeling of safety and pride. Throughout the year, learners are reminded to update changes to their personal details.

Homework booksThe Grade 2’s are not yet flooded with homework, but a homework book serves an important objective. In the homework book• the daily reading lesson the learner must read from the graded reader

is recorded• the spelling and sight words for the week are pasted in• notes/notices to parents are written/pasted, etc.This week, you may do the following too: When the learners have drafted their class rules in the shared writing-session, they paste the list of class rules at the front of their homework books. See to it that the learners know the class rules and sign them. Because they have decided on these rules themselves, they are binding and apply to them all at all times. This fosters responsibility and a sense of duty among the learners. Where possible, the parents should also sign the rules as proof that they have taken note.

Slogans as wall decorationsAlways display the creative work of the learners for as long as possible for the sake of motivation. It gives learners a feeling of cooperation and pride. You can write the slogans beforehand in thick black koki pen, using templates, so that the learners only have to decorate them. Later in the year, when they can spell more difficult words, they may write them themselves. Important: Never display something on the wall that is spelled incorrectly – it will reinforce a wrong visual image with the learners. This could result in all of them writing the word incorrectly in future! Therefore, note the spelling of everything you write down carefully!

The puppet theatreSome learners in the class may often be too shy to speak in front of their friends. There are many possible causes for this:• The learner may have a language handicap because he/she has to

speak a second or even a third language at school.• The child may come from a home where children are seen, but not

heard. He/she has therefore not had enough practice in speaking and acting and expressing his/her opinion.

• He/she may come from an environment where there is little stimulation. The child may feel insecure because he/she does not feel as clever as his/her friends and is afraid of making mistakes and being the laughing stock of everybody.

You may be surprised at what these learners are capable of if they can hide behind something when they have to talk: The puppets of the puppet theatre, hand puppets, finger puppets and masks can all be used with great success. In addition, this makes the study material more interesting and alive. The innovative teacher will realise that this module lends itself ideally to using puppets.

Peace tableGrade 2 learners are still very young and have to learn the interpersonal skills of compromise and accommodation. Provide a low table (or small mat) in the corner of the class. This is the peace table, a place where learners who are arguing or fighting can sit until they have made peace. Be sure to talk to the learners before they go to the peace table and give them guidelines, e.g. talk about your feelings, listen to each other, take turns to do something you both enjoy, include other children in your group, etc.

Resources on the CD in the Teacher’s Guide• This week, hand out the sound cards of sh. • Writing strip for these letters with curved lines: “o O”, “c C”, “q Q” • An “Own dictionary” to duplicate for each learner. • Worksheets 5 and 6

Background informationIn week 2, you received background knowledge about baseline assessment and readiness for Grade 2. In each lesson, you also found hints about how and when to do the baseline assessment. Now read some more about baseline assessment and readiness for Grade 2.

Some useful knowledge about perceptual and emotional readiness for Grade 2 and baseline assessment

Baseline assessment: Social readiness for Grade 2Here is a 10-point checklist to check if a learner is socially ready for Grade 2:1. The learner is eager for the day. 2. The learner can adjust in the group and is not always standing aside. 3. The learner likes to play with friends of his/her own age rather than with younger children. 4. The learner can work alone for periods and is not only dependent on classmates. 5. The learner speaks confidently with adults other than his/her parents and teacher. 6. The learner is no longer as egocentric and is willing to share his/her toys/books with others. 7. The learner is willing to wait for his/her turn. 8. The learner can keep to the rules of games. 9. The learner no longer plays only with concrete apparatus, but can take part in a fantasy game with classmates. 10. The learner shows that he/she understands working speed.

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Some useful knowledge about perceptual and emotional readiness for Grade 2 and baseline assessment (continues)

Baseline assessment: Perceptual readiness for Grade 2Here follows a 10-point checklist to try to determine whether a learner is ready for Grade 2:The learner should be able to do the following:1. Say, with the back towards the teacher, whether two words sound the same/different.2. Sit still through a whole story and listen attentively.3. Recognise constancy in numbers/letters/symbols.4. Remember and repeat four words/numbers in the same sequence. 5. Say which sound he/she hears at the beginning/in the middle/at the end of a word.6. Say which word/number in a series of four sounds different to the others in the series.7. Concentrate on a task even if the rest of the class is noisy and busy with something else.8. Cross his/her midline comfortably with eyes closed.9. Build a 30-piece puzzle on his/her own.10. Copy from the writing board/Learner’s Book into the class workbook without difficulty.

Teaching plans for week 3 The first week of the 3-week topic: Myself and others

Day 1For the first week, approximate times for the steps were indicated to you in various lessons. You now have a good idea of how to use time, so duration will no longer be indicated.

Listening and Speaking, lesson 1 – 15 minutes; Shared Reading, lesson 1 – 15 minutes; Phonics, lesson 1 – 15 minutes; Handwriting, lesson 1 – 15 minutes; Group-guided Rreading, lesson 1 – 30 minutes

Listening and Speaking, lesson 1 for week 3 15 minutesResources: The, “The green sheep and the red wolf”-story, large writing board and chalk.

Step 1 – Listening: Read the “The green sheep and the red wolf”-story, to the learners. Emphasise the concepts in bold print and make sure that every learner understands the vocabulary.

The green sheep and the red wolfLong, long ago when animals could still speak, there were five animal friends. Lammy was a green sheep. Have you ever seen a green sheep? No, neither have I, but Lammy of our story was a green sheep.

Have you ever seen a red wolf? Neither have I, but Lammy had a red wolf for a friend.

Lammy had other friends, too: A blue rabbit, a green bear and a yellow canary. Each one was unique. Not a single one was like any of the others. But they were all Lammy’s friends. He liked them all.

In Lammy’s school, there was a red wolf too, and the red wolf liked to play with the friends. But I’m sure you know that a wolf cannot be trusted. With a red wolf around, you never know what can happen . . . Wolves like to eat animals and he wasn’t always a friend with whom you could feel safe. Although they were friends, Lammy always looked to see where Red Wolf was. He didn’t want Red Wolf to eat Blue Rabbit, Green Bear or Yellow Bird.

As it goes with your friends too, not all the friends always got along equally well. And so it was again one day. Suddenly Lammy heard Blue Rabbit scream, “Spit me out! Let me go, you horrible wolf!”

Lammy charged at Red Wolf. “Lay off, Red Wolf! Leave Blue Rabbit alone! Don’t hurt him! Friends don’t hurt each other!”

Red Wolf laughed sheepishly and let Blue Rabbit go. They played on.

Not long after, Lammy heard Yellow Bird crying, “This is my food, give it back to me!”

Lammy ran up. Red Wolf was standing there with a mouthful of bread. He had taken Yellow Bird’s bread! Green Bear also saw it, but he was a little scared of Red Wolf. He wouldn’t help Yellow Bird. He was afraid that if Red Wolf saw him, he would hurt him too, therefore he just pretended to laugh at Yellow Bird.

“Oh no, Red Wolf! Friends don’t do that! If you had asked, we would have shared our food with you,” Lammy scolded the red wolf. “If you want to be my friend, you mustn’t try to eat up everybody or hurt them or take their things. You may not make their hearts sad or make them ashamed. Rather go and play with someone else! And beware! If you bully anyone again, you may no longer be our friend.”

Green Bear and the other friends were ashamed when Lammy scolded Red Wolf. Lammy was small and Red Wolf was big with cruel teeth, but Lammy was brave! Just see how he scolded this bully, Red Wolf!

Then all the friends felt braver too. They stood in a circle around Red Wolf. They had had enough of Red Wolf now. Wouldn’t you, too? Friends don’t do that! If a friend wants to hurt you or make you sad, he/she is not really your friend.

Then Red Wolf was angry. He stared crossly at Green Bear and Yellow Bird. He bared his teeth at Blue Rabbit. Green Bear’s legs trembled from fright and Blue Rabbit wanted to run away. But not Green Sheep!

Oh no, his legs were also trembling and he also wanted to run away, but he stood his ground! He didn’t want his friends to be scared or ashamed or cry. He walked up to Red Wolf and pressed his nose against Red Wolf’s angry nose.

“Red Wolf, I’m not afraid of you. I will tell my dad and Teacher and the principal,” he said.

Red Wolf slunk away with his tail between his legs. Lammy, Blue Rabbit, Yellow Bird and Green Bear were all relieved. There were many other good friends they could play with. One does not have to tolerate a bad friend. Or what do you think?

Step 2 – Speaking: Follow up the story by asking some questions. Bear in mind that you should also ask “Why” questions. Examples: Who was a good friend in the story? Why do you say that? How did Lammy stand up to Red Wolf? What did Red Wolf do then? Can the learners name all the things the wolf did wrong in the story? What was the wolf: A good or a bad friend? Why do you say that? Why did the other animals at first keep quiet when the wolf behaved badly?

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Step 3 – Shared writing: Make two lists on the board, one of the characteristics of a good friend, and the other showing the characteristics of a bad friend. Each learner has a chance to contribute ideas for the lists. Add a heading to each list. Emphasise the following for the learners when the list is written down:• Heading starts with a capital letter and is underlined• No full stop after the words in the heading• Words in the list directly under each other, no commas. The following words can be used: Good classmate – plays together without fighting, shares, forgives, helps, cares, is loyal, honest.Bad classmate – bullies, is naughty, hurts, bad-mouths, runs away, is bossy.Step 4 – Phonics: Learners clap the syllables of the words in their list. Can they identify the beginning sounds and the end sounds of the words?

Possible baseline assessment of social and perceptual readiness

Social readiness • Does the learner appear to be eager for the school day when he/

she arrives at school? And through the day? Does the learner remain enthusiastic or does he/she lose steam?

• Does the learner adjust to the group or is the learner always standing on the side-lines?

Shared reading from Big Book, lesson 1 for week 3 15 minutesResources: New All-In-One Big Book 2. Gerome gets new ears. If you are not using this series, try to select a book that relates to the topic and preferably one that is written in narrative so that punctuation marks and intonation can be discussed.

Important: For the two weeks of this topic, read only the story pages (pp. 1-22) to the learners. The last two pages of the book consist of factual material and you will read that to the learners only at the beginning of the next topic. Cover pp. 23 and 24, so that the learners cannot see the text, otherwise it will be of no use to them when you want to read it to them after two weeks.

Today, the book is read purely for pleasure. You will, however, check carefully to what extent the learners pay attention and are interested in the story. Step 1 – Before reading: Discuss the cover. What do the learners think the story is about? Why do they say that? Now read the title to the learners. Do they still think the same? Why/why not?Hint: Do you notice how the questions are continually followed by a “Why” question? If you ask this consistently (where this is applicable), the learners will quickly realise that they have to explain an answer.Step 2 – Book education: Show how to hold a book correctly and how to turn pages. Select a learner to demonstrate, and describe the movements as the learner carries them out. Note aloud how the learner touches the edge of the pages, lightly feels that she/he has only one page, then slides the first four fingers under the page and gently moves it to the left, using just the finger tips under the page.Step 3 – Reading for pleasure: Today, the story is read purely for pleasure. Follow these steps on each page:• Open the book at the page and allow the learners a minute or so to look

at the picture. Discuss the illustration, then let the learners predict what will happen on the page.

• Read the two pages to the learners. Point with your finger/a marker at each word as you are reading.

• Ask a simple comprehension question or two about the page. Examples: What are “ornaments”? What are ornaments used for? Just for decoration, isn’t that so? Choose learners to answer. Pretend to be a confused teacher and ask, What are ears used for – decoration?

• Then turn to the next page. Read the page. What does the group think now, what will happen?

• Read only up to p. 22 and leave the factual text for later.

Step 4 – After the story: • Ask some topic-oriented questions. Examples: Did the learners like the

story? Why do they say that? Who were the principal characters in the story? What did they look like? Encourage the learners to hold up two fingers and to mention something for each finger. Example: Gerome 1) did not listen to his mother, 2) liked to play rather than tidy up!

• Quick phonic work: Point at a word on the page and let the learners read the word. Select learners to come and write the initial sound on the board. If it is a multi-syllabic word, let the learners slowly clap the word in syllables, and write it syllable by syllable on the board. The learners read the words. Another idea: Say a sound and let the learners find a word with that sound on the page. Read the word. Clap it in sounds/syllables. Someone writes it on the board.


Social readiness• Does the learner answer you confidently?• Does the learner adjust to the group and participate in the discussion,

or does the learner stand aside?• Does the learner keep to the rules for behaviour in class?• Is the learner willing to wait for his/her turn to speak?

Phonics, sight vocabulary and spelling, lesson 1 for week 3 15 minutesResources: The following pictures: Shoes, ship, sheep, fish, shark, shack, wash, sail, shell, seeds, sea, seal. If you are using the New All-In-One Phonics Book for Learners, you will find all the pictures on pp. 20 to 23. Flashcards of the sounds learnt to date PLUS the sh. Flashcards of the spelling words for the week, flashcards of the high-frequency sight words for the week, the learners’ small phonics cards, writing boards and chalk.Beforehand: You have duplicated the sheet of sounds for each learner. The single sounds and the double sounds oo and ee have already been handed out. Now cut loose the cards of the sh sound and hand them to the learners.

Step 1 – Speed-reading of the familiar sounds: Revise speed-reading of the sounds learnt to date by flashing the sounds faster and faster for the learners to read. Vary the order in which you flash them!Step 2 – High-frequency sight words: Speed-read the high-frequency sight words learnt to date.Step 3 – Introducing the new sound(s): Put up the following pictures on the board: Shark, shoes, ship, fish, sheep, shack. If you use the Phonics Book for Learners, there is no need to do so. This is the activity in block 1 on p. 20. Let the learners name the pictures and say which sound they hear in all the words. Where do they hear the sound? At the beginning/end of the word? Write the sh-sound on the board. The learners copy the sound on their writing boards, saying the sound out loud. Step 4 – Visual and auditory similarities/differences: • Now shuffle the pictures on the board and add some pictures which do

not have the sh in the word (or use the activity in the bottom box on p. 21 in the Phonics Book). The learners indicate the pictures in which they can hear the sh-sound.

• Make sure that learners can discriminate between the s and sh sounds by putting pictures on the board, some starting with sh and some with s. The learners must sort them into words starting with sh and words starting with s (Activity on p. 22-23 in Phonics Book). Also have each learner say the s and sh sound aloud to make sure that s/he can pronounce the two sounds correctly.

Step 5 – Speed-reading of the sounds with flashcards: Shuffle the new sound among the flashcards of the sounds already introduced. Speed-read again. Flash a sound. How many of the sounds can the learners find among their cards in a given time? (Count slowly to 10.) Let the learners, for example, find more than one of the sh. Step 6 – Auditory constancy: Repeat the exercise, but this time, you say the sound and don’t flash it. Step 7 – Auditory discrimination of differences, similarities and constancy: Focus again on the sounds that have been newly introduced. Say two words that sound very similar/are exactly the same. The learners must tell if the words are the same/different. Examples: she/see/she, sip/ship/sip.

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Hint: The spelling words for the week will give you some good ideas.

Step 8 – Introducing the new spelling words: Flash the spelling words one by one. Let the learners read the words and clap them in sounds. Put up the words on the board. Read the words again. Step 9 – Word-building: Say the spelling words one by one and let the learners build them with the sound cards.


Social readiness• Does the learner try to manage independently when doing the

assignments? Or is he/she dependent upon the classmates and first watches what they are doing?

• Does the learner show awareness of working speed?

Perceptual readinessCan the learner• tell if two words sound the same/different?• notice constancy when handling the phonics cards?

Handwriting, lesson 1 for week 3 15 minutesResources: Writing strip of the letter “o O”, class workbook or handwriting book, the sentence you write on the board beforehand explaining every letter as you are writing it, sharp pencils.

Step 1 – Spatial concepts: Give instructions such as: Put your hand in the middle of the writing board/under the writing board/on the writing board, etc. Focus on the concepts prescribed for the week: Through/through under, over/over the top, round/around, up/above/on top, under/beneath. Step 2 – Hand motor skills: Place both hands flat on the table. Raise and lower each finger in turn. Start with the thumb. Exercise each hand separately, then both hands together.Step 3 – Writing strip of the letter “o O”: • One row of the small letter o, one row of the capital letter O, one row of

the small letter and capital letter alternately “o O”.• One or two rows of a short sentence in which the letter occurs several

times. Example: Otto will soon look at his book. Step 4 – The sound of the week: One or two rows in which the learner writes the sound of the week (sh) as neatly as he/she can.


Does the learner show awareness of working speed and does he/she manage to complete the assignment in the time allowed?

Group-guided reading, lesson 1 for week 3 30 minutesResources: Reading lesson on p. 7 in the Learner’s Book, flashcards of the familiar sounds PLUS sh, flashcards of the high-frequency sight words learnt this term, each reading group’s graded reader from a reader series of your choice. Each learner’s small phonics cards of the sounds. Class workbooks and pencils

First 15 minutesStep 1 – Big group: Learner’s Book, p. 7. • Eye exercise: Learners hold their one hand up in the air and slowly

trace a large “o” shape in the air, following their fingertip carefully with their eyes. Now they repeat with their other hand. Heads stay still! Make sure learners’ line of sight crosses the midline of their body. Repeat several times. Now learners face each other and each has a turn to trace an “o” in the air for the other to follow with his/her eyes. Check that your friend looks carefully AND doesn’t move his or her head!

• Let the learners study the picture. Can they guess what the reading lesson will be about? Read the sentences to the learners while they are following the words with their fingers. Briefly discuss why Gerome’s mother felt that he needed new ears. Read the sentences again one by one. Clap each sentence in words with the learners. Name the punctuation marks. The learners read the sentences with you again and use the correct intonation. They point with their fingers as they are reading.

• Flash a sight word. Let the learners find the word in the lesson and put a block on it. Clap the words in sounds. Write the words on the writing board. Repeat with several sight words.

• Flash some of the familiar sounds of your choice. The learners read the sounds and put blocks on the letters they can find in the reading text. Select individual learners to read the word. Can they find the new sound (sh) in the reading lesson? Read the word. Clap the word in sounds.

• Clap some of the words in the reading lesson slowly in sounds. Can the learners hear what the word is? Can they find the word in the text?

Step 2 – Assignment: Explain the assignment that follows the lesson. The learners read the sh and s words in the crosswords. They write them down in list form in their class workbooks (Activity 1). Learners must sound them out carefully and make sure they are real words! Then learners make rhyming words for the words in the Learner’s Book. They read the rhyming words to a friend and then write them in their class workbooks. Learners choose two of the words and use each in a sentence in their class workbooks (Activity 2).


the Learner’s Book to one another. Then they read their reading lesson in the graded reader of your choice to one another. When they have finished reading, they go to their tables and continue with the word-building exercise.

• You take reading group 1 to come and read to you.


Social readiness• Could the learner keep to the class rules and the rules for group work?

Perceptual and physical readiness• Could the learner keep up? For the whole period? Or did the learner

become tired and drop out?

Day 2Shared reading from Big Book, lesson 2 – 15 minutes; Phonics, lesson 2 – 15 minutes; Group-guided Reading, lesson 2 – 30 minutes; Writing, lesson 1 – 15 minutes

Shared reading from Big Book, lesson 2 for week 3 15 minutesResources: Again the New All-In-One Big Book 2 Gerome gets new ears. If you don’t have this Big Book, you may use any Big Book of your choice that deals with the topic and simply follow the guidelines for the lesson.

In the previous lesson, you read the book purely for the pleasure of the story. Today, you discuss the textual characteristics and punctuation marks. Step 1 – Emergent reading skills: First, talk again about the concept of “book” and let the learners show the cover, front, back and a page. Let a learner demonstrate how to hold the book correctly and how to turn pages. Step 2 – Beforehand: Before you start to read the book again, first ask a learner or two questions about the story. Examples: Did they enjoy the story? Did they find it funny? Why? Who did they like the most? Why? What was the child’s name again? Do you think Gerome’s mother really went shopping for new ears for him? Why do you say so?Step 3 – Shared reading and listening, text characteristics: Follow these steps:• Read the text on the first page or double page once. Pay special

attention to using voice and tone.• Let the learners count the sentences on the page. How do they know

where a sentence ends? Explain again how the various punctuation marks are used and let the learners name the punctuation marks. Read the sentence with the correct intonation and also with incorrect intonation so that the learners can understand the value of the punctuation marks. This week, where applicable, pay special attention to how the comma is used.

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Follow the same three steps on each subsequent page. Make sure that every learner is listening as you are reading. And remember! You give an instruction or ask a question only once! The learners must learn very quickly that you speak only once!Step 4 – Talking about the contents: After the reading session, you ask some simple questions about the contents and relate the questions to the learners’ own experience. Examples: Did Gerome always listen to his mom? Do you always listen to your mom? To whom should everybody listen? Why, do you think, must children listen when grownups ask them something? Should you listen to classmates too? When should you not listen to classmates?


Social readiness• Can the learner keep to class rules?• Can the learner participate in activities without hindering classmates

unnecessarily/becoming silly?• Does the learner answer your questions confidently? AND check if the

learner also talks confidently with grownups other then his/her parents.

Perceptual readiness• Can the learner consistently focus on the activities or is he/she

distracted by classmates’ movements?• Can the learner remember the instructions in the correct order?

Phonics, lesson 2 for week 3 15 minutesResources: The flashcards of the single sounds, double sounds and the sh introduced to date, flashcards of the spelling words for this week and last week, flashcards of the high-frequency sight words introduced to date, the learners’ small phonics cards, writing boards and chalk.

Step 1 – Speed-reading of the familiar sounds: Revise speed-reading of the sounds learnt to date by flashing the sounds faster and faster for the learners to read. Vary the order in which you flash the sounds!Step 2 – Practising new spelling words: The spelling words were built with phonics cards yesterday. Now flash the words again one by one. The learners read the words and clap them in sounds. Let the learners use the words in sentences. Step 3 – Visual memory and spelling words: Flash the words one by one (for approximately 2-3 seconds). Take the word away. The learners write it on their writing boards. Flash the word again and keep it there. The learners check if they have written the word correctly. They correct it if it is wrong. Repeat with all the spelling words.Step 4 – High-frequency sight words: Speed-read the familiar high-frequency sight words learnt to date. Introduce the new high-frequency sight words. Learners clap them in sounds and then write them on their writing boards.Step 5 – Auditory discrimination: Use only this week’s familiar spelling and high-frequency sight words. Say two words in a row. The learners write both words.


Social readiness• Does the learner show awareness of working speed?

Perceptual readinessCan the learner• participate attentively throughout a whole activity?• tell which sound he/she hears at the beginning/in the middle/at the end

of a word?• tell which sound/word in a series of four sounds is different from the

other sounds/words in the series?• remember the word series you have called out?

Group-guided reading, lesson 2 for week 3 30 minutesResources: Still the phonic reading lesson on p. 7 in the Learner’s Book, pencils and colouring pencils, each reading group’s graded reader from a reader series of your choice, your large flashcards of the sounds, sight and spelling words learnt to date, learners’ class workbooks.

Step 1 – Before the class separates into reading groups: Quickly speed-read the sounds, high-frequency sight words and spelling words learnt to date. Step 2 – Reading groups with you: Today, groups 2 and 3 come to read their lesson to you. Follow the same steps with groups 2 and 3 as you followed yesterday with group 1. Remember to do speed-reading of sounds, high-frequency sight words and spelling words in the small reading group too. Step 3 – Other reading groups: The groups who are not reading, follow this procedure:• Separate into pairs and read the phonics reading lesson on p. 7 in the

Learner’s Book to each other. Then they quickly read their reading lesson in the graded reader you have bound for them to one another.

• When they have finished reading, they go to their tables and complete the assignments as prescribed. When they have finished this, they read independently according to their reading skills from a book in the reading corner or further in the graded reader you have handed out.

Possible baseline assessment of perceptual readiness in this lesson

Can the learner • focus on the reading lesson/assignment in the Learner’s Book, even

when the rest of the class is noisy and busy with something else?• copy from the Learner’s Book to the class workbook without losing the

place?

Writing, lesson 1 for week 3 15 minutesResources: P. 8 in the Learner’s Book, learners’ class workbooks, pencils and colouring pencils.

Step 1 – Shared reading – Lists: Turn to p. 8 in the Learner’s Book. Read the lists with the learners. Discuss the features of lists. Make sure that the following emerge in the class discussion: The purpose of lists; lists get headings otherwise you will forget what the lists were made for; lists of words written one underneath the other do not get commas; lists of words written next to each other get commas between the words. No full stops after the heading or after the last word in the list. Step 2 – Practical application: Ask learners if they remember the characteristics of a good friend that were discussed and listed on the board yesterday. Choose learners to respond with two or three characteristics that they remember. Examples: Play together, share, forgive, help, loyal, care, honest. Now ask learners if they remember how to write a list. Yes, all the words are written underneath one another. Any capital letters? Yes, that’s right, the first letter of the first word in the list heading, the rest not. Step 3 – Writing lists: Learners write their own list of characteristics of a good friend under the heading A good friend. They then draw a picture of a good friend underneath, together with their best friend’s name and surname. Important: Make sure learners use capital letters for the name and surname.

Step 4 – Shared reading: Choose learners to read out their list to the rest of the class. Can the learners in the class guess who each learner’s best friend is?

Possible baseline assessment of social and perceptual readiness for Grade 2

• Could the learner focus on the writing task even when the rest of the class might be restless?

• Is the learner no longer so egocentric and is he/she willing, for example, to share his/her pencils with others?

(c) B

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Listening and Speaking, lesson 2 for week 3 15 minutesResources: The, “Four friends learn a lesson”-story, A2 card or paper for a poster, permanent marker or other pen to write on the poster, paper on which to make copies of rules for learners to paste in their homework books.

Step 1 – Listening: Read the “Four friends learn a lesson”-story, to the class. Remember to emphasise the concepts in bold print.

Four friends learn a lessonThere are four little baboon friends in the Thorn Tree Primary School. They are Bobby Baboon, Benny Baboon, Berty Baboon and Buddy Baboon. The four do everything together. When someone asks for volunteers to do something, they jump forward like one.

All the baboon teachers and the other little baboon children like the four friends, even though they are sometimes very naughty. If some mischief has been done, no baboon needs to look much further for the culprits. You can be sure, if someone’s lunch disappears, the crumbs will be on their faces and the berry juice around their mouths. If the tail of one of the little baboon girls is tied to her chair, you will find that the four rascals sit behind her in class.

Even though they are naughty, no one is cross with them for long, because everyone knows that it is just mischief. The teachers sigh and roll their eyes and say, “A little baboon is just a little baboon!” Some of the baboon children even wish the four would pinch their lunch, because if you have no lunch, the others feel sorry for you and quickly bring you a banana or berries to eat.

Old Mister Barkley Baboon is the school caretaker. It is his duty to see that the area around the school tree is clean. He doesn’t like a dirty place. He can’t stand orange peels and peach pips lying around. He always says it causes disease and invites flies. Everyone treats Mister Barkley Baboon with respect, because he is very old and he does his work very well.

But Bobby, Benny, Berty and Buddy simply can’t resist playing the fool. They decide it is great fun to empty out the rubbish bins after school. Old Mister Barkley Baboon has to bend down with his stiff, painful back to pick up all the rubbish again.

Mister Balthazar Baboon is the principal of Thorn Tree Primary. One morning he arrives at school earlier than usual. He finds old Barkley Baboon picking up the rubbish next to the upturned rubbish bin. “Mister Barkley! What is going on here? Who turned the bin over? As soon as the children come, I will send them to come and help you,” he says. The old baboon gets up and groans while he holds his back. “Oh, Mister Balthazar,” he says “It won’t help. Those mischievous little baboons will just do it again as soon as I turn my back.”

The biggest thorn tree is Thorn Tree Primary’s school hall. That morning, when all the children are sitting in the biggest tree, the principal says, “Today I want to teach you the most important lesson of your lives. Old Mister Barkley Baboon is old and he is an honest and hard worker. You should have respect for others – no matter who he is or what he does! Never think just because you are young and healthy and different, that you are better than someone else,” he says.

The four friends feel guilty. They are ashamed of themselves. “We are very sorry, Sir,” says Buddy. “We behaved badly. We’ll never again forget to treat all the staff members with respect. We’ll clean up the mess and apologise to Mister Barkley Baboon. Please, Sir, don’t tell our parents. Our dads will surely not let us play together again for six months!”

Step 2 – Memory and order: Choose learners to retell the story. What happened in the beginning? In the middle? What happened in the end? Check for correct order.

Step 3 – Speaking: Divide learners into groups of three or four. They discuss and decide on three rules for respectful, friendly, helpful behaviour in the class. Each group reports back to the rest of the class. As the groups report back, write each new idea for a rule on the board. Step 4 – Shared writing: Learners consider the rules on the board and decide on the five most important rules to be written on a class poster. Following the directions of the learners, rub out the rules until the five most important are left (give guidance where necessary!). Write out the five rules on an A2 piece of card or paper to display in the class. Make copies in reduced format for each learner to read and paste in their homework books.


Social readiness• Could the learner sit still throughout the whole story and listen attentively?• Was the learner willing to participate in the group work? Did the learner

participate or was the learner merely present without giving input?• Did the learner give the classmates turns too?

Phonics, sight vocabulary and spelling, lesson 3 for week 3 15 minutesResources: The flashcards of the sounds introduced to date, flashcards of the spelling words for this week and last week, flashcards of the high-frequency sight words introduced to date, the learners’ small phonics cards, writing boards and chalk.

Step 1 – Speed-reading of the familiar sounds: Choose a few learners to read the selected sounds through as quickly as they can. Do not choose learners who tend to be anxious when placed under time pressure. Rather allow the more anxious learners to read out selected sounds written on a “secret” paper that is given to them, and praise them for their accuracy!Step 2 – Speed-reading of high-frequency sight words: Speed-read the sight words already introduced. Let the learners from time to time write one of the words on their writing boards/the big board for variation. Step 3 – Practise spelling words: First flash the spelling words. The learners read the words and clap them in sounds. (Remember: sh-oo-t because sh and oo are each one sound). Write the words. Select a learner to use the word in a sentence. Can a second learner think up another (longer) sentence?Step 4 – Auditory discrimination: Flash the new sound/one of the new sounds. Say two words, one with the sound, one without the sound. The learners must write only the word with the sound you are holding up. Now learners write the word with the identified sound in the middle/top right corner/bottom left corner of the whiteboard. For a change, learners can write the correct word in large letters at the top of the whiteboard/in small letters at the bottom/in smaller and smaller letters underneath each other.Step 5 – Word-building: Flash three sounds that form a word in order and let the learners lay out the sound cards to build a word. (Remember! sh is one sound!) Example: sh-ee-p. Read the word. Clap the word in sounds. Shuffle the letters. Build the word again. Repeat with more spelling and sight words.


Can the learner• remember and say three sounds in the same order?• tell which sound he/she hears at the beginning/in the middle/at the end

of a word?• tell which sound/word in a series of three sounds is different from the

other sounds/words in the series?• concentrate on a task even when the rest of the class is saying the

sounds out loud?

(c) B

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Handwriting, lesson 2 for week 3 15 minutesResources: Writing strip of the letter “c C”, class workbook or handwriting book, the flashcards of spelling words for the week, sharp pencils.

Step 1 – Hand and finger-motor skills: Repeat the exercise in hand and finger motor skills as described for Day 1 but do not repeat the activity where learners face each other to form the letter (the orientation and writing direction of the “c” may be confused). Make sure learners form the c correctly, moving the hand from right to left, top to bottom.Step 2 – Writing strip of the letter “c C”: • One row of the small letter “c”, one row of the capital letter “C”, one row

of the small letter and capital letter alternately: “c C”.• One or two rows of a short sentence in which the letter appears several

times. Example: Carla Cohen is cute. Step 3 – Spelling words: The learners write the spelling words of the week as neatly as they can next to one another on a list. Please note: Commas between the words!


Could the learner• copy from the writing strip to the book without loosing the place?• pay attention throughout the activity?

Group-guided reading, lesson 2 for week 3 15 minutesResources: Phonic reading lesson on p. 9 in the Learner’s Book, each reading group’s graded reader from a reader series of your choice, phonics cards, individual writing boards and chalk, class workbooks, colouring pencils.

Big groupStep 1 – Eye exercise: Repeat the eye exercise as described for Day 1.Step 2 – Speed-reading: As always, start each day’s reading lesson with speed-reading of the familiar sounds, high-frequency sight words and spelling words.Step 3 – Practising and explaining: Learner’s Book, p. 9.• The learners study the picture. What do they think the lesson is about?

Allow them some time to try and read the lesson softly to themselves. Remind them beforehand of the five -finger-strategy when they get stuck on a word. Have they predicted the contents of the lesson correctly? Read the sentences with the learners. Talk very briefly about bullies and ask questions such as: What did Pat do that was wrong? Why do you say that it was wrong? Who helped Alex? How did she help?

• Say a word and let the learners point out the correct word. Clap the word in sounds with the learners. Read the lesson for a second time with the learners.


• Now slowly clap a high-frequency sight word or any other word in the lesson in sounds. Can the learners tell which word they hear? Find the word in the lesson. Read the word. The learners clap the word in sounds. Repeat with some more words.

• Learners complete the search reading exercise in their class workbooks. Learners write the sh words they found in the story in list format in their class work books. Then they choose the word that matches the picture, write it in their class workbooks and draw their own picture for the word.

Second 15 minutes: Separating into reading groups• The learners separate into their reading groups and read to one another

the phonic reading lesson in the Learner’s Book and the reading lesson in the graded reader you have handed to each one. Then they go to their tables and complete the assignment in the Learner’s Book.

• You take reading group 1 to come and read to you. Follow more or less the same steps as described above.


Can the learner• cross his/her midline easily with eyes shut?• pay attention throughout the activity?

Writing, lesson 2 for week 3 15 minutesResources: The flashcards of the spelling words and high-frequency sight words, the learners’ “My own dictionary” (see resources), pencils.

Step 1 – Introducing the dictionary: Discuss how the dictionary works. Explain that the learners should always first look in the dictionary for the word they cannot write and only when it is not in the book, may they ask you how to write the word.Step 2 – Supplementing the dictionary: Write the high-frequency sight words of the week on the correct page. Make very sure that every learner writes on the correct page AND that they have indeed written the word correctly. If they have written the word incorrectly, they will write it incorrectly every time based on their dictionary.



Today, the Big Book is read for the third time. This time, you guide the learners to note the details in the text and you pay special attention to the learners’ ability to discriminate figure and background.Step 1 – Shared reading and listening: • Read the story again. Discuss the picture. Ask questions such as:

Does Gerome have ears in the picture? Yes. Did he hear his mother? Yes. But did he LISTEN to her (obey her)? No. Who can show me the “ornaments” that Gerome is thinking about in the picture?

• Phonics: Revise the concept of rhyming words, i.e. they are words that sound the same at the end, for example, back and shack, sip and ship, etc. Ask learners if they can see something in each picture that rhymes with a specific word, e.g. “dears” (ears), “socks” (box), “bees” (keys), etc.

• Colour: Ask questions about colour on each page. Example: Show me something brown/black/blue in the picture. Expand on colour recognition: Can they see something red/yellow/blue in the class? What is it? Encourage them to answer in a sentence: It is a . . .

• Spatial concepts: Ask questions about the prescribed spatial concepts. Example: Where are Gerome’s ears? ON his head. Where does he kick his clothes? UNDER his bed. Where does he throw his toys? INTO the box, etc. Apply the concepts in class context too. Example: Show me something ON the table.

Follow the same steps on every subsequent page. Make sure that the learners are listening when you are reading. Step 2 – Read: Read the book again without interruption and encourage the learners to join in the reading.Step 3 – Revising sounds, search-reading: Flash the sounds the learners have already learnt one by one and let the learners read them. Open the Big Book at any page of your choice. Now point at one sound at a time and select a learner or two to come and find it for you on that page. Do the same with the sight words.

Phonics, sight vocabulary and spelling, lesson 4 for week 3 15 minutesResources: The flashcards of the sounds and high-frequency sight words introduced to date, flashcards of the spelling words for this week and last week, the learners’ small phonics cards, writing boards and chalk.

Step 1 – Speed-reading: Speed-read the sounds introduced to the learners to date. Speed-read the high-frequency sight words and some spelling words too. From time to time, select a learner to come and write on the board the sight word/spelling word you have just flashed. PRAISE correct spelling!Step 2 – Visual discrimination: Continue to use the sight and spelling words of the past week or two. Put up two words on the board. Two of the words must contain the same sound, e.g. see, she, ship. One more example: Bush, bus, sash. Learners read the words and tell which sound does not fit in and why it doesn’t fit. Clap the three words in sounds.

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Point at one of the three words and let the learners read the word. Turn the word card over. The learners write the word on their writing boards. Repeat with several words. Step 3 – Auditory discrimination exercise: Flash one of the sounds learnt to date. The learners say the sound. Then say a word series of two words – the learners must tell which word begins/does not begin with the sound or contains/does not contain the sound. If the learners manage this easily, you do the same with a word series of three words. Step 4 – Word-building: Yesterday, you flashed sounds and the learners laid them out in the correct order to form a word. Today, you say the sounds. Follow these steps:• Say the necessary sounds (use only the prescribed spelling and high-

frequency sight words for the exercise).• The learners pick out the sounds among the other sounds and lay them

out on their tables. Can they move them around to form a spelling word and then lay out the spelling word?

• The learners clap the word in sounds.• They write the word on their writing boards.

Group-guided reading, lesson 4 for week 3 15 minutes Resources: Still p. 9 in the Learner’s Book, each reading group’s graded reader from a reader series of your choice, class workbooks, colouring pencils.

Today, groups 2 and 3 come to read their lesson to you. Follow the same steps with groups 2 and 3 as you followed yesterday with group 1. The groups that are not reading to you follow these steps:Step 1: They separate into pairs and quickly read their phonic lesson on p. 9 in the Learner’s Book again to each other. Then they read their lesson in the supplementary, graded reader you have selected for them to each other. Step 2 – Individual reading or reading in pairs: When they have finished with this, they return to their tables. They complete the activity in the Learner’s Book, and then go to read a story of their own choice with a classmate or individually in the reading corner or at their table.

Writing, lesson 3 for week 3 15 minutesResources: The flow chart on p. 6 in the Learner’s Book, class workbooks, pencils.

Step 1 – Revision: Go back to p. 6 in the Learner’s Book. Last week, learners described themselves using the flow chart on this page. Ask a few learners to describe themselves, using the flow chart. Step 2 – Apply flow chart: Now ask the learners to describe another learner in the class, using the flow chart. The whole class can help to do so. Use only a minute or two for steps 1 and 2. Step 3 – Written work: Learners describe their best friend, using the flow chart. Remind the learners to use capital letters for the name and surname of the friend. If there are learners who still feel unsure, give them this writing frame to use:My best friend is _______________. (They add the name and surname. Attention to capital letters in name and surname.)His/her hair is _______________. She/he can _______________ well. She/he is my best friend because _______________. (For the last sentence learners write the characteristics that were written underneath each other, in a list next to each other with commas in between.)

Possible baseline assessment in this lessonTo what extent can the learner attempt this task successfully? Because they complete sentences from a sentence framework and they have practised the vocabulary over and over, the average Grade 2 learner should be able to do the work fairly easily. Doesn’t the learner manage this? Have you any idea what the cause might be? Can you do something about it?

Day 5Listening and Speaking, lesson 3 – 15 minutes; Phonics, lesson 5 – 15 minutes; Handwriting, lesson 3 – 15 minutes; Group-guided Reading, lesson 5 (reading lesson 3 on the worksheet) – 30 minutes; Writing, lesson 4 – 15 minutes

Listening and Speaking, lesson 3 for week 3 15 minutesResources: The “Prudence tames a bully”-story, masks made of coloured paper plates with holes for eyes and an elastic band to fit around the head.

Step 1 – Listen: Check that the learners are comfortable and that everybody is paying attention. Tell the, “Prudence tames a bully”-story.

Prudence tames a bully Prudence is very scared. Her legs are trembling. Her palms are damp with sweat. She feels her lips quiver She just wants to cry. Today, for the first time, she is going to the city school. For the first two school years, she has been in a small school in a small town, but now they are living in the city. She is afraid the city children will laugh at her because she doesn’t know anything about the big city.

Mommy takes Prudence to school herself. Prudence holds on tightly to her mom’s hand. The principal is friendly. “It is not at all necessary to be scared,” he says. “City children are just like town children. You will get along easily.” He calls Prudence’s new teacher over the intercom. Prudence opens her eyes wide in amazement. The teacher is beautiful! Her lips are blood red and she laughs in a friendly way. She wears a dress with blue, purple, green and brown dots. Prudence feels more at ease. Such a beautiful teacher with such a beautiful dress can’t be too strict.

“Children, this is Prudence,” Teacher says when they walk into the classroom. “Prudence comes from a school in a small town where there are few children in each class, not forty in one class as in our class! You must show her where everything is. Prudence, go and sit next to Elmie.”

All the children laugh. Prudence feels scared anew. It is not nice at all when the children are laughing at her. Surely, they are all very clever. She wants to put her finger in her mouth but luckily she remembers that she is big now and rather puts her hands under her buttocks so that nobody can see that she is trembling. She feels jealous of all the other children who are so clever and smart.

When Teacher begins with the classwork, Prudence is no longer scared. She knows all the answers! So she’s not as stupid as she had thought! It is her hand that shoots up the most to answer the questions.

During break, all the children go and play outside. Prudence is afraid the children will step on her or that she may lose her way. All her self-confidence disappears. To her, it looks like there are more children on the school’s playground than there were children and grownups in her old town! She is so nervous that she can’t eat her sandwiches. Luckily, Elmie comes and sits with her. She takes out her sandwiches.

Before she can take a bite or talk to Prudence, Billy and his friends come along. Billy is the biggest boy in Grade 2. “Hi you,” he says. “I’m hungry! Give me your bread immediately or I’ll hit you!”

Elmie looks scared and she wants to give her sandwiches to Billy immediately. Prudence can’t believe her eyes. Such a bully! At her previous school, nobody ever did such a nasty thing! Now she is not scared at all. She jumps up and angrily tells Billy: “You bully! Don’t you have manners? If you are hungry, you should ask “please” and then I will give you some bread. One doesn’t do that, do you hear me! And I will tell Teacher if you hurt us!”

Billy never expected this! He is ashamed and blushes blood red. His friends begin to laugh at him. “You better behave yourself in front of this girl”, they tease him.

“Sorry, Prudence,” he says shyly. “Do you have an extra sandwich for me, please?” Prudence and Elmie both give him a sandwich.

“I’m glad you put that bully in his place,” Elmie laughs when the boys walk away.

Step 2 – Discussion: Discuss the story as a class, especially the phrases and sentences in bold. Ask questions such as: What did Billy do that was wrong? How did Prudence cope with Billy the Bully?

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Step 3 – Phonics: Which of the character names in the story begins with p/b/e? Ends with s/ee? etc. Make the learners aware of syllables and choose learners to clap out the syllables of various words in the story, e.g. bul-ly, Pru-dence, prin-ci-pal, etc.Step 4 – Practical application: Havethe learners ever met a bully? What did the bully do? When? Where? Discuss how to deal with a bully (see Beginning Knowledge). Ask the learners who have experienced bullying whether they handled the bully the way Prudence did, or not? What was the same? What was different? What else could the learner have done?Step 5 – Dramatiaing and drilling-in: Select a group of learners to dramatise with you how to deal with a bully. Use a wolf/dog puppet to represent the bully. The learners receive masks of different colours as in the story. The dramatisation is done with masks because otherwise most learners would be unwilling to represent the nasty bully. The masks may be simple painted paper plates with holes for eyes. One learner in the group receives a book and glasses to represent a grownup, another perhaps a policemen’s cap and the rest are children who are bullied/report the bully. Divide the class into groups. They practise how to deal with a bully. Guide the groups throughout. Point out to them that size does not play a role in assertiveness.Hint 1: You will use the wolf or dog puppet to represent the bully in the first example so that no one in the class is linked to such a negative concept. Hint 2: Create a safe atmosphere at school. Tell the learners often that you care about them, that you are their “mother” at school and that they and their happiness are very important to you. In this way, a special relationship will develop between you and the learners and the learners will get the confidence to come to you with problems.

Step 6 – One group dramatises for the class: Select one group to perform their story for the others. Discuss the performance briefly afterwards. “Who was the bully? What did the bully do that was wrong? Who stood up to the bully? How? What did (the assertive learner) say and do?


Social readiness• Could the learner sit still and listen attentively throughout the whole story?• Was the learner willing to participate in the fantasy game?• Did the learner give the classmates turns too?

Phonics, sight vocabulary and spelling, lesson 5 for week 3 15 minutesResources: The flashcards of the sounds and high-frequency sight words introduced to date, flashcards of the spelling words for this week and last week.

Step 1 – Speed-reading: First, speed-read all the sounds introduced to date. Select individual learners to speed-read some sounds. Now speed-read the high-frequency sight words. Let some individual learners see how fast they can read the words. Speed-read the spelling words for the week. Step 2 – Auditory discrimination of constancy: Focus particularly on the new words. Show one of the familiar sounds: Say three words in a series; which word does not begin with the same sound/does not have the same sound in the middle? Step 3 – Play “Spelling King/Queen”: Do you still recall how “Spelling King/Queen” works? The chairs are lined up in rows in front of the board. Four of the chairs are at the board. These are the chairs for the king, queen, prince and princess. Make four crowns. Four learners go to the board. Say a word. They write it on the board behind their hands (cover it so that the others cannot see it). Uncover the word. Written correctly? Then they are the Spelling King and Queen and Prince and Princess, and they receive the crowns and sit down on the thrones. The next four learners get a turn and everybody moves up four chairs.

Handwriting, lesson 3 for week 3 15 minutesResources: Writing strip of the letter “q Q”, class workbooks, handwriting book, sharp pencils.

Step 1 – Hand and finger motor skills: Repeat the exercise in hand and finger motor skills as described for Day 1 for a third time. Today let the learners draw a large circle on the desk in front of them.

Make sure their trunk (body) is facing forward and stays still while the arm and hand move to make the shape and cross over the midline of their bodies. Now let learners draw the lazy “8” shape on the desk several times. Again make sure learners keep their trunk still and only move the arm and hand. Step 2 – Demonstration: Demonstrate on the board how to write a lower case “q”. Then a capital “Q”.Step 3 – Writing strip of the letter “q Q”: • One row of the small letter q, one row of the capital letter “Q”, one row

of the capital and small letters alternately “q Q”.• One or two rows of a sentence in which the letters appear several

times. Example: Queen is quiet. Step 4 – Sentence with spelling words: The learners write a sentence or two with spelling words of the week as neatly as they can. Examples: The fish swims in the dam. We brush the sheep.

Group-guided reading, lesson 5 for week 3 30 minutes Resources: Worksheet 5, the graded readers you handed out, class workbooks, colouring pencils.

The reading lesson on the worksheet is written only with sounds that have been practised over and over. The learners should be able to read it fairly easily and you will use it to determine which learners are not yet managing it. Follow these steps:First 15 minutesStep 1 – Speed-reading: Speed-read the sounds, sight and spelling words. Make it interesting for the learners by, for example, letting them read in gruff voices, whispers, without moving their lips, etc.Hint: From time to time, select a few learners who have done this “the best” and allow this group to do the speed-reading by themselves in the reading corner for one session. In this way, you have better control and can see which learners merely echo the classmates and which learners are actually reading.

Step 2 – Phonic reading lesson: Worksheet 5. Read the page only once with the whole class. Quickly discuss the contents with regard to friendliness, respect and how to deal with bullies. Then ask individual learners to read a page. The learners who are not reading out loud must follow the text with their fingers. Say a word from the reading lesson and let the class find the word on the page. Step 3 – Explain the assignments: The reading lesson is followed by some simple assignments that the learners will be able to complete fairly easily. There is, for example, a search-reading assignment, and they have to edit a classmate’s writing and insert the capital letters in the correct places in the written piece. Finally, they must write a list of their best friends on the worksheet. Again point out to the learners how to use capital letters in names and surnames.Second 15 minutesThe learners separate into their reading groups and read the phonic reading lesson on worksheet 5 and the graded readers you have handed out to each group to one another. You move from one group to the next, helping where necessary and recording your observations of their reading progress and participation.

Writing, lesson 4 for week 3 15 minutesResources: Worksheet 6.

Worksheet 6 is a revision and summary of the work done in week 3. Step 1 – Phonics and spelling: The learners write the words that match the pictures. The words and pictures emphasise the new sound (sh) practised this week.Step 2 – Own sentences, punctuation marks: They complete sentences with given words and have to add the correct punctuation marks, use new sounds and use exclamation and question marks, etc.

Possible baseline assessment in this lesson• Does the learner show awareness of working speed? • Does the learner do the work independently or does he/she continually

ask for guidance or watch continually what their classmate is doing and then do the same?

• Complete your baseline assessment of perceptual and social readiness.

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Week 4

The second week of the three-week topic: Myself and others

Week 4 briefly

Listening and SpeakingGeneral• This week, we extend the concept of good manners and responsibility beyond the class, and discuss and role-play good manners, responsibility and

dealing with conflict at home, in public places and with strangers.• Insist that the learners take turns to speak and that everybody gets a turn to speak. Guard against having one learner always taking over the

discussion. Also check that everybody listens respectfully when a classmate is speaking and that classmates are not interrupted inappropriately. • Continue to ask “Why?” questions and insist that the learners explain their answers.• Learners should remember and repeat three auditory words of three sound-related pictures and in the correct order. When the learners have to

remember the order of a story and lay it out in pictures, there should be four to six pictures, no more. • Spatial orientation: In front/first/at the front; behind/last/at the back; under/bottom/at the bottom; above/on top; next to/beside/alongside; down/

downward; go away/come back; in/out; inside/outside; into/out of; through/through under; over/across; round/around; up/above; under/beneath PLUS in the middle of; this side/that side.

Reading and PhonicsEye-motor skills• As regards eye-motor skills, you have now practised large up/down eye movements and large “S”-movements and large left-right eye movements

that cross the midline. This week, we repeat the same exercises but the learners cover their eyes alternately with a cupped hand so that you can see if their eyes can independently cross the midline smoothly.

Reading (group-guided reading, shared reading)• Repeat the concept of punctuation marks and how they influence the text. Once again point out to the learners the importance of spaces and how to

use them between words • Reading beforehand: Predict the story as a group, based on the illustration; encourage learners to try to read the reading lesson softy by themselves

first before you read it to the class.• Search-reading: New sounds, selected sight words in the reading text. Show the learners how to draw a large S-movement by hand across the page

when they are doing the search-reading. This helps to guide their eyes.• Reading technique: Practise intonation based on punctuation marks ? and ! and . and , .• High-frequency sight words: The previous series of words PLUS that, the, them, this, then, with, both.Phonics• All single sounds, of, ee, sh PLUS th. • Auditory discrimination: Special attention to correct discrimination of the difference between th/sh, e.g. thin/shin; thorn/shorn. Begin by asking which

sound does not fit into a series of three sounds, e.g. th, sh, sh. Then proceed with words. Try to give three words in a series. • Spelling words: Then, three, thin, thank, thick, think, bath, teeth, moth, path, tooth, smooth.

WritingHandwriting• Still letters with curved lines: “j J”, “s S”, “u U”. Refer to the teaching plans.WritingThe following are emphasised:• Sentences with attention to correct punctuation marks, as well as capital letters at the beginning of a sentence and in names and surnames PLUS in

place names.• Continue to write lists with commas between words, provide a heading, write list of words one beneath the other, provide a heading.• Supplement “My own dictionary” with new sight and spelling words.• Own sentences with at least two spelling words OR write at least two own sentences about the topic, based on the flow chart.• Give ideas for a class story written by the teacher and then processed into a class workbook.

Baseline assessmentYou still continue with baseline assessment. This week, check how ready the learner is regarding language and the influence the language level has on the learner’s comprehension

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Days 1 and 2I discover more about good manners at homeDisplay dolls or pictures to depict a family. Put real objects, e.g. a mop, bucket, cloth, empty bottles of cleaning agents, broom, vacuum cleaner, watering can, pegs and doll’s clothes/small cloths to hang up, etc. as well as pictures of duties/chores of that particular family next to every family member. Use the average milieu of your class as a guideline. Add pictures showing how different household appliances work, e.g. how a vacuum cleaner/washing machine/dishwasher works. Include instruction booklets for different appliances that learners can read through.Also add the following sentences:• I can wash the dishes.• I can wash the car.• I can make my bed.• I can vacuum the carpet.• I can pack the dishwasher.• I can select the correct cycle on the

dishwasher and set it going.• I can water the garden.• I can sort the washing into different colours.• I can hang up the washing.• I can tidy up.• I can do my school work.• I can look after the baby.

Days 3 and 4I discover more about good manners in public places and towards strangersMake shop fronts out of cardboard (use a cardboard box, decorate it, cut out a rectangle for a window).Also make large labels for different shops/public places, e.g. “Butcher”, “Post Office”, etc. Learners rotate the labels as desired.Put out real/toy items to be sold at the shop/post office, etc. Learners can practise good manners using the props.Also put out the following: • pictures/photographs depicting good

neighbourliness• a picture of a residential area and people

chatting• a street plan of the area• pictures of different boundaries for stands,

for example, concrete fences, wire fences, walls, palisades, etc.

Provide appropriate name cards.Also make the following name and phrase cards about neighbourliness:• neighbours may become friends• tolerance• respect• consideration• helpfulness• privacy

Day 5I discover more about dealing with conflict at home and at schoolMake two heading cards: rights and privilegesUnder rights put pictures of:• a house• plate of food• clothes• love• education• protectionUnder privileges put pictures of:• pretty and modern clothes• sweets• TVA variety of board games (we have to know how to solve problems/conflict, e.g. establish whose turn it is, if a move is in the rule book or not, etc. in order to play games well together!)

Essential hints and background knowledge before you start with the teaching plan for week 4

Free resources on the CD in the Teacher’s Guide• Now hand out the phonics cards of th.• Writing strips for the following three letters with curved lines: j J, s S, u

U. • Still the Dictionary you have duplicated for each learner. • Six pictures showing scenes from the story, “The school clothes run

away”:• Free worksheet 7.

Background informationIn weeks 2 and 3, you received the first background knowledge about baseline assessment and readiness for Grade 2. In each lesson, you also received hints about how and when to do the baseline assessment. Now read some more about baseline assessment of language readiness. This is the last week you will devote to baseline assessment of readiness for Grade 2 and you will receive in-depth guidance for this in each lesson.

Some more important knowledge about baseline assessment and readiness for Grade 2Baseline assessment: Language readiness for Grade 2Here is a 10-point checklist to see whether learners are language ready for Grade 2. Learners:1. understand oral instructions so well that they can carry them out without copying a friend.2. can use the home language fluently as the medium of communication.3. can use the vocabulary in long, extended sentences.4. like to listen to stories even without illustrations.5. can say in their own words what they want/must be done.6. have an inner language and can work in silence, without giving a running commentary on everything being done.7. pronounce words correctly, and quickly manage the pronunciation of new words.8. know the sounds learnt during the year and can combine them to build four to five letter words.9. like reading and read the prescribed lessons in the Learner’s Book with relative ease.10. read on their own in the reading corner.

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Teaching plans for week 4 The second week of the 3-week topic, Myself and others


Listening and Speaking, lesson 1 for week 4 15 minutesResources: The story, “The school clothes run away”, six pictures depicting the sequence of the story in the Resource Book. Beforehand: Print a set of pictures for each learner in class. Put them into small zip-lock bags. Enlarge one set for your own use. If you do that on cardboard and perhaps can laminate the pictures, they will last you for many years and can be used over and over again.

Step 1 – Listening: Tell the story, “The school clothes run away”. Emphasise the concepts in bold print and make sure that every learner understands the vocabulary. Use the six pictures in the (see free resources) to lay out the sequence of events in the story.

The school clothes run awaySam is lying in bed, he just wants to fall asleep. But then he hears something! Who is whispering in the dark? He peeps carefully over the blanket. The noise comes from the direction of the pile of clothes lying on his floor. Surely, it can’t be the dirty clothes talking?

He knows he should not have thrown his dirty clothes on the floor, but he did not feel like picking them up, they can just stay in the pile on the floor. Mommy can pick them up tomorrow and put them in the laundry, even though she works. He knows she will then also pick up the clean clothes that are already washed and ironed from the chair where he threw them down when she gave them to him to put away. She will put them away in his cupboard, he just doesn’t feel like doing it. His drawers are also in such a mess, he doesn’t know where the clothes should go. He hopes Mommy will also tidy up the drawers, because it is too big a job she has given him. He really doesn’t feel like doing it. Sam turns over to sleep on.

But now he hears it again! It is really the pile of dirty clothes talking!

“That’s it! I am not staying here a minute longer!” says School Sock and marches out of the room.

“Where are you going?” asks School Shoe. “I’m running away. Just see how many holes I have! And

dirty! It must be a month since I was last washed. Look, I can’t even bend anymore. I am stiff with dirt. Ugh!” says Sock.

“Wait for me, I’m also coming. I am so embarrassed because I look so bad. My body hasn’t seen polish since I came from the shop!” says School Shoe, and starts running to the door.

“W-w-wait now, guys. You can’t leave me here all alone. How do you think I feel? My last wash was with Sock,” says School Shirt.

“Oh, and you think I’m going to stand here, stiff with dirt, because I like to? If you go, I go!” says School Trousers. And there they go! Enough is enough!

“Mom, have you seen my school clothes? They were in my room yesterday, but now I can’t find them,” says Sam.

“No, my child. I washed the dirty washing yesterday, but yours wasn’t there,” answers Mom.

“So, how must I go to school today?”“Naked, I suppose,” says Mom. “If you don’t have clothes,

you’ll have to go naked.”“But I have clothes. I just can’t find them.”“Well, I can always find mine. I see that they are

washed when they’re dirty, and I hang them in the cupboard so that I know where they are. I have told you a hundred times that you are now big and your clothes are your responsibility.”

“Naked! Do you want everybody to think I don’t have clothes?”

“Oh, they know you have clothes. They see you in the same clothes every day . . . ”

“Sam, wake up. Time to get ready for school. We are a little late this morning. I had to wash your clothes late last night, because they weren’t with the other washing. They took a long time to dry. Here, I have just ironed them.”

“You are a darling, Mom! I had a horrible dream that my school clothes ran away and I had to go to school naked. It was really not good manners on my part to throw everything in a heap! From now on I’ll make sure that they’re in the laundry basket every time,” Sam promises.

Step 2 – Sequencing – Group work: Shuffle the pictures on the board in random order. Ask learners what happened first in the story. Choose a learner to indicate which picture should be first. The learner takes the correct picture and fixes it with Prestick to the left of the board. Repeat with the rest of the pictures as the story is retold and the sequence of the story is reinforced. Step 3 – Sequencing – Individual work: Hand a set of picture cards to each learner and let them lay out the sequence of the story by themselves. They tell the story to the friend sitting next to them.

Possible baseline assessment of language readiness for Grade 2

• Does the learner understand the oral instructions so well that he/she can execute them without copying his/her classmate?

• Can the learner use the Home Language fluently as the communication medium?

• Can the learner tell the story in his/her own words?


The Big Book is used for the fourth time. Today, you check the learners’ ability to recall the story.Step 1 – Memory: • Can the learners remember what the story was about? What happened

first? Second? Third? etc. How did the story end? Also ask what happened in the beginning/at the end of the story. Each time, turn back to the applicable pages, read the pages and let the learners decide if their answers were correct.

• While you are on the page, you point at one familiar word on the page. Let the learners clap it in syllables and say the initial sound. Are there any of the familiar sight words on the page? Quickly flash a sight word that is on the page. The learners read the word and now you ask a learner to come and point it out on the page. Let the learners also clap the word in sounds and select a learner or three to go and write the sight word on the board.

Step 2 – Shared reading: Read the story right through from front to back without interruption, without asking questions, just for the pleasure of it. By this time, the learners will know the story very well. Do they want to join in the reading?Hint: When the refrain appears when the story is read again, you simply keep silent and look encouragingly at the learners and they will spontaneously begin to say the refrain.

Step 3 – Higher-order questions: Ask some higher-order questions. (Remember that the learner must explain the answer and that the answer should therefore always include the word “because”). Examples: In your opinion should Gerome listen to his mother? Why? How did Gerome feel when he kicked his clothes under the bed? How do you feel if your mom tells you to do something you do not feel like doing? How did the story make them feel? Why?

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• Can the learner answer your questions in full sentences? • Can the learner use the new vocabulary in long, extended sentences?

Phonics, sight vocabulary and spelling, lesson 1 for week 4 15 minutesResources: The following pictures – bath, feather, three, thorn, path, moth, teeth, thread (If you are using the New All-In-One Phonics Book for Learners, you will find all the pictures on pp. 24 to 25 and you need not look for pictures), flashcards of the sounds introduced to date plus th (hard and soft), flashcards of the spelling words for this week and last week, flashcards of the high-frequency sight words introduced to date plus the set of new high-frequency sight words, the learners’ small phonics cards, writing boards and chalk.

Step 1 – Speed-reading of the familiar sounds: Revise speed-reading of the sounds learnt to date by flashing the sounds faster and faster for the learners to read them. Vary the order in which you flash the sounds!Step 2 – High-frequency sight words: Speed-read the high-frequency sight words learnt to date.Step 3 – Introducing the soft th: Put up the following pictures in random order on the board: Bath, three, path, thorn, teeth. The learners name the pictures and then tell which sound they heard in each of the words (exercise in box 1, p. 24 in the Phonics Book.) Write the sound on the board. The learners say the sound and write it on their writing boards. Learners say the new words again, while pointing to the corresponding picture. They then use the words in an oral sentence to demonstrate its meaning.Step 4 – Discrimination of difference between the soft and hard th: • Now add the following pictures to the board: Feather, mother, father.

Shuffle the pictures. Learners listen and identify where the th sound is. Learners read examples with either the hard or soft th sound and identify which group the sound belongs to. (Phonics Book, p. 24, bottom block.)

• Say a word containing the th sound. The learners must say if it is a soft/hard th, and where they hear the sound. Examples: Thief, them, thorn, mother. (Activity in top block, p. 25).

Step 5 – Figure-background: If you make use of the Phonics Book, let the learners identify the sound in a figure-background exercise (bottom box, p. 25). Step 6 – Speed-reading of the sounds with flashcards: Identify the sound among flashcards. Speed-read again. Step 7 – Introduce the new spelling words: Flash the spelling words one by one. Let the learners read the words and clap them in sounds. Put up the words on the board. Read the words again.

Possible baseline assessment of language readiness in this lesson

• The learner has probably learnt very few new words in this lesson. Does the learner pronounce the words correctly and could he/she quickly learn the pronunciation of the new words?

• Can the learner use the new spelling words correctly in full sentences?

Handwriting, lesson 1 for week 4 15 minutesResources: Class workbooks or handwriting books, pencils.

Step 1 – Hand- and finger-motor skills: Play on an imaginary piano. Demonstrate how each finger moves individually to encourage finger movement. Perhaps hit high (or low) notes with particular emphasis on the finger movements. Step 2 – Writing strip of the letter j J: • One row of the small letter j, one row of the capital letter J, one row of

small and capital letters alternately: j J.• One or two rows of a short sentence in which the letters occur several

times. Example: A jug of June’s jam. Step 3 – The sound of the week: One or two lines in which the learners write the sound/s of the week (th) as neatly as they can.


• Does the learner have internal language and work in silence without giving a running commentary on his/her work?

Group-guided reading, lesson 1 for week 4 30 minutesResources: Reading lesson on p. 10 in the Learner’s Book, flashcards of the familiar sounds PLUS th, flashcards of the high-frequency sight words learnt this term, each reading group’s graded reader from a reader series of your choice.

First 15 minutesStep 1 – Big group: Learner’s Book, p. 10. • Eye exercise: Swing a ball back and forth on a string. Encourage learners

to track the movement with their eyes while keeping their heads still. • Let the learners study the picture. Can they guess what the reading

lesson is about? Read the sentences to the learners while they are following the words with their fingers. Quickly talk again about what it was that the child in the reading lesson did that was inconsiderate/kind. Talk about similar things learners can do to help out at home.

• Read the sentences again one by one. Clap each sentence in words with the learners. Name the punctuation marks. The learners read the sentences again with you and use the correct intonation. They point at the words with their fingers as they are reading.


• Flash some of the familiar sounds of your choice. The learners read the sounds and put blocks on the letters they can find in the reading text. Select individual learners to read the word. Can they find the new sound th in the reading lesson? Read the word. Clap the word in sounds.


Step 2 – Assignment: Explain the assignment that follows the reading lesson. The learners do a word-building assignment, among other things. Warn them that some of the sounds cannot form words. Hint: The exercises are given specially so that some sounds cannot form words, otherwise the learners will simply write down a lot of sounds, analyse and synthesise them to see if they form words, and then the exercise is worthless!


the Learner’s Book to one another. Then they read their reading lesson in the graded reader of your choice to one another. When they have finished reading, they go to their tables and continue with the word-building and writing exercises.

You take reading group 1 to come and read to you.


• Does the learner understand the oral explanation of the assignments so well that he/she can execute them without copying from his/her classmates?

• Does the learner have internal language and can he/she work in silence without giving a running commentary on his/her work?

• Can the learner join the sounds in the word-building assignment to build four- to five-letter words?

Day 2Shared reading, lesson 2 – 15 minutes; Phonics, lesson 2 – 15 minutes; Group-guided Reading and reading in pairs/independent reading, lesson 2 – 30 minutes; Writing, lesson 1 – 15 minutes

Shared reading, lesson 2 for week 4 15 minutesResources: Still Big Book 2.

Step 1 – Reading: Hold the book open and at eye level for the learners. Have the learners read the story to you, encouraging them to read with the correct intonation.

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Step 2 – Role-play: Play character charades. Choose a few learners to act out different characters from the story. Allow the rest of the class to guess which character they are. Step 3 – Retelling: Ask learners to pair up and retell the story to each other in their own words. Encourage learners to make use of different pitch and intonation.


• Does the learner understand the oral assignments so well that he/she can execute them without always relying on classmates’ guidance?

• Can the learner use the home language fluently as the communication medium?

• Can the learner tell in his/her own words what the classmates represent?


Step 1 – Speed-reading of the familiar sounds: Revise speed-reading of the sounds learnt to date by flashing the sounds faster and faster for the learners to read. Vary the order in which you flash the sounds!Step 2 – Revising previous spelling words: Speed-read the spelling words of the past fortnight. Step 3 – Practising new spelling words: • Now flash the new words again one by one. The learners read the

words and clap them in sounds. Let the learners use the words in sentences.

• Flash the words one by one (for approximately 2-3 seconds). Take the word away. The learners write it on their writing boards. Flash the word again and keep it there. The learners check if they have written the word correctly. They correct it if it was wrong. Repeat with all the spelling words.

• Let the learners stand with their backs turned towards you. Give small groups at a time a turn. Use the spelling words of the week. Say a word series of two words: sometimes the words are similar/sometimes they are different. The learners must tell if the words are similar/different. Example: Path/bath, teeth/tooth, moth/moth.

Step 4 – High-frequency sight words: Speed-read the familiar sight words learnt to date. Introduce the new high-frequency sight words. Learners clap them in sounds and write them on their writing boards.Step 5 – Auditory discrimination: Use only this week’s familiar spelling and high-frequency sight words. Say two words in a row. The learners write both words.


• Can the learner use the spelling words orally in full sentences?• Does the learner pronounce the words correctly?• Can the learner hear the difference between two sounds that sound

nearly the same, e.g. bath/path, the/them? Also when the learner stands with his/her back towards you?

Group-guided reading, lesson 2 for week 4 30 minutesResources: Still the phonic reading lesson on p. 10 in the Learner’s Book, pencils and colouring pencils, each reading group’s graded reader from a reader series of your choice, your large flashcards of the sounds, sight and spelling words learnt to date.

Step 1 – Before the class separates into reading groups: Quickly speed-read the sounds, high-frequency sight words and spelling words learnt to date. Step 2 – Reading groups with you: Today, groups 2 and 3 come to read their lesson to you. Follow the same steps with groups 2 and 3 as you followed yesterday with group 1. Remember to do speed-reading of sounds, high-frequency sight words and spelling words in the small reading group too.

Step 3 – Other reading groups: The groups that are not reading to you follow this procedure:• The rest of the learners separate into pairs and read the following to one

another: The phonic reading lesson on p. 10 in the Learner’s Book, and the reading lesson in the graded reader you have selected for them.

• When they have finished reading, they return to their tables and build the th words with their phonics cards and find the words in the reading passage that match the pictures. Learners also write a list of their chores at home in their class workbooks. Can they remember how to write a list correctly? When they have finished with this, they read independently from a graded book according to their reading ability.

Possible baseline assessment in this lesson• Does the learner like reading?• Does the learner read the prescribed lessons in the Learner’s Book

fairly easily?• Does the learner sometimes read books in the reading corner by him-/

herself (even if he/she is merely paging through the books)?

Writing, lesson 1 for week 4 15 minutesResources: Picture cards from free resources (the same cards used during lesson 1, Listening and Speaking), class workbooks, glue, pencils.

Step 1 – Preparation for writing: Learners discuss the story, “The school clothes run away”, again. Focus on the order of events.Step 2 – Ordering: Learners use the pictures and again arrange them in the correct order. They number the pictures from 1-6.Step 3 – Captions: Learners write the date and heading in their class workbooks. They paste the pictures in the correct sequence under one another. They then write a sentence to go with each picture next to the picture.

Possible baseline assessment of language readiness for Grade 2 in this lesson

• Could the learners arrange the pictures in the correct order and give you an oral sentence for each picture? Could they write the sentence?

Day 3Listening and Speaking, lesson 2 – 15 minutes; Phonics, lesson 3 – 15 minutes; Handwriting, lesson 2 – 15 minutes; Group-guided Reading, lesson 3 – 30 minutes; Writing, lesson 2 – 15 minutes.

Listening and Speaking, lesson 2 for week 4 15 minutesResources: The story, “Manners, manners”, key words on the writing board.

Step 1 – Listening: Read the story, “Manners, manners”, to the learners. Make sure that the learners understand the words in bold print.

Manners, manners!My name is Jerry and I have to sit here in the corner of the classroom because Teacher says I don’t have good manners.

Manners, manners. It’s all grownups can think of. I think manners are nothing but a nasty word grownups use to spoil children’s fun.

When we are at table and Buti says something nasty, Mother always says, “Manners, manners! Where are your manners? One doesn’t talk with food in your mouth!” I think they always take Buti’s part and then Mother silences me with “Manners, manners!”

Grandpa likes to say,“Cover your mouth with your handSays the chicken to the lambSays the frog to the fawnWhen you yawn, when you yawn.”Now why should I cover my mouth with my hand when I

yawn, as I am neither a chicken nor a lamb, a frog or a fawn? When I yawn, I want to open my mouth as wide as possible and stretch myself to my full height. Then I don’t have a hand left to cover my mouth. But then Grandpa repeats, “Manners, manners!”

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When a person sneezes, it happens so fast! Where is one supposed to get a handkerchief so quickly? Today, at school, I almost had good manners. When I sneezed, I turned my head away as Mother always says I should, and sneezed on the sandwich of the girl next to me. I can’t be blamed if I don’t have time to take my handkerchief out. Teacher was fed-up with me already. “Manners, manners!” she said to me. The girl also said, “Manners, manners!”

Mother says at a party one should never take the largest or last piece of cake. It isn’t good manners. Manners, manners! Now I ask you, If I don’t take it, what is to become of the largest or last piece of cake? Should those two pieces always be thrown away? Such a waste of food certainly isn’t good manners!

Dad always says boys shouldn’t hit girls, as it isn’t good manners. He also says if someone hits you, you shouldn’t hit back. You should turn your other cheek. But really, that girl was rough. She hit me on my nose. I have only one nose, so I returned her blow. Should girls not have good manners too? Was it really necessary to yell so loud that two teachers came to see what was going on? I think it is very unfair that I now have to sit in the corner because other children don’t have good manners. Of course Teacher took the girl’s part, and said all these things wouldn’t have happened to me if I had good manners!Manners, manners!

Step 2 – Speaking: Ask some easy straightforward questions about the contents of the story. Example: What does it mean to have good manners? Name and describe some of Jerry’s bad manners. What should Jerry have done? Describe your good manners. Why are manners so important? When does Jerry realise that manners are important in the story?Step 3 – Key words: Now tell the story again, but make it short and sweet. Let the learners provide the key word/s in each sentence. Write the key words on the board. Step 4 – Sentence construction, retelling: In pairs, learners construct sentences using the key words. Encourage learners to be as descriptive as possible. Each learner chooses a sentence and recites it to the class.


• Does the learner understand the oral instructions so well that he/she can execute them without copying from a classmate?

• Can the learner use the Home Language fluently as the communication medium?

• Can the learner use the keywords on the board in full, extended sentences? Pronunciation?


Step 1 – Speed-reading of the familiar sounds: Divide learners into two groups. Each group has a turn to speed-read the sounds. The group that does it the fastest and with the fewest mistakes is the winner! Step 2 – Speed-reading of high-frequency sight words: Speed-read the sight words already introduced. Let the learners sometimes write one of the words on their writing boards/the big board for variation Step 3 – Practise spelling words: First flash the spelling words. The learners read the words and clap them in sounds. (Remember: b-a-th because th is one sound). Write the words. Select a learner to use the word in a sentence. Can a second learner think up another sentence?Step 4 – Auditory discrimination: Flash the new sound/one of the new sounds. Say two words, one with the sound, one without the sound. The learners must write only the word with the sound you hold up. Step 5 – Word-building: Flash three sounds that form a word in order and let the learners lay out the cards to build a word. Read the word. Clap the word in sounds. Shuffle the letters. Build the word again. Repeat with more spelling and sight words.

Hint 1: Use the spelling words prescribed for the week for this exercise.Hint 2: Make it slightly more difficult: Flash the sounds and take them away. The learners REMEMBER the order and lay out the sounds in that order.


• Could the learner understand the instructions?• When the learner repeats the instructions, does he/she pronounce the

words correctly? Does he/she manage the pronunciation?

Handwriting, lesson 2 for week 4 15 minutesResources: Writing strip of the letter s S, class workbook or handwriting book, flashcards of the spelling words for the week, sharp pencils.

Step 1 – Hand and finger motor skills: Repeat the exercise in hand and finger motor skills as described for Day 1. Step 2 – Writing strip of the letter s S: • One row of the small letter s, one row of the capital letter S, one row of

capital and small letters s S alternately.• One or two rows of a short sentence in which the letters occur several

times. Example: Sissy sneaks a sweet. Step 3 – Spelling words: The learners write the spelling words of the week as neatly as they can.


• Can the learner tell in his/her own words what is done, what he/she wants?

• Does the learner have sufficient internal language so that he/she can work in silence without giving a running commentary on his/her work?

Group-guided Reading, lesson 3 for week 4 30 minutesResources: Phonic reading lesson on p. 11 in the Learner’s Book, each reading group’s graded reader from a reader series of your choice, phonics cards, individual writing boards and chalk, class workbooks, colouring pencils, ball on a string.

First 15 minutes: First work with the big rope Step 1 – Eye exercise: Choose a learner to swing a ball attached to a length of rope. The rest of the class follows the ball with their eyes. Step 2 – Speed-reading: As always, begin every day’s reading lesson with speed-reading of the familiar sounds, high-frequency sight words and spelling words.Step 3 – Practising and explaining: Learner’s Book, p. 11. • The learners study the picture. What do you think the lesson is about?

Allow them some time to try to read the lesson softly to themselves. Remind them beforehand of the five-finger strategy for when they get stuck. Did they predict the contents of the lesson correctly? Read the sentences with the learners.

• Talk very briefly about manners. Why are manners important? Imagine a world with no manners. How would that make you feel?



• Now clap a sight word or any other word in the lesson slowly in sounds. Can the learners tell which word they hear? Find the word in the lesson. Read the word. The learners clap the word in sounds. Repeat with some more words.

• Explain the assignment. It is again a word-building activity: They build th words and write them in their class workbooks. They also do an editing activity that revises how capital letters are used.

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reading lesson in the Learner’s Book and the reading lesson in the graded reader you have handed out to each one to one another. Then they go to their tables and complete the assignment in the Learner’s Book.

You take reading group 1 to come and read to you. Follow more or less the same steps as described above.


By this time, the learners should have mastered using capital letters in the names of people and places and in surnames. Check if there are any more learners who are struggling with this so that you can pay attention to them individually.

Writing, lesson 2 for week 4 30 minutesResources: The flashcards of the spelling words and high-frequency sight words, the learners’ My own dictionary, pencils.

The learners supplement the dictionaries and write the high-frequency sight words and spelling words of the week on the correct page. Hint 1: Make absolutely sure that every learner writes on the correct page AND that they have indeed written the word correctly. If the word was written incorrectly, they will write it incorrectly every time, based on their dictionary. Hint 2: If time permits, they may illustrate some of the words with a small picture. You will notice that most of the sight words cannot be illustrated.

Day 4Shared Reading, lesson 3 – 15 minutes; Phonics, lesson 4 – 15 minutes; Group-guided Reading, lesson 4 – 30 minutes; Writing, lesson 3 – 15 minutes

Shared Reading from Big Book, lesson 3 for week 4 15 minutesResources: Still Big Book 2, any other storybook of your choice. Choose a book you know the learners will find irresistible because it contains particularly beautiful pictures.

Today, you use the features of the Big Book to stimulate the learners’ desire to read other books. You may do this as follows:Step 1 – Front cover: Quickly discuss the book’s front cover with the learners again. What is happening in the illustration? Can the learners predict, based on the front cover, what the story is about? Now use any richly illustrated storybook of your choice. Discuss the front cover. Can the learners guess according to the front cover, what that story is about? Step 2 – Title: Read the title of the Big Book story. Read the title of the storybook of your choice. Step 3 – Contents: Does the book have a list of contents? And the storybook? Read the list of contents and the page numbers. Turn to the various pages and read the titles and the first sentence or two of each new story or rhyme. Step 4 – Contents: Page through the storybook. How many pages are there? Read the first page or three and discuss the pictures. Step 5 – Encouraging a reading culture: Place the new storybook in the reading corner to stimulate the learners’ curiosity and encourage them to page through it by themselves in their free time.

Phonics, sight vocabulary and spelling, lesson 4 for week 4 15 minutesResources: The flashcards of the sounds and high-frequency sight words introduced to date, flashcards of the spelling words for this week and last week, the learners’ small phonics cards, writing boards and chalk.

Step 1 – Speed-reading: Speed-read the sounds introduced to the learners to date. Speed-read the high-frequency sight words, and some spelling words too. From time to time, select a learner to come and write on the board the sight word/spelling word that has just been flashed. PRAISE correct spelling!

Step 2 – Visual discrimination: Continue to use the sight and spelling words of the past week or two. Put up three words on the board. Two words must contain the same sound, e.g. thin, think, she, etc. Learners read the words and tell which word does not fit in and why it does not fit in. Clap the three words in sounds. Show one of the three words and let the learners read the word. Turn over the card of the word. The learners write the word on their writing boards. Repeat with several words. Step 3 – Auditory discrimination exercise: Flash one of the sounds learnt to date. The learners say the sound. Then say a series of two to three words – the learners must tell which word begins/does not begin with the sound or contains/does not contain the sound.Step 4 – Word-building: Yesterday, you flashed sounds and the learners laid out their cards in the correct order to form a word. Today, you say the sounds. Follow the following steps:Say the necessary sounds (continue to use the prescribed spelling and sight words for the exercise).• The learners pick out the sounds among the other sounds and lay them

out on their tables. Can they move them around to form a spelling word and lay out the spelling word?



How successfully does the learner deal with the word-building exercise? Accurately? Clumsily? Is the learner inaccurate because he/she does not know the sounds/cannot remember the order of the sounds, or is he/she simply clumsy?

Group-guided reading, lesson 4 for week 4 30 minutesResources: Still p. 11 in the Learner’s Book, each reading group’s graded reader from a reader series of your choice, class workbooks, colouring pencils.

Today, groups 2 and 3 come to read their lesson to you. Follow the same steps with groups 2 and 3 as you followed yesterday with group 1.The groups that are not reading to you, follow these steps:Step 1 – Reading: They separate into pairs and quickly read their phonics lesson in the Learner’s Book to each other. Then they read their lesson in the supplementary, graded reader you have selected for them to each other. Step 2 – Individual reading or reading in pairs: When they have finished this, they return to their tables. They complete the activity in the Learner’s Book. They identify names in the reading passage and write them with a capital letter in their class workbooks. They should remember to write them with a capital letter! Then they read a story of their own choice with a classmate or individually in the reading corner or at their tables.

Writing, lesson 3 for week 4 15 minutesResources: The learners’ My own dictionary, any other dictionaries on which you can lay your hands.

Step 1 – Dictionary: Show learners an example of a dictionary. Explain briefly how we use dictionaries and what we use a dictionary for. Allow learners to page through the dictionary. Explain the importance of recording words alphabetically.Step 2 – Own dictionary: Learners page through story books from the reading corner and add four words of their own choice to their dictionaries.

Day 5Listening and Speaking, lesson 3 – 15 minutes; Phonics, lesson 5 – 15 minutes; Handwriting, lesson 3 – 15 minutes; Group-guided Reading, lesson 5 (reading lesson 3) – 30 minutes; Writing, lesson 4 – 15 minutes

Listening and Speaking, lesson 3 for week 4 15 minutesResources: The story, “The big match”, possibly those masks made of coloured paper plates if the learners are reluctant to take part.

Step 1 – Listening: Read the story, “The big match”, to the learners. Some of the concepts will be unfamiliar to the learners and you should demonstrate/explain them to make sure that everybody understands them.

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The big matchOne Saturday, the children are bored.

“Let’s go to the park to see if there is someone with whom we can play,” John says. He and Chris walk to the park. There are quite a lot of children just hanging around. “Come, let’s play cricket,” Chris says. “We have nothing with which to play cricket. Sepiwe has a soccer ball. Let’s ask him, then we can make two sides and play soccer,” Chris says.

Sepiwe is immediately ready to play soccer. “I’m the captain of the team,” he says.

“On no, I am. It was my idea, so I’m the captain.” [Who says this? It should be Chris. John and Chris are muddled up below. Check Afrikaans?]

“It is my ball, so I’m the captain,” Sepiwe says and stares crossly at Chris.

He feels like hitting Sepiwe on his nose, he is a bit bigger than Sepiwe. Sepiwe, in turn, feels like hitting Chris on the lip, he is stronger than Chris.

John stops them quickly. “If you play soccer, there are two sides, you can each be captain of a side,” he says.

Yes, that’s true, Sepiwe and Chris think. They both feel a bit silly for not having thought of it themselves. “Lisa is in my team,” Sepiwe says. Chris knows Lisa is quick and nimble and if she is in the other team, they will win. “Never, she is my sister and she is in my team,” Chris says. “Then you can go and find your own ball. We play with my ball only if Lisa is in my team.”

Now Chris REALLY feels like hitting Sepiwe on the nose! Sepiwe REALLY feels like hitting Chris [etc] on his chin.

Chris has to stop them again. “We are going to play soccer, not box. We’ll play a counting-out game to see who will be in which team.”

Lisa looks at the boys. She wants to play but she is very afraid of fighting. She throws back her hair and tells the boys: “Nobody has even asked me if I wanted to play. I don’t want to, so there,” and she walks away.

Oh dear, there their best player is going now, John and Sepiwe think. They begin with the counting-out game and then find out that it is fun. “Tit, tat, toe, and here I go,” John says and chooses Joe.

“Eeny, meeny, miny, moe,” Sepiwe says and chooses Sandile. In no time, all the children are in a team. It wasn’t even necessary to fight!

For a while, all goes well and they all play together nicely. “I have kicked a goal!” Chris yells. “One point for my team.”

“No way,” Sepiwe argues “That’s not in the net. The net is two steps to the left.”

NOW is the time to box Sepiwe on the ear, John thinks. NOW I want to give John a black eye, Sepiwe thinks.“If you can’t play decently, I will no longer play with you”,

Chris says. He wants to play, not fight. In the corner of the park, he meets John’s dad. “Sir,” he says, “we are trying to play soccer but they all argue so much, we don’t play at all. Won’t you come and be the referee?” he asks.

John’s dad walks to the children. He claps his hands and calls everyone together. “All right, guys,” he says. “With the fist, nobody has ever achieved anything, except perhaps a black eye or two. One plays according to rules. Let’s quickly see what the rules for this game are.”

Now the rules have been laid down and the nets are marked with jerseys and with someone acting as referee, everything goes quite well. The children play to their hearts’ content because they know there will now be no more fighting. John no longer cares about Sepiwe’s being stronger than he is, and Sepiwe doesn’t care about John’s being bigger than he is, they now just want to play with the ball.

Sepiwe scores a goal. “Just five minutes more,” John’s dad says. Chris sees that he should now make a plan quickly. Quickly he kicks the ball and runs. He kicks the ball again. A goal! John’s dad claps his hands and with this the game has ended. “Equal! We have all won!” they all shout.

Step 2 – Speaking: Give learners a chance to retell a part of the story. Allow each learner a chance to speak. Encourage learners to remember as many details from the story as possible.

Step 3 – Discussion: Ask learners to think of times when they had to resolve a conflict between themselves and another. How did they do it?Step 4 – Role play: Learners role play a scene where two friends have a disagreement and resolve it peacefully. If the learners are reluctant to be the “baddie”, use the masks made of coloured paper plates.


• Can the learner tell in his/her own words what should be done/how he/she should act?

Phonics, sight vocabulary and spelling, lesson 5 for week 4 15 minutesResources: The flashcards of the sounds and high-frequency sight words introduced to date, flashcards of the spelling words for this week and last week, class workbooks and pencils.

Step 1 – Speed-reading: First speed-read all the sounds introduced to date. Also select individual learners to speed-read some sounds. Now speed-read the high-frequency sight words. Let a few individual learners see how quickly they can read the words. Speed-read the spelling words of the week. Step 2 – Auditory discrimination of constancy: Focus particularly on the new words. Show one of the familiar sounds: Say three words in series; which word does not begin with the same sound/does not have the same sound in the middle? Step 3 –Spelling test: Then, three, thin, think, thank, thick, bath, teeth, moth, path, tooth, smooth.

Handwriting, lesson 3 for week 4 15 minutesResources: Writing strip of the letter u U, class workbook or handwriting book, sharp pencils.

Step 1 – Hand and finger motor skills: Repeat for a third time the exercise in hand and finger motor skills as described for Day 1. Make it slightly more difficult and let the learners play the imaginary piano faster and faster! Step 2 – Writing strip of the letter u U: • One row of the small letter u, one row of the capital letter U, one row

with capital and small letters u U alternately.• One or two rows of a short sentence in which the letter appears several

times. Example: Uncle unfolds the umbrella.Step 3 – Sentence with spelling words: A sentence or two in which the spelling words of the week appear. Examples: This is the thick book. The moth falls in the bath.


• Does the learner understand the oral instructions so well that he/she can execute them without copying his/her classmates?

Group-guided reading, lesson 5 for week 4 30 minutesResources: Free worksheet 7, the graded readers you have handed out to each group, class workbooks, colouring pencils.

The reading lesson on the worksheet is written only with sounds that have now been practised over and over. The learners should be able to read it fairly easily and you use the reading session to determine which learners are still not managing it. Follow these steps:

First 15 minutesStep 1 – Speed-reading: Speed-read the sounds, sight and spelling words. Make it interesting for the learners by letting them read, for example, in gruff voices, whispers, without moving their lips, etc.Hint: From time to time, select a few learners who have done this “the best” and allow this group to do the speed-reading by themselves in the reading corner for one session. In this way, you will have better control and will be able to see which learners are merely echoing the classmates and which learners are really reading.

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Step 2 – Phonic reading lesson: Worksheet 7. Read the page only once with the whole class. Quickly discuss the contents good manners. Then ask individual learners to read a page. The learners who are not reading out loud must follow the text with their fingers. Then say a word from the reading lesson and let the class find the word on the page. Step 3 – Explain the assignments: The learners do a search-reading exercise, followed by a simple comprehension test where they have to colour the boxes containing sentences that are true.

Second 15 minutesThe learners separate into their reading groups and read the phonic reading lesson on worksheet 7 and the graded readers you have handed out to each group to one another. You move from one group to the next, helping where necessary and recording your observations of their reading progress and participation. Then they return to their tables and complete the easy written assignment. You may use the way in which they start and complete the assignments as a good guideline for the learner’s language concept.

Writing, lesson 4 for week 4 15 minutesResources: Class workbooks, pencils, colouring pencils.

Step 1 – Conflict resolution: Learners think of a time when they had a disagreement with a friend. How did they resolve it? Discuss as a class the different ways learners managed to resolve their conflicts. List some successful strategies on the board. Example: Taking turns, compromising, asking an adult to intervene.Step 2 – Written work: Learners draw a picture of two children who are having a disagreement. Then they draw a picture of the resolution. They write sentences underneath to describe the events.


• Could the learner understand the assignment?

Week 5

The third week of the 3-week topic, Myself and others

Week 5 briefly

Listening and SpeakingBy this time, the learners are no longer as unaccustomed to the class. They have probably observed the world around them quite well and they are now perhaps beginning to compare themselves with classmates. Therefore, we begin this week to stress that every child in class is special to us and right for us, exactly the way he/she is. • In listening and speech lessons, and even in the reading activities, we emphasise that we should consistently show respect for one another.• In this topic, we also teach the learners the correct way to communicate with various people and we pay particular attention to the correct way to use

the pronouns and forms of address. • Continue to insist that learners explain their answers and add “because . . . ” to every answer. From this week on, you go a bit further and focus

on higher-order reasoning questions emphasising cause and effect: Why did it happen? What will be the outcome, do you think? The topic and introductory stories lend themselves excellently to practising this skill.

• The learners also do role-play from written dialogue in speech bubbles.• You also pay much attention to the learners’ making sentences with the keywords in the board scheme. Insist that they use full sentences.

Reading and phonicsEye-motor skills• Large circle, zigzag and hopping movements with the eyes so that the midline is crossed.Group-guided reading• You also pay attention to various textual features. The learners already understand what capital letters, full stops, commas, exclamation marks and

question marks are. From this week on, inverted commas (quotation marks) are pointed out to them. To link up with this, they find speech bubbles in the text.

• Before reading: As a group, predict the story based on the illustration; continue to encourage learners to try to read the lesson softly by themselves first before you read it to the class.

• Reading technique: Role of punctuation marks ? and ! and . and , PLUS “ . . . ” with text interpretation. • Search-reading: New sounds, selected sight words in the reading text. Continue to practise moving the hand in a big S-motion across the page to

guide the eyes when doing search-reading. • Continually revise the old sight words by practising another packet of five to ten old words with the new sight words of the week every day. The new

sight words have been selected so that they are only written with the familiar sounds as well as the new sound of the week. Therefore the learners should be able to write the sight words faultlessly by the end of the week too.

• New sight words for the week: Much, child, such, did, in, is, got, for.Shared reading• For the first time this year, the learners are introduced to reading short factual texts. Learners name the keyword in each sentence and make a mind

map on the board with the keywords. The learners then make sentences with the keywords on the board scheme. Insist that they use full sentences. Phonics• All single sounds, oo, ee, sh, th PLUS ch. • Pay special attention to the correct discrimination of the difference between th/sh/ch, e.g. chin/thin/shin; shop/chop/shop. • Spelling words: Chop, chat, chap, cheek, chip, rich, patch, fetch, clutch, match.

WritingHandwriting• Letters with curved lines and straight lines: b B, d D, r R. Refer to teaching plans.

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Week 5 briefly (continues)

WritingThe following are emphasised:• Filling in speech bubble text with attention to correct punctuation marks as well as capital letters at the beginning of a sentence, in names and

surnames, streets and towns (in address).• Writing lists with commas between words, providing a heading.• Supplementing “My own dictionary” with new sight and spelling words.• Until this stage, we have expected at least two sentences from a learner in a writing session. It is now time to increase this to an average of three

sentences in each writing session.

General • Spatial orientation: In front/ffirst/at the front; behind/hlast/at the back; under/beneath/below/at the bottom; above/on/on top; next to/beside/

alongside; down/downwards; go away/come back; in/out; inside/outside; into/out of; close/open; through/through under; over/across; round/around; up/above; under/beneath; in the middle of; side/that side PLUS left and right.

• Baseline assessment: You continue with baseline assessment and the lessons have been designed such that in the baseline assessment in every lesson, you particularly look at the learner’s laterality skills.


Important: Ask the learners beforehand to bring a photo of themselves to school.

Days 1 and 2 I discover how my friends and I are the same/differentLay out three heading cards: We are all unique We are all specialWe are perfect just as we arePut two dolls that are very different on the interest table. Example: A thin doll and a fat doll like a kewpie.Display a large variety of pictures of children – children with disabilities too. Examples: In a wheelchair, on crutches, blind, one wearing a hearing aid, etc. Also put a picture of a body on the display table. Connect pictures of reading glasses, magnifying glass, braille print, hearing aid, wheelchair, walker, cane, with the correct body part.Keep the pictures and heading cards on the display table throughout the week.

Days 3 and 4I discover what makes me unique and special Keep the three heading cards on the board as in lesson 1.Place photos of learners you have requested beforehand with their name cards under the heading: We are all unique and special. You may, for example, put all the blond/dark hair together, or all with curly/straight hair, etc.Also place photos of the various sports learners play, storybooks, paint, mathematics books, someone who is singing, playing an instrument, dancing, doing ballet, etc. The learners’ names are connected with lengths of string to the photo/picture of what they like/can do well.

Day 5I discover that it is good that we are all unique and differentKeep the previous heading cards, photos and pictures as in lesson 2. Add the following heading card: It is good that we are different.

Essential hints and background knowledge before you start with the teaching plans for week 5

The introductory storyYou have now seen how the introductory story forms an integral part of the day’s language work. From this week on, the story will no longer be included in the lesson plans – it simply takes up too many pages of the guide. THE STORIES ARE IMPORTANT! Please don’t neglect them. They introduce the topic and vocabulary is introduced informally and in context. They are fun and will ensure that the learner cannot wait to begin with the activities. You will find the stories on the CD and it is easy to download and print them. Store them carefully and at the end of the year, you bind the stories into a booklet and then they are ready for next year.

Free resources on the CD in the Teacher’s Guide• This week, hand out the phonics cards of ch.• Writing strip for these letters with straight and curved lines: p P, r R, b B.• Free worksheets 8 and 9. • A picture of a book worm that may be used as a bookmark for Day 3’s

sounds.

Some useful knowledge about the development of the learner’s bodyIn the average learner, skills develop more or less as follows: Laterality → midline-crossing → balance dominance → rhythm and coordination→ propulsion (e.g. throwing, rolling, kicking) → reception (catching). You also know that a learner who has not yet reached a certain skills level will try to avoid that activity in order not to make a poor showing in front of his/her classmates. Learners in Grade 2 usually know their bodies but often need more practice in laterality. You will notice how much attention is paid to this aspect in the Physical Education lessons and in the lessons in Performing Arts. Read this bit of knowledge about laterality to understand more about the importance of well-developed laterality.

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Some useful knowledge about the development of the learner’s body and lateralityWhat is laterality?Every person’s body has a right and a left side. The two sides do not always do the same thing, yet one side supports the other so that instructions/movements can be executed smoothly. (For example, one throws a ball with one hand while the other hand swings to the back to maintain one’s balance.) This is called laterality. When a baby starts discovering his/her body and swings his/her arms, kicks his/her legs and reaches out with his/her hands to take something, both sides of the body move together. Babies’ laterality has not yet developed. Initially, they will reach out with both hands to take their rattles. Only later do they learn that they need only one hand to perform the action.Laterality and schoolworkBy the time the average learner goes to Grade 2, his/her laterality should be developed so that he/she can move the body parts on one side of the body without the other half wanting to do the same and without thinking about doing that.Examples:• The learner can hold a book in one hand and colour in with the other.• If a learner walks on the balancing beam, one arm can swing upwards and the other downwards.One side of the body helping the other side happens unconsciously. This makes young children’s movements smooth so that tasks are much easier than when they were toddlers.Laterality and the concepts left and rightBy the time learners start school, they should already prefer using the left or right side of their bodies. It is significant how many learners with learning problems are cross-dominant and use, for example, the right foot to kick and the left hand to write.How do I know if a learner in my class has a laterality problem?• When a learner knows his/her body but is nevertheless very clumsy, he or she may have a delay in laterality.• Children with laterality problems have serious problems walking on the balancing beam and fall off easily.• They cannot stand on one leg – especially if they have to do it with their eyes closed.• They find hopping and jumping extremely difficult.Why is it important to pay attention to the learners’ laterality development?• Young children with a delay in laterality development can generally not keep up with their friends. Consequently,

they have difficulty adapting to their peer group. This may be the reason why learners are unhappy in their class and do not want to go to school.

• Because they are clumsy, they shy away from physical activities.• Their body movements are generally not smooth and they are unable to colour in neatly or cut out properly.• When groups are chosen, the other children often do not want these children in their groups as they may impair

the performance of the group.What can I do if the laterality of a Grade 2-learner in my class is not up to standard?A lot! Moreover, these exercises can be done in a playful manner. The learner will not even be aware that he/she is getting extra attention.Give exercises that force the one side of the body to move while the other side is kept still. It can be done in ordinary instructions, for example:• Sit on one hand while you scribble with the other one.• Put one hand on your head and shift the blocks with the other hand.• Draw a picture with one hand while you hold your ear with the other one.• Catch/roll the ball with one hand, etc.

Teaching plans for week 5 The third week of the three-week topic, Myself and others


Listening and Speaking, lesson 1 for week 5 15 minutesResources: The story, “Sipho and Fezile have a quarrel” (from this week you have to find the story on the CD), CD player with recordable CD, flashcards of familiar sounds.Beforehand: Ask the parents in a letter to send a photo of the learner to school to put on the display board. The photo will be returned once the topic has been concluded.

Remember to get the story from the CD before starting the lesson!Step 1 – Listening: Read the story, “Sipho and Fezile have a quarrel”, to the learners. Emphasise the concepts in bold print. Ask some easy, direct questions about the contents of the story. Discreetly record the learners’ voices on the CD. Step 2 – Auditory differences, similarities, constancy: Play back the voices you have recorded and each time, ask the learner whose voice it is to rise.

Do all the voices sound the same? Let the learners separate into pairs, stand back-to-back and discover differences in tallness. They discuss the differences. Example: He is/I am much taller/much shorter/a little taller/shorter than me/him.Step 3 – Revising how to write lists: Divide the learners into two groups: Short and tall. These two groups of learners are now used to revise writing lists of words one beneath the other and words next to each other. Select a learner to write a heading on the board: Short children in the class. Underline the heading. The group of short learners write their names one beneath the other under the heading. Remember! No full stops, no commas. A second learner may now write the heading for the list of words written one next to the other. Do you still remember? This is done by writing the topic that the list is about, followed by a colon, and then the list of words follows with commas between the words/items. Example: Tall children: Thea, Isabel, Riens, Mart, Glaudina (with a comma after each name). While each learner is writing his/her name, you emphasise how capital letters are used in names and surnames.Step 4 – Phonics: • Say/flash any sound and let the learners raise their hands if the sound

occurs in their name. Who has more than one of the same sound in their names?

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• They read the names and clap them in syllables. Whose name is the longest/shortest/most difficult/easiest?

• Say the initial and final sound of each name. Whose names start/end with the same letter?

Possible baseline assessment of laterality • When the learner writes his/her name/the heading on the board, does

the non-dominant hand execute shadow movements? This may be a sign of a laterality delay, because the one side of the body cannot yet move independently from the other side.

Shared reading from Big Book, lesson 1 for week 5 15 minutesResources: Still Big Book 2. If you are using the New All-In-One Big Book series, today it is the factual text on p. 23 in the book, Gerome gets new ears. If you are not using the series, use any short factual text of your own choice. The text should not be more than five to six lines long and each sentence should contain a clear keyword/key concept. Enlarge the text so that every learner in class can see it clearly when they are sitting at your feet.

Step 1 – Beforehand: Before you begin to read the book again, first ask a learner or two if they liked the story? Did they find it amusing? Who did they like most? What was the child’s name again? Do you think this really happened? Now turn to the list of contents. Read the list of contents with the learners and explain what it is. On which page will they see more about elephants and their ears? Turn to p. 23.Step 2 – Picture-reading: The learners look with you at the pictures of the two elephants on p. 23 of Big Book 2 (or at the pictures of the factual text you have prepared yourself.) Let the learners list the differences and similarities between the two elephants. You help with questions and clues, e.g. size, colour, length of trunks, size of ears, etc. Encourage them to answer in full sentences.Step 3 – Shared reading and listening, textual features: Follow these steps:• Read the text on p. 23 once (only p. 23; p. 24 is for a subsequent

lesson). When you have read the facts, ask comprehension questions about them. Examples: Show me how big you think an elephant’s ears are. If an elephant were to stand in our class, how high would its head be more or less? Where is India? Show the learners where India is on a map of the world/globe. Where is Africa? Do you have a picture of an Indian elephant? Then the learners can compare the two types of elephant with each other – there are some quite obvious differences between the two types of elephant.

• Let the learners count the sentences on the page. How do they know where a sentence ends? Explain again how the various punctuation marks are used and let the learners name the punctuation marks. Read the sentence with the correct intonation and also with wrong intonation so that the learners can understand the value of the punctuation marks.

• Let the learners clap the words in every sentence. Count the words in a sentence or two. Select learners to come and point out punctuation marks/capital letters/a sight word or two. Ask for the initial sounds of some of the words.

Step 4 – Learners read the factual knowledge: The learners read the sentences out loud and you help if they are stuck. Can they now mention the facts about the elephant’s ears?Step 5 – Keywords: Now read one sentence at a time and ask the learners to find and say the keyword in the sentence. If they are struggling to do this, guide them through questions such as: Which part of the elephant is discussed? What are they saying about that part of the elephant? Write the keywords on the board. Draw a mind map of the words on the writing board.Step 6 – Read keywords and use them in sentences: The learners read the words individually or in class context and then make sentences with the words. Turn the mind map into a poster and display it somewhere in the class so that the learners can read it daily.

Phonics, sight vocabulary and spelling, lesson 1 for week 5 15 minutesResources: The following pictures – chair, chest, chain, chips, cheese, chick, chop, chimp. If you are using the New All-In-One Phonics Book for Learners, you will find all the pictures on pp. 28 to 29. Then you will work only from the Phonics Book and do not put up pictures and word cards on the board. Flashcards of the single and double sounds, th, sh plus ch, flashcards of the spelling words for the week, flashcards of the sight words for the week, the learners’ small phonics cards, writing boards and chalk.

Beforehand: Duplicate a set of sound cards for each learner. Cut the cards loose. When you have handed them to the learners, they place them with their other phonics cards in the plastic bags with their names on them. Step 1 – Speed-reading of the familiar sounds: Revise speed-reading of the sounds learnt to date by flashing the sounds faster and faster for the learners to read. Vary the order in which you flash the sounds!Step 2 – High-frequency sight words: Speed-read the high-frequency sight words learnt to date.Step 3 – Eye-motor skills: The learners first write the c and then the h big in the air while they are following the movement with their eyes.Step 4 – Introducing the new sound (ch): • Auditory discrimination of constancy: Put up the prescribed pictures on

the board and let the learners name the pictures. Which sound do they hear in each word? (Top box, p. 28 in the Phonics Book.)

• Visual memory: Lay out the following pictures: Chimp, chop, chocolate, chips, chair. The learners name the pictures. What can be eaten? Cover the pictures. How many words can the learners remember? (Exercise on p. 28 of the Phonics Book, in the second box.)

• Auditory differences and similarities: Now put up the following pictures on the board: Cock, cheese, chimp, camel, calf, chair. The learners must tell which sound they hear in the word: ch or c. How many words are there with each sound? (Exercise on p. 29 in the Phonics Book, box 1.)

• Visual figure-background discrimination: Write some letters c, h, ch on the board. The learners must count how many ch sounds there are among the letters (exercise on p. 29). Read all the sounds. Let them try to make a word with every ch sound. Write the ch on the writing boards.

Step 5 – Speed-reading of the sounds with flashcards: Sort the sound among flashcards. Speed-read again. Flash a sound. How many of the sounds can the learners find among their phonics cards in a given time? (Count slowly to 10, for example.) Let the learners, for example, find the new sound (ch) more than once. Step 6 – Auditory constancy: Repeat the exercise, this time you say the sound and don’t flash it. Step 7 – Introducing the new spelling words: Flash the spelling words one by one. Let the learners read the words and clap them in sounds. Put up the words on the board. Read the words again. If time permits, you may let the learners build some of the words with their phonics cards.

Handwriting, lesson 1 for week 5 15 minutesResources: Writing strip of the letter b B, class workbook or handwriting book, the sentence you write on the writing board beforehand and for which you explain every letter as you are writing it, sharp pencils.

Step 1 – Spatial concepts: Give instructions such as: Put your hand in the middle of your board/under your writing board/on your writing board, etc. Use only the concepts prescribed for the week. Step 2 – Hand-motor skills: Hold a small ball. (A squash ball is the ideal size.) Ask the learners to lift and lower one finger at a time. The fingers should be straight when they are lifted.Step 3 – Writing strip of the letter b B:• One row of the small letter b, one row of the capital letter B, one row of

capital and small letters alternated: b B.• One or two rows of a short sentence in which the sounds appear

several times. Example: Bob has a big ball.Step 4 – The sound of the week: One or two rows in which the learners write the ch sound as neatly as they can.

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Possible baseline assessment of laterality and midline-crossing

Check the learner’s sitting posture when he/she is writing. • Is the body contorted or twisted awkwardly? May this be because the

learner prefers one side of the body and therefore twists the body so that that side faces the page of writing?

• Does the learner continuously shift to one side of the table, alongside their classmate? Is this possibly because he/she is continuously shifting the book to the preferred side of the body?

Group-guided reading, lesson 1 for week 5 30 minutesResources: Reading lesson on p. 12 in the Learner’s Book, flashcards of the familiar sounds PLUS the ch sound, flashcards of the sight words learnt this term, each reading group’s graded reader from a reader series of your choice, learners’ phonics cards, class workbooks, colouring pencils, pencils, small counters or blocks to use as markers.

First 15 minutesStep 1 – Big group: Learner’s Book p. 12.• Eye exercise: Two learners stand facing each other and each one writes

the big S in the air. They try to make the S equally big.• Let the learners study the picture. Can they guess what the reading

lesson is about? Read the sentences to the learners while they are following the words with their fingers. Briefly discuss the fact that people are different. What are the differences/similarities between Chuma and his dad, his mom, Tim and Lindiwe? Emphasise that people are different, just like the children in the story, but that everybody is special.

• Textual features: Read the sentences again one by one. Clap each sentence in words with the learners. Name the punctuation marks. The learners read the sentences with you again and use the correct intonation. They point with their fingers at the words as they are reading. Talk about capital letters in names and surnames. Can they find examples in the lesson? Talk about capital letters in place names. Can they find an example in the reading lesson? Select a learner to come and write the name of the town on the board. What is the name of their town/city? Select a learner to write the name on the board.

• Search-reading: Flash a sight word. Let the learners find the word in the lesson and put a block on it. Clap the word in sounds. Write the word on the writing board. Repeat with several sight words. Flash some of the familiar sounds of your choice. The learners read the sounds and put blocks on the letters they can find in the reading text. Select individual learners to read the words. Can they find the new sound (ch) in the reading lesson? Read the word. Clap the word in sounds.

• Phonic activity: Clap some of the words in the reading lesson slowly in sounds. Can the learners hear what the word is? Can they find the word in the text?

Step 2 – Discussing the assignment: Explain the assignment that follows the reading lesson. The learners build the words with ch with their phonics cards and write the words in their class workbooks. They also write one question sentence and one sentence with an exclamation mark in their class workbooks. Remember the punctuation marks! There is also a search-reading assignment written with the names of a town and street. The learners have today and tomorrow to complete the easy written assignments.





Check how the learner handles the book when reading:• Keeps moving the book to one side of the face? Why? Problem with

midline-crossing or might the learner have an eye problem?• Does the learner make shadow movements with one hand (e.g. moves

the fingers of both hands when reading/pointing at words?) Then the learner probably has a laterality problem.

Day 2Shared reading from Learner’s Book, lesson 2 – 15 minutes; Phonics, lesson 2 – 15 minutes; Group-guided Reading, lesson 2 – 30 minutes; Writing, lesson 1 – 15 minutes

Shared reading, lesson 2 for week 5 (from Learner’s Book) 15 minutesResources: P. 13 in the Learner’s Book, small blocks or counters to use as markers.

In this lesson, you teach the learners to read dialogue in speech bubbles. This is done to prepare them to recognise dialogue with the associated punctuation marks in text and later on, when they begin to write dialogue, to use the correct punctuation marks in it. But before we use punctuation marks in dialogue (from week 6), we first focus on dialogue in speech bubbles.Step 1 – Reading beforehand: The learners first discuss the different children’s faces without reading the dialogue, and then tell what they think the children are talking about. Step 2 – Shared reading: • Then read the text with the learners. • Explain the difference between speech bubbles and thought bubbles.

Point out to them that the speech bubbles indicate the children’s words and that these words are called “dialogue”.

• Let the learners count how many talking/thinking characters there are in the text. Do some of the characters talk/think more than once? Select individual learners to read the speech or thought bubbles of the characters, or let groups of learners read a character’s dialogue to give more learners turns.

• Explain the search-reading assignment. Step 3 – Reading and Speaking: Divide the learners into groups of five and let each group play a character. They must think up dialogue by themselves for the last speech bubble. They also do the search-reading assignment, while you are moving from one group to the next to check progress.

Phonics, lesson 2 for week 5 15 minutes Resources: The flashcards of the sounds introduced to date, flashcards of the spelling words for this week and last week, flashcards of the sight words introduced to date, the learners’ small phonics cards, writing boards and coloured chalk.

Step 1 – Eye-motor skills: Let the learners draw the zigzag pattern three times from left to right in the air while they are following it with their eyes. Then they do this on their writing boards with coloured chalk.Step 2 – Speed-reading of the familiar sounds: Revise speed-reading of the sounds learnt to date by flashing the sounds faster and faster for the learners to read them. Vary the order in which you flash the sounds!Step 3 – Practise new spelling words: The spelling words were introduced yesterday. Now flash the words again one by one. The learners read the words and clap them in sounds. Let the learners use the words in sentences. Step 4 – Visual memory and spelling words: Flash the prescribed new spelling words for the week one by one (for approximately 2-3 seconds). Take away the word. The learners write it on their writing boards. Now flash the word again and keep it there. The learners check to see if they have written the word correctly. They correct it if it is wrong. Repeat with all the spelling words.Step 5 – Sight words: Speed-read the familiar sight words learnt to date. Introduce the new sight words. Learners clap them in sounds and write them on their writing boards.Step 6 – Auditory discrimination: Use only this week’s familiar spelling and sight words. Say two words in a row. The learners write both words.

Group-guided reading, lesson 2 for week 5 30 minutesResources: Still the phonic reading lesson on p. 12 in the Learner’s Book, pencils, each reading group’s graded reader from a reader series of your choice, your large flashcards of the sounds, sight and spelling words learnt to date.

Step 1 – Before the class separates into reading groups: Quickly speed-read the sounds, sight words and spelling words learnt to date. Step 2 – Reading groups with you: Today, groups 2 and 3 come to read their lesson to you. Follow the same steps with groups 2 and 3 as you followed yesterday with group 1. Remember to do speed-reading of sounds, sight words and spelling words in the small reading group too.

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Step 3 – Other reading groups: The groups who are not reading, follow this procedure:• The rest of the learners separate into pairs and read the phonic reading

lesson on p. 12 in the Learner’s Book and the reading lesson in the graded reader you have selected for them to each other.

• When they have finished reading, they go to their tables and complete the assignments on p. 12 in the Learner’s Book, where they have to fill in capital letters and punctuation marks and use them in own sentences, in their class workbooks.

• When they have finished with that, they read independently from a graded book according to their reading skills.

Writing, lesson 1 for week 5 15 minutesResources: Class workbooks, colouring pencils, pencils.

Step 1 – Revising: Explain to the learners that they are going to make a list with you to say why they like their best friend. Tell them that the heading starts with a capital letter and is followed by a colon. Do they still remember that there should be commas between the words?Step 2 – Preparing: Ask a learner to say the name of his/her best friend. Write the heading: My best friends: Add the names as the learners are saying them. Continually point out to them that the list should be written with the words next to each other. Step 3 – Writing: The learners now write a list of the names of their best friends in their class workbooks. Step 4 – Illustrating: They draw a big picture of their best friend with a speech bubble. Let them tell you what a speech bubble is. In the speech bubble, they write with a colouring pencil: My name is . . . (and the friend’s name and surname.) Check on capital letters.Step 5 – Reading: If time permits, they give their class workbook to the friend to read.


You can use all the reading, writing and handwriting exercises to check the following: • Is the book continually moved to one side of the face? Why? Problem with

midline-crossing or does the learner perhaps have an eye problem?• Does the learner make shadow movements with the one hand (e.g.

moving the fingers of both hands when reading/words are pointed out?) Then the learner probably has a laterality problem.


Listening and Speaking, lesson 2 for week 5 15 minutesResources: The story, “Person-Pule and Picture-Pule in the art class” (on the CD), the “Body rhyme” given at the beginning of the topic.

Step 1 – Listening and Speaking – We don’t look the same: Tell the story, “Person-Pule and Picture-Pule in the art class”, and point out a body part when it is mentioned in the story. Read the story again, but this time, you ask the learners to point out the body part as soon as it is mentioned in the story. Also ask some memory questions about the story contents. Step 2 – Speaking: • You mime movements and the learners make the movements with you

while you are telling them what they are doing and which body part they are doing it . Start with one action at a time and when the learners grasp the game, do both actions simultaneously. Example: You walk on the spot. The learners do the same and say: We walk with our feet. More difficult: You walk on the spot and swing your arms. The learners do the same and say: We walk with our feet and swing our arms. Another example: We nod our heads and turn our necks. We stretch our arms and wave our hands, etc.

• Ask a learner to do something with one part of the body and to tell what he/she is doing. The other learners then do the same and say the plural of the part of the body. Example: I blink my eye. The other learners blink their eyes and say: We blink our eyes.

Step 3 – Memory and sequence: Play a listening game: Mention three body parts one after the other. The learners touch the body parts in the correct order. Check for correct order! Do they manage this easily? Let them touch the body parts and name them out loud. When you are sure that they understand it, play the falling-out game and when a learner responds incorrectly, he/she falls out. Who listens the best? This will force the learners to concentrate and not just perform any action. Could all learners keep on to the end? No, because we are unique and we differ from one another. Hint 1: Make it slightly more difficult and play “Uncle Pete says . . . ” The game goes like this: When Uncle Pete gives the instruction, the learners touch the body parts. You say, e.g. “Uncle Pete says: Touch your arm, leg, head.” The learners execute the instruction. If you just say: “Touch . . . ,” without first saying Uncle Pete says, they may not execute the instruction. If they do react, they are out of the game.Hint 2: Make it slightly more difficult and link the instruction to single and plural. When Uncle Pete says: “Wave your hand,” and the learner waves both hands, the learner is out.

Step 4 – Body rhyme: The learners recite the “Body rhyme” with you.


• When the memory-and-order game is played, you can check if the learner uses both hands to point at the part of the body. This may be a sign that he/she is still finding it difficult to use only one part of the body at a time.

• When the learner is using only one hand, check if the opposite hand is making shadow movements. This may also be a sign that the learner’s laterality has not yet been established.

Phonics, sight vocabulary and spelling, lesson 3 for week 5 15 minutesResources: The flashcards of the sounds introduced to date, flashcards of the spelling words for this week and last week, flashcards of the sight words introduced to date, the learners’ small phonics cards, writing boards and chalk, Bennie Bookworm bookmarks.

Step 1 – Speed-reading of the familiar sounds: You flash the sounds very fast. The learner/s who reads/read the fastest receives/receive a Bennie Bookworm bookmark with a star on the segment just below his head. (The learner may by him-/herself stick the star on and also choose the colour he/she prefers.) The learner/s keeps/keep the bookmark in their reader and the one who has the most stars at the end of the week, or as you prefer, is the bookworm king and does not have to read sounds for a day/week, but reads a storybook.Step 2 – Speed-reading of sight words: Speed-read the sight words already introduced. Let the learners sometimes write one of the words on their writing boards/the big board for variation. Step 3 – Practising spelling words: First flash the spelling words. The learners read the words and clap them in sounds. (Remember: ch-i-n because ch is one sound). Write the words. Select a learner to use the word in a sentence. Can a second learner think up another sentence?Step 4 – Auditory discrimination: Flash the new sound/one of the new sounds. Say two words, one with the sound, one without the sound. The learners must write only the word with the sound you are holding up. Make it interesting and let the learners write the word big and in colour from the left-hand corner at the top to the other right-hand corner at the bottom of their boards, write the next word beneath this one, but much smaller, etc.Step 5 – Word-building: Flash three sounds that form a word in order and let the learners lay out their cards to build the word. Read the word. Clap the word in sounds. Shuffle the letters, build the word again. Repeat with more spelling and sight words.

Handwriting, lesson 2 for week 5 15 minutesResources: Writing strip of the letter d D, class workbook or handwriting book, the flashcards of spelling words of the week, sharp pencils.

Step 1 – Hand and finger motor skills: Repeat the exercise in hand and finger motor skills as described for Day 1. Step 2 – Writing strip of the letter d D: One row of the small letter d, one row of the capital letter D, one row of capital letters and small letters alternated: d D.

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One or two rows of a short sentence in which the letter occurs several times. Example: Daddy dives into the dam.Step 3 – Spelling words: The learners write the spelling words of the week as neatly as they can.

Group-guided reading, lesson 3 for week 5 30 minutesResources: Phonic reading lesson on p. 14 in the Learner’s Book, each reading group’s graded reading from a reader series of your choice, phonics cards, class workbooks, colouring pencils.

Big group Step 1 – Eye exercise: As for the previous exercise, but the two learners write the big S on each other’s bodies while both are following the movements with their eyes. First the one and then the other one. Start at the head and end on the tummy.Step 2 – Speed-reading: As always, start the day’s reading lesson with some speed-reading of the familiar sounds, sight words and spelling words.Step 3 – Practising and explaining: Learner’s Book, p. 14. • The learners study the various facial expressions of the children in the

picture. What do they think the children in the story are talking about? Allow them some time to try to read the lesson softly to themselves. Remind them beforehand of the five-finger strategy for when they are stuck on a word. Have they predicted the contents of the lesson correctly? Read the sentences with the learners.

• Talk very briefly about good manners and that we are all the same, yet different. We are all unique.


• Say one sight word that occurs in the lesson. Who can be the first to find it in the lesson? Select a learner or three to come and write the word on the board.


• Explain the assignment. In this lesson, the learners do a search-reading assignment, write names and surnames using capital letters correctly, and write their own sentences (dialogue) in speech bubbles.

Second 15 minutes: Separating into reading groups• The learners separate into reading groups and read the reading lesson

in the graded reader you have handed out to each one to one another. Then they go to their tables and complete the assignment.


Writing, lesson 2 for week 5 15 minutesResources: The flashcards of the spelling words and sight words, the learners’ “My own dictionary”, pencils.

Step 1 – Supplementing the dictionary: Write the sight words of the week on the correct page. Check that every learner has written on the correct page, AND that they did indeed write the word correctly. If the word is written incorrectly, they will write the word incorrectly every time, based on their dictionary.Step 2 – Spelling words: The quick learners may draw small pictures at appropriate words.

Day 4Shared reading, lesson 2 – 15 minutes; Phonics, lesson 4 – 15 minutes; Group-guided Reading, lesson 4 – 30 minutes; Writing, lesson 3 – 15 minutes

Shared reading from Big Book, lesson 3 for week 5 15 minutesResources: Once again the New All-In-One Big Book 2 for Home Language Grade 2, with the story, Gerome gets new ears, but today, you use p. 24. If you do not have this Big Book, you may use any Big Book of your choice that deals with the topic and simply follow the general guidelines for the lesson.

Step 1 – Emergent reading skills: Talk again about the concept of “book” and let the learners show the cover, front, back and a page.

Let a learner demonstrate how to hold the book correctly and how to turn pages. Read the list of contents. What have we not yet read in this book? (The facts about dogs’ ears). On which page will we find these? Select a learner to turn to the correct page.Step 2 – Shared reading and listening, textual features: • Before you begin to read the facts: What facts can the learners

remember about elephants’ ears they read yesterday with you? • The learners look with you at the pictures of dogs on p. 24 of Big Book

2 (or at the pictures of the factual text you have prepared yourself.) Let the learners mention the differences and similarities between the various ears. You help with questions and clues about, for example, size, colour, etc. Encourage them to answer in full sentences.

• Read the text on p. 24 once. When you have read the facts, you ask comprehension questions about them.

• Textual features: Let the learners count the sentences on the page. How do they know where a sentence ends? Let the learners clap the words in each sentence. Count the words in a sentence or two. Select learners to come and point out punctuation marks/capital letters/a sight word or two. Ask for initial sounds of some of the words.

• Now read one sentence at a time and ask the learners to find and say the keyword in the sentence. You write the words on the writing board.

• Make a mind map of the keywords on the writing board.• The learners read the words individually or in the class context and then

make sentences with the words.• Make a poster of the mind map and put it up somewhere in the class

where the learners can read it daily.

Phonics, sight vocabulary and spelling, lesson 4 for week 5 15 minutesResources: The flashcards of the sounds and sight words introduced to date, flashcards of the spelling words for this week and last week, the learners’ small phonics cards, writing boards and chalk.

Step 1 – Speed-reading: Speed-read the sounds introduced to the learners to date. Also speed-read the high-frequency sight words, and some spelling words. From time to time, select a learner to come and write on the board the sight word/spelling word just flashed. PRAISE correct spelling!Step 2 – Visual discrimination of rhyming words: Continue to use the sight and spelling words of the past week or two. Put up three words on the board. Two words must contain the same sound, e.g. such, much, run. Learners read the words and tell which word does not fit in and why it doesn’t fit in. Clap the three words in sounds. Point at one of the three words and let the learners read the word. Turn the word over. The learners write the word on their writing boards. Repeat with several words. Step 3 – Auditory discrimination exercise: Flash one of the sounds learnt to date. The learners say the sound. Then say a word series of two to three words – the learners must tell which word begins/does not begin with the sound or contains the sound/does not contain the sound. Step 4 – Word-building: Yesterday, you flashed sounds and the learners laid them out to form a word. Today, you just say the sounds. Follow these steps:• Say the necessary sounds (continue to use the prescribed spelling and

sight words for the exercise).• The learners pick out the sounds among the other sounds and lay them

out on their tables. Can they shuffle them to form a spelling word and lay out the spelling word?



Today, groups 2 and 3 come to read their lesson to you. Follow the same steps with groups 2 and 3 as you followed yesterday with group 1.The groups that are not reading to you follow these steps:Step 1: They separate into pairs and quickly again read their phonic lesson in the Learner’s Book to each other. Then they read to each other the lesson in the supplementary, graded reader you have selected for them.

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Step 2 – Individual reading or reading in pairs: When they have finished this, they return to their tables. They complete the activity in the Learner’s Book, then they go to read a story of their own choice with a classmate or individually in the reading corner or at their tables.

Writing, lesson 3 for week 5 15 minutesResources: Class workbooks, pencils.

Step 1 – Capital letters and punctuation marks: Write these sentences on the board. The learners copy these three sentences in their class workbooks with the necessary punctuation marks and capital letters:• the name of the new girl in our class is thelma chub• where was thelma in school • i live at 10 cherry lane Step 2 – Own sentences: The learners write another two or three sentences of their own with the necessary punctuation marks and capital letters in speech bubbles.

Day 5Listening and Speaking, lesson 3 – 15 minutes; Phonics, lesson 5 – 15 minutes; Handwriting, lesson 3 – 15 minutes; Group-guided Reading, lesson 5 (reading lesson 3 on the worksheet) – 30 minutes; Writing, lesson 4 – 15 minutes

Listening and Speaking, lesson 3 for week 5 15 minutesResources: The story, “Freda and Rhoda”, rhyme, “All different, all special.”

Step 1 – Listening: Read the story, “Freda and Rhoda”, to the class. Follow up with some memory and reasoning questions.Step 2 – Capital letters in names and surnames: What were the children’s names? Write the names and surnames on the board, but “forget” to use capital letters. Select learners to come and correct it on the board.Step 3 – Memory and lists: Select a learner to write one name on the board as a heading and to underline the heading. How many features of the child in the story can they remember? Let learners then write the features one beneath the other under the heading (Remember! No commas.) Let them now make a list of the features of the child in the story with words next to each other, separated by commas. Briefly discuss again the difference between the two lists. Why are there no full stops at the end of the list? (Because these are not sentences!)Step 4 – Listening and Speaking: Let the learners mention the various emotions mentioned in the story and also demonstrate them with their facial expressions and body language. Now expand on this by asking questions to which the learners must respond. Examples: What do you look like when you are friendly/cross/shy/excited, etc.? Make it more difficult and now ask the learners the following reasoning questions and let them demonstrate the emotions: What will you do when your best friend does something you don’t like? What will you do when your best friend has made the swimming team and you have not? What will you do when your friend came first in the race? Etc. Step 5 – Rhyme: Recite the rhyme, “Cross with a friend”, a few times. Then the learners recite it with you and each one says his/her own name. They do this in smaller groups and then some of the learners may do it individually if they feel like it.

Phonics, sight vocabulary and spelling, lesson 5 for week 5 15 minutesResources: The flashcards of the sounds and sight words introduced to date, flashcards of the spelling words for this week and last week, class workbooks, pencils.

Step 1 – Speed-reading: First speed-read all the sounds introduced to date. Select individual learners to speed-read some sounds. Now, speed-read the sight words. Let some individual learners see how quickly they can read the words. Speed-read the spelling words of the week. Step 2 – Spelling test: • Dictate the following words to the learners and let them write them

down. Use the words to assess the learners’ knowledge of the sounds: Chop, sheep, then, fish, rich, shoot, thank, child, dash, with, she, cheek.

• Follow up by dictating a sentence so that you can see how well the learners can write the words in sentences: The chap chops wood in the bush.

Handwriting, lesson 3 for week 5 15 minutesResources: Writing strip of the letter r R, class workbook or handwriting book, sharp pencils.

Step 1 – Hand and finger motor skills: Repeat the exercise in hand and finger motor skills as described for Day 1 for a third time. Make it slightly more difficult and let the learners pick up the ball with the thumb and the pinkie without bending the other fingers. Repeat with the other fingers. Step 2 – Writing strip of the letter r R: • One row of the small letter r, one row of the capital letter R, one row of

capital letter and small letters alternated: r R.• One or two rows of a short sentence in which the sounds appear

several times. Example: Rory Rat runs and runs.Step 3 – Sentence with spelling words: The learners write a sentence or two with spelling words of the week as neatly as they can. Examples: The chap chops wood. He is rich.

Group-guided reading, lesson 5 for week 5 30 minutes Resources: Free worksheet 8, the graded readers you have handed out to each group, colouring pencils, writing boards, coloured chalk.

The reading lesson on the worksheet is written only with sounds that have now been practised over and over. The learners should be able to read them fairly easily and you use the reading session to determine which learners have not yet managed this. Follow these steps:

First 15 minutesStep 1 – Speed-reading: Speed-read the sounds, sight and spelling words. Make it interesting for the learners by, for example, letting them read in gruff voices, whispers, read without moving their lips, etc.Hint: From time to time, select some learners who have done it “the best” and allow this group to do speed-reading by themselves in the reading corner for one session. In this way, you will have better control and be able to see which learners are merely echoing the classmates and which learners are actually reading.

Step 2 – Phonics reading lesson: Worksheet 8. Read the page only once with the whole class. Quickly discuss the contents or the fact that we are all unique and different. Then ask individual learners to read a page. The learners who are not reading out loud must follow the text with their fingers. Then say a word from the reading lesson and let the class find the word on the page.Step 3 – Writing: The learners complete the worksheet by doing the assignments of punctuation marks and sounds. They write a dialogue in the bubbles.

Second 15 minutesStep 4 – Reading: The learners separate into their reading groups and read the phonic reading lesson on worksheet 8 and the graded readers you have handed out to each group to one anotherss. You move from one group to the next, helping where necessary and recording your observations of their reading progress and participation.

Writing, lesson 4 for week 5 15 minutesResources: Free worksheet 9, pencils and colouring pencils.

Step 1 – Beforehand: Discuss the free worksheet with the learners. Let some learners suggest possible dialogue for the speech bubbles. Step 2 – Dialogue: The learners complete the dialogue on free worksheet 9 about the new girl/boy in their class.

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Topic 3: Everyone is special

Week 6 to 8

Week 6 briefly

Listening and SpeakingGeneral• Continue to insist that they pay attention throughout the lesson, that they don’t interrupt one another and that they show respect for the speaker.

See to it that every learner in class joins in discussions and that there are no learners who become figures on the side because they don’t make any demands/don’t respond.

• Also bear in mind that two short instructions in a series are actually the maximum that learners can remember at this age. Rather fewer instructions and everybody executing them correctly and immediately, than a series of instructions the learners forget and execute randomly/incompletely.

• The skills we are practising are the same as for week 5, and you continue to pay special attention to higher-order reasoning questions, e.g. Why did . . . ? What do you think . . . ?

• Now use six pictures to lay out events in the correct order.

Reading and phonicsEye-motor skills• Repeat the large circle, zigzag and hopping eye movements that cross the midline, but this week, the learners cover their eyes alternately with a

cupped hand so that you can see if the eyes can cross the midline independently and smoothly. Reading (group-guided reading, shared reading)• For several weeks now, you have expected the learners to do pre-reading and whisper-read the lesson softly before you started with the reading

activities. From this week on, you may begin to expect them to silently read the reading lesson, and no longer whisper. Read some more about this in Essential hints and background knowledge.

• You continue to expect learners to tell, after the pre-reading, what they have read and, to promote critical thinking, you also ask other learners if they agree with what the classmate is saying.

• Search-reading: New sounds, selected sight words in the reading text. • The learners are now beginning to read more fluently and have been introduced to the various punctuation marks. You also begin to pay attention

to various textual features. The learners already understand what capital letters, full stops, commas, exclamation marks and question marks are. Now begin to pay special attention to reading with intonation and the correct volume. From this week on, inverted commas are pointed out to them consistently.

• High-frequency sight words are still practised every day and by the end of the week, the learners should be able to write the sight words faultlessly too.

• High-frequency sight words: The previous series of words PLUS what, why, who, when, which.Sounds• All single sounds, oo, ee, sh, th, ch PLUS wh. • Spelling words: Whip, wheel, whisk wine/whine; whip/wipe; wheel/well; whole/hole. • Continue with the familiar exercises in auditory and visual discrimination of differences/similarities/constancy of sounds and words, as well as with

the exercises in auditory and visual memory and order. The lesson plans will guide you in this.• Supplement “My own dictionary” with new sight and spelling words.

WritingHandwriting• The first three capital letters with slanted lines: w W, v V, a A. Refer to the teaching plans.WritingThe following are emphasised:• Sentences with attention to correct punctuation marks as well as capital letters at the beginning of a sentence, in names and surnames, in the

names of places and streets PLUS the names of provinces and countries.• Converting sentences in speech bubbles to dialogue where inverted commas are used.• Still writing lists.• Own sentences with at least two spelling words; writing at least three own sentences about a topic based on the board scheme.

General • Spatial orientation: In front/fist/at the front; behind/last/at the back; under/beneath/below/at the bottom; above/on/on top; next to/beside/alongside;

down/downward; go away/come back; in/out; inside/outside; into/out of; inward/outward; under/through under; across/over/over the top; round/around; up/above; down/below/beneath; in the middle of; this side/that side; left and right PLUS high/higher/highest and low/lower/lowest PLUS tall/taller/tallest and short/shorter/shortest.

• Baseline assessment: You continue with baseline assessment and the lessons are designed so that the learner’s ability to cross the midline is checked in the baseline assessment in each lesson.

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Interest tables for week 6Displays on the interest table lose value when you do not read the word cards with the learners and involve them practically in the speech lessons and lessons for shared reading!

Days 1 and 2 of week 6I discover that there are people who are dependent on additional aidsUse the pictures of the boy and girl again.Connect the word cards of the senses with lengths of wool to the applicable body part:• eye – see• ear – hear• nose – smell• finger – feel• mouth and tongue – tasteLay out various objects that can make sounds, e.g. musical instruments, cars, dolls that can cry, CD, radio. Also display tins/plastic jars of seeds, pips, pebbles, sand or rice, sandpaper, toy gun, a cracker (without matches).Also display:Example of a hearing aid, glasses, crutches, picture of a wheelchair . . .

Days 3 and 4 of week 6I discover what it feels like to lose a sense/movementPictures of people with physical disabilities.

Day 5 of week 6I discover that I should care about my fellow human beingsPictures of people with disabilities who are helped by others:• Help someone in a wheelchair to cross the

street.• Help a blind person with a white cane to

cross a busy street.• Carry parcels for someone who is walking

on crutches/has only one arm, etc. • Read to a blind person.

Rhymes for week 6 to 8

We are all special

Rita and Rina and Riana.Clarah and Larah and Sarah.Jill and Bill and Will.Donny and Sonny and Johnny.My name is . . . (own name), it’s special you see,as it’s only mine, it belongs to me!Laurika Henning

Best friends

____ is my best, best palWe really get on very well.We share our toys, we never fight or cryWould you like to know the reason why?Because:____ is my best, best palWe really get on very well.Anonymous

My Hero

I know a hero, big and strongHe does a dangerous work all year long.He saves people when buildings burn downHe’s always ready to help without a frown.And best of all, he has time for mefor that hero is my dad, you see!He’s that fireman, big and strongwho works so hard, all year long!Glaudina Rossouw

I have a little dreidel

A Yiddish song(A dreidel is a four-sided spinning top, played with during the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah)I have a little dreidel. I made it out of clay.When it’s dry and ready, then dreidel I shall play.Oh dreidel, dreidel, dreidel, I made it out of clay.Oh dreidel, dreidel, dreidel, then dreidel I shall play.It has a lovely body, with leg so short and thin.When it gets all tired, it drops and then I win!Dreidel, dreidel, dreidel, with leg so short and thin.Oh dreidel, dreidel, dreidel, it drops and then I win!My dreidel’s always playful. It loves to dance and spin.A happy game of dreidel, come play now let’s begin.Oh dreidel, dreidel, dreidel, it loves to dance and spin.Oh dreidel, dreidel, dreidel. Come play now let’s begin.I have a little dreidel. I made it out of clay.When it’s dry and ready, dreidel I shall play.Oh dreidel, dreidel, dreidel, I made you out of clay.Oh dreidel, dreidel, dreidel, then dreidel I shall play.

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Songs for week 6 to 8

This is meYou will find the lyrics and notation on the CD with the free resources. Here my arms that stretch and stretch.I can jump in the air with my legs so strong.Hands are busy all day long!

This is me, here’s my nose.With it I can smell a rose.With my ears I can hear, with my eyes I read.I am special, yes, indeed!Pieter van Zyl

Left/right song: The Hokey Pokey

You put your right foot in,You put your right foot out,You put your right foot in,And you shake it all about.You do the Hokey-Pokey,And you turn yourself around.That’s what it’s all about!Do the same with other body parts.

Essential hints and background knowledge before you start with the teaching plan for week 6 to 8

The spatial concepts left and rightOut of a subconscious experience of the two sides of the body develops the conscious awareness that there is a direction connected to each side. This realisation, that there is direction, is grounded in the concepts left and right which are essential to all reading and writing. You already know that we never force a left-handed person to write with the right hand. Instead we test eyes and feet for dominance. Then we encourage him/her to write with the hand on the same side as the dominant eye and foot. This week, you begin to instil the spatial concepts of left and right. This week begin to pay attention in detail so that every learner in class can discriminate and name the concepts of left and right faultlessly. Why is this important?

The importance of the concepts left and rightThe concepts left and right are used daily in a variety of instructions and so the learner should know which is his/her left side and which is the right side. If a learner cannot distinguish between left and right, he/she may confuse b/d, p/q and t/j in Grade 2, because he/she is uncertain about the direction of the letter. Such learners sometimes write letters and numbers from the wrong side and may even invert whole words from left to right. Beginner readers may try to read from right to left in spite of special help. In Mathematics, a problem with directionality may cause a learner to approach an operation from the wrong side even though he/she understands the operation.

The concepts left and right are difficult to understand and remember The number of adults who have to think twice when indicating left or right shows how difficult the concept is. Because it is difficult to learn, we approach directionality step by step. This week, we work only kinaesthetically with the concept of right. We use the learner’s own body to practise this and place a red rubber band around the right wrist. We do not yet use the term “right”.

Another important aspect to bear in mindWhen you are facing your class and hold out your right hand, it will be on the learners’ left-hand side! You can overcome this problem in two ways:• Stand with your back to the class when you hold out your right hand or

leg (this is the best way).• Say “right” when you are facing the class and holding out your left hand

to them (not a good idea, because some learners may notice that you are not holding out your right hand!).

The types of questions you should now begin asking What do you think . . . ? Why do you say that?Why? Why do you say that?Where? Why do you say that?How? Why do you say that?How do you feel about . . . ? Why do you say that?

How to get the class quiet quicklyLearners can become talkative and excited in class. To get them quiet quickly, try the following:Tell them that you will count to three or five, and then you want them all to be absolutely quiet, sit on the carpet, sit on their chairs, etc.Another way to restore order is to say that you want to see who is the quietest – the boys or girls, group 1 or group 2, etc.

Class organisation, group workYour baseline assessment has already been completed, but this week you receive background information about midline-crossing. You may closely observe the learners to see if there are any learners who are still showing a deficiency in this skill. You probably have a good idea now of the level of each learner’s skills. Because you can now divide the learners into groups with more insight, you should notice that from now on, more attention will be paid to group work in the lessons. Group work works most effectively when you work with a smaller group of learners (8-12) at the same level of skills, while the rest of the class is busy with their independent activities.Bear in mind! The lessons do not start off directly with group work in small groups. Before you divide the class into groups, each lesson begins with class activities and multisensory, interactive and practical introduction/inculcation of concepts. Only after the concepts have been introduced and drilled in in the big group and the inculcation activity has been explained, will the learners proceed in the smaller groups or individually with the inculcation activity while you are doing oral and practical work with individual groups and lend assistance individually.

Whisper-reading and silent readingBy the middle of last term, we began to let the learners pre-read the reading lesson by whisper-reading it by themselves. Then you asked a learner each time to tell what he/she had read, and only then did you read the reading lesson to them and they joined you in the reading. All this was done to practise the learners’ reading comprehension and independent reading. From this term on, you may start to expect them to read the reading lesson silently and no longer in whispers. Whisper-reading generally is easier for the learners than silent reading because they not only see, but also hear, the words/sentences they read or sound. This helps with reading comprehension. The disadvantage of whisper-reading is the fact that the lips move and therefore the reading speed is slower. We would like the learners to read fast, because the faster you read, the more units can be processed by the short-term memory and passed on to the long-term memory, and the better the reading comprehension will be. However, you should use your discretion: If you see after an effort at silent reading, that the learners cannot answer your questions or tell what has happened in the lesson, you should know that the class/group is not yet ready for silent reading and then you should continue a little longer with whisper-reading. Then rather do whisper-reading when you are busy with the big group, and when the smaller reading groups are reading at your feet from their graded books, you may then let the brighter groups read silently instead of in whispers.

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How are you getting on with the practical activities and the worksheets?Remember the following:• The tasks in the Learner’s Book are just a confirmation of what was

practised in the day’s oral exercises. Do not neglect oral work. • Did you remember to read and explain the instructions to the learners?• Did you remember to give step-by-step instructions, not everything at

the same time?• Did you remember to check every step while it was being carried out?• Are you still paying attention to accuracy, sitting posture, pencil grip,

work speed?• Don’t be in too much of a hurry to let learners work on their own – make

sure that they all know exactly what to do, and how to do it, before allowing too much freedom.

• Guard against discipline breaking down. Now is the time to enforce strict, but fair discipline. Once discipline has broken down, you will have difficulty restoring it.

When the written assignments from the Learner’s Books or on the worksheets have been completedTeach learners to do the following as soon as an activity has been completed:• go through/read their work• check whether it is complete• has been completed neatly.

Free resources on the CD in the Teacher’s Guide• Hand out the sound cards of wh. • Writing strips of the first three capital letters with slanted lines: v V, w

W, a A. • Sentence frame to duplicate. The sentence frame is used with p. 17 in

the Learner’s Book.

Lisa, Tim and Tom! What happened? Teacher says. Oh, Teacher! Tim and Tom and Lisa say. We fell out of the go-cart. I broke my leg! Lisa says. I think you should not ride in a go-cart again, Teacher says.

• Free worksheets 10 and 11.

Important background information about baseline assessment and midline-crossingYou have now looked at the following baseline skills of the learners: Emotional, social, perceptual and fine-motor readiness for Grade 2. You have also checked the learner’s language skills, the learner’s dominance and if the learner’s laterality development is up to standard and if the learner can move one side of the body without making mirror movements with the other side of the body. The next skill the learner should control, and which you assess in your baseline assessment, is crossing the midline. Now read on.

Useful information about crossing the midline of the bodyThe Grade 2-learner and midline-crossingTo move effortlessly and smoothly, the one side of the body must be able to move across the other side of the body. For example, you must be able to put out your right hand to fetch something on your left-hand side. This is known as midline-crossing. By the time an infant/pre-schooler is 3-4 years old, he/she has mastered the midline-crossing skill. You will notice if a toddler is not able to cross his/her midline yet. He/she will, for example, run to kick a ball, but come to a dead stop in front of the ball. He/she then quickly moves his/her body to one side so the dominant foot is ready to kick. Or he/she will move the ball in front of his/her dominant foot. By the time a learner comes to Grade 2, he/she should actually be able to cross his/her midline with ease.How do I know if a learner has a problem crossing the midline?• Children who do not cross their midline are clumsy. They fall easily, find it difficult to balance and experience

difficulty rolling and doing a somersault. They even find playing more difficult than the other learners and will not find sports enjoyable.

• There may be a problem if you notice the following:The learner shifts to one side of the table so that the learner sitting on the other side may regularly complain: “Teacher, Xolile is pushing me off the desk.”The learner experiences problems balancing, and cannot walk on a beam.The learner sits in contorted positions when he/she has to write so that the page is always on the dominant side.Eye movements are jerky. The eyes stop in the middle of the page and go back to the beginning. The eyes may move jerkily on the other side of the page. Because the child has problems seeing, he/she would not want to write or colour in or page through books. This is only the beginning of serious problems at school.

How does a problem with midline-crossing manifest itself in a learner’s schoolwork?• Does the learner do his/her sums only on the left/right hand side of the page?• Does the learner gradually write further away from the margin?• Are the patterns the learner makes not as neat on the one side of the page as on the other side?The above problems may be indicative of a midline-crossing problem.In my group, there is a learner who cannot cross the midline. Should I pay extra attention to him/her?Yes, and the sooner, the better. Learners are quick to notice if one of their friends cannot physically keep up with them. They often do not want that particular friend to play with them, because he/she may be too slow or clumsy. And it is easy to bully such a child, because he/she cannot compete with them. Such a child’s self-image may suffer for it and he/she may later shy away from venturing anything for fear of failing. A learner who cannot cross the midline will not be able to finish his/her schoolwork as easily as his/her peers. It may be difficult, and he/she will gradually become less interested in colouring in, cutting, pasting and writing. It may mark the beginning of a vicious circle and the result may be that he/she will increasingly fall behind.

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Useful information about crossing the midline of the body (continues)How do I help a learner who does not cross his/her midline?This can be done in play. The learner won’t even know that he/she is receiving special attention. Here are some examples:• During counting practice, touch the left foot with the right hand, and vice versa. • Perform somersaults and lateral rolls.• Throw a crumpled ball of paper with the dominant hand into a dustbin placed more than one metre away on the side

of the opposite hand. The learner must face forward and not turn his/her body towards the dustbin.• Play swing ball.• Walk on a balancing beam.Help the Grade 2-learner to cross his/her midline in written assignments in play• Let learners draw vertical lines on their writing boards. They start as far to the left as possible, and draw as far

as possible to the right. Do the same on a large sheet of paper (such as a sheet of newspaper), and then on an A4-size paper turned diagonally.

• Draw/paint a large circle around and around on the writing board, on a large sheet of paper and on A4 paper turned diagonally.

• Make a big lazy-8 on the writing boards, then on a large sheet of paper and then on A4 paper turned diagonally.What should I observe while the learner is practising in play to cross his/her midline?• The body should face towards the front and may not be distorted to reach the preferred side.• The paper should lie directly in front of the learner and must not be shifted to the dominant side.• While working, the learner’s head should not be turned excessively to bring the dominant eye to the preferred

side of the body.• The learner should not shift to one side of the table.

Teaching plans for week 6 The first week of the 3-week topic, Everyone is special

Day 1Listening and speaking, lesson 1 – 15 minutes; Shared reading, lesson 1 – 15 minutes; Phonics, lesson 1 – 15 minutes; Handwriting, lesson 1 – 15 minutes; Group-guided reading, lesson 1 – 30 minutes

Listening and Speaking, lesson 1 for week 6 15 minutesResources: The story, “Benna and the old age home”, cloths to cover the learner’s/s’ eyes, pictures of a wheelchair, walker, cane, prosthesis for arms and legs, white cane, guide dog, hearing aid, crutches, glasses, dentures (see free resources).Beforehand: Lay out the following on the interest table for the experiments:• Temperature: Yucky bag, ice bricks, water, kettle, ice cubes, a hairdryer for

warm and cold wind, gel packs you can freeze, ice brick (cold), a hot water bottle (warm).

• Texture: A large marble (hard), a cotton wool ball (soft), an onion (crunchy), a pineapple (spiny), stiffly beaten egg white (foamy), the yucky bag (yucky), water (wet), sawdust (dry), sandpaper (rough) porcelain cup (smooth).

• Taste: Similar bags/bowls containing the following white substances the learners have to taste: Tartaric acid, sugar, salt, flour, baking powder, talcum powder.

Step 1 – Talking, writing lists: Divide the learners into as many groups as there are containers with substances that can be tasted. The learners blindfold themselves so that they cannot see what is in the container they receive. Each group must try to find out what is in the container without peeping. Encourage them to feel, smell, taste and shake the container to listen to the sound the substance makes. Do they know what they have received? Blindfolds off and the learners check if they were correct. The learners draw up a list: What we tasted. Check the correct way to write the lists. Then they check if they were correct. How did they know? Tell them that they have used their senses to find out and that not all people’s senses work equally well, particularly when they grow older.Step 2 – Listening: Tell the story, “Benna and the old age home”. The concepts in bold print emphasise this insight. Step 3 – Class discussion: Guide a class discussion by asking questions such as: Do you think that you would like to help at an old age home one day a week too? Think a bit about this and then tell how you could help to make these people’s lives easier. Do you think we should rather help other people or should everyone get on by themselves?

Do people need other help besides aids such as crutches, hearing aids, etc.? What help do they need? Can you who are still small help too? How? Important: Remember that they must explain their answers. Step 4 – Practical problem-solving: Give the learners the following problems and see which solution they can think up: How can they help the following person who is in a wheelchair?• Oh, no! Here are stairs! • The street is very busy!• Oh dear! The sidewalk is too high.• Oh no! My pen is lying on the tall cupboard!Step 5 – Give assignments/instructions: The learners work in groups to do the following. They must accompany someone who cannot see well (blindfold someone) to his/her seat with the necessary instructions/help a learner with only one leg to get to the playground, where there are many stairs. How will they do this?

Possible assessment of spatial conceptsBeforehand, make a list of spatial concepts the learners should now know. Tick off on the list if you see learners who get a certain concept wrong/first watch what classmates are doing and then copying it exactly like that. You may then pay special attention to these learners later on because it is very important for them to understand all these concepts and apply them correctly.

Shared Reading from Big Book, lesson 1 for week 6Resources: Big Book 3. If you are using the New All-In-One Big Book series, this is the book, Just one bag of mealie meal. If you are not using this series, try to select a book about a hero.

Today, the book is read purely for pleasure. However, you will check carefully to what extent the learner pays attention and is interested in the story. Step 1 – Pre-reading: Discuss the cover. What, do the learners think, is the story about? Why do they think that? Now read the title to the learners. Do they still think that? Discuss the title and subtitle. Emphasise the fact that it is a factual book and that the events really happened.Step 2 – Book education: Select a learner to demonstrate how to hold a book correctly and how to turn pages in it.

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Step 3 – Reading for pleasure: Today, the story is read purely for pleasure. Follow these steps on each page:• Open the book at a page and allow the learners a minute or so to look

at the picture. Discuss the illustration, let the learners predict what happens on the page.


• Discuss the illustrations and help the learners to see the relationship between the insert illustration and the main illustration.

• Ask a comprehension question or two about the page and the illustrations. Examples: What in the TV programme the boy watched made him decide that he would like to help? Why did it bother him?

• Then turn to the next page. Read the page. What does the group think now, what will happen? Read the whole book in this way.

Step 4 – After having read the story: • Ask some topic-oriented questions. Examples: Did you like the story?

Would you like to hear the whole story? How did the boy get the idea to help the people? Who brought mealie meal? Mention three things and count them on your fingers. How did they get the meal to the poor people? Did the children help too? Do you think the people liked helping the poor people? Why do you say that?

• Quick phonics: Select a learner to write on the board the initial and end sounds of the name of the boy who started the project. Also select learners to do the same with the names of all the institutions and people who helped later on. Let the learners look at the initial and end sound and say the correct words that have the two sounds. Then they clap the words in syllables. You write the words syllable by syllable on the board. The learners read the words.

Phonics, sight vocabulary and spelling, lesson 1 for week 6 15 minutesResources: The following pictures – wheel, whiskers, whip, whale, whisk, wheat, whistle (if you are using the New All-In-One Phonics Book for Learners, you will find all the pictures and exercises on pp. 30 to 31), flashcards of the single sounds, double sounds oo, aa, as well as sh, th, ch plus wh, flashcards of the spelling words for this week and last week, flashcards of the high-frequency sight words introduced to date plus the set of new sight words, the learners’ small soundcards, writing boards and chalk.

Step 1 – Speed-reading of the familiar sounds: Speed-read the sounds learnt to date by flashing the sounds faster and faster for the learners to read. Vary the order in which you flash the sounds!Step 2 – High-frequency sight words: Speed-read the high-frequency sight words learnt to date.Step 3 – Introduce the new sound (wh): Use the first of the boxes at the top of pp. 30 and 31, in the Phonics Book, box 1 OR put up the prescribed pictures on the board. The learners name the pictures and tell which sound they hear in all the words. Write the sound in large letters on the board. The learners say the sound out loud and write the wh sound on their writing boards. They make oral sentences with the words. Praise the learner if he/she has made a sentence so that the meaning of the words is clear.Step 4 – Auditory discrimination of differences, similarities and constancy: • Focus again on the sounds that are newly introduced. Say two words

that sound very similar/are exactly the same. The learners must tell if the word is similar/different. Example: Wheel/we; whisk/whisk.

• Now put up a picture with a wh sound on the board. Say a word series of three words of which one word is not a word with the wh sound. The learners must tell which two words do contain the sound. Repeat the exercise with more pictures and words. Example: Put up a picture of a whistle on the board, say the words where, when, she. (Phonics Book, exercise on p. 30, box at the bottom.)

Step 5 – Speed-reading of the sounds with flashcards: Shuffle the wh sound among the flashcards of the other sounds. Speed-read again. Flash a sound. How many of the sound can the learners find among their phonics cards in a given time? (Count slowly to 10, for example.) Let the learners, for example, pick out the new sound more than once.Step 6 – Word-building and visual closure: Use the word-building-exercise on p. 31, the box at the bottom, and let the learners tell which words they see. Let them make sentences with the words.

Step 7 – Introduce the new spelling words: Flash the spelling words one by one. Let the learners read the words and clap them in sounds. Put up the words on the board. Read the words again.

Handwriting, lesson 1 for week 6 15 minutesResources: Writing strip of the letter v V, class workbook or handwriting book, the sentence you write on the writing board beforehand and for which you explain how to write every letter as you are writing it, sharp pencils.

Step 1 – Hand and finger motor skills: Touch the thumb with each finger in turn and press hard. Begin with the index finger and move back.Step 2 – Writing strip of the letter v V: • One row of the small letter v, one row of the capital letter V, one row of

capital and small letters alternated: v V.• One or two rows of a short sentence in which the new sound for the

week appears several times. Example: Vicky drives a van.Step 3 – The sound of the week: One or two rows in which the learners write the sound for the week (wh) as neatly as they can.

Possible baseline assessment of midline-crossingWhen the learners are doing their handwriting exercises, it is the ideal time to see which learners have a problem with crossing their midline because they are trying their best to write as neatly as possible. Check if they• keep on shifting the books over to one side of their bodies, or • work further and further away from the margin, or• show a contorted sitting posture to be able to write.These can all be signs of a problem with midline-crossing. Read in this week’s Knowledge how you can assist these learners.

Group-guided Reading, lesson 1 for week 6 30 minutesResources: Reading lesson on p. 15 in the Learner’s Book, flashcards of the familiar sounds PLUS wh, flashcards of the high-frequency sight words learnt this term, each reading group’s graded reader from a reader series of your choice, half a sheet of old newspaper for each learner, felt-tip pens.

First 15 minutesStep 1 – Big groups: Learner’s Book p. 15. • Eye exercise: The learners write a big figure 8 with a felt-tip pen on half

a sheet of old newspaper. They cover one eye at a time with a cupped hand and should follow the felt-tip pen without moving their heads.

• Let the learners study the picture. Can they guess what the reading lesson is about? Read the sentences to the learners while they follow the words with their fingers. Quickly talk again about people who are dependent on aids. Was Whitley silly? Why do you say that? Read the sentences again one by one. Clap each sentence in words with the learners. Name the punctuation marks. The learners read the sentences with you again and use the correct intonation. They point with their finger at the words as they are reading.


• Phonics: Flash some of the familiar sounds of your choice. The learners read the sounds and put blocks on the letters they can find in the reading text. Select individual learners to read the word. Can they find the new wh sound in the reading lesson? Read the words with wh. Clap the words in sounds. Clap some of the words in the reading lesson slowly in sounds. Can the learners hear what the word is? Can they find the word in the text?

Step 2 – Assignment: Explain the assignment that follows the reading lesson. The learners lay out a word-building exercise with their sound cards and then write the words in their class workbooks next to each other in a list. They find rhyming words in a search-reading exercise and then write them in their class workbooks. The learners have today and tomorrow to complete the short assignments.


the Learner’s Book to one another. Then they read their reading lesson in the graded reader of your choice to one another. When they have finished reading, they go to their tables and continue with the word-building exercise. You take reading group 1 to come and read to you.

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Shared reading from Big Book, lesson 2 for week 6 15 minutesResources: Again the New All-In-One Big Book 3 for Home Language, Grade 2, with the story, Just one bag of mealie meal. If you do not have this Big Book, again use the Big Book of your choice that deals with the topic and simply follow the general guidelines for the lesson.

In the previous lesson, you read the book purely for the pleasure of the story. Today, you talk about textual features and punctuation marks. Step 1 – Emergent reading skills: Let the learners point out the cover, front and back, and a page. Let a learner demonstrate how to hold the book correctly and how to turn pages.Step 2 – Beforehand: Before you begin to read the book again, first ask some questions about the story. Can they remember what the boy collected? What was his name? Why did he begin with the project? etc. Insist that they explain their answers. Step 3 – Shared reading and listening, textual features: Follow these steps:• Read the text on the first page or double page once. Pay special

attention to using voice and tone.• Let the learners count the sentences on the page. How do they know

where a sentence ends? Explain again how the various punctuation marks are used and let the learners name the punctuation marks. Read the sentence with the correct intonation and also with wrong intonation so that the learners can understand the value of the punctuation marks.


Follow the same three steps on each subsequent page. Make sure that every learner is listening as you are reading. And remember! You give an instruction or ask the question only once! The learners must learn very quickly that you speak only once!Step 4 – Talk about the contents: After the reading session, you ask some individual learners what happened at the beginning/in the middle/at the end of the story.

Phonics, sight vocabulary and spelling, lesson 2 for week 6 15 minutesResources: The following pictures – wheel, chips, wheat, whisk, chair, cheek, cheese, whirlwind, whisper, chase. For the reasoning exercise, the following pictures: Cake, ice-cream, chops, chips, wheat, sausage, (If you are using the New All-In-One Phonics Book for Learners, you will find all the pictures on p. 32. Then you don’t need to lay out the pictures and you will find all the exercises that are described in the Phonics Book.), flashcards of the single sounds, double sounds oo, aa, th, sh, ch and wh, flashcards of the spelling words for this week and last week, flashcards of the high-frequency sight words introduced to date, plus the set of new high-frequency sight words, the learners’ small sound cards, writing boards and chalk.

Step 1 – Speed-reading of the familiar sounds: Revise speed-reading of the sounds learnt to date by flashing the sounds faster and faster for the learners to read. Vary the order in which you flash the sounds!Step 2 – High-frequency sight words: Speed-read the high-frequency sight words learnt to date.Step 3 – Revise ch/wh: Put up on the board the pictures mentioned under free resources. The learners name the pictures and tell which sound they hear in all the words (exercise in box 1, p. 32). They divide the pictures into pictures with ch and pictures with wh. Write the sounds in big letters above the pictures on the board. The learners write them in the air while they are saying the sounds out loud. Write the sounds on the writing boards.Step 4 – Auditory and visual memory: Put up the following pictures on the board: Chew, chase, whirl, whisper. The learners work in pairs and choose one of the action words to mime. The partner must guess which word it is (exercise on p. 32, box at bottom.)

Step 5 – Reasoning-exercise with discrimination of ch and wh: Put up the following pictures on the board (or use the exercise in the box at the top, p. 33): Cake, ice-cream, chops, chips, wheat, sausage. The learners may eat only what begins with ch and wh. Can they mention what they may eat? Step 6 – Auditory closure: Use some of the spelling words with ch and wh for this exercise. Say the word, but leave out the initial sound. Can the learner complete the word? Example: __ips, ___eel, etc. (exercise in the box at the bottom, p. 33).Step 7 – Practise the spelling words with wh again: Flash the spelling words for the week one by one. Let the learners read the words and clap them in sounds. Put up the words on the board. Read the words again. Say a word here and there and let the learners write the word on their writing boards.

Possible baseline assessment of midline-crossingCan the learner manage to handle the sound cards? Are there learners who often drop the cards? Are there learners who are struggling to pick up the cards and hold them up? Can you see why? Check how the learners draw the lines on the writing boards. • Are there learners who have to move the writing board because they

are struggling to draw the lines past the midlines of their bodies? • Are there learners who do not move the writing board, but take on a

contorted posture to do this? • Are there learners who consistently move the writing board to a

particular side of their bodies and then draw the lines? All this may be an indication that the learners cannot yet cross the midline of their bodies and need special help for this.

Group-guided Reading, lesson 2 for week 6 30 minutesResources: Still the phonic reading lesson on p. 15 in the Learner’s Book, pencils and colouring pencils, each reading group’s graded reader from a reader series of your choice, your large flashcards of the sounds, sight and spelling words learnt to date.

Step 1 – Before the class separates into reading groups: Quickly speed-read the sounds, high-frequency sight words and spelling words learnt to date. Step 2 – Reading groups with you: Today, groups 2 and 3 come to read their lesson to you. Follow the same steps with groups 2 and 3 as you followed yesterday with group 1. Remember to do speed-reading of sounds, sight words and spelling words in the small reading group too.Step 3 – Other reading groups: The groups that are not reading to you follow this procedure:• The rest of the learners separate into pairs and read the following to

each other: The phonic reading lesson on p. 15 in the Learner’s Book, the reading lesson in the graded reader you have selected for each one.

• When they have finished reading, they go to their tables and complete the assignments that follow the reading lesson in their class workbooks. They find the rhyming words, write them in their class workbooks and make sentences with any two of the words. When they have finished with this, they read from a graded book according to their reading skills.

Writing, lesson 1 for week 6 15 minutesResources: Class workbooks, pencils, colouring pencils.

Step 1 – Topic vocabulary: Revise briefly how I should care about my fellow human beings.Step 2 – Sentences with keywords or sentence frames: You write two or three keywords about the topic on the board and the learners make sentences with the words in their class workbooks. If time permits, they may draw a picture. Example: Blind, crutch, etc. Learners who appear very uncertain may receive a sentence frame on which the beginning of a sentence is given so that they only have to complete the sentence.

Day 3Listening and Speaking, lesson 2 – 15 minutes; Phonics, lesson 3 – 15 minutes; Handwriting, lesson 2 – 15 minutes; Group-guided Reading, lesson 3 – 30 minutes; Writing, lesson 2 - 15 minutes

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Listening and Speaking, lesson 2 for week 6 15 minutesResources: The story, “The big accident” (on the CD).

Important: You do indeed take the trouble to download the story from the CD, don’t you? Don’t neglect this. The stories are the key to what the speech lessons are!

Step 1 – Listening and Speaking: Read the story, “The big accident”, to the learners. Ask some easy, straightforward questions about the contents of the story. Focus on questions that highlight cause and effect. Examples: Why did Thebogo crash into Solomon and Thandi? What happened then? What does this teach us? Allow the learners a minute or so to tell about their own experiences with a bicycle.Step 2 – Auditory discrimination, phonics: Let the learners say the names of the children in the story. Write the initial sounds on the board. Tap on a word. Say three words of your own choice in a series. Which one word of the three words begins with the same sound as the sound on the board? Repeat with several words. Now make it slightly more difficult: Tap on a letter, again say three words; which two words begin with the same sound? Step 3 – Miming and dramatising: Let some of the learners mime children riding their bicycles. Tell each one separately whom he/she should imitate and how they should ride. The others must guess who it is by looking at the way they are riding. Divide the learners into groups to dramatise the story. You read only about three lines at a time and then the groups that appear in the section must dramatise it. They should remember the words. Continue with this to the end of the story.

Phonics, sight vocabulary and spelling, lesson 3 for week 6 15 minutesResources: The flashcards of the sounds introduced to date, flashcards of the spelling words for this week and last week, flashcards of the high-frequency sight words introduced to date, the learners’ small sound cards, writing boards and chalk.

Step 1 – Speed-reading of the familiar sounds: Flash the sounds already introduced very quickly. The learner who reads them the quickest is the messenger for the day/week and may play the game, “I spy with my little eye”, with the other learners. Example: One learner says: “I spy with my little eye something in class that starts with a wh.” The others look around and then write a word on their writing boards. The first one to have written a word and it is correct, may then say, “I spy …”.Step 2 – Speed-reading of sight words: Speed-read the high-frequency sight words already introduced. Let the learners sometimes write one of the words on their writing boards/the big board for variation. Step 3 – Practising spelling words: First flash the spelling words. The learners read each word and clap it in sounds. (Remember: wh-ee-l because wh is one sound). Write the word. Select a learner to use the word in a sentence. Can a second learner think up another sentence?Step 4 – Auditory discrimination: Flash the wh sound. Say two words, one with the sound, one without the sound. The learners must write only the word with the sound you hold up. Hint 1: To make it interesting, the learners may write the letters one beneath the other, like when they make a list.

Step 5 – Word-building: Flash three sounds that form a word in order and let the learners lay out the sounds in the correct order to build a word. Read the word. Clap the word in sounds. Shuffle the letters. Build the word again. Repeat with more spelling and high-frequency sight words. Hint 2: Use the prescribed spelling words for the week for this exercise.Hint 3: Make it slightly more difficult: Flash the sounds and take them away. The learners must REMEMBER the order and lay it out.

Handwriting, lesson 2 for week 6 15 minutesResources: Writing strip of the letter w W, class workbook or handwriting book, the flashcards of spelling words for the week, sharp pencils.

Step 1 – Hand and finger motor skills: Repeat the exercise in hand and finger motor skills as described for Day 1. Step 2 – Writing strip of the letter w W: • One row of the small letter w, one row of the capital letter W, one row of

capital and small letters alternated: w W.

• One or two rows of a short sentence in which the letter appears several times. Example: When will Willy win the race?

Step 3 – Spelling words: The learners write spelling words of the week as neatly as they can.

Group-guided Reading, lesson 3 for week 6 30 minutesResources: Phonic reading lesson on p. 16 in the Learner’s Book, each reading group’s graded reader from a reader series of your choice, sound cards, individual writing boards and chalk, class workbooks, colouring pencils.

First 15 minutes: Work with the big group first. Step 1 – Eye exercise: The learners draw a large lazy-8 on their tables. Repeat this several times. Repeat while covering each eye in turn with a cupped hand.Step 2 – Speed-reading: As always, start every day’s reading lesson with speed-reading of the familiar sounds, high-frequency sight words and spelling words.Step 3 – Practising the lesson: Learner’s Book, p. 16. • Pre-reading: The learners study the picture. What do they think the

lesson is about? Allow them some time to try to read the lesson softly to themselves. Remind them beforehand of the five-finger strategy for when they get stuck on a word. Did they predict the contents of the lesson correctly? Read the sentences with the learners.

• Discuss very briefly how it feels to lose a sense. Do you think Butch, Shem and Beth were naughty? Explain your answer.




Step 4 – Assignment: Explain the assignment. The learners do an exercise in figure-background discrimination and use appropriate question words in sentence frames. They write down the answers to the questions too. They write all the answers in their class workbooks.


reading lesson in the Learner’s Book and the reading lesson in the graded reader you have handed out to each one to one another. Then they go to their tables and complete the assignment in the Learner’s Book.


Writing, lesson 2 for week 6 30 minutesResources: The flashcards of the spelling words and high-frequency sight words, the learners’ “My own dictionary”, pencils.

The learners supplement the dictionaries and write the sight words of the week on the correct page. Make absolutely sure that every learner writes on the correct page AND that they have indeed written the word correctly. If the word is written incorrectly, they will write the word incorrectly every time based on their dictionary.

Day 4Shared Reading, lesson 3 – 15 minutes; Phonics, lesson 4 – 15 minutes; Group-guided Reading, lesson 4 – 30 minutes; Writing, lesson 3 – 15 minutes

Shared reading from Big Book, lesson 3 for week 6 15 minutesResources: Still the hero story in Big Book 3, sound cards, flashcards of the high-frequency sight words introduced to date.

Today, the Big Book is read for the third time. This time, you guide the learners to note details in the text and you pay special attention to the learners’ ability to do figure-background discrimination.

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Step 1 – Shared reading and listening: Read the story again, purely for the pleasure of the contents. Step 2 – Figure-background discrimination: Discuss the pictures on pp. 20 and 22. Ask questions relating to space and colour. • Space: Where is the flour? Who is sitting right at the front? Where do

you see the mother with the baby? How many children are there in the picture? Are they boys or girls? Where are the children? What is the boy’s name? Who can show me the pink balloon in the picture? Where do you see the balloon? Where is the baby? ON Jason’s lap. Where are the two girls? They are sitting NEXT TO Jason, etc. Apply the concepts in class context too. Example: Show me something ON the floor, UNDER the table, etc.

• Colour: Ask questions relating to colour about each page. Example: Show me something red/yellow/blue/brown in the picture. Expand on colour recognition. Can they show something red/yellow/blue in the class? What is it? Encourage them to answer in a sentence: It is a . . .

Follow the same steps with some more pages. Make sure that every learner is listening while you are doing this activity. Step 3 – Reading: Quickly read the book again without interruption and encourage the learners to join in the reading.

Phonics, sight vocabulary and spelling, lesson 4 for week 6 15 minutesResources: The flashcards of the sounds and high-frequency sight words introduced to date, flashcards of the spelling words for this week and last week, the learners’ small sound cards, writing boards and chalk.

Step 1 – Speed-reading: Speed-read the sounds introduced to the learners to date. Also speed-read the high-frequency sight words, and some spelling words. Select a learner from time to time to come and write the sight word/spelling word you have just flashed on the board. PRAISE correct spelling!Step 2 – Visual discrimination: Continue to use the sight and spelling words of the past week or two. Put up three words on the board. Two words must contain the same beginning sound, e.g. wheel, whip, sheep. Learners read the words and tell which words does not fit in and why it doesn’t fit in. Clap the three words in sounds. Show one of the three words and let the learners read the word. Turn the word over. The learners write the word on their writing boards. Repeat with several words. Step 3 – Auditory discrimination exercise: Flash one of the sounds learnt to date. The learners say the sound. Then say a word series of two to three words and let the learners tell which word begins/does not begin with the sound or contains/does not contain the sound. Step 4 – Word-building: Yesterday, you flashed sounds and the learners laid them out in the correct order to form a word. Today, you say the sounds. Follow these steps:• Say one of the sounds practised to date. Focus on the last couple of

sounds. The learners pick out the sounds among the other sounds and lay them out on their tables.

• Now say three sounds the learners have to pick out. Can they move them around to form a spelling word and lay out the spelling word? The learners clap the word in sounds. They write the word on their writing boards.

Group-guided Reading, lesson 4 for week 6 30 minutesResources: Still p. 16 in the Learner’s Book, each reading group’s graded reader from a reader series of your choice, class workbooks, colouring pencils.

Today, groups 2 and 3 come to read their lesson to you. Follow the same steps with groups 2 and 3 as you followed yesterday with group 1.The groups that are not reading to you follow these steps:Step 1: They separate into pairs and quickly read their phonic lesson in the Learner’s Book to each other again. Then they read to each other their lesson in the supplementary, graded reader you have selected for them. Step 2 – Reading individually or in pairs: When they have finished with this, they return to their tables. They complete the last two activities on p. 16 in the Learner’s Book, then they go to read a story of their own choice with a classmate or individually in the reading corner or at their tables.

Writing, lesson 3 for week 6 15 minutesResources: P. 17 in the Learner’s Book, pencils, class workbooks.

Step 1 – Reading: The learners first read the speech bubbles softly by themselves. Then they read them with you. Then they read them in groups and everyone chooses a character. Step 2 – Using punctuation marks when writing dialogue without speech bubbles: Discuss the speech bubbles one by one and demonstrate to the learners how the text would have been written if there were no speech bubbles. How do you know that there is dialogue? Show them what inverted commas look like. Let the learners page through their Learner’s Book and find examples of inverted commas and dialogue. Select a few learners to read the dialogue. Step 3 – Written work: Hand out the sentence frames (see free resources.) Do the first sentence or two with the learners and let them write the dialogue with the correct punctuation marks in their class workbooks. Then let them continue by themselves to convert the text in speech bubbles into dialogue with punctuation marks. Hint: The learners need not write all the speech bubble text in dialogue format. Each learner works at his/her own pace.


Listening and Speaking, lesson 3 for week 6 15 minutesResources: The story, “Chuck and Jerry” (on the CD), writing board and chalk.

Step 1 – Listening, creative thinking and speaking skills: Read the story, “Chuck and Jerry”, to the learners and ask them who they would like to be, Chuck or Jerry. They must explain their answers. Some more questions: Would it be fun to sit alone each break/never to be able to play and run/when other children avoid you? Some more examples: What should the referee look at in a match? Where do they think Jerry learnt the rules of all the sports? etc. Step 2 – Order of events: Let the learners tell you the course of the story. Write the sentences (approximately six sentences) as short and concisely as possible on the writing board. Write the sentences randomly on the board, not neatly in logical order. Who can arrange the sentences in the correct order? Step 3 – Shared reading: Now discuss the sentences on the board one by one. Let the learners first read the sentences. Erase the sentences. Now write the sentences in the correct order on the board, but scramble the words in one sentence. Let a learner come and write the sentence correctly on the board. Example: straight up sits suddenly Chuck.


Step 1 – Speed-reading: First speed-read all the sounds introduced to date. Select individual learners to speed-read some sounds too. Now, speed-read the sight words. Let a few individual learners see how quickly they can read the words. Speed-read the spelling words of the week. Step 2 – Auditory discrimination of constancy: Focus particularly on the new words. Show one of the familiar sounds: Say three words in series, which word does not begin with the same sound, has/does not have the same sound in the middle? Step 3 – Spelling test: Dictate the following list of words to the learners. The list of words is focused on words with the sounds practised to date: What, she, chop, then, bush, who, cheek, thin, shook, wheel, much, ship, tooth.

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Important assessmentUse this spelling test to see which learners are still struggling to write the familiar words. Record the sounds that they are struggling with in your observation book. When you take the learners with you in the reading groups, you ask them to write words with these sounds on their writing boards. In this way, you can check if they are really struggling with the sounds. Pay attention to this immediately or ask for assistance to help these learners. You would not like these learners to fall behind with these basic sounds!

Handwriting, lesson 3 for week 6 15 minutesResources: Writing strip of the letter a A, class workbooks or handwriting books, sharp pencils.

Step 1 – Hand and finger motor skills: Repeat for a third time the exercise in hand and finger motor skills as described for Day 1. Make it slightly more difficult and let the learners touch two alternative fingers with the thumb without the other fingers bending. Example: Thumb touches index finger and pinkie simultaneously, index finger and ring finger, etc.Step 2 – Writing strip of the letter a A: • One row of the small letter a, one row of the capital letter A, one row of

capital letters and small letters alternated: a A.• One or two rows of a short sentence in which the letter appears several

times. Example: Ann has a hat.Step 3 – Sentence with spelling words: The learners write a sentence or two with spelling words of the week as neatly as they can. Examples: Who can help me with the wheel?

Group-guided reading, lesson 5 for week 6 30 minutesResources: Free worksheet 11, the graded readers you have handed to each group, class workbooks, colouring pencils.

The reading lesson on the worksheet is written only with sounds that have now been practised over and over. The wh sound is emphasised in the reading text. The learners should be able to read it fairly easily and you use the reading session to check which learners are not yet managing it. Follow these steps:

First 15 minutesStep 1 – Speed-reading: Speed-read the sounds, sight and spelling words. Make it interesting for the learners by letting them read, for example, in gruff voices, whispers, without moving their lips, etc.Hint: From time to time, select a few learners who have done this the “best” and allow this group to go and do the speed-reading by themselves in the reading corner for one session. In this way, you have better control and can see which learners are merely echoing the classmates and which learners are actually reading.

Step 2 – Phonic reading lesson: Worksheet 11. Read the page only once with the whole class. Quickly discuss the contents of how I should care about my fellow human beings. Then ask individual learners to read a page. The learners who are not reading out loud must follow the text with their fingers. Then say a word from the reading lesson and let the class find it on the page. Step 3 – Worksheet – Assignments: The learners find the words that match the sounds in the butterflies’ bodies and write only the initial and end sounds in the wings. Then they write the whole words in the boxes. Then they write three sentences with any of the words.

Second 15 minutesThe learners separate into their reading groups and read the phonic reading lesson on worksheet 11 and the graded readers you have handed out to each group to one another. You move from one group to the next, helping where necessary and recording your observations of their reading progress and participation.

Writing, lesson 4 for week 6 (Shared writing) 15 minutesResources: Worksheet 11, class workbooks, pencils.

Step 1 – Shared reading: On worksheet 11, there is a “to be continued” reading lesson. Read it with the learners. Select learners/groups to read the various characters.Step 2 – Textual features: Point out to them that dialogue can be written in speech bubbles or in inverted commas (as in the previous assignment in the class workbooks, but that dialogue may also be written in the form of a play). Point out the various textual features. Step 3 – Shared writing: Read the dialogue on worksheet 11 again. What, does the class think, will happen later on? Write the dialogue they propose on the board. Transfer the entire dialogue to sheets of paper you will copy. Allow the learners to help you with the sentences in the text in the reader and on the worksheet that are used to complete the play. After the session, you duplicate the pages. Ask quick learners to illustrate it in moments of free time – you may even give it for homework. When the pages have been returned, you bind them together into class books that you put in the reading corner. Read one or two of the booklets to the class with great fanfare, and then put them in the reading corner for the learners to read by themselves.

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Week 7

The second week of the 3-week topic, Everyone is special

Listening and SpeakingGeneral• Continue to insist that the learners listen without interrupting the speaker and that they show respect for the speaker. However, again guard against

one learner’s dominating, and let the learners take turns to speak. Give various learners turns to take the lead in group work and make sure that the classmates show the necessary respect for the group’s leader.

• Keep to two short instructions or one longer instruction consisting of two parts. • Continue to ask reasoning questions and consistently insist that the learners explain their answers and contribute to ideas. • Pay particular attention to repetition of order of events.• This week, begin to pay special attention to rhyming words: Which two of three words sound almost the same? Example: Book/look/sit; hen/pen/dog.

Next week, we discuss rhyming words in poems.

Reading and phonicsEye-motor skills• Large, lazy-8 eye movements that cross the midline while the learner is standing on a rope or brick on the ground.Group-guided reading, shared reading• Ask learners individually to point out punctuation marks in text and show how they influence reading/meaning.• Last week, you began to expect the learners to read the reading lesson silently and no longer in whispers. Continue with this. To promote critical

thinking, you continue to expect learners to tell, after the pre-reading, what they have read and then ask other learners if they agree with what the classmate has said.

• Search-reading: Still the new sounds, selected sight words in the reading text. • Reading technique: Still attention to intonation and volume. After the reading lesson and in the shared reading session, learners must give an opinion

about the text that has been read, and be able to repeat the key details. They should also be able to name the principal character.• Sight words: The previous series of words PLUS all, ball, pull, sell. Phonics• All single sounds, oo, ee, sh, th, ch, wh PLUS introduce this easy spelling rule: With few exceptions words ending on s and l are written with -ss,

-ll, -ff. • Difference between of/off.• Last week, we paid particular attention to rhyme and learners had to discriminate rhyming words from non-related words. This week, they must

identify the rhyming words in the rhymes which they learn and which you read to them.Examples of word families to build: • d-ip, h-ip, l-ip, n-ip, p-ip, r-ip, s-ip, t-ip, wh-ip, ch-ip, sh-ip• b-ell, f-ell, h-ell, t-ell, s-ell, w-ell, sh-ell• c-at, m-at, s-at, f-at, r-at, h-at, ch-at, wh-at, th-at

WritingHandwriting• Still capital letters with slanted lines: m M, n N, k K. Write• This week, much attention is paid to shared writing. The learners provide sentences and ideas for class stories about heroes and you write the

sentences on sentence strips they may later copy on to loose sheets and then illustrate them. The pages are then processed into class books. Three class books are created in this way. The last assignment is formulated so that learners may write entirely their own sentences from pictures from the story, while slower learners still write/copy sentences from sentence frames. The books are provided with front covers and bound, with the names of the learners as authors on them. Guaranteed interest!

• As regards the small assignments following the reading lesson in the Learner’s Book, the learners continue to write lists and sentences with spelling words.

• Supplement “My own dictionary” with new sight and spelling words.

General• Spatial orientation: In front/first/at the front; behind/last/at the back; under/bottom/at the bottom; on/on top/at the top; next to/beside/alongside;

down/downward; go away/come back; in/out; inside/outside; into/out of; inward/outward; under/through under; over/across; round/around; up/above; under/below/beneath; in the middle of; this side/that side; left and right PLUS high/higher/highest and low/lower/lowest; tall/taller/tallest and short/shorter/shortest PLUS near/nearer/nearest PLUS far/farther/farthest; equally far PLUS open/closed.

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Days 1 and 2 of week 7I discover more about a hero who has cared about othersMake two heading cards: Heroes from long ago and Modern heroesPlace the following pictures beneath the headings (see, among other things, the free resources for these)Heroes from long ago• Klara Majola• Wolraad Woltemade • Emily Hobhouse• Mahatma Ghandi• Any other hero who represents the culture

of your areaModern heroes• Nelson Mandela• Newspaper clips about heroes• Pictures of heroic actions by the police• Firemen who perform heroic deedsLay out books about heroes, if you can get hold of any.

Days 3 and 4 of week 7I discover that I can also be a heroPicture of a boy and girl (also available among the free resources) with the following sentences around them:• I scold my friend when he/she is doing

something wrong/dangerous.• I help friends with disabilities and don’t

tease them.• I stay away from gangs.• I tell a grownup when a friend is bullied.• I admit it when I have been the cause of

some accident and try to rectify it.

Day 5 of week 7I do something to show that I can care about othersLeave the picture of the boy and girl on the table. Add the following sentences:• I always help a teacher to carry her books.• I give some of my sandwiches to my friend

when he/she doesn’t have any.• I help people with disabilities wherever I

can.• If a friend is hurt, I will always comfort and

help him/her.• I help by putting away my toys and clothes.

Essential hints and background knowledge before you start with the teaching plan for week 7

Free resources on the CD in the Teacher’s Guide• Now hand out the soundcards of ph.• Writing strip of the following three capital letters with slanted lines: m M,

n N, k K. • Free worksheet 12.• Six pictures about Klara Majola to be used in the listening and speech

lesson on Day 1.• Four pictures about Wolraad Woltemade to be used in the writing

lesson on Day 5.

Essential background knowledgeYou have now identified every learner’s dominant hand, foot and eye. You have also determined if the learner has laterality skills and can move body parts on one side of the body without the opposite body part making mirror image movements. You know what midline-crossing is and what the typical actions are of a learner who is struggling to cross the midline. Now read how laterality, crossing of the midline and balance link together.

Some useful information about balanceWhat is balance?During the time children learn to cross the midline, they also learn to balance. As soon as they can balance themselves fairly well, they start developing posture. This is a long and tedious learning process.An example: When a baby starts sitting and you hand him/her a rattle, he/she easily falls forward, or to the side of the hand he/she holds out. Therefore a baby is supported by cushions to keep him/her upright. The more a child practises balance, the less likely he/she is to fall over. Later on the baby sits well and holds his/her body upright while he/she holds out his/her hand to take something. We say his/her sitting posture starts to develop. This means he/she can sit upright – and stay like that.The same thing happens during every step in a child’s development. When a child begins to walk, his/her balance may have developed to the extent that he/she can stand, but it will take more practice before he/she can stay standing when he/she picks up one leg to give that very important first step.When is balance fully developed?By the time a learner goes to the Reception Phase, his/her balance should be developed so well that he/she give more attention to his/her body, and that all movement will come naturally. But balance continues to develop, for every new skill one acquires requires new balancing techniques. An example: One may be able to sit without trouble, but when one learns to sit on a horse, one cannot take for granted that one will stay upright. Never accept that learners in your class are able to balance, for every new activity requires new skills – and balance is always one of those skills!

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Some useful information about balance (continues)I’ve never had children in my class who fall over when they sit or stand. Why should I give attention to the development of balance?It may seem that children have no balance problems, but the average learner in Grade 2 still needs a lot of attention – especially as children do not climb as much as they used to because they spend so much time in front of the TV. Are there children in your class who• often bump into tables or chairs?• easily stumble over the carpet, steps or schoolbags?• topple over when they stand and listen with their eyes closed?• bump into their friends a lot and you know the child is not naughty?• cannot catch or kick a ball, even if their dominance has been established and even if they are not cross-dominant?The reason is most probably that the child has balance problems!How do I help learners to practise balance?Easy! It can be done in a playful manner, the same as midline-crossing. This term, we pay much attention to balance but here are some more hints:On the balancing beam:• Crawl.• Walk. Walk with something on the head, with something heavy in/on one hand, on the shoulder.• Crawl/walk backwards.• Roll an object on the balancing beam with the hand and later the foot.• Stand on the beam and hit a ball hanging on a string from a beam. On a balancing block:• Stand on the balancing block, stand with something heavy in the hand.• Turn around on the block.• Catch something while standing on the block.• Hit a ball hanging from a piece of string from the roof.• Climb on any kind of jungle gym.If you study the lessons carefully, you will notice how the lessons directly and indirectly pay attention to laterality, midline-crossing and balance and how these are practised over and over in activities, even outside physical education activities. The learner (and often even you!) won’t even notice that these skills are being honed!

Teaching plans for week 7 The second week of the 3-week topic, Everyone is special

Day 1Listening and Speaking, lesson 1 – 15 minutes; Shared reading, lesson 1 – 15 minutes; Phonics, lesson 1 – 15 minutes; Handwriting, lesson 1 – 15 minutes; Group-guided Reading, lesson 1 – 30 minutes

Listening and Speaking, lesson 1 for week 7 15 minutesResources: The story, “Klara Majola” (on the CD), six pictures of Klara Majola (see free resources), loose sheets of white paper.

Step 1 – Listening: Read the story, “Klara Majola”, to the learners, without using the pictures. Follow up by asking some questions about the story. Examples: What did they use for blankets? How did they keep warm?Did they have electricity? Etc. Did Klara take her karos along when she went to look for her grandfather and why? Did Klara take her grandfather home? Etc. Then proceed with the reasoning questions such as: What would have happened if Klara had gone to look for her grandpa earlier/asked people to help her when she could not help wake her grandpa up? Etc.Step 2 – Class discussion: Discuss with the learners how they think Klara and her granny felt when Grandpa did not return (worried, afraid, perhaps cross with Grandpa, etc.). How, do they think, did Klara feel when she saw her grandpa lying on the ground (glad, excited, scared)? When she could not wake him up, etc.? Let the learners also tell how the story made them feel. Enrichment hint 1: They tell briefly about an episode in their life when they felt scared, sad, glad, etc.Enrichment hint 2: They may express the emotion words in body language.

Step 3 – Order of events: Put up the six pictures showing the story of Klara Majola on the board randomly. Let the learners tell what is happening in each picture. Ask the learners which picture they think should come first when they think of the story. When all the pictures have been laid out in the correct order, you tell the learners how extremely clever they are. If they have made a mistake, you tell them a bit of the story to help them. Shuffle the pictures and let individuals now lay out the pictures again in order while the others tell that part of the story.Step 4 – Class storybook: Let the learners give you some of their own sentences about the story. You write the sentences on loose sheets of paper. Photocopy them a few times so that each learner can have one page. Put them away for a writing lesson.

Shared reading from Big Book, lesson 1 for week 7 15 minutesResources: Sill Big Book 3, sentence strips.Beforehand: Write the following short sentences from the Big Book on strips of loose paper. Try to select the sentences so that they will show the order of the events. • The school wants to help poor children.• And then Jordan thinks of something! • Bring a packet of mealie meal to school.• People bring more and more mealie meal. • The shops decide to help.• The newspapers tell about Jordan and the mealie meal. • More and more people get food.• If we want to, we can help.

The Big Book is read for the fourth time. Today, you check the learners’ ability to recall the story.

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Step 1 – Memory: • Can the learners remember what the story was about? What happened

first? Second? Third? etc. How did the story end? Also ask what happened at the beginning/in the middle/at the end of the story. Each time, turn to the relevant pages, read the pages and let the learners decide if their answers were correct.

• While you are on the page, point at one familiar word on the page. Let the learners clap it in syllables and say the initial sound.

• Are there any of the familiar sight words on the page? Quickly flash a sight word that appears on the page. The learners read the word and then you ask a learner to come and point it out on the page. Let the learners also clap the word in sounds and select a learner or three to go and write the sight word on the board.

• Use the sentence strips you have made beforehand and put them up on the board. The learners read the sentence strips and find the sentence in the Big Book. Can they arrange the sentence strips in the correct order of the events?

Step 2 – Shared reading: Read the story completely from beginning to end, without interruption, without asking questions, just for the pleasure of it. By this time, the learners will already know the story very well. Do they want to join in the reading?

Phonics, sight vocabulary and spelling, lesson 1 for week 7 15 minutesResources: The following pictures – shout, bath, fish, sheep, path, three, chop, shoot, tooth. If you are using the New All-In-One Phonics Book for Learners, you will find all the pictures and exercises on pp. 34 to 35. You will then not need to lay out the pictures and may simply do the exercises in the Phonics Book one after the other. Flashcards of the single sounds, double sounds oo, aa, th, sh, ch and wh, flashcards of the spelling words with the sh, th and ch sounds, flashcards of the high-frequency sight words introduced to date, the learners’ small soundcards, writing boards and chalk.

Step 1 – Revise sh/ch/th: Write sh, th and ch big on the board. Put up on the board the pictures mentioned under the free resources. The learners name the pictures and tell which sound they hear in all the words (exercise in box 1, p. 34). They separate the pictures into pictures with ch and pictures with wh and pictures with th. The learners write the sounds in the air/on their writing boards while they are saying the sounds out loud.Step 2 – Auditory closure: Say the following sentence out loud, but leave the sounds out as indicated. The learners must tell which sounds will complete the words (exercise on p. 34, box at the bottom):I wa___ my ___ in the ba___.I pu___ my bike up the hill.The ____ is in the ___ade.A ___ has __arp tee___.Step 3 – Speed-reading: Speed-read the sounds learnt to date. Speed-read high-frequency sight words and spelling words with sh, th and ch. Step 4 – Visual similarities/differences: Put the sight and spelling words with sh, th and ch on the board. The learners draw three large ovals or boxes in their class workbook, and write the words in the correct oval/box (activity on p. 35).

Handwriting, lesson 1 for week 7 15 minutesResources: Writing strip of the letter m M, class workbook or handwriting book, the sentence you write on the writing board beforehand and for which you explain each letter while you are writing it, sharp pencils.

Step 1 – Hand and finger motor skills: Play on an imaginary piano. Step 2 – Writing strip of the letter m M: One row of the small letter m, one row of the capital letter M, one row of capital letter and small letters alternated: m M.One of two rows of a short sentence in which the letter appears several times. Example: My mommy kisses Mary.Step 3 – The sound of the week: One or two rows in which the learners write the sh, th, ch and wh sounds as neatly as they can.

Possible baseline assessment of balance and midline-crossing

The learners’ behaviour when doing the written assignment will give you very good indications of their ability to cross their midline and keep their balance:• Do they sit up straight on their side of the table or do they move over to

their classmate’s side?• Do they hold the book correctly or is the book moved further and further

to one side of the body?• Do they write further and further away from the edge of the page?You now already know that these are all signs of a problem with midline-crossing.

Group-guided reading, lesson 1 for week 7 30 minutesResources: Reading lesson on p. 18 in the Learner’s Book, flashcards of the single sounds, double sounds oo and ee, ch, wh, th, and sh, flashcards of the high-frequency sight words learnt this term, each reading group’s graded reader from a reader series of your choice.

First 15 minutesStep 1 – Big group: Learner’s Book, p. 18. • Eye exercise: Lazy 8. The learners write the lazy 8 as large as possible

on their lap with their finger while they are sitting, and follow it with their eyes. They may move only their eyes and not their heads and necks.

• Speed-read the sounds and high-frequency sight words. • Open the book at p. 18. Let the learners study the picture. Can they

guess what the reading lesson is about? Read the sentences to the learners while they are following the words with their fingers. Quickly talk again about what I can do to show that I care about others. Can I be a hero too even though I am still small? Read the sentences again one by one. Clap each sentence in words with the learners. Name the punctuation marks. The learners read the sentences again with you and use the correct intonation. They point with their fingers at the words as they are reading.


• Flash some of the familiar sounds of your choice. Emphasise in particular the ch, wh, th, and sh sounds. The learners read the sounds and put blocks on the words with those sounds they can find in the reading text. Select individual learners to read the words. Clap the words in sounds. Write some of the words on the writing boards.

• Clap some of the words in the reading lesson slowly in sounds. Can the learners hear what the words are? Can they find the words in the text?

Step 2 – Assignment: Explain the assignment that follows the reading lesson. The learners do a word-building and short writing exercise in their class workbook.




Day 2Shared reading, lesson 2 – 15 minutes; Phonics, lesson 2 – 15 minutes; Group-guided reading and reading in pairs/independent reading, lesson 2 – 30 minutes; Writing, lesson 1 – 15 minutes

Shared reading, lesson 2 for week 7 15 minutesResources: Still Big Book 3 with the hero story, the sentences on sentence strips you used in the previous lesson.Beforehand: Write the sentences on the sentence strips, each on a sheet of paper. Make copies of the sheets so that every learner in the class gets a sheet.

Step 1 – Reading: In the previous lesson of Shared reading, the learners read sentence strips from the lesson. Let the learners read the sentences again.

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Step 2 – Order of events: Divide the class into groups that get a sentence strip each. Read the story in the Big Book again. When the groups hear their sentence, they put up their strips on the board, so that they represent the correct order of events. Read the sentence strips in the correct order of events. Repeat this a few times. Step 3 – Class book: Hand a sheet of paper to each learner, with one of the sentences on it. Let them read their sentence. Can they read it in the order of the events? Mention that the sheets can be put together to create a story and propose that a class book should be made. Take the sheets of paper in again. The learners will use them later today in the Writing lesson and you will put together class books for the class from their efforts.

Phonics, sight vocabulary and spelling, lesson 2 for week 7 15 minutesResources: The flashcards of the sounds introduced to date, flashcards of the spelling words for this week and last week, flashcards of the high-frequency sight words introduced to date, the learners’ small soundcards, writing boards and chalk.

Step 1 – Speed-reading: Revise speed-reading of the sounds learnt to date by flashing the sounds faster and faster for the learners to read. Vary the order in which you flash the flashcards! Speed-read the familiar sight words learnt to date (there are no new sight words for this week. You only do revision.)Step 2 – Revising previous spelling words: Speed-read the spelling words of the past fortnight. Flash a word or three and let the learners write them on their writing boards.Step 3 – Building word families: Use the sounds the learners now know well to build word families. Work with the vowels, a, e, i, o and u, today.• Tell the learners, for example, to put down two end sounds, e.g. ip/at. Hint: Don’t let them put down s or l as end sounds. These are problematic sounds. You will do this in a subsequent lesson when you explain a spelling rule.

Now they put down sound cards before the end sounds and see how many new words they can build. They write the words they can already build in this way on their writing boards, or in their class workbooks. Who can build the most words? Example of a word family: d-ip, h-ip, l-ip, n-ip, p-ip, r-ip, s-ip, t-ip, wh-ip, ch-ip, sh-ip. Another example: f-at, r-at, h-at, ch-at, wh-at, th-at.Hint: Did they just guess and put down any sound before the end sounds? Deduct two points as a penalty.

Step 4 – High-frequency sight words: Introduce the new sight words. Learners clap them in sounds and write them on their writing boards.Step 5 – Auditory discrimination: Use only this week’s familiar spelling and high-frequency sight words. Say two words in a row. The learners write both words.

Group-guided reading, lesson 2 for week 7 30 minutesResources: Still the phonic reading lesson on p. 18 in the Learner’s Book, pencils and colouring pencils, each reading group’s graded reader from a reader series of your choice, your large flashcards of the sounds, sight and spelling words learnt to date, class workbooks, pencils.

Step 1 – Before the class separates into reading groups: Quickly speed-read the sounds, high-frequency sight words and spelling words learnt to date. Step 2 – Reading groups with you: Today, groups 2 and 3 come to read their lesson to you. Follow the same steps with groups 2 and 3 as you followed yesterday with group 1. Remember to do speed-reading of sounds, sight words and spelling words in the small reading group too. Step 3 – Other reading groups: The rest of the learners separate into pairs and read the phonic reading lesson on p. 18 in the Learner’s Book and the reading lesson in the graded reader you have selected for each one to each other. When they have finished reading, they go to their tables and complete the assignments that follow the reading lesson. When they have finished that, they read independently according to their reading skill from a graded book.

Writing, lesson 1 for week 7 15 minutesResources: Loose sheets about Klara Majola (as compiled on Day 1), loose sheets of sentences about the hero with whom the Big Book deals (as used in the lesson for Shared Reading), colouring pencils, stapler.

Step 1 – Memory refresher: Read the sentences on the loose sheets about Klara Majola and ask the learners if they can still remember the story. Do the same with the sentences about the hero in the Big Book.Step 2 – Assignment: Divide the learners into groups, according to the number of pages in the books. Some of the groups make books about the hero in the Big Book, others make books about Klara Majola. Give each learner a sheet of paper with a sentence on it and ask them to read the sentence. If they are struggling, you help them. Then they illustrate the sentence by adding a pretty drawing to it. They write their name on the right-hand side beneath the sketch. For each book, select a learner to make the front cover with the title of the story on it. Ask the learners beforehand to tell what the title of the book should be. You may help by making suggestions. A rectangle should also be drawn on the front cover. All the learners whose work is in the book must write their names in the rectangle.Step 3 – Binding books: Arrange the sheets into sets so that they tell the story and bind the books. The “authors” write their names in the rectangle and you put the books in the reading corner as class storybooks.


Listening and Speaking, lesson 2 for week 7 15 minutesResources: The story, “A modern hero” (on the CD), A4-pages, cards of words from the reading text written randomly, writing boards, chalk.Beforehand: Write some words from the reading text on cards beforehand.

Step 1 – Listening: Briefly revise the story of “Klara Majola” and what it means to be a hero/heroine. Read the story, “A modern hero”, to the class. Make sure that the learners understand the words in bold print.Step 2 – Questions and answers: Ask some easy, straightforward questions about the contents of the story. Example: Why did Carol stand closer to the hole? What injuries did Carol and Cashes have? Ask a few learners to ask questions about the story too. When they do this, tell them how clever they are!Step 3 – Speaking: Ask some volunteers if they will tell the story as if it happened to them. You begin and help the learners to continue: I am so proud of my cousin, Cashes, who saved my life. We were walking and when we came upon this big hole, we walked closer to see how much water there was in the hole. I . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Step 4 – Listening and Speaking: Ask the learners to mention the main points in the story and write them on the board. The following are more or less what you may write:• Carol falls into a large quarry hole in Bloemfontein.• She breaks both her arms and cannot get out again.• Cashes, her cousin, jumps into the hole and comforts her.• He goes to find help with a leg that is bleeding.• A man carries Carol out of the hole.• They go to hospital and are safe.Again, put the sentences away for a writing lesson, so that the learners can make a class reader.

Phonics, sight vocabulary and spelling, lesson 3 for week 7 15 minutesResources: Pp. 36 and 37 in the Phonics Book for Learners, the pictures of words with sh, th, wh and ch you have used often in the phonics lessons to date, flashcards of the sounds introduced to date, flashcards of the spelling words with sh, th, wh and ch, flashcards of the high-frequency sight words introduced to date, the learners’ small soundcards, writing boards and chalk, ropes.

Step 1 – Eye-motor skills: Before you begin, quickly let the learners stand on ropes on their chairs and write a lazy 8 as large as possible on a classmate’s back. They must follow the finger without moving their head or neck; they use only their eyes to follow.

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Step 2 – Revising sh/ch/th/wh: • Write sh, th, wh and ch big on the board. Give each learner in class a

picture with the sh, th, wh and ch sounds in it. The learners name the pictures and put them up beneath the correct letters (exercise on p. 36).

• Take one of the pictures and let the learners say the sound (sh, th, wh or ch) they hear in the word. Now say a word series of three words. Which words begin with the same sound?

Step 3 – Speed-reading of the familiar sounds and sight words: Divide the class into two to three groups, e.g. a blue, a red and a green group. Flash the cards and let the learners read them. Ask the learners who read very fast to keep quiet (select several at a time). At the end, the group that has the most learners who have kept quiet is the winner. Change the groups every day so that the same group does not win each time. Speed-read the sight words already introduced in the same way. The learners who have read the words the quickest, may, as a reward, come and write the word on the board! Repeat until many learners have had a turn to come and write.Step 4 – Building word families: Use some of the sounds the learners now know well to build word families. Work with the double sounds, oo and ee, today. Hint: Still don’t allow them to use s or l or k/ck as the end sound. These are problematic sounds. You will do this in the next lesson and will then explain the spelling rule.

Tell the learners to lay out two sounds, e.g. ee and p. Follow the same procedure as yesterday. Examples of word families to build:• d-eep, b-eep, s-eed, w-eed, j-eep• b-oom, d-oom, l-oom, r-oom, groomStep 5 – Word-building: Use some of the spelling words learnt to date for this exercise: Flash three sounds that form a word in order and let the learners lay them out in the same order to build a word. Read the word. Clap the word in sounds. Shuffle the letters. Build the word again. Repeat with more spelling and sight words.

Handwriting, lesson 2 for week 7 15 minutesResources: Writing strip of the letter n N, class workbook or handwriting book, the flashcards of spelling words of the week, sharp pencils.

Step 1 – Hand and finger motor skills: Repeat the exercise in hand and finger motor skills as described for Day 1. Step 2 – Writing strip of the letter n N: • One row of the small letter n, one row of the capital letter N, one row of

capital and small letters alternated: n N.• One or two rows of a short sentence in which the letter appears several

times. Example: Nina cannot run.Step 3 – Spelling words: The learners write the spelling words of the week as neatly as they can.

Group-guided Reading, lesson 3 for week 7 30 minutesResources: Phonic reading lesson on p. 19 in the Learner’s Book, each reading group’s graded reader from a reader series of your choice, sound cards, individual writing boards and chalk, class workbooks, colouring pencils, ropes.

First 15 minutes: First work with the big group Step 1 – Eye exercise: Lazy-8. The learners stand on a rolled-up rope and write the lazy 8 several times with their fingers on their right/left arm, which they hold bent in front of them.Step 2 – Speed-reading: As always, begin every day’s reading lesson with speed-reading of the familiar sounds, high-frequency sight words and spelling words.Step 3 – Practising and explaining: Learner’s Book p. 19. • The learners study the picture. What do they think the lesson is about?

Allow them some time to try and read the lesson softly to themselves. Remind them beforehand of the five-finger-strategy for when they are stuck on a word. Have they predicted the contents of the lesson correctly? Read the sentences with the learners.

• Very briefly talk about the fact that I can also be a hero. Butch was a hero, he knew the children would tease him, but to go to school and learn was more important to him than to stay at home and not be teased.

• Say a word and let the learners point out the correct word. Clap the word in sounds with the learners. Read the lesson a second time with the learners.


• Now clap a sight word or any other word in the lesson slowly in sounds. Can the learners tell which sound they hear? Find the word in the lesson. Read the word. The learners clap the word/s in sounds. Repeat with some more words.

• Explain the assignment. The learners do a search-reading assignment and find words with the sh, th, wh and ch sounds in the reading lesson and then write them in their class workbook. They also write sentences with some of the words and answer a simple comprehension test in their class workbook.


the phonic reading lesson in the Learner’s Book and the reading lesson in the graded reader you have handed to each one. Then they go to their tables and complete the assignment in the Learner’s Book.


Writing (shared writing), lesson 2 for week 7 30 minutesResources: Sentences on A4-pages, photocopied pictures.

Step 1 – Memory refresher: Read the sentences written on the board this morning about “A modern hero” with the learners.Step 2 – Writing: Hand each learner a sheet of paper. Each learner gets one sentence to write as neatly as possible on his/her sheet of paper or on the board and to illustrate it. Select learners to make the front cover, just as for the previous class books they made.Step 3 – Reading: Ask a few learners to come and stand at the front and read their sentences to the class.Step 4 – Sorting: Ask the learners to help sort the pages correctly so that the sentences will follow each other. Provide each book with a front cover and staple it. The learners then write their names on the front cover. Place the books in the reading corner too.


Shared reading from Big Book, lesson 3 for week 7 15 minutesResources: Still Big Book 3 or storybook of your choice.

Today, you use the Big Book’s features to stimulate the learners’ desire to read. This may be done as follows:Step 1 – Front cover: Quickly discuss the book’s front cover with the learners again. What is happening in the illustration? Can the learners predict, based on the front cover, what the story will be about? Now use any richly illustrated storybook of your choice. Discuss the front cover. Step 2 – Title: Read the title of the Big Book story. Read the title of the storybook of your choice. Step 3 – List of contents: Does the book have a list of contents? And the storybook? Read the lists of contents and the page numbers. Turn to the various pages and read the titles and the first sentence or two of each new story/rhyme. Step 4 – Contents: Page through the storybook. How many pages are there? Read the first page or three and discuss the pictures. Step 5 – Encouraging a culture of reading: Place the new storybook in the reading corner to stimulate the readers’ curiosity and encourage them to page through it by themselves in their free time.

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Step 1 – Speed-reading: Speed-read the sounds introduced to the learners to date. Speed-read the high-frequency sight words and some spelling words too. From time to time, select a learner to come and write on the board the sight word/spelling word just flashed. PRAISE correct spelling!Step 2 – Differences and similarities: • Continue to use the sight and spelling words of the past week or two.

Put up three words on the board. Two words must contain the same sound, e.g. chip, chat, ship. Learners read the words and say which word does not match and why it doesn’t match. Clap the three words in sounds. Show one of the three words and let the learners read the word. Turn the word over. The learners write the word on their writing boards. Repeat with several words.

• Flash one of the sounds learnt to date. The learners say the sound. Then say a series of two to three words – the learners must tell which word begins/does not begin with the sound or has/does not have the sound in it.

Step 3 – Building word families: Today, you tell the learners that words ending on l and s, get an -ll/-ss with single sounds, and with double sounds only an -l and one -s. Build the word families with the spelling rule: Examples: • c-ool, f-ool, p-ool, t-ool, w-ool, sch-ool. • b-ell, f-ell, h-ell, t-ell, s-ell, w-ell, sh-ell, w-ell• b-all, f-all, c-all, m-all, t-all, w-all, sh-all• l-ess, m-ess, dr-ess, ch-ess, bl-ess.They write the words on their writing boards. Select learners to use the words in a sentence. Can a second learner use the word in another sentence?

Group-guided reading, lesson 4 for week 7 30 minutesResources: Still p. 19 in the Learner’s Book, each reading group’s graded reader from a reader series of your choice, class workbooks, colouring pencils.

Today, groups 2 and 3 come to read their lesson to you. Follow the same steps with groups 2 and 3 as you followed yesterday with group 1.The groups that are not reading to you, follow these steps: Step 1: They separate into pairs and quickly read their phonic lesson in the Learner’s Book to each other again. Then they read to each other their lesson in the supplementary, graded reader you have selected for them. Step 2 – Individual reading or reading in pairs: When they have finished with this, they return to their tables. They complete the activity in the Learner’s Book, and then they go to read a story of their own choice with a classmate or individually in the reading corner or at their tables.


The learners supplement the dictionaries and write the high-frequency sight words of the week on the correct page. Make absolutely sure that every learner writes on the correct page AND that they have indeed written the word correctly. If the word is written incorrectly, they will write the word incorrectly every time, based on their dictionary. Hint: If time permits, you may let them write the spelling words on the correct page too.


Listening and Speaking, lesson 3 for week 7 15 minutesResources: The story, “The story of John Seeley and Kimberley” (on the CD), p. 20 in the Learner’s Book, A4 sheets of paper, pencils, colouring pencils.

Step 1 – Listening: Can the learners remember which hero stories they have heard this week? Tell them that they will hear another two hero stories today. Read “The story of John Seeley of Kimberley” to the learners. Step 2 – Speaking: Let the learners tell you the main themes of the story. Write sentences/keywords, with the learners helping you, on the board; approximately six sentences that summarise the story. Let the learners think these are their sentences even if you change them slightly and guide them to the answers. Examples:• A dog falls into the large hole full of water in Kimberley.• The dog has already been in the hole for eight days and is very tired.• A visitor sees the dog sitting there.• They go to find help.• Many efforts are made to save the dog.• At last the dog is saved by John Seeley. Leave the sentences on the board. The learners will use them in a writing session to make yet another class book.Step 3 – Another hero story: Now turn to p. 20 in the Learner’s Book. Read the hero story to the learners. Indicate groups of learners to represent the various characters. Try to involve every learner in the class. Before they perform the story, you may ask them questions to guide them. Examples: How, do you think, did the people on the boat feel? What do you look like when you feel like this? How would you behave? How do you think, did the people on the beach feel? What do you look like when you feel like that? How would you behave? Decide with the class where the ship would be more or less, how the soldiers would guard the supplies that wash ashore, etc. Hint: 15 minutes is a very short time for a complete lesson. This is an ideal lesson to carry over to Life Skills (Performing Arts) as well and to refine it.

Phonics, sight vocabulary and spelling, lesson 5 for week 7 15 minutesResources: The flashcards of the sounds and high-frequency sight words introduced to date, flashcards of the spelling words for this week and last week, class workbooks, sharp pencils.

Step 1 – Speed-reading: First speed-read all the sounds introduced to date. Select individual learners to speed-read some sounds. Now speed-read the high-frequency sight words. Let a few individual learners see how quickly they can read the words. Speed-read the spelling words of the week. Step 2 – Spelling test: Dictate the following spelling words from weeks 1-7: Whip, cat, shop, wheel, leg, shy, moon, three, smooth, bush, teeth, then, dog, wet, jeep.Hint: This spelling test is ideal to determine to what extent the learners have mastered the sounds, and which sounds they are still struggling with. Make a note of the learners who are still struggling, because they need attention individually as a matter of urgency.

Handwriting, lesson 3 for week 7 15 minutesResources: Writing strip of the letter k K, class workbook or handwriting book, sharp pencils.

Step 1 – Hand and finger motor skills: Repeat for a third time the exercise in hand and finger motor skills as described for Day 1. Make it slightly more difficult and let the learners play only with the thumb and ring finger/ring finger and pinkie, etc. while the other fingers stay straight.Step 2 – Writing strip of the letter k K: • One row of the small letter k, one row of the capital letter K, one row of

capital and small letters alternated: k K.• One or two rows of a short sentence in which the letter occurs several

times. Example: Kurt kisses the king.

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Step 3 – Sentence with spelling words: The learners write a sentence or two with spelling words of the week as neatly as they can. Examples: I chop all the wood. What do you think?

Group-guided Reading, lesson 5 for week 7 30 minutesResources: Free worksheet 12, the graded readers you have handed to each group, class workbooks, colouring pencils.

The reading lesson on the worksheet is written only with sounds that have now been practised over and over. The learners should be able to read it fairly easily and you use the reading session to identify the learners who have not yet managed it. Follow these steps:

First 15 minutesStep 1 – Speed-reading: Speed-read the sounds, sight and spelling words. Make it interesting for the learners by letting them read, for example, in gruff voices, whispers, and without moving their lips, etc.Hint: From time to time, select some learners who have done this the “best” and allow this group to go and do the speed-reading by themselves in the reading corner for one session. In this way, you will have better control and you will be able to see which learners are only echoing classmates and which learners are indeed reading.

Step 2 – Phonic reading lesson: Worksheet 12. Read the page once with the whole class. Quickly discuss the textual features. What does a letter look like? Where is the address? Is there a date on the letter? Who wrote the letter? To whom was the letter written? Again read the whole letter once with the learners. Then ask individual learners to read a sentence or two. Follow up with search-reading by saying a word from the reading lesson for the class to find on the page.Step 3 – Explain the assignment: The learners do a search-reading exercise. They also do a short exercise with capital letters in names of persons and places. These are two short, easy activities they can complete comfortably in the time allowed.

Second 15 minutesThe learners separate into their reading groups and read the phonic reading lesson on the worksheet as well as the page/s in the graded readers you have handed to each group to one another. You move from one group to the next, helping where necessary and recording your observations of their reading progress and participation. When the reading group has finished reading, they go to their tables and complete the assignment on the worksheet.

Writing (shared writing), lesson 4 for week 7 15 minutesResources: The sentence strips of sentences about the dog in Kimberley’s hole, pictures of the story of Wolraad Woltemade (see free resources), pencils and colouring pencils, stapler and staples.

Step 1 – Memory refresher: Briefly talk again about the dog in the big hole at Kimberley. Put up the sentences on the board again and let the learners quickly read them with you. Put up the pictures of Wolraad Woltemade on the board. The learners arrange them in the correct order and quickly tell again what is happening in the pictures. Step 2 – Planning the written work: Divide the learners into groups. Each group makes its own book.• The slower learners who still need sentence frames to write, make

books about the dog at the big hole in Kimberley. They must each copy two sentences from the board and then draw a picture next to their two sentences. Divide these learners into groups of four. Three of the learners write and illustrate the sentences, one makes the front cover and provides the title. The group must decide by themselves who will write sentences (and which sentences) and who will make the front cover.

• Learners who can already write fairly well by themselves are divided into groups of five. Four of the learners each get a picture of the story of Wolraad Woltemade (see free resources) and must write their own sentences about that part of the story. One learner provides the front cover. They decide by themselves who should do which part of the task.

Step 3 – Writing and compiling the books with the shared writing: The learners complete the writing. When they have all finished, they sort their group’s book so that the sentences follow each other, attach the front cover and staple the book together. The “authors” write their names on the front cover. Place the books in the reading corner.

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Week 8

The third week of the 3-week topic, Everyone is special

Listening and SpeakingGeneral• As for week 7.

Reading and phonicsEye-motor skills• Repeat all the familiar eye exercises, but this time, you let the learners stand on chairs while they are executing the eye movements. Group-guided reading, shared reading• Textual features: Ask learners individually to indicate punctuation marks in text and to show how they influence reading/meaning.• Pre-reading: Continue to emphasise silent reading as opposed to whisper-reading in pre-reading. Continue to expect learners to tell what they have

read and then ask other learners if they agree with what the classmate is saying.• Search-reading: Still the new sounds, selected sight words. • Reading technique: Intonation and volume, personal opinion about the text, mentioning key details, identifying the principal character/s, describing

some of the characters in terms of at least two to three features.• High-frequency sight words: The previous series of words PLUS tell, small, fall, call, wall, all, class, shook, black, back, pick. Phonics• All single sounds, oo, ee, sh, th, ch, wh, easy spelling rule for words ending on -ss, -ll, -ff. PLUS easy spelling rule for words ending on -ck and -k.• Identifying sounds in the rhymes that they learn and that you read to them, providing a rhyming word for spelling words, for example.• Spelling words: Bull, pill, tall, doll, bell, grass, dress, miss, mess, less; shook/shock; peek/peck; look/lock.• Word families to build: B-ack, l-ack, r-ack, s-ack, p-ack sh-ack; l-ick, n-ick, p-ick, s-ick, t-ick, w-ick, ch-ick, th-ick; d-ock, l-ock, m-ock, r-ock, s-ock,

t-ock, sh-ock; b-uck, d-uck, l-uck, m-uck, s-uck, ch-uck.

WritingHandwriting• Last capital letters with slanted lines: x X, z Z, y Y.WritingThe following are emphasised:• Writing sentences with attention to correct punctuation marks as well as capital letters at the beginning of a sentence, names, surnames, place

names. Up to last week, we expected an average of three sentences from the learners in each writing session. You may now increase this to even four sentences in each session. Therefore check the learner’s writing speed and guard against their wasting time. The sentences are still written on the board according to a flowchart/board scheme. Learners may also be provided with other writing frames.

• Writing sentences with dialogue, e.g. “Come here,” Mommy says. Attention to the correct way to use the inverted commas and other punctuation marks. • Continuing to write lists with commas between words and one underneath the other, providing a heading.• Supplementing “My own dictionary” with new sight and spelling words.

General• Spatial orientation: Round off the concepts practised to date. Next term, we will begin with left and right and then the learners should have

mastered the other concepts really well.


Days 1 and 2 of week 8I discover that there is more than one religion with special daysReal religious texts or a photocopy of a page out of a variety of religious books, e.g. the Bible, the Koran, the TorahHymn booksCatechism booksReligious symbols, e.g. a cross, Star of DavidCandles

Days 3 to 5 of week 8I discover more about religious holidaysMake three heading cards: Christian holidays, African holidays, Hindu holidaysLay out the following under each heading card:Christian festivalsPictures showing the birth of Jesus, the three wise menCards of Bible versesStatue of MaryPrayer beadsFoods eaten on Christian holidays, e.g. Christmas cake, mince pies, Panettone, hot cross bunsAfrican festivalsZionist Church symbolPicture of many people gathering at MoriahPrayer picturePictures or real examples of foods eaten at weddings and other celebrationsHindu festivalsStatues or pictures of the different deitiesClothes and other adornments, e.g. scarves, bangles and bells that are worn in the dances on holidays

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Free resources on the CD in the Teacher’s Guide• Now hand out the soundcards of ll, ss, k, ck.• Writing strip of the following three small and capital letters with slanted

lines: x X, z Z and y Y. • Free worksheet 13.

Some useful knowledgeYou have now completed your baseline assessment and with this, you have progressed a long way with your assessment for term 1.

One of these days, Assessment task 1 for Home Language must be completed. In the next topic, you will find several lessons containing hints about aspects you may observe and assess during the lesson so that your assessment will be complete by week 10. By the end of the term, your assessment should have been completed and you should report to the parents on the learners’ progress. Before you start with the progress reports, it would be a good idea to read this piece of knowledge first.

Important knowledge about reportingReporting and the parentsOnce you realise how important reporting is to parents, you are likely to agree that parents have to be involved continuously in the reporting process. This will not always be easy, because:• many parents work, come home tired and don’t want to be bothered too much with school affairs.• some parents work far from home and the school. The learner may be staying with family or in a hostel. It is

difficult for some parents to visit the school regularly.• some parents may not have insight into the child’s school work.However, even in these cases, reporting cannot be regarded as unnecessary. Parents have to be aware of their children’s progress as far as possible. Parental involvement and the interest shown by teachers are the keys to a happy child. Therefore, keep parents involved by including them and letting them share in the learners’ efforts.The following forms of reporting are recommended in the New All-In-One teaching plan:• A learner’s portfolio, oral reporting, exhibits, a progress report for each term.Compiling a portfolio or learner profileThis works well if you create a file for each learner. In the file, include the following:• Representative examples of the learner’s efforts. It is not useful to include only the learner’s best work in this

file, since that does not represent a realistic picture of the learner’s work.• Let each learner draw a human figure at the beginning of the year and then repeat the exercise three or four

times during the year. File all of these attempts. This is excellent proof of progress. For example: Do the drawings remain those of stick figures? Does the learner still use single lines? Do arms still protrude from ears? Are parts being added, such as eyebrows? Learners enjoy noticing their own progress!

• Anecdotes. Describe the learner’s typical daily behaviour. If you witnessed any particular concerning/good behaviours, they are also mentioned and described here. Attach proof, if possible. Example: Solly sometimes experiences rages and then scribbles all over his work – include an example of this. If you suspect that you know what is causing this behaviour, mention your suspicions too.

• Medical and other reports. For example: You suspect and have reported that Sarel may be experiencing abuse at home. The clinic nurse will examine him and this report must be added to the portfolio.

• Reports of contacts with parents. Make a note of the dates and times of interviews with parents. These don’t have to record only the interviews relating to problems. Do the parents attend parent evenings/exhibitions? Do they come to see you when they are satisfied/unhappy? Do they respond to messages sent home? Include the relevant correspondence if there is any.

The value of a portfolioFor the teacher• A learner’s portfolio provides concrete proof that supports the report on the learner.• It provides easily obtainable feedback for a subsequent report.• A portfolio makes it possible to compare the current progress with a previous year’s progress.For the parent• A portfolio provides proof of the assessment marks in the progress report.• It forces the parent to become involved in the child’s development.• The portfolio shows how the child has progressed and developed over time.Notifications to parents can take place as follows:• Written: Send notes home explaining what will be done in the next topic. Explain what you want to achieve, so that

the parents understand why specific activities are carried out. Give an indication beforehand of what the parents’ contribution will be, for example: Collecting pictures/boxes/bottle tops, helping with the class sale, etc.

• Send home examples of work: Send some of the learner’s work home. Explain the point of the exercise/outcome of the activity. (Example: A newspaper torn into strips will not impress anyone unless they realise that it is an excellent exercise for eye-hand coordination.) Place your assessment symbol on the work – the learner’s self-assessment should also be on it. This will give parents a good idea of their child’s progress.

• Orally: Many parents fetch their children after school every day. Use such opportunities to talk to the parents about their children and support what you say with examples of the child’s work and anecdotes from the portfolio. Or use the opportunity to invite the parent to come and talk to you about the child. Don’t only do this when there are problems! Parents enjoy hearing that their child is doing well or has suddenly shown good progress, or that he/she is exceptionally helpful or shows leadership qualities.

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Important knowledge about reporting (continued)• Have exhibition evenings or afternoons: Display samples of each learner’s work, as well as group projects, art,

handicraft articles, etc. This gives parents a good opportunity to compare their children’s efforts with those of other children, and this in turn helps parents to form a realistic picture of their children’s progress.

• Progress report: Submit these reports at the end of each term. More about the progress reports for the term in Some useful knowledge, week 9.

Teaching plan for week 8 The third week of the 3-week topic, Everyone is special

Day 1Listening and Speaking, lesson 1 – 15 minutes; Shared reading, lesson 1 – 15 minutes; Phonics, lesson 1 – 15 minutes; Handwriting, lesson 1 – 15 minutes; Group-guided reading, lesson 1 – 30 minutes

Listening and Speaking, lesson 1 for week 8 15 minutesResources: The story, “Where were you yesterday, Herschelle?” (on the CD), red felt-tip pen.Beforehand:Write some sentences with dialogue from the reading text on strips of white paper without punctuation marks and capital letters, and also with the sentences written correctly. Write about two sentences that do NOT appear in the story.

Step 1 – Listening and Speaking: Read the story, “Where were you yesterday, Herschelle?”, to the learners. Now ask some reasoning questions such as: Must we give one another presents on Christmas Day? Would you like to fast for 30 days? Shouldn’t Rosh Hashanah be a holiday for everybody? Explain your answer. Why did Herschelle stay at home for Rosh Hashanah? What does Ascension Day mean? etc. Emphasise that all the cultures in our country do not always celebrate the same special days, but that it does not matter because we are all unique and right just the way we are. Step 2 – Punctuation marks and capital letters: Put up the sentence strips you have made on the board one by one. The learners read the sentences and then decide which sentences were not in the story. Discuss the punctuation marks in the sentences, e.g. inverted commas, capital letters, commas, full stops. Remove the sentences from the board and put up the sentence with mistakes on the board. The learners tell what is wrong. You are very surprised and are sorry for having made mistakes. Can they correct them? Example: (where were you yesterday) You correct the sentence with a red felt-tip pen as they are reading. Example: “Where were you yesterday?” You put the correct sentence beneath this sentence.Were they correct? Very clever! Otherwise you may just point out what they have done wrong by accident.

Shared reading from Big Book, lesson 1 for week 8 15 minutesResources: New All-In-One Big Book 4, Caitlin’s loose tooth (If you are not using the New All-In-One Big Books, any Big Book dealing with healthy eating habits, among other things. It would be excellent if you found a fantasy book with attractive dialogue in it.

Today, the book is read purely for pleasure. You do indeed check carefully to what extent the learners pay attention and are interested in the story. Step 1 – Pre-reading: Discuss the cover. What, do the learners think, is the story about? Why do they think that? Now read the title to the learners. Do they still think the same? Step 2 – Book education: Select a learner to demonstrate how to hold a book correctly and how to turn pages. Step 3 – Reading for pleasure: Today, the story is read purely for the pleasure of reading. Follow these steps on each page:• Open the book at the page and allow the learners a minute or so to look

at the picture. Discuss the illustration, let the learners predict what will happen on the page.


• Ask a simple comprehension question or two about the page. Examples: What does the word wiggle mean? What does it mean that Bibi hit the floor?

• Then turn to the next page. Read the page. What does the group think now, what will happen?

Step 4 – After the story: • Ask some topic-oriented questions. Examples: Who among you has

ever lost a tooth? Did you all lose the tooth on the same day? Are we all the same? How many teeth have you lost so far? Has everybody lost the same number of teeth? Do you think Caitlin will celebrate because she has lost a tooth? Why do you say that? If we could give a name to such a holiday, which name would you choose? etc.

• Quick phonics: Open the book at any page. Select learners to come and point out to you specific sounds. Read the word. If the words are short, clap them in sounds. If the words are long, let them clap them in syllables.

Phonics, sight vocabulary and spelling, lesson 1 for week 8 15 minutesResources: The following pictures – mill, wall, doll, pool, peel (as in a banana peel), dress, grass, chess, glass (If you are using the New All-In-One Phonics Book for Learners, you will find all the pictures on pp. 38 and 39. Then you need not lay out the pictures and you will find all the exercises that are described in the Phonics Book), flashcards of single sounds, double sounds oo, ee, ch, wh, sh, th and now also -ll, -ss, -ck, flashcards of the spelling words for this week and last week, flashcards of the high-frequency sight words introduced to date plus the set of new high-frequency sight words, the learners’ small soundcards, writing boards and chalk.

Step 1 – Speed-reading of the familiar sounds: Revise speed-reading of the sounds learnt to date by flashing the sounds faster and faster for the learners to read. Vary the order in which you flash the sounds!Step 2 – High-frequency sight words: Speed-read the high-frequency sight words learnt to date.Step 3 – Introducing the spelling rule: • Put up on the board the pictures mentioned under free resources. The

learners name the pictures and say the sounds they hear at the end of all the words. Sort the pictures as pictures ending on -s and ending on -l (exercise in the boxes at the top of pp. 38 and 39 of the Phonics Book).

• First work with pictures ending on -s and put the other pictures aside. Explain the spelling rule: Words with a single vowel get -ll, words with double sounds get -l. Let them sort the words according to the end sounds (p. 38, box 1).

• Now say a series of words ending on -l/-ll and let the learners tell if the words should get one or two letters l at the end of the word (exercise in box 2 on p. 38). Examples: Sell, bull, cool, smell, pool, wall, etc.

• Now put up on the board pictures for which the words end on s (auditory). Examples: Dress, grass, house, mouse, chess. Learners tell which sound they hear at the end of the word. Let them point out the words containing a single vowel (grass, dress, etc.) These words get -ss at the end of the words. House and mouse get -se, because they don’t contain a single vowel (exercise on p. 39, box at the top).

• Now say some words where s is the last sound you hear. The learners must tell if the word gets -s or -se. Example: Glass, dress, mouse, loose, less, toss, choose. Let them explain their answer each time (the rest of the exercises on p. 39).

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Step 4 – Spelling words: Flash the spelling words. The learners read the words and write them on their writing boards. Select learners to make sentences with the words.

Handwriting, lesson 1 for week 8 15 minutesResources: Writing strip of the letter x X, class workbook or handwriting book, the sentence you write on the board beforehand and for which you explain each letter while you are writing, sharp pencils.

Step 1 – Hand and finger motor skills: Play an imaginary piano. Step 2 – Writing strip of the letter x X: • One row of the small letter x, one row of the capital letter X, one row of

capital and small letters alternated: x X.• One or two rows of a short sentence in which the letter appears several

times: Xander is a Xhosa.Step 3 – The sound of the week: One or two rows in which the learners write the sound/s of the week (ss and ll) as neatly as they can.

Group-guided reading, lesson 1 for week 8 30 minutesResources: Reading lesson on p. 21 in the Learner’s Book, flashcards of the familiar sounds, flashcards of the high-frequency sight words learnt this term, each reading group’s graded reader from a reader series of your choice, class workbooks, pencils.

First 15 minutesStep 1 – Big group: • Eye exercise: The learners draw their zigzag pattern from left to right

while standing on one leg.• Pre-reading: Learner’s Book, p. 21. Let the learners study the picture.

Can they guess what the reading lesson is about? Read the title. The reading lesson is about a holiday. What would they like to do if they could have a holiday now? Now relate the reading lesson to the topic and briefly discuss the various cultures’ holidays and what they do on these holidays. Allow the learners to whisper-read the lesson by themselves to see what happened on the holiday. Let a learner or two tell what the story is about.

• Textual features: Now read the reading lesson out loud with the class. Clap each sentence in words with the learners. Name the punctuation marks. Discuss the timetable in the text. How do you read a timetable? Tell the learners that a timetable is a list in table format. The learners read the sentences with you again and use the correct intonation. They point with their fingers at the words as they are reading.

• Search-reading: Flash a sight word. Let the learners find the word in the lesson and put a block on it. Clap the word in sounds. Write the word on the writing boards. Repeat with several sight words. Flash some familiar sounds of your choice. The learners read the sounds and put blocks on the letters they can find in the reading text. Select individual learners to read the words. How many times can they find words with -ll and -ss in the reading lesson? Read the words. Clap the words in sounds.

• Phonics: Clap some of the words in the reading lesson slowly in sounds. Can the learners hear what the word is? Can they find the sound in the text?

Step 2 – Assignment: Explain the assignment that follows the reading lesson. The learners do two search-reading exercises and write the answers in lists in their class workbooks. They also write sentences with spelling words. Important: There is also an assignment in which they must make a card. Please leave this assignment for a subsequent lesson.





Shared reading, lesson 2 for week 8 (from Learner’s Book) 15 minutesResources: P. 22 in the Learner’s Book, some examples of greeting cards, e.g. birthday cards, Valentine’s card, invitation to a christening/wedding, congratulations on a christening/Bar Mitzvah, etc.

Step 1 – Introducing greeting cards: Discuss some of the greeting cards with the learners. What is the card used for? If it is an invitation, what appears in the card? If it is a message, is the message long or is it short and brief? Where do you sign your name? Let the learners read some of the cards’ contents. Circulate the cards so that they can study them. Which card do they find the prettiest? Why do they say that?Step 2 – Shared reading in Learner’s Book: Open the Learner’s Book on p. 22. Discuss the cards in the Learner’s Book. What kinds of card are they? (Invitations). What do the cards invite people to? Have they ever received/sent out a card like that? Would they like to go to an occasion like that? Are there learners in class who celebrate the occasion? Select a learner or two to read the cards to the class. Enrichment hint 1: In a Speech lesson (or if time permits in this lesson) the learners can phone each other to answer an invitation. Note the correct way to answer the telephone and the correct way to greet and close the discussion. Enrichment hint 2: In a Writing lesson, the learners can make and decorate their own card. The example in the Learner’s Book may be used as a writing frame.

Phonics, sight vocabulary and spelling, lesson 2 for week 8 15 minutesResources: The flashcards of the sounds introduced to date, flashcards of the spelling words for this week and last week, flashcards of the high-frequency sight words introduced to date, Phonics Book for Learners, pp. 40 and 41 OR the following pictures: Cock, cheek, chick, lock, duck, sock, hook, brook, book, the learners’ small soundcards, writing boards and chalk.

Step 1 – Speed-reading of the familiar sounds: Revise speed-reading of the sounds learnt to date by flashing the sounds faster and faster for the learners to read. Vary the order in which you flash the sounds!Step 2 – Revising previous spelling words: Speed-read the spelling words of the past fortnight. Flash a word or three and let the learners write them on their writing boards.Step 3 – Practising new spelling words: Yesterday, the spelling words with -ll and -ss were built with soundcards. Now flash the words again one by one. The learners read the words and clap them in sounds. Let the learners use the words in sentences. Step 4 – Words ending on -k or -ck: • Put up on the board the pictures mentioned under free resources. The

learners name the pictures and tell which sounds they hear at the end of all the words (Phonics Book, p. 40, box 1).

• Explain the spelling rule: Words with vowels get -ck, words with oo and ee get a -k only.

• Sort the pictures as pictures ending on -ck and ending on -k (exercise in the second box on pp. 40 and 41).

• First work with pictures ending on -s and put the other pictures aside. Explain the spelling rule: Words with single vowels get -ll, words with double sounds get -l. Let them sort the words according to the end sounds (p. 38, box 1).

• Now say a series of words ending on -ck/-k and let the learners tell if the word gets ck or k at the end of the word (last exercise on p. 38). Examples: Cook, sock, week, shook, leek, pick, rack, etc.

Step 5 – High-frequency sight words: Speed-read the familiar sight words learnt to date. Introduce the new sight words. Learners clap them in sounds and write them on the writing boards.

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Group-guided Reading, lesson 2 for week 8 30 minutesResources: Still the phonic reading lesson on p. 21 in the Learner’s Book, pencils and colouring pencils, each reading group’s graded reader from a reader series of your choice, your large flashcards of the sounds, sight and spelling words learnt to date, coloured cardboard cards.

Step 1 – Before the class separates into reading groups: Quickly speed-read the sounds, high-frequency sight words and spelling words learnt to date. Step 2 – Reading groups with you: Today, groups 2 and 3 come to read their lesson to you. Follow the same steps with groups 2 and 3 as you followed yesterday with group 1. Remember to do speed-reading of sounds, sight words and spelling words in the small reading group too. Step 3 – Other reading groups: The groups that are not reading to you, follow this procedure:• The rest of the learners separate into pairs and read the phonic reading

lesson on p. 21 in the Learner’s Book and the reading lesson in the graded reader you have selected for each one to each other.

• When they have finished reading, they go to their tables and complete the assignments on p. 21 in the Learner’s Book which they did not complete yesterday. When they have finished with that, they read independently from a graded book according to their reading skill.

Writing, lesson 1 for week 8 15 minutesResources: The last assignment on p. 21 in the Learner’s Book, the examples of greeting cards on p. 22 in the Learner’s Book, an A5 piece of brightly coloured cardboard for each learner to use for making the card, felt-tip pens.

Step 1 – Discussing the assignment: Discuss cards again. Pass around some cards in the class so that the learners can quickly look at them again. What is written in the card? What goes on the front of the card?Step 2 – Making an invitation: Discuss the assignment at the bottom of p. 21 in the Learner’s Book. Fold the card with the learners. Indicate clearly what should go on the front of the card: Invitation. Write the word on the board. Let the learners clap it in syllables. Discuss what should be inside the card (refer to p. 22 in the Learner’s Book). The learners each make their own invitation card. Paste the card sentence in the class workbooks.


Listening and Speaking, lesson 2 for week 8 15 minutesResources: The story, “Maria’s first Holy Communion” (on the CD).

Step 1 – Listening: Read the story, “Maria’s first Holy Communion”, to the learners.Step 2 – Speaking: Ask some easy, straightforward questions about the contents of the story. Example: To which church does Maria belong? What did she receive from her parents? etc. Follow up by asking some insight questions. Examples: Why did people arrive early at Maria’s home? How do you know that? Why, do you think, did Granny wipe a tear when she saw Maria in her beautiful white dress? Why do you say that? etc.Step 3 – Narration: The learners tell the part of the story they liked best in only a few sentences.Step 4 – Analysis of the story, order of events: Let various learners (particularly the ones who speak little) tell the beginning, middle and end of the story.

Phonics, sight vocabulary and spelling, lesson 3 for week 8 15 minutesResources: The flashcards of the sounds introduced to date, flashcards of the spelling words for this week and last week, flashcards of the high-frequency sight words introduced to date, the learners’ small soundcards, writing boards and chalk.

Step 1 – Speed-reading of the familiar sounds: You give the learners the sound they hold in front of them. They stand with their backs turned to the other learners. When you give the signal, they turn around quickly. The other learners must read the sounds as quickly as they can.

The quick readers can come and hold a sound again but not in the same order. The quick readers can play OXO with the sounds on their writing boards. Example:

sh ch chch sh

shStep 2 – Speed-reading of high-frequency sight words: Speed-read the sight words already introduced. From time to time, let the learners write one of the words on their writing boards/the big board for variation. Step 3 – Practising spelling words: First flash the spelling words. The learners read the words and clap them in sounds. Write the words. Select a learner to use the word in a sentence. Can a second learner think up another sentence?Step 4 – Word-building: Build the following word families:• b-ack, l-ack, r-ack, s-ack, p-ack, sh-ack• l-ick, n-ick, p-ick, s-ick, t-ick, w-ick, ch-ick• d-ock, l-ock, m-ock, r-ock, s-ock, t-ock, sh-ock• b-uck, d-uck, l-uck, m-uck, s-uck, ch-uck

Handwriting, lesson 2 for week 8 15 minutesResources: Writing strip of the letter z Z, class workbook or handwriting book, the flashcards of spelling words of the week, sharp pencils.

Step 1 – Hand and finger motor skills: Repeat the exercise in hand and finger motor skills as described for Day 1. Cross your hands now and then.Step 2 – Writing strip of the letter z Z: • One row of the small letter z, one row of the capital letter Z, one row of

capital and small letters alternated: z Z.• One or two rows of a short sentence in which the letter appears several

times. Example: Zelda sees zebras.Step 3 – Spelling words: The learners write the spelling words of the week as neatly as they can.

Group-guided reading, lesson 3 for week 8 30 minutes

Writing (shared writing), lesson 2 for week 8 15 minutesResources: Phonic reading lesson on p. 23 in the Learner’s Book, each reading group’s graded reader from a reader series of your choice, sound cards, individual writing boards and chalk, class workbooks, colouring pencils, coloured cardboard cards, pencils.

Important: Today, the reading and writing lessons come together and there is a fair amount of writing work the learners are expected to do in the assignments that follow the reading lesson. Therefore, you have 45 minutes to complete this work.

First 15 minutes: Work with the big group first Step 1 – Eye exercise and balance: Learners stand on their toes and bend over far to the left. Write the zigzag pattern in the air without falling over or lowering the heels.Step 2 – Speed-reading: As always, start each day’s reading lesson with speed-reading of the familiar sounds, high-frequency sight words and spelling words.Step 3 – Practising and explaining: Learner’s Book, p. 23. • Pre-reading: The learners study the picture. What do they think the

lesson is about? Can they identify the list? Read the list. Do they think the story is about the same children as the previous reading lesson? Allow them some time to try to read the lesson silently to themselves. Remind them beforehand of the five-finger strategy when they get stuck on a word. Did they predict the contents of the lesson correctly? Are they the same children? What are their names again? Select learners to come and write the names on the board. Did they remember the capital letters? Read the sentences with the learners.

• Search-reading: Say a word and let the learners point out the correct word. Clap the word in sounds with the learners. Do the same with some sight words.

• Phonics: Now clap a sight word or any other word in the lesson slowly in sounds. Can the learners tell which word they hear? Find the word in the lesson. Read the word. The learners clap the word in sounds. Repeat with some more words.

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• Explain the assignment. The learners do an editing and a writing exercise in their class workbooks when they have finished reading in the reading group.

Second 15 minutes plus the 15 minutes of the Writing periodDivide the class into reading groups. The reading groups read to one another the phonic reading lesson in the Learner’s Book and the reading lesson in the graded reader you have handed out to each one. Then they go to their tables and begin with the assignments in the Learner’s Book. You take reading group 1 to come and read to you. Follow more or less the same steps as described above. When group 1 has finished reading to you, you walk through the class and give assistance with the written assignments.

Day 4Shared reading, lesson 3 – 15 minutes; Phonics, lesson 4 – 15 minutes; Group-guided Reading, lesson 4 – 30 minutes; Writing, lesson 3 – 15 minutes

Shared reading from Big Book, lesson 3 for week 8 15 minutesResources: Again Big Book 4, Caitlin’s loose tooth, or the Big Book of your choice.

In the previous lesson, you read the book purely for the pleasure of the story. Today, you talk about textual features and punctuation marks. Step 1 – Beforehand: Before you begin to read the book, first ask a learner or two if they think this is a true story! Did they like the story? Have they lost a tooth too? Ask a learner or two to point out the cover, front, back and a page. Step 2 – Shared reading and listening, textual features: Follow these steps:• Read the text on the first page or double page once. Pay attention

particularly to use of voice and tone.• Let the learners count the sentences on the page. How do they know

where a sentence ends? Explain again how the various punctuation marks are used and let the learners name the punctuation marks. Read the sentence with the correct intonation and also with incorrect intonation so that the learners may understand the value of the punctuation marks.

• Let the learners clap the words in each sentence. Count the words in a sentence or two. Select learners to come and point out punctuation marks/capital letters/a sight word or two. Ask initial sounds of some of the words.

Follow the same three steps on each subsequent page. Make sure that every learner is listening when you are reading. And remember! You give an instruction or ask a question only once! The learners must learn very quickly that you speak only once!Step 3 – Talking about the contents: After the reading session, you ask some simple questions about the contents and relate the questions to the learners’ own experiences. Examples: Was Caitlin very brave or was she scared when her tooth was loose? How did you feel when you first touched your loose tooth? Did Mommy pull out Caitlin’s tooth? Who pulled out your first tooth?

Phonics, sight vocabulary and spelling, lesson 4 for week 8 15 minutesResources: The flashcards of the sounds and high-frequency sight words introduced to date, flashcards of the spelling words for this week and next week, the learners’ small soundcards, writing boards and chalk.

Step 1 – Speed-reading: Speed-read the sounds introduced to the learners to date. Speed-read the high-frequency sight words and some spelling words too. Select a learner from time to time to come and write on the board the sight word/spelling word just flashed. PRAISE correct spelling!Step 2 – Visual discrimination: Continue to use the sight and spelling words of the past week or two. Put up three words on the board. Two words must contain the same end sound, e.g. grass, dress, book. Learners read the words and tell which sound does not fit in and why it does not fit in. Clap the three words in sounds. Point at one of the three words and let the learners read the word. Turn the word over. The learners write the word on their writing boards. Repeat with several words.

Step 3 – Auditory discrimination exercise: Flash one of the sounds learnt to date. The learners say the sound. Then say a series of two to three words – the learners must tell which word begins/does not begin with the sound or has/does not have the sound in it. Step 4 – Word-building: Shook/shock; peek/peck; look/lock; cock/cook; check/cheek. Choose learners to use the words in sentences.

Group-guided rRading, lesson 4 for week 8 30 minutesResources: Still p. 23 in the Learner’s Book, each reading group’s graded reader from a reader series of your choice, class workbooks, colouring pencils.

Today, groups 2 and 3 come to read their lesson to you. Follow the same steps with groups 2 and 3 as you followed yesterday with group 1.The groups that are not reading to you, follow these steps:Step 1: They separate into pairs and quickly read again their phonic lesson on p. 23 in the Learner’s Book to each other. Then they read their lesson in the supplementary, graded reader you have selected for them to each other. Step 2 – Individual reading or reading in pairs: When they have finished with this, they return to their tables. They complete the activity in the Learner’s Book, and then they go to read a story of their own choice with a classmate or individually in the reading corner or at their tables.


The learners supplement the dictionaries and write the high-frequency sight words of the week on the correct page. Make absolutely sure that every learner writes on the correct page AND that they have indeed written the word correctly. If the word is written incorrectly, they will write it incorrectly every time, based on their dictionary. Hint 2: If time permits, you may also let them write the spelling words on the correct page.


Listening and Speaking, lesson 3 for week 8 15 minutesResources: The story, “Holi, the festival of colours” (on the CD).

Step 1 – Listening: Read the story “Holi, the festival of colours” to the learners.Step 2 – Speaking: Divide the class into two. Let them ask each other questions about the story to see how much of the story they remember. If they are struggling, you read the story to them again.Step 3 – Reasoning questions: What is a good thing about the festival? Is a rich person more important than a poor one?Step 4 – Narration: Some learners tell if they have liked the story and why.

Phonics, sight vocabulary and spelling, lesson 5 for week 8 15 minutesResources: The flashcards of the sounds and high-frequency sight words introduced to date, flashcards of the spelling words for this week and last week, class workbook, sharp pencil.

Step 1 – Speed-reading: First speed-read all the sounds introduced to date. Also select individual learners to speed-read some sounds. Now speed-read the high-frequency sight words. Let a few learners see how quickly they can read the words. Speed-read the spelling words for the week. Let boys and girls compete against one another to be the winners.Step 2 – Auditory discrimination of constancy: Focus particularly on the new words. Show one of the familiar sounds: Say three words in series, which word does not begin with the same sound/does not have the same sound in the middle? Who can be the first to say four/five/six words with the sound?

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Step 3 – Spelling test: Week, grass, doll, pool, dress, bull, book, sick, look, smell, cheek, pack, wall, shook, sock.

Handwriting, lesson 3 for week 8 15 minutesResources: Writing strip with the letter y Y, class workbook or handwriting book, sharp pencils.

Step 1 – Hand and finger motor skills: Repeat the exercise in hand and finger motor skills as described for Day 1 for a third time. Make it slightly more difficult and let the learners begin by holding both hands together in front of them. See how far out you can play the piano. Cross hands while you are playing and see how far you can stretch. Step 2 – Writing strip of the letter y Y: One row of the small letter y, one row of the capital letter Y, one row of capital and small letters alternated: y Y.One or two rows of a short sentence in which the letter appears several times. Example: Why are you so shy?Step 3 – Sentence of spelling words: The learners write a sentence or two with spelling words of the week as neatly as they can. Examples: Pick up the sock from the grass! Put the pills on the rack.

Group-guided Reading, lesson 5 for week 8 30 minutes Writing, lesson 4 for week 8 15 minutesResources: Free worksheet 13, the graded readers you have handed to the groups, class workbooks, colouring pencils.

Important: The reading and writing lessons come together again today because the learners are expected to do a fair amount of written work in the assignments following the reading lesson. Therefore, you have 45 minutes to complete this work.

First 15 minutes: Work with the big group first The reading lesson on the worksheet is written only with sounds that have now been practised over and over. The learners should now be able to read it fairly easily and you use the reading session to check which learners are still not managing it. Follow these steps:

First 15 minutesStep 1 – Speed-reading: Speed-read the sounds, sight and spelling words. Make it interesting for the learners by letting them read in gruff voices, whispers and without moving their lips, etc.Hint: From time to time select some learners who have done this the “best” and allow this group to go and do the speed-reading by themselves in the reading corner for one session. In this way, you have better control and can see which learners are merely echoing the classmates and which learners are actually reading.

Step 2 – Phonic reading lesson: Worksheet 13.• Beforehand: Discuss the picture. Do they think the story is still about the

same children? What, do they think, will happen when they look at the picture? Read the page only once with the whole class. Quickly discuss the contents of the reading lesson. What, do they think, happened to the meat? Why do they say that? Do they think only the boys enjoyed their holiday, at the dam? What do they usually do on special days? Do they barbecue meat, do they attend services? Will their parents allow them to go camping by themselves like this? Why do they say that?

• Pre-reading: Allow the learners some time to read the lesson silently to themselves. Ask a learner or two to tell what happened in the story. Then ask individual learners to read the page. The learners who are not reading out loud must follow the text.

• Search-reading: Say a word or three from the reading lesson and let the class find the word/s on the page. You may also, for example, tell them to find a name beginning with A, etc.

Second 15 minutesThe learners separate into their reading groups and read to one another the phonic reading lesson on the worksheet and the graded readers you have handed out to each group. You move from one group to the next, helping where necessary and recording your observations of their reading progress and participation.

Third 15 minutes

Explain the assignments. The learners do a search-reading assignment and write down the words they could find. They also make sentences with at least two of the words, and finally, they complete their speech bubbles.

Notes

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Topic 4: Healthy living

Week 9 and 10

Week 9 briefly

This is a week of rounding-off and you begin with assessment too.

Listening and speakingRevise the following and begin with assessment in terms of the hints at the end of the lessons:• listening without interrupting the speaker • showing respect for the speaker• following two short instructions or one longer instruction consisting of two parts and executing them in the correct order• answering reasoning questions and explaining the answers• remembering ordering events• recognising rhyming words

Reading and phonicsReadingEye-motor skills• Repeat all the familiar eye exercises; begin with assessment. Group-guided reading, shared readingRevise the following and begin with assessment:• punctuation marks in text and how they influence reading/meaning: intonation, volume• silent reading• pre-reading • providing key details from text they have read• personal opinion of text• search-reading • revising rote reading of the first 65 sight words introducedPhonicsRevise the following and begin with assessment:• all single sounds, double sounds oo and ee, and sh, th, ph, wh, ch, and spelling rules about words ending on -ss, -ll and words ending on -ck/k • rhyming words and building word families Word families to build: • b-ack, l-ack, r-ack, s-ack, p-ack• l-ick, n-ick, p-ick, s-ick, t-ick, w-ick• d-ock, l-ock, m-ock, r-ock, s-ock, t-ock• b-uck, d-uck, l-uck, m-uck, s-uck

WritingHandwritingCapital letters or small letters: g G, p P, revise and round off. WritingRevise the following and begin with assessment:• Writing an average of three sentences in each session. The sentences are still written based on a board scheme/flowchart on the board. Pay

attention to correct use of punctuation marks.• Writing lists with commas between words, providing a heading, writing lists of words one beneath the other, providing heading.• Filling in and using “My own dictionary”.

GeneralRound off the spatial concepts practised to date. Begin with assessment.

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Days 1 and 2 I discover what in the environment can harm me and why it can harm meDisplay the following:• Two pictures of Wisenose – see

free resources• Empty cigarette packet – and big

red NO SMOKING sign • Empty wine bottle – and NO

ALCOHOL sign• Empty pillboxes of prescription pills • In a bank bag: Piece of foil and

piece of plastic dipped in powder; NO DRUGS sign

• If possible, pictures of locally available drugs in their various forms (provided by police)

• NO FIREARMS sign• Pictures of deserted placesAlso lay out the following nearby:• Soft toy animal with big ears• Letter box

Days 3 and 4 of week 9I discover which daily habits are unhealthy and why they are unhealthy • Two pictures – overnutrition

and malnutrition • Worn shoe sole• Picture of tooth decay• Two self-made examples of

a child’s work: One of good work and one of work full of mistakes

• Large soft teddy bear buckled up in a car seat (optional)

Day 5 of week 9I discover more about healthy daily habits and how to plan my dayTwo pictures: Healthy boy, healthy girl.Divide the interest table into boxesMake heading cards as proposed and display the pictures with them. You will find a wide variety of appropriate pictures among the free resources.Sports in which I may participate• sports practised in groups: Rugby, netball, soccer, corf ball,

hockey, sailing, rowing, water polo• sports that can be practised in pairs: Tennis, squash, table tennis,

volley ball • sports practised individually: Athletics, swimming, gymnastics,

karate, judo, water skiing , sailing, diving, golfHobbies I may practise• collecting stamps, coins, stickers• cycling, angling, catching fish• sewing, fabric painting, embroidery, knitting• reading, drawing, painting, computers• woodwork• birding• making cards• baking biscuits• raising animals – birds, cats, dogsHealthPut out 2 litres of water so that you can use it to demonstrate 4-6 glasses of water that should be drunk.Towel, vanity bag with toiletriesVarious disinfectantsIf you can get hold of them, the following signs too:• NO SMOKING• NO ALCOHOL• NO DRUGS

Rhymes for week 9 and 10

Eat healthily

Hey, ho! Apple! What do you say?Stay away from the doctor,eat an apple a day!Hey, ho! Cow! What do you say?To keep your teeth healthydrink milk every day!Hey, ho! Spinach! What do you say?Want muscles like Popeye?Eat spinach each day!Hey, ho! Sardines! What do you say?Keep a tin on your shelffor a sandwich any day!Ivy Oosthuizen

One germ to another. . .

Have you ever seenhow babies cry and fussand where they eat, everything’s a mess? - THAT’S GOOD!Have you ever seenwhen children play cat and mousehow their stuff lies scattered through the house? - THAT’S BETTER!Have you ever seenwhen children sweat and play in sandthen come to eat with dirty hands? - THAT’S THE BEST!Translated by Ivy Oosthuizen

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Healthy food

(Can also be sung to the tune of Round and round the mulberry bush)Why o why does Mummy say:Sweets will make my teeth decay?I eat veggies, I eat meat,But a sweet is such a treat!Why oh why does Mummy say:Eat an apple every day?I love grapes, a peach, a plum,YOU have the apple, Mum!Why oh why does Mummy say:I need spinach every day?I’ll eat carrots, pumpkin, peas,Just not spinach, please!Ivy Oosthuizen

Good food from the farm

Want a healthy breakfast, Sam?Start your day this way:Two rashers bacon from Mr PigA big brown egg from HenA glass of milk from friendly CowAnd toast with butter and jam.Ivy Oosthuizen

Song for week 9 and 10

Health from the soilTune: Twinkle Twinkle Little StarLemons, oranges and lime,keep us well in winter time!Pears and apples crisp and sweet, are delicious things to eat.Peaches, plums and strawberries,summer treats for you and me.A Kahts

Essential hints and background knowledge before you start with the teaching plans for week 9 and 10

Revision and assessmentThis is a week of revision and you start with assessment. In each lesson, you will find aspects to check in that lesson. The lessons are specially written so that revision is done step by step. If you follow the assessment hints, you will have completed the greater part of the assessment by the end of the week. Then you may use the last week to round off assessment, and check in detail the learners of whose assessment you are still unsure.

A literate classroomName cards and board schemes should be an integral part of your classroom routine. Read through them several times during the lesson. Ask questions such as:• With what sound does the word begin/end?• Find a word in the board scheme beginning with *, ending with *.• Make a sentence with the word, etc.

But that is still not enough!Fill your classroom with words and sentences and stick them on the walls, windows, etc. The learners will read them often, silently, expanding their vocabulary, reinforcing correct spelling and sentence construction and it may even gently inspire them. Use sentences to go with the topic. Suggestions for this topic:• Play in safe places.• Stay away from bad friends.• Drugs are dangerous.• Smoking destroys your lungs.

Another idea to make your class a literate class: Make a joke boxUse an old shoe box/tea box, cover it with paper, label and use it as a box for joke cards. Grade 2-learners enjoy jokes, having a keen sense of the ridiculous, and they are developing an appreciation of word play. An example:

Patient: Doctor, doctor, I keep thinking I’m a telephone.Doctor: Take these pills. If they don’t work, give me a ring.

Look in newspapers/magazines for jokes. Ask learners to tell the ones they know and to collect more. Libraries have joke books. When you enter “easy jokes” on an internet search engine, you will find pages and pages of jokes.

One more idea: Make a riddle boxSimilar to the joke box. Collect riddles and place them in a prepared box for learners to read. Riddles are excellent for vocabulary expansion and logical reasoning. Example:

You find me in boxbut not in tin.You find me in hollowbut not in thin.Who am I?The letter O

Free resources on the CD in the Teacher’s Guide• A sheet of pictures to duplicate for each learner• Pictures of healthy/unhealthy habits• Writing strip for the capital and small g G, p P, b B• Free worksheets 14 and 15

Some more useful knowledge about reporting You now already have sound background knowledge of the various ways in which you may report on the learners. When, at the end of the term, you send home the first progress report, you will be expected to write remarks with the assessment symbols sometimes. Please read these valuable hints about remarks in reporting before you start with this.

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Important knowledge about commenting in reportsCommenting in reportsNegative comments and scolding very seldom work, even for us as adults! One simply becomes defensive or angry and/or looks for the fault somewhere else. Negative comments are likely to alienate parents from teachers and the school in the same way. Many parents will respond by saying, “The teacher did not do her work . . .” or “The classes are too big, no wonder my child is not getting enough attention . . .” or something to that effect.What then? Is a teacher supposed to say only positive things about a child? What if a learner did not make the grade? If you report only pleasant things about the learner, surely the report will not present a realistic picture of the learner at any given time?Of course, one cannot only convey pleasing information, because then the progress report will not be an accurate reflection of the learner’s progress. However, there are many ways of mentioning virtually any point in a positive manner in a report.Compare the following:Emily Kate cannot hold a pencil correctly versus Emily Kate tries very hard to hold her pencil correctly.Emily Kate cannot colour in between the lines at all versus With a little more practice, Emily Kate will soon be able to colour in between the lines.Emily Kate does not work fast enough versus Emily Kate works a little slowly, but her work is very neat.More guidelines regarding reporting• Avoid the word not, for example: Martha does not read on her own versus Martha still has to discover the joy of

reading.• Negative remarks are accepted more readily if they are “sandwiched” between positive comments, for example:

Martha is quite good in class (palatable) and although she mostly works rather slowly (unpalatable), she reacts well to instructions (palatable).

• Write the report in language that parents can understand. Example: Martha’s ability to analyse and synthesise is excellent versus Martha finds it easy to break short words into sounds, and she can easily build words with a few letters.

• Do not compare individual learners with the rest of the class. Also, never provide a class average in a report. Example: Martha works more slowly than the rest of the class versus Next year we will practise to work more quickly.

• Always end a report with a positive comment, but avoid vague, meaningless statements. Example: Martha tries her best! versus Martha is a positive, friendly child.

Teaching plans for week 9 The first week of the 2-week topic, Healthy living

Day 1Listening and speaking, lesson 1 – 15 minutes; Shared reading, lesson 1 – 15 minutes; Phonics, lesson 1 – 15 minutes; Handwriting, lesson 1 – 15 minutes; Group-guided reading, lesson 1 – 30 minutes

Listening and speaking, lesson 1 for week 9 15 minutesResources: The story, “Wisenose”, articles on the interest table for class discussion, sheet of pictures from free resources for each learner, a red block and a green block for each learner. Beforehand: Duplicate the sheet of pictures you will find among the free resources for each learner. Do not cut the pictures loose - the sheet stays as it is. After the lesson, you may pack it away neatly, so that you may use it again later in the year.

Step 1 –Story: Read the story, “Wisenose”. Emphasise the concepts in bold print and particularly the last statement in the story. Ask questions to assess listening ability. Examples: How old is Wisenose? What does Wisenose have that Luke does not have? What is data? Why did Wisenose splash water on Anton? Does Luke like smoke? Why? Is Wisenose a curious spaceman? Why? What did the smoke do to Wisenose when he tried to run away? Did Wisenose learn something on earth? What? While you are busy with this, check carefully if the learners respond respectfully to one another’s answers and if they can listen without unnecessary interruption.Step 2 – Class discussion: Discuss the question: Is smoke bad for you? Guide the discussion also to the dangers of too much factory smoke. Whose parents are smoking? Has Daddy ever tried to stop smoking? Does smoke also harm the children in the house? Encourage constructive participation. Allow the learners to use articles on the display table during their participation. Check to what extent the learners participate in the discussion.

Step 3 – Listening exercise: Hand out the sheets of pictures (see free resources) to the learners. Tell them that Wisenose is coming to visit the class. He will give the learners instructions to execute. Play a game where you give two short instructions to be executed in the correct order. Speak in a tinny voice to make it interesting for the learners. Examples: Put a red block on the bus and a green block on the doll; put a block UNDER the lips and a block ON the bag, etc.

Assessment for assessment task 1In this lesson, check if the learner• participates constructively in the class discussion OR loses interest?• gives others turns to speak OR takes over the class discussion OR

withdraws and only listens to what others are saying OR merely echoes the classmates’ inputs?

• can remember the two instructions and execute them correctly (make absolutely sure that the learner does it by him-/herself and does not simply copy classmates!)

Shared reading from Big Book, lesson 1 for week 9 15 minutesResources: Big Book 4. If you are using the New All-In-One Big Book series, it is the book, “Caitlin’s loose tooth”. If you are not using the series, any Big Book of your own choice.

Step 1 – Pre-reading: The learners read the book with you last week already. Before you read the book to them again, discuss the cover again. Do they like the front cover? Does the front cover show something that happens in the book? What? Select a learner to read the title. Can you see from the cover who wrote the book? Do they still think the same? Study the title page. Is the name on the cover the same as the name on the title page? Do the pictures correspond? What is the same/different?

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Can the learners remember about what the story was? What happened first? Second? Third? Etc. How did the story end?Step 2 – Reading for pleasure: • Open the book on the page and allow the learners a minute or so to

look at the picture/s again. Discuss the illustration; let the learners tell what they like/don’t like.

• Let them name and describe the characters on the page. Do you still remember how? Three fingers in the air; tick off the fingers on each descriptive word. Example: Caitlin is slim and blond and she wears blue clothes, etc. Read the pages to the learners. Ask a simple comprehension question or two about the page. Example: For how long was Caitlin’s tooth loose? Does Caitlin look excited? How does she look then?

• Then turn to the next page. Read the page. Follow more or less the same steps.

Step 3 – After the story: • Ask some general and topic-oriented questions. Focus on higher-order

questions. Examples: Who was the principal character in the story? How many other characters were there? What did they look like? Encourage the learners to hold up three fingers and to mention something for each finger. Examples: Who was the principal character in the story, Caitlin or the tooth mouse? Which toys were part of the story? (Bibi, Bob (and a doll’s house.) Which characters are not portrayed in the story? (Mommy, Granny and Leon) Was there a surprise in the story? (The mouse and the fairy came for the tooth.) Does the story have a happy ending? Why do baby teeth become loose? What do you do when your baby teeth are loose? Do you think Caitlin’s granny knows about the tooth mouse? Why? Which toys crawled out of the doll’s house? Who was correct, Mommy or Granny? Why do you say that? What do you think the mouse/fairy will do with the tooth? Why do you say that? To whom would you like to give your tooth? Why? Who is Leon? What did Caitlin get in return for her tooth?

• Close with figure-background discrimination: Open the book on any page. Give the learners two hints to guess what you see. Example: I see something that is blue and begins with a b. Another example: I see something about as big as my hand and it has a sh in the word, etc.

Assessment for assessment task 1Check if the learner• tries to predict, based on the visual clues on each page, about what the

contents of each page will be.• listens attentively to the text, throughout the reading session, or loses

interest.• tries to follow the text while you are reading.• can describe an object/a character and mention, for example, three

features.

Phonics, sight vocabulary and spelling, lesson 1 for week 9 15 minutesResources: The following pictures for single sounds: Pet, pen, cat, mat, doll, pot, pill, man, bus, pot, sun, bag, hen, hut, car; the following pictures for double sounds: Weep, tree, green, bee, cheese, sleep, book, broom, boot, wool, hoop, (If you are using the New All-In-One Phonics Book for Learners, you will find all the pictures on pp. 2 and 14), flashcards of the single and double sounds, flashcards of the spelling words and sight words prescribed for weeks 1 and 2, a green, an orange and a red dot to put on the board for the game, the learners’ small sound cards, writing boards and chalk.

Step 1 – Speed-reading of the familiar sounds: Today, you use only the single and double sounds, so that you can revise them thoroughly and assess which learners do not yet know them by rote. Flash the single and double sounds faster and faster for the learners to read. Vary the order in which you flash the sounds! Flash one of the sounds and take it away quickly. How many of that sound can the learners find among their phonics cards in a given time? (Count slowly, for example, to 10.)Step 2 – Phonics Book: Use p. 2 in the Phonics Book OR put up on the board the pictures for single sounds, as listed under resources. • Begin by showing two pictures for each single sound. Example: Pen,

pet. Ask questions such as: Which sound is in the middle of the two words? With what do the words begin? How do the two words differ? Let the learners write the two words next to each other on their writing boards. Do the same with zip/pip. Adjust the questions to discover that cat/mat have the same middle and end sounds.

• Now take the pictures one by one. Let the learners name each picture. Select a learner to use the word in a sentence. Clap the word in sounds. Let the learners write the word on their writing boards. Walk among the learners and check carefully which learners are still struggling with/appear unsure about single sounds. Record their names in your observation book so that you can give these learners additional help.

• Now turn to p. 14 (or use the pictures for double sounds described under resources) and revise the double sounds. The learners name the pictures. Ask questions such as: Which two pictures have an oo sound in the middle? (book/broom) Do the two words end the same way? Which word begins with a w and ends with a p? (weep) Which sound is in the middle of jeep? Etc. Clap the word in sounds. Let the learners write the words on their writing boards. Walk among the learners and check carefully which learners are still struggling with/still looking unsure about double sounds. Record this in your observation book so that you can give these learners additional help.

Step 3 – High-frequency sight words: Use only the prescribed sight words learnt in weeks 1 and 2. These are sight words that contain only single and double sounds. Speed-read these high-frequency sight words. Let the learners write some of the words on their writing boards, so that you can assess if they know the sounds. Step 4 – Spelling words: Pick out the spelling words prescribed for weeks 1 and 2 among the stack of flashcards of spelling words. (These will be the words with single and double sounds.) Let the learners read the words and clap them in sounds. Put up the words on the board. Read the words again. Here is an idea for a fun game for today - Robot! Use the spelling words you have practised today. Place a green, orange and red dot underneath each other on the board to look like a traffic light/robot. The learners must sit stock-still like robots and observe. Example: Place the u on the orange dot. Leave it there. Now say the initial and end sounds as follows: I begin with a b and end with an s. Write down my name! The learner/s who flashes/flash first (and answers/answer correctly) is/are “Wisenose, the spaceman” and sits/sit out. Keep this up until they are all “Wisenoses” and then start again from the beginning. You may vary the position of the card you place, in other words, you may place the initial sound on the board and say the middle and end sounds.

Step 5 – Word-building: Say the spelling words one by one and let the learners write them in their class workbooks. Use the words they have written to assess their knowledge of single sounds.

Assessment for assessment task 1• Does the learner recognise the single sounds by rote? All? Without

hesitation?• Does the learner recognise the double sounds by rote? Both? Without

hesitation?• Can the learner clap in sounds the spelling words with the single and

double sounds?• Can the learner write the spelling words with single and double sounds?

How correctly?

Handwriting, lesson 1 for week 9 15 minutesResources: Writing strip of the letter g G, class workbook or handwriting book, the sentence you have written on the writing board beforehand and for which you have explained how to write each letter while you have been writing it, sharp pencils.

Step 1 – Spatial concepts: Revise the spatial concepts learnt during the term. Give instructions such as: Put your hand in the middle of the writing board/under the writing board/on the writing board, etc. Step 2 – Hand-motor skills: Let the learners stretch their hands and then shrink them to the position in which a crayon should be held. Demonstrate the correct pencil grip.Step 3 – Writing strip of the letter g G: One row of the small letter g, one row of the capital letter G, one row of capital and small letters alternated: g G.One or two rows of a short sentence in which the letter appears several times. Example: Gill and Glen giggle.

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Step 4 – An oral sentence with some of the sounds being revised: Here you dictate a sentence consisting only of single and the sounds ee and oo. Example: I sit on my bed. I can see a green bus. Use the sentence as assessment of the learners’ ability to use the sounds in sentences. Also check if they are using capital letters and full stops.

Assessment for assessment task 1Today, check the following carefully:• Pencil grip: Does the learner hold the pencil correctly? Is the hand

relaxed? Where is the hand that is not writing? If the hand that is not writing does not lie still or if it is making small mirror movements, this may be a sign that the learner still has a laterality delay and then you have to follow up on this!

• How hard the learner is pressing on the pencil: Too softly - is the learner unsure? How strong is the learner’s finger grip? Too hard - is the learner tense?

• Sitting posture: Neat sitting posture? Nose approximately 30 cm (ruler length) from the book? If the learner veers closer and closer to the book, it may be an eye problem. If the learner sits slanted or moves more and more to one side of the table, it may be a problem with midline-crossing. You should follow up!

Group-guided reading, lesson 1 for week 9 30 minutesResources: Reading lesson on p. 24 in the Learner’s Book, flashcards of the single and double sounds, flashcards of the same sight words as for the phonics lesson of Day 1, each reading group’s graded reader from a reader series of your choice.

First 15 minutesBig group: Learner’s Book, p. 24. Step 1 – Eye exercise: Hand out the Learner’s Books. The learners put the books right in front of them. They hold a red pencil in one hand and a yellow pencil in the other hand and put their hands on both sides of the book. Now call out the colours alternately. The learners look at the correct colour without turning their heads or bodies, only their eyes may move. Can they manage it this time? Also hand out a card of a capital letter and a card of a full stop to each learner. The learners put the books right in front of them and stick a capital letter card on the green pencil and a full stop card on the red pencil with wonder glue. They hold a green pencil in the left hand, the red pencil in the right hand and place their hands on both sides of the book. Now call out the colours/punctuation marks (capital letter . . . full stop . . . capital letter . . . full stop, etc.) alternately. The learners look at the correct colour without turning the head or body, only their eyes may move.Hint: This exercise was already introduced in week 1; use the exercise for assessment of the learners’ eye movements.

• Let the learners study the picture. Can they guess what the reading lesson will be about? Do pre-reading. Encourage the learners to do this with silent reading. Ask a learner to tell the key events in the story. Do the classmates agree?

• Read the lesson with the learners. Quickly talk again about safety at home and our responsibility to keep safe. Ask questions to check the learners’ awareness of safety. Example: What did Ross do wrong? Why were the door and gate locked? What are the rules in your home for when you want to go and play at a friend’s? Do you think Tick made Ross realise what he was doing? Why? What could have happened to Ross if he did indeed climb over the wall? What should Ross rather do when he wants to go and play at his friend’s? Let the learners name the punctuation marks. The learners read the sentences and use the correct intonation.


• Flash some of the single and double sounds of your choice. The learners read the sound and put blocks on the letters they can find in the reading text. Select individual learners to read the word. Can they find the single and double sounds you call out in the reading lesson? Read the word. Clap the word in sounds.


Step 2 – Assignment: Explain the assignment following the reading lesson. The learners do a search-reading exercise and two easy writing activities.

Second 15 minutes• The learners separate into their reading groups and read the page

in the Learner’s Book to one another. Then they read to one another their reading lesson in the graded reader of your choice. When they have finished reading, they go to their tables and continue with the assignments on page 24.


Assessment for assessment task 1Use the lessons for Day 2 to do this assessment. If you are unsure about a learner, particularly use the time in the small group when they come to read to you to do the assessment.

Reading techniqueCan the learner• read the reading lesson silently by him-/herself?• find the sight words you flash/say in the text?

Eye movementsSmoothly across the midline? Or jerkily? Or do the eyes jump back continually? Or does the learner turn his/her head because the eyes cannot move to and fro far enough? Record which learners have problems. They need specialised help as a matter of urgency – this is too difficult for you to solve!

Day 2Shared reading from Big Book, lesson 2 – 15 minutes; Phonics, lesson 2 – 15 minutes; Group-guided reading, lesson 2 – 30 minutes; Writing, lesson 1 – 15 minutes

Shared reading from Big Book, lesson 2 for week 9 15 minutesResources: Still Big Book 4 as well as any other storybook of your choice.

Today, you read the Big Book for the last time. Use the features of the Big Book to stimulate the learners’ desire to read other books. You may do this as follows:Step 1 – Front cover: Quickly discuss the book’s front cover with the learners. What happens in the illustration? Can the learners, based on the front cover, predict what the story is about? Now use any richly-illustrated storybook of your choice. Discuss the front cover. Can the learners, based on the front cover, guess what the story is about? Step 2 – Title: Read the title of the Big Book story. Read the title of the storybook of your choice. Step 3 – List of contents: Does the book have a list of contents? And the storybook? Read the list of contents and the page numbers. Turn to the different pages and read the titles and the first sentence or two of each new story/rhyme. Step 4 – Contents: Page through the storybook. How many pages are there? Read the first page or three and discuss the pictures. Let the learners find a sight word or three on each page, so that they can see that they will be able to read the words in the book.Step 5 – Encouraging a culture of reading: Put the new storybook in the reading corner to stimulate the learners’ curiosity and encourage them to page through it by themselves in their free time.

Assessment for assessment task 1• Does the learner recognise selected sight words in the text?• Does the learner give an own opinion about what was read AND explain

the opinion?• Does the learner show interest throughout?• Check during the week if the learner pages in books in the reading

corner by him-/herself and tries to read them.

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Phonics, lesson 2 for week 9 15 minutesResources: The flashcards of the single and double sounds, as well as th and sh, pp. 20-27 in the Phonics Book OR if you are not using the Phonics Book, pictures of words with th and sh, e.g. sheep, tooth, shell, thorn, shed, bath, fish, ship, teeth, etc., flashcards of the spelling and sight words introduced in weeks 3 and 4, the learners’ small sound cards, writing boards and chalk. Beforehand: Pick out the spelling words prescribed for weeks 3 and 4 among the bunch of flashcards of spelling words. (It will be the words with th and sh.)

Step 1 – Speed-reading of the familiar sounds: Today, you add the s/sh and sh/th to the single and double sounds for revision and assessment. Speed-read the sounds by flashing them faster and faster for the learners to read. Vary the order in which you flash the sounds! Say one of the sounds and let the learners write it on their writing boards and flash it to you. Assess which learners are unsure about the sounds and perhaps watch classmates to see what they should do. Pay special attention to the s/sh and sh/th. Step 2 – Revising s/sh: Use pp. 20 to 24 in the Phonics Book (OR use the pictures with sh) and revise auditory and visual recognition of the sh sound with the following exercises: • The learners name pictures and isolate the pictures with the sh sound. • Say two words in a series, which word contains the sh? Focus on

words with sh and s, because this is where most auditory confusion may occur. Example: Ship/sip, sheep/seep, was/wash.

• Build sh words with the sound cards and then write the words on the writing boards.

Step 3 – Revise th: Now turn to pp. 24 to 27 (OR use the pictures) and revise the th sound. • The learners name pictures and isolate the pictures with the th sound.

Is it the hard/soft th sound?• Say two words in a series; which word contains the th? Focus on words

with th and sh, because this is where most auditory confusion may occur. Example: Ship/sip; tin/thin.

• They build the th words you say with sound cards and write the words on their writing boards.

Step 4 – High-frequency sight words: Use only the prescribed sight words learnt in weeks 3 and 4. It will be mainly sight words which contain the th and sh sounds. Speed-read these high-frequency sight words. Let the learners write some of the words on their writing boards, so that you may assess if they know the sounds and can write the words. Step 5 – Spelling words: Use the flashcards of th and sh words you have selected beforehand. Let the learners read the words and clap them in sounds. Say the spelling words one by one and let the learners write them in their class workbooks. Use the words they have written to assess their knowledge.

Assessment for assessment task 1• Does the learner recognise the th and sh? At a glance and without

hesitation? Consistently correctly or does the learner become confused?

• Can the learner hear the difference between th and sh/s?• Can the learner clap the spelling words with the th and sh in sounds?• Can the learner write the spelling words with th and sh? How correctly?

Group-guided reading, lesson 2 for week 9 30 minutesResources: Still the phonic reading lesson on p. 24 in the Learner’s Book, pencils and colouring pencils, each reading group’s graded reader from a reader series of your choice, your large flashcards of the sounds, sight and spelling words learnt to date.

Step 1 – Before the class separates into reading groups: Quickly speed-read the sounds, sight words and spelling words learnt to date. Step 2 – Reading groups with you: Today, groups 2 and 3 come to read their lesson to you. Follow the same steps with groups 2 and 3 as you followed yesterday with group 1. Remember to do speed-reading of sounds, sight words and spelling words in the small reading group too. Step 3 – Other reading groups: The groups who are not reading to you follow this procedure:• The rest of the learners separate into pairs and read the following to

each other: The phonic reading lesson on p. 24 in the Learner’s Book, the reading lesson in the graded reader you have selected for them.

• When they have finished reading, they go to their tables and complete the exercises on p. 24 in their class workbooks. When they have finished with that, they read independently according to their reading skills from a graded book.

Assessment for assessment task 1When the learner that is with you reads in the reading group, check if he/she can: • read the phonic reading lesson in the Learner’s Book by rote by the

time he/she comes to read in the reading group. • use decoding skills to decipher the new text.• recognise the various punctuation marks.• apply the punctuation marks when reading the lesson.

Writing, lesson 1 for week 9 15 minutesResources: Pictures of friends playing well together and helping one another, writing board, chalk for teacher, class workbooks, colouring pencils.

Step 1 – Oral preparation: Explain to the learners that they will make a list of all the things in the area that are dangerous. What is a list? Who has made a list of presents for their birthday? Does Mommy make a list when she goes shopping? Quickly talk about dangers in and around the class/on the way home from school (to relate to the topic of Life Skills). Write the keywords randomly on the board. Now write the heading for the written work on the board: Dangers in my area. Step 2 – Written assignment: The learners make a list in their class workbooks under the heading “Dangers in my area”. The learners select words on the board and may also add some of their own words. The learners who finish first may also decorate their heading with appropriate pictures. Step 3 – Closing: Let the learners share their lists with one another. Select a few learners to share their pictures with the class.

Assessment for assessment task 1• Does the learner do the written assignments confidently and correctly

when they have been explained carefully beforehand or does the learner continually watch the classmate and then do the same?

• Does the learner write the list correctly and use heading and commas correctly?

• Could the learner finish the assignment on time? How neatly? How accurately?

Day 3Listening and speaking, lesson 2– 15 minutes; Phonics, lesson 3 – 15 minutes; Handwriting, lesson 2 – 15 minutes; Group-guided reading, lesson 3 – 30 minutes; Writing, lesson 2 – 15 minutes

Listening and speaking, lesson 2 for week 9 15 minutesResources The story, “The big sneeze”, pictures of healthy/unhealthy habits (see free resources).

Step 1 – Listening: Read the story, “The big sneeze”. Emphasise the concepts in bold print and particularly the last statement in the story.Step 2 – Speaking: Begin the class discussion with the question and check learner participation carefully for the sake of your assessment. Examples: What is a habit? Which habits do you have? Which habits in the story are bad habits? Which bad habits do grownups sometimes have? Why is smoke bad for your health? What does it mean when someone is addicted to something? Can an addiction be cured? Explain to the learners that addiction sometimes requires professional help. What can children do to help? Are there other things that are bad habits that people cannot see? Explain to the learners that bad habits can sometimes cause characteristics to develop. Example: If you get used to always getting what you want, you may develop the bad characteristic of selfishness.Step 3 – Group work: Divide the learners into four groups. Give each group a picture/example: Tooth decay, underweight, overweight and dirty toy. Let the groups quickly talk about their picture. The groups select a good friend from the group to come and share their discussion with the class. Ask individual learners questions as part of assessment to determine which learners’ group participation has improved.

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Assessment for assessment task 1Today, check if there are still learners who cannot• pay attention throughout the story• pay attention throughout the oral activity and, for example, begin to

wander around, begin bothering classmates or become silly• respond as well in the small group as in the big group.

Phonics, sight vocabulary and spelling, lesson 3 for week 9 15 minutesResources: The flashcards of the single and double sounds, th and sh as well as ch and wh, pp. 28-31, Phonics Book OR pictures of words with ch and wh, e.g. chair, chain, cheese, chips, chick, wheel, whip, whisk, wheel, whistle, etc. Flashcards of the spelling and sight words introduced in weeks 5 and 6, the learners’ small soundcards, writing boards and chalk.Beforehand: Pick out the spelling words prescribed for weeks 5 and 6 from the batch of flashcards of spelling words (these will be the words with ch and wh).

Step 1 – Speed-reading of the familiar sounds: For revision and assessment today, you add the ch and wh to the single and double sounds, and sh and wh. Flash the sounds faster and faster for the learners to speed-read. Say one of the sounds and let the learners write it on their writing boards and flash it to you. Assess which learners are uncertain about the sounds and are perhaps watching classmates to see what to do. Pay special attention to the ch and wh. Step 2 – Revising ch: Use pp. 28 and 29 in the Phonics Book (OR use the pictures with ch) and revise auditory and visual recognition of the ch sound in the following exercises: • The learners name pictures and indicate the pictures with the ch sound. • Say two words in a series; which word has the ch in it? Example: Chip/

ship, sheep/cheep/weep.• Building ch words with the soundcards and then writing the words on

their writing boards. Step 3 – Revising wh: Now turn to pp. 30 and 31 (OR use the pictures with wh) and revise the wh sound. • The learners name pictures and indicate the pictures with the wh

sound. • Name two words in a series, which contains the wh? Example: Whip/

ship, where/there, why/shy, wheat/cheat, etc.• They build the wh words you say with soundcards and write the words

on their writing boards. Step 4 – High-frequency sight words: Use only the prescribed sight words learnt in weeks 5 and 6. These will be mainly sight words containing the ch and wh sounds. Speed-read these high-frequency sight words. Let the learners write some of the words on their writing board, so that you can assess if they know the sounds and can write the words.Step 5 – Spelling words: Use the flashcards of wh and ch words you have selected beforehand. Let the learners read the words and clap them in sounds. Say the spelling words one by one and let the learners write them in their class workbooks. Use the words they have written to assess their knowledge.

Assessment for assessment task 1• Does the learner recognise the ch and wh? Without hesitation?

Consistently correctly or does the learner still become confused?• Can the learner hear the difference between ch/sh and wh/th?• Can the learner clap in sounds the spelling words with the ch and wh?• Can the learner write the spelling words with ch and wh? How

correctly?

Handwriting, lesson 2 for week 9 15 minutesResources: Writing strip of the letter p P, class workbook or handwriting book, the flashcards of spelling words for the week, sharp pencils.

Step 1 – Hand and finger motor skills: Repeat the exercise in hand and finger motor skills as described for Day 1. Make the instructions more challenging by involving both hands. Example: Put your hand palms and fingers together, thumbs upward. Move your index fingers away from each other without the index fingers’ tips losing contact. What do your index fingers look like now? Can you bend your middle fingers like this too? Step 2 – Writing strip of the letter p P:

• One row of the small letter p, one row of the capital letter P, one row of the capital letter and small letter alternated: p P.

• One or two rows of a short sentence in which the sounds appear several times. Example: Peter Pan picks up a pan.

Step 3 – An oral sentence with some of the sounds that are being revised this week: Here you give a sentence of dictation which emphasises oo, ee, ch, sh, th and wh. Use the sentence as assessment of the learners’ ability to use the sounds in sentences. Let them also use capital letters and full stops. Here is an example of such a sentence: When did Beth and Shem eat chips and chops?

Assessment for assessment task 1Today, check particularly if:• the learner writes in the correct lines• the letters touch the top and bottom of the lines (depending on the lines

used)• the words have the correct spaces between them.

Group-guided reading, lesson 3 for week 9 30 minutesResources: Phonic reading lesson on p. 25 in the Learner’s Book, each reading group’s graded reader from a reader series of your choice, soundcards, individual writing boards and chalk, class workbooks, colouring pencils.

First 15 minutes: Big groupStep 1 – Eye exercise: Revise the eye exercises done in weeks 5 and 6, when the learners made large circular and hopping movements with their eyes. See to it that the movements are so large that the learners are forced to cross their midlines. Step 2 – Speed-reading: As always, begin each day’s reading lesson with speed-reading of the prescribed sounds, sight words and spelling words.Step 3 – Practising and explaining: P. 25 in the Learner’s Book. • The learners study the picture. What, do they think, is the lesson about?

Allow them some time to try to read the lesson silently to themselves. Remind them beforehand of the 5-finger strategy for when they are stuck on a word. Did they predict the contents of the lesson correctly? Read the sentences with the learners.

• Talk very briefly about daily primary needs of people. Just like animals, people cannot survive without proper shelters. People need enough food and clean water. People need other people. Ask questions about the contents of the story to relate it to the topic. Example: Is the place where the man sleeps safe? Why? Does the man have people who care about him? Was the man always lonely? How do you know that? Do you sometimes feel lonely too? How many people are living with you at home? What caused the man’s life to change? Was it the man’s own fault? What can he do to find a job again? Do you think his wife and child will give him another chance?



• Now clap a sight word or any other word in the lesson slowly in sounds. Can the learners say the word they are hearing? Find the word in the lesson. Read the word. The learners clap the word in sounds. Repeat with some more words.

• Explain the assignments.


the phonic reading lesson in the Learner’s Book and the reading lesson in the graded reader you have handed out to each one. Then they go to their tables and complete the assignment in the Learner’s Book.


Assessment for assessment task 1Today, you check the following in particular:• Does the learner hold the book correctly and turn pages correctly?• Does the learner show interest in the reading text and the reading activity?• Does the learner pay attention throughout, with eager participation?

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Are there learners who are not at all interested in reading or who cannot handle the reading lessons at all? Do you have an idea why? Do you know what to do?• Can they see clearly? Have their eyes been tested yet?• Are they reading in their mother tongue because this may also have an

influence?• Has the learner ever learnt to read in Grade 1? In which school was the

learner? You should take action NOW if the learner does indeed have a deficiency. Ask for help, if you don’t know the cause or how you can help!

Writing, lesson 2 for week 9 15 minutesResources: Writing board, pencils, class workbooks.

Step 1 – Oral preparation: Quickly revise how capital letters are used at the beginning of sentences and in names. Revise how full stops, exclamation marks and question marks are used at the end of sentences. Write three short sentences on the writing board without any capital letters or punctuation marks. Do not differentiate the sentences by reading them separately. Use the exercise for assessment. Example: my lungs are still clean and healthy wisenose and I will not smoke when we grow up uncle peter please go and smoke outside. Assess the usage of capital letters and full stops.Step 2 – Assessment of capital letters, full stops and question marks: The learners write the three sentences in their class workbooks.

Assessment for assessment task 1Are there still learners who• cannot successfully remember two short instructions or one long

instruction consisting of two parts and execute them in the correct order?

• cannot complete the assignment because they work too slowly?• complete the assignment but it is rushed and untidy?

Day 4Shared reading, lesson 3 – 15 minutes; Phonics, lesson 4 – 15 minutes; Group guided reading, lesson 4 – 30 minutes; Writing, lesson 3 – 15 minutes

Shared reading, lesson 3 for week 9 (from Learner’s Book) 15 minutesResources: P. 26 in the Learner’s Book.

Step 1 – Oral preparation: Begin by discussing television-watching. Which programmes do the learners like to watch? To relate this to the topic of healthy habits in Life Skills, the learners may briefly discuss whether it is good/bad to watch a lot of TV. Then discuss how TV influences our lives and why it is necessary to live with discipline. Discuss the purpose of timetables.Step 2 – Shared reading: Turn to p. 26 in the Learner’s Book.• TV guide: First study the TV timetable with the learners. Discuss

what a timetable is and that a TV guide provides a timetable for the day’s/week’s programmes. Read the TV guide with the learners. Clap some of the longer words in syllables. Interpret the TV guide with the learners. Also discuss the purpose of a day plan with regard to time management. Discuss the questions about the TV guide one by one. Show the learners on the class clock how long a programme is by counting how many minutes pass from the starting time of the particular programme until the time the next programme starts.

• Class timetable: Now turn to the class timetable on the same page. Read the class timetable with the learners. The learners may also find the words/sounds you mention in the TV guide and on the class timetable. Compare the class timetable with the timetable of your class, and let the learners read your class timetable.

Assessment for assessment task 1• Does the learner listen attentively to the text when you read it out loud?• Can the learner follow text in the Learner’s Book when you read it?• Could the learner manage to find key details on the timetable/in the TV

guide?

Phonics, sight vocabulary and spelling, lesson 4 for week 9 15 minutesResources: The flashcards of the single sounds, oo and ee as well as ch, sh, wh, th, the large variety of pictures you have already collected for teaching phonics OR pp. 32-35 in the Phonics Book, flashcards of the spelling and sight words introduced in weeks 7 and 8, the learners’ small soundcards, writing boards and chalk.

Step 1 – Speed-reading of the familiar sounds: Today, you revise and assess the single and double sounds and add ch, wh sh and th. Let the learners speed-read the sounds while you are flashing them faster and faster. Say one of the sounds and let the learners write it on their writing boards and flash it to you. Check which learners are unsure of the sounds and are perhaps watching classmates to see what to do. Step 2 – High-frequency sight words: Use all the prescribed sight words learnt during the term. Do speed-reading. Let the learners write some of the words on their writing boards. Step 3 – Spelling words: Shuffle all the spelling words for term 1 in one batch. Let the learners read some of the words and clap them in sounds. Say some of the spelling words and let the learners write them in their class workbooks. Try to select words that contain some or all of the sounds learnt to date. Use the words they have written to assess their knowledge.

Assessment for assessment task 1• Can the learner hear the difference between ch/sh/wh/th? And

between sh/s and t/th? And c/sh?• Does the learner immediately see the difference between t/th and s/sh?• Can the learner clap the spelling words in sounds?• How correctly does the learner write the words you ask?


Today, groups 2 and 3 come to read their lesson to you. Follow the same steps with groups 2 and 3 as you followed yesterday with group 1.The groups that are not reading to you, follow these steps:Step 1: They separate into pairs and quickly read again to each other their phonic lesson in the Learner’s Book. Then they read to each other their lesson in the supplementary, graded reader you have selected for them. Step 2 – Individual reading or reading in pairs: When they have finished with that, they return to their tables. They complete the activity in the Learner’s Book, and then they go and read a story of their own choice with a classmate or individually in the reading corner or at their tables.

Assessment for assessment task 1When the learner in the small group with you reads in his/her graded reader, • does the learner show reading comprehension and can he/she,

for example, answer questions about the reading lesson? Where applicable, does the learner try to explain the answers?

• can the learner identify key details of the reading text, e.g. principal character, key events?

• does the learner try to predict the contents of the reading lesson by looking at the visual clues?

Writing, lesson 3 for week 9 15 minutesResources: P. 26 in the Learner’s Book, class clock, pencils and class workbooks and writing board if you wish to use your own timetable.

Step 1 – Oral preparation: First ask simple questions to find out if the learners really understand what a timetable is and what its purpose is. Use the TV guide/timetable on p. 26 in the Learner’s Book as an example again. Read the questions accompanying the TV timetable and let the learners answer them orally. Step 2 – Assignment: Read the class timetable with the learners. Read the questions once. Let learners ask questions if there are any. You may adjust the timetable according to your own class timetable. The learners answer the questions about the class timetable in their class workbooks. Assess reading with comprehension.

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Assessment for assessment task 1When the learner writes his/her own sentences, check if the learner• can answer at least three of the questions • uses punctuation marks and capital letters correctly• has the correct spacing between words• can read his/her own sentences successfully when they have been

written

Day 5Listening and speaking, lesson 3 – 15 min, Phonics, lesson 5 – 15 minutes; Handwriting, lesson 3 – 15 minutes; Group-guided reading, lesson 5 (reading lesson 3 on the worksheet) – 30 minutes; Writing, lesson 4 – 15 minutes

Listening and speaking, lesson 3 for week 9 15 minutesResources: The story, “Busy Barry”, pictures of daily activities (e.g. sports), a blank timetable grid for each learner, pencils, writing boards and chalk.

Step 1 – Listening: Read the story, “Busy Barry”, to the class. Follow up with some memory and reasoning questions. Example: Was Barry late for his tennis lesson? How did Barry try to make up for his coming late? Did it help? How do you know that? Do you think the coach was unfair? What did Barry think was the big problem? Can you make a day longer? How did Barry’s mommy help him? What do you learn from Barry’s experience? What, do you think, did Barry’s timetable look like? Step 2 – Drawing up and reading a timetable: The learners draw up their own daily timetable. Explain that the class’s timetable can fit into theirs if they just write: School. Put up on the board some pictures and keywords that represent situations and sports. Give each learner a blank grid for their timetable, e.g. 8 rows x 1 small/1 wide column.

Assessment for assessment task 1Could the learner• confidently do the written assignments when you had explained them

carefully beforehand? • complete the assignment?Can the learner• afterwards successfully read and interpret the timetable/sentences he/

she has written independently?Also check the learner’s task completion:• neatly and purposefully?• rushed and hurried?• incomplete and not finished?

Phonics, sight vocabulary and spelling, lesson 5 for week 9 15 minutesResources: The flashcards of the sounds and sight words introduced to date, flashcards of the spelling words for this week and last week, writing board, chairs and crowns for the game.

Step 1 – Speed-reading: First speed-read all the sounds introduced to date. Also select individual learners to speed-read some sounds. Now speed-read the sight words. Let a few individual learners see how quickly they can read the words. Speed-read the spelling words of the week. Step 2 – Auditory discrimination of constancy: Focus particularly on the new words. Show one of the familiar sounds: Say three words in series, which word does not begin with the same sound/does not have the same sound in the middle? Step 3 – Play “Spelling King/Queen”: Do you still remember how to play “Spelling King/Queen”? The chairs are lined up in front of the board. Four chairs are at the board. These are the chairs of the king/queen/prince/princess. Make four crowns. Four learners go to the board. Say a word. They write it behind their hands on the board (cover so that the others cannot see it). Uncover the word. Written correctly? Then they are the Spelling King and Queen and Prince and Princess, they receive crowns and sit down on the thrones. The next four get their turn and everyone moves up four chairs.

Assessment for assessment task 1How well could the learner• pay attention throughout the activity?• write the words?

Handwriting, lesson 3 for week 9 15 minutesResources: Two phonebook pages for each learner, colouring pencils, writing board and handwriting books for the sentences.

Step 1 – Hand and finger motor skills: Play “Te-le-phone-book-pa-per-mon-ster”. Write the word in syllables on the board. Let the class repeat the word stretched out like this several times. Give each learner two sheets of phonebook pages. The learners hold one page at the top edge in each hand. Now the learners must crumple the two pages simultaneously while they are saying the word te-le-phone-book-pa-per-mon-ster. When the pages have not yet been crumpled, they must repeat the word until both pages have been crumpled in their hands. Step 2 – Revise: Give each learner another phonebook page. The learners revise the small and capital letters of which the class is still unsure.

Assessment for assessment task 1Check the learner’s task completion again:• neat and purposeful?• rushed and untidy?• incomplete and not finished?

Group-guided reading, lesson 5 for week 9 30 minutes Resources: Free worksheet 14, the graded readers you have handed out to each group, class workbooks, red colouring pencils.

The reading lesson on the worksheet is written only in words that have now been practised over and over. The learners should be able to read them reasonably easily and you use the reading session to check which learners are still not managing it. Follow these steps:

First 15 minutesStep 1 – Eye-motor skills: The learners work together in pairs. Let the learners sit on the carpet facing each other. Give each pair a self-made thimble or marker to put on the finger. The learners take turns at putting the thimble on one of the index fingers. The other hand holds the elbow as far as possible in the middle of the learner’s body. The learner makes the movements according to your instructions. Example: Move the thimble as far as possible to the left/right and away from your partner’s nose/in a circle as big as your partner’s head. The learner who is busy with the eye exercise must sit as quietly as possible and follow the thimble by moving only the eyes. Step 2 – Speed-reading: Speed-read the sounds, sight and spelling words. Make it interesting for the learners by, for example, letting them read in gruff voices, whispers, without moving their lips, etc.Hint: From time to time, select some learners who have done this the “best” and allow this group to go and do the speed-reading by themselves in the reading corner for one session. In this way, you will have better control and will be able to see which learners merely echo the classmates and which learners are really reading.

Step 3 – Phonics reading lesson: Worksheet 14. Read the page once with the whole class. Quickly discuss the contents relating to safety in the home and our responsibility towards resources. Then ask individual learners to read a page. The learners who are not reading out loud must follow the text with their fingers. Then say a word from the reading lesson and let the class find the word on the page.

Second 15 minutesThe learners separate into their reading groups and read to one another the phonics reading lesson on worksheet 14 and the graded readers you have handed out to each group. You move from one group to the next, helping where necessary and recording your observations of their reading progress and participation. The reading lesson is followed by a writing session. The learners mark the spelling mistakes in the letter with red colouring pencils. Then they pick out only words from the lesson in a row of words, circle them, and use them in sentences which they write in their exercise books.

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Assessment for assessment task 1When the learners read with you in their reading groups, the other learners continue to read independently in their reading groups and then they complete the assignments in the Learner’s Book. Observe unobtrusively which learners• page by themselves through books in the reading corner and try to read

them when they have completed the assignments.• become distracted and have to be called back repeatedly.• take the lead and help classmates who are struggling.

Writing, lesson 4 for week 9 15 minutesResources: Worksheet 15, class workbooks, scissors and colouring pencils.

Step 1 – Oral preparation: Read the short story with the learners. Let the learners talk about the story.

Step 2 – Written work: The learners cut off the reading text and put it away. Then they cut out the four pictures and paste them in order one beneath the other on a blank page in their class workbooks. The learners write their own appropriate sentence at each picture. Assess how they use capital letters and full stops.

Assessment for assessment task 1Check to what extent the learner

• does the written assignment confidently and correctly after you have explained it thoroughly beforehand.

• remembers the instructions - or does the learner ask over and over what he/she should do now?

• understands the meaning of spaces between words and applies punctuation marks and capital letters correctly.

Week 10

The second week of the 2-week topic, Healthy living, and a week for rounding off assessment for the first term

A week to round off assessment for the first termIn terms of the National Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS), learners are assessed based on what they know (knowledge) and what they can do (skills). During the term, you have consistently observed the learners in various learning situations. You probably already have a good idea of each learner’s knowledge and skills and have recorded these in your observation or “at-hand” book, together with interesting information, concerns and strengths or development areas.

After observation has taken place, the findings of the assessment must be ticked off and/or recorded on a checklist. With the aid of the checklist, a complete framework of or overview report on each learner’s strengths and/or learning obstacles is compiled. This week, we provide you with a final checklist for the term to help you to round off each learner’s assessment for the first term. The following checklist is indicated as assessment task 1 for term 1 in the National Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) and has been defined further here and there.

Week 10 briefly

Listening and speaking• Participating constructively in class discussion • Giving others turns to speak and respecting other members of the group • Answering higher-order reasoning questions and trying, where applicable, to explain the answers• Singing songs/reciting rhymes with the rest of the class and performing movements• Listening attentively to the stories throughout the activity • Placing at least four to five pictures in the correct order of events and telling the story based on the pictures • Describing an object in terms of three features • Successfully following two short instructions or one long instruction consisting of two parts and executing them in the correct order

Reading and phonicsPhonics• Recognising the single sounds by rote • Recognising the double sounds oo and ee by rote • Recognising the sounds consisting of two letters, ch, sh, th, wh, by rote • Discriminating two sounds that sound very similar (m/n; v/w/s; t/d; d/b/p; s/sh)• Putting together sounds into a word when the teacher claps a word in sounds • Clapping the spelling words correctly in sounds• Writing the prescribed spelling words faultlessly by the end of the week ReadingShared reading from the Big Book• Listening attentively to the text • Trying to follow the text in the Big Book when the teacher is reading it • Trying to predict the story based on the visual clues, e.g. the pictures and cover• Identifying key details of the story, e.g. principal character, key events Group reading from the phonics reading lessons in the Learner’s Book• Reading the reading lesson silently and independently beforehand• Reading the phonics reading lesson in the Learner’s Book fluently when the text has been read beforehand with the teacher • Using decoding skills to decipher new text• Finding sight words consisting of familiar sounds and that are called out by the teacher in the text (search-reading)• Recognising punctuation marks and applying them when reading the lesson• Showing reading comprehension and answering questions about the reading lesson

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Week 10 briefly

Graded readers• Holding the book and turning pages correctly• Showing interest in the reading text and the reading activity • Consistently paying attention with eager participation Reading independently• Paging through books independently in the reading corner and trying to read them

WritingWritten language• Doing the written assignments in the Learner’s Book and on the worksheets confidently and correctly when they have been explained carefully

beforehand• Writing at least three sentences based on the board scheme and using punctuation marks and capital letters correctly• Reading own sentences successfully after having written them• Understanding why spaces are used between words• Writing lists correctly and using headings and commas correctlyHandwriting• Consistently using the dominant hand • Using correct pencil grip • Maintaining correct sitting posture • Knowing to write from left to right • Writing all 26 of the small and capital letters correctly, in the correct size and with correct spacing


Rounding off your assessmentThis week, you are left more or less on your own. You use this week to do the final rounding-off of the term’s work and you complete your assessment. You will indeed know with which aspects of the work the learners in your class are still struggling and where they need some more practice. To help you, we provide you with some assessment tasks you may do with the learners.

Parents’ eveningIt is recommended that a parents’ evening or an evening for the primary care-givers of the learners be held. Its purpose is to• provide a general overview of what you will expect from the learner in

the particular grade/term• discuss learners’ progress with their parents• explain the cleaning/goodwill project.

You will have to explain to the parents• why the class will embark on the project• exactly what the class will attempt, and• what you will expect from the parents.

You should also find out who among the parents can, for example, assist with the practical arrangements. At the same time, you may also discuss the learners’ progress with each parent.

Bear in mind the following hints for a parents’ evening:• Invite the parents by letter.• In the letter, clearly mention the purpose, date and time of the parents’

evening.• Keep the file with the learner’s assessment at hand so that you are

prepared to answer any question from the parent – with examples!• Do not discuss the learner with the parents in the learner’s presence!• Set the time so that working parents can also attend the parents’

evening.• Limit the time each parent may speak to you, otherwise they will not all

have a turn.• Keep exceptional drawings/creations of each learner through the year.

Display them during the parents’ evening with the learners’ names.

Resources for you to use• Free worksheet 16 with a reading lesson. • Free worksheet 17 with language and writing activities.• You also have pp. 27 and 28 of reading and language assignments with

which you can keep the class busy while you are assessing. Use these two pages as you see fit but do not proceed beyond p. 28. From p. 29 it is term 2’s work.

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Assessment activities for week 10

Assessment activity 1 to complete assessment task 1, term 1: Reading, handwritingResources: Free worksheet 16, colouring pencils.

The reading lesson on free worksheet 16 is written only with sounds the learners already know well and every learner in class should be able to sound it and read it totally by themselves. When you have read it with them once or twice, the average learner should be able to read the reading text fluently. Do not work with more than 5-8 learners at a time, otherwise you will not be able to do an informed assessment.Step 1 – Phonics: Flash the soundcards of the sounds the learners have learnt this term and let the learners read them. Where you are in doubt, you may let individual learners read them to you.Step 2 – Sight words: Shuffle the batch of sight words thoroughly and then divide them into three. Divide the learners with you into three groups and let each group read one pack of words. How quickly/correctly do the groups read the words? Is there perhaps a learner who is only echoing and not reading him-/herself? Where you are in doubt, let the learner read individually.Step 3 – Reading lesson: • Allow the learners a minute or so to study the picture, and to read the

lesson silently on their own so that they can find out what the story is about. Observe how the learners go about this. Are there learners who only look at the pictures and don’t try to read? Are there learners who are not trying at all? Are there learners who start immediately and read the lesson fairly successfully by themselves?

• Let a learner or two (ask those about whom you are unsure) tell what is happening in the lesson. Now read the lesson once with the learners. Flash a word or two from the lesson and let learners point it/them out to you. Check carefully whether the learners themselves find the word and whether the learners are watching what a classmate is doing and then point out the same word. Ask such learners individually to point out a word to you. Say a word or two and repeat the activity. Read the lesson again with the learners. Let the learners talk about the punctuation marks and their influence on intonation.

• Now allow the learners some time again to read the lesson by themselves, and then let the learners read the lesson to you one by one.

Step 4 – Reading comprehension: Do the comprehension test with the learners.Hint: After the session with you, the learners complete the worksheet by themselves. Make sure that they write their names at the back of the worksheet, because you will use the worksheet for assessment.

What you will check in this assessment task to round off your assessment for the first term

Reading• How well does the learner know the prescribed sounds and read them

by rote?• How well does the learner read the sight words by rote?• To what extent could the learner do their own pre-reading?• Could the learner find the word you have flashed in the text? And

when you just said the word? (search-reading and figure-background discrimination)

• Could the learner match the pictures and sentences correctly? (reading comprehension)

Handwriting• What does the work on the worksheet look like? Coloured neatly? Neat

handwriting? Or perhaps rushed and untidy? Or perhaps exceptionally neat and accurate?

• Because the work has been completed totally on their own, without your supervision, its completion will give you a good picture of the learner’s independent work, accuracy, attention span and perseverance.

Assessment activity 2 to complete assessment task 1, term 1: Shared readingResources: Big Books 1 to 4.

Hint: Use different books for each group you assess, otherwise the learners will learn answers from the previous groups.

Step 1 – Big Book story – Shared reading: You may use any of the stories already done. Check continuously if every learner in the group is paying attention throughout and listening to the story with pleasure. Can the learners you assess read with you? (Repeat refrains?) Step 2 – Phonics: Say familiar and simple words from the story and check if the learners can say the initial sound or clap the word in sounds/syllables. Give each learner in the group a short sentence and see if the learner can clap the sentence in words.Step 3 – Vocabulary, phonics, colour: Point at an object/picture in the book. One of the learners you are assessing must describe the object for you and also say the initial sound of the object. Can the learner do this? Remember the hint about three fingers held up and learners describing the object/person in terms of three criteria.Step 4 – Listening and speaking – Comprehension and application of familiar pattern sentences: Ask questions related to the story. See how the learner responds to these.

What to check in this assessment task to round off your assessment

Phonics• When you say a word from the story, can the learner identify the initial

sound?• Can the learner clap in syllables a longer word you say? (Remember!

Actually sound syllables - the learners do not yet know spelling rules relating to syllabification.)

Shared reading• Does the learner pay attention when you read the story? Throughout?• Does the learner try to join in reading the refrains? Then it is excellent!• Can the learner point out the colours and spatial concepts they have

learnt in the picture?• Can the learner give the key details of the story, e.g. who the principal

character is, what the key events were?

Listening and speaking• How does the learner answer your questions? Does he/she just

nod? This shows comprehension. Answers in phrases? Average. Full sentences? Good. Does the learner try to explain the answer as you have been emphasising it for weeks? Excellent.

Assessment activity 3 to complete assessment task 1, term 1: SpeakingResources: Rhymes learnt during the term.

Hint: This activity may be done with the big group.

Rhymes and songs: The learners have a concert. The learners recite their rhymes/sing their songs in small groups/individually. First ask volunteers to come and recite a rhyme.


Participation• Can the learner recite the rhyme successfully with the other learners in

the group? (Attentively/without disturbing others/sure of the words?)• When the learner participates in the activities, does he/she first watch

what others are doing or does he/she do them confidently by him-/herself?

• Can the learner remember your instructions? (Two short instructions or otherwise one long instruction consisting of two parts?) And does the learner execute them in the correct order?

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Assessment activity 4 to complete assessment task 1, term 1: Listening and speaking, writingResources: Worksheet 17, red colouring pencils, pencils and decorated paper/writing pad.

Hint: This activity may be done with the big group.

Step 1 – Spatial concepts: While you are handing out the worksheets, give instructions to the learners. Put your hands on your head/on your shoulders/at your sides/behind your head/at your face/under your chin. You continuously watch the learners to see if they execute the instructions correctly.Step 2 – Some more spatial concepts, colour: Give instructions such as: Put the yellow/red/blue/purple/etc. button/counter on/under/next to/in front of your writing board. Put the button/counter in your box. Take the button/counter out of the box. Throw the counter over the box. Put your hand behind your ear, touch your elbow, etc. Can you put your finger through your worksheet?Step 3 – Reading and writing: • The learners identify the pictures in a box and make a list of the words.• The learners read the short letter. They mark the mistakes in red and

rewrite the letter without spelling mistakes. • The learners who work fast may make sentences with the words from

the box or write their own letter on pretty writing paper, depending on their ability.

What you check in this assessment task to round off your assessment

Listening and speaking• Does the learner respond to a simple oral instruction?• Does the learner show comprehension of spatial vocabulary?• Does the learner know the colours yellow, red, blue, green, orange,

purple, black, brown, white and pink?

Writing• Correct pencil grip?• Correct sitting posture?• Could the learner write the list and sentences independently?• Can the learner read back the words he/she has written?• Did the learner complete the assignment?

Handwriting• Correct spacing?• Correct letter size, e.g. difference in size of small and capital letters;

correct size according to available space?

Assessment activity 5 to complete assessment task 1, term 1: Phonics/spellingResources: Sheet of paper for each learner, pencils.

Hint: This activity can be done with the big group.

Spelling test: In this spelling test, the sounds learnt to date appear. The words have all been practised in different ways with the learners throughout the term and the average learner should be able to write them all. Let them write on blank paper so that they can focus on the words and sounds rather than on the line where they should write.Spelling words to be written: this, chat, fish, hat, feel, pot, bed, pick, grass, soon, why, been, Ben, sip, ship, look, chip, shoot, run, cat, doll. The words have been selected so that, apart from the sounds, you may also test auditory discrimination, visual memory and spatial orientation. Examples: sip/ship (auditory), pot – p/b (auditory), bed – b/d (spatial) pick/grass (spelling rule). There are also some high-frequency words on the list.Dictation: The man sees a book in the grass. Did Ben wash the cup and spoon?


• Are there words the learner has written incorrectly? What is the type of mistake? Doesn’t the learner know the sounds, or is the learner struggling with analysis/synthesis? Check, for example, if the learner could perhaps write the words consisting of single sounds correctly, but became stuck where two sounds or double sounds were involved.

• Does the sentence begin with a capital letter and end with a full stop? Did the learner remember the question mark?

Notes

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Documents

Grade 2 English Home language Teacher's Guide - NB · PDF fileBefore you start teaching Home Language ... stories yourself from the CD with the Teacher’s Guide. (c) BEST BOOKS