Introduction
Impaq’s approach to language in Grade 1
Language is an instrument for thinking and communication. When learners use language effectively they are able to think critically and accumulate knowledge, express their creative abilities and identity, as well as their feelings and ideas. They are also able to better interact with others and manage their experiences. Home language is an important foundation and shapes learners' ability to communicate and learn.
In Grade 1, it is important to teach language effectively and create learning opportunities and interactions that focus on the development of learners’ abilities to listen, speak, think, argue, read and write. The learning programme consists of 20 learning units that stretch over 40 weeks. Each learning unit consists of 10 days (or two weeks).
Each day comprises three or four language sessions that cover:
• Listening and speaking
• Reading and phonics
• Writing and handwriting
Listening and speaking
Listening and speaking form an integral part of all other learning areas. These are important skills that form the foundation of learning and that is why, in Grade 1, time is specifically dedicated to focused activities to develop listening and speaking skills. The listening and speaking activities include conversations, picture discussions, poems and games.
Reading
The development of reading skills is an important component of the Grade 1 Home Language programme. The year plan is based on the reader series: The adventures of Ben, Lebo and Hanna
The series consists of four phases:
• Phase 1 a – c: Picture cards for discussions and reading simple sentences.
• Phases 2 – 4: Short stories. As the learners progress through the year, the stories and sentences gradually become longer.
The programme is developed to promote word recognition and sentence construction. Introduce learners to new words to prepare them for the reading lesson. Use the flash cards in the learner aid to introduce new words. These flash cards promote word recognition as well as sentence construction. Initially, the learners are challenged to construct simple sentences from the reader, but they are eventually expected to construct more complex sentences and to read them.
The learning programme provides for shared reading, when the learners read with the facilitator, as well as individual reading. As the reading programme progresses, new words are continuously introduced. The learners will know the words by the time they are expected to read them aloud. Repetition and embedding are important during the Foundation Phase. This programme ensures that reading skills are embedded. However, there are sessions where learners will be expected to read unseen texts.
Phonics
Every learning unit includes a range of phonics activities. These activities alternate between the introduction of new sounds, embedding sounds and word building.
The phonics sessions are spread across the 20 learning units. The learners learn all the single sounds (vowels and consonants), as well as digraphs (e.g., ch and ai) with vowels and consonants. The new sound is introduced once, but there is ample opportunity to embed the sounds, recognise the sound and build the word.
Initially, the learners learn the sounds, construct words and complete written activities. The second part of the programme requires learners to master spelling words for assessment purposes.
If learners’ home language is not English, it is possible to slow down the learning of sounds throughout the year. Follow your own pace with the help of workbook 3 to learn the sounds. It is very important that the learner knows a sound well before moving to the next sound.
When teaching the 26 letters of the alphabet, it is important to use the correct sound as it is formed by the mouth, lips, tongue, etc. For example, the 'm' sound is taught as ‘mmm' and not ‘em’, which is the name of the sound. It is important to teach the difference between the sound and the letter name: the sound is 'mmmm' made by the letter 'em'.
Each letter is introduced through a story told in 26 instalments and once the letter is introduced, the facilitator must draw the symbol for the letter on a large paper or on the board using the examples provided in the facilitator aid. It allows learners to see the letters. Take care not to use the associations of the letters, in other words, never refer to ‘a for apple’. The correct reference is the sound ‘a’ as in ‘apple’. The sound is not 'apple', the sound is 'a'. It may confuse learners with learning difficulties if they think of the sound as a picture. If learners ask what a letter looks like, show them the actual letter.
The facilitator may quickly show the matching captal letter when introducing the lower case letters, but learners do not need to learn the capitals until much later in the year.
Writing and handwriting
The programme provides for the systematic mastering of handwriting skills. Learners are taught various patterns that promote handwriting. They are taught the correct shape of the letters and are given ample opportunity to practise their letters during phonics and writing activities.
The learners progress from patterns to letters and then to full sentences. Initially, learners only copy the words and sounds, but eventually they progress to writing their own sentences.
It is very important that learners’ pencil grips are correct. See the illustration below.
Materials and resources
Grade 1 learners should write with retractable pencils and lead pencils. All the written activities are set out in the three workbooks. However, learners will need two A4 exercise books each, a blank one for creative writing and drawing, and a lined one for learning to write between lines, as well as an A5 booklet for spelling and writing exercises.
The facilitator must also have a weather chart. Do the weather using the weather chart daily, as well as the days of the week and months of the year.
How to use the materials and resources
The Grade 1 package comprises:
1. Facilitator’s guide
2. Workbook 1/3: Reading and Writing
3. Workbook 2/3: Handwriting
4. Workbook 3/3: Phonics
5. Readers from the reading series, The adventures of Ben, Lebo and Hanna
6. Learner aid
7. Facilitator aid
8. Assessment (portfolio book)
9. Assessment guidelines and memorandum
You have to buy:
• Retractable crayons, Retractable crayons and colouring pencils for writing and colouring activities
• A lead pencil, sharpener and eraser for writing exercises
• Scissors, ruler, glue (Pritt and wood glue) for activities
• A blank exercise book for creative writing and drawing
• A lined 72-page A5 writing book (Feint and Margin 17 mm)
• A lined 72-page A4 brag book (Feint and Margin 17 mm)
• Two envelopes, marked 'Sounds' and 'High Frequency Words'
The facilitator’s guide
This guide contains 20 learning units. Every learning unit is spread over two weeks and consists of 10 days. Every day is divided into three or four language sessions that cover listening and speaking, reading and phonics, writing and handwriting. Refer to the proposed daily programme for the time allocation of the sessions.
Every session is concluded with two information boxes – Conceptualisation and Resources. The conceptualisation box provides a short summary of the concepts that are embedded, while the
resources box provides a list of items provided and/or required for the session. The facilitator’s guide clearly indicates when The facilitator aid or The learner aid must be used.
і indicates a provided resource. This includes the three workbooks, the readers and items in the facilitator aid and Learner aid.
Æ indicates a resource that the facilitator must provide.
Two symbols are used in each session:
The owl indicates what the facilitator must do.
The pencil indicates what the learners must do.
Workbook 1/3: Reading and writing
This workbook consists of 141 activities, which support the development of reading skills. The activity pages for cutting activities can be found in the learner aid.
Workbook 2/3: Handwriting
This workbook consists of 124 activities, as well as pattern cards and number writing worksheets to support the development of writing skills.
Workbook 3/3: Phonics
This workbook consists of 100 activities. The sounds can be found in the learner aid.
Reading series: The adventures of Ben, Lebo and Hanna
The reading series is developed specifically for the Grade 1 English Home Language programme. The series is divided into phases to systematically develop reading skills and to monitor the learner’s progress.
• Phase 1a: Eight picture cards for discussion.
• Phase 1b: Simple sentences starting with This is ..., This is a ..., I like ... and I see a ...
• Phase 1c: Five stories with simple sentences.
• Phase 2 – 4: Three readers consisting of four to five short stories. As the learners progress through the phases, the stories and sentences gradually become longer.
Facilitator aid
Sample
The facilitator aid contains an arrow chart, a body chart with flash cards, sound cards, flash cards of sight words to support the readers.
Learner aid
The learner aid contains activity pages, spelling tests, big sight words, sight words, sounds, high frequency words and a page with a cat. The cat page and play dough is used to teach letter formation and will be used throughout the year. To make sure the page lasts longer, it may be a good idea to laminate it.
Make your own playdough
2 cups flour
1 cup salt
1 cup water
2 tablespoons cooking oil
food colouring
1. Mix the flour and salt.
2. Add the water, food colouring and oil. Mix well until the colour is mixed through.
3. If the mixture is too dry, add water and mix until the texture is correct.
How to choose a storybook
The Grade 1 Home Language and First Additional Language programmes often refer to stories that the facilitator must read to learners. The facilitator, and even the learners, may choose the stories. It is important to choose books that will encourage learners to read. The story must be appropriate for the learners’ level of development, but more importantly, it must awaken the learners’ interest in reading.
Home Language learners will read with the facilitator at first, and later they will read on their own. In First Additional Language, learners will listen to the stories, but it is not expected of them to read.
Keep the following in mind when choosing storybooks:
• Learners must enjoy the stories.
• The pictures in the books must be suitable for Grade 1 learners.
• The vocabulary in the stories must be applicable to Grade 1 learners. During the year, the stories can gradually become more difficult. Always explain difficult words to the learners. They do not have to be able to read it themselves, they should just know the meaning of the words.
• Regularly read stories to the learners that have been read before. They can listen to a story more than once, but introduce them to new books quite often.
The list below is recommended books for Grade 1 learners. It is not necessary to buy storybooks. Borrow books from the library to ensure that learners are introduced to a variety of stories.
• Corduroy – Don Freeman
• Curious George in the Big City – Margret Rey and H. A. Rey
Sample• The Velveteen Rabbit – Margery Williams
• Frog and Toad Are Friends – Arnold Lobel
• Ivy and Bean – Annie Barrows
• There Is a Bird on Your Head! – Mo Willems
• The Boy Who Loved Words – Roni Schotter and Giselle Potter
• Bear Snores On – Karma Wilson and Jane Chapman
• The Empty Pot – Demi
• Henry and Mudge – Cynthia Rylant
Ladybird Books offer older, well-known stories which learners still enjoy and can read by themselves, e.g.:
• The Little Mermaid – Hans Christian Andersen
• The Elves and the Shoemaker – The Brothers Grimm
• The Wonderful Wizard of Oz – L. Frank Baum
• Alice in Wonderland – Lewis Carroll
• Aladdin – A tale from The Arabian Nights
• The Three Little Pigs – J. O. Halliwell-Phillips (orginal author)
• Jack and the Beanstalk – Joseph Jacobs
• The Pied Piper of Hamelin – The Brothers Grimm
• Sam and the Robots – Mandy Ross
• The Red Knight – Ronne Randall and Emma McCann
• The Jungle Book – Rudyard Kipling
• The Wind in the Willows – Kenneth Grahame
• The Three Musketeers – Alexandre Dumas
• The Princess and the Frog – Based on the tale by the Brothers Grimm: The Frog Prince
• The Big Pancake – Original author unknown
• Peter Pan – J. M. Barrie
• Sleeping Beauty – Charles Perrault
• The Magic Porridge Pot – The Brothers Grimm
Elf-help Books for Kids, e.g.:
• Mad Isn’t bad – Michaelene Mundy
• Sad Isn’t bad – Michaelene Mundy
Fairy tales by the Brothers Grimm are available in a collection to read during the year, e.g.:
• 'The Town Musicians of Bremen'
• 'Faithful John'
• 'Hans in Luck'
• 'Jorinda and Joringel'
• 'Old Sultan'
• 'The Twelve Dancing Princesses'
• 'The Fisherman and His Wife'
• 'The Frog Prince'
• 'The Brave Little Tailor'
• 'Hansel and Gretel'
• 'The Giant with the Three Golden Hairs'
• 'Rapunzel'
Stories by Hans Christian Andersen are available in a collection to read during the year, e.g.:
• 'The Red Shoes'
• 'The Story of a Mother'
• 'The Snow Queen'
• 'The Tinderbox'
• 'The Travelling Companion'
• 'The Angel'
Sample• 'The Princess and the Pea'
• 'The Ugly Duckling'
• 'The Little Match-Seller'
• 'The Old Street Lamp'
• 'Under the Willow Tree'
• 'The Puppet-Show Man'
Per week: 23 hours
Learning unit 1
Day 1 Week 1
Session 1: Listening and speaking: My body
I have a little body
Jean Warren
I have a little body (Point to self) That belongs to me.
I have two ears to hear with (Point to ears) And two eyes to see. (Point to eyes)
I have a nose for smelling. (Point to nose)
I have a mouth to eat. (Point to mouth)
I have two hands to wave At everyone I meet! (Wave hands)
Start the session with the rhyme ‘I have a little body’. Read the rhyme out loud while the learners listen and repeat it with them. Facilitate a discussion where learners talk about their bodies. Pay attention to the different body parts and name each one individually.
Use the following guidelines:
• What body parts do we use to walk with? (Legs and feet)
• How many fingers and toes do you have? (The learners can count their fingers and toes.)
• What part of our body is between our head and shoulders? (Neck)
• Where is your elbow?
• Move through the rest of the body, making sure the learners know all its parts.
Use the body chart and flash cards in the facilitator aid.
Learners do not have to be able to read the names of the body parts on their own. Read the names of each body part and ask learners to identify the beginning sound of each word. Once the body part and beginning sound have been identified, learners may paste the flash card next to the body part on the chart.
• Hands: What sound do you hear at the beginning of the word? (h)
• Paste the flash card next to the hands.
• Feet: What sound do you hear at the beginning of the word? (f)
• Paste the flash card next to the feet.
• Repeat the activity until all the body parts are named.
Session 2: Reading and phonics: Ben
Look at picture card 1. The words 'Ben' and 'Lebo' are on the card. The learners will learn the word 'Ben' in this session. Write the word 'Ben' on the board. Tell the learners the following story:
Ben is six years old. He lives with his mother and father in a big house. There is a park near their home. Ben likes to play in the park. Sometimes his friends, who live on the same street, play with him in the park. Ben does not have any brothers or sisters. He is an only child.
Ask learners the following questions:
• What does Ben look like? (Happy, friendly)
• What do you think Ben likes? (To ride his skateboard.)
• What is your favourite toy?
• Do you have a brother or sister?
• Ben is six years old. How old are you?
• What letter does Ben’s name start with? (B)
• Where is Ben? (In the park)
• How do you know he is in the park? (There are jungle gyms and toys.)
Learners complete activity 1 in workbook 1. They write the word 'Ben' on the page. They colour Ben to look the same as in the picture.
Session 3: Writing: Ben
Use the big sight words in the learner aid. Identify the word 'Ben' and let the learners cut it out. Write the word 'Ben' on the board repeatedly, so that the learners may recognise and copy the spelling.
Learners cut out the sight word. They trace over the word using different coloured retractable crayons.
Session 4: Handwriting: Patterns
Do the following exercises with the learners: Write an r on the learners’ right hands and an l on their left hands. Give an instruction and ask learners to distinguish between right and left with their hands.
• Raise your right hand and point to the right.
• Raise your left hand and point to the left.
• Put your right hand on your left shoulder.
• Put your left hand on your right knee.
• Put your right hand on your head.
• Pick up your book with your right hand and put it down on the left side of the table.
• Hop on your right leg.
• Hop on your left leg.
Story: The farmer wants to build a fence to keep his chickens inside. He must plant the poles: one tall, one short, one tall, one short, etc.
Learners complete activity 1 in workbook 2. They first draw the pattern in the air and then in their workbooks using retractable crayons. Make sure the learners draw the lines from top to bottom.
Day 2
Session 1: Listening and speaking: I am unique!
Yesterday we spoke about our bodies. You now know the different parts of your body.
• Does every person look the same? (No, we all look different. Another word for different is unique.)
• This means there is no one else in the whole world exactly like you. Sometimes two people may look similar, but everyone is unique and no one is exactly the same as anyone else.
• Look at yourself in the mirror. What does your hair look like? What colour eyes do you have? What do you see around your eyes? (Eyelashes)
Sample
• Tell me what your friend or facilitator or mom looks like.
• Compare two people by looking at their hair, clothes, eye colour, etc.
• Learners point out similarities and differences, e.g., My hair is short and dark, but my friend’s hair is long and light brown.
• Use other comparisons that encourage learners to use their vocabulary of the body to discuss similarities and differences.
Session 2: Reading and phonics: Lebo
Use picture card 1 and introduce learners to the second character in the readers. His name is Lebo. Write the word 'Lebo' on the board. Tell the learners the following story:
Lebo is Ben’s best friend. Lebo is also six years old. Lebo lives next door to Ben. They are neighbours. Lebo and Ben like to play together. Sometimes Ben and Lebo play in the park. Ben takes his skateboard and Lebo takes his ball. In the park there is a path where Ben can ride his skateboard. The path goes up a hill. Ben sits on his skateboard at the top of the hill and Lebo crouches down next to him, ready to roll his ball. When Lebo counts to three, they see if Ben or the ball gets to the bottom of the hill first. Then they swap so that each one gets a turn.
Ask learners the following questions:
• What does Lebo look like?
• What colours are Ben and Lebo wearing? (Ben: orange shirt and blue shorts; Lebo: green shirt and purple/blue shorts)
• Do you have a friend who lives on your street?
• Do you have a best friend?
• What is your best friend’s name?
• What letter does Lebo’s name start with? (L)
Learners complete activity 2 in workbook 1. They write the word 'Lebo' on the page. They colour Lebo to look the same as in the picture.
Session 3: Writing: Lebo
Use the big sight words in the learner aid. Identify the word 'Lebo' and let the learners cut it out. Write the word 'Lebo' on the board repeatedly, so that the learners may recognise and copy the spelling.
Learners cut out the sight word. They decorate the word with sand.
Session 4: Handwriting: Patterns
Do finger exercises with the learners.
• Learners touch their thumb to each finger on the same hand, starting with their index finger and ending with their little finger.
• Flick the fingers.
• Place a newspaper on the floor. Learners’ palms rest on the floor while they get a grip on the newspaper by crumpling it with their fingers.
Story: The farmer wants to build a fence on his farm. He must plant the poles. First a long one (vertical) and then one across (horizontal). The vertical poles must be planted from top to bottom and the horizontal poles must be placed from left to right, otherwise the animals will get out.
Learners complete activity 2 in workbook 2. They first draw the pattern in the air, showing how the farmer plants the poles. They draw the pattern in their workbooks using retractable crayons. Make sure learners draw the lines from top to bottom and then from left to right. Make sure learners use the correct pencil grip.
Day 3
Session 1: Listening and speaking: My senses
Yesterday we spoke about how you are unique and that there is no one like you. Today, we are going to talk about your senses.
• What senses do you have? (Sight, hearing, taste, smell, touch)
• What do you use your eyes for?
• What do you use your ears for?
• What do you use your mouth for?
• What do you use your nose for?
• What do you use your skin for?
Sample
Play a game using your senses. Close your eyes. You are in the kitchen. You walk over to the drawer and take out a knife. Check very carefully with your fingers whether the knife is sharp. Now go over to the fruit bowl and take out a lemon. Smell the lemon. Place the lemon on a cutting board and cut a slice. Pick up the slice and taste it. Can you taste how sour it is?
Have a discussion with learners about senses and how they can use their different senses.
