21 minute read
UNIT 1: Week 1 – 2
Lesson 1: Cultural stories from South Africa
Skills
Listening and Speaking Introduces self and others Listens to a short story Retells the story Learns more about storytelling Reading and Viewing Reads literary text Completes a reading comprehension Writing and Presenting Write a narrative paragraph; paragraph conventions; focus on process writing Writes a short story based on personal experience; uses the writing process Language Structures and Conventions Word level work Common, proper, countable, uncountable, concrete and abstract nouns
Activity
Activity 1 Activity 2 Activity 3 Activity 4
Activity 5, 6 Activity 7
Activity 8
Activity 9, 10, 11
Activity 13
Sentence level work Simple sentences, statements Simple present and simple past tense Activity 8 Activity 4
Spelling and punctuation Full stop, comma, colon, semi-colon, capital and small letters Activity 12
SECTION 1
SECTION 1: LISTENING AND SPEAKING
Activity 1: Introduce yourself and others
30 minutes
Tell the learners that they will be working with themes throughout the year� Each theme will cover a two-week period. Explain that the theme for the first lesson is “Cultural stories from South Africa”�
Explain to learners that when you first meet someone, it is polite to introduce yourself so that they know who you are and can refer to you by name when speaking to you�
Go through the features and conventions of introducing yourself and others in the study guide� Ask learners to role play the introductions�
Go through the important things to know about introducing yourself�
Explain to learners that some introductions are formal while others are informal�
Introducing yourself
An example of a very formal introduction could be: “How do you do? My name is Thandi Gumedi.” (How do you do is not really a question, but is a way of saying hello in a very formal way�)
An example of a formal introduction could be: “Good morning/afternoon/evening, my name is Thandi Gumede. I’m pleased to meet you.”
An example of an informal introduction could be: “Hello, my name is Thandi.”
A very informal greeting could be: “Hi, I’m Thandi.”
Introducing others
An example of a very formal introduction could be: “Mrs Gumbi, may I introduce Sibeko, my friend from school.” An example of a formal introduction could be: “Mrs Gumbi, I’d like you to meet Sibeko, my friend from school.” An example of an informal introduction could be: “Gogo, meet Sibeko, he is my friend from school. This is my gran.” An example of a very informal greeting could be: “Gogo, this is Sibeko.”
Unit 1 Ask learners to introduce themselves to other learners or to you by saying “hello” or “good morning” in their own language and then in English� They should then give theIr name and surname� Encourage them to say one sentence about themselves� It could be something about their family or what they enjoy most. For example: “Dumelang/Goeiemôre/Hello, my name is …” Revise simple present tense with learners�
Language structures and conventions: Sentences Simple present tense
We always introduce ourselves in the simple present tense� The simple present tense tells us what is happening right now�
Ask learners to give three more sentences in the present tense�
Ask learners to introduce themselves using all four styles of introduction as shown (very formal, formal, informal, very informal)� Guide and encourage learners to complete the introductions properly�
Activity 2: Listen to a short story
30 minutes
1� Read and discuss the listening process with learners in detail� Tell learners they should follow this process whenever they are completing a listening activity�
Listening is divided into three separate elements:
Pre-listening: This is how we get ready to listen to a story� To do this we: • Look at titles and illustrations to get an idea of what the text is about� • Listen to background information given to you by the facilitator� • Read pre-listening questions which will help you listen for these ideas in the story� • Have a pencil and paper ready for jotting down notes�
During listening: This is what we do while the story is being read� We: • Try to get a “mind picture” of the story that is being read. • Listen to the message or main idea of the story� • Listen to dialogue and details in the story that give us additional information� • Try to work out the meaning of new vocabulary from the text� • Jot down notes or questions�
Post-listening: This is what we do after we have heard the story� We: • Ask questions about anything we do not understand� • Discuss and find the meaning for new vocabulary. • Answer questions�
• Discuss the story� • Make a summary of the story� • Analyse and evaluate what we have heard� • Evaluate what we have heard� We do this by making judgements on what we have heard and by giving our opinion (with reasons) about what we have heard�
2� Talk about the information on cultural stories in the study guide� Ask learners if they can think of folktales they have heard in the past� 3� Discuss how a story is made up of a main idea and supporting ideas� Ask learners to listen for the main and supporting ideas in the story you are about to read�
A story has a main idea and supporting ideas� A main idea tells you the main reason why the story was written or told or what the story is mainly about� Supporting ideas make the main idea clearer� They support and expand the main idea of the story�
4� Read the title of the story “Moonlight Magic” and ask learners what they think the story may be about� Give the learners a few minutes to discuss these ideas� Tell learners that Gcina Mhlope, who wrote the story, is a well-known South African author and storyteller� 5� Read the folktale twice to the learners� Ask them to try and visualise the story as you read� Encourage learners to make notes on the main point in the story as you read it a second time�
Moonlight Magic by Gcina Mhlope
Nolitha’s husband, a great warrior, was killed in battle. Nolitha missed him so much. And they did not have a single child. How she longed for a baby.
One night Nolitha walked to the river where the waterfall was the loudest. And the moon was so full and bright it washed the land in its silvery glow. She looked up at the moon and opened her mouth to sing – a song that was like a prayer. I humble myself before you Asking for a baby. Hemh! Hemh!
The people who heard the beautiful sound were not sure if it were a part of a sweet dream. But it was such a lovely sound that it stayed with them all day.
The next night Nolitha was having a beautiful dream when she was awoken by a very distinct sound – the sound of a baby crying� No, it could not be! She threw off her blanket and went to open the door�
Yes, it was a baby! Unbelievable. “Whose baby could it be?” she wondered. The baby was sitting inside a huge dug-out pumpkin as if it had grown in the garden. Nolitha looked at the little face and the big, round eyes looked right up at her. The baby smiled and made gurgling noises. Nolitha took the baby inside and closed the door behind her. She washed him and gave him some creamy milk porridge with honey. Nolitha was the happiest she had ever been in her life. For weeks she stayed inside and kept the baby a secret.
After some time Nolitha decided it was all right to tell people about her new baby. When the children noticed her open door they ran to greet her. “Sawubona, mama Nolitha! We have not seen you for a long time.” “Please can I hold him? I promise I will not drop him.” “What is his name?”
“His name is Njabulo. I named him that because he has brought me so much joy,” she said. The villagers came to her house to see her baby and she realised how wonderful it would be to share her baby with others. Nolitha’s world was complete. She knew it would be her greatest pleasure to raise her little boy, Njabulo, in a village filled with so many caring people. And the other children would be like his brothers and sisters
6� When you have finished reading, ask the learners what they think the main idea and the supporting ideas of the story are� Main idea: The main idea is to convey that anything is possible and that miracles can happen� Nolitha loses her husband and longs to have a baby of her own� Supporting ideas: Nolitha goes and sings and prays for a baby one full moon night� When a baby appears on her doorstep one day, Nolitha hides him in case he actually belongs to someone else� Later she realises it is alright to show him to the rest of the village� Nolitha realises how good it will be to raise him in a loving community�
Talk about the simple past tense with the learners� Read extracts from the story showing how it is written in the simple past tense�
Simple past tense
The simple past tense tells us that an action happened in the past� To change a verb to the simple past add -ed to the verb or change the verb form, e�g�, visit – visited�
(However, there are exceptions where -ed is not added, e�g� sing – sang�)
The children visited Nolitha� Nolitha sang for her baby�
Encourage learners to give additional sentence in the simple past tense�
7� Encourage learners to share their own ideas and experiences that are similar to the story where something wonderful has happened�
Activity 3: Retell the story
30 minutes
A timeline gives us the sequence of events� That is, the order in which they happened, e�g� Nolitha pleaded for a baby� Nolitha found a baby on her doorstep�
Talk about a timeline with learners and then encourage them to retell the story, “Moonlight Magic”, from Activity 2 in the correct sequence�
Activity 4: Learn more about storytelling
30 minutes
Language structures and conventions: Sentences
Tenses
Revise present, past and future tense with learners� Encourage them to give one sentence in the present and one in the past tense�
Present tense: the action occurs now, e�g� Nolitha looks after the baby� Past tense: the action occurs in the past, e�g� Nolitha looked after the baby� Future tense: the action will occur in the future, e�g� Nolitha will look after the baby�
1� Go through the conventions and skills of storytelling with the learners in the study guide, discussing each one and giving an example of each� Exaggerate each example so that the learners find it amusing and will remember it.
Storytelling tips
How we tell a story is very important� Here are some important points to keep in mind� • Speaking skills: How we actually speak while we are telling the story� Speak clearly with correct pronunciation� Make sure you can be heard� • Tone: Tone of voice tells how we speak� We can use a gentle/soft tone of voice� We can use a hard/unfriendly tone of voice� • Pronunciation: Pronunciation means that we pronounce (say) the words so that people can understand what we are saying� • Tempo: Tempo refers to the pace in which you tell the story� Do you tell it so quickly that no-one can keep up with what is being told or so slowly that listeners become bored? Keep up a lively pace so that listeners do not lose interest in the story� • Intonation: This is the way in which your voice rises and falls as you speak and also the way it becomes louder and softer� Vary your voice so that it does not become a monotone (speaking in a flat voice that does not change).
• Eye contact: You must make eye contact with your listeners by looking them in the eye� This way, your listeners engage with you more� • Posture: This is the way you sit or stand while you are telling a story� If you slouch over and look disinterested, your listeners will not be interested to hear your story� Maintain a good posture to gain the listeners’ attention� • Gesture: These are the movements you make with your hands while you speak� While a few gestures may be appropriate, it is best not to “speak with your hands” too much as this takes the focus away from what you are saying� Rather let the words and your expression say it all�
Encourage learners to share their own stories applying the tips for telling good stories� Give positive feedback to learners on aspects of storytelling they are implementing well�
SECTION 2
SECTION 2: READING AND VIEWING
Activity 5: Read the story
1 hour
1� Go through the spelling rule in the study guide with learners� Remind them that vowels are the letters, a, e, i, o, u and y, and consonants are all the other letters in the alphabet�
Language structures and conventions: Spelling Spelling rule
When a word contains a short vowel and then an ending consonant, double that consonant when adding a suffix. E.g. skip, skipped, skipping.
Ask learners to add suffixes to these words: bat (batted, batting); skip (skipped, skipping); stop (stopped, stopping); rub (rubbed, rubbing); sip (sipped, sipping). Ask learners to find a word in the story that follows this rule� (hopped)
2� Have a book of folktales and a reference book to show to the learners� Show them the different parts of the book, discussing each part in detail� Make sure the learners can see the different parts so that they can relate to them when you speak about them throughout the year�
Learners will be working with these features throughout the year so do not be concerned if all learners do not understand all the concepts straight away�
The different parts of a book: • Cover: This is the first thing we see about a book so it is important that it has appeal, that is, it is colourful, clear, shows us what the story is about� • Title page: The title page is the first page in the book where it gives the title, the author and the publisher� • Contents: This gives the breakdown of everything that is in the book, normally in chapters� • Chapters: These are the parts that a book is divided into� A chapter often has a number and/or a title� • Glossary: This is a section at the back of some books where it gives the meaning of some of the more difficult/unusual words contained in the book. These words are in alphabetical order, making them easy to find. • Index: It is usually only reference books that have an index� It is used for reference purposes when someone wants to look up something specific. It is in alphabetical order and appears at the end of the book�
3� Ask learners to discuss the key features of the story� Emphasise the importance of learners getting to know these key features as they relate to all the stories learners will read�
Key features of a story
• Characters: The actual people/animals in the story� E�g� lion, woman, Nolitha, Njabulo� • Characterisation: What the characters are actually like�Are they portrayed (seen as) clever, stupid, wily, gentle, kind? E.g. the lion is fierce and uncaring. • Plot: The storyline; the sequence of events; a series of related events that make up the main story; a pattern of relationships between events and their cause� • Conflict: The struggle that arises between the characters or between characters and their desires/values� • Background: Anything we know about the story before we read it� E�g�, what we know about folklore, any facts about the author and why the story was written� • Setting: Where the story takes place, e�g�, in a forest; in a village� • Narrator: The person telling the story; a person who explains what is happening� Not all stories have a narrator� • Theme: The main idea or ideas in a text; the subject or topic of a piece of writing�
4� Ask learners to read the title and look at the picture of the folklore story in the study guide and predict what they think the story will be about� 5� Tell learners to read the following folklore story:
The Day the Rock Trembled
One day a woman was gathering grass near her village for thatching when she was startled by the loud roar of a lion. The lion roared, “Woman, come here! I am going to eat you at once!” “Please don’t eat me,” answered the woman, shaking with fright. “I have a husband and young daughter at home who need me.” “That is even better,” roared the lion. “Take me to your hut and I will eat your daughter instead!” “No, you can’t eat her! She is only eight years old!” “Ah, she will be tender and tasty then. Take me to your home at once!” The woman had no option but to go home with the lion following her. When they arrived at the hut, the lion said he would wait outside in the shade under a rock while the woman fetched her husband and daughter from inside. The husband, knowing one cannot argue with a lion, walked out of the hut and knelt in front of the lion. “I am big and strong and will make a good meal for you. Eat me instead.” “Oh no! It’s your daughter I want!” said the lion. A hare, sitting above them on a rock, heard everything. He felt very sad for the family. “Look out!” he cried. “The rock is going to fall on you all! Hold it up before you are all squashed!” In great fright the three people held up their hands and the lion his forepaws to hold up the rock. The hare helped them hold up the rock and spoke to the family. “Hurry over the hill where the Go-AwayAnd-Don’t-Come-Back tree grows. Bring branches to push under the rock to hold it up. That way, Lion, you will soon be able to enjoy your meal.” “I will let them go,” grumbled the lion, “but they must hurry back. They were away for so long that the hare said, “I had better go and show them the tree.” Hare found the family looking for the tree. “I was hoping you would understand the meaning of the tree,” he said. “We must all run for our lives!” It was getting dark and the lion was tired and hungry. He let go of the rock, but nothing happened. “Ahaaaa,” thought the lion. “Hare has played a dirty trick on me. But the day will come when we will meet again …”
Vocabulary in context
gathering: collecting tender: soft and easy to chew forepaws: the front paws
Activity 6: Let’s discuss features of a story
1 hour
Ask learners to read the story again and discuss the following features of the story�
1� Who are the characters in the story? 2� “That is even better,” roared the lion. “Take me to your hut and I will eat your daughter instead!” Do you think this means the lion is portrayed as cruel? Give a reason for your answer� 3� What is the plot of the story? 4� Is there some conflict in the story? Between who is the conflict? 5� What is the setting of the story? How do you know this? 6� What is the theme of the story?
1� The characters in the story are the woman and her husband and daughter; the lion and the hare� 2� Learner’s own answer� Yes, the lion is portrayed as cruel as he is prepared to eat a child� 3� The plot is how the rabbit saves the girl and tricks the lion� 4� Yes, the conflict is between the lion and the woman and her family. 5� The setting is near a rural village� The woman was gathering thatching for the roof of their hut� 6� The theme is about how the hare outwits the lion and saves the little girl�
Activity 7: Complete a reading comprehension
1 hour
1� Revise common and proper nouns and uncountable and uncountable nouns with the learners�
Common and proper nouns
A noun is the name of a person, place or thing� Common nouns names ordinary objects, e�g� book, pen�
Proper nouns name particular people, places or things, e�g� Jabu, Johannesburg, January� Proper nouns always start with a capital letter�
Find all the common nouns in the first seven lines of the story. Are these countable or uncountable nouns? Are there any proper nouns in the story? If there are, identify them�
Countable and uncountable nouns
Countable nouns are nouns that can be counted, e�g� girl, boy, rock� They can be in the singular and plural� Uncountable nouns are nouns that cannot be counted, e�g� water, custard, oil� (These can only be put into containers and the containers can be counted�)
Find four countable and one uncountable noun in the story�
2� Ask learners to reread the story “The Day the Rock Trembled”, from Activity 5, again quietly on their own� 3� Tell learners to answer the questions in their exercise books� Remind them to use full sentences and correct punctuation�
1� Why was the woman gathering grass? 2� How old was the woman’s daughter? 3� Explain in your own words why the lion wanted to eat the daughter instead of the woman� 4� Where were the woman’s husband and daughter when she came home? 5� Skim the story and find the words where the husband first speaks to the lion. Write his exact words� 6� We are not told much about the little girl� Visualise the story and write a sentence to show what you think she looks like when her father is speaking to the lion� 7� How did the hare know what was going on? 8� What kind of tree did the hare tell the family to find? 9� Why do you think he called it this kind of tree? 10� In the sentence, “she was startled by the loud roar of a lion” do you think “startled” means happy and excited or surprised and frightened?
1� The woman was gathering grass to thatch the roof of their hut� 2� The woman’s daughter was eight years old� 3� Learner’s own words: Possible answer: The daughter was younger and would be more tender and tasty� 4� The woman’s husband and daughter were inside the hut� 5� “I am big and strong and will make a good meal for you. Eat me instead.” 6� She probably looks terrified/very frightened. 7� The hare was on a rock above them and heard everything that was said�
8� The hare told the family to find a Go-Away-And-Don’t-Come-Back tree. 9� He wanted them to realise he was telling them to run away from the lion� 10� In this sentence “startled” means surprised and a little frightened.
SECTION 3
SECTION 3: WRITING AND PRESENTING
Activity 8: Write a narrative paragraph
30 minutes
1� Revise statements and simple sentences with learners�
A statement is a sentence that gives us information�A statement ends in a full stop� E�g�: The hare held up the rock�
A simple sentence has one finite verb. It expresses only one complete thought or idea. E�g�: The hare warns the family� Nolitha had a beautiful dream� The moon shone brightly�
Ask learners to write four simple sentences about Nolitha in the present tense and then write the same four sentences in the past tense�
2� Go through the features of a paragraph with the learners�
Features of a paragraph
Topic sentence: A topic sentence tells the reader exactly what the paragraph is about (the main idea)� It usually occurs at the beginning of the paragraph but sometimes it occurs at the end of the paragraph. For example: “… and that is how the leopard got his spots.” Main and supporting ideas: The main idea is the central idea of the paragraph and the supporting ideas expand on the main idea and explain it in more detail� Conjunctions: These are used to join sentences so that they flow easily, for example, instead of saying: The woman had no option� She went home� The lion followed her; we would say: The woman had no option but to go home with the lion following her� Sentence types: Use a variety of sentence lengths and structures to make your writing more interesting� Words and style: Use words and style (the way in which you write) that will be understood by your audience. If you are writing for your peers, you would probably say, “The lion licked his lips, he could almost taste how soft and tender she would be�” You probably would not say, “The lion salivated as he anticipated the meal ahead of him.”
Give relevant examples of a topic sentence and supporting ideas, for example:
Zama and Joe decided to find books containing cultural folktales in the library. Joe found three books and Zama found two� Together they read the story of why the porcupine has quills, why there are cracks in a tortoise’s shell and the story of the chameleon and greedy
