Question 1:
Assessment of language skills in Grade 1 First Additional Language Classroom
Ms. Direko is a Grade 1 teacher at Mosupatsela Primary School in the Letlhabile Township. She teaches English as a First Additional Language to her learners. Many of her learners speak Setswana as their home language. The purpose of her lesson is to assist learners in developing basic English language skills, with a focus on listening, speaking, and early literacy. In her lesson, she employs the following techniques to enhance learners’ vocabulary: pictures, storytelling, and songs. Ms. Direko’s lesson objective is to assess her learners’ progress in understanding and using vocabulary and phrases relevant to everyday situations.
- Using the following techniques, create an activity and lesson purpose for Ms. Direko to assess learners. [5×3=15]
| Technique | Teacher Activity (what will be the teacher activity) 3 marks for each activity | Purpose of your assessment (what will the teacher assess) 2 marks for each purpose |
| 1.1.1 Pictures | ||
| 1.1.2 Interactive -Storytelling | ||
| 1.1.3 Songs |
- Read the paragraph provided and answer the questions below. [5×3=15]
Learning an additional language at the elementary level is influenced by a variety of contextual factors. Understanding these can help in creating more effective language learning programmes. Critically evaluate how the following contextual factors influence the learning of an additional language.
- Listening
- Motivation
- The role of the learners’ home language.
- Overcorrection of learners
- Teacher’s personality
Question 2:
Read the paragraph and answer the questions below:
Ms. Molepo is a Grade 3 teacher at Matseke Primary School in Atteridgeville township. Her class consists of learners with diverse backgrounds and varying levels of reading proficiency. To address the different needs of her learners, Ms. Molepo employs a variety of reading strategies. She has divided her classroom into different reading stations and profiled her learners according to their different reading abilities which are as follows:
| Paired/Independent Reading | Learners choose books of their choice and read in pairs or independently. |
| Guided Reading | Ms. Molepo works with small groups of learners on reading materials that are slightly higher than their independent reading levels. The learners who read on the same level are grouped together for reading development. |
| Shared Reading | The teacher reads with the whole class, and they read after her. The teacher reads aloud, and the learners read the same text either from a large book or a text projected on the screen. |
| Read-Aloud | Ms. Molepo reads a book to the whole class, modelling fluent reading and engaging learners in discussions about the story. |
| Incidental Reading | The room is set up with a variety of activities to specifically focus on different aspects of reading, such as phonics, vocabulary, and comprehension. |
Below are some profiles of different learners.
Group 1: An enthusiastic group of learners who love reading challenging texts and always finish reading quickly.
Group 2: A struggling group of learners who find decoding words difficult and often get frustrated.
Group 3: A group of learners are steadily improving their reading and speaking skills in English.
Learner 1: A learner with ADHD who struggles to stay focused during reading activities.
Learner 2: A reader with average proficiency who benefits from explicit instruction in comprehension strategies.
- Provide strategies that might be most effective for different profiles (group 1, group 2, group 3, learner 1, and learner, 2)?
- How can Ms. Molepo address issues such as varying reading levels, attention spans, and language barriers?
- What techniques can Ms. Molepo use to keep her learners engaged and motivated in their reading activities?
- How can Ms. Molepo promote a love for reading among her diverse group of learners?
Question 3:
- Apply your understanding of the behaviourist theory’s views of language acquisition discussed in this module to analyse the following statement: “Children mimic their elders to learn languages”. Describe the theory and design two (2) activities to support your response or claim, based on the idea that explains how children acquire language. Ensure that the activities are aligned with the theory you described.
Description of the theory
Activities 1: Rhyme or poem strategy aligned to the theory.
Learning outcome [2]
Resources [1]
Lesson presentation [2]
Conclusion [1]
Activities 2: Story telling aligned to the theory.
Learning outcome [2]
Resources [1]
Lesson presentation [2]
Conclusion [1]
- Describe the following types of writing and provide an example for each writing type recommended for Grade 3
- Guided writing
- Independent writing
Question 4:
Ms Jacobs has just graduated as a teacher. She teaches at a disadvantaged school, which caters to children who come from an informal settlement and poor family background. She was allocated to teach Grade 1 learners, whose home language (HL) is not English.
She is expected to teach them English as a First Additional Language (FAL). Her knowledge and ideology of teaching a second language is that competency in communication is key. She decided to use the communicative approach, in other words, to focus on listening and speaking, as well as dialogue, as a teaching technique.
Her lesson objective was that learners should be able to express themselves coherently and concisely when speaking and they should be able to use language appropriate to a situation.
She then planned an activity where learners were paired and requested to greet and introduce themselves to each other. Most of the learners struggled to use and understand the language. For example:
Lesego: Morning!
Mirriam: Mmmm! Ok (Here the learner is not sure what to say.) Lesego: How you are?
Mirriam: Mmmm (The learner is not sure what to say and he just shrugs his shoulders.)
- As the Head of the Department for Languages, critically discuss how the teaching of a First Additional Language (second language), using the communicative language approach and dialogue as a teaching technique, could be practiced assisting the teacher in reaching her objectives. Provide three (3) discussion statements with examples.
- Identify THREE (3) educational media that will be appropriate for this case study. Explain how each will enhance the teaching and learning of a second language.
- Describe and discuss TWO (2) characteristics of the communicative approach that are relevant to the use of dialogue as a technique in teaching and learning the First Additional Language (FAL).
- Briefly compare how the use of dialogue in the audio-lingual approach and communicative approach differs. Provide THREE (3) examples.
Expert Answers on the Questions Above on English
| Technique | Teacher Activity (what will be the teacher activity) 3 marks for each activity | Purpose of your assessment (what will the teacher assess) 2 marks for each purpose |
| 1.1.1 Pictures | The teacher can display the images of objects that are used on an everyday basis and ask students to name each of the objects in English. | The purpose of this assessment is to evaluate the ability of learners to respond to receptive and expressive vocabulary, and evaluate whether they can recognise common items in English. |
| 1.1.2 Interactive -Storytelling | The teacher is required to read a story in simple English, and they can ask learners to repeat the key phrases in the story. | This assessment is aimed at evaluating the listening comprehension of the learner within a meaningful narrative. |
| 1.1.3 Songs | The teacher can play a song and encourage learners to sing along. | This assessment is aimed at evaluating the ability of learners to understand phrases and associate words with actions. |
| Disclaimer: This answer is a model for study and reference purposes only. Please do not submit it as your own work. |
