Writing

Encouraging Intermediate Phase Learners to Write More

Course presented by Viv Kenyon

Layout by Welma Odendaal

There is also a booklet on Writing with Children written for Foundation Phase teachers
available from the PSP.
CONTENTS
Introduction 1

Journals 4

Process Writing 12

Using Stories 18

Writing Information Reports 26

Planning and Assessment 32

INTRODUCTION
Why are teachers and parents so anxious for their children to be
literate?

Why should they learn to write?

How can writing help us? What differences

can writing make to our lives?

At a series of PSP Intermediate Phase

Language workshops, we focused on planning
writing experiences for learners. Writing
experiences that can help learners to develop
confidence and a desire to communicate and write
down their thoughts, feelings and ideas.

Writing for a purpose

 What kind of writing tasks do you give your learners to carry out?
 When do you ask them to write?
 Who reads their writing?
 How does their writing fit into their lives?
 How will it help them in the future?

Writing needs to be meaningful. Children need opportunities to write

for a ‘real’ purpose. Of course, they have to write as part of the
curriculum. But sometimes the writing tasks we give our learners,
have very little to do with their lives and experiences. All too
often, we ask the children to write about things that aren’t very
important to them. When this happens, learners seldom enjoy
writing. But in classrooms where teachers create writing
activities – using topics and issues that learners are
interested in – learners have a very different attitude
to writing. There also need to be times when they
can write whatever they think or want to say.

What happens when learners leave school?

When will they need to be able to write?
What kinds of writing will they need to be able to do?

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 Thinking about audience
 Who do your learners write for?
 Is it usually for you, the teacher?
 Who reads their writing?
 Do they read each other’s writing?
 Do they ever write for younger learners?

This booklet provides some ideas

and suggestions of what a teacher
in an Intermediate Phase classroom
can do with her/his learners to
encourage them to write, and to
enjoy writing. One very important thing a
teacher needs to do is to write
her/himself. And s/he needs
to do this in front of learners,
if s/he is serious about getting
learners to write, and to write
more. S/he also needs to read
aloud what s/he has written.

The learners will be really

interested in what you have to
say, and how you say it! They
also have an opportunity to
observe an experienced writer
writing. Doing this will encourage
your learners to write more,
themselves!

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 Writing and reading
This series of workshops focused on writing. But writing and
reading are ‘two sides of the same coin’. It’s like the idiom in
isiXhosa, “isandla sihlamba esinye” – one hand washes the

s in ye other. When we write, we read what we’ve written.

a e
b Many teachers think of writing and reading as two quite distinct

lam (separate) literacy activities. They plan a lesson around writing,

or they plan a lesson around reading. But writing supports
ndla sih

reading. When we encourage children to write about what they

read, they think more about whatever they’re reading.

Stories into books

isa

There is another way in which writing can support reading.

Teachers can get their learners to turn the stories they write
into books. In some schools there are very few books that ‘draw’
children in and make them want to read. A smart strategy for
a teacher is to look for and create writing topics that really
interest her/his learners.

Drafts
If children are taught to write drafts, this will really help them
develop their writing. When they re-work a piece of writing
that they have written, they will be able to improve on it. They
can take out any unnecessary parts. They can add more detail
where they need to. They can choose better words or phrases.
And of course, as they write and re-write, the children will
be reading what they are writing and re-writing. In this way
reading and writing work together.

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ww
w 1 JOURNALS AND JOURNAL
WRITING
What is a ‘Journal’?
A Journal is usually a book in which you write down your thoughts
and ideas. It’s a private place where you can express your feelings.
It’s somewhere you can write whenever you want or need to say
something. And because a Journal is just for the person who writes
in it, s/he can write in whatever way s/he wants. It’s a place to reflect
on experiences. Both teachers and learners can benefit from writing
regularly in a Journal.

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Why keep a Journal?
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A Journal can provide you with a place to think. And because writing
takes longer to do than speaking, you have time to think about your “Writing in a
thoughts, feelings and ideas. Having time can help you work things out
as you think and write. Writing in a Journal can provide a chance for us Journal can
to ‘stand back’ and think, to reflect on what has happened. Writing in a provide a chance
Journal is a fantastic way to encourage and make space for thinking!
for us to ‘s tand
This means that when you write in a Journal, you don’t have to worry
about how neat your writing is. You don’t have to worry if you’ve spelt back’ and think,
the words correctly. You don’t have to worry about whether you’ve to reflect …”
written complete sentences. You can write whatever you like, and in
whatever way you like. You can write with complete freedom. Your
Journal is for you.

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1
w How can we get learners to keep Journals?
Many Primary School teachers all over the world get their learners to
keep Journals. Even some Reception Class children are encouraged
If your learners write to keep Journals!! The children have a special book where they record
or draw something their thoughts, their ideas and their feelings. Young children draw
on a piece of paper,
pictures. Older children draw and write.
or find a picture or
something else that
A small book is the best thing to start with. It’s not so intimidating. If
is important to them,
which they want to your learners have a thick book, they may feel that they will never fill
keep, encourage it. When they have filled one thin book, they can then decide whether
them to paste it into or not they want a thicker book to continue writing in.
their Journal.
The most important
thing about these
Journals is that
learners can write
and draw freely.
They don’t need to
worry about whether
their spelling and
grammar are correct,
or whether their
handwriting is neat.
We’ve found that
when we encourage
learners to keep
Journals we learn
things about them
that we wouldn’t
know otherwise.

How can we find time for Journal writing?

We have to make time for Journal writing in the school day. But with
all the different learning areas, and their demands, how can a teacher
get her/his learners to keep Journals? How can s/he find the time?

When you get your learners to write in their Journals, give them just a
few minutes to write. Ask them to write something very, very quickly
in just 5–10 minutes. Once they realise you won’t worry about their
spelling, grammar and handwriting, they will write more and more
quickly in this special book. They will begin to record their thoughts
and feelings. It’s not so difficult to find 5 minutes at the beginning or
end of a lesson. Your learners can also write in their journals when
they have a few spare minutes at some point in the day – perhaps after
completing a piece of work

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How do we respond to learners’ Journals?
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What do we do with our learners’ Journals? If the children write
whatever they think or like, how can we mark this writing? The
answer is that we DON’T mark Journals. But that doesn’t mean that
we don’t respond to what our learners write.

Friends are very

important, aren’t they,
Gadija? I’m glad to read
that you have a special
friend. It’s good to have
somebody that you can
trust with a secret. What
games do you and
Aminah like to play? Do
you also play together
at weekends and in the
holidays?
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1
w So how do we do this? If you have a big class, it will be difficult to
respond to what each child has written each time they write in their
Journals. We have to think of creative and manageable ways to give
our learners feedback. One possibility is to try to respond to each
child’s Journal once every 3 or 4 weeks. You will need to read through
all their entries. Then you can write in comments here and there,
between the entries, or in the margin. Make sure that you write as
though you are having a conversation with the writer.

You can also ask your learners to swap Journals with a partner, and
ask them to respond to what their partner has written. They can write
down what they found interesting in what their partner wrote. Then
they can write down a question – for example, what they would like to
know more about. This will stimulate their partner to write more.

Make sure that you

write as though
you are having a
conversation with
the writer.

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Remind your learners that they may not ‘mark’ or ‘correct’ their
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partner’s writing. They can only say something positive about what
has been written. And they need to write as though they’re having a
conversation with the writer of the Journal.

What can your learners write about in their

Journals?
When you introduce your learners to writing in a Journal, you will
probably need to ask them to write about something in particular. Here
are some suggestions:
 What did you see on your way to school?
 Write about the things you like about your best friend.
 Think about a time when you were very scared. What frightened
you? What did you do? Write about it.

Remind your learners

that they may not
‘mark’ or ‘correct’ their
partner’s writing. They
can only say something
positive about what
has been written.

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1
w  Think about a time when you were very angry. What made you
angry? Why? What did you do? What made you stop feeling angry?
Do you still feel angry when you remember that incident? Write
about your feelings.
 Think of somebody you admire. What is it about that person that
you admire? Why?
 What are you thinking about – right now?
 What can you hear as you sit in your classroom? Listen carefully.
Write down what you think is making each sound.
 How are you feeling today? Why are you feeling that way?
 What you’re afraid of? Why?
 What makes you laugh? Why?
 What makes you angry? Why?
 What makes you cry? Why?
 What book are you reading at the moment? Write about one of the
characters in the story and why you like or dislike that character.
 What do you like to read most?
 What makes your family special?
 What do you want to be one day? Why? Who influenced you? In
what ways?

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Teachers’ Journals
1
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Why should teachers keep Journals? How can a teacher have time to
record her/his thoughts, ideas and feelings? We have such busy lives
and so many demands are made of us. How can we have time to write
anything, anywhere? We barely have time to do the writing required
of us.

Journals can help us in our professional

In this way, we make time
and space to reflect on our
practice as teachers and human
beings. And this reflection has
a positive effect on what we do
in our classrooms.
lives. They can provide a space for us to
write down our thoughts, feelings and
ideas about what is happening in our
classes, as well as in our lives outside
school. We can write down what we’re
trying to do, what actually happens, and
how we feel.
We used Journals in all our
Writing workshops to provoke
thinking and reflection.

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b b
b
b
b 2 PROCESS WRITING
What is ‘Process Writing’?
Process writing describes what happens when we write as writers
write. This ‘process’ of writing, involves drafting, and editing, and re-
drafting, and more editing, until at last the writer is fairly satisfied
with her/his composition. Poets, songwriters and writers all write in
this way. It is important that we teach children how to write using the
same process professionals use!

When we write, there are two sides to the process: composition and
One of the Assess-
ment Standards for transcription.
Language in the  Composition is the process of getting ideas, choosing the right
RNCS document words, and the way we want to tell our ‘story’.
focuses on the
process of writing.  Transcription describes the actual process of putting the ideas
Look at Assessment and words down ‘on paper’, the actual physical process of writing.
Standard LO In other words, we transcribe our thoughts and ideas into letters
(Gr) 4.5. and words. Transcription involves our handwriting, spelling and
grammar.

Thinking … What does a writer do?

When a writer of books writes, the very first thing s/he does is to think
of an idea. Then s/he begins to write. S/He doesn’t spend time learning
spellings, or practising her/his handwriting. Frank Smith says that
when he has an idea for a book, the next thing he thinks about is who
he is writing for (in other words, the audience). Then he makes sure he
has paper, different coloured pens and pencils, scissors, glue and sticky
tape. Then he starts to write.

… writing
Frank Smith has
written a great deal
about the process
of writing and the
process of reading.
He has written a
book called Writing
and the Writer. In that
book he describes
how he goes about
writing a book. Also
we need to illustrate
this.

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b
bb
b
2
First of all he writes down his ideas, just as they come. This is his Sometimes he takes
first draft. Then he reads through what he has written to see how it a different coloured
‘sounds’, and whether he’s happy with the order in which he’s put his pen and makes
ideas. He may choose to change the order of some of the paragraphs, or arrows on the text
the order of some of the phrases in some of the sentences. to show how he
wants to re-order
Sometimes he takes a different coloured pen and makes arrows on the
these paragraphs or
text to show how he wants to re-order these paragraphs or phrases.
phrases. Or he may
Or he may take some scissors, cut up the text and then stick the pieces
take some scissors,
together in a different order. He is preparing a new draft.
cut up the text
Frank Smith follows this process until he feels ready to share his and then stick the
writing with a critical friend, or somebody he respects and trusts. He pieces together in a
invites that person to comment on what he has written and how he has different order …
phrased his ideas. They may suggest re-ordering some parts. They may
point out something that doesn’t make sense.

When they return the draft to him, Frank Smith decides what changes
he wishes to make, and he makes those changes. Then he produces the
final piece of writing (or manuscript) to submit to his publisher.

What happens in schools?

Why do teachers usually expect their learners to produce a final draft
We believe one
the first time they work on a piece of writing? Is this fair? When we
reason children
do this, we are not giving our learners a chance to ‘behave like real
apparently struggle
writers’.
to write at length
When children have to produce the final draft the first time they is that they
write, it means that they have to worry about transcription as well as worry more about
composition when they write. So they can’t devote all their thoughts transcription than
to the content of what they’re writing. They can’t just think about about composition.
composing.

At present many teachers are concerned that “Kids can’t write at

length”. They can only write short answers. Why is this? What can
we do about it? We believe one reason children apparently struggle to
write at length is that they worry more about transcription than about
composition. When children do this, they often write less as they are
nervous and afraid of making spelling mistakes. For this reason it’s
useful to suggest that learners first focus on getting their ideas onto
the page. Then, later on they can think about spelling, when they are
satisfied with their ideas.

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b
bb
b
b 2 Process Writing in an Intermediate Phase
class
How can you get your children to write as writers do? How can you get
them to ‘behave’ like writers? First of all you need to think about what
you want your children to write about. When you are with your class,
you could start off by sharing with your learners what writers do. If
you tell them how a writer writes a book, this will give them a glimpse
into the process of writing.

Next, give them time to think and talk before they start to write. They
need to think about what they would like to write. It’s a good idea to

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2
bb
b
get your learners to work in groups. Each group could elect a ‘scribe’ to b
write down their ideas, or each one could make her/his own notes.

Then they need time to write their first drafts.

The amount of time they need will depend on
their age and stage of writing. But you will
also need to make it quite clear that when
they write their first drafts, they should think
mostly about the ideas they want to get down.
They shouldn’t worry about their spelling,
grammar, which language they write in, and
how neat their writing is. They just need to
write so that a partner can read what they
have written.

A partner reads what

was written

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b
bb
b
b 2 How can learners help one another?
Discuss with your learners how you want them to critically read and
comment on one another’s writing. Give them some questions that they
can ask to help their partner extend and develop her/his writing.
 What did you mean when . . . . . . . . . . . . ?
 Why did you choose to use this particular word?
 I’m not quite clear about . . . . . . . . . . . ?

I have a big class. How can

I help my learners to write, Well, there is something you can
and to write more? How can do. You can ask your children to
I read through several drafts edit one another’s drafts. This will
of each learner’s writing? also affect how your children write,
because they won’t be writing for
your eyes only. Their peers will also
read what they are writing.

Explain to your
learners that they
should worry more
about composition
when they start
writing. When
they are ready to
Children are very observant. And they can be quite critical. We have
share their writing,
they need to pay found that they enjoy the opportunity to check and comment on one
attention to their another’s writing. If your learners read and comment on a partner’s
spelling, grammar draft, and even on a second draft, when they submit their final drafts
and the legibility of to you, they will be more ‘finished’. You will also discover more of what
their work.
your learners can do, rather than what they can’t.

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2
bb
b
Writing a Final Draft b
When it comes to writing the final draft,
explain to your learners that this is
the time to ‘polish’ their writing,
especially if they are going to show
it to someone, put it up on the wall,
or into a book in the book corner.
Although they will learn this
themselves, it will probably be
easier if you make this clear.
This will mean that they have
to take trouble over the
presentation, check their
spelling and grammar,
and make sure that they
have expressed their ideas
carefully and clearly.

Final Draft

Ros en Ruan
Die storie gaan oor Ros en Ruan.
Ruan het in die VSA gaan bly. Ros het hom kom besoek.
Toe sy by die deur aankom, was sy so op haar senuwees, dat sy
sê:
“What’s a nice dump like you doing in a boy like this?”
Maar Ruan het geweet wat sy bedoel, en haar ’n stywe drukkie
gegee.
Ros het gevra: “Hoe gaan dit hier in die VSA?”
“Dit gaan goed. Ek is jammer dat ek nie vir jou terug geskryf
het nie,” sê hy.
Toe vra hy vir Ros: “Sien jy jou pa gereeld?”
“Nee,” sê sy. “Hy het Gauteng toe getrek.”
Ruan het haar koeldrink en koeksisters aangebied. Sy het die
koeldrink gemors.

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r rr
3r
r
r USING STORIES
Using Stories
Narrative is “ We dream in narrative, daydream in narrative, remember,
another word for anticipate, hope, despair, believe, doubt, plan, revise, criticise,
construct, gossip, learn, hate, and love by narrative. In order really
the word ‘story’. to live, we make up stories about ourselves and others, about the
personal as well as the social past and future.” (Hardy 1968:13)

Barbara Hardy says, we all tell stories (narrate events in our lives),
all the time, both to ourselves, as well as to others. It’s a way that we
make sense of our world, our experiences and our feelings. Stories are
a way of organising information. They help to develop the imagination,
and they are a way to develop and extend language. Stories are also
part of our cultural heritage.

Using stories to get your learners writing

How can you use stories to get your learners writing? One way that
works very well is to start off by giving your learners the beginning of
a story.

Nonkungu and the Imbulu

Once upon a time there was a poor man and his wife. They had just one child, a
daughter called Nonkungu.
One day Nonkungu’s parents sent Nonkungu to stay with her Uncle
Mtonyama. Uncle Mtonyama was a rich man. Nonkungu’s mother made
Nonkungu a special skirt. And she gave her a beautiful necklace made of beads.
Then very early one morning, Nonkungu left her parents and set off for her
uncle’s home.
On the way Nonkungu came to a stream with stepping-stones. On the
other side of the stream there was a girl wearing rags. The young girl greeted
Nonkungu and asked, “Where are you going?”
“I’m going to visit my Uncle Mtonyama,” said Nonkungu. “Oh that’s good,”
said the girl. “Mtonyama is my uncle, too. I’m also going to visit him. We can
walk together.”
When they had walked a little way, the girl in rags turned to Nonkungu
and said, “Your skirt is so pretty. I wish I had a skirt like that. And I wish I had
beautiful beads like yours. Please can I try them on?”
Nonkungu was a good girl, and a kind girl. She didn’t really want to take
off her pretty things, but she felt sad for the girl wearing rags. So she took
off her skirt and her beads. The other girl took off her rags and gave them to
Nonkungu. Then she put on Nonkungu’s pretty skirt and beautiful beads.

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The River that swept away Liars
Kwathi ke kaloku ngantsomi
Chosi, chosi
A certain master was on a journey with his servant. It was a long journey on
horseback. As they were travelling across the country, the master saw a jackal
crossing their path.
The master remarked, “This jackal is quite big.” The servant replied, “Oh,
Master, this is nothing compared to the one I saw yesterday!” “Is that so?”
responded the master. “Oh yes. It was very, very big. In fact it was as big as an
ox!” “As big as an ox?” questioned the master. “Yes, as big as an ox,” answered
the servant. The master asked again, “You say ‘as big as an ox’?” “Yes, really.
As big as an ox,” said the servant.
The master did not utter a word and they continued on their way, without
talking to each other, for about an hour. The servant noticed that his master was
not happy and he didn’t know what was worrying him. So he asked the master
what the matter was. The master told him that they would have to cross four
rivers before they reached their destination. The last river was the biggest and the
most dangerous of all the rivers. This river was allergic to liars, and no liar could
escape its wrath. It swept liars there and then down to the deep blue sea. It never
missed a liar, even if the liar was to use “umkhwenkwe” for washing. (People
used this umkhwenkwe to bring them luck, and to give them power to conquer
evil spirits.)

Umlambo otshayela amaXoki

Inkosana nesicaka sayo babekhwele emahasheni beseluhambeni. Endleleni njalo,
enquntsuza amahashe bengawaxheshanga, kungekho nancoko ingako kuba
wawumkhulu umhlaba womahluko phakathi kwesicaka nenkosi yaso, kwasuka
kwathi thapu impungutye ngaphaya kwetyholo, yanqumla indlela yaya kutshona
kwelinye icala.
“Kwowu, yankulu ke laa mpungutye!” yothuka yatsho inkosana. “Hayi, Nkosi,
awubonabga nto kanti. Mna sendikhe ndabona impungutye enkulu kangangenkabi
yenkomo!” satsho isicaka kubonakala ukuba sonelisekile. “Engangenkabi yenkomo?
Yhu! Makube yayinkulu loo mpungutye ezweni!” “Inene, Nkosi yam, yiva ukuba
ndikuxelela.”
Emka wona amahashe kuba kakade ebengakhange apazanyiswe nayiloo
mpungutye, ngapandle kokuthi xhungu nje umzuzwana abuye, athbathisa.
Inkosana yabonakala ibambelela entloko kanye oku komntu okhumbule into. “Kukho
into endilibele ukukuxelela yona singekesuki eBhotwe, kwaye ibalulekile ebantwini
abaseluhambeni njengathi aba.” Yatsho inkosana kubonakala nangenkangeleko
yayo ukuba iyangxengxeza.
“Ingaba yintoni leyo, Nkosi yam?” sabuza isicaka simangalisiwe. “Apha ngaphambili
kule ndlela sihamba ngayo kukho umlambo esiza kuwuwela. Ngumlambo odumileyo
lowo kuba utshayela amaxoki,” yatsho inkosana. “Uthi lo mlanbo utshayela amaxoki?
Uwatshayela kanjani, Nkosam?” sabuza isicaka simangalisiwe.

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r rr
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r 3r Finding a story
First of all, you will need to find an appropriate stor y for your
learners. Then you will need to decide how much of the story you are
going to give them to read. The idea is to give them a small part of
the story so that they have to think about what might have happened
before, and what would be likely to follow. Then you need to make
enough copies of the story beginning so that there is at least one copy
between two learners.

The Snake who bit a girl

Once upon a time there was a Snake who bit a girl and the men of the
village were very angry.
So they chased him and they chased him, and they chased him all the
way down to the river.
Now, there was a Man in a boat, and the Snake said,‘Quick! Take me
across to the other side.’
‘What is your hurry?’ said the Man.
‘Never you mind! I’ll tell you afterwards,’ said the Snake.
So the Man took him across the river.
‘Now tell, me, what was your hurry?’ said the Man.
‘Oh, me?’ said the Snake. ‘I bit a girl and the men were chasing me,
and now I am going to bite you too.’
‘Ah, you wouldn’t do that,’ said the Man. ‘I’ve just taken you across the
river!’
‘Oh yes, I would,’ said the Snake. ‘There are no good men, anywhere.’
‘No good men? But there must be some good men.’
‘Ah no! There are not,’ said the Snake. ‘If you don’t believe me, you go
and ask that old Fig Tree over there.’
So the Man went to ask the Fig Tree.

Reading
Hand out the copies and ask your
learners to read the extract. If you
are working with younger learners you
may feel that you should read the story
beginning aloud to them. If you choose
to do this, make sure that your learners
follow your reading with their own
copies.

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Raising Questions
r 3r
Then ask your learners to
work in pairs to quickly write
down a list of questions that
they have about the story
beginning. Explain that you
don’t want them to think of
questions that test what they
have read. You want them to
think about what they would
like to know more about.

For example, in the story

of “The Snake who bit the
Girl” they could write down
questions like this.

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r 3r These are some of the questions Grade 6 learners thought of when
Marlene Rousseau gave them a different story beginning.

Encourage everybody
to participate …
Sharing and Thinking of Answers
Now get each pair to join up with another pair and tell your
sometimes the
learners to share their questions. When they have read through each
children that struggle
other’s questions, tell them to begin to think of, and to talk about,
with reading and
possible answers to some of their questions.
writing think of some
of the best possible
answers.

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Going Public
r 3r
After about 10 minutes, stop your learners. We suggest you ‘conduct’ a
class discussion. You will need some large sheets of paper and some
kokis or fat crayons.

Ask each group to give you one of their questions. When you have
written up a question, ask the group what possible answers they
have thought of. Encourage the other groups to think of other
possible answers to this question. Get your learners to support their
suggestions. They will probably have to refer to the passage to check
for clues to the answer. This is an important part of the activity.

Continue in this way. Try to get a question and possible answers from Try to get a question
each group. Don’t just ask the children you can rely on to give you and possible answers
answers. Ask some of your shyer learners. Encourage everybody to
from each group.
participate. When we carried out this activity with Grade 5 learners,
Don’t just ask the
we found that some of the children that struggle with reading and
children you can
writing thought of some of the best possible answers.
rely on to give you
Completing a story answers.
Now get your learners to work with the partner they had for the first
activity. Tell them that you want each pair to discuss and write down
the rest of the stor y in their own way. Tell them you don’t want just
a few sentences. You want proper stories! It’s a good idea to let them
do this in a scribbler. If they work on recycled or rough paper, make
sure that they write their names on each sheet they use.

If your learners really work at this part of the task, it should take them
at least half an hour. When they have completed their first draft, collect
all the separate sheets of paper to keep them safe.

Edit and second draft

In a later language session, they can edit and improve on this draft, and
write a second draft. They may also want to illustrate their writing.
You could also get each pair to read their story to another pair, or even
to the whole class. Reading publicly like this will help them to ‘hear’
how their writing sounds.

Final draft
When they write their final drafts, encourage them to write as neatly
as they can. They could make decorative borders around the pages.
Ask them to write their names clearly on their work. Then get your
learners to help you put up their work on the classroom wall. Make a
label with the title of the beginning of the story you used. Make sure
that the arrangement of their work is attractive and draws visitors to
the classroom to read it.

23
r rr
r
r 3r If you carry out this strategy more than once, let your learners decide
whether they would like to work with partners or whether they would
like to work alone.

How to choose an appropriate story

beginning
What makes a good story for your learners? This is quite personal.
 First of all, you need to like any story you choose.
 Then you also need to read through the story and decide whether
the level of readability is appropriate for your learners. Will they be
able to read the story beginning and understand what they read?
 Is it interesting?
 How long must the extract be? Is it long enough to give them
enough information to work with?

24
 r rr
r
r 3r

This last point is very important. If the story

beginning isn’t long enough, there won’t be
enough information for the learners to work
with. When they try to think of questions,
it will be difficult. And then they will find it
hard to write.

What if nobody writes

anything?
If you have a group of children who
struggle with literacy skills, we suggest
you work with them. Ask them
questions about the extract; questions
that will challenge them and make
them think. Then write down their
ideas. This is what Titi Ngubo did
when we worked with her Grade 5s.
In this way, the children who have
barriers to learning were supported and
able to participate fully in the activity.

25
Y Y
Y
4Y Y WRITING INFORMATION
REPORTS
Primary school teachers have always asked their learners to write
stories (narratives). But in recent years teachers in some parts of the
world have focused on trying to help their learners to write in different
styles, or genres. Some of the genres that these teachers focus on are
shown below.
Recount (describing an event)
Information Report
Procedure (instructions)
DIFFERENT
GENRES
Explanation Narrative (stories)

Persuasion Discussion

We know that books are written in different ways or styles, just as

they are written for different purposes. We find recounts in biographies
and history books. We find procedures in recipe books and instruction
manuals. Narratives are stories. And Information Reports are usually
found in science and geography books.

When learners are writing, it is useful if they can record their ideas,
thoughts, experiences, findings and learnings in an appropriate style.
In our workshops we focused on Natural Sciences, so we worked with
Information Reports.

Getting your learners to write Information

Reports
One Way
It’s really valuable to try to plan to give learners a ‘multi-sensory’
experience. In other words, you want to encourage them to use as
many of their senses as they possibly can to look carefully and think
about the item or topic you chose.

Think of something that your learners know well. Then try to find as
many pictures as you can of that item. If you can actually bring in a real
example, do that too. At the workshop, we focused on the Aloe Ferox,
the fiery aloe. You could also focus on any plants or trees that grow in
or around the school.

26
 Y Y
Y
Y
Y 4

Aloe Ferox, known as

Bitteraalwyn, iKhala …
in its natural habitat in
First Draft the Cederberg (left),
and on the Southern
Ask your learners to think of the item or topic you have chosen, and Cape coast.
then ask them to write down the first thing that they think of about
this item (eg It has red flowers.).

Next ask them to picture this item in their mind’s eye. Tell them to
picture it in its usual setting or where it’s usually found. Then ask them
to write down 3 things they know about this item.

Then ask them to write a sentence that

Combining ideas …
finishes off what they have written. This will
result in the first draft of their writing.

Second Draft
When everybody has finished writing,
ask them to share what they have written
with one or two other people. Ask them to
combine their ideas to produce a joint second
draft. In this process, you are asking your
learners to discuss, edit and re-draft. If the
groups are small, everybody will have a
chance to contribute to the second draft that
their group produces.

27
Y Y
Y 4
Y
Y Third Draft
How can they improve what they have written? For the third draft,
hand out several pictures of the item to each group. Ask your learners
Pictures offer a
chance for members to study the pictures carefully. Then tell them to add any further
of the group to share details, or to make any changes to what they have written.
their knowledge. At
the workshop some Final Draft
of the teachers knew
If you have been able to either bring in the ‘real thing’, or it is
about the bitter
sap (juice) of Aloe
somewhere on the school premises, either show it to your learners, or
leaves. The picture take them to look at it. If you can, let them touch and really examine
of a cut leaf oozing the item carefully.
sap gave them a
chance to share this
information.

28
 Y Y

Now get your learners to read through their third draft and discuss
Y
Y
Y 4
what they have written. Do they want to add any more details? When
they saw the ‘real thing’, did they notice or remember something
else? If so, ask them to add this information to what they have
already written.

At the workshop, we
took the teachers
outside to see some
examples of Aloe
Ferox growing at
Edith Stephens.
This was another
way of gathering
information or doing
some research. We
were able to actually
touch an aloe. We
could feel the spines
along the edges of
the fat succulent
leaves. We could look
more closely at what
remained of some of
the flowers, and at the
seed-pods.

Finally, tell them you want them to produce a piece of

writing which gives as much information as they can about
the item they have been thinking about. Tell them you want
them to do their very best. At this point they will need
to think about their handwriting and their spelling and
grammar. They have had plenty of time to think about the
composing side of writing. Now is the time to think about
the transcribing side.

If you give your learners an experience like this, they will be

able to tap into the knowledge and information they already
possess. They will be able to use their imaginations, use
their eyes to look at pictures, and possibly look at the ‘real
thing’. They will have a truly ‘multi-sensory’ experience.

29
Y Y
Y 4
Y
Y Marlene tried this technique when she was teaching at a rural school
last year. This is what she wrote:

“When I did this last year, I worked with a group of Grade 6s

who were the weakest readers in the Grade. The children went
outside in pairs, chose a plant, bush or tree and then lay, sat
and drew their thing. The drawings were beautiful! We gathered
around each thing they had chosen, talked about it as a group,
then they wrote their first drafts.”

30
 Y Y

Other Ways
Y
Y
Y 4
But this is not the only way to help your learners write information
reports. You could also give them an example of a short text about a
particular item. You could get them to read the text. Then you could ask
them how the text has been written. What does the first sentence tell us? Try to make sure
that you have some
Next you could ask them about the rest of the text. How is it written?
kind of ‘surprise’
What does it tell them? How is the information ordered? And then finally,
for your learners.
what can they tell you about the last sentence?
This will help to
You could also use several different short texts about the same item or get and hold their
topic. You could prepare some questions to guide your learners, and write interest. It will
these questions on card. Then you could ask your learners to work in also provoke their
groups to see how these information reports have been constructed. thinking.

When you have unpacked how the text has been written, your learners
will see how an information text is constructed. This will help them to
know what kind of things they need to write down when they themselves
write information reports. Encourage them to use their own words. They
may wish to borrow phrases from the text they’ve read, but it’s much
better if they compose their own sentences and use their own words.
They will be more likely to remember the information.

31
b b
b
5
b b PLANNING AND
ASSESSMENT
How did we plan language experiences at
workshops?
We spent some time at each workshop in this series thinking
about planning and assessing literacy experiences. First, teachers
experienced something for themselves (on the first afternoon of the
workshop). The following afternoon we thought about how we could
plan to carry out that experience with Intermediate Phase learners.

The PSP wanted to develop something that would help teachers plan
for a unit of language learning experiences that could last up to two
weeks or more. So we adapted the PSP planning format for science
lessons.

Blank Planning sheets for educators to photocopy, follow on pages

34 and 35.

Elaine Green from Disa Primary School tried out the first version of
the lesson plan format and brought her completed plan to share with
us. Her lesson plan follows on pages 36 and 37.

Planning a series of activities around a

story (text)
These are the questions we asked ourselves when we planned how we
could use a story with learners:
 Which Learning Outcomes?
If you make a  Which Assessment Standards? (LO1.1; LO2.4; L03.1; LO 4.3)
mind map on your  What activities? (telling a story, telling/writing the ending of a
planning form, do it story, or about the characters, setting, plot, critical literacy)
in a way that works
for you. Remember,  What would be an appropriate Assessment Task? (What do you
you don’t have to fill want to assess?)
up the form. Just note  How do the activities connect and lead logically to an Assessment
down what is useful
Task?
for you.

Then look at the RNCS document and ask yourself

 What else can I include in this plan?
 What other Assessment Standards does this topic touch?

32
 b b

Planning for learners to write Information

b 5
bb
Reports
These are the steps we followed when we planned to get learners to
write Information Reports: Adjust your pace
 What topic or stimulus will I use? according to needs
of your learners.
 How shall I introduce this type of writing? Ask them if you
 How can I assess it? What criteria will I use? can move quickly
through some
 Will learners work in pairs or small groups?
information.

Ask yourself, “What do I want to assess?” Decide on the outcome

that you want to assess. Then look at the Assessment Standards
under that outcome. The Assessment Standards are there to guide
you. They are a checklist to ensure you cover them all during the
course of the year. Choose 1 or 2, and then plan an Assessment Task
that fits. Plan and teach all
the Assessment
At the workshop, some good ideas were raised in group discussion. Standards. But
Sabelo Makubalo and Zuki Njimbana teach the same children at DON’T assess
Sophakama. Sabelo teaches them English first additional language. them. Assess at the
Zuki teaches them isiXhosa. We talked about how the children they Learning Outcome
level.
teach could go through the same process for both languages. But, as
a teacher, you would expect a shorter piece of writing when children
write in English, than when they write in isiXhosa.
Don’t try
How long is a Learning Experience? to assess
A Learning Experience can be one lesson, or it can last for a period everything
of 2 weeks or more. It depends on the learners’ interest and how you give your
deeply and broadly you want to deal with the topic. Sabelo Makubalo
learners to do!
made the point that if a learning experience is to last 2 weeks, there
must be enough in the plan to challenge the learners, and to actually
require that length of time. This is important. Sometimes a teacher
finds that a topic is only long enough for one week.

When we plan we need to make sure that there is enough work to

interest and challenge learners. If we are going to spend 2 weeks
getting children to experience writing Information Reports, they
need lots of practise writing in this way. They need time to write
several drafts. They need opportunities to work in groups. And they
need to write about not just one topic, but about two or three.

33
b b
b 5
bb DETAILED PLANNING FOR
LANGUAGE LEARNING EXPERIENCE

Teacher ...................................................................... Grade .............................

Topic ......................................... Duration ............................................................

LO(s) ............................ Assessment Standard(s) ..............................

Texts (Stories, poems, instructions, notices, diagrams, graphs, maps, photographs

and pictures, advertisements, etc)

Plan of the learning experience (introduction, contents, learning tasks, consolidation)

..............................................................................................................................................................................................

..............................................................................................................................................................................................

..............................................................................................................................................................................................

..............................................................................................................................................................................................

..............................................................................................................................................................................................

..............................................................................................................................................................................................

34
 b b
b 5
bb
.............................................................................................................................................................................................

.............................................................................................................................................................................................

.............................................................................................................................................................................................

.............................................................................................................................................................................................

.............................................................................................................................................................................................

.............................................................................................................................................................................................
Assesment tasks

Modes of communication for assessment tasks Assessor/s

Evaluator/s
Speaking Self
Acting out Peer
Reading Educator
Written work Class panel
Drawing Another educator
Making models

.............................................................................................................................................................................................

.............................................................................................................................................................................................

.............................................................................................................................................................................................

.............................................................................................................................................................................................

35
b b
b 5
bb DETAILED PLANNING FOR
LANGUAGE LEARNING EXPERIENCE
Mrs E.D. Green
Teacher ...................................................................... 7 G: Eng
Grade .............................
Myself
Topic ............................... 2 weeks (26 Jan–10 February)
Duration ......................................................................

1–5
LO(s) .................................................... 7. 4.1 – 7. 4.4
Assessment Standard(s) ..........................
Listening Giving information about yourself
Speaking worksheet (descriptive comp.)
Reading Eng. Viewing /(Editing) Mindmap
Writing Brainstorming
Thinking & Reasoning Editing - First Draft
(Logical sequence Fnal Draft
of paragraphs)

Focus: ORAL DISCUSSION WORKSHEET - QUESTIONAIRE

Learners give info about TOPIC - MYSELF
themselves WRITING
( PRODUCT) T
N A L DRAF PARAGRAPHING.
FI
r w rites FIRST DRA
(Sequence of para.
n e
Lear graphs FT INTRO / CONTENT /
ra ELF Editing
3 pa - MYS CONCLUSION

Plan of the learning experience (introduction, contents, learning tasks, consolidation)

INTRODUCTION: By Educator
.......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

ORAL DISCUSSION ON: We are unique

.......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

We are special - Each of us have our own thumb priunt - even twins have a different
.......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

fingerprint.
.......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

CONTENT: ORAL DISCUSSION - Myself: Learners given an opportunity to talk about

.......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

themselves - who they are / age / hobbies / Other things

.......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

36
 b b
b 5
bb
..............................................................................................................................................................................................

..............................................................................................................................................................................................

..............................................................................................................................................................................................

..............................................................................................................................................................................................

..............................................................................................................................................................................................

..............................................................................................................................................................................................

Assessment tasks
Assessing: Learners’ compositions (Final Draft)
1. Look at sequence of paragraphs
2. Look at content (info about themselves)
3. Look at Sp & Punctuation

Modes of communication for assessment tasks Assessor/s

Evaluators
Speaking Self
Acting out Peer
Reading Educator
Written work Class panel
Drawing Another educator
Making models Outside expert
Working for the environment
Reflection (Notes for future: What worked well? What could I do differently?)
..............................................................................................................................................................................................

Discussion: Goals in Life! (What you would like to be)

..............................................................................................................................................................................................

Discussion on: Careers – Career choices. Occupations. Choices that we make affect out
..............................................................................................................................................................................................

future. What you would like to be and why?

..............................................................................................................................................................................................

..............................................................................................................................................................................................

37
Academia Silulami Nkqezo Olga N Mlanjeni
Hayley Ford NB William Mandisa Mtyuda
Evan Petersen Ndileka Mxenge
Luleka
Athwood FNC Faas Siyazakhe
Doreen Alexander Nomakhosazana Memani Rachelle Armontrille
Gavin Katz FW Nofemela Ruby Gxula
Phikolomzi Tofile Phumla Kibido
Bonga NA Plaatjie
Ms LL Ndoni Luzuko
Ms NC Vanqa Tony-Timothy Thobane Siyazingisa
Sindisa Tobi Malibongwe Dlepu
Chumisa A Madubedube
Grace Mtsiba Lwazi B Wambi
Nomakhaya Nigiza Ms T Gubayo
Morgan Ntelezi Ms ND Maliti Sobambisana
Bukelwa Nxazonke Mr V Somwahla Nomzamo Boqwana
Penrose Kitty
Disa Manenberg Thembisa Lubambo
Elaine Green Badronesa Abrahams
Vuyelwa Magitshini
Fuldilah Jacobs
Ekuthuleni Mpho Mokomele
Christina Leite
Nomakhosi Bomvana Nondindi Stuurman
Nolulu Mayi Masiphumelele Sophakama
Nontle Bikitsha
Entshona Thami Cekiso
Lulama Gigi
Bukiwe Mafika-Mahobe Sabelo Makubalo
Mcoseleli Nyalambisa
Sibongile Piyose Lindelwa Matyebe
Xoliswa Qendwana
Nosicelo Mkwambi
Hopolang Nozizwe Silimela
Tamaria Mqulwana
PC Letuka Nomsa Mapongwana Thandeka Mvovo
Maxwell Mojakisane Fundiswa Bala Zukiswa Njimbana
Imbasa B Ntoyi
Thembaletu
Nontuthuzelo Giyose Nositembiso Ralgana-Mjindi
Thanduxolo Mthalane
Nomarashiya Kili Ntwasahlobo Anele Zita
Sindiswa Magugwana Xoliswa Njemla
Vuyelwa Ndunduzela UMangaliso
Bulelwa Sokufudumala
Lydia Khuthuka
Isikhokelo Qingqa Nomhle Mcoso
Doreen Donkrag Amigo Z Bayile
Carol Guqa Vuyani
Mandisa Ntlabati
Nomsa Tomas Nozuko Alam
Saambou Chwayita Gobile
Kuyasa Angelo Valentine Nokoxola Ndlwana-Poswa
Nomsa Jack
Sandile Jonase Sakumlandela Weltevreden Valley
Zanele Maliti VO Bingwa Patrick Dibakoane
Ntshukumo Mbangata Ntombekaya Gwentshula Busiswa Nomhle Giyose
Khayalethu Menisi Nompumelelo May Loyiso P Ladlokova
Manelisi Mhlauli Chriselda Mokomele Kolekile Sokani
Andile Mjambane Norah Nomalizo Zembetha
Samora Machel
Thabisa Mpulu Zimasa
Nobonile Koti
Nolitha Ngqawana Noluthando Magodla
Cikizwa Malgas
Nozibele Niki
Buyelwa Pani
Bongani Somtsewu
Nontsikelelo Zibi
Linge ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Siviwe
Mteleleli France
Sindiswa Mtabeko We would like to thank Ms Titi Ngubo and
Nomva Malima
her learners at Linge Primary School in
Velile Tongo Siyabulela
Nyanga, Cape Town for their help in trialling
Nombulelo Tyandela Nonyameko Gaika
some of the activities in this booklet. We
Nomthandazo Kona
Litha would also like to thank Marlene Rousseau
Nonceba Mafanya
Monwabisi Bikakeni and the teachers and children she has
Nokuzola Mayekiso
AM Mgijima worked with in the Plettenberg Bay area.
Phumla Mdemka
Ms ZG (Titi) Ngubo

38