WHOLE

LANGUAGE
in the Intermediate Phase

© PSP 2007
 WHOLE
LANGUAGE
in the Intermediate Phase

Course written and presented by Viv Kenyon

Layout by Welma Odendaal

Encouraging Intermediate Phase Learners to Write More and

Encouraging Intermediate Phase Learners to Read More, are also available from the PSP.
Contents
A Whole Language Approach in the Intermediate Phase

Introduction 1

Using Newspapers for Whole Language 4

Using Pictures for Whole Language 22

Using Songs and Music for Whole Language 34

Conclusion 44
 Introduction
Whole Language
encourages learners
to use all aspects of
language.
This booklet is based on the PSP Whole Language
workshops offered for Intermediate Phase teachers
in 2006. Each term we focused on just one of three
inexpensive resources, easily accessible to teachers:
Newspapers, Pictures, and Songs and Music. We
have suggested ways that Intermediate Phase teachers
can use these resources to get their learners using
language in a meaningful and purposeful way.

What do we mean by “Whole Language”? What is a

‘Whole Language” approach? A Whole Language approach
means making sure that learners have opportunities to use
and develop all aspects of language in any learning event.
It means that learners are required to think, listen, speak,
write and read when they carry out any learning experi-
ence. Teachers consciously integrate all the aspects of
language with each other.

1
 This approach to language learning and
teaching arose out of a concern that many
children struggle with written language when
they meet it at school. This is true, even when
the learners have learned to speak, listen and
think quite successfully.

Yetta and Kenneth Goodman have spent

The Goodmans, Yetta and Ken.
decades observing young children and their
approach to learning both inside and outside
schools. The Goodmans have pointed out that
when young children are learning outside
school, they learn quickly, and in order to
carry out a particular task.

Learning in these situations is meaningful. The Goodmans suggest that in

schools we need to make learning more meaningful and purposeful. They have
found that we can do this if we integrate aspects of language so that children
learn language as a whole, just as we do in real life. If we separate the
different aspects of language, and focus on one at a time, it is much more diffi-
cult to make the activity meaningful.

Learners may be
focusing on an
aspect of Social
Sciences, or Life
Orientation.
But in order to
do so, they will
be thinking,
speaking,
listening, reading
and writing.

2
You will find that the activities and
experiences suggested in this booklet,
require learners to use all aspects of
language. In some cases the learners
will be learning additional things.
They may be focusing on an aspect of
Social Sciences, or Life Orientation.
But in order to do so, they will be
thinking, speaking, listening,
reading and writing. When your
learners carry out these activities
they will be engaged in Whole
Language work.

This booklet is in three sections.

 The first section has ideas for
using newspapers as a vehicle
for Whole Language learning and teaching.
 The second section focuses on using pictures.
 And the third section suggests ways of Using Songs and Music. This is
another readily available resource which is an important part of our
learners’ lives. We were delighted by the reports teachers shared of
their experiences exploring music for language purposes
with their learners.

In this booklet we often

suggest that you get your
learners to work in either
pairs or groups of four. We
have found that when we set
activities for learners to do in
pairs, all the children in the
class speak. When they work in
groups of three or four, every-
body is engaged in the task. But
when the groups are big, there can
be ‘passengers’. In other words,
some of the group members either
do nothing, or they distract the rest
of the group who are interested and
want to work.

3
1 Using Newspapers for
Whole Language
All the activities in this section involve using newspapers or parts of
newspapers. We are aware that most Intermediate Phase learners prob-
ably do not read newspapers, but they do know that newspapers exist.
And free community newspapers are delivered weekly to households
throughout the province.

Many schools receive

copies of The Sunday
Times each week
during term time.
These are supplied
for teachers to use as
a learning and
teaching resource.
Although we did
not use The
Sunday Times in
our workshops,
teachers could use
parts of this paper
for several of the
suggested activi-
ties.

At the workshops
on using newspa-
pers, we found
that the struc-
ture and layout of
The Cape Times
was clearer than
the structure and
layout of The
Argus. We also used
Vukani, The
Plainsman, and
Athlone News. The
good thing about
these papers is that the news items are about the
communities that they are delivered to.

4
 1
Beetle Drive
This is a wonderful activity for teaching your
learners the reading skills of skimming and
scanning. They will need these skills later in
their school careers, as well as in their lives.

What you will need

You will need several copies of the same issue
of a particular newspaper. Whether you
choose to use a Community newspaper or a
daily paper, make sure that you have a copy
for each group of learners.

You will also need a piece of paper for each

group to write down their answers to the questions. And each group
will need several copies of the questions. Tell your learners that you
Skimming and
will give each group a list of questions and that you want the whole scanning
group to help find the answers to all the questions.
We skim a text (look
through them quickly)
Introducing the activity
when we want to get an
Hand out a piece of paper to each group with several copies of the idea of what the text is
questions. Tell your learners that you want them to look for the about. We scan a text
answers to the questions in the newspaper. Tell them that they must for a specific word, or
look quickly for the answers. They must not read every word. They specific information.

must just look for the words or picture that answers the question.

Demonstrate what you want your

learners to do. Read the first
question aloud. Then ask your
learners to think about where the
answer might be. Will it be on the
front page? Will it be on the back
page? Or will it be somewhere in
the middle? Hold up a copy of the
paper and show the children how
you can use your finger to help
you search for an answer. Take
your finger quickly across and
down a page. As you do this, read
aloud words you notice that might
be like the word or name you are
looking for. When you find the
answer, write it down on the
chalkboard.

5
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Supporting your learners
Encourage your learners to work together
quickly. Tell them that when they have found all
the answers, they must put their newspaper
tidily on their table, and put up their hands. Give
your learners a reasonable time to find the
answers. But don’t wait until everybody has
their hand up. When you feel that most of the
children have managed to find the answers, stop
them. Give each table a chance to answer a ques-
tion. Encourage some of the less confident
learners to share an answer.

Each time an answer is given, check with the

whole class that the children have found the
correct answer. Look in the paper with the
whole class.
… Throughout the You will find that your children have to read the questions. They will
activity your learners probably discuss (listen and speak) where the question might be. Then
will be thinking. They they will have to scan (read quickly) the paper for the information.
will be involved in a When they have found the information, they will have to record it
whole language activity. (write). And throughout the activity your learners will be thinking.
They will be involved in a whole language activity.

6
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What’s in the paper?
We suggest that you allow enough time for this
activity to extend over several days, or even a
week. You will probably need to model what you
want your learners to do when you introduce
the activity. Then as your learners become
more familiar with the newspaper you are
using, they will be able to work more inde-
pendently. If you teach Grade 4s, you may
feel that you need to provide support
throughout this activity.

Introducing the activity

Front Page
Give each group a copy of the previous
day’s paper, and copies of the questions
about the Front Page.

Take a copy of the newspaper. Hold it up

so that all the children can see the Front
Page. Then ask your learners the ques-
tions below, one at a time. Give your
learners a chance to find the answers.
When they’ve found an answer, tell
them to record the question on their sheet of
paper. You may even decide to let your learners
cut out the answer or relevant picture, caption or
article and stick it on their group’s sheet of paper.

While each group works through the questions,

you will be able to move around the class
observing and monitoring how they are getting on.

Questions
 What’s on the Front Page?
 Why do you think that story was chosen for the
front page?
 Who wrote the story?
 What does the photograph show?
 Who took the photograph?
 What other information is on the Front Page?
 Which article do you think is the most inter-
esting?
 Why does this article interest you?

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If you are working with Grade 4s, you may
feel it’s necessary to work in the same way
with the Back Page. Grade 6s and Grade 7s
will probably be able to continue inde-
pendently with the next part of the
activity. Make sure that each group has
several copies of the questions that refer
to the back page.

Back Page
Questions
 What news is on the Back Page?
 Which article looks the most inter-
esting to you? Why?
 Is the Sports news South African,
or International?
 Which Sports person(s) are
featured in the main photograph?
 Is there any other Sports news in
the paper?
 What page is it on? Why do you
think it was placed on a different
page?

Second Session
Another day, focus on the international
and national news in the paper. There
are usually several pages devoted to
local (national) news, as well as interna-
tional news. So you may even find that
you need more than one day to focus on
the news on these pages.

World News
 Is there any World news in the news-
paper you’re looking at?
 How many pages are devoted to Inter-
national news?
 Which pages have World news?
 Which article do you think is the most
interesting? Why?

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South African News
 How many pages deal with news from all
over South Africa?
 How many pages deal with local news?
 What do you notice about the headlines?
 What other things are on the pages
dealing with South African news?
 Are there cartoons in the newspaper?
Who do you think reads cartoons?
 Are there any cartoons based on any of
the South African news stories? If so,
which?

Third Session
On another day, focus on some of the
other aspects of the newspaper. Again,
you may find that you need more than
one day for these sections. There is
often a lot of information in the Clas-
sified Section of the paper. And you
may want to include some of the advertisements in
the paper.

Weather Information
 What information is given about the weather?
 Who might need this information?
 On what date is Full Moon this month?

9
1
Arts and Entertainment
 What is included on the Entertain-
ment page(s)?
 Are the screening times of the movies
also on this page? If not, where are they?
 What articles are there in the paper
about the Arts and Entertainment?
 Where are the times of the TV
programmes printed?
 Is there any information about Radio
programmes? Where is it?

The Classified Section

 What do you see on the first page of
the Classified Section?
 Which notices are the first?
 Why do people put notices about deaths
in the paper?
 Who reads the notices about deaths?
Why?
 What is offered for sale? Are any of the
items offered under R100? If so, what?
How can you find out more information
about this item? Who might need it?
 Find an interesting advert under the
Employment or Staff Vacancies section. What does the job entail? /
What work will the person be asked to do? What are the require-
ments for that job? What is the salary? Do you think this is a fair
salary? Why?

10
 1
Writing stories to fit Newspaper Photos
Using plastic bags
There are several ways that you can use photos from newspapers with
Plastic bags with self-
your learners. In this section we have two suggestions.
sealing capacity, are
Newspaper Photos great. They are
expensive, but will also
You will need a lot of newspaper photos for this activity. You will need last longer.
at least 5 photos for each pair or small group to work with. Make sure
that you cut off the captions. But keep the captions and make sure that
you put them in the envelope (or plastic bag) together with the photos.
We suggest that you write instructions on the outside even if you feel
that your learners won’t be able to read them. This is part of creating a
rich print environment – writing everywhere! If you use plastic bags,
write the instructions in koki.
For example:
 Look at the photos and read the captions carefully.
 Match the captions to the photos.
 Choose one photo and the matching caption.
 Discuss the photo and its caption.
 Then write a different caption that fits what
you think is happening in the photo.

11
1
Newspaper Photos and Stories
You will need a lot of newspaper photos for this activity. You will need
at least 5 photos so that each pair or small group can work with one.
Make sure that you have cut off the captions. You will not need them
for this activity. Put each set of photos in an envelope or plastic bag.
We suggest that you write instructions on the outside even if you feel
that your learners won’t be able to read them. This is part of creating a
rich print environment – writing everywhere!

For example:
 Look at the photos with your partner.
 Choose one photo together.
 Talk about what is happening in the photo. What do you think
happened before the photo was taken?
 What do you think will happen next?
 Together write a story or a dialogue to go with the photo you chose.

12
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Working with Headlines
The headlines are an important aspect of newspapers. Headlines sum
up the essence of a story. Headlines have to catch the attention of
readers. Spend some time with your learners exploring and thinking
about headlines. You will find 2 possible activities below.

Split Headlines
Go through some newspapers and look for headlines that you think are
appropriate for the learners you are teaching. Cut out the headlines
carefully. You will need to have enough for each pair or small group of
learners to have at least 5 headlines each. And you will need an enve-
lope or plastic bag for each set of headlines.

Cut each set of headlines in half. Put the pieces in an envelope. Make
sure that you do this for each set of headlines. You will need to write
instructions on each envelope or plastic bag for the learners to read.
For example:
 Take the parts of the headlines out of the envelope.
 Work with a partner and look at all the parts of the headlines.
 Read the parts.
 Match the parts to make a good headline.
Flawless
 Talk with your partner about the story that goes with this headline.
 Be prepared to share your headline with the rest of the class.
Farouk
 Be prepared to tell your story to the rest of the class.
Race to
r e s o f d ark days o
Th e a d v e n tu f
oppressio
Bokke speel n r e d u p
fi
t a l w a r t r e c a l ls
Struggle s e u i t
Ouer skrywers hulle hart
Nationwide b e r
blackouts i t y c l i m
save C
met vars g
on the cards
edagtes

13
1
Later, you could discuss all the stories with the class. Ask your learners
to choose the 3 or 4 that they most enjoyed. Either use these stories for
a Shared Writing activity, or get your learners to write the stories.
Then display the stories in your classroom.

Headlines and Stories

Go through some papers and look for some headlines that you think are
appropriate for the learners you are teaching. Cut them out carefully.
You will need to have enough for each pair or small group of learners to
have at least 3 headlines and their stories. And you will need an enve-
lope or plastic bag for each set of headlines and stories. Write some
instructions on the outside of the envelopes or plastic bags.

us e se ve re fl oo ds in Eastern Cape
H ea vy ra in s ca

Big stink 345 pilgrims die on hajj

in Stilbaa
i over raw
sewage in
Kersfees kom vroeg river
in Oceanview
g e d fr o m h o m e s a s a ttacks by Figh
People drag t
a n d M o z ambique
lions rise in Ta n z a n ia crim
e,
India keep Pa Afric
kistan guessin a
g tells
SA
Garden route N2 collapsing
For example:
 Read the headlines.
 Then read the stories quickly.
 Match the stories to the headlines.
 Choose one headline and story to share with the rest of the class.

14
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Following a story Different languages
You will need to look for stories that are reported on more than You could include a report written
once. Sometimes you can find the same story reported in in another language. For example,
if the learners in your class speak
different papers. At other times, a story stays in the news for a
different languages at home, you
week or even longer. Collect at least 3 reports of each story you could include reports on the same
choose. You will need at least 3 reports (or newspaper clippings) story written in different
to make a set of reports for each small group. Put each set of languages. This would give your
reports in an envelope or plastic bag. learners a real reason to discuss
the different reports.
Write some instructions on the
outside of the envelope or plastic
bag.

For example:
 Read the three reports carefully.
 Talk about this news story with the other
people in your group.
 Do you know anything about this story?
 Where did you hear this? (TV, people talking)
 Why do you think some stories get a lot of
coverage? Could it be because it is the most
interesting story?
 Plan how you can act this story for the rest of
the class.

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Stories on one Topic
You will need to look for
several stories about each topic
that you choose. Try to think of
topics in the newspaper that
will be relevant and of interest
to your learners. We collected
lots of stories about fires that
occur throughout Cape Town.

You may just focus on one

topic for all your groups. Or
you may choose a different
topic for each group. That is
your choice. Collect at least
3 stories for each group of
learners. Put each set of
stories in an envelope or
plastic bag. Write some
instructions on the enve-
lope or plastic bag.

This is what we wrote on

the envelope with stories
about fires:

 Look carefully at
the pictures and
stories in the
envelope. How did
these fires start?
 What could the
people have done
to prevent the
fires?
 What do you think
the City Council
can do?
 When do you think
we have the most
fires in Cape
Town? Why do
you think this is
so?

16
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Interviews
(An activity for pairs)

An important part of working for a news-

paper is interviewing people.

You can introduce this activity by having a

discussion about interviews. Which people
do newspapers interview? What questions
do the reporters ask? Who would your
learners like to interview? What would
they like to find out? Then tell your
learners that you want each group to read
two stories, and then to talk about, plan
and prepare an interview with one of the
people in one of the stories.

Collect at least 2 stories about people that you think your

learners would be interested in, for each group of learners. Cut out the
stories, and put at least 2 stories in each envelope. Then write some
instructions on the outside of the envelope to guide your learners and
so that they know what they are expected to do.
For example:
 Look carefully at the 2 newspaper reports and read them carefully.
 Talk about what you have read.
 Choose one of the stories.
 Work together and write a list of questions you would like to ask one
of the people in the story you have chosen.
 Pretend one of you is a Reporter for a newspaper. Read your ques-
tions to your partner.
 Your partner can write down the answers that you think the person
will give.
 Then act as the Reporter and the person the Reporter is inter-
viewing. Read your interview. You may need to improve or add
ideas to what you have written.
 When you are ready, read your interviews aloud to your class.

17
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Weather Information
You will need to look for weather information
for this activity. We found that the information
given in the free local community newspapers
is very simple and straightforward. These
newspapers give the expected maximum
temperature for 3 or 4 days. They use symbols
to show what kind of weather is expected on
those days. The direction of the wind is
included. And the times of high tide and low
tide are given.

The Cape Times also provides a fairly easy-to-

read Weather Outlook. There is a map that
shows a number of main towns in the Western
Cape. Symbols on the map indicate the kind of
expected weather for these towns for two
days. And the maximum temperature is also
printed on these two maps. The Cape Times
also includes national and international,
minimum and maximum temperatures.

The Weatherwatch in The Argus gives even

more information, including the phases of the
moon. In Die Burger there are 3 maps. In
addition to the main map for the day, there are
2 others. One map shows the high and low
pressure systems, and the smallest map shows
the height of the waves in the sea.

What you will need

You will need to choose which information is
most suitable for your learners. Then you need
enough copies of the Weather Information so
that each pair or small group of children in
your class has one. You may choose to collect
all the weather information from one news-
paper. Or you may prefer to use a mix of infor-
mation to meet the differing needs of your
learners. Cut out the Weather Information.
Then plan some questions that will encourage
your learners to think, talk and listen to one
another, and then read and write what they
find.
 What information is given with the
weather information?
18
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 Which people might need the different kinds of information? Why?
 How does it help us if we know what the weather will be like?
 Why would somebody want to know what the temperature is in
Johannesburg?
 Why would somebody want to know the direction and strength of
the wind?

Weather Information (2)

You will need to collect samples of
weather information from two
different daily papers. You will need
to give each group of learners a
sample. (You could use one example
from the Cape Times and another
example from The Argus. Then you
would need to make enough copies of
each sample to give each group one.)
Put each set of information in an enve-
lope or a plastic bag. Then write
instructions on the outside of the enve-
lopes or plastic bags.

For example:
 Compare the two sets of weather
information. One paper is a morning
paper. The other paper is an evening
paper.
 What tells you
the other report
comes from a
morning paper?
How do you
know?
 Why do you
think the
other report is
from an
evening
paper?
 In what
ways are
these two
sets of infor-
mation the same?
 In what ways are they different?
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TV Information
Another source of information that is provided in both The Sunday
Times and the daily newspapers is the TV Programme Guide. We have
found that when children are interested in something they will enjoy
talking, reading and writing about it.

Introducing the activity

You could begin by having a discussion
with your learners about the
programmes they like to
watch on TV. Even chil-
dren who do not live in a
home with a TV frequently
have chances to watch TV.
Daily newspapers will only
provide the programmes for
the day of issue. Local commu-
nity papers don’t seem to
include this information in their
pages. The Sunday Times
provides information on
programmes for the whole week.
You will need to choose what is
appropriate for your learners.

You will need enough copies of the TV Programmes to give

each group of learners the guide for 3 different days. You will also need
to plan some questions to give the learners. The first time you carry
out this activity, try to plan just one set of questions that will work for
all the Programme Guides you give your learners. But you want to plan
questions that will encourage your learners to think, to talk to each
other, and to read and write.

Here are some questions we suggested:

 What are your favourite programmes?
 Why do you like them?
 What days are they shown on TV and at what time?
 What is your favourite channel? Why?
 Do you all have the same favourites?
 What languages is the News given in on SABC 1 at 19:30?
 List the programmes that are shown (screened) every day on one
TV channel.
 Which channel screens the most movies?
 Which channel screens the most sport?

20
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You could extend Grade 6s and Grade 7s by including a deeper probing
question:

What can you tell from carefully reading what is shown on each
channel? Do channels have special focuses? Do they target the same
audience? What do you think about this?

Horoscopes
The Cape Times usually has a page
called, Your Day. This page has the TV
Programme guide, the cartoons, horo-
scopes and other entertainment. In The
Cape Times the horoscopes are enti-
tled, Your Luck Today. In The Argus
you will find the ‘Star Guide’ on the
back of the Classifieds supplement.

We suggest you collect and cut out

enough Horoscopes so that each pair
has one to work with. Put each Horo-
scope in an envelope or plastic bag and
then write some instructions on the
outside.

For example:
 Read your Horoscopes for the day.
 What has the Astrologer predicted
for you both for the day?
 Make a list of the names of all your
friends.
 Ask your friends when their birth-
days are. Write their birthdays
down next to their names.
 Then read your friends’ Horoscopes.
 In what ways are the Horoscopes different?
 In what ways are they similar?
 Now make up and write a Horoscope for the next day for each ‘star’
or sign of the Zodiac.
Newspaper ads
Alternatively you could collect and cut out the horoscopes from If you want to work with
different daily newspapers. Then you can give each pair the horoscope newspaper advertise-
from the morning and the evening papers of the same day. The children ments, you will find
suggestions for ways
could then compare the two to see what is similar, and what is
you can do this on page
different. Do they think the horoscopes are written by the same 41 and 42.
person? Why?

21
2 Using Pictures for Whole
Language
Pictures are a wonderful resource for
Intermediate Phase
teachers right across the
curriculum. Somebody said,
“A picture is worth a thou-
sand words” and we think
that’s very true. As primary
school teachers, we urge you
to collect pictures. You will
find pictures in newspapers,
magazines, and elsewhere.
The Early Learning
Resource Unit in Lansdowne
has 5 packs of pictures, with
10 different pictures in each
pack. Each pack has a theme.
 Ikhaya Likhaya (houses)
 Malapa (families)
 Vroom Vroom (transport)
 Work (jobs)
 Speel Speel (play)

The packs are very

The address of reasonably priced and
the Early Learning
Resource Unit
reflect the lives and
experiences of many of
19 Flamingo Crescent
the children in our
Lansdowne
Cape Town country.
South Africa 7789
Tel: 021 762 7500 Ruth Versfeld came to
Fax: 021 762 7528 these workshops and
E-mail: info@elru.co.za shared some of the
www.elru.co.za ideas she uses to get
teachers and learners to
read, discuss and write
about pictures. You will
find these activities in
this section.

22
 2
Raising Questions
So often as teachers we ask all the
questions. And our learners have to
answer the questions. This Whole
Language activity gives learners a
chance to think of and write down
their own questions. The activity
works well whether you and your
learners are working in their first
(or home) language, or in an addi-
tional language.

What you will need

You will need many, many
pictures. Try to have enough so
that you can give each group 3 or
4 pictures to choose from. And you will
need a few large pictures for the introduc-
tory activity. You will also need some flip-
chart paper and some wax crayons or
kokis. And you will need some long strips of paper and
kokis for your learners to record their questions.

Cut out the pictures carefully, and if you want to be able to use them
again and again, laminate them to protect them and make them last.

Introducing the activity

If at all possible, get your learners to bring their chairs to the front of
the class so that they can sit in a group closer to you. You want them all
to be able to see the pictures. If they are sitting at tables, they will
struggle to see and some children may not see what is happening in the
pictures. If you can bring them into a group close to you, this will
create a more intimate atmosphere, and they will feel more relaxed.

Show the children one of the pictures, and give them time to look at it
carefully. Then put the picture on the chalkboard. Get your learners to
talk about what they see. You want them to talk about what is going on
in the picture. When they have commented about what they can see
and what they think about the picture, ask the learners what they
would like to know about the picture. Encourage them to think of inter-
esting questions to which they do not know the answer. Ask them what
they think the people in the picture are thinking or saying. Ask, What
would you like to ask (that person)? What would you like to know?

Although this will take time at first, once the children begin to under-
stand what you are expecting them to do, they will think of questions.

23
2
And the more questions they ask, the more
they will think of. One question will make
somebody else think of another question.

Write each question down clearly on a strip of

paper. Then use prestik to stick it down with
one end touching the picture. When you have
written several questions down, and stuck up
your learners’ questions, it will look some-
thing like this!

When you have recorded quite a lot of ques-

tions, get your learners to think of possible
answers to their questions. Encourage them
to give reasons for the answers that they
suggest.

Working in pairs or
small groups
Now let your learners do
this in small groups. Make
sure you have enough
pictures so that you can
give each group 3 or 4
pictures to choose from.
They will have to reach
consensus about which
picture they will work
with. Give them only a
limited amount of time to
choose just one picture.
Then hand out a large
sheet of paper, a wax
crayon, and some prestik.

Get your learners Tell the children that you want them to think of all the questions that
to think of possible they would like to ask about the picture that they have chosen.
answers to their Encourage them to think of interesting questions to which they do not
know the answer. (For example, you don’t want them to write down
questions. Encourage questions like, How many people are in the picture? because they can
them to give reasons see how many – unless it’s a huge crowd! Or, What is the colour of the
for the answers that car? when everybody can see that the car is red.) You want the children
to think of questions that they could think about and discuss later, and
they suggest.
then think of possible answers.

24
 2
Extending the Activity You will find that this activity requires learners to read (pictures), think,
When your learners have expe- speak and listen, think some more, write, read what they’ve written, think
rienced this activity several some more, re-write bits, read again, think some more, and so on. It’s a
long process. And it involves all aspects of language!
times, you could extend the
activity by asking the pairs or
small groups to swap pictures
and questions. Then a pair or
group will have to answer the
questions another group have
thought of. This is quite chal-
lenging. And it is a good way
for learners to see how
important it is to think about
their questions carefully.
Have they worded them so
that whoever reads the
questions will understand
them? Could they make
their questions simpler?

Cropped Pictures
What you will need
You will need to find some good photographs
that are relevant to your learners’ lives and
experiences. Black and white photographs are
fine. You will need to choose the pictures
carefully. And you will need to find at least
20. Each learner will work on her/ his own
picture. And you need to make sure that not
more than 2 or 3 learners have the same
picture to work with.

Mask (cover up) about half of each picture before

you make a master copy. This is very important,
because you will ask your learners to draw in the
part that is missing.

If you have a master copy, you can keep it and use

it again another year, with a different group of
learners.

25
2
Introducing the activity
We have found it works well if
you first show your learners
what you want them to do. You
will need a large picture that
you have not made a copy of. Put
the picture on the board, and
gather your learners around
you. Discuss the picture with
your learners. Ask them to tell
you what they can see
happening in the picture. What
are the people doing? Where are
they? Get your learners to
describe as much as possible.
But don’t take too long. This is
only the introduction to the
activity!!

Then take a piece of paper and

cover over a part of the picture.
Tell your learners that you are
going to give each child a picture
with part of it missing. Tell them
that you want them to draw in
everything that they think is
missing.

Ask them to look really carefully

at the picture, so that they can
make good guesses about what it
missing. Tell the children that
they must draw everything they
think is missing.

26
 2
Drawing
You will need to give your class time to look at
their pictures carefully, before they start to draw.
Their drawings will provide evidence of their
careful observation. While they work you can move
from group to group observing how your learners
work. When you see that a number of children
have finished drawing, encourage the rest of the
class to finish off their drawings.

Sharing and Comparing

Get each learner to share her / his drawing
with another child with the same picture.
The children could either swap their
pictures, or they could describe their
completed pictures to one another. This is an
important part of the activity, and gives the
learners a chance to think about, discuss and
compare their interpretations of the
pictures.

Display your learners’

work
We suggest that you display a
number of these drawings on the
wall of your classroom. Make a
note of the names of the children
whose work you display. Then
when you display other work, you
can make sure that you display
the work of different children. In
this way all your learners will feel
affirmed and valued.

27
2
Speech and Thinking Bubbles
What you will need
You will need a lot of pictures for this activity. You can use black-and-
white or full-colour pictures. Make sure that you have enough pictures
to give each pair or small group one picture.

28
 2
Introducing the activity
Begin by showing your children what you want them to do.
Don’t just rely on spoken instructions. Take a large picture
that you will not be giving to any of the
children in your class. If at all possible,
gather your learners around you and
discuss the picture with them. Ask
them to tell you what they think the
main people in the picture might be
thinking or saying.

When the children make suggestions,

write what they say in a speech
bubble or a thinking bubble. Then
take a small piece of prestik and
stick the speech or thinking bubble
next to the person who is saying or
thinking that. Do the same with the
other people in the picture.

Working in pairs or small groups

Next give each pair or small group a picture. Ask your
learners to discuss the picture that you have given them.
Ask them to think about what the people in their picture are
thinking or saying. Give them time. This is an important part
of the activity. They need to think and talk before they
write.

While the children are talking move around your class and
give each pair or small group several speech and thinking
bubbles. Tell your learners to write in the speech bubbles
what they think the people in their picture might be saying.
If they don’t think the people are speaking, then tell them to
write in the thinking bubbles what they think the people in
their picture are thinking.

Sharing work
When the children have completed writing what they think
the people are thinking and saying, get each pair or small
group to tell the rest of the class about their picture, and
what they think the people are thinking or saying. In this
way, your learners will be thinking, speaking and listening,
and writing and reading. They will be involved in a Whole
Language learning event.

29
2
Marlene told us that a Grade 4 teacher she worked with this year took
a cartoon story with 2 characters (a Mom and a young boy) and cut out
the strips. Over a few days her learners created a story about the mom
and boy and wrote in the conversation between them. The teacher
didn’t worry about the story line. She allowed her learners to write in
what they thought the two people were saying. In this way the teacher
allowed her class to create their own texts. Many Sunday newspapers
now have comic supplements. These could be a wonderful resource for
Intermediate Phase teachers.

Writing Captions
What you will need
You will need quite a lot of pictures without captions for this activity.
You will need at least one picture for each small group. Make sure that
there are at least 2 or 3 people in the picture. You will need to find
pictures that will make your learners think and talk. Make sure that
the pictures are ones that your learners will find interesting, and that
are appropriate and relevant to their interests and experiences.

You could introduce this Introducing the Activity – working together

activity with the activity The first time you get your learners to think about writing captions for
suggested in the first pictures, if it is at all possible, get your learners to bring their chairs to
section of this book, on
the front of the class near the chalkboard. You want everybody to be
page 11.
able to see the picture clearly.

Take one of the pictures you have collected. Either hold up the picture,
or put it on the board. Ask your learners to look at the picture care-
fully. Encourage them to talk about it. Ask them,
 What is happening in the picture?
 What are the people doing?
 What do you think happened before the picture was taken?
 What do you think will happen next?

When you feel that the children have covered most of what is visible in
the picture, tell them that sometimes pictures have captions under
them. A caption sums up what the picture is all about. Ask your
learners to think what you should write as a caption for this picture.
Write each suggestion on a strip of paper. As you write the caption,
repeat the words the child has suggested. When you put it up near the
picture, read it.

When you have several different captions, read them all. Encourage
your learners to read the captions with you. You could ask your
learners to think about the different captions, and to choose the one
they think fits the picture best.

30
 2
Now let the children write captions without you
When your class are familiar with what they need to do to write a
caption, they can work more independently. Give each small group
a picture. Ask your learners to look at their
pictures carefully and
to talk together about
them. Then ask them
to write down their
ideas for appropriate
captions quickly.
You don’t want them to
worry about their hand-
writing and spelling and
grammar. You just want
them to write. They could
write either on recycled
paper or in a rough work-
book.

When they have recorded

their ideas roughly, give
each small group a few
strips of paper to write down
their captions neatly. Then
tell them to choose the
caption(s) that fit the picture
best.

Alternatively, when they share their

pictures and captions with the rest of the
class, the other children could suggest
which caption they think fits the picture
best.

t is happening?
ha
W
doing?
at are they
Wh
?
ha ppen next
to
oing
g
is
t
ha
W

31
2
Rumour Clinic
What you will need
For this activity you will need several pictures that you have not used
with your learners before. You need pictures with which they are not
familiar. And all the pictures need to be about the same topic.

32
 2
1. Tell your learners you are going to play a game. Ask up to 6 children The game shows us
to volunteer to leave the room. Then tell the rest of the class that clearly how careful
you are going to look at a picture together very carefully. You can we need to be when
either choose one of the pictures yourself, or you can let your
we hear something.
learners choose. But you want to work with just one picture.
We need to be wary
2. Get your learners to talk about the picture. Explain that you are
of rumours. Look how
going to put the picture away. Then tell the class that you will soon
much changes in the
invite one of the children outside the classroom to come back in. The
children inside the classroom will help you describe the picture that re-telling!
they have chosen.
3. Invite one of the children back into the classroom. Let your class
describe the picture they have chosen. The child must listen care-
fully to the class as they describe the picture. Do not show this child
the picture.
4. Then invite another child back into the class. Ask the first child who
returned to tell the second child what s / he has been told. Then
invite the third child back into the room. Ask the second child who
returned to repeat what s / he has been told. Continue in this way
until all the children outside the class have heard what was
described in the picture.
5. When the last child of the group that was outside the classroom has
heard the description, or clues, put out all the pictures that you
have on this topic. Ask this last child to choose the picture s/he
thinks is the one that was chosen and described.

Make sure that you reassure this learner, and all the learners that went
outside of the classroom. Don’t let them feel uncomfortable or inade-
quate. Explain that it is very hard to choose the right picture because
messages get distorted (changed). Tell them that it’s difficult to
describe a picture you have seen. But it’s even more difficult to
describe a picture you haven’t seen!

If you do this activity fairly regularly, your children will be quite comfortable
with it. And they won’t lose confidence about their listening and speaking
abilities. The activity requires the speakers to be very clear and specific. It
also requires the listeners to listen very carefully. And the all children will
have to really think.
You could point out to your learners that the title of this game, Rumour
Clinic, is important. The game shows us clearly how careful we need to be
when we hear something. We need to be wary of rumours. Look how much
changes in the re-telling!

33
3 Using Songs and Music
for Whole Language
Music in our Lives
Music plays a big part in our lives. There is music on the radio, music
on the television. When we go to supermarkets and shops, music is
playing in the background. Adverts have music. Music is a big industry.
We sing to express our emotions, our joy, and our sorrow, to celebrate,
to protest. We make music to dance to. From the earliest times our
ancestors also made music to express their feelings and to entertain
themselves, just as we continue to do today.

34
 3
For example:
 What songs / music do you listen to? Why?
 Who are your favourite artists?
 Why do you like them?
 How does their music make you feel?
 Which songs do you like best?
 What songs do you like to sing?
 What about adverts? Which adverts have good
tunes or songs? Do you know the words?

As your learners respond to your questions, write

up their comments and ideas on the flip-chart or on
the chalkboard. Make a mind-map of what they tell
you. This is what the Grade 5s told their teacher at
Manenberg Primary School.

Drawing and Writing to Music

Music and Feelings
What you will need
Choose some music that you really like and which you can play in your
classroom. It might be a good idea to choose some music with no
singing, no words.

35
3
Listening to the Music
Then gather your learners around you, if possible,
either on the carpet or get them to bring their chairs
to the front of the class near the chalkboard. Tell
your learners you are going to play some music for
them to listen to. Tell them that you want them to
be very quiet and to listen very carefully. If you
think it will help, tell them to close their eyes. Then
play the music for them to listen to.

Getting Learners Thinking

When you have played the piece of music through once,
ask your learners, What did it make you think of? Listen
to what the children tell you and write their ideas on the
chalkboard. Then tell your learners that you want them
to draw pictures of what the music makes them think
about and how it makes them feel.

Drawing and Writing

Ask the children to
return to their
tables and give each
child a piece of
paper. Play the
piece of music
again, and let
them draw as the
music is playing.
We think you will
find that this
activity has a
very calming effect on your learners, espe-
cially if the music isn’t too loud or noisy. When
they have spent some time drawing, ask them
to write about what the music made them
think about, and how it made them feel.

Displaying work
Make sure that you display some of this work to
celebrate your learners’ ideas and work. If
possible, try to display work of children who
rarely achieve their potential. This will have an
affirming effect on them and on their attitude to
learning and school experiences.

36
 3
Writing a Story to go with Music
What you will need
You will need to find some music or a song to share with your learners.
Choose music that you think will be a good starting point for writing a
story. You will also need some flip-chart paper and some kokis.

Getting started
If at all possible, get your learners to bring
their chairs to the front of the class near the
chalkboard and gather them around you. Tell
your learners you are going to play some music
for them to listen to. Tell them that you want
them to be very quiet and to listen very care-
fully. If you think it will help, tell them to close
their eyes. Then play the music for them to
listen to.

Discussing the Music

When the piece of music is finished, put up a
sheet of flip-chart paper. Ask your learners,
What did the music make you think of?
Encourage them to talk. Write up their ideas
as they share them. This will help learners who
struggle to write, and it will serve as a
reminder later of what was said in this discus-
sion.

Writing Stories inspired by Music

Then tell your learners that you want them to
work in small groups of 3 or 4 to make up a
story. Tell them that you will play the piece of
music again. Suggest that they make a rough
mind-map of their ideas before they start to
write their story. Then let them return to their desks.

Write up some questions to guide them as they write.

For example
Write up their ideas as they
 How will you begin your story? How do stories begin?
share them. This will help
 Where does your story take place?
learners who struggle to
 What are the people in your story like? write, and it will serve as a
 What do they do? reminder later of what was
 What happens? said in this discussion.
 How do the people in your story feel?
 How does your story end?

37
3
First draft
Tell your learners to write a
rough draft of their story
first. When they have done
this, they could swap stories
with another group and
comment on the other
group’s story. They can
point out where they do not
quite understand some-
thing. They can make
suggestions about spelling
and the order of the story. If
they have any questions
about the story, they can
write these questions on the
back page.

Second draft
When the groups get their original stories back, they
can edit (improve on) them. Then each group can
write out their story neatly and even illustrate it.
You could then compile all the stories and illustra-
tions into a book to put into the book corner of your
class.

We know that when learners see their own work

displayed, they are encouraged to do even better.
And when learners know that their classmates will
read their work, this has a remarkable effect on
their work. They become more critical of writing and
this has a positive effect on their own writing. You
will probably find that the children who really
enjoyed doing this, will write another story for
homework. You could display these stories on your
classroom walls.

In this Whole Language activity, your learners

will have spoken and listened. They will have
written and read, re-written and re-read,
read the work of another group and written
comments, and then re-read their own work
and edited and written a final draft. Throughout
this process everybody will have been thinking
and thinking and thinking.

38
 3
Acting out the Story – for an audience Outside school,
You can extend this activity, and bring in more thinking, speaking and
many primary
listening if you get your learners to act the story. First ask your
school learners
learners to discuss in their groups the story they have co-created. Ask
them to think who could take the different parts or roles. Then get have quite serious
them to think about how they should dramatise the story. responsibilities.
Many of them are
You will need to give them time to do this. But set a limit on the time
capable of much
that your learners have to prepare. If the weather is good, the groups
more than we
could work outside. Because they have to be responsible for producing
their own short plays, you can use this time to observe how they work realise.
together. If a group is not on task, you can
spend time helping them to focus and
explaining that this is work, too. When a
group needs some support, you will be avail-
able to give that support. Your learners will
probably need a whole period to prepare to
act out their stories.

Outside school, many primary school

learners have quite serious responsibilities.
Many of them are capable of much more
than we realise. We often underestimate
what they can do. We will never know how
much they are capable of if we don’t give
them opportunities to show us.

The Performance
When the preparation time is up, arrange a
special time when each group can act out
their story for the rest of the class. Make a
small space for a ‘stage’ in your classroom.
Insist that the other groups make a
respectful audience and listen carefully. Tell
your class that you want them to assess
each other’s plays, and offer suggestions for
improvement.

If your learners enjoy this experience, you

could even suggest that they present their
plays to the rest of the phase or the school.
Alternatively, just the groups who are keen
to do this could do so.

39
3
Songs, raps and spontaneous praise
poetry
What you will need
The first time you try this activity with your learners, choose a song
that you know is popular with your learners. You will need to play the
song several times so that your class can catch the words.

Introducing the activity

Tell your learners that you are going to play a
song for them to listen to. Tell them that you
want them to listen very carefully because you
want them to talk about it. Then play the song.
Listen carefully to the words yourself, as well
as observing your learners and their responses
to the music.

Discussing the song

When the song is over, ask your learners to
talk to one other person. In this way, every-
body in your class will have an opportunity to
talk. Ask your learners to talk about the song
and what they think it is about. What do they
think of the song? Do they like it? Why? While
they are talking play the song again, softly.

Don’t allow too much time for this talk. Keep

an eye on everybody. After a few minutes, stop
your learners and ask them the same questions
(see page 37) that you used to get them to
write stories. This is a good way to monitor
your groups and to check that everybody is on
task. You may even feel it’s a good idea to play
the song again.

Co-creating raps or poems

Then tell your learners to work in groups of 4
to co-create a rap or a poem. Tell them to use
the ideas in the song that you have played for
them. Also tell them to write down their rap or
poem.

You will need to give your learners a reasonable amount of time for
this. While they are busy working at this task, they will be speaking
and listening, writing and reading. And of course, they’ll be thinking!
And you will be able to move from group to group supporting your
learners.
40
 3
Performance Time
When they have completed their raps and / or poems, make a
special time for each group to perform their piece. (You could
do this the next day.) Make a space for a ‘stage’. Encourage
your learners to listen respectfully and to assess each group’s
rap or poem.

Afterwards, give each group a piece of paper and ask them to

write out their rap or poem neatly. Display some of your
learners’ work on the classroom walls. Make sure that the
work you display is not always from the same learners. You
will find that when learners see their work displayed, it
encourages them to do more and to do better.

When you have done this activity several times, you could invite your
learners to bring in songs they like to listen to and to work with in
class. You may well find that your learners want to perform their rap
or poem to other classes. If so, you could negotiate this with either a
teacher who teaches another class in the same grade, or with a teacher
you have a good relationship with.

Looking at the language of adverts

Texts (or pieces of language – written and spoken) come in many There are a number
different shapes and sizes. We get short texts and long texts. Some are of different genres,
formal and some are more informal. When we talk about the different
and the language
kinds of written language, we talk about genres. There are a number of
of adverts is one of
different genres, and the language of adverts is one of those. It is
described as the language of persuasion. those. It is described
as the language of
As we have pointed out already, advertisements on the radio and tele- persuasion.
vision are usually accompanied by music or songs. We know how effec-
tive this is. We hear the same adverts over and over again. We know
what we are going to hear and see. Quite quickly we learn the words,
and can predict what we will hear and / or see next. This is true of our
learners, too.

Setting the task

Set your learners a task to look, listen, and watch for advertisements
for about a week. Tell them to look around them when they are walking
or travelling in the streets. Tell them to listen to the adverts on the
radio. And tell them to watch the advertisements on the TV. You will
also need to be aware of the adverts you see and hear around you. If
possible, tape-record an advert with a song.

Sharing Findings
Then plan a time when you can discuss this with your learners. Start
by asking your learners to work in small groups of 4 to share the
41
3
adverts they heard and liked. Why did they
like the adverts? What product was the advert
promoting? How did the advert make them
feel? Ask your learners to think about the
words that were used in the adverts. Then
conduct a whole class discussion with your
learners. Ask your learners what they found
out when they conducted their research into
advertisements. What songs did they hear?
What were the words? Was the song an old one
that had been adapted? If so, what were the
adaptations? What did they think of the
advert? How did it make them feel?

Thinking about the language of persuasion

Talk with your learners about the words that were used in the adverts
and how those words made them feel. Did they feel that they had to
have the product? Why? Tell your learners that you want them to think
of something else that they would like to advertise. You could choose
one thing for all your groups to advertise. Or you could give each group
something different to advertise. Or you could let each group choose
what they would like to create an advert for.

Designing Advertisements with Songs and Pictures

Encourage your learners to think about the words they use. Get them
to plan their advertisement carefully. Ask them to draw a picture of
what the advert will look like. Get them to think of the song carefully,
and make up appropriate words. Make sure that they write down the
words. As you move from group to group, draw your learners’ atten-
tion to the words that they’ve chosen to use. How effective are the
words? How persuasive are they? Will the advert ‘sell’ the product?

Evaluating one another’s work

Set a limit on the time you give your learners. Monitor their progress
as you move from group to group. When you feel they’ve had enough
time, stop them. Get each group to share their advert with the rest of
the class. Ask your learners to assess each group’s advert for it’s effec-
tiveness and suitability.

Music as a cultural activity

A Discussion
Have a discussion with your learners about music. Ask them to think
about the role music plays in all our lives. Start by asking your learners
to discuss some questions in groups of 4. Ask them to think about
music. Here are some questions you could use:

42
 3
 How did music begin?
 Why did people make music?
 How did they come to make music? What
caused them to make music?
 When did they make music – at what times
of day?
 Where did they sing and make music?
 What did people first do to accompany
themselves when they sang?
 What do your learners think were the first
musical instruments?
 What was the earliest music like?
 Why is the music of different countries different?
 In what ways is the music of different countries similar?
 What is the same today as it was when the first songs were sung?

We are sure you will think of more

questions. These are just a few to
start your discussion. Watch as
your learners discuss these ques-
tions. You will see who is partici-
pating enthusiastically. You may be
surprised at the interest of some of
your learners.

After a time, stop your learners and

conduct a class discussion with
them. As they share their ideas,
record their comments and
thoughts in the form of a mind-map.
Then ask each group to make up a
story of how the earliest people
began to make music. They will
have had a chance to think about
this in both their group discussions
and the class discussion.

This might take your learners some time if they are thinking carefully about
what they are writing. When they have completed the first drafts of their
stories, get the groups to swap and comment on each other’s work. Give
them time to edit their work, and to take note of the comments of their
peers. Then get your learners to write a neat final draft and make a drawing
to illustrate their story. You could collect these stories and drawings and
make a class book of your learners’ work. You could give the book the title,
How We Think Music Started and put it in your book corner.
43
 Conclusion
“ . . . Invite pupils to
We hope you find the ideas in this booklet inspiring. And we would
use language. Get really like to hear about your experiences as you carry out these activi-
them to talk about ties with your learners. When we ran the workshops at the PSP we
things they need to were so excited by the stories the teachers told us of their experiences
understand. Show trialling the activities. And going into schools to take photographs for
this booklet, we’ve been excited by the teachers’ enthusiasm as well as
them it’s all right to
the evidence of learners using all aspects of language in these activi-
ask questions and ties.
listen to the answers,
and then to react or We would like to conclude this booklet with some words from Kenneth
Goodman about using a Whole Language approach.
ask more questions.
“ . . . Invite pupils to use language. Get them to talk about things
they need to understand. Show them it’s all right to ask questions
and listen to the answers, and then to react or ask more questions.
Suggest that they write about what happens to them, so they can
come to grips with their experiences and share them with others.

Encourage them to read for information, to cope with the print that
surrounds them everywhere, to enjoy a good story.

This way, teachers can work with children in the natural direction of
their growth. Language learning then becomes as easy in school as
out. And it’s more interesting, more stimulating, and more fun for
the kids and their teachers. What happens in school supports and
expands what happens outside of school. Whole language programs
get it all together: the language, the culture, the community, the
Kenneth Goodman learner, and the teacher.

44
 It’s easy when:
It’s real and natural.
It’s whole.
It’s sensible.
It’s interesting.
It’s relevant.
It belongs to the learner.
It’s part of a real event.
It has social utility.
It has purpose for the learner.
The learner chooses to use it.
It’s accessible to the learner.
The learner has power to use it.
It’s hard when:
It’s artificial.
It’s broken into bits and pieces.
It’s nonsense.
It’s dull and uninteresting.
It’s irrelevant to the learner.
It belongs to somebody else.
It’s out of context.
It has no social value.
It has no discernible purpose.
It’s imposed by someone else.
It’s inaccessible.
The learner is powerless.

These lists show that a whole language program is more pleasant and
more fun for both pupils and teachers. Is it also more effective? Yes,
it is. With the language they’ve already learned, children bring to
school their natural tendency to want to make sense of the world.
When schools break language into bits and pieces, sense becomes
nonsense. Each abstract bit and piece that is learned is soon
forgotten as kids go on to further fractured fragments. In the end,
they begin to think of school as a place where nothing ever seems to
make sense.

That’s why learning language in the real world is easy, and learning
language in school should be easy, but is often hard.”

(From What’s Whole in Whole Language by Ken Goodman 2005: 4-5)

If your school separates reading, writing, talking (oral) and spelling

into different periods, try to get the teachers together to talk. Talk to
your colleagues about how this way of learning (separating different
aspects of language) is more difficult. Show them what your learners
are doing and encourage them to work in the same way. If you are
confident, offer to teach a lesson with another teacher.

45
Teachers who attended the Whole
Language Workshops in 2006
ACJ Pakade Luzuko St Louis
Mr Luthando Mbete Mr Nkosinathi Mafuta Ms Nombulelo Dlova
Mr Isaac Mcinziba Ms Innocentia Monethi
Mr Sindisa Tobi
Mr Xolile Plaatjies Sakumlandela
Manenberg
Bonga Ms Ntsiki Daniel
Ms A Africa
Ms Lulama Booi Sigcawu
Ms Gladys VD Heyde
Mr Thomas Mdevulana Ms Shirley Da Grass
Ms Fuldila Jacobs
Bongolethu Ms Christina Leite Ms Noluntu Tonise
Ms Vuyiswa Obose Ms Rosemary Piedt V Van Wyk
Ms Lumka Pepeta Silukhanyo
Mfuleni
Darul Islam Ms Lizeka Dyani
Ms Buyiswa Booi
Aisha Abrahams BJ Rubushe
Ms Zukiswa Manyisane
Eisleben HM Siwundla
Ms Regina Sampson Mr Tobela Mbenenge
Siyazakha
Ms Elon Van Schalkwyk Ms Thandiswa Mfobo Ms Nozikhumbuzo Gqeza
Ms Deseree Voges Ms Barbara Mhlambiso Sosebenza
Fairview Ms Nozipho September TV Tikilili
Ms Sabrina Sasman Ms Vuyiswa Stevens TV Nofemele
Hlengisa Nal’kamva Ms WM Hamza
Ms Peliswa Mlindi J Mayongo
Mr Vuyani Jako
Ikhusi Talfalah
Mr Siyabubela Mbokotho
Ms Ntombizakothi Dziba S Habib
Mr Vukile Mntambo
Impendulo Mr Samir Daniels
Ms Monica Mpepho
Mr Linley Tshoki Vuselela
Mr Zibele Nyiko Ms Pheleza Ngculu
Intshinga
Ms Bushy Tybosch Nkazimlo Watsonia
Ms Ntombizonke Nkosi Mr Mncedisi Jacob Ms Norma Williams
Ms Nomonde Mlozana Ms Mary-Joan Swartz
Isikhokelo
Mr Mzingisi Ntshwanti
Ms Doreen Donkrag Zimasa
Ms Carol Guqa Parkfields N Magodla
T Mjaleni Ms Diane Williams
Ms Nolitha Puta Philippi K
W Batala
Kwa-Faku Special thanks to Fuldila
BC Nohayi
Mr Sizwe Matomela Jacobs and Gladys vd Heyde of
Portavue Manenberg Primary, and Tobela
Liwa
Ms Noorbanu Dhansay-El Mbenenge of Mfuleni Primary
Ms Noluthando Banzana for their time and help trialling
Feky
Moshe Lechoo activities.

46
 WESTERN CAPE
PRIMARY SCIENCE PROGRAMME
TRUST (PSP)

The PSP is an in-service education organisation that supports primary school

teachers in the field of Natural Sciences and related learning areas particularly in
township primary schools in the Western Cape. We are based at the Edith
Stephens Wetland Park, Philippi, situated close to many disadvantaged
communities in the Cape Flats.

The PSP has been operating since 1984 and has built up good relationships with
over 200 primary schools from all the township areas, including the Boland and
West Coast rural areas. More than 1 050 teachers from grades 4 to 7 and 126 000
children benefit from the work of the PSP.

The PSP works in an environment where most teachers and learners have to
operate in a 2nd or 3rd additional language. We therefore also work on developing
learners’ communication skills while focusing on science related learning areas and
environment.

The PSP currently operates with a complement of nine staff.

CONTACT DETAILS
Western Cape Primary Science Programme (PSP)
Edith Stephens Wetland Park ; Lansdowne Road ;
Philippi ; Cape Flats ; 7785
P.O. Box 24158; Lansdowne; 7779 ; South Africa
Tel: (021) 6919039 ; Fax: (021) 6916350
e-mail: info@psp.org.za ; website: www.psp.org.za

NPO: 015-822
Registration Number: IT2806/99