Whole Language - Foundation Phase

WHOLE LANGUAGE in the Foundation Phase

Course written and presented by Viv Kenyon Layout by Welma Odendaal Getting Foundation Phase Learners Writing and Getting Foundation Phase Learners Reading, are also available from the PSP.

Contents A Whole Language Approach in the Foundation Phase Introduction

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Using Newspapers for Whole Language

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Using Pictures for Whole Language

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Using Songs and Music for Whole Language

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Conclusion

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Introduction This year our Language workshops at the PSP have focused on a Whole Language approach to language learning and teaching. Each term we focused on just one of three readily available resources to use in the primary classroom. And we have suggested ways that Foundation 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 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 experience. Speaking doesn’t happen on its own. It takes place alongside listening reading, writing and thinking. It is deliberately integrated with thinking, listening, writing and reading. 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.

A Whole Language approach means making sure that learners have opportunities to use and develop all aspects of language … It means that learners are required to think, listen, speak, write and read when they carry out any learning experience.

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Yetta and Kenneth Goodman have spent decades observing young children and their approach to learning both inside and outside schools. They 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 different 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 (for example spelling), it is much more difficult to make the activity meaningful.

What you will find in this booklet

Whole Language encourages learners to use all aspects of language.

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You will find that the activities and experiences we suggest 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 Studies, or Life Skills. 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.

They may be focusing on an aspect of Social Studies, or Life Skills. 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 for Whole Language learning experiences.  The second section suggests ways to use pictures to get your learners thinking, speaking, listening, writing and reading.  And the third section provides suggestions for ways to use music for Whole Language learning and teaching.

Pairs and Small Groups In this booklet we often suggest that you encourage your learners to work either in pairs or small groups. When you ask your learners to work with a partner, you will find that all the children get a chance to speak. When children work in small groups, they also have more opportunities to speak than when they are in large groups. If you are serious about adopting a Whole Language approach in your class, you will need to give your learners numerous chances to speak, to listen, to read and write, and to think. One of the best ways to achieve this is to get them to work in pairs or small groups.

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Using Newspapers for Whole Language All the activities in this section involve using newspapers or parts of newspapers. We are aware that Grade Rs and Grade 1s are unlikely to be able to read newspapers. But we also understand that children know that newspapers exist. And free community newspapers are delivered each week to households. Many schools receive copies of the Sunday Times each week during term time for teachers to use as a learning and teaching resource. Although we did not use this particular paper in our workshops, teachers could use parts of the Sunday Times for several of the suggested activities. At the workshops where we focused on using newspapers, we found that the structure 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, local community newspapers that report on neighbourhood issues and events.

What do we know about Newspapers? All Grades You can do this with all Grades of learners in the Foundation Phase. Even though Grade Rs aren’t reading, they know that people do write and read. And it’s very important that they have opportunities to see the words they say, recorded in print. Experiences like this are important emergent literacy lessons.

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1 What you will need You will need a large sheet of paper (flip-chart paper works well), and some kokis. In the middle of the sheet of paper write the word Newspapers, in preparation for making a spider-web (or mind-map).

What do we know? Start off by gathering your learners around you informally. Then ask your class, What is a newspaper? When the children respond, write their responses on the mind-map. Here are a number of other questions you can ask to prompt your children to think about what we find in newspapers, who makes them, and why we buy newspapers.  What’s in a newspaper?  What are they about?  How do stories get into the newspaper?  Who writes the stories?  Who takes the photos?  How do these people find out what’s happening?  Where can you buy newspapers?  How much do they cost?  Where are they made / put together?

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1  Who buys newspapers?  Why do people buy newspapers?  Where do you start to read when you read a newspaper?

 Do you know anyone who reads a newspaper? What do they like to read about?  Have you seen your community newspaper? Do you know that it is free? Try this activity with your learners. We think you will be surprised at how much your learners know – even the very youngest!

Beetle Drive Grade 2s and Grade 3s

SKIMMING We skim a text (look through it quickly) when we want to get an idea of what the text is about. We scan a text when we want to find a specific word, or specific information.

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This is a wonderful activity for teaching Grade 2 and Grade 3 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 copies of the questions.

1 Introducing the activity Tell your learners that you have arranged a competition. Tell them that you are going to give each group a list of questions and that you want the whole group to help to find the answers to all the questions. Then hand out a piece of paper to each group with several copies of the questions. Tell your learners that you want them to look for the answers to the questions in the newspaper. Tell them that they must look quickly for the answers. They must not read every word. They must just look for the words or picture that answers the question.

Modelling, Skimming and Scanning 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. You may want to read all the questions aloud the first time you carry out this activity. After reading aloud each question, give your learners time to hunt for the answer. Encourage them to discuss in their groups where the answer might be. Although this will take longer, you will be supporting your learners as they become familiar with a newspaper.

Checking answers 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 sit quietly. Give your learners a reasonable time to find the answers. But don’t wait until everybody has finished.

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1 When you feel that most of the children have managed to find the answers, stop them. Give each table a chance to answer a question. Encourage some of the less confident learners to share an answer. Each time an answer is given, check with the whole class that they children have found the correct answer. Look in the paper with the whole class. You will find that your children have to read the questions. They will probably discuss (listen and speak) where the answer might be. Then they will have to scan (read quickly) the paper for the information. When they have found the information, they will have to record it (write). And throughout the activity your learners will be thinking. They will be involved in a whole language activity.

Using Newspaper Photographs There are several ways that you can use pictures from newspapers with your learners. In this section we have three suggestions.

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1 Using Newspaper Photos to make up Stories All Grades What you will need You will need 2 quite large photographs from the newspaper. Look for photos that show people doing something. You may need to look through several papers to find photos that you feel are appropriate for your learners, and that they will find interesting. If you mount and laminate the photograph, it will last for a long time.

Make sure that you have some large sheets of flip-chart paper and some wax crayons or kokis.

Introducing the activity Gather your learners around you. Then hold up one of the newspaper photographs for your learners to look at. Ask them to look at the picture carefully. Ask them  What is happening in the picture?  What do you think happened before the photo was taken?  And what do you think happened afterwards?

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1 Try to get some of the quieter children in your class to respond. You may well find that the children who aren’t the most fluent readers in the class, might be very good at reading pictures. You can ask lots of interesting questions, based on each photo. Then show the next newspaper photograph and get your learners to discuss that picture in the same way. Tell your learners that you want them to help you make up a story about one of the pictures. Ask them to choose one of the pictures. Ask them, Which photograph do you find really interesting? Why?

Shared Writing When your learners have reached consensus about which photograph they want to work with, ask your learners to help you start the story.  What is happening in the picture?  What are the people doing?  What would be a good way to start the story? As the children offer their ideas, write them down. Try to write exactly what your learners say. This is especially important if you are working with Grade Rs or Grade 1s. They will remember what they have dictated. This is an important stage in learning to read. After you write each sentence, get your learners to read aloud, with you, all the sentences they have dictated and that you have written down.

A chance to edit When the story is complete, read it aloud to your learners just as if you were telling the story. Read naturally. Don’t read word by word. Try to read in phrases, just as we speak. Ask your learners if there is anything that they want to change. In this way, you will be inducting them into the process that a writer goes through when s/he writes an article or a book.

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1 When the story is complete, you can decide if you want to make it into a Big Book. Then your learners could draw pictures to illustrate the text. When you have done this a few times, you may find that you need to find more than 2 pictures to discuss with your learners. You know your learners best. You will know what is appropriate for you and your class.

Working with Grade 2s and Grade 3s If you are working with Grade 2s and Grade 3s, you could give each small group, or pair of learners, 2 or 3 smaller newspaper photos. If you have many pictures, you could even give each group 4 or 5 photos to work with. You could put the newspaper photos in an envelope with instructions for them to read. Then they can choose one photo to work with to co-create a story. Later, when they have finished their stories, they could read them aloud to the rest of the class.

Matching Photos and Captions (Grade 2s and Grade 3s) What you will need You will need a lot of newspaper pictures for this activity. You will need at least 5 pictures for each pair or group to work with. Make sure that you have cut off the captions. But keep the captions and make sure that you put them in the envelope 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!

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1 Introducing the activity Give each group or pair an envelope with several newspaper photographs inside. Ask your learners to take out the pictures one at a time and to look at each one carefully. Next, ask them to take out the captions and to read them. Then ask your learners to match the captions to the newspaper pictures. When you see that most of the learners have matched their captions to their pictures, you could get each pair or group to show one of their pictures and to read one of the captions. LIVE WIRE: Mealie vendor Salina Moekeng inspects a com b under an Eskom power grid Germiston. Moekeng’s rural in home in Frankfort in the Free State has no electricity. River Pass aaiman’s K e th h g throu e floodwed freely declare th o fl to r ic e ff th e ra T wh E PASS: t considers area. PASSABL overnmen g l a disaster a n n o io ti a g n re s a ty y li a a ip rd yeste ict Munic Eden Distr damaged

NO HOPE: A Somali girl feeds her sister at the Dadaab refugee camp in northern Kenya earlier this month. BRIAN BALOYI

: Cairo nightmar

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CAN DO: Modern technology has rea ched “township gu usual Castrol GTX itars”. Instead of the oil can and gut, Se an May, 21, plays electric version, in the modern-day take, an Church Street Mall d .

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1 Working with Headlines (Grades 1 – 3) Headlines are an important part of newspapers. There are several ways that you can work with them and you will find a few suggestions below.

rn Cape

in Easte Heavy rains cause severe floods

345 pilgrims die on hajj

Big stink in Stilbaai over raw sewage in ri

Kersfees kom vroeg

ver

in Oceanview

attacks by s a s e m o h m o fr d e g g People dra ambique z o M d n a ia n a z n a T in lions rise

India keep Pa kistan guessing

Vrou het dalk breinskade ná slangbyt

Garden route N2 collapsing

Veertien beseer t van Pick ’n Pay ioe dak ntuimel What you will need You will need a recent newspaper, flip-chart paper (or newsprint ) and wax crayons or kokis, or chalk and a chalkboard. Go through the paper before you share it with your class. Choose a few headlines that you feel are appropriate for your learners, and that you can share with them.

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1 Introducing the activity When you are with your learners, gather them informally around you. We suggest that with Foundation Phase learners you do not leave them sitting at their desks. If you have them sitting in a semi-circle around you, you will be more likely to hold the attention of all the children. And if they are sitting fairly close to you, they will feel freer to share their thoughts and ideas with you, without fear of saying the wrong thing.

Discussing Headines Show the children the newspaper and read one of the headlines to them. Ask them what they think it means. Discuss the headline with the class. What do they think the story is about? Write up the children’s ideas on the flip-chart paper or on the chalkboard. Then ask your learners to make pictures to illustrate the story they think goes with the headline. When you feel that they have worked carefully on their pictures, display your learners’ drawings together with the headline that they have illustrated.

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1 Split Headlines Grade3s What you will need Go through some papers and look for some headlines that you think are appropriate for the learners you are teaching. Cut out the headlines carefully. You will need enough for each small group or pair of learners to have at least 5 headlines each. And you will need an envelope 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 for the learners to read.

IN A JIFFY Self-sealing plastic bags are great alternatives to envelopes. They are expensive, but will last longer.

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.  Talk with your partner about the story that goes with this headline.  Write the story (or draw a photograph) that goes with the headline.  You can adapt this activity for younger learners if you make it a ‘Shared Writing’ activity.

The adventures of

Bokke speel

of dis nag

an Afghan princess

Spaar krag,

h

Flawless Farouk

Race to p u d e fir

u l l e h a r e d t a e uit k s in e r b lk a d t e h Vrou uts o k c a l b e d Nationwi r e b m i l c y t i save C ná slangb yt on the cards

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1 Headlines and Stories What you will need Go through some papers and look for headlines that you think are appropriate for the learners you are teaching. Cut them out carefully. You will need enough for each pair of learners, or small group, to have at least 3 headlines each. And you will need an envelope for each set of headlines. Put each set of headlines in an envelope. You will need to write instructions on each envelope for the learners to read.

Flawless Farouk

The adventures of

Bokke speel

of dis nag

an Afghan princess

Spaar krag,

e

ad k s in e r b lk a d t e h u Vro

ná slangb

yt

p u d e fir

hulle harte

ts u o k c a l b e Nationwid ve City

sa

Race to

climber

on the cards

For example:  Look at the headlines with a partner.  Choose one headline.  Talk about the story you think is behind the headline. Why do you think this story is in the news?  Together, write the story that goes with the headline.  Draw a picture to go with your story.

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1 Weather Information Grade 3s What you will need You will need to look for weather information for this activity. We have 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 3 or 4 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 the day of issue, as well as the following day. And the maximum temperature is also printed on these two maps. You may feel that some of the information that the Cape Times includes is too difficult for your learners. But you will know what your learners can manage. And you could use the Weather Outlook in the Cape Times just to get your learners to look for, find and read specific information.

Preparing for the activity You will need enough copies of Weather Information for each pair or small group of children in your class to have one. You can use reports from different days. Use easy-to-read Weather Information from the same kind of newspaper (ie the local community paper or a daily paper like The Cape Times). Cut out the Weather Information. Then plan questions to give your learners. Write questions that will encourage them to think, talk and listen to one another, and then read and write what they find.

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1 Introducing the activity Here are a few questions that we feel are appropriate for Foundation Phase learners, based on an example of the Weather Outlook in The Cape Times.  What is the maximum temperature expected in Cape Town?  What is the minimum temperature?  What will the weather be like on (day) in Worcester?  What time is high tide in Table Bay?  What time is low tide?  How does knowing what the weather will be like help us?  Which people might need to know what the weather will be like? Why?

Extending the activity If each group has the information from a different day (or even a different time of year) you could discuss the differences between the learners’ answers, and discuss the time of year when we have the kind of weather indicated in their Weather Outlooks. Your learners might even be inspired to create their own weather chart for the next month. Encourage the children to use some of the symbols they have found in newspapers.

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1 TV Information Grade 2s and Grade 3s 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 children 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 community 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. What you will need You will need to give a copy of the TV Programmes to each pair of learners or small group in your class. Plan some questions to give your 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 is your favourite programme?  Why do you like it?  What day is it shown on TV?  At what time?  What language is the News in on SABC 1 at 17:00?

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Using Pictures for Whole Language Pictures are a wonderful resource for Foundation Phase teachers right across the curriculum. As a Foundation Phase teacher, 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 reasonably priced and reflect the lives and experiences of many of the children in our country.

ELRU ADDRESS The address of the Early Learning Resource Unit is 19 Flamingo Crescent Lansdowne Cape Town South Africa 7789 Tel: 021 762 7500 Fax: 021 762 7528 E-mail: [email protected] www.elru.co.za

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We asked Ruth Versfeld to come and share some of the ideas she uses to get teachers and learners to read, discuss and write about pictures. You will find the activities we experienced at the workshops. We have also included ideas that the teachers carried out with their learners.

2 Raising Questions Very often it is teachers who ask questions and then expect their learners to give the answers. In this activity your learners will have a chance to think of questions that they have.

Working with Grade Rs or Grade 1s What you will need If you teach Grade R or Grade 1, you will need to do this with a group or the whole class so that you can write for your learners. You will need several large pictures or photographs for this activity. Look carefully for pictures or photographs that you know will interest your learners. Pictures that show people just after or just before they do something can be very useful. Also pictures of unusual things. You know your learners, and you will know what will work with them.

You will also need flip-chart paper or newsprint and some wax crayons or kokis. And you will find it useful to have some long strips of paper and something to lean on. You will be recording your learners’ questions on these strips. 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.

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2 Introducing the activity Gather your learners around you, either on the carpet or get them to bring their chairs to the front of the class near the chalkboard. 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. Show the pictures one at a time. Don’t discuss the pictures with your learners yet. Just let them look. They will need a little time to look at each one. When they have had a chance to look at all the pictures you have brought, tell your learners that they must decide on just one picture. Although Grade Rs and Grade 1s are young, you can encourage them to vote. And although they may vote for more than one picture, it is important that they learn to vote, and about reaching consensus.

Raising questions When the class has chosen one of the pictures, use some prestik to put the picture in the middle of a sheet of flip-chart paper, or onto the chalkboard. Then get the children to talk about the picture. Give your learners time to discuss the picture carefully. 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 interesting questions to which they do not know the answer.

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2 Ask them  What do you think the people in the picture are thinking or saying?  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 understand what you are expecting them to do, they will think of questions. And the more questions they ask, the more they will think of. One question will make somebody else think of another question.

Question strips 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 something like this! When you have recorded quite a lot of questions, get your learners to think of possible answers to their questions. You could do this for every question, or you could choose a few questions to work with. Encourage your learners to give reasons for the answers that they suggest.

Working with Grade 2s and Grade 3s Introducing the activity If your learners are in Grade 2 or 3, then they will be able to record their own questions, especially if they work in pairs or small groups. However, when you introduce this activity to your Grade 2s or Grade 3s, we suggest you first carry the activity out with the whole class. In which case, follow the guidelines we’ve suggested for teachers of Grade Rs or Grade 1s.

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2 Choosing a picture When your Grade 2s or 3s understand what you expect of them in this activity, your learners can work in small groups. You will need many many pictures. Try to have enough 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.

Raising Questions Then tell the children that you want them to think of all the questions that they would like to ask about the picture that they have chosen. Encourage them to think of interesting questions to which they do know the answer. (For example, you don’t want them to write down questions like, How many people are in the picture? because they can see how many – unless it’s a huge crowd!) You want them to think of questions that later they could think about and discuss, and possibly think of answers.

Extending the Activity When Grade 3 learners have experienced this activity several 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 challenging, and 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? You will find that this activity requires learners to read (pictures), think, speak and listen, think some more, write, read what they’ve written, think 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!

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2 Cropped Pictures (All Grades) What you will need 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. You want each learner to work on her / his own on a picture. And you need to make sure that not more than 2 or 3 learners have the same picture to work with. Then make a master copy of each picture. If you have a master copy, you can keep it and use it again another year, with a different group of learners. Make sure that you mask (cover up) about half of the picture before you make the master copy. This is very important, because you will ask your learners to draw in the part that is missing.

Introducing the activity We have found it works well if first you show your learners what you want them to do. You will need a large picture so that all the learners can see it clearly. Choose a different one from the ones you have copied. Put the picture on the board, and gather your learners around you. Discuss the picture with your learners. Ask them,  What can you see happening in the picture?  What are the people doing?  Where are they?

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2 Get your learners to describe as much as possible. But don’t take too long. This is only the introduction to the activity!!

Modelling the task

Take a piece of paper and cover 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. You will need to give your class time to look at their pictures carefully, their drawings will provide evidence of their careful observation. While they work you can move from group to group observing how your learners work.

Sharing their drawings When you see that a number of children have finished drawing, encourage the rest of the class to finish off their drawings. Then get each learner to share her / his drawing with a friend. They could either swap their pictures, or they could describe their completed pictures to one another.

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2 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 can feel affirmed and valued. Finally, show your learners the complete version of each photograph or picture. In this way your learners will see how close they came to the original complete picture.

Speech and Thinking Bubbles (Grades 2 and 3) What you will need You will need a lot of pictures for this activity. You can use black-and-white or fullcolour pictures. Make sure that you have enough pictures to give each pair or group of three children one picture.

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. 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 saying or thinking.

Modelling the Activity 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.

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2 Working Independently Next give each pair of children (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.

BIG BOOKS Our friend Marlene Rousseau has been working with teachers in the Plettenberg Bay area. One teacher discussed pictures with her learners and together they co-created stories. The teacher asked her Grade 1s lots of questions and wrote down her learners’ ideas in big speech bubbles. Then they made several BIG BOOKS

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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. 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.

2 Writing Captions What you will need For this activity, you will need pictures that your learners will find interesting, and that are appropriate and relevant to their interests and experiences. If you are working with Grade 2s and Grade 3s you will need at least one picture for each group. If you are working with Grade Rs or Grade 1s, you will need just a few large pictures.

With Grade Rs and Grade 1s Choose some pictures that you know your learners will find interesting. Also, 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. You will also need either a big koki or a fat wax crayons, and some long strips of paper. Make sure you also have some Prestik.

Introducing the activity Gather your learners around you, either on the carpet or get them to bring their chairs to the front of the class near the chalkboard. You want them all to be able to see the pictures clearly. Either hold up one of the pictures, or put it on the board. Ask your learners to look at the picture carefully. Encourage them to talk about the picture.

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2  What is happening in the picture?  What are the people doing?  What do you think they are thinking?  What do you think they are feeling? Why?  What do you think happened before the picture was taken?  What do you think will happen next?

Writing Captions 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. Then put it up near the picture. Again, read the caption in a natural way, just as you would speak. When you have several different captions, read them all. Then read them through again, and 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.

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2 Grade 2s and Grade 3s 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 pair or 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.

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2 Introducing the activity The first time you get your learners to think about writing captions for pictures, follow the guidelines for working with Grade Rs or Grade 1s. In this way you will demonstrate and give your learners a chance to understand what you want them to do.

Working Independently When they are familiar with what they need to do to write a caption, they can work more independently. Give each small group or pair 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 handwriting and spelling and grammar. You just want them to write. They could write either on recycled paper or in a rough workbook. When they have recorded their ideas, give each small group a few strips of paper to write down their captions neatly. Then tell them to choose the one(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.

Rumour Clinic (All Grades) 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.

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2 Introducing the activity Tell your learners you are going to play a game. Ask about 6 children to volunteer to leave the room. Then tell the rest of the class that you are going to look at a picture together very carefully. You can either choose one of the pictures yourself, or you can let your learners choose. Get your learners to talk about the picture. Ask the children inside the classroom to help you describe the picture that you have chosen. Explain that you will put the picture away. Then you will invite one of the children outside the classroom to come back in.

Describing the picture Invite one of the children back into the classroom. Ask your class to describe the picture that they discussed. Tell the child s/he must listen carefully to the description. Do not show this child the picture. 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.

Which Picture? When the last child of the group sent out 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 the classroom. Don’t let them feel uncomfortable, or that they are inadequate. Explain that it is very hard to choose the right picture because messages get distorted (mixed up and 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. 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.

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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. Family members sing. 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. And our earliest ancestors also made music to express their feelings and to entertain themselves. Music also plays an important part in the lives of our learners. What do you know about the music your learners enjoy? Music can be a very powerful resource for us to use in our classrooms. And when we use the interests of our learners as a focus for the curriculum we provide, our learners are more interested and more motivated. And if they are more interested and more motivated, they will be more successful. But before we think about that, let’s think about the music we enjoy. What music do you like? What part does music play in your life? How important is it? What music do you like to listen to? Why? Make a list of some of your favourite pieces of music. When do you sing? What do you like to sing?

What Kinds of Music do your Learners Like? (All Grades) What you will need You will need flip-chart paper (or newsprint) and kokis. Gather your learners around you, either on the carpet or get them to bring their chairs to the front of the class near the chalkboard. In the middle of a sheet of flip-chart paper write the words, Music we Like. Then ask the children questions to get them to talk about the music they like to listen to and to sing.

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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 flipchart or newsprint. Make a mind-map of what they tell you. This is what the Grade 3s told their teacher at St John’s Primary School.

Extending the activity If you discover that there is a song or an advert that many of your learners like and know, ask them to sing the song for you. Then take a clean sheet of flip-chart paper and a koki. Stick the sheet of paper on the chalkboard. Then ask your learners to tell you the words of the song that they particularly like. As the children dictate the words, phrase by phrase, write the words up on the sheet of paper. And as you write, say the word you are writing. When you’ve finished a phrase, line or sentence, read it through. Each time you have written a phrase or line, and you’ve read it through, get your learners to read with you all the phrases, lines or sentences that you have written so far. Even though your Grade Rs and Grade 1s probably can’t read independently, they are learning important lessons about reading and writing when they do this. You are giving them an opportunity to become emergent readers and writers.

A ‘Big Book’ of Songs You could work in this way (doing Shared Writing) with other songs that you sing with your learners, and which they particularly like. You could also ask the children to draw pictures to go with each song. Then you could make a Big Book of their favourite songs.

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3 Groups of children will be able to take the Big Book and ‘read’ the words. When they turn the pages of the Big Book, they will know which song is which, because of the pictures. Some children will recognise the shapes of the words and phrases. And they will be able to sing the songs because they know the words. Some children might start to read some of the words. It’s wonderful when children are given opportunities to learn to read and write in natural ways, with no pressure put on them.

Writing new words for an old song What you will need Another way you can use Shared Writing is to make up some new words for one of the songs that they know well. You will need flipchart paper (or newsprint) and kokis, or you can write on the chalkboard. Choose a song that is fairly simple and which you think you and your learners could make up some new words.

Writing the words Then gather your learners around you, either on the carpet or get them to bring their chairs to the front of the class near the chalkboard. When you have sung the song all the way through with your learners, tell them you would like them to help you make up another verse. You will need to prompt them a little, but as they make suggestions, write up their suggestions on the flip-chart paper (or newsprint) or the chalkboard. Then try to get your learners to refine the suggestions that have been made, and lead them to co-create another verse. Sing the new words with the children and see if it sounds all right. When you are happy with the phrases and words, write them neatly on the paper or board. Then sing the new words again. If you have written the words in a big book, you could add this new verse to the song that you have there.

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3 Drawing and Writing to Music (All Grades) Music and Feelings 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. 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.

Discussing the Music When you have played the piece of music through once, ask your learners  What did it make you think of? Listen to what they 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. 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. We think you will find that this activity has a very calming effect on your learners, especially if the music isn’t loud or noisy.

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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 that you think will be a good starting point for writing a story. You will also need some flip-chart paper (or newsprint) and kokis.

Introducing the activity Gather your learners around you, 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.

Shared Writing 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. Then tell them that you want them to help you make up a story. Ask,  How shall we begin our story?  How do stories begin? When one of the children suggests a beginning, write up their suggestion on the flip-chart paper. Then read it through. If your learners are in Grade 2 or Grade 3, get them to read with you when you read. If you teach Grade Rs or Grade 1s, read the sentence or phrase first, and then get the children to read it with you the second time. Ask your learners  What shall we write next? Again, write up what the children say – exactly as they say it. This is important because they will remember what they have dictated. Also, when you have completed the story, you can check that they are happy with the story that they have co-created. Continue in this way until the story is finished. Each time you add a new sentence, say the words as you are writing them. When you’ve finished writing the sentence, get your learners to read the sentence with you. Then read all the sentences you’ve written so far. Read in a natural way, just as you would tell a story. Don’t read in a stilted unnatural way.

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3 Editing the writing When the story is finished, ask your learners if they would like to make some changes. This will give you an opportunity to model how we edit writing (improve on our first rough draft). Take a different coloured pen and write in the changes your learners suggest. Then get your learners to read the story through again. By doing this your learners will experience process writing, drafting, editing, and then writing a final draft. In this activity, your learners will have done a lot of thinking. They will also have spoken and listened. And they will have read, while you have written down their ideas.

Extending the Activity You can extend this activity, and bring in more thinking, speaking and listening if you get your learners to act the story. First discuss the

story you have co-created with your learners. Then ask your class who they think should take the different parts. Get them to think about how they should dramatise the story. Invite the children to start to act out the story. Talk about how each part should be acted as you go along. Even very young children can do this. You can suggest that they act their story again at break-time, after eating their sandwiches. In a book, Wally’s Stories, Vivian Gussin Paley, a kindergarten teacher in Chicago, has described how she did this on a daily basis with her children. We often underestimate what young learners can do. We will never know how much they are capable of if we don’t give them opportunities to show us.

LEARNERS’ STORIES Vivian Gussin Paley used to write down the stories her learners dictated, and then later in the day, they acted out one or two stories. The children helped Vivian Gussin Paley to select the actors, and then to direct how the story was acted out.

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3 Rhythm A fundamental (basic) part of music is rhythm. In fact rhythm is an unconscious part of all we do. It is part of our speech and language. Children have a strong sense of rhythm. And we can build on this sense by raising their awareness of the rhythm in language.

Clapping Rhythms Gather your learners around you, either on the carpet or get them to bring their chairs to the front of the class near the chalkboard. Tell them that you are going to clap a pattern and you want them to listen very carefully because you want them to clap the same pattern back to you. Sometimes, for variety, clap with your flat hand on your chest. Your chest cavity will act as a drum!

Keep it simple Make sure that the first pattern you clap is very simple. Then ask your learners to clap the same pattern back to you. Don’t clap with them. Just listen. Then clap another simple pattern that’s a little different. Again, don’t clap with your class. Just listen.

Observing learners Do this several times. When you listen, look around at your learners. You may also notice the children who are not quite managing. This is a good opportunity for you to observe your learners in terms of their listening, hearing, and sense of rhythm.

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3 Then take one of your learner’s names that has just two syllables (eg Nomsa, Riaan, Sipho, Tracey), and clap two slow claps, one for each syllable. Say the learner’s name as you clap, emphasising each syllable with each clap. Then take a child’s name that has three syllables ( eg Christopher, Gcobisa). You will find that when we say these names, the syllables are not all the same length. Clap the name just as we say it. You will either have two quick claps and one long one, or one long clap and two quick ones.

Rhythm in Poetry We have found that children really enjoy poetry. Sometimes when they are becoming independent readers they choose to read poetry because of the rhythm in the language. The words can also be predictable, so beginning readers can make intelligent guesses about the words. We also think poetry can be less intimidating to beginning readers because the lines are shorter! At the workshop we took the following traditional English poem and recited it as a choral poem.

The Cat, the Mouse and the Bumble Bee A Cat came fiddling out of a barn With a pair of bagpipes under his arm. He could sing nothing but “Fiddle –de-dee, The mouse has married the bumble bee.” Pipe, cat, dance, mouse, We’ll have a wedding at out good house. Some of the teachers recited the whole poem, while others repeated one line over and over again – at the same time. Another group repeated a different line. This really emphasised the rhythm of the words. It was like a three part song!

Choral Poetry Choose a short poem appropriate for your learners and teach them the words of the poem. Then invite part of the class to repeat one of the lines over and over again. Ask another part of the class to repeat a different line over and over again. And then ask the rest of your learners to recite the poem. In this way some of your learners will be providing a verbal rhythmic backing to the poem. If you have some percussion instruments that you have made with your learners, they could use these instruments to emphasise the rhythm as they repeat the words of the poem. We think you and your learners will find that the percussion instruments and the repeated words make a wonderful accompaniment to the poem.

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

We hope you find the ideas in this booklet inspiring. And we would really like to hear about your experiences of carrying out the suggested activities with your learners. When we ran the workshops at the PSP we were so excited by the stories the teachers told us of their experiences trialling the activities. We were all surprised by just how much even the youngest children could do. We realised that we all underestimate children and forget just how much they are capable of doing. We would like to conclude this booklet with some words from Kenneth Goodman about using a Whole Language approach. “ . . . 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.

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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 learner, and the teacher. It’s easy when:

It’s hard when:

It’s real and natural.

It’s artificial.

It’s whole.

It’s broken into bits and pieces.

It’s sensible.

It’s nonsense.

It’s interesting.

It’s dull and uninteresting.

It’s relevant.

It’s irrelevant to the learner.

It belongs to the learner.

It belongs to somebody else.

It’s part of a real event.

It’s out of context.

It has social utility.

It has no social value.

It has purpose for the learner.

It has no discernible purpose.

The learner chooses to use it.

It’s imposed by someone else.

It’s accessible to the learner.

It’s inaccessible.

The learner has power to use it.

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)

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Teachers who attended the Whole Language Workshops in 2006 Eisleben

Luzuko

Parkdene

Ms Nokuxola Matinise

Ms Lorraine Hazner

Ms Nomalungelo Matole

Ms Riva Mentoor

Ms Sinthea Koks

Ms Nokuzola Ncayo

Parkfields

Ms Nomandithini Molteno

Ms Sharon La Kay

Ms Nompilo Ngalo

Ms Rochan Arieff-Herbert

Ms Thandiwe Tandazo

Ms Martha Meiring

Ms Zoleka Tshayi

Primrose Park

Siviwe

Ms Gail Symonds

Manenberg

Ms Carol Anne Birch

Ms Nandipha Mkonto

Entshona

Ms Badronesa Abrahams

Ms Jenny-Lynn Kruser

Ms Doris Mtshibe

Ms Nokwanda Mqhayi

Ms Juanita Adonis

Qingqa-Mtwana

Ms Nomsa Soshweshwe

Ms Noluthando Phaliso

Ms Asieya Johnson

Ms NB Kedama

Ms Nonkosi Sovara

Ms Thelisa Thamsanqa

Ms Gillian McCree

St John’s

Siyazakha

Hlengisa

Ms Jacqueline Petersen

Ms Charlene Hans

Ms Linda Matshingana

Ms Lillian Dyantjies

Ms Rosemary Piedt

Ms Natasha Hartogh

Ms Nokuthula Mxesibe

Ms Nothemba Mgetu

Ms Nabewisa Roelt

Ms Joan Louw

Ms Queenie Ndlovu

Ms Fundiswa Njemla

Masiphumelele

Ms A Magnet

Siyazingisa

Ms Welekazi Qwaka

Ms Tenjiwe Mabaso

Ms Francesca Pillay

Ms Bukiwe Daniels

Impendulo

Ms Neliswa Mangona

Mercial Stanfield

Ms Nodumo Gulwa

Ms Thunyiwe Bam

Ms Zukiswa Ntamo

Ms Jenny Steenkamp

Ms Andiswa Mdebuka

Ms Nomonde Fikizolo

Mfuleni

Ms Yvette van Tonder

Ms Nomnqweno Mlozana

Ms Thandiwe Johns

Ms Nokuzola Dlikilili

St Louis

Ms Doreen Morrison

Ms Nokuzola Majivolo

Ms Noluthando Ntshele

Ms Dorothy Dunyo

Ms Noloyiso Mtimba

Ms Nomawethu Ngwane

Ms Nocawe Ntshokoma

Ms Nikki Ngcukana

Ms Cebisa Mzolo

Ms Nocawe Mkhosi

Mseki

Sakumlandela

Ms Ncediwe Ndleleni

Ms Nontobeko Mutlane

Ms Nomathamsanqa Hoyi

Ms Bukelwa Babu

Ms Mary-Ann Ntsane

Ms Zanele Nqolo

Ms Buyiswa Ludonga

Ms Ntsiki Daniel

Ms Mandisa Peko

Ms Margaret Sikiti

Ms Stella Makeleni

Ms Mandisa Jonas

Ms Ntsikie Sidyiyo

Ms Thozama Zilwa

Ms Bulelwa Mgqoki

Ms Pinky Mgijima

Ms Jenie Stulweni

Inkazimlo

Ms Nomvuyo Ndlela

Ms Pumeza Mtambeka

Sobambisana

Ms SN Gobo

Nalikamva

Ms Monica Ndinisa

Ms Maureen Lekker

Ms Luntukazi Kwetana

Ms Christina Ndlangisa

Ms Yolisa Siyengo

Umnqopiso

Ms Gloria Majambe

Ms Mirriam Qolo

Samora Machel

Ms YC Qavane

Ms V Makiva

Ms Nosipho September

Ms Vuyokazi Mgwele

Ms G Tshaka

Ms TE Mapitiza

Ms Lumka Mlondweni

Vuyani

Isikhokelo

Ms Noluthando Tshakambulashe

Ms Noluvuyo Macanda

Ms Nombeko Mpikashe

Naluxolo

Ms Nomtamsanqa Mzingaye

Ms Senamela Tsheyohalo

Ms Nomfusi Dlaku

Ms Luleka Nakani

Ms BN Quva

JS Klopper

Ms Nolawe Dyantyi

Ms Nokuzola Sikeyi

Yomelela

Ms Louise Daniels

Ms Bongiswe Jacob

Ms Salma Sixubane

Ms Thembeka Nama

Ms Natalie Marinus

Ms Namhla Mahlati

Ms Koliswa Siyanga

Ms Julia Sipamla

Ms Dorothy September

Ms Nomthandazo Maqasho

Ms Nomfundiso Siyotula

Ms Lungiswa Nyathi

Ms Lindiwe Banjwa

Ms PB Nkele

Ms Neliswa Gcwabe

Liwa Ms Xoliswa Lunika Ms Nombulelo Ngxamngxa

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Silukhanyo

Ms Thandile Gqamlana

Ms Sindiswa Mfobo

Special thanks to Charlene Hans of St John’s Primary School, and Noluvuyo Macanda of Vuyani Primary School for their help and support in trialling activities.

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: [email protected] ; website: www.psp.org.za NPO: 015-822 Registration Number: IT2806/99