Systemic Language Learning Programme for Foundation Phase by Hilda Licht and Joan Setshedi
(Salient Press)
If you’re looking for useful teaching materials to help lay a solid and thorough foundation for learners to ensure that, by the end of grade three, they can read and speak easily, this set of books is what you need.
Aimed at foundation phase learners and teachers, the books are also packed with valuable teaching lessons suitable for seasoned and newly qualified educators and their learners. The layout and lesson plans, for example, are easy to read and understand.
But some of the learning outcomes (LO) and the assessment standards (AS) in the series do not correspond with the KwaZulu-Natal document on foundation phase learning outcomes and assessment standards. This could create confusion for teachers in the province when they plan lessons.
For example, according to the books, in lesson plan one the literacy theme: “This is me”, LO 2 (learning outcome two) and AS 1 (Assessment Standards one) requires learners to respond to simple questions with single words or familiar phrases. But the province’s foundation phase LO 2 and AS 1 talks about “feelings and news”.
Learners will find the teaching and learning activities in the books exciting because there are many stimulating games, puzzles, songs and rhymes.
Educators will also benefit. The books include many suggestions for teaching literacy.
The books recommend that, when reading sentences on the board, the educator should read aloud and point to the word. But I think one can also add that the “educator must make reference to the spaces between the words” to teach learners to construct fluent sentences instead of writing long, unbroken sentences.
The books encourage learners to read newspapers. They also advocate reading magazines and materials to do with the environment.
In addition, the books emphasise the important role an educator plays to establish the word bank (vocabulary) through the use of letter cards.
Furthermore, it promotes the simultaneous teaching of sound and the formation of letters to ensure learners know how to integrate sounds, letters and writing.
Music is always a fun way to teach young learners and the books use songs to convey the message, for example the song C for Cathy.
The books encourage educators to question learners to test their understanding.
Despite a few shortcomings, both the teachers’ and learners’ books are useful and user-friendly. The language style is good and the choice of words effective. The pictures and colourful diagrams will be popular with both educators and learners.
Sarina Maharaj is head of the foundation phase at Swanval Primary School in Phoenix in KwaZulu-Natal