A STELLAR teacher in every sense!
23/07/2025
Grade R teacher Charles Mokoena at Dirk Boshoff Primary School is changing early childhood education in South Africa. Through Wordworks’ STELLAR Home Language Programme, he’s enhancing children’s language development, vocabulary, and reading skills while supporting home-school partnerships.
Bringing literacy to life in the classroom
Charles’ classroom is a vibrant space filled with songs, puppets, drawing, and storytelling. These activities help young children build vocabulary, listening, and comprehension skills. He also shares practical literacy activities with parents and caregivers using Wordworks’ TIME Programme, encouraging strong home-school partnerships.
Discovering STELLAR
Charles first encountered the STELLAR programme in 2017 while teaching Grade R at Uniondale High School. His curiosity about early childhood education in South Africa grew, and in 2019, a training session at the Cape Teaching and Leadership Institute (CTLI) inspired him. Wordworks tutors and facilitators showed him structured, creative approaches to early literacy.
“STELLAR gave me a structured, creative way to teach literacy in Grade R. The materials are clear, fun, and CAPS-aligned. It boosted my confidence and inspired me to start making my own storybooks,” says Charles.
Interactive learning that engages children
From puppets and songs to drawing and storytelling, Charles creates a classroom where children actively participate in their early language learning. His young children have shown noticeable growth in vocabulary, listening, and storytelling skills.
“The children love retelling stories, sequencing pictures, and even making up their own endings. That’s how I know it’s working,” he shares.
One of his favourite STELLAR activities is asking children to draw their favourite part of a story, which enhances comprehension, creative expression, and vocabulary development.
Extending learning beyond the classroom
Charles supports families by sharing summaries and photos, encouraging home reading, and running workshops for caregivers. Using Wordworks’ TIME Programme, he provides practical literacy support for caregivers and helps them engage in daily language development activities with their children.
Looking ahead, Charles is launching Charliam se Klaskamer, a website for Grade R teachers to find and share educational resources, including Wordworks materials and handmade teaching tools from educators across South Africa.
STELLAR sparks creativity and confidence
Charles’ journey shows how early literacy programmes like STELLAR are changing lives through literacy.
“STELLAR helped me stand out by giving me a strong foundation and sparking my creativity. I even started making phonics dance videos and recording community members reading stories for our class WhatsApp group.”
With accessible educational resources and strong literacy training for teachers, even under-resourced classrooms can become transformational spaces for young children and educators alike.
“Teaching isn’t about having the fanciest tools. It’s about connection, content, and creativity. STELLAR reminded me of that and helped me bring it to life,” Charles says.
