Engage with our Learning Advocacy Briefs: reflecting on CAPS and teaching language and literacy in Grade R

2020

In 2020, Wordworks was commissioned to design materials for the Gauteng Grade R Improvement Project, building on its Stellar Grade R Home Language program and supporting language development in early childhood.

REFLECTION ON CURRICULUM ASSESSMENT POLICY STATEMENTS (CAPS)
To ensure coverage of and alignment with the curriculum, we looked at the content, concepts and skills covered in the CAPS document for each of the four terms in the Grade R year. We found the CAPS document challenging to navigate and therefore began by grouping related content, concepts and skills and tracking them for developmental progression across all four terms of the Grade R year. The process revealed several issues in the CAPS document: inconsistencies, repetition, a lack of conceptual coherence, incorrect use of terminology, and challenges with developmental progression across the Grade R year. We reflect on these issues in this brief.

PRINCIPLES UNDERPINNING THE DEVELOPMENT OF GRADE R MATERIALS FOR THIS PROJECT

Drawing on research and best practice for teaching young children, this brief highlights key principles that underpinned the development of materials to teach letter–sound knowledge in Grade R as part of a province-wide Home Language teacher training programme for the Gauteng Grade R LanguageImprovement Project.

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