Description

A language is a tool for thought and communication. It is also a cultural and aesthetic means commonly shared amongst people to make better sense of the world they live in. English First Additional Language assumes that learners do not necessarily have any knowledge of English when they arrive at school. The focus in the first few years of school is on developing learners’ ability to understand and speak English. Literacy skills are then built on this oral foundation as learners’ progress through school. The reality is, however, that many learners still cannot communicate effectively in English by the time they reach Grade 12. The challenge in Grades 10-12, therefore, is to provide support for these learners, at the same time as providing a curriculum that enables learners to meet the standards required in Grade 12. These standards must be such that learners can use English at a high level of proficiency to prepare them for further or higher education, as well as the world of work.

Additional information

Learners are guided towards developing the following knowledge, skills, and attitudes:

1. acquire English language skills necessary to communicate accurately and appropriately, taking into account audience, purpose and context
2. use English for academic learning across the curriculum
3. listen, speak, read and write English with confidence and enjoyment
4. express, orally and in writing, their own ideas, views, and emotions confidently in order to become independent and analytical thinkers
5. use English and their imagination to find out more about themselves and the world around them.
6. use English to access and manage information for learning across the curriculum and in a wide range of other contexts
7. use English as a means of critical and creative thinking; for expressing their opinions on ethical issues and values; for interacting critically with a wide range of texts and for challenging the different perspectives embedded in texts
8. use English for reading texts for various purposes, such as enjoyment, research, and critique