.

SUBJECT POLICY for

ENGLISH
1) INTRODUCTION:

This subject policy serves to inform all educators in the department the needs for
the smooth functioning of the department. The policy does not attempt to stifle
any educator’s initiative or creativity; instead it’s an attempt to ensure that a
uniform approach to the teaching of the subject is adopted.

2) COMMENTS CONCERNING THIS SUBJECT POLICY AND ITS FUNCTION:

This subject policy:

• serves as a guide for educators with regard to the teaching and administration of
• tries to be flexible and leave scope for the initiative of individual educators. It is
intended to encourage innovation and to this end needs regular revision so as to
reflect changing practice at the school and in the Gauteng Department of
Education.

• helps to ensure that the general aims and the specific objectives of the subject
,as well as the methodology employed teaching the subject ,are consistently
implemented by all educators of the subject.

• ensures that learners receive consistent tuition in the subject from year to year
and from grade to grade

• must be integrated with the overall policy of the school and the education
department

• must be copied and be in the possession of each educator in the department.

3) THE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF TEACHING ENGLISH :

The aims and objectives of teaching a subject are of primary importance and
educators should study them and be familiar with them so that they can
continuously apply them to their teaching of the subject(s).

The aims and objectives of teaching English are set out in the CAPS policy of the
subject.

4) DOCUMENTATION :

4.1) The master subject file :

This is kept up to date by the HOD (subject controller) responsible for the
subject. It should include reference to all the documentation concerning the
subject and could include:

- division of work for the subject.

- personal subject time tables.

- the subject policy with amendments.

- the CAPS Policy document the subject and various grades.

- the Annual Teaching Plans for the subject and various grades.

- the minutes of appropriate subject meetings

- references to study guides available in the media centre.

- references to subject material available in the media centre

- subject reports written by the HOD (subject controller)

- moderation reports

- the duties of the teachers within the subject committee.

- any other relevant documentation .

4.2) The subject file:

This file should be kept in the possession of the subject educators, who are also
responsible for keeping it up to date. Each educator must have their own file.

This file should only contain documentation essential for the organization and
administration of the subject.

The following list of contents is suggested:

1) PERSONAL INFORMATION
2) PERSONAL TIME-TABLE
3) CAPS POLICY DOCUMENT
4) ANNUAL TEACHING PLANS
5) LESSON PREPARATION
6) INFORMAL ACTIVITIES
7) HOD SUPERVISION REPORTS
8) TEXTBOOK LISTS
9) MINUTES OF SUBJECT MEETING
10) MINUTES OF DIF MEETINGS
11) CORRESPONDENCE
4.3) Assessment File

This file should be kept in the possession of the subject educators, who are also
responsible for keeping it up to date. Each educator must have their own file.

This file should only contain documentation essential for the organization and
administration of the subject.

The following list of contents is suggested:

1) ASSESSMENT PLAN
2) TERM 1 FORMAL ASSESSMENTS & ASSESSMENTS TOOLS
3) TERM 2 FORMAL ASSESSMENTS & ASSESSMENTS TOOLS
4) TERM 3 FORMAL ASSESSMENTS & ASSESSMENTS TOOLS
5) TERM 4 FORMAL ASSESSMENTS & ASSESSMENTS TOOLS
6) DIAGNOSTIC ANALYSIS
7) HOD MODERATION REPORTS
8) RECORDING SHEETS
9) INTERVENTION

4.4) The management file:

The HOD (subject controller) should be responsible for keeping these files up to
date.

The HOD (subject controller) should carry the responsibility for equipping and
stocking any classrooms used for teaching English.

5) PLANNING FOR THE YEAR AHEAD AND THE RECORD OF WORK :

It seems sensible that planning should be done at the beginning of the year for the
whole year. Such planning should be adhered too as far as possible, to ensure that
the syllabus is completed satisfactorily.

It should be the responsibility of every subject educator to ensure that the

record of work is kept up to date. A regular comparison of target dates on the
year plan with the dates indicating work completed on the record of work will help
ensure that educators do not get behind with the annual teaching plans.
6) LESSON PLANNING AND PREPARATION :

It is important for all educators to plan the presentation of their lessons. This is
especially necessary for lessons that include oral work. Educators should ensure
that their knowledge of the subject content is sufficient to enable them to
present their lesson with confidence. This is accomplished by preparing lessons
thoroughly.

All planning and preparation should be purposeful and functional.

6.1) The lesson plan:

The lesson plan could outline, amongst others :

- the outcomes of the lesson. ( these should be stated in operational terms)

- the course of the lesson (a sequential list of activities)

- pupil learning activities

- resources used

- recap of the lesson

- references (e.g. Articles that can the educator additional background knowledge)

- requirements for a follow up lesson

- relevant remarks ,when applicable (EG. What problems arose during the lesson and
how the lesson can be improved-these could be written on the form against the
relevant heading)

The same completed lesson planning form can be used from year to year. However,
appropriate amendments should be made after a lesson in the light of the
experiences during the lesson.

6.2) Preparation :

Preparation consists of all the activities that an educator undertakes in order to

be able to present the subject successfully. This could include, amongst other
activities:
• studying material in order to master the subject content

• selecting questions from textbook exercises

• writing instructions or summaries on the chalkboard

• selecting books/pictures/slides/videos from the media centre

• preparing overhead transparencies/power point presentations

• setting up apparatus /teaching aids

• collecting specimens/examples

• previewing videos/audio material

• preparing various worksheets, work cards , notes, etc.

• planning homework

• setting a class test or examination

• preparing a memorandum for a test or examination.

Preparation is the private concern of the educator and will not normally be
scrutinized. However, if a problem arises with the presentation of the subject, or
even with the presentation of a lesson, it is in the educator’s best interest to be
able to voluntarily submit relevant preparation to the HOD.

In order to save time and work, educators should organize all the material they use
for the presentation of the subject according to some method that will make
retrieval of, and amendments to information easy to accomplish.

7) THE TIME ALLOCATION FOR EACH SKILL:

Home Language( per 2 week cycle)

SKILLS TIME
Listening & Speaking 2 Hours
Reading & Viewing:
Comprehension 1 hour 45 minutes
Literary Texts 1 hour 45 minutes
Writing & Presenting 3 hours 30 minutes
Language Structures & Conventions 1 Hour (formal)
• *Integrated with
the teaching of the
other three skills.

First additional Language ( per 2 week cycle)

SKILLS TIME
Listening & Speaking 2 Hours
Reading & Viewing:
Comprehension 1 hour 30 minutes
Literary Texts 1 hour 30 minutes
Writing & Presenting 2 hours
Language Structures & Conventions 1 Hour (formal)
• *Integrated with
the teaching of the
other three skills.

8) SUBJECT MEETINGS:
Subject meetings are crucial to staff development and should be given appropriate
emphasis. Subject meetings can be held once a term. However, most important is
that they should be held when needed. They should be primarily aimed at in service
training. In this department this also implies not only work on subject didactics but
also on the mastery of the subject content.

The first departmental meeting of the year is especially important. During this
meeting the HOD (subject controller) must, amongst other things :

• welcome new educators of the subject to the school

• acquaint new colleagues with methods used, subject policy and requirements

• division of workload (subject as well as grade distribution )

• exam and test requirements and weightings

• look at the program organisers and the assessment criteria to be used

• lesson preparation

• continuous assessment strategies

• evaluation of previous year’s results

• a brainstorming session on all possible activities that can be carried out for the
year

All educators should meet with other educators of the same subject at different
institutions from time to time. Such contact can be of great value to educators and
can take place under the auspices of the local subject facilitator. Interaction
between high and primary school educators can also be of great value, especially
for the grade 7 teacher.

9) WORK REPORTS BY THE HOD (SUBJECT CONTROLLER):

9.1) The purpose of such a report :

The aim of the work report prepared by the HOD (subject controller) on the work
of the subject educators is to:
- acknowledge and give due credit for good work;

- develop further the expertise of these educators

9.2) The contents :

Such a report should make reference to, amongst other things:

• progress through the syllabus or modules

• the standard of learners’ written work, quantity and quality.

• the standard of the learners’ practical work, quantity and quality

• the state ,organization, purposefulness and use of documentation

• the implementation of subject curricular principles and guidelines on

differentiation and enrichment

• control of work ,marking and correction of work

• classroom /subject atmosphere

• the condition of the classroom ,furniture and storerooms

• the condition, care and use of media aids

9.3) Confidentiality :

This report is a confidential document and is discussed by the HOD (subject

controller) with the educator concerned. The educator should sign the report.
However, by signing it does not mean that the educator is in agreement with the
contents of the report. The educator should be allowed to list any discrepancies
found in the report if such discrepancies are found. A copy of this report should
be filed in the educator’s personal file.

9.4) Frequency :

The number of reports prepared for any one educator will depend on the
educator’s experience, ability and standard of work. Normally the number of
reports per educator per year would vary from 1 to 4.
9.5) Classroom visits:

The HOD (subject controller) will undertake to have a minimum of one classroom
visit per educator per term. However, depending on the seniority, ability and
standard of work the educator concerned, the HOD(subject controller) may
restrict the number of classroom visits to one visit per academic year per
educator. The purpose of a classroom visit is to assist an educator develop. It is
not a faultfinding exercise !

9.6) Preparing a work report :

In order to prepare a work report the HOD (subject controller) would ideally go
through a sample of the learner’s books in the educator’s classroom . A report
would then be written after assessing a lesson. The contents of the report would
be discussed with the educator.

10) THE PRESENTATION OF THE LESSON :

Ideally every English lesson should:

- produce positive attitudes

- teach processing skills

- develop the depth and breadth of understanding by extending the learner’s

understanding of language skills & concepts

- relate new knowledge to the everyday world of the learner.

10.1) Attitudes and approaches :

The single most important task of all educators is to develop positive, but realistic,
attitudes-not only towards the subject areas covered by this department – but
also towards processes used in these subjects. Specifically, educators need to
promote positive attitudes with respect to the willingness of learners to:

- think for themselves

- collect and use evidence (data)

- change ideas in the light of evidence

- review procedures critically

- apply knowledge and skills to everyday life.

English educators need to motivate their learners with their own enthusiasm since
attitudes are as much caught as taught!

10.2) Process skills :

Learners should be encouraged to participate actively in investigations as far as

possible. Too much of emphasis on factual knowledge should not be encouraged
instead a more hands on type approach should be advocated.

It becomes necessary to teach the following process skills:

• hypothesizing

• observing

• explaining

• predicting

• posing problems

• raising questions

• investigating

• communicating

• designing, applying and linking with technology.[emphasis placed by OBE]

It is also important to teach learners how to carry out an investigation.

10.3) Content and concepts:

English

Learners try to understand new material in terms of the concepts or ideas they
already have. This implies that the concepts that a learner has, have to be
modified , as they are never learned from scratch. In short, misconceptions need
to be identified and corrected. In addition to encountering content during their
lessons learners should be encouraged to develop their understanding of concepts
by broadening their area of applicability and increasing their level of abstraction.

Concepts develop by being checked against evidence from new experience. The
checking involves the processes of observing, explaining, predicting and
investigating, in fact, the process skills referred to above.

Educators should be aware of the changing nature of English and not to teach this
subject as a body of unalterable facts.

10.4) Helping learners develop concepts :

The implications of the above paragraph for educators wishing to help learners
develop concepts is that educators should, as far as possible :

• be aware of what learners understand about the important concepts they are to
teach before they teach them

• regularly expose learners to an event or phenomenon that requires that the

learners use their own ideas to interpret and understand

• frequently provide opportunities for learners to tell them what they really think
about an event or phenomenon, in other words to explain;

• listen to (or read) learners’ answers and try to work out precisely what the
learners mean

• allow learners to work in groups, thus providing them with the maximum
opportunity to express and explain their own ideas.
To achieve the above in large classes, it is essential to let learners discuss the
answers to application type questions in groups. Also ask learners to give
explanations for their answers orally or in writing, as circumstances permit.

10.5) A suggested sequence of activities for a lesson:

The suggested sequence of activities in the table below is meant only as a guideline.
These suggestions serve as an example of how an educator could structure a lesson
to incorporate the ideas outlined above. Naturally not all six of the components
tabulated below need necessarily be part of any one lesson.

Lesson Component
a) Control & correction of previous work.
b) Revision /Introduction
c) The focal activity of the lesson
d) Pupil feedback & Consolidation
e) Independent pupil written work:
Application exercise
f) Enrichment

10.6) Educator activities concerned with lesson presentation:

During lessons it will probably be necessary for educators to do one or more of the
following:

- pose a problem

- ask a focus question or revision questions, using previous knowledge

- give instructions (clear, concise and unambiguous) concerning practical work

- ask questions that will need pupils to focus their thinking on a specific point

- give exercise questions to reinforce new concepts

- give instructions concerning integration of media

- give enrichment exercises

10.7) Learner activities during lesson presentation:

During lessons it will probably be required that each learner should do one or more
of the following:

- answer revision questions (preferably in writing, in rough, in the back of the

exercise book or in a jotter) that are marked by the learners as soon as
consensus is reached concerning the correct answer;

- carry out instructions that lead to the successful conclusion of work

- organize data & facts

- predict

- investigate

- explain

- work out exercises that reinforce new concepts

- use relevant reference books and other media

- carry out tasks, or answer questions, in which newly acquired knowledge is applied.

11) WORKSHEETS, LEARNERS’ WRITTEN WORK AND EXERCISE BOOKS:

11.1) The use of worksheets or notes :

In order to structure such a wide variety of activities educators may prepare

“worksheets” or “notes”. All instructions and questions may be combined on such a
handout. They may leave space for learners to answer questions on the handout.
They may either provide the learners with individual pages as needed or with all
the pages for the year, often in the form of a book. This is an acceptable method
although it is expensive. Worksheets can also take away all the opportunities for
learners to take and show any initiative, unless they are prepared with great care.

Educators may keep sets of such “worksheets” in plastic envelopes and put them
out for groups to use during lessons. These can be collected after the lesson and
used from year to year.

11.2) Learner’s written work: Books required *

PREF. USE FILES

GRADES BOOK PURPOSE

7,8,9 1 x 72 page Comprehension and Language
1 x 72 page Literature
1 x 72 page Writing
1 x Bantex file Formal Assessments
or A4 envelope

11.3) Projects:

These

• should be short and to the point

• should not involve more than minor expense

• should preferably involve some sort of investigation

• should not require more than two homework sessions

• should contribute to developing positive attitudes towards the subject , as well as

consolidating concepts and reinforcing processing skills

• should not be overdone- once a year is probably adequate, depending on the type
of project

• should involve the application of a principle learned during lessons

• should emphasize a hands-on approach

• may involve the preparation of charts, the best of which should be displayed in
the classroom.

• must be fairly and adequately assessed

Learners should be encouraged to undertake investigations (or even explorations),

on a voluntarily basis, for external assessment at competitions like the Speech
Contests. The school and the English Department within the school should give
learners entering such competitions suitable recognition.
12) CONTROL, MARKING AND CORRECTION OF WRITTEN WORK:

It is reasonable to expect educators to know about the academic progress of the

learners they teach. Correct answers, summaries should be displayed on the
chalkboard or transparency or PowerPoint so that learners can correct their own
work from the correct answers. The educator’s responsibility is to be aware of
learners who are not doing their work, or whose work is of an unsatisfactory
standard. The educator must also be aware of learners who are not marking or
correcting their work.

While learners are busy with class work the educator should move around and
initial and date books, indicating to the parent that the work has been controlled.

It is a good idea to summarize this procedure and to get learners to paste the
summary into the front cover of their exercise books for the information of the
parents.

All formal tasks/activities must be marked by the educator in red pen. The HOD
will moderate 10% of each formal task/activity completed by learners in green pen.

When marking writing activities, educators must use a marking code and show the
breakdown of marks allocated.

13) DIFFERENTIATION:

Educators should cater for the differing abilities of their learners by means of
the:

- oral questions they put to their learners during the lessons

- standard of oral answers they accept from the learners

- scaffolding of instructions given to different learners

- questions expected to be answered by different learners in their books

- enrichment questions and instructions that they give their learners – including
those for media integration

- skills they require of their learners during oral work

- questions set in tests.

Educators should remember that differentiation does not only mean simplifying for
the slower learner, but also providing enrichment for the brighter learner.

14) HOMEWORK :

Homework is given to consolidate concepts taught and learned during the class
period. Homework should be easy and should never introduce new concepts. All
homework should be meaningful.

Homework is given for a specific purpose. It is not necessary to give after every
period.

The following is a suggested time allocation for homework to be given to the

learner in the various grades.

GRADE TIME
7 30 min

8 30 min

9 30 min

ALL HOMEWORK SHOULD BE PLANNED AND CONTROLLED.

15) ASSESSMENT:

15.1) Introductory remarks:

The main purpose of assessment is to determine the extent to which learners have
attained the objectives of the lesson. This implies that teaching and evaluation
must complement each other. The method of instruction should be determined
bearing in mind the method of evaluation.

Assessment is also used to

• determine areas of weakness in the learners’ knowledge and understanding of

concepts, in order to remedy them
• motivate and encourage learners so that they reach their full potential.

Tests and examinations , as well as any other methods of assessment used, should
be motivational. This implies that learners should be successful in tests and
examinations. At the same time , the standard of learner’s work , the level of its
assessment ,should increase steadily throughout the year. In this way assessment
of learners , by the end of the year , should be able to distinguish between those
who will be able to cope with the demands of the next grade and those who will not.

15.2) School based assessment (SBA):

The primary aim of School based assessment is to monitor a learner’s progress in

the different components of the teaching and learning programme.

The subject educator must keep a record of assessment, which serves as a basis
for promoting a learner to the next grade. This record could consist of:

• the assessment of a learner’s regular independent written work and assignments

based on knowledge, understanding of concepts and skills acquired;
• the assessment of a learner’s involvement in the learning situation as shown by
attitudes, knowledge, understanding and process skills ;
• the results obtained by a learner for diagnostic tests

After formal assessments a diagnostic analysis should be done. This will

specifically determine the level and quality of a learner’s development of concepts
and understanding, with a view to solving identified individual learner’s difficulties.

15.3) Calculation of Promotion marks

15.4) The assessment of orals. (SBA as well as formal)

There must be evidence of orals being conducted. Oral tasks should appear both in
the educator’s assessment file and the learner’ file.

15.5) Record of assessment

All formal assessments must be recorded. The completed record of assessment

should always be available at the school. The mark sheets must be totalled at the
end of each term and submitted to the HOD for verification.
16) OUTINGS AND EDUCATIONAL TOURS.

Excursions are very important in the holistic development of the child.

However careful planning is vital to the educational success of such an undertaking.

The trip must be made relevant to the learners and the work they are doing at
school. Learners should undertake suitable preparation and follow-up activities. It
is essential that educators go on the visit beforehand. They (i.e. educators) should
inform the officials of the place to be visited, of both the school’s and the
learners’ requirements.

_________________ _______________

HOD: Name Principal : Name

Signature Signature