ministry of education, arts and culture · ministry of education, arts and culture junior primary...

Republic of Namibia

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION, ARTS AND CULTURE

Junior Primary phase

May 2020

Guide for rationalised syllabuses for 2020 academic year only

Pre-primary, Grade 1-3

Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture National Institute for Educational Development (NIED) Private Bag 2034 Okahandja Namibia © Copyright NIED, Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture, 2020 Junior Primary Guide for rationalised syllabuses for 2020 ISBN: 978-99945-89-03-6 Printed by NIED Website: http://www.nied.edu.na Publication date: May 2020

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Background ....................................................................................................................... 1

2. Pre-Primary ....................................................................................................................... 2

3. Grades 1 – 3 ..................................................................................................................... 3

3.1 First Language .................................................................................................................. 3

3.2 Mathematics ..................................................................................................................... 6

3.3 English Second Language ...............................................................................................10

3.4 Environmental Studies .....................................................................................................11

3.5 Arts ..................................................................................................................................12

3.6 Religious and Moral Education.........................................................................................13

3.7 Physical Education ...........................................................................................................13

JP Guide for rationalised syllabuses for 2020

1

1. BACKGROUND

Since 11 March 2020, when World Health Organisation declared a global COVID -19 Pandemic,

governments around the world have taken steps to suppress and control the spread of the

Corona Virus, including the closure of schools. Namibia is no exception, being part of the 188

countries which have closed schools in mitigating the spread.

The Head of State, His Excellency, and the President Dr Hage Geingob declared a State of

Emergency on 17 March 2020 in terms of Article 26 (1) of the Namibian Constitution. Due to the

COVID-19 pandemic, the Ministry has lost an amount of time in terms of teaching and learning

in schools, and therefore suggests that the teaching for Grades 1-3 should only be on four

subjects, which are:

First Language (L1),

Second Language (L2),

Mathematics and,

Environmental Studies.

This option is crucial for developing literacy, numeracy skills and general knowledge among

learners. However, considering the concentration span and developmental stages of young

learners, subjects such as Physical Education (P.E), Arts, and Moral and Religious Education

(RME) are also serving as “breather”.

Teachers are encouraged to focus and put more emphasis on L1, L2, Mathematics and

Environmental Studies, while also making time for PE, RME and Arts. The assessment

procedures for the four main subjects remain the same. Teachers are reminded of the

thematic/integrated approach at junior primary phase, and are encouraged to properly integrate

these subjects and teach them accordingly.

Although the focus is more on developing literacy, numeracy and general knowledge as

mentioned above, Arts, RME and PE subjects should be taught, informally assessed but

not to be recorded.

Below is a list of suggested topics/ activities (being equivalent to approximate 30%) that can be

temporally excluded during the teaching and learning for junior primary phase (Grade 1-3)

meant for this period/era of pandemic.

Junior Primary Guide for rationalised syllabuses for 2020, NIED, 2020

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Kindly take note that the suggested topic or activities are only strategies established due to the

unprecedented time and ought not to limit teachers should they find that they have time to

incorporate activities which are listed here

Kindly be reminded that teachers should be expecting leaners that may be different from the

ones they knew before the lockdown, learners who have experienced social and economic

hardship and might have been exposed to violence or maltreatment due to the prolonged

staying at home. Further, we should also be cognisant with the fact that to some leaners, the

school is the safest place to build resilience. Therefore, learners might need extra support and

teachers are required to think of strategies and activities of supporting learners psychologically,

socially and academically. It is suggested that teachers need to monitor learners and identify

those experiencing emotional challenges. It is also important for teachers to ensure that the

classrooms are flexible and the educational activities are attractive and calming in order to

mitigate the psychological impact of the crisis on children.

2. PRE-PRIMARY

The Pre-primary Task team (comprising of 15 Pre-primary SEOs) discussed the matter

regarding possible rationalisation of the Pre-primary syllabus content to 70%. The team agreed

in principle that out of nine main themes in the Pre-primary syllabus, three themes designated

for the first school term has been covered when the schools abruptly closed due to the

COVID-19 pandemic outbreak in March 2020. The remaining six themes yet to be covered

when the schools reopen, have among them two themes noted to be shorter and could each be

covered in a period of two weeks. It is also important to note that it is recommended for Pre-

primary teachers to avoid repeating similar assessments in themes to save time. It is considered

to be important to have the World Health Organisation (WHO) Covid-19 pandemic guidelines to

be included in the topic health which is integrated in all themes throughout the year.

Based on the provided motivation the team is recommending that the pre-primary syllabus

remain the same with all themes to be completed without any rationalisation of the learning

content, with special attention paid to the assessment part as mentioned earlier.


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3. GRADES 1 – 3 (Syllabuses are reduced, by excluding the following topics.)

3.1 FIRST LANGUAGE (Specified topics not to be taught.)

LISTENING AND RESPONDING (part)

TOPICS GRADE 1 GRADE 2 GRADE 3

Attentive listening and appropriate responding

repeat a sequence of 2 simple 4 to 5 word sentences correctly, e.g. I like my doll. She has a green dress

repeat a sequence of 3 simple sentences or 1 compound sentence correctly, e.g.

I have a cat. Her name is Fluffy. She eats rats. I have a cat called Fluffy and she eats rats.

repeat a sequence of 4 simple sentences or 1 compound sentence and 1 simple sentence correctly, e.g. On the way home it rained. My clothes got wet. I was cold. I had a hot bath. On the way home it rained and my clothes got wet. I was cold.

SPEAKING AND COMMUNICATING (part)

Fluent, confident and imaginative communication (This section should be integrated taught in grammar section)

use everyday language fluently with expression, and correct intonation and pronunciation

- use and pronounce the indefinite articles ‘a’ and ‘an’ correctly, e.g. ‘a’ before a consonant sound (a book) and ‘an’ before a vowel (an apple)

- use and pronounce the definite article ‘the’ correctly, e.g. ‘the’ before a consonant sound (the book) and ‘the’ (pronounced ‘thee’) before a vowel sound (the apple)

- pronounce contractions correctly in informal speech, e.g. I’m, he’s, she’s, etc.


- use and pronounce the indefinite articles ‘a’ and ‘an’ correctly, e.g. ‘a’ before a consonant sound (a pen) and ‘an’ before a vowel (an egg)

- use and pronounce the definite article ‘the’ correctly, e.g. ‘the’ before a consonant sound (the pen) and ‘the’ (pronounced ‘thee’) before a vowel sound (the egg)

- pronounce contractions correctly in informal speech, e.g. don’t, doesn’t, isn’t, wasn’t, etc.


- use and pronounce the indefinite articles ‘a’ and ‘an’ correctly, e.g. ‘a’ before a consonant sound (a plant) and ‘an’ before a vowel (an elephant)

- omit definite article with uncountable nouns (We eat a lot of the rice)

- pronounce contractions correctly in informal speech, e.g. aren’t, can’t, won’t etc.

- pronounce contractions correctly in informal speech, e.g. aren’t, can’t, won’t etc,

- when ‘c’ is followed by ‘e’, ‘i’ or ‘y’ it sounds like ‘s’, e.g. centre, city, cycle

- when ‘g’ is followed by ‘e’, ‘i’ or ‘y’ it sounds like ‘j’, e.g. gentle, giant, gym


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READING AND VIEWING (part)

Perception skills demonstrate visual perception: - visual discrimination - visual sequencing - figure-ground differentiation - form consistency - visual memory - visual analysis and synthesis • demonstrate auditory perception: - auditory discrimination - auditory sequencing - auditory memory - auditory closure - auditory analysis an synthesis - auditory-visual linking

demonstrate visual perception: - visual discrimination - visual sequencing - figure-ground differentiation - form consistency - visual memory - visual analysis and synthesis • demonstrate auditory perception: - auditory discrimination - auditory sequencing - auditory memory - auditory closure - auditory analysis and synthesis - auditory-visual linking

Phonological awareness and articulation

count number of words in sentences, and omit or replace words within sentences, e.g. I ran home (replace ‘ran’ with ‘jumped’).

identify rhyming words in rhymes and songs, e.g. Jack and Jill went up the hill

replace nouns and change word order in a sentence to change the meaning, e.g. The angry lady chased the small dog. The angry dog chased the small lady.

extend sentences by adding phrases/more detail, e.g. He sleeps in the bed. He always sleeps in the big bed at my house.

Decoding strategies read-on by skipping a difficult/unfamiliar word and reading to the end of the sentence, using the context to decode the word; re-read the sentence

Organisation and basic features of print

read print from left-to-right, top-to-bottom, and page-by-page

- exercise eye muscles - recognise that print conveys meaning,

represents spoken language and words are separated by spaces


5


WRITING

Process to improve writing

- produce neat and legible final pieces of work using a writing process, e.g.

- discuss pictures, ideas and topics for writing with classmates and teacher

- draft a piece of writing - re-read and add words to improve

meaning - recognise and correct missing

capitals and full stops and some spelling mistakes

- share writing with classmates

LANGUAGE STRUCTURE, GRAMMAR AND LANGUAGE USE (part)

Simple present and simple past tenses using regular verbs

change negative forms of regular verbs from present to past tense, e.g. to ‘walk’

I do not (don’t) walk to school every day

I did not (didn’t) walk to school yesterday

change negative forms of regular verbs from present to past tense, e.g. to ‘cook’ My sister does not (doesn’t) cook supper every day My sister did not (didn’t) cook supper yesterday

Simple present and simple past tenses using irregular verbs

- We do not (don’t) swim in the oshana every day Yesterday we did not (didn’t) swim in the oshana e.g. to ‘be’ I am (I’m) not sad today Yesterday I was not (wasn’t) sad, e.g. to ‘go’ He does not (doesn’t) go to the gym Yesterday he did not (didn’t) go to the gym

- school every day Yesterday he did not (didn’t) run to school e.g. to ‘be’ Dad is not (isn’t) happy today Yesterday Dad was not (wasn’t) happy, e.g. to 'do' She does not (doesn’t) do her homework every day Yesterday she did not (didn’t) do her homework


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3.2 MATHEMATICS (Specified topics not to be taught.)


NUMBER CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT (part)

Representing numbers read the number names up to 10 in words, e.g. one, two ...

Odd and even numbers

recognise that odd numbers end in 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 (e.g. 57) and even numbers end in 0, 2, 4, 6, 8 (e.g. 38)

recognise that odd numbers end in 1, 3, 5, 7,or 9 (e.g. 857) and even numbers end in 0, 2, 4, 6, 8 (e.g. 638)

COMPUTATION (part)

Multiplication

demonstrate that multiplication is repeated addition of 2s, 3s, 4s, 5s and 10s, e.g. Maria gets N$5.00 each week. How much does she have after 6 weeks? (N$5 + N$5 + N$5 + N$5 + N$5 + N$5 = N$30

Division

arrange or group up to 10 objects in 2s, 3s, 4s and 5s with and without remainders

recall and apply simple division facts related to multiplication facts of 2, 3, 5 and 10,

arrange or group up to 10 objects in 2s, 3s, 4s and 5s with and without remainders


7


PROBLEM SOLVING (part)

Problem solving

record appropriate ways to find solutions by using concrete objects, discussing/sharing ideas, finding patterns, acting out a play and combining drawings, diagrams and numbers



discuss different methods for the same problem

discuss different methods for the same problem

MEASUREMENT (part)

Length

measure lengths using non- standard units, e.g. with hand spans, palms, footprints, paces, etc., with measurements differing from learner to learner

estimate with reasonable accuracy lengths of books and tables, and record ( centimetres only)

estimate with reasonable accuracy lengths widths and heights in and around the classroom, and record (centimetres and meters only

Mass

order and compare 5 objects according to increasing/decreasing mass

Capacity

measure and compare capacity with sets of non-standard units

Area informally compare areas of different shapes using non-standard units, e.g. hand prints, footprints, cutting up papers

Time

compare ‘long’ and ‘short’ periods of time, e.g. it takes a long time to build a house; break time is short

identify the duration of well-known events, e.g. we spend 4 hours at school every day; a week lasts 7 days

determine the duration of events in hours, days and years using a time line


8


Money Namibian currency

select a set of coins equal in value to another coin, up to 50c, e.g. 10c = 5c + 5c

work out change in coins up to N$10, e.g. It costs Esther N$11.50 to buy fruit. She pays with a N$20 note. She works out the change by adding onto N$11.50 until she reaches N$20: N$11.50 + N$5 + N$2 + N$1 + 50c

= N$20

work out change in notes and coins up to N$20, e.g.

Paulus buys food for N$37 and pays with a N$50 note. He works out the amount of change by adding onto N$37 until he reaches N$50:

N$37 + N$10 + N$2 + N$1 = N$50

GEOMETRY (part)

Geometrical figures

draw/make shapes and their attributes using words such as round, sides, corners, straight, e.g. draw/make a rectangle with two short straight sides and two long straight sides that join to make four corners

draw/make shapes and their attributes using words such as round, sides, corners, straight, e.g. draw/make a rectangle with

two short straight sides and two long straight sides that join to make four corners

create pictures and patterns with shapes

create pictures and patterns with shapes


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Geometrical figures (continued)

sort and classify common 3D objects (as above) according to attributes, e.g. ones that can roll or slide down a ramp, ones that can be stacked without or with leaving spaces in between

describe common objects using words such as edges, corners, faces, straight, curved and flat

create own models create recognisable 3D figures from paper and recycled material

DATA HANDLING (part)

Pictographs, tables and bar graphs

collect data appropriate to a theme, e.g. number and types of learners’ hobbies, and organise and display on a pictograph

interpret data to gain information, and discuss findings, e.g. looking at the pictograph, how many learners like to play soccer?

use non-standard units, e.g. bottle tops, to measure objects, and record results on a pictograph


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3.3 ENGLISH SECOND LANGUAGE

Note: The English as Second Language Syllabus content remain the same or not rationalised because it is observed that the content is already minimal, and it can be covered within the period of the proposed school calendar.


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3.4 ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES (Specified topics not to be taught.)


THEME: HEALTH, SAFETY AND NUTRITION (part)

Healthy food and eating habits

- discuss how and why boys and girls can help prepare food at home

Traffic safety - create art works of good traffic behaviour

THEME: NATURAL ENVIRONMENT (part)

Plants as living things

- make art ‘rubbings’ of parts of plants used as medicine

- use seeds/pods for decorations; - make a picture showing actual seeds and

how they are dispersed

- use seeds/pods for decorations; make a picture showing actual seeds and how they are dispersed (Grade 4?)

Animals as living things

- use baby photographs of learners to discover how learners have changed (NB learners do not need to learn the term ‘metamorphose’

- draw or paste pictures of the food chain showing the relationship between wild animals, their predators and prey

- use visual material, other texts and information from interviews with authorities to gather facts about wild animals such as reptiles, dangerous snakes, water birds, seawater and freshwater fish, the Fish Eagle and Oryx


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3.5 ARTS (Specified topics not to be taught.)


THEME: CREATING

VISUAL ART

Line, pattern, colour, shape, texture and space

- to outline a shape that represents an object, e.g. ‘This is my dog’

- to show expression, e.g. thin lines to show light rain

- repeat patterns to make a picture, e.g. repeating zigzags

- change colours by adding other colours, e.g. yellow and red mixed together make orange

- colours can be grouped in families, e.g. red is ‘hot’, green is ‘cool

mix two primary colours to get a secondary colour, e.g. red and yellow (orange), red and blue (purple), yellow and blue (green)

- colours can be grouped in families,

e.g. how many different types of green can you see?

create spaces: between shapes, e.g. connecting circles creates diamond-like spaces in between to show depth in a picture, e.g. a house with hills in the background

- colours can be grouped in families e.g. how many blue items are there in the classroom?

create spaces: between shapes, e.g. there is space between objects in a picture and background space to show depth in a picture, e.g. objects further away are smaller and sometimes higher (plane)

Pictures use mixed media, e.g. combine crayons and paint to create a wax resist picture

use mixed media, e.g. combine different materials and techniques using overlapping patterns and shapes

use mixed media, e.g. combine different materials and techniques using different textures, shades and tints


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3.6 RELIGIOUS AND MORAL EDUCATION

Note: The Religious and Moral Education Syllabus content remain the same or not rationalised because it is observed that the content is already minimal,

and it can be covered within the time frame of the proposed school calendar.

3.7 PHYSICAL EDUCATION (Specified topics not to be taught.)


PHYSICAL FITNESS (part)

Flexibility activities Shoulder: Scissors standing, grasp bean bag in one hand. Windmill, arm circling backward. Change arms and legs

Shoulder: Stand holding stick horizontally with arms in front. Bend legs, lower stick and climb over. Swing stick behind overhead and back to the front, while hands maintain their grip.

Shoulder: Front lying with trunk raised, ball in one hand. Change ball to other hand behind back, etc. Stand with hoop held in both hands above head. Lower hoop, climb through and stretch again to starting position.

Spinal column: Straddle standing arms upward grasping bean bag in both hands. Trunk leaning backward, drop bean bag on to the floor, followed by trunk bending forward-downwards to grasp bag between legs, etc.

Spinal column: Standing, support with right hand on one end of stick while the other end supports vertically on ground. Move body underneath right hand while stick is kept on the ground. Repeat to opposite side underneath left arm.

Spinal column; Stand in a circle in straddle standing. First pupil passes ball overhead to pupil behind him. He passes the ball between his legs to third pupil. Front lying while hoop is held in both hands high above head

GYMNASTICS Locomotors movement

This whole topic can be excluded because most of the activities are integrated within other topics.

The National Institute for Educational Development P/Bag 2034 Okahandja NAMIBIA Telephone: +264 62 509000 Facsimile: + 264 62 509073 E-mail: [email protected] Website: http://www.nied.edu.na

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