Section A

Question 1

1.1 Understanding texts critically is important for teachers because it provides them
with an understanding of what they are teaching their students, and how to do it. To
analyse a text, a teacher must not only read the text and trust the author’s intentions
and the appropriateness of language and assumptions in writing. For instance, while
teaching history in a particular class, a teacher may have some concerns that some
aspects of apartheid have been portrayed in a particularly unique way and then
would look for more balanced materials. At the same level, teachers can also use
Bloom’s taxonomy to deconstruct the text and read it from different cognitive skills,
including understanding, analysing and even evaluating the text (Anderson &
Krathwohl, 2001).

Critical engagement is also a synthesis that invites reasons for grouping materials,
organizing information and compare different angles to offer different perspectives.
For instance, when a teacher is demonstrating themes that are in a novel, he/she
might lead the learners to figure out the similarities or differences of the themes in
other literature works. Analytical approach enhances the distance and critical
evaluation of the material which in turn improves engagement with the material
(Aitchison et al., 2018, p.29).

1.2 Prewriting: Prewriting stage is the stage where the writer comes up with ideas,
gathers information and/ or plans how he or she is going to present them before
writing. In this stage, the writer is tasked at getting and mapping in their head on
what to do.

Drafting: In this stage, the writer begins to composite his thoughts in form of
sentences as well as para graphs. This is good because as many ideas must be on
paper and one does not over-complicate the work at this level.

Revising: In this period a writer rewrites content in an endeavour to offer more acrid
arguments, enhance the text quality or have a more compact, logical and tighter
philosophy. This may be as straightforward as providing more information in not as
much detail or even regaling in the information in an inverted order of several of the
sections of the text.
Editing: Only after such construction is completed, the writer goes through the text
correcting the grammar, punctuation and other nasty items like improper use of
articles, conjunctions and interjections. The usage at this stage aims to guarantee
that the final text to be published is rattle-free as is humanly possible.

Publishing/Presenting: Last of all, the text is published to its target audience. This
could for instance in an academy imply handing in an assignment, or in class turn in
writing to other students (Graham, Harris & Hebert, 2011).

Section B

Question 2

2.1 If, for example, learners need to be introduced to a text like George Orwell’s
Animal Farm, I would sort all the elements of the text under thematic, stylistic, and
structural. In terms of topics, I shall suggest to students to focus on the political
message of the Russian Revolution and the effects of power on people. From a
stylistic point of view, I have to accentuate that Orwell writes simple language and it
is very often difficult to see an allegorical meaning behind his story, but the novel is
rather simple. Finally, based on the structure of the novel I would focus on how the
plot moves from the ideals of rebellion to tyranny figuring out how the structure of the
novel mirrors the decay of revolution over time (Hitchens, 2012).

2.2 Incidental learning is the process in which learners are exposed to learning
content under conditions other than those which are planned for them. For example,
a child may read a comic and learn new words to imitate, and such words are not
palate by a teacher. Since this type of learning is informal, no provision of formal
instructions is necessary.

On the other hand, implicit learning is subconscious and intentional and those are
typical classroom transactions. An example would be a teacher directly presenting
educative content to learners regarding grammar rules or demonstrating words
through lessons. But it is critical to note that incidental learning is also important in
education because intentional learning sufficient to guided instruction always
happens.
2.3 Lack of Vocabulary Knowledge: Most of the learners who are answering the
questionnaire reported that they find it difficult to understand the text if they are not in
touch with most of the commonly used words. This is even more demanding when
learning environments present vocabulary that is not part of socio-cultural context
that students experience (Spaull & Pretorius, 2019).

Difficulty in Decoding: Some learners have difficulties in decoding printed words

with their eyes like the students diagnosed of dyslexia or other related learning
disorders. This tends to make it difficult for them to read with ease and can cause
them to really fixate on word identity as opposed to its meaning (Snowling & Hulme,
2011).

Lack of Motivation or Interest: There are times learners may develop indifference
feelings to the reading material thus not read through. The result of such
disengagement is that students cannot comprehend the underlying theme or
nuances of a piece; the students cannot engage with text in a way that allows for full
understanding or admiration for the work (Guthrie and Wigfield, 2000).

2.4.1 As for the difficulty of choosing appropriate texts, I would investigate the
learners’ preferences and reading abilities by means of diagnostic questionnaires
and readiness inventory. Knowing these aspects, I would be able to offer the
materials, which also correlate with the subjects and at the same time serve as the
students’ interests. For example, using current events or high interest books can lead
to interest. In the same spirit, I would mix the kinds of texts that are both fictional and
nonfictional; prose and poetic; and comics and graphic novels. I would also offer
fairly arranged books for reading enabling the teacher to access books that is
complex for a high ability learner as well as the learner that is slow in learning.
Section C

Question 3

Bloom taxonomy is one the most useful tools that any foundation phase teacher can
apply in his or her classroom practice because it enhances the development of both
the levels of thinking. The following sub taxonomy are grouped systematically in a
hierarchical manner beginning with knowledge and understanding then to
application, analysis, evaluation, and creation. Such an organization promotes the
development of the diverse tests that will be used in class to assess the multiple
intelligences in learners to some extent.

Thus, Bloom’s taxonomy fulfils a balanced learning’s need during the foundation
phase, where learners are at their early stages of cognitive development. For
example, at the lower grasps, the subjects can be selected in a way that at one level,
teachers are able to teach simple facts such as vocabularies or simple arithmetic as
do De Bono. When moving up the taxonomy, the knowledge new learners apply,
patterns that they discern, and the new work they produce are simply derived from
facts learned before. This progression is consistent with how infants and toddler
developmentally progress through the consideration process (Krathwohl, 2002).

However, Bloom’s taxonomy allows teachers to provide differentiation of instruction

and assessment about learners in the foundation phase. Well, one of the advantages
of providing such tasks is that by making some of these tasks more complex than
others, then the teachers can keep the students with lots of ability engaged all the
same. Due to the supervision and relative simplicity the framework has been
acknowledged as an all-inclusive tool suitable for brilliant learners as well as learners
in need of further assistance (Anderson & Krathwohl, 2001).

3.2 Introduction: In one of the black dense villages which had green mountains
visible behind the village lived a little Squirrel called Squeaky. Forested area and
discovering something were one of the passions of squeaky. One day, a certain
sunny morning, she saw something grim off the big oak tree and she began to hop in
its direction.
Body: Squeaky began to run down the tree and scurried over to the noises source.
Buried into the black loam somewhere out of sight, there was a tiny key of gold.
"What could this open?" she wondered. So, after hearing it Squeaky became afraid
of keys and the curious Squeiky decided she wanted to know the answer and left to
ask her friends in the forest if any of them knew of something that needs a key. One
day the old and wise owl told her to go there and get into even more mysterious area
which was in the centre of the forest and even the bravest animals have never been
to there.

Conclusion: Feeling no danger, Squeaky ventured quite far, and as deep into the
forest as she could go before, she noticed a little door in the bushes – the entrance
to the secret garden. Choking over the food she put the golden key into the lock and
with a little force it opened the big gate. I stepped and got inside to see that it was
one of the finest gardens she has ever seen or rather the flowers glistened like silver
and trees whistled at the blowing wind. Squeaky fully understood that she had found
a great place to play to one’s heart content starting from the same day.
References

Aitchison, J., Dixon, K., Pretorius, E., Reed, Y., Verbeek, C. and Beisman-Simons,
C., 2018. Towards competency standards for language and literacy teachers.

Anderson, L.W. and Krathwohl, D.R., 2001. A taxonomy for learning, teaching, and
assessing: A revision of Bloom's taxonomy of educational objectives: complete
edition. Addison Wesley Longman, Inc..

Harris, K., 2011. Informing writing: The benefits of formative assessment. Alliance for
Excellent Education.

Hitchens, C., 2012. Mortality. Atlantic Books Ltd.

Krathwohl, D.R., 2002. A Revision Bloom's Taxonomy: An Overview. Theory into

Practice.

Pretorius, E., Jackson, M., & Spaull, N., 2016. Fostering reading comprehension in
primary schools. Journal of Early Childhood Literacy, 16(4), 452-478.

Spaull, N. and Pretorius, E., 2019. Still falling at the first hurdle: Examining early
grade reading in South Africa. South African schooling: The enigma of inequality: A
study of the present situation and future possibilities, pp.147-168.