1. INTRODUCTION
1.1 The Western Cape Education Department (WCED) is pleased to inform you that your school has been selected by your Education District office to join Phases 2 and 3 of the WCED's Literacy and Numeracy Intervention.
1.2 The intervention is aimed at:

  1. improving the performance of all learners in Grades 1 to 6 in Literacy and Numeracy
  2. improving teaching practices and methodologies in these subjects and
  3. providing learning and teaching support materials (LTSM) to enhance the teaching of Literacy and Numeracy.
1.3 The intervention is to be phased in as follows over a period of 8 years:

Phase 1 (2009-2010): 250 schools
Phase 2 (2011-2012): 258 schools
Phase 3 (2013-2014): 250 schools
Phase 4 (2015-2016): 300 schools
1.4 The intervention will involve a back-to-basics approach blended with the latest teaching methodologies in Literacy and Numeracy.
1.5 Teachers in these Grades will receive intensive Literacy and Numeracy training, mentoring and support over 2 years, and LTSM, such as reading schemes and maths kits, to support their teaching.
1.6 To this end, the 250 schools in Phase 1 have already been trained in both Literacy and Numeracy and are due to complete the intervention by the end of June 2011. These schools will now receive continued support from their district offices.

2. SUPPLY OF READING SCHEMES FOR GRADES 1 - 6
2.1 The reading materials, which have been carefully selected, will assist all teachers to teach reading effectively from Grades 1 to 6. Every learner will have the necessary resources to learn to read, to read to learn and to read for enjoyment.
2.2 Principals are requested to ensure that the reading materials to be supplied to their schools are recorded on the school's stock inventory, are used and managed with care, and that all readers are retrieved from learners at the appropriate times. Regular stock-taking is essential and the repair and replacement of damaged materials will be the responsibility of the school.
2.3 The readers will be distributed as follows:

School's LOLT Reading scheme for Home Language Publisher Grades
English Oxford Reading Tree
Oxford Tree Tops		 Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press		 1 - 3
4 - 6
Afrikaans Storieboom
Stamstories		 Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press		 1 - 3
4 - 6
Xhosa Sigalelekile Nasou Via Afrika 1 - 3
Xhosa & English Stars of Africa Maskew Miller Longman 4 - 6
School's LOLT Reading scheme for First Additional Language Publisher Grades
Xhosa 'Talking Stories'
Readers are Leaders		 Macmillan 1 - 3
2.4 Every class will receive one pack of materials according to the Grade, and Language of Learning and Teaching (LOLT). Multigrade classes will receive one pack for each of the grades in the class.
2.5 The contents of the packs are as follows:

  • Foundation Phase pack: Big books (Grades 1 and 2), graded readers for each grade, sentence strips, word cards for teachers and learners, vocabulary lists, guidelines for the teacher on use of the reading scheme, and an inventory
  • Intermediate Phase pack: A variety of graded readers for each grade to encourage group teaching and group reading, vocabulary lists for teachers and learners, guidelines for the teacher on use of the reading scheme, and an inventory.

The guidelines for the teacher on the use of the material will also be posted on the WCED's website. In addition, the attached Annexure A provides some useful advice on how to use the readers for effective teaching.

The inventory must be used to verify the contents of each pack upon receipt, and must be stamped if it is found to be correct.
2.6 While delivery will take place in the first term of 2011, the training and support aspects of the intervention will take place later. Details will follow in another WCED minute.
2.7 Every effort must be made to ensure that the reading schemes will be intact and in a good condition when the training and support commences in a year or two. Curriculum advisers will be able to provide assistance in the interim, should schools require it.

3. Principals are requested to bring the contents of this minute to the notice of the school management team and the teachers concerned.


SIGNED: BK SCHREUDER
DEPUTY DIRECTOR-GENERAL: CURRICULUM AND ASSESSMENT MANAGEMENT
DATE: 2011:03:30

Annexure A: Guidelines for teachers on the use of the reading scheme for effective teaching of literacy  (size: 13 KB)