This past week the Grade 11’s had to present a prepared reading to the class, but at the IEB it is so much more than just reading! Choosing a suitable passage is easy.  Finding a passage where you can motivate why you chose it, makes it slightly more challenging.  Students have to be knowledgable about the content and the topic[Read More…]

The first theme for Term 2 in Grade 8 Afrikaans is animals. The kids loved the video clip of the donkey farmer who uses donkey milk to make skin products, ranging from anti-aging to eczema creams. They were charmed by the story in their comprehension test of the rescued donkey who had twin donkeys in Oudsthoorn. Their reading passage is[Read More…]

The Grade 11’s recently went to Michael Oak Waldorf School where they attended the Rocking the Future career expo. This expo is presented by ISASA to expose learners to Tertiary Institutions aside from UCT, UWC and Maties.  Colleges such as Vega, AFDA and Open Window offer creative and design courses. The Animation School attracted quite some interest and the soccer[Read More…]

It’s that time of the year when the Grade 10’s have to dig deep, get creative and write amazing stories.  Their brief is to write, illustrate and read a children’s book aimed at children aged 7 and younger.  The students were amazed at the quality of books done by previous Grade 10’s. The stories vary from lost children to healthy[Read More…]

It’s a new year and for the Grade 8’s, a new beginning. High school, and 45 minutes a day of  Afrikaans, may be daunting for many students.  The biggest fear I hear from the Grade 8’s is: “I am not good at Afrikaans,”  or “I really struggle to understand Afrikaans.” The good news is that this is a new beginning and a[Read More…]

Being an Afrikaans teacher in the Deep South is not always an easy job.  Unfortunately, it is not up there as one of the favourite subjects.  So, succeeding at teaching Afrikaans successfully starts with relationship.  When kids feel safe and loved, they learn better and in my case change their attitudes about “Die Taal”! My great reward comes when a[Read More…]

The theme in grade 9 poetry for the past few weeks was our earth and how we treat it or should be treating it. The poems, “Krisis”, “Ekologiese voetspoor” and “Sal daar nog ysbere wees?” are three poems that addresses the way in which humans abuse the earth. Our ecological foot print and the heritage we leave our kids were[Read More…]

The Grade 10’s recently looked at the poem, Riemvasmaak by Peter Snyders. Riemvasmaak is a settlement in the Northern Cape where people were forcibly removed to make way for a military testing site until 1994, when a process of land restitution allowed the return of families and communities.  The poem explores the emotions that the people of Riemvasmaak experienced during the[Read More…]

The Grade 12’s are finishing off their last work and assessments before the Preliminary Exams start in a week.  A process writing essay is one of the last tasks that needs to be completed for their written portfolio.  Creative writing can be challenging for First Additional Language students so being able to use a dictionary and language notes when writing[Read More…]

Doing a movie review in Afrikaans can be a challenging task.  Giving your opinion on a seasoned reviewer’s review, can be daunting.  But the learners at Silvermine Academy are mature and able to give their opinion in a mature and eloquent way. The movies covered a wide range of genres, from a musical to a good old “who dunnit”??  The[Read More…]