ASSIGNMENT 5 2025
DUE: 14 OCTOBER 2025 (MEMO)
,TMS3731 ASSIGNMENT 5 2025
DUE OCTOBER 2025
Portfolio Task 1: Reflective Narrative on Creating Inclusive Social Sciences
Lessons
Reflective narrative. Creating an inclusive Social Sciences lesson
In this reflective narrative I describe a Grade 8 Social Sciences lesson I planned and
taught with inclusivity as the central aim. The lesson topic was Human Rights at School:
Access to Basic Services and Ubuntu in Action. I focus explicitly on two teaching
philosophies studied in the module: the human-rights oriented approaches values &
awareness and transformational models and the Ubuntu / Indigenous Knowledge
Systems (IKS) / Africanisation perspective (Le Motte & Keet, 2004; Tibitts, 2002). The
lesson took place in a large township, multi-lingual public school with learners whose
home languages included isiZulu, Sesotho and English; there were learners with mild
learning difficulties, one learner with an identified hearing impairment, and several
learners for whom English was an additional language (EAL).
Lesson overview and context
Grade / class: Grade 8 (approx. 32 learners)
Topic: Human rights at school, access to water, sanitation and health; connecting rights
to Ubuntu (responsibility to community).
Length: one 60-minute lesson within a sequence on Democracy, Human Rights and
Inclusivity.
,School context: township school, limited textbooks, one computer lab (shared), many
learners speak local languages at home; varied socio-economic backgrounds; large
classes and limited LSM.
Aims two philosophies
Values & awareness (Human Rights Education): Build learners’ knowledge of the right
to basic services and school-level examples; raise awareness of discrimination and
barriers to access (Tibitts, 2002).
Transformational model (Human Rights Education): Develop communication and
conflict-resolution skills so learners can identify and propose actions to improve access
(Le Motte & Keet, 2004).
Ubuntu / IKS / Africanisation: Use local examples and communal values to frame rights
as both entitlement and responsibility fostering solidarity and practical community
responses.
Inclusive strategies used
Translanguaging & bilingual glossaries: Key vocabulary provided in English and
learners’ home languages; teacher code-switched during explanations.
Differentiated materials: Three tiers of worksheet (support, core, challenge) with the
same learning goal but different scaffolds.
Multiple modalities: Visual prompts (photos, infographics), short role-play, whole-class
discussion, and a hands-on activity, community noticeboard planning.
Peer support and structured grouping: Mixed-ability jigsaw groups with assigned roles
(reader, recorder, reporter, timekeeper) to encourage participation.
Accessibility adjustments: Seat placement and visual amplification for the learner with a
hearing impairment; printed text with larger font and an audio recording of the text for
learners with reading difficulties.
, Formative assessment & affirmation: Ongoing oral feedback, exit slip, and positive
affirmation assessing understanding without high-stakes testing (Lynch, 2004).
Practical examples, how I supported specific learners
EAL learners: I prepared a bilingual vocabulary sheet (English – isiZulu) and used short,
simple sentences. During group work I paired each EAL learner with a peer fluent in
their home language for the initial scaffolded discussion. This increased their confidence
and contribution in the report-back phase.
Learner with mild dyslexia / reading difficulty: Provided an audio version of the
worksheet and allowed extra time for written tasks. For the class noticeboard task I let
this learner co-create visuals and contribute verbally instead of producing full written
text.
Learner with hearing impairment: I placed the learner near the front, face-to-face with
presenters, used written prompts on the board, and provided concise written
instructions for each activity. A peer served as a designated ‘buddy’ to summarise key
points.
Shy / withdrawn learners: Used think-pair-share; initial low-risk pair discussion allowed
them to voice opinions before larger group reports.
How teaching materials and instructions were adapted
I created a three-tier worksheet: (A) heavily scaffolded questions with sentence starters;
(B) core comprehension questions; (C) challenge tasks requiring short proposals for
school action. All tiers asked learners to connect content to Ubuntu (what
responsibilities do we have to each other?).
Visual aids: laminated photos of school water points, a simple flowchart of “rights -
barriers - action”, and a poster template for the community noticeboard activity.