Assessments 4
PORTFOLIO 51
Due 2025
,TPF2601
Assessments 4
Portfolio 51
Due 2025
Activity 1 – Morning Ring
Introduction:
The morning ring in the Grade R class I observed was not just a routine gathering but a
dynamic and structured platform for developing learners’ language and communication
skills. My mentor teacher skillfully used this time to promote vocabulary development,
narrative skills, print awareness, and sentence construction, especially through three
key elements: the birthday chart, weather chart, and attendance register.
1. Birthday Chart
Observed Practice:
During the morning ring, birthdays were celebrated with special attention. The teacher
would invite the birthday child to come forward and say, “Today is my birthday. I am
turning six.” Learners then sang a birthday song, and others were prompted to share
memories of their own birthdays or ask questions.
Language Development Impact:
This interactive segment encourages oral narrative development, where learners
share personal experiences, use past and future tenses (“I turned five”, “I will be six”),
and build confidence in speaking in front of others. It fosters emotional vocabulary and
helps learners construct complete, meaningful sentences in context. This aligns with
Vygotsky’s view of language developing through social interaction and supports CAPS
Life Skills goals for identity and communication.
,2. Weather Chart
Observed Practice:
Each morning, learners took turns describing the weather using visual aids (sun, clouds,
wind symbols). The teacher prompted them with open-ended questions like, “How does
the sky look today?” or “What clothes should we wear if it rains?”
Language Development Impact:
This activity expanded learners' descriptive vocabulary (e.g., sunny, cloudy, cold),
introduced conditional phrases (“If it rains, we need an umbrella”), and reinforced
sentence structure and subject-verb agreement (“It is raining”). The use of visual cues
supports dual coding theory (Paivio), aiding both conceptual understanding and
language acquisition. It also promotes cross-curricular links with Natural Sciences by
relating spoken language to environmental awareness.
3. Attendance Register
Observed Practice:
The mentor teacher called out each learner’s name while pointing to the list. Learners
responded with full sentences, e.g., “I am here today.” If someone was absent, the class
would say, “He is not here.” Visual support was used to assist learners still developing
name recognition.
Language Development Impact:
This activity enhanced print awareness and phonological recognition as learners
began to connect spoken names with written symbols. The repeated sentence
structures supported syntax development, especially subject-verb agreement and
pronoun use. Additionally, the social routine contributed to learners’ sense of identity
and classroom belonging—an important foundation for language confidence and
participation.
, Conclusion:
The morning ring, as facilitated by my mentor teacher, provided a rich, interactive, and
supportive language environment. By using the birthday chart, weather chart, and
attendance register, the teacher embedded core language concepts into meaningful,
predictable routines. These components did more than mark time—they were carefully
scaffolded tools for building vocabulary, syntactic structure, oral fluency, and
social interaction, all aligned with the CAPS Foundation Phase curriculum and rooted
in established language development theories.