Senior Phase
Grade 7
Phindile and his Golden Coin
An imaginative story about a Deaf teenage boy from a poor family, who needs new hearing aids. The family have to stand together to support him. Everything changes for him, though, when he comes across a surprise in the maize field one day... Themes that are touched on include family ties, the cost of deafness and superstition.
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Zanele Sithu: My Story
Zanele Sithu’s life story is inspiring - not only for those with disabilities, but also for able-bodied people. Deaf children will be able to associate with her character on different levels, for example, the disappointment in her disease, the special school that she went to and the challenges that accompany it. She is a role model for any child who loves sport!
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Searching for the Spirit of Spring
A story about a brave girl who went on an adventure to benefit her people – even though she was afraid to do so. It is based in Africa, touching on themes of community, collectivism and doing life together.
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Joseph gets caught
In order to illustrate the destructive effects of bullying (which often pass unnoticed), a longer story about bullying behaviour and the victim thereof is provided. The story, as well as the accompanying lesson ideas, can be used as a starting point to create among learners an awareness of bullying.
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I am Deaf
This poem addresses the themes of Deaf identity, Deaf community and Deaf culture, and was composed and dramatized by a proudly Deaf member of the Deaf community of South Africa.
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Nature’s Transformation
In this poem, the narrator is looking down at the earth from a vantage point. He observes how nature suffers when man exercises poor stewardship, exploiting, polluting and neglecting natural resources. The emotions of the narrator change from delight to concern and anxiousness to a feeling of hope, based on what he observes below.
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Culture (What does respect look like?)
A drama about two friends from different cultures who have to consider what it means in their own and in other cultures to be appropriate and polite. The main message of the drama is that one should consider the reasons for people acting the way they do – maybe they do not mean any disrespect after all.
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Trip through South Africa
Instructions are provided on how to drive around South Africa on a road trip that will allow one to see many of the country’s marvellous sights. In order to move away from simpler prepositions (such as “over”, “under”, “next to”), directions are given in the form of compass directions (“north”, “south-east”, etc.) The text combines directions and information on prominent sights.
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Safety during Emergency Situations (+ Addendum)
Learners receive instructions about what may and may not be done during an emergency situation at school. The goal is two-fold: to introduce learners to a long list of instructions and to make learners more resilient, should an emergency situation arise at school.
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Heritage Day
A speech about one of South Africa’s somewhat controversial public holidays. The day has its origins in Zulu culture and only recently became a day celebrated by all South Africans. There are, however, questions about what exactly it is that we celebrate on this day, because not all South Africans share the same heritage.
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Back-to-school Clothing
A short advertisement with the aim of familiarising learners with the specific features of this genre. It is important that learners realise that both the visual aspects and the Sign Language serve as text.
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