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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The Coffee Shop Adventure
This is the story of a young person from a rural town who is waiting for his mother in a coffee shop when things suddenly get interesting. The viewer/learner is the main character in the story and has to make choices at critical points. Each choice influences how the rest of the story unfolds.
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My Future
A boy who dreams of becoming a doctor one day, suddenly gets the opportunity to nurse someone back to health: his own mother. It is a simple story about acting brave even while being scared, caring for loved ones and not giving up on dreams.
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Deeya’s Diwali Dance
Deeya, a young Deaf Hindu girl, and her family are celebrating Diwali. This year, Deeya is going to do something very courageous at the festival: She is going to participate in a dance competition in front of thousands of people. This beautiful story gives teachers the opportunity to remind learners of South Africa’s rich diversity and how we should respect each other’s beliefs.
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The New Neighbours
Justin is very excited about the new neighbours – they even have a boy his age! But they belong to a different religion… Learners should be able to identify with Justin’s hesitation and questions, and hopefully realize, together with him, that we should not just tolerate difference, but embrace it.
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Atile’s Gift
Mosa and Atile are twins. Mosa is hearing and Atile is Deaf. Mosa worries about her Deaf sister’s future, but as they make a plan to get
help for the animals in their township, Mosa realizes that her sister’s Deafness comes with a gift.
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Seasons
In this poem, the poet describes each of the four seasons, referring to the pleasant and unpleasant things that each season brings with it. On a deeper level, it reminds us that the difficult times in our lives are often the ones that shape us and that bring about change and growth.
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A Parent’s Word
In this poem, a parent describes how she communicates with her child in a way which builds the child up. Throughout, her loving way of communicating is contrasted with non-loving ways of communicating, reminding learners of the power of a parent's word.
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I am Beautiful
In a world that is dominated by social media, teenagers often compare themselves to celebrities and end up feeling inadequate. In this uplifting poem, a girl realises that there is only one person she is meant to be - herself - and that she is beautiful just the way that she is.
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Hard Work Pays Off
In this poem, the signer has a task to do, but he does not want to do it. Learners of this age will, of course, be able to relate well to this feeling. What makes the poem unique is the fact that it includes the laptop’s perspective too, something which the signer depicts in a highly expressive and humorous way.
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Five
Learners will be all too familiar with the situation depicted in this poem: An anxious learner is worried that he will say something wrong and embarrass himself. The poem is beautifully performed by the poet himself, who draws viewers in and showcases the expressive power of SASL.
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Pollution Kills
This poem tells the story of pollution from a different angle, starting with the simple act of throwing a chip packet to the ground and ending with the death of a sea animal. The beautifully performed poem should remind learners how small actions can have serious consequences, good or bad.
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I Am Me
In this inspiring poem, the poet describes herself in detail. Learners should be able to relate to her contrasting feelings about herself and should be encouraged by the message that although we are not perfect, we are all growing into the people we are meant to be.
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2023 MDSA Event
In this text, the vlogger posts five messages to her viewers, sharing her experience of the actual 2023 MDSA event, one of the most important events in the Deaf calendar. The text contains inspiring messages from the finalists and exposes learners to an increasingly popular trend in digital media.
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The Flower Shop + (Addendum: Review)
A young woman who works in a flower shop, falls in love with one of her customers. However, he does not seem to notice her. She assumes this is because she is too plain, and decides to change her appearance completely to get his attention… A drama about self-acceptance and never pretending to be what we are not.
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Unlucky Denzel
Poor Denzel is a little clumsy and very unlucky. This causes all kinds of little accidents, to the delight of his friends. Only Bobby finds it
annoying that Denzel always causes chaos. When he ends up hurting Denzel’s feelings, he learns that we should not judge others since we do not know their circumstances.
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Treasure Hunt Through Paarl
This text takes learners on an imaginary treasure hunt through Paarl, by means of compass directions, as well as other, simpler vocabulary that is important for directions. Along the way, learners learn something
about the sights to see in this town and the history connected with them.
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How to Make a Milkshake
Tell a group of teenagers that they can choose anything to drink, and many of them will choose a milkshake. In this instructional text, learners are shown how to make a milkshake with two main ingredients, and reminded of the language, structure and content of an instructional text.
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Recycling Day
Although Recycling Day is often overlooked, it is crucial. It aims to make people aware of the importance of recycling and to encourage them to think about the future of our planet and what they can do to help protect it.
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Earth Day
This text is a speech about Earth Day, which was established in response to concern about the health and stability of our environment.
It informs learners of the importance and the purpose of Earth Day, while encouraging them to take climate action.
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‘I Love Coffee’ Shop
This text is an advertisement for a position at a coffee shop called ‘I Love Coffee’. The advertisement is fictional but the ‘I Love Coffee’ group really exists and 70% of its staff is Deaf. In addition to offering learners an example of an advertisement, the text also introduces them to an inspiring real-life story.
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Emily’s Diary – Trip to Paris
Vlogging has become one of the main ways in which people share their ideas and experiences on the internet. In this text, the vlogger posts five recordings of herself at different times in her journey to Paris.
The text is both entertaining and insightful and exposes learners to a trend in digital media that is becoming increasingly popular.
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