PDF

Solutions for all
English
Home Language
Grade 4
Learner’s Book
A F de Villiers
H de Villiers
T Govender
Solutions for all English Home Language Grade 4 Learner’s Book
© A F de Villiers, H E de Villiers, T Govender, 2012

© Illustrations and design Macmillan South Africa (Pty) Ltd, 2012
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First published 2012
13 15 17 16 14 12
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Published by
Macmillan South Africa (Pty) Ltd
Private Bag X19
Northlands
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Gauteng
South Africa
Illustrations by Linda Klintworth and Luyanda Cwane

Typeset in 14pt Swiss for all by Positive Proof
Cover design by Assegai Designs
Cover image from Gallo images
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If they have inadvertently overlooked any, they will be pleased to
make the necessary arrangements at the first opportunity.
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we have already approached and from whom we are anticipation permission.
ISBN: 978-1-4310-0892-6
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Photographic acknowledgements
Greatstock: pp 4, 160, 161, 183
e-ISBN: 9781431023097
e-WIP: 5559M000
Contents
Term 1
Unit 1 Special things 1
Unit 2 Going on a picnic 13
Unit 3 Grandpa’s stories 24
Unit 4 Making, sharing, caring 37
Unit 5 Scary moments 48
Term 2
Unit 6 Around the world 59
Unit 7 Helping hands 73
Unit 8 Respect myself, respect others 86
Unit 9 Kiddies in the kitchen 99
Unit 10 Summative assessment 112
Term 3
Unit 11 Out and away 121
Unit 12 Reaching out 132
Unit 13 Help! Help! 144
Unit 14 Weather and hazards 156
Unit 15 Away! 168
Term 4
Unit 16 Poverty 180
Unit 17 The wonderful world of stories 192
Unit 18 Food and advertising 204
Unit 19 The wonders of reading 217
Unit 20 Summative assessment 229
Term 1: Week 1–2
Unit
1
Special things
What I will learn about in this unit
By the end of this unit, I will:
O know how to listen to a story carefully
O know how to read a story and tell others about it
O have learnt new words
O know how to plan before I write a story
O know how to write simple sentences.
What I should know

Last year I learnt about:
O synonyms (a word that means the same as another word), for
example, happy – glad
O listening to my friends and talking in a group
O reading aloud in groups
O writing sentences to share information
O using mind maps.
Can I:
k
Chec lf O listen to a story and
myse understand it
O list things that I hear in
the correct order
O read aloud by myself
O pronounce many
different words correctly
O write sentences using
adjectives to describe
things, for example, a
beautiful rose?
Special things • 1
Unit 1
Word bank ABC

clasp: a small, metal object that fastens things
dummies: rubber objects that babies suck (Dummies is the
plural. The singular form is dummy.)
inspire: to encourage someone, to make someone feel like
they can do anything
What I still need to know

I still need to learn how to:
O listen to a story and tell it to someone else
O remember the names of characters when I listen to a story
O explain how I feel about a text I listen to or read
O use a dictionary to look up the meanings of words
O use good grammar and punctuation, such as full stops
and capital letters, when I write
O make my own personal dictionary.
Classroom activities
1. Listening and speaking
Your teacher will now read you a story called Mom’s secret box.
O Listen carefully to the story.

O You can close your eyes while you listen to help you
concentrate and enjoy the story.
O Try to remember as much as you can while you listen.
O Try to remember the names of the characters.
Do not worry if you cannot remember everything

the first time. Your teacher will read the story
twice, or even three times.
So, enjoy it. Have fun!
Now close your book and listen to what is in
Mom’s secret box.
2 t Special things
Term 1: Week 1–2
Do you have any questions about the story?

Is there anything you do not understand?
Ask your teacher now, before the classroom activity.
Classroom activity 1
Work in groups. Talk about Mom’s secret box and answer
the questions:
1 Did you enjoy listening to the story? Why?
2 How did the story make you feel?
3 Can you remember the names of the characters in the
story?
4 How many different things did the mother take from her
box?
5 Try to list them in the correct order.
6 Do you remember what a common noun is?
Answer: it is the name given to people, places and things
when speaking about them generally. For example, box,
child, country, river, car.
Read the sentences below. See if you can find FIVE
common nouns:
She carries the wooden box and places it in front of the
two children who are sitting on her bed, staring at her and
the box with the brass clasp and the lock.
7 Now see if you can name the TWO common nouns in the
following picture:
8 Tell your friends about the special things in your life.

9 Why are these things special to you?
Unit 1
°
10 Is there anything in your house that you know is special
to somebody? Tell your group about it.
11 Do you have something you would want to put away now
and only look at in a couple of years? Why?
12 Where would you keep it safe?
2. Reading and viewing

Your teacher will now read you the story below. Follow in your
book while your teacher reads.
A very special person

One morning in 1880, a baby girl called Helen
Keller was born in Alabama, America. Helen’s
mother was very happy to see her baby. She
dreamed of all the things they would do together.
However, when Helen was one-and-a-half years
old, she became deaf and blind. She felt all alone
in a world where she could see and hear nothing.
Then her parents had an idea: they got a
teacher, Anne Sullivan, to help Helen. The first
word Helen learnt to say was “water”. She also
learnt how to spell words with her hands.
She learnt how to type and even went to
university. She also loved animals, especially dogs.
Helen inspired many people. She said many things that
people today still remember.
She said: “The best and most beautiful things in the world
cannot be seen nor even touched, but just felt in the heart.”
She also said: “We are never really happy until we try to
brighten the lives of others.”
(Source: www.quotationspages.com/quotes/)
4 t Special things
Term 1: Week 1–2
If you want to find out more about Helen Keller, go to a public

library or a school library, or even surf the Internet. She was a
very special person and an example to all.
Now read the story aloud together with your class.

O Try to pronounce the words the way your teacher did.
O Pay attention to how your voice goes up and down while
you read. We call this intonation.
O If there are words you do not understand, ask your teacher.
Better still: look them up in your dictionary. You are in the
Intermediate Phase now, after all. Growing up quickly, aren’t
you?
1 Work in pairs. Look at the reading tips in the box below.
Pay attention to:

O Voice projection: Your partner must hear each
word you read.

O Pronunciation: If there are words that you cannot
pronounce, ask your partner or teacher to help you.

O Tempo: Do not read too fast.
O Intonation: Your voice must go down at the end
of a sentence.
Read these sentences to your partner:

Helen inspired many people. She learnt how to type and
even went to university. She also loved animals,
especially dogs.
Now let your partner read them to you.
2 There are FOUR verbs in the passage: inspired, learnt, went
and loved. All these verbs are in the simple past tense.
See if you can change them into the simple present tense
by yourself. If you cannot do this, ask your teacher.
We learn by asking for help.
Unit 1
°
The first one has been done as an example.
Do it in a table like this:
Simple past tense Simple present tense
inspired inspire
learnt
went
loved
3 Work in groups. Tell your group about the special people

you know or have read about. Also say what makes them
special.
4 How did it make you feel to read about Helen Keller?
Why did you feel like that? Tell your group.
5 See if your group can retell the story you have read. Help
one another, but remember to be polite: do not interrupt.
6 List a few beautiful things that we can keep in our hearts.
Share your ideas with the other groups.
7 How can you brighten the life of a friend who is ill or sad?
8 Now draw TWO different faces:
a) a happy one
b) a sad one
9 When you have finished, write This is me beneath
ONE of the two sketches.
You are now going to make your own personal
dictionary. Your teacher will tell you exactly
how to make one. See to it that you keep
on adding words to it so that your
vocabulary can grow. Knowing more
words (and how to use, spell and
pronounce them) will not only help you in
the English class, but also assist you in other
classes. Keep your dictionary up to date and write neatly in it.
Your teacher will check on your progress from time to time.
6 t Special things
Term 1: Week 1–2
3. Writing and presentation

Now you are ready to write your first Grade 4 paragraph. You will
write about something that happened to you.
Think about something that has happened to you.
Use FIVE to SIX sentences to describe what happened.
You can work with a partner. Before you write, first think:
O Write down a few ideas about the event (just key words).
O When and where did it happen?
O How did you feel?
O Which tense are you going to use? Use the simple past
tense to describe what happened.
O Which words are you going to use to describe the event?
Think of adjectives, such as kind, interesting, strong,
friendly and happy.
O What would be a good title for your paragraph?
1 Tell your partner your story.

2 Listen to your partner’s story.
3 Write your paragraph. Help each other where you can.
4 Ask your teacher for help if you are stuck.
5 Read your partner’s paragraph.
6 Let your partner read your paragraph.
7 Improve the paragraphs where you can.
Use this checklist:
O I have checked my spelling in the dictionary.

O I have checked my punctuation.
O I have tried to use many different words.
O My sentences are not too long.
O My paragraph says exactly what I had in mind.
8 Rewrite your paragraph neatly.
Unit 1
4. Language structures and conventions

People who cannot hear or speak, like Helen Keller, use sign
language to communicate. Here is the alphabet in South African
sign language:
With a partner, see if you can sign the following words using
the sign language alphabet:
1 Helen Keller
2 I love school.
8 t Special things
Term 1: Week 1–2
Do you remember learning about nouns last year? Look at the

following:
Helen Keller – both words begin with capital letters because they
are names. You also start your own name and surname with
capital letters. We call such words proper nouns.
General names of things (book, pencil, cup), places (park, beach,
post office) or people (girl, mother, teacher, policeman) are called
common nouns. They are written with small letters.
O If we can count something, for example, one girl, two girls,
three girls, we say those common nouns are countable.
O If we cannot count something, for example, milk, water, we
say those common nouns are uncountable.
In the table below there are different nouns. Copy the table
and write next to each word whether it is a common noun or a
proper noun. Also say whether it is countable or uncountable.
The first two have been done for you.
Nouns Proper/Common nouns Countable/ ncountable
Anne proper noun uncountable
animal common noun countable
bacon
rice
Sullivan
You have already learnt about verbs. We will now look at finite
(complete) verbs.
A finite verb tells us that something happened in the past, present
or future. It also has a subject. To find out what the subject is we
ask the questions who or what.
For example:
Pitso found his dog. (Who? Pitso. So, Pitso is the subject.)
Pitso finds his dog.
Unit 1
The verb found tells us that this happened in the past.

The verb finds tells us that this happened in the present.
Both these verbs are finite verbs, because they tell us when
something happened.
What is a simple sentence?

A sentence with ONE finite verb.
Example: Heavy rains fell in the area.
5. Extra practice
Read the paragraph and write down the missing words or letters.
Some of the first letters of the missing words are still there to help
you.
Special days
There are many special days ___ a year The most special
one is, without a doubt, my bir___. What fun it is to see p___
smiling and wis___ me well. If there ___ gifts, that makes it
extra special.
Another special day is Christmas. It is in D___ during the
school h___ . Families usually get together and everybody
___ very happy.
Another special day is Valentine’s Day. It is in F___. On
Valentine’s Day, the shops are filled with all sorts of r___
cards and yummy gifts.
Did you notice that the first sentence doesn’t have a full stop
at the end? It should have one. A sentence always ends with
a full stop.
10 t Special things
Term 1: Week 1–2
Homework
Speak to one or two family members and ask them about
special people in their lives.
Write down TWO or THREE things that they say.
Then come and share these with your group in class.
Summary
Remember:
When you listen to someone speaking, try to remember
details, such as names.
When you speak:
O Pronounce your words clearly.
O Do not speak too fast.
When you write:
O First think and plan.
O Arrange your ideas carefully.
O Use the simple past tense to talk about things that
happened in the past.
O Use a capital letter at the beginning of every sentence and
a full stop at the end.
O There are different kinds of nouns: common nouns and
proper nouns. Proper nouns start with capital letters.
O When we can count something, such as aunt or shoe, the
noun is countable.
O When we cannot count something, such as popcorn or
dust, the noun is uncountable.
If you feel a bit nervous, don’t worry. There are other

learners who also still feel nervous.
Unit 1
Core Reader activity

Turn to page 1 of your Core Reader, and read
A story behind a story. Then complete the following
questions in pairs.
1 In A story behind a story, you read about Louis Braille,

who developed the Braille reading system for the blind.
Which part of the story did you find most interesting?
2 Using encyclopaedias or other books from the library, or
the Internet, work with your partner to find five facts about
at least two of the following people (these people also
made a contribution to the world as we know it today):
a) Jacques Cousteau (1910–1997)
b) Alexander Fleming (1881–1955)
c) Isaac Newton (1642–1727)
d) Alfred Nobel (1831–1896)
3 Report back to the class on your findings.
12 t Special things
Term 1: Week 3–4
Unit
2
Going on a picnic
By the end of this unit I will:
O be able to understand the central idea of a poem
O be able to identify a poem’s rhyme scheme and rhythm
O be able to recite a poem
O know what a stanza is
O be able to write my own poem
O understand that a poem can make me feel something, such as
happiness or sadness.
What I already know

In the previous unit, I learnt how to:
O listen to a story carefully, then retell it to someone else
O read aloud, verifying my intonation and projecting my voice
O start my own personal dictionary
O use simple present tense to describe things that happened in
the past
O recognise common and proper nouns
O recognise a finite verb.
Can I:
k
Chec lf O list items in the right order when I give instructions
myse O use the imperative form of verbs
O make my group understand my ideas
O make a list
O use language figuratively
O still name the elements of a story?
Going on a picnic • 13
Unit 2
Word bank ABC

flopped: fell suddenly
punnets: containers for fruit or vegetables
row: a lot of noise
soggy: moist or wet
stanza: a few lines in a poem that together form a verse
trike: a shorter form (abbreviation) of tricycle
tumble: fall

O listen for the central idea and the details of a poem
O read a poem and understand it
O recite a poem
O look up words in my dictionary, so I can understand what I
am reading
O break up words into syllables to help me understand a
poem’s rhythm
O tell the difference between abstract and concrete nouns.
Today we are going to talk about poems and picnics.
Work in groups.
1 Can you remember a poem that you read or recited in
the past?
2 Share it with your group, even if you cannot remember
the whole poem.
3 Do you like listening to poetry or reciting poetry?
14 t Going on a picnic
Term 1: Week 3–4
°
4 Why do you say so?
5 Have you ever been on a picnic?
6 Tell your group about it.
Your teacher will read a poem to you. The title of the poem is The
picnic. Before your teacher reads the poem, talk about the title
with your group. Who do you think is going on a picnic? Where
might they be going?
Work in groups.
1 What is the poem about? Tell your group what you think.
2 Has something like this ever happened to you? Tell your
group about it.
3 How did this poem make you feel?
4 What do you think the mother and child did with all the
food? Why do you say so?
5 What picture do you have in your mind of the mother?
What do you think she is like?
Your teacher will read the poem again. Listen carefully.
6 Did you notice anything else that you missed before?
Talk to your group about it.
Unit 2
7 Look at the drawing above.

a) List all the things you see in the drawing. Use your
dictionary to help you with the spelling.
b) Describe the picnic scene to your group.
c) Does the drawing look like what you heard in the
poem?
d) Why do you say so?

Read the rest of the poem The picnic with your teacher.
Pay attention to the rhythm.
Term 1: Week 3–4
The picnic (continued)

by George Ansell
She quickly got the food prepared,

and how the budgie squawked and stared,
and how the cat became quite vexed
to see what me and Mum did next.
To the cupboard Mum did scamper,
fetching out the picnic hamper.
Then, packing all the food inside,
she said: “It’s time to take a ride.”
From the yard she fetched her bike

while I brought in my yellow trike.
Then we set off across the hall
until we reached the front-room wall
“Here’s the place!” my mother said,
taking her helmet from her head.
“If I remember rightly, dear,
The picnic spot is right in here.”
The living room was straight ahead,

with walls of beige and carpets red.
We walked inside and looked around
and then Mum pointed to the ground.
“What luck!” cried Mum. “There’s no one here.
Now kindly pass the blanket, dear.”
Then laid the blanket on the floor
between the cupboard and the door.
It didn’t take us long to eat

the food all up, it was a treat.
Then Mum said: “This is getting boring.
Let’s pack up and go exploring!
See that mountain over there?”
she said, and pointed to the stair.
“If we try hard and just don’t stop,
I bet that we could reach the top!”
Unit 2
Work with a partner.
1 Do the rhyme scheme of the first eight lines of the poem.
These eight lines together are called a stanza or a verse.
2 Break up the following words into syllables: quickly,
prepared, cupboard, scamper, fetching, picnic, hamper.
3 Write down the first four lines of the first stanza in your
workbook. Now show the rhythm of these lines.
Read through the poem by yourself.
First read the poem silently and then read it aloud.
Now work with a partner.
1 What did you enjoy more – reading silently or reading
aloud? Talk about this with your partner.
2 What is the main idea of each stanza?
3 Where did the picnic really take place?
4 Think back to what you thought about the mother in
Classroom activity 2. Has your opinion changed?
5 How has your opinion changed?
6 Choose a few words to describe the mother.
7 There is ONE word in the second stanza that tells us the
child was still small. Can you spot it?
8 How did reading this poem make you feel? Tell your
partner.
Your teacher will let you read a few other short poems by
yourself. When you have read them do the following:
O Tell your partner the story of one of the poems in three to
five sentences.
O Also say how the poem(s) made you feel.
Term 1: Week 3–4

How about writing your own poem?
Do you think it will be difficult? It may be easier than you think.
This is how you go about writing your own poem:
1 First think of a topic, for example, my pet, my Mom, my
best friend.
2 Write down a few things you want to say about your
topic.
3 Now write one line and read it aloud.
4 Does it have a rhythm? If not, change it until it has a
rhythm. Think about the syllables of words to help you
hear the rhythm.
5 Write another line. This line should have the same rhythm
as the first line.
6 Carry on writing more lines until you have a stanza.
You can write more than one stanza if you like.
7 Do not give up. Keep working at it.
8 Once you have said everything you wanted to say, read
your poem again.
9 Now improve your poem until it is finished.
Remember:
This is your first try, so this poem does not have to be
perfect.
The important thing is to have fun.
And when you have finished, be proud of it. It is your very
own poem.
Unit 2

In Unit 1 you learnt about common nouns and proper nouns.
We are now going to look at three other types of nouns:
Concrete nouns describe things that are touchable, for example,
learner, computer, pencil.
Abstract nouns describe ideas, for example, fun, bravery, loyalty.
Compound nouns are made up of two (or more) words, for
example, toothpaste, blackboard.
Some of the words found in English come from other languages,

for example, opera (Italian), café (French), trek (Afrikaans),
vuvuzela (Zulu).
Let us read the last two stanzas of The picnic.
We flopped straight down then, side by side,

we laughed so much I nearly cried!
We finished all the food and drink
and then Mum said: “You know, I think
we’d best be getting back home soon.
We’ve been away all afternoon!
It won’t take long to pack away
and then we must be on our way.”
Term 1: Week 3–4
°
In the kitchen once again,
our bikes back outside in the rain,
our things all washed and put away
for picnicking another day,
I said to Mum: “That was so good,
I’d like to go back if I could!”
And Mum said, with a little laugh:
“Just pop upstairs and run your bath!”
Work on your own.
1 Look at the TWO nouns in italics. They are concrete
nouns. See if you can find two other concrete nouns in
the second stanza.
2 What type of noun is Mum?
3 Read the last stanza again. Which line tells us that they
had a lot of fun that afternoon?
4 What does the last line of the poem tell you?
In Unit 1 you learnt about simple sentences. Remember they

stand alone and have one finite verb. For example:
Mum made the food.
The budgie stared at us.
Use the following words from the poem and make your own
simple sentences. Make at least four different sentences.
(Remember to put a full stop at the end of each sentence.)
they, picnic, food, ate, Mum, told, him, bike, home, soon,
went, ran, we, the boy, upstairs
Unit 2
5. Extra practice
1 Look at the last stanza of the poem again.
Write down the last word of each line. Write the words down
one below the other.
Then show the rhyme scheme next to the words you wrote
down.
2 Work with a partner.
See how well you can recite the last stanza. Help each
other.
Homework
1 Find three words that are concrete nouns.
2 Find three words that are abstract nouns.
3 Find two compound words.
4 Use any of the words you have listed and make a simple
sentence.
Summary
POETRY
is written in
often has a stanzas
rhyme scheme
has rhythm
can tell a uses figurative

story language
Term 1: Week 3–4

Read the three poems on pages 4–7 of your Core
Reader.
1 There are common threads that run through the three

poems. With your partner, identify three definite similarities
common to all three poems.
2 Which of the three poems did you enjoy most?
3 In which poem was the picnic ruined by ‘things’ additional
to the weather?
4 Without looking at the poems again, identify the ‘things’ in
question 3.
5 Which poem did you find had the most enjoyable rhythm?
6 List two to three words that you found particularly
interesting/appealing.
Unit
3
Grandpa’s stories
O know what myths and legends are
O have learnt about the elements of a story
O have used these elements to write my own story
O be able to use language to write an interesting story
O have learnt about idioms and proverbs.
What I already know

In the previous unit I learnt how to:
O read and recite a poem aloud
O describe how the poem made me feel
O work out the rhythm and rhyme of a poem
O write my own poem
O break words into syllables
O recognise concrete, abstract and compound nouns.
Can I
k
Chec lf O identify the different types of nouns
myse O read aloud with confidence
O use simple present and past tense correctly when I write
O put what I am feeling into words?
Word bank ABC

ambassador: someone who acts and speaks for other people
audience: people who listen to or watch something
culprit: a person guilty of doing something wrong or
unacceptable
24 t Grandpa’s stories
Term 1: Week 5–6
°
fascinate: to make someone very interested in something
guardians: protectors
hare: type of rabbit
legend: a very old story that a lot of people know
literal: the actual meaning of a word
myth: a story that people tell in order to explain
things they do not understand
nocturnal: active at night

O understand plot, character and setting
O tell the difference between fact (truth) and fiction (stories)
O use interesting language to tell a story
O write down words and their meanings in my personal
dictionary
O use simple and complex sentences.
Grandfather’s kind eyes looked at the
circle of children sitting in front of him.
It was Sunday afternoon and time for
another story. The old man had an
endless supply of stories. He could
always come up with a story to
fascinate his young audience. Today,
he thought, he would tell them of the
legend of ncama’s adventure.
He hoped he could remember it
properly. After all, he had heard it
when he was only eleven …
Grandpa’s stories • 25
Unit 3
Do you think the legend that you are going to listen to is going to
be a sad, happy, exciting or funny story? Tell your group what
you think.
Have you ever heard of the word Uncama? Who or what do you
think it is?
Now that you have listened to this unusual story, let’s talk
about it.
Work in groups.
1 List the different people or animals in the story.
Remember, also list the ones whose names we do not
know.
2 Name THREE different things that the story tells us about
porcupines. This is a difficult question, so do not worry if
you cannot remember all three at first.
3 What kinds of vegetables grew in Uncama’s garden?
4 What does nocturnal mean? If you cannot remember, turn
to the word bank.
5 What kind of vegetable was most often missing from
Uncama’s garden?
6 Do you enjoy eating vegetables? Which is your favourite
one?
7 Why did Uncama wait for the thief during the night?
8 Do you think this story is true? Give a reason for your
answer.
9 Why did nobody recognise Uncama when he returned to
his people?
10 Have you had a strange adventure in your life? Tell your
group about it.
Term 1: Week 5–6
Every story has THREE elements: a plot, characters and a setting.

O The plot is all the things that happen in the story.
O The characters are the people, animals or other creatures
that do something in the story; for example, Uncama is a
character. His family, the thief and the dwarves are also
characters, because they also do something in the story.
The main character is the most important character on whom
the story is mainly focused.
O The setting is where and when the story happens, for
example, in Africa, a long time ago.
Now answer some more questions about ncama’s
adventures. Work in groups.
1 Who is the main character in this story?
2 Talk about the setting of the story. Remember to think
about where and when things happen in the story.
3 See if you can retell the plot of the story in the right order.
4 What do we learn about the dwarves in the story?
5 Do you think Uncama’s story is a legend? Why do you
say so?
6 What might be true in the story? Talk about this in your
groups. Everybody in the group will have different ideas.
Remember to be polite: do not shout and give others a
chance to speak.

You will now read a story called The elephants and the moon.
Before you read, look at the story’s title and the drawing on the
next page.
Make up a story to match the title and the drawing.
Share your story with your group. Listen to your group members’
stories.
Now read the story.
Unit 3
The elephants and the moon

Grandpa’s eyes twinkled: “Would you like to know how the
elephant became scared of the moon?
“Many years ago, on the African plains, there was a drought.
Water was very scarce. The mighty elephants were very
thirsty. But one day, they found a big pool full of cool water.
“However, next to the pool, lived a warren of hares. As the big
elephants went to and from the pool each day, they trampled
on and killed many hares. The hares feared that soon not one
of them would
be left. Then
they had an
idea.
“Their leader
went to the
elephants.
He said he
was the
ambassador of
the moon.
He told the
elephants that
the pool
belonged to
the moon and
the hares were
the guardians of the pool. He said the moon was very angry
that the elephants were drinking water there. The elephants
could not believe this. The hare told them to come back at
night and see for themselves how the moon shook with rage
in the pool when they drank.
“So it happened. That night, the elephants came to drink.
When they put their trunks into the water, they saw the moon
rippling and shaking with rage.
“They ran away and never came back.”
Term 1: Week 5–6
Work in groups.
1 The following statements are all true. Decide why each
one is true:
a) Grandfather likes to tell stories.
b) The elephants were strong animals.
c) The leader of the hares told the elephants that the
hares looked after the pool.
d) The elephants were scared when they saw the moon
shake with rage.
2 Which character or characters in the story do you like
most? Why?
3 Where did this story happen?
4 How do we know that there was a serious drought?
Give two reasons.
5 A group of hares is called a warren of hares. What do we
call many elephants? A … of elephants.
6 Do you know another word for hares?
7 Which animals in the story were cleverer? Why do you
say so?
8 What do you think happened to the elephants after they
left the pool?
Work in pairs to answer more questions on the reading
passage. Talk about the following questions with your partner:
1 How did this story make you feel? Say why you felt like
this.
2 Find another word for anger in the story.
3 Do you know any interesting facts about elephants?
Tell your partner.
Unit 3
°
4 Pretend your partner has not heard this story before. Tell
your partner the story of the elephants and the moon.
You want your partner to enjoy the story, so remember:
O First think of what you are going to say.
O Tell the events in the correct order.
O Pay attention to your intonation.
O Use your face to make the story interesting.
O Speak clearly.
O Do not rush.
You will be given an opportunity to read about other
legends and myths. Remember to tell your group how the
story that you read made you feel. Also say why you
enjoyed or did not enjoy your story.
5 Look at the following two sentences:
O Elephants are enormous creatures with tusks and big
ears.
This sentence gives us the literal meaning (description) of
the word elephant.
O He is as big as an elephant.
This is the figurative meaning of the word elephant. He is
not an elephant, just very big. A figurative meaning is
often an exaggeration.
With the help of your partner, see if you can give the
literal and figurative meanings of the following words by
using them in your own sentences: dog, cat.

Now it is your turn to write a myth or legend.
Join up with two partners. There should be three learners in
your group.
Term 1: Week 5–6
°
You must write your own myth or legend in a paragraph of
about SIX sentences. Your teacher will give you some help
and ideas.
First, look at the information in the block below:
Describe characters Characters Plot

Setting Likely and unlikely things
This is what you and your partners must do:

1 Decide what will happen in your story. Remember, this is
called the plot.
2 Who are the people, animals or other creatures in the
story? Remember, these people are called characters.
Give them names.
3 Where and when does your story take place? Remember,
this is called the setting.
4 Decide which things might happen and which not.
Which things are likely and which are not?
5 Use adjectives to describe your characters, such as
strong, old and good.
6 Try to use different words to make your story interesting.
7 Check your grammar, punctuation and spelling. Use a
dictionary.
8 Remember what you have learnt this year about writing:
plan your writing, improve it and then write the final story.
9 Ask your teacher for help if you are having trouble.

Read the story about Crow and his clever plan.
Unit 3
Clever Crow
It was summer and very hot. It had not rained for months and
there was very little water.
Crow flew over the dry
fields looking for water.
There was not a drop of
water in the river. Then he
flew over the town and
saw a jug with some
water in it. It stood in a
garden near the edge of
town. Excited, he flew
down and sat on the jug.
There was only a little
water inside.
Crow put his long beak
into the jug, but he could
not reach the water. He was so thirsty. He did not know how
to reach the water. Then he saw a pile of stones and had an
idea.
He picked them up in his beak, one by one, and dropped
them into the jug. The stones began to fill the jug and the
water rose higher and higher. At last, the water was high
enough for Crow to reach with his long beak. He drank and
drank until he was no longer thirsty.
When we tell a story, we use sentences. Look at the following:
Crow flew over the fields. Crow was looking for water.
These are two simple sentences. Each one makes sense by itself
and they both have finite verbs which have been underlined in the
sentences.
Term 1: Week 5–6
We can combine these two sentences to form one complex

sentence:
Crow flew over the fields because he was looking for water.
main clause subordinate clause
The first part of the sentence here is called the main clause
because it makes sense on its own. The second part of the
sentence is called the subordinate clause because it only makes
sense if it is linked to the main clause. We use a linking word
(conjunction) to join the main clause to the subordinate clause.
Some examples of conjunctions are: because, when, who, if,
while, before and until.
Join the following simple sentences to form complex
sentences. The conjunction is given in brackets.
1 There was little water. It had not rained for months. (as)
2 He saw a jug. He flew into the garden. (when)
3 It was hot. It was summer. (because)
4 Crow dropped stones into the jug. The water level rose.
(until)
Look at the following word: excite. We can extend the word in a

number of ways, for example, excited, unexcited
Excite is the root form of the word. If we add another bit to the
front of the word, we call that a prefix. The bit that we add to the
end of the word is a suffix. Here are a few more examples:
prefix root suffix extended word
un- cover -ed uncovered
mis- understand -ing misunderstanding
Language is exciting. We can use language in many different ways.
Look at this sentence:

It was raining cats and dogs.
Unit 3
Were there really cats and dogs falling out of the sky? No.
It just means it was raining very hard. This is called an idiom.
Here are a few more examples:

They led a cat-and-dog life. (They were always quarrelling.)
He let the cat out of the bag. (He revealed a secret.)
She was dog-tired. (She was very tired.)
Using language figuratively can make speech and writing more
interesting.
We can also use proverbs in our speech and writing, for example,
an apple a day keeps the doctor away, a stitch in time saves
nine. Proverbs give advice.
Use the words in the box to complete the figurative
expressions below.
You will use one of the words twice.
tortoise dogs birds swans wolf
1 She told him to keep quiet about the matter and to let
sleeping ___ lie.
2 He cannot be trusted. He is a real ___ in sheep’s clothing.
3 He is unrealistic and thinks all his geese are ___.
4 That was clever. She killed two ___ with one stone.
5 They are best friends. ___ of a feather flock together.
6 She is never in a hurry. She is a real ___.
5. Extra practice
Work in pairs.
1 Read the story called Clever Crow twice.
2 Look for THREE ideas in the passage that you can write
down as simple sentences.
Term 1: Week 5–6
3 See if you can extend two of your simple sentences to form

complex sentences. Swop your sentences with another pair
of learners.
4 Make questions of their sentences and let them do the
same to yours. Good luck!
5 Punctuate the following sentences by making use of a
colon, commas and a semi-colon:
a) When Crow flew over the fields he saw the following
O a dry riverbed
O a jug with some water.
b) Crow was very thirsty but only saw dry fields a dry
river and a jug of water.
c) Crow was hot tired and thirsty therefore he was
pleased to see the jug of water.
Homework
Look for a myth or legend. (Use the library, surf the Internet or
talk to your family members.)
You must then prepare to tell it to your group. This will be a
prepared oral exercise.
Your teacher will guide you and tell you how you will be
assessed.
Summary
Remember:
O Myths and legends are not true stories.
O A legend can have some parts that are true but do not tell
us about facts the way a newspaper article does.
O The elements of a story are the plot, characters and setting.
O Complex sentences have a main clause and a subordinate
clause.
O We use a colon in front of a list of items.
O We can extend words by adding prefixes and suffixes to
them.
Unit 3
°
O We use idioms and proverbs to make our speech and
writing more rich and interesting.

Turn to page 8 of your Core Reader and read the two
folklore tales.
Answer the following questions once you have finished reading

the story: Where medicine came from.
1 Name two aspects in the text that convinced you that this is
not a true story.
2 How do you feel about the man who killed an animal for its
skin?
3 What are your views on killing animals, such as rhinos and
elephants, to sell the ivory and horns?
4 What, do you think, is the message of this folklore tale?
5 Your teacher is going to take you to the library to look for
other animal stories. Read the stories you find to your
class.
The next question is based on the second folklore tale: The
purse of silver.
6 In The purse of silver, the merchant and the beggar had
different values in life. Values are beliefs that make one act
in a certain way. Examples of values are respect, kindness
and honesty. Find a magazine picture (or draw your own)
of a beggar and a rich merchant (businessman). Paste the
pictures in your exercise book, and underneath each
picture write down the values that you think are true of
each of the characters.
Term 1: Week 7–8
Unit
4
Making,
sharing, caring
O know how to carry out instructions
O be able to sequence instructions
O have shared new ideas
O have learnt new words.
What I already know

In the previous unit, I learnt:
O that I can read to relax, to enjoy a story, to find out information
and to learn
O about plot, character and setting
O to talk about how I feel and to say what I like about a story
O to prepare and tell a story to my class
O how to form questions.
Can I:
k
Chec lf O understand what I read
myse O read to enjoy a story
O tell the difference between fact and fiction
O use language to tell or write an interesting story
O honestly say I am keeping my personal dictionary up
to date?
Making, sharing, caring • 37

Unit 4
Word bank ABC

category: a group of things or ideas that have something in
common. For example: food is a category; meat,
bread and rice are all things that belong to the
category food.
cricitise: to say what is wrong with something, to find fault
with something
dowel: a long, round peg or stick
figurative: not literal, when we use words to mean something
more than their original meaning
insert: to place or put one thing into another thing
tilling: preparing soil before planting seeds – the soil is
turned over and often fertiliser is worked into the
soil at the same time

O prepare before I carry out instructions
O follow instructions carefully
O ask questions to clarify information
O list things (items) in a table in the right order
O give instructions.
Classroom
activities
Have you ever thought about
having your own bird feeder in
your garden?
38 t Making, sharing, caring

Term 1: Week 7–8
A bird feeder will attract birds to your garden, so that you can
watch them and learn something about them. This could be fun
and you could also learn something about wildlife.
In the next activity, you and a partner are going to make a

hanging bird feeder.
Work in pairs.
1 Your teacher will read the list of materials you need.
Make sure you have them all.
O One 2-ℓ plastic bottle with a screw cap.
O Two dowels or any other straight sticks.
O A drawing pin to punch small holes into the bottle.
O A pair of nail scissors to cut holes into the bottle.
O A piece of string, 40 to 50 cm long.
O Bird seed.
2 You are now going to make your bird feeder.
Your teacher will read the instructions to you.
Follow each instruction carefully.
3 You are now going to prepare your own list of instructions
on how to lay a table. Here are some ideas on how to go
about the task:
O Make a list of all the items (cutlery and crockery, table
cloth, table mats) that you need to lay a table.
O Decide where each item needs to be placed. (You
could even make a sketch of the final placings at the
table.)
O Think of the vocabulary you need to use. This will
include the names of the different items, as well as the
use of prepositions.
O When giving instructions, we use the imperative
(command) form of the verbs, for example, put, place.
O Keep your instructions short.

Unit 4

Work in pairs.
Imagine you are going to start a vegetable garden. You want to
plant some carrot seeds. A set of instructions on how to go about
making your own vegetable patch follows. The problem is that the
instructions have been scrambled.
You must:
O Read through the instructions silently, so that you can see
what needs to be done.
O Decide on the correct order of the instructions.
O Rewrite the instructions in the order you have decided on.
How to grow your own carrots

1 Prepare the soil by tilling and removing any hard clumps.
You will need a fork and a rake.
2 Choose a good location. Vegetables need enough
sunshine to grow.
3 Rake until the surface is
smooth and even.
4 Add compost or fertiliser to
improve the quality of the
soil.
5 Plan the vegetable patch
first. A patch of 2 × 3
metres is large enough to
grow carrots.
6 Harvest the carrots when
they are big enough by
pulling them from the
soil.
7 Sow the seeds in
early spring.
8 Water the patch at
least once every
second day.

Term 1: Week 7–8
Imagine a friend of yours, Sally, is getting a new pet. It is a
puppy, a fox terrier.
Sally has never had a pet before, so she has asked your advice.
You have made a list of some things that are important about
any pet. Here is your list. It is in the form of a table:
Pets rely on us for: What to do:
(category)
a) Food What to feed the pet
When to feed the pet
b) Water
c) Shelter
d) Exercise
e) Health care
f) What we should not do
1 Draw the table in your workbook.

2 In your groups, you must think of TWO or THREE useful
hints for each of the categories. Do not write anything in
your table yet.
3 Choose the THREE best ideas in each category.
4 Write down the ideas in your table.

When we tell someone to do something, we use the command
form of the verb.
We call this the imperative.
For example: Come here, Cheeky! Move!
Look at the information you listed in Classroom activity 2.
Work with your partner.

Unit 4
°
1 Choose ONE of the ideas you wrote down in each
category.
2 List the SIX ideas in a specific order. Start with the idea
you think is the most important. Finish with the one you
think is the least important.
3 Use bullets in your list.
4 Remember to use the imperative form of the verb.
5 Write this sentence at the top of your list:
Sally, to care for your pet, you must:
O …
O …
O …
6 Share your list with another pair of learners and look at
theirs. Talk about your lists. Do you understand
everything on their list?
In Classroom activity 2 you worked in groups, and in
Classroom activity 3 you worked in pairs. You are now going
to make THREE lists all by yourself.
Do this in a table like you did in Classroom activity 2.
Remember, when you make a list:

O Always keep your ideas short.
O Make sure your ideas make sense.
1 In list A, write TWO things you enjoyed about working in a

group.
2 In list B, write TWO things you enjoyed about working in
pairs (with a partner).
3 In list C, write TWO things you enjoyed about doing this
list on your own.

Term 1: Week 7–8
°
Remember to keep on writing new words in your personal
dictionary. The bigger your vocabulary becomes, the
better you will be able to communicate.

We are now going to look at three different kinds of pronouns.
Remember, a pronoun is a word used in the place of a noun, e.g.
he, she, it, we, you, they.
O Personal pronouns
Instead of saying John gave the book to Mary, we can say
He gave the book to Mary. She then read it. In the two
sentences, we used he in the place of John, she in the place
of Mary and it for book.
O Demonstrative pronouns
These are the keys. (You are specific – you have to point at
the keys.)
That was the wrong answer. (The specific answer you gave
was wrong.)
O Possessive pronouns
These pronouns show ownership (possession).
The pencil is mine.
The bicycle is hers.
Read the paragraph below and fill in the missing pronouns.
My granny has a big garden in which ___ grows all kinds of
vegetables. ___ should see ___ enormous tomatoes! ___ likes
giving vegetables and fruit to ___ best friends.

Unit 4
Look at the following sentence:

We made a bird feeder. (You will already know that this is a
simple sentence.)
Now think about the following: Who made what?

Answer: We made a bird feeder.
O We is the subject of the sentence. It says who did something.
A subject can be a noun or pronoun.
O Bird feeder is the object of the sentence. It is the thing that
receives the action of the verb. The object is also a noun or a
pronoun.
Here are two more examples. The subject is underlined and the
object is in italics.
O Sally bought a pet.
O They cleaned the kennel.
Rewrite each sentence and underline each subject and object.
1 You must wash the bottles.
2 They water the plants every day.
3 Gran tilled the soil on Saturday.
4 We only pick the ripe fruit.
5 She often makes tea.
Rewrite the following paragraph in your workbook.
See if you can fill in the missing words.
Is your house ready for your new pet?

Your new pet ___ soon arrive at your house. Are you ready for
___? Are there ___ holes that your pet could fall into? Take a

Term 1: Week 7–8
°
walk around ___ home and yard. Are there any gaps in the
fence that might let ___ pet get out of the yard?
What about dangerous things such as poisons or

insecticides? These things ___ dangerous to your pet. What
about dangling electric cords? Puppies ___ to chew on things.
___ think these things ___ toys to play with. What about your
own toys? Keep ___ out of reach of ___ sharp teeth!
5. Extra practice
Read the following poem with your teacher:
Alone again
I wish someone would tell me what it is
that I’ve done wrong.
Why I have to stay chained up and
left alone so long.
They seemed so glad to have me when
I came here as a pup.
There were so many things we’d do
while I was growing up.
They couldn’t wait to train me as a
companion and a friend.
And told me how they’d never fear being left alone again.
The children said they’d feed me and
brush me every day.
They’d play with me and walk me
if I could only stay.
But now the family “hasn’t time”,
they often say I shed.
They do not want me in the house,
not even to be fed.

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Solutions for all

© A F de Villiers, H E de Villiers, T Govender, 2012

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,

First published 2012

Illustrations by Linda Klintworth and Luyanda Cwane

It is illegal to photocopy any page of this book

Greatstock: pp 4, 160, 161, 183

What I should know

Word bank ABC

What I still need to know

O Listen carefully to the story.

Do not worry if you cannot remember everything

Do you have any questions about the story?

8 Tell your friends about the special things in your life.

2. Reading and viewing

A very special person

If you want to find out more about Helen Keller, go to a public

Now read the story aloud together with your class.

Pay attention to:

word you read.

pronounce, ask your partner or teacher to help you.

O Intonation: Your voice must go down at the end

Read these sentences to your partner:

3 Work in groups. Tell your group about the special people

3. Writing and presentation

1 Tell your partner your story.

O I have checked my spelling in the dictionary.

8 Rewrite your paragraph neatly.

4. Language structures and conventions

Do you remember learning about nouns last year? Look at the

The verb found tells us that this happened in the past.

What is a simple sentence?

If you feel a bit nervous, don’t worry. There are other

Core Reader activity

1 In A story behind a story, you read about Louis Braille,

What I already know

Word bank ABC

What I still need to know

7 Look at the drawing above.

2. Reading and viewing

The picnic (continued)

She quickly got the food prepared,

From the yard she fetched her bike

The living room was straight ahead,

It didn’t take us long to eat

3. Writing and presentation

4. Language structures and conventions

Some of the words found in English come from other languages,

Let us read the last two stanzas of The picnic.

We flopped straight down then, side by side,

In Unit 1 you learnt about simple sentences. Remember they

can tell a uses figurative

Core Reader activity

1 There are common threads that run through the three

What I already know

O describe how the poem made me feel

O work out the rhythm and rhyme of a poem

O write my own poem

O break words into syllables

O recognise concrete, abstract and compound nouns.

Word bank ABC

What I still need to know

Every story has THREE elements: a plot, characters and a setting.