Reading: Radical innovations
for challenging times
The Vula Bula Graded Reading Series
LITERACY LEVELS IN SOUTH AFRICA IN 2012
PIRLS, 2006 (Progress in International Reading Literacy Study)
Department of Basic Education’s SYSTEMIC EVALUATION, 2003
ANNUAL NATIONAL ASSESSMENTS (ANA) PROGRAMME, 2011
FINDINGS
•More than 80% of learners tested in African languages, have not attained “basic
reading skills and strategies” (PIRLS)
•Inadequate and infrequent practice in reading (ALL)
•Inadequate learning and teaching materials in schools in terms of quality and
quantity, especially in African languages (ALL)
•50% of SA homes have fewer than 10 books (ALL)
•Very poor literacy scores: 39% in Reading Comprehension and Writing; Grade 3
national average was 35% (ALL)
•Serious lack of vocabulary (ALL)
•Poor comprehension skills; inability to answer analytical and inferential questions
(ANA)
•Disadvantaged and poorest children are the most vulnerable (ALL).
There is a serious and urgent problem
with our children’s literacy levels,
particularly in African languages.
Government policy promotes mother tongue
literacy in the Foundation Phase.
BUT
There is a severe lack of quality early
reading materials in African languages,
both in the home and in the classroom.
“In indigenous languages there is a paucity of
readily accessible early literacy graded
readers that introduce the young learner to
texts that reflect the learners’ language
experience and cultural milieu. Inevitably,
this imbalance in provision is a major factor
contributing to low reading and the literacy
rates which are currently of great concern in
South Africa.”
Report for the Community Literacy and Numeracy Group Project (CLING)
January 2012
Molteno responded to this crisis after receiving
funding from THE ZENEX FOUNDATION
Molteno’s Vula Bula Graded Reading Series
tackles these early literacy inequalities by
providing young learners with the quality
reading materials they so urgently need.
Why the name
?
It encompasses all but one (Xitsonga) of South Africa’s
indigenous African languages:
vula means ‘open’ in isiXhosa, isiZulu, isiNdebele,
Siswati and Tshivenḓa
bula means ‘open’ in Setswana, Sesotho and Sepedi
Our hope is that children will open books for purposes
of reading and writing, and at the same time open their
minds to the pleasure of books and lifelong learning.
The rhyming name is memorable!
Direct translation of English into
African languages
Where early readers are available in the African languages,
these are directly translated from an original English source
document. This leads to the creation of complex texts that
are not commensurate with the learners’ level of reading.
ENGLISH
ISIZULU
soccer
ibhola likanobhutshuzwayo
TRANSLATION
(text borrowed from a Grade 1 reader about colours)
ENGLISH
ISIZULU
I use colours.
Sipenda ngemibala.
I use red.
Ngipenda ngombala obomvu.
I use yellow.
Ngipenda ngombala ophuzi.
I use black.
Ngipenda ngombala omnyama.
I use white.
Ngipenda ngombala omhlophe.
I use green.
Ngipenda ngombala oluhlaza njengotshani.
I use blue.
Ngipenda ngombala oluhlaza njengesibhakabhaka.
Look! Our flag!
Bheka! Ifulegi lezwe lakithi.
Consonant blends and digraphs: 11 Trigraphs: 1
Words containing multiple blends and digraphs.
TRANSLATION
(same text)
ENGLISH
SETSWANA
I use colours.
Re tshasa mebala.
I use red.
Re tshasa mmala o mohibidu.
I use yellow.
Re tshasa mmala o serolwana.
I use black.
Re tshasa mmala o montsho.
I use white.
Re tshasa mmala o mosweu.
I use green.
Re tshasa mmala o motala.
I use blue.
Re tshasa mmala o o pududu.
Look! Our flag!
Bona! Folaga ya rona.
Consonant blends and digraphs: 3
Trigraphs: 1 Quadgraphs: 1
The Vula Bula programme incorporates multiple
approaches to reading instruction:
WHOLE LANGUAGE: Each week begins with a new story and teaches
elements from the story.
LOOK AND SAY: Learners learn whole words (common sight words and/or
sight syllables) and have repeated exposure to the words in the story.
PHONEMIC AND PHONIC: Learners learn sound/symbol correspondences
and apply them to read the words in the story.
KEY WORDS: The teaching of vocabulary words before the story is read
aloud ensures comprehension. Learners learn to read a core, highfrequency vocabulary.
BALANCED READING APPROACH: The alignment of the simple reader text
with the rich, complex read-aloud story teaches both foundational and
higher level skills to beginning readers.
ISIXHOSA PROGRAMME COMPONENTS
8 Big Books
32 graded readers
(at six different levels)
4 posters
Alphabet frieze
Learners’ phonics card
Learners’ Workbook
Teacher’s Guide
The FP curriculum (CAPS)
requires materials for the
following methodologies to
fill increased reading time:
•
•
•
•
•
•
reading aloud
shared reading
group reading
guided reading
paired reading
independent
reading
POSTER 1
POSTER 2
Numbers Days of the week
Months of the year Seasons Weather
POSTER 3
My face My feelings
POSTER 4
Shapes Colours
ALPHABET FRIEZE SET
Each card contains
an illustrated word
‘beginning’ with a
specific letter of
the alphabet.
Short, simple,
common words
introduce the
different sounds.
Words are mostly phonically regular,
enabling learners to read them easily.
Learners’ phonics card
46 consonant blends and digraphs
32 trigraphs, 4 quadgraphs on the other side
BIG BOOKS
BIG BOOK 3
BIG BOOK 4
Lusuku lokuzalwa lukaLulu namhlanje. Ugqiba iminyaka emithandathu ezelwe.
Umama umenzela itheko elincinane ukubhiyozela lo mhla. Amabhaso kaLulu
uwasongele ngelona phepha lakhe lalihle. Uxhome iibhaloni ezimibala-bala waze
wadeka netafile ekuza kutyelwa kuyo. Umama ubhakele uLulu ikeyiki
yetshokolethi ayithanda kakhulu!
‘Yizani nonke etafileni, iti nesiselo esibandayo sele zilungile,’ uyababiza umama.
Umama ulumeka amakhandlela 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 amele iminyaka kaLulu. Ululu
uphefumla kakhulu ebizela umoya. Wawavuthela omathandathu ngaxeshanye!
Khawubone olo ncumo nokonwaba okungako kuLulu ngeli lixa usapho lonke
lumculela ingoma emyoli u“mini emnandi kuwe”. Nditsho nenjana yakhe
uBathathe ingenelele ikhonkotha ngehlombe.
4
Umama usika ikeyiki ibe ngamaqhekeza amathandathu.
Utatomkhulu ufumana iqhekeza lokuqala.
ULulu uyabala eqaphela 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5. Kusele amaqhekeza amahlanu.
‘Mmm ... Mmm … Mmmmm!’ uyanambitha utatomkhulu, umlomo
ugcwele yikeyiki emnandi.
ULulu yena uginya ingwiqi selengathi utya iswekile yekeyiki.
Andithethi ngoBathathe. Naye uvuza izinkcwe unga uyayinukisa
iswekile yekeyiki!
5
GRADED READERS
Considered core Learner and Teacher Support
Material by the Department of Basic Education.
Methodology:
1. Simple, common isiXhosa words selected
2. Reader story developed from core words
Grad
ed
are u readers
se
learn d by
er
pract s to
ic
and t e reading
o gain
readi
ng flu
ency.
Each reader:
links to the matching read-aloud story in the Big Book
is developmental – six reading levels
is used to build phonemic awareness and word
recognition (sight words and phonics), comprehension and
vocabulary
facilitates the acquisition of visual literacy skills
contains a comprehension activity.
bala
2
bala
3
18. Uphi uZinzi?
BIG K 5
O
BO
Usapho lukaZinzi lwakha indlu entsha. Ilanga,
ligqats’ ubhobhoyi ngayo le ntsasa. Abakhi
baza kuwadinga amanzi okusela. Bathuma
uZinzi emlanjeni ukuya kukha amanzi.
Emlanjeni, uZinzi ugcwalisa i-emele yakhe.
Uyibeka ecaleni, aqalise ukuzoba eludakeni.
Esazoba njalo, ubona isele elityeni aqale
incoko, ‘Molo, sele. Igama lam ndinguZinzi.
Ndize ne-emele yam. Kushushu namhlanje.
Abasebenzi bafuna ukusela amanzi. Kodwa,
mandigqibe nje oku kuzoba kuqala.’
(Where is Zinzi?)
R
DE
A
RE E L 3
LEV
Molo, sele. Igama lam ndinguZinzi.
Ndize ne-emele yam.
Kushushu.
Abasebenzi bafuna ukusela amanzi.
2
2
SUMMARY OF SKILLS DEVELOPED
Reader 1
Reader 20
READER ACTIVITY
READER ACTIVITY
Story 1 Bala
Story 29 Ingonyama nempuku
The Vula Bula graded reader series
Unique “re-versioning” development process:
• Began with English back-translation of isiXhosa texts
• Analysed, then developed and edited each text to fit the
specific phonic features of the focus language
• Levelled all 32 texts to form an authentic graded reader series.
LU
ISIZU
BELE
E
D
N
ISI
HO
SESOT
AN A
SETSW
Vula Bula graded reader series – status quo
•
•
•
•
IsiZulu
IsiNdebele
Sesotho
Setswana
• IsiXhosa
• Sepedi
• Tshivenda
• Xitsonga
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AVAILABLE NOW
AVAILABLE NOVEMBER 2012
AVAILABLE JANUARY
2013
Vula Bula : Impact
Although still in pilot stage, pre- and post-test scores for one
school indicate promising results (30 learners tested).
Vula Bula : Impact
Two project schools, one control school