Name of Unit: Guide Dog Puppies
Time: 2 weeks (10 hours)
Grade 5: Term 1: Weeks 5&6
Subject: English First Additional Language
Summary of the Unit
In this unit we are discussing Guide Dog puppies. Not many people know that goes into training
these amazing animals that one sometimes sees in town wearing harnesses and walking next to
someone who is probably blind. Those Guide Dogs have been trained right from 2 months old
to be obedient and well-adjusted puppies. At around 18 months they go on a rigorous training
which enables them to act as the eyes of blind people. They listen to a story told from the
perspective of a child whose mother is a Guide Dog puppy, and they answer questions about
it. They retell the story using a beginning, middle and end recount method. In reading lessons,
the learners read a story told from the perspective of a puppy and answer questions about it.
They also read a story written from the perspective of a Guide Dog puppy trainer. They discuss
and learn new vocabulary and practice independent reading. The learners work in groups of
three and play a syllables language game. In language activities the learners practice a spelling
rule, explore breaking words into smaller chunks, and work with prepositions and subject/verb
concord as well as with connecting words. In writing lessons, they write an ending to story, and
they write a description of characters.
Curriculum Reference
Curriculum Standards (CAPS) Grade 4 English First Additional Language Term 1 Weeks 5&6
Skill
Listening & Speaking
( 2 hours)
CAPS requirements
Listens to a story
Predicts what will happen next;
answers simple questions; retells
the story in the right sequence;
names characters in the story
correctly; identifies characters
from oral descriptions; expresses
feelings about the story
Describes people/characters
from the story
Explains what the people look
like; uses a few new words learnt
from story; uses adjectives
Activities
Listening and speaking:
How much do you know about
Guide Dog puppies?
Listening and speaking:
The new puppy
Listening and speaking:
Describe the character in a
story
Listening and speaking:
Play the syllables game
Practises Listening and
Speaking
(choose one for daily practice)
Performs a simple rhyme, poem
or song; responds physically
to instructions; plays a simple
language game
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GRADE 4
Grade 4 English First Additional Language
Unit 3 ‘Guide Dog Puppies’
Lesson plan for Term 1 Weeks 5&6
Reads a story
Pre-reading: predicts from
title and pictures; uses
reading strategies, e.g. making
predictions, uses phonic and
contextual clues; explains the
story line and identifies the
main characters; retells the
story in sequence; expresses
feelings about the story; answers
questions about the text.
Does comprehension activity
on the text (oral or written)
Discusses new vocabulary from
the read text; spells ten words
from read text
Reading and viewing:
I am a Guide Dog puppy
Reading and viewing: I am a
guide Dog puppy trainer
Reading and viewing:
Discuss and learn new
vocabulary
Reading and viewing:
Independent Reading
Practises reading
Reads aloud with appropriate
pronunciation and expression
Writing
(2 hours)
Reflects on texts read during
independent/pair reading
Retells story or main ideas
Writes about a story
Writes sentences about the
story (e.g. summary or own
ending); writes own sentences
to expresses opinions or
feelings about the story; uses
punctuation correctly
Writing:
Write an ending to a story
Writing:
Describe the characters
Writes a description of people/
characters from the story using
a frame
Writes sentences about what
people look like; uses a few new
words learnt from story; uses
adjectives; corrects spelling using
a dictionary
Records words and their
meanings in a personal
dictionary
Uses drawings or sentences
using the words or explanations
to show the meaning, etc.
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GRADE 4
Reading & Viewing
(5 hours)
Breaks long words into smaller
chunks,
e.g. be-cause; sen-ten-ce; words
starting with a k sound and
followed by e or i: use a k to spell
the word; shortening words,
e.g. television - telly, telephone
– phone; uses abbreviations
correctly: acronyms, initialisation,
truncation
Working with words and
sentences
Builds on use of subject verb
concord, e.g. There is one book/
There are two books ...; uses
regular forms of the verb, e.g.
walk, walked; uses adverbs of
frequency (e.g. ‘She hardly ever
visits me.’); builds on use of
prepositions that show position
(on, under, above);
uses connecting words to show
addition (and) and sequence
(then, before)
Uses different types of adjectives
including those relating to age
e.g. old, young
Language structure and
conventions:
Learn a spelling rule
Language structures:
Subject and verb concord
Language structures:
Prepositions
Language structures:
Connecting words
Language structures:
It’s time for revision
Vocabulary in context
Compound words, e.g.
playground
Educator preparation for the whole unit before starting
1. Read through the activities in this unit and familiarise yourself with them and what resources they require so that you can be totally prepared before the unit begins.
2. Identify the necessary vocabulary for this unit and write the words on to wordlists. Constantly revise the vocabulary and ensure that the learners’ understanding of the terminology is consolidated. Try to include two spelling tests over the two-week period. Use the ten suggested words taken from the reading activities this week.
3. Note that this unit does not include any Reading activities based on the Graded Readers used by the class or the Grade 4 First Additional Reader used by the class.
4. Note who might need remediation and extension and plan accordingly by finding relevant
activities for students who come to your notice.
5. Provide a selection of books in a reading corner in the classroom. Books and other reading material should include both fiction and non-fiction at different levels of difficulty
to accommodate all readers. Supplementary graded readers should also be available. The learners will choose from these texts for independent reading activities.
Resources
Learner worksheet activities, dictionaries, personal dictionaries, library books, classwork books, a
variety of graded supplementary reading books, pictures Guide Dog puppies mentioned in the
readings. YouTube video: A Day in The Life Of... A Dog Guide Puppy:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLMvgknsmPY
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GRADE 4
Language Structure &
Conventions
(1 hour)
Rating code
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
Description of competence
Outstanding achievement
Meritorious achievement
Substantial achievement
Adequate achievement
Moderate achievement
Elementary achievement
Not achieved
Learning activities, and how to teach them
Listening and speaking: How much do you know about Guide Dog puppies?
This unit is about Guide Dogs, the amazing dogs that become the eyes of blind
and visually –impaired people. The idea is set the scene in this activity and find out
from the learners whether they have ever seen a Guide Dog wearing a harness and
walking with its owner. Divide the learners into groups and let them discuss the
provided questions.
a) Have you ever seen one of these dogs in the streets walking with a person?
b) Do you have a story to tell about a Guide Dog?
c) Do you know anyone who trains Guide Dog puppies?
d) How do you think Guide Dog puppies are trained?
e) If you were blind would you like to have a faithful Guide Dog helping you?
Volunteers first train prospective Guide Dogs as puppies and teach them to become
well-trained and well adjusted. At around 14 – 18 months, the trained puppies are
taken away from their volunteer trainers and are given intensive training as Guide
Dogs. They are then placed with their new blind owner as their helpers. In this unit
we will focus on the puppies and how they are trained.
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GRADE 4
Assessment
Formal Assessment
This unit assesses Formal Assessment Task 1 which is to be used with the following activities:
Formal Assessment Task 1: Listening and Speaking: Gives a factual recount (20)
Formal Assessment Task 1: Reading comprehension of a story (20 marks)
Formal Assessment Task 1: Reading: Reads aloud a prepared text (10)
Formal Assessment task 1: Language structures (15 marks)
Formal Assessment Task 1: Writing: Writes a paragraph using a frame (25 marks)
Formal Assessment Task 1: Reflects on stories read independently (10 marks)
Total assessment = 100 marks
GRADE 4
Listening and speaking: Listen to a story
Formal Assessment Task 1: Listens to and speaks about a story
The story is based on information on Guide Dogs from various Guide Dog websites. It is
interesting for the learners to know about these amazing animals that are trained from
young to be the eyes of people who are blind or visually impaired. Read the story to the
learners several times. Perhaps you could have a picture of a Guide Dog puppy taken
from the Internet pasted on to the board. Ask questions about the story in the second
reading. Explain any difficult or new words.
A. Answer questions
After reading the story and asking your own questions, place the learners in pairs and
let them answer the questions that you call out. Go over the answers for each question
before proceeding to the next one.
Suggested answers:
1. What is Ben’s mum’s name, and what is the puppy’s name?
Ben’s mum’s name is Mrs Wendy Wells, and the puppy’s name is Sasha.
2. Describe what the puppy looks like.
She is two months old, white and very cute with soft brown eyes.
3. How long will Ben’s family have the puppy?
They will have her for 16 months.
4. What happens to the puppy after that?
She will then be trained as a Guide Dog.
5. What is a Guide Dog?
A Guide Dog is a dog that helps blind and almost blind dogs get around obstacles.
6. What does Ben’s mum have to do with the puppy?
She has to house train her, introduce her to new situations, teach her to obey commands and take her for puppy training lessons.
7. What is meant be well-behaved and well-socialised?
Well-trained means she is obedient, and well-socialised means she gets on well with people and other animals.
8. How would you like to have a puppy like that in your house?
Learner’s own opinion.
9. What experience did the puppy enjoy recently?
The puppy went to the beach, had a swim and met other dogs on the beach.
10. Do you think Ben’s mum will bring the puppy to school? Explain your answer.
Learner’s own answer such as ‘Yes, because Sasha needs to be exposed to new situations.’
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C. Retell the story of Ben’s puppy to your partner
After this read the story one more time to the learners and let them practise using a
new recount method to retell the story to one another in the right order. This method
focuses on the main ideas from the beginning, the middle and the end following the
provided frame in the worksheet activity.
Formal Assessment: Listening and speaking: Retells a story
Use the following rubric
Retells the story
Follows the frame and starts with a beginning - Introduces the story of the
2
puppy. Describes the puppy.
Follows the frame and talks about the middle - what Ben’s mum will do with
2
the puppy. Mentions an event that the puppy enjoyed with Mrs Wells.
Follows the frame and adds an interesting ending.
2
Uses good vocabulary
2
Speaks fluently and confidently
2
Total = 10 x 2 = 20 marks
Reading and viewing: I am a Guide Dog puppy
This is part of Formal Assessment Task 1: read aloud a prepared text
Introduce this week’s factual account called I am a Guide dog puppy. It tells the story
of a Guide dog puppy and what happens to it when it is wo years old. The story is told
through the eyes of a puppy to make it interesting for the learners, and to get them
to identify with the puppy in some way. This story is adapted from an idea found on a
Guide Dogs for the Blind website: http://www.paws-abilities.org/puppystory.html
Start off by letting the learners predict what the text will be about by reading the
heading, the images and scanning the text. Read the text to the learners at least twice
and stop and ask questions every so often in the second reading. Explain the meaning
of difficult words. At the end of the second reading ask the learners questions to see
how much they have understood. Then let the learners read the story in pairs. When
they have finished reading the story, they discuss the questions and answer them
orally in their pairs. Go through the answers with them after this.
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GRADE 4
B. Describe the characters to your partner
Let the learners try and imagine the characters in the story in their minds and try to
describe what they look like. Talk about adjectives and how they can give a better
picture of what someone looks like. Before you start make a list of adjectives on the
board such as: tall, short, pretty, handsome, attractive, fit, chubby, small, slender, young,
old. Try and elicit a few more adjectives from the learners. After that let them create
sentences describing Mrs Wells, ben and Sasha.
Formal Assessment Task 1: Reads aloud a prepared text (10 marks)
Let the learners practise reading this text to one another. Once they feel confident let
them read a section of the text to you. Assess the learners on their reading following
this rubric
Reads aloud
Reads fluently and confidently.
Uses the correct pronunciation for words.
Articulates the words clearly.
Reads with good expression.
Reads with a good pace.
Yes (2) No (1)
Total marks = 10
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GRADE 4
Suggested answers to oral questions
1. Who is telling this story?
The Guide Dog puppy, Bettina, is telling the story.
2. Which people and animals are mentioned in the story?
There is Bettina, the helpers, Mrs Durand, the new family, and the other puppies.
3. Where did this event take place?
It took place at the Guide Dog Home.
4. What does a Guide Dog do?
It looks after blind and visually impaired people.
5. Till what age will Bettina stay with her new family?
She will stay there until she is 14 – 18 months old.
6. List five things that will happen to Bettina in her training by completing these sentences:
a) She will be trained to be __________________________________.
b) She will be trained to _____________________________________.
c) She will learn to be ______________________________________.
d) She will be taken to places such as _________________________.
e) She will travel __________________________________________.
a) She will be trained to be house-trained and obedient.
b) She will be trained to get on well with people and other animals.
c) She learn to be confident, self-controlled and well-behaved wherever Mrs Durand takes her.
d) She will be taken to places such as shops, to visit Mrs Durand’s friends, to Mrs Durand’s children’s school, to the beach and to restaurants
e) She will travel on trains and buses.
7. Retell the story to your partner.
Learner’s own thoughts.
8. How does this story make you feel?
Learner’s own thoughts.
intelligent: able to learn and understand things easily.
excited: enthusiastic and eager, and looking forward to something.
obedient: willing to do, what you have been told to do by someone in authority.
well-behaved: behaving in a way that is accepted as correct.
confident: feeling or showing belief in oneself or one’s abilities or qualities.
Reading and viewing: Independent reading
This is part of Formal Assessment Task 1: Reflects on stories read independently
The learners choose a storybook from the reading corner or library and after reading it
they retell the story to their partner in 3 to 5 sentences. Try to get them to use the recount
method from this unit where they think of the beginning, the middle and the end of the
story. Discuss finding main ideas in a story with them. They should make sure they include
the main ideas of the story when they retell the story.
Use this rubric for Formal Assessment Task 1:
Yes 2
No 1
Mention the name of the book and the author.
Relate what the book was about in five sentences.
What happened at the beginning of the story?
What happened in the middle of the story?
What happened at the end of the story?
Total = 10 marks
Listening and Speaking: Play the syllables game
The learners work in groups of three and practise playing a language game where they
break words into syllables. Revise this concept of breaking down words with the learners
first. The instructions for playing are provided on the worksheet. Make sure the learners
understand these instructions.
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GRADE 4
Reading and viewing: Discuss and learn new vocabulary
The learners look up the meanings of the words below in their dictionaries and write them
into their personal dictionary. Let the learners learn to spell them as well. Use these words
as well as five from the second reading activity for a spelling test in this unit|
36
35
La-bra-dor
dif-fer-ent
34
33
32
al-to-gether
won-der-ing
31
com-ing
col-lect
25
ev-e-ry
in-tel-ligent
26
27
al-rea-dy
rai-ser
28
29
go-ing
fa-mi-ly
30
24
23
ex-ci-ted
con-fi-dent
22
21
ob-e-di-ent
ev-e-rywhere
20
19 res-taurants ev-ery-thing
13
14
15
hap-pen-ing
res-pect-ful
16
cle-ver
be-cause
17
18
dif-fer-ent
yes-ter-day
10
when-e-ver
swim-ming
9
8
train-ing
mov-ing
7
3
4
sup-pos-ed
bring-ing
5
6
was-n’t
can-not
END
11
12
sit-u-a-tions
com-pan-ions
1
START
2
harn-ess
pup-py
Language structures: Learn a spelling rule
The learners read the provided words and pronounce them correctly. They then write
a sentence with each word that shows that they understand the meaning of the word.
Language structures: Connecting words
Use one of the connecting words to join these sentences. Use each word twice.
and
then
before
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GRADE 4
Suggested answers
GRADE 4
1. He wore beautiful clothes. He wore leather shoes.
He wore beautiful clothes and he wore leather shoes
2. He worked for many years. He retired.
He worked for many years then he retired
3. I always work hard. I do my homework.
I always work hard, and I do my homework.
4. I do my homework. I go to bed.
I do my homework before I go to bed.
5. He built good houses. He became lazy.
He built good houses then he became lazy.
6. He lived in Cape Town. He lived in Johannesburg.
He lived in Cape Town before he lived in Johannesburg.
Language structures: Prepositions
Underline the prepositions in each sentence, Suggested answers:
1. The puppy jumped over the log.
2. The puppy walked next to the path.
3. Ben and the puppy ran around the garden,
4. The puppy crawled under the bed.
5. Ben jumped over the bushes.
6. The puppy walked towards the gate.
7. Ben looked across the room.
8. Ben and the puppy walked through the shopping mall.
9. The puppy climbed into Ben’s bed.
10. Ben leaned against the wall.
Language structures: Subject and verb concord
Rewrite each sentence and choose the correct verb in the brackets
1. Denver the puppy (learning/learn/learns) very fast.
Denver the puppy learns very fast
2. The trainer (take/takes/taking) him to the beach.
The trainer takes him to the beach.
3. The trainer and Denver (walking/walks/walk) a lot.
The trainer and Denver walk a lot.
4. They (catches/catch/catching) trains and buses.
They catch trains and buses.
5. The puppies (love/loving/love) playing in the water.
The puppies love playing in the water.
Reading and viewing: I am a Guide Dog puppy trainer
Formal Assessment Task 1: Comprehension questions for a story
This is a story about training Guide Dog puppies told from the perspective of a volunteer
trainer who spends around a year training puppy to be well-behaved, obedient and welladjusted. The learners read the story through several times in a group and then discuss
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Suggested written answers to questions, Use these marks for Formal Assessment
Task 1
A. Answer these questions in your classwork book. Discuss them in your group first.
1. Who is telling this story?
Mrs Karen Pewa, a Guide Dog puppy trainer, is telling the story. (1 marks)
2. Which people and animals are mentioned in the story?
They are Mrs Pewa, Denver, Mrs Pewa’s children and their friends, the Guide Dog trainer and Mrs Smith. (5 marks)
3. How many Guide Dog puppies has this trainer trained?
She has trained three puppies. (1 marks)
4. How do you know that this trainer loves her puppies when she trains them?
She says that she falls in love with them. (1 marks)
5. Until what age did Denver stay with this trainer?
Denver stayed with her until he was 13 months old. (1 marks)
6. When did this trainer realise that she did a good job training Denver?
It was when she saw how much he helped his blind owner, Mrs Smith. (1 marks)
7. What did Denver especially like doing?
He likes swimming. (1 mark)
6. List four things that Mrs Pewa did for Denver in her training by completing these sentences: (4 marks)
a) She taught him to be house-trained and obedient.
b) She took him into all sorts of situations.
c) They caught buses and trains.
d) They rode in different cars.
7. Retell the story to your partner in five sentences before writing them in your book.
Learner’s own choice of words. (5 marks)
8. How does this story make you feel?
Learner’s own thoughts.
Total = 20 marks
B. Look up the meanings of the following words in your dictionaries and write them
in your personal dictionary. These will form five of your spelling words for this week.
Answers:
respectful: behaving in way that shows regard for someone or something.
situations: circumstances that are happening at a given moment.
supposed: generally thought to be true, but might not be.
ready: willing or eager to do something.
realised: when something becomes clear to you.
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GRADE 4
the questions with the group. After that they answer the questions in their classwork
books individually.
GRADE 4
Writing: Write an ending to the Guide Dog trainer’s story
This is part of Formal Assessment Task 1: Writes a paragraph
Ensure that the learners have read the story about Denver and his new owner Mrs Smith.
Revise the story with the learners. Denver is now a Guide Dog and no longer a puppy.
Mrs Smith is blind. The learners finish the story in several sentences. They are given a
frame to follow as they write. Work through the frame orally as a whole class first. Then let
the learners work through the frame individually.
Excellent Good Struggling
5
3
1
They write about Mrs Smith’s feelings when she hears
about Denver.
They write about what happened when Mrs Smith
took Denver home.
They write a couple of sentences to say what they feel
about Mrs Smith and Denver.
They write a closing sentence.
Uses appropriate vocabulary and punctuation
Total mark out of 25
When they are finished the learners ask their partners to help them check their
punctuation.
Writing: Write a description
Now that the learners know about Guide Dog puppies and their trainers, they write
about them. Let them imagine them in their minds? What do the puppies look like? What
does Mrs Pewa look like? What does Mrs Smith, the blind lady, look like? Let the learners
copy the provided frame into their classwork books and complete the sentences. They
write at least two sentences about each character – Mrs Pewa, Denver and Mrs Smith
the bind lady - as they see them in their imagination. Encourage the learners to use a
dictionary to check that they spell words correctly.
It’s time for revision
This is part of Formal Assessment Task 1: Language in context
Suggested answers:
A. Connecting words (Give 1 mark per correct sentence)
Find the connecting words in these sentences. On the next line write the two sentences
that were joined with the connecting word.
1. The puppy was trained by a volunteer then he was trained as a Guide Dog.
then. (1 mark) The puppy was trained by a volunteer. The puppy was trained as a Guide Dog. (1 mark)
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B. Prepositions
Underline the prepositions in each sentence,
1. The puppy walked towards the gate.
The puppy walked towards the gate.
2. Ben looked across the room.
Ben looked across the room.
3. Ben and the puppy walked through the shopping mall.
Ben and the puppy walked through the shopping mall.
4. The puppy climbed into Ben’s bed.
The puppy climbed into Ben’s bed.
5. Ben leaned against the wall.
Ben leaned against the wall.
Total = 5 marks
C. Subject and verb concord
Rewrite each sentence and choose the correct verb in the brackets.
1. Denver (am/is/are) a white Labrador puppy.
Denver is a white Labrador puppy.
2. Guide Dogs (am/is/are) clever dogs.
Guide Dogs are a clever dog.
3. It (am/is/are) fun having a puppy to play with.
It is fun having a puppy to play with.
4. Denver (become/became/becoming) a Guide Dog.
Denver became a Guide Dog.
5. He (am/is/are) a great help to his new blind owner.
He is a great help to his new blind owner.
6. Sasha (am/is/are) a beautiful and intelligent puppy.
Sasha is a beautiful and intelligent puppy.
7. Mum (helping/helps/help) Sasha learn something new weekly.
Mum helps Sasha learn something new every week.
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GRADE 4
2. The trainer made the kennel before he went to fetch the new puppy.
before. (1 mark) The trainer made the kennel. H went to fetch the new puppy.
(1 mark)
3. The beautiful puppy had white fur and big, brown eyes. and 1 mark
and. (1 mark) The beautiful puppy had white fur. The puppy had big, brown eyes.
(1 mark)
4. The trainer looked at the puppy and the puppy wagged his tail.
and. (1 mark) The trainer looked at the puppy. The puppy wagged his tail.
(1 mark)
5. The trainer and the puppy went to the beach before they went home.
before. (1 mark) The trainer and the puppy went to the beach. They went home.
(1 mark)
Total = 10 marks
GRADE 4
8. Mum and I (taking/takes/take) Sasha to the beach every day.
Mum and I take Sasha to the beach every day.
9. I (loving/loves/love) Sasha.
I love Sasha.
10. Mrs Durand (am/is/are) a puppy raiser.
Mrs Durand is a puppy raiser.
Total = 10 marks
D. Syllables
Break these words into syllables.
1. different (dif-fer-rent)
2. intelligent (in-tell-i-gent)
3. yesterday (yes-ter-day)
4. inside (in-side)
5. beautiful (bea-u-ti-ful)
Total = 5 marks
(Grand total = 30÷2=15)
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