Most South African children learn to read in more than one language. Here is how HL and FAL work in CAPS \u2014 and how to support both.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
South African classrooms are gloriously multilingual. In the Foundation Phase, children study a Home Language (HL) and a First Additional Language (FAL) \u2014 and learning to read well in one strengthens the other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Home Language carries the heaviest reading load: children learn to read and write in it first. The First Additional Language \u2014 often English \u2014 starts with listening and speaking, with reading building up from Grade 2.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Research is clear that strong reading skills in a child’s strongest language transfer to the second. Blending, decoding and comprehension are skills learned once and reused.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Read aloud in whichever language you are most comfortable in \u2014 story time in isiZulu or Afrikaans builds the same comprehension muscles English will use later. Organisations like the Molteno Institute produce African-language readers for exactly this reason.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our programme offers English and Afrikaans streams, each following its own CAPS sequence, so a child can practise HL and FAL side by side. Explore the streams from any grade page, starting at Grade 1<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nKey takeaways<\/h2>\n\n\n\n