Infant Indigenous Language Syllabus
Infant Indigenous Language Syllabus
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education wishes to acknowledge the following for their valued contribution in the production of the
syllabus:
Table of Contents
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS................................................................................................................................................................................................................5
1 PREAMBLE....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................6
1.1 Introduction .........................................................................................................................................................................................................................6
1.2 Rationale ..............................................................................................................................................................................................................................6
1.3 Summary of content ............................................................................................................................................................................................................6
1.4 Assumptions.........................................................................................................................................................................................................................6
1.5 Cross-cutting themes ...........................................................................................................................................................................................................7
2 PRESENTATION OF THE SYLLABUS ...............................................................................................................................................................................................7
3 SYLLABUS AIMS ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................7
4 SYLLABUS OBJECTIVES .................................................................................................................................................................................................................7
5 METHODOLOGY AND TIME ALLOCATION ....................................................................................................................................................................................8
5.1 Methodology .......................................................................................................................................................................................................................8
5.2 Time allocation ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................9
6 SYLLABUS TOPICS .........................................................................................................................................................................................................................9
7 SCOPE AND SEQUENCE ................................................................................................................................................................................................................9
7.1 ECD A....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................9
7.2 ECD B ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................12
7.3 GRADE 1 .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................15
7.4 GRADE 2 .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................18
8 COMPETENCE MATRIX ...............................................................................................................................................................................................................24
8.1 ECD A TOPIC 1: COMPREHENSION .....................................................................................................................................................................................24
8.2 ECD A TOPIC 2: LANGUAGE USAGE....................................................................................................................................................................................26
8.3 ECD A TOPIC 3: LANGUAGE STRUCTURES..........................................................................................................................................................................28
8.4 ECD A TOPIC 4: COMPOSITION ........................................................................................................................................................................................31
8.5 ECD A TOPIC 5: CULTURAL ASPECTS ..................................................................................................................................................................................32
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education wishes to acknowledge the following for their valued contribution in the production of the
syllabus:
1 PREAMBLE
1.1 Introduction
The Zimbabwe Indigenous Languages, Early Childhood Development (ECD) A- Grade 2 (Infant level) syllabus is heritage based
and meant to enhance effective, culturally relevant communication. It provides a basic foundation for the development of language
skills for everyday life. The syllabus intends to develop the four main language skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing.
Problem solving, creativity, critical thinking, innovation, digital skills, teamwork, self-control and assertive skills should also be
developed to produce a holistic individual. Visual, manual and tactile skills are emphasised in order to accommodate learners with
special needs. The syllabus is intended for use by both formal and non-formal learners in the development of individuals who are
proud of their cultural heritage and conform to the norms and values of their culture (Ubuntu/Unhu/Vumunhu).
1.2 Rationale
The learning of Indigenous languages at Infant level lays the foundation in the acquisition of communication skills which are
essential in life and necessary for learning across the curriculum. It emphasises on our heritage and cultural practices that promote
indigenous knowledge systems and self-identity in learners.
1.4 Assumptions
The syllabus assumes that learners:
➢ are exposed to an indigenous language
➢ are able to listen/observe, speak/sign, read and write in Indigenous language
➢ are motivated to learn the Indigenous Language
➢ have knowledge of ICT
3 SYLLABUS AIMS
4 SYLLABUS OBJECTIVES
Pupils should be able to:
4.1 develop listening/observing, speaking/signing, reading and writing skills;
4.2 demonstrate pre-reading and pre-writing skills;
4.3 write with grammatical accuracy, correct spelling and appropriate punctuation;
4.4 show problem solving, creativity, critical thinking, innovation, teamwork, self-control, assertive and digital skills;
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6 SYLLABUS TOPICS
• Comprehension and summary
• Language usage
• Language structures
• Composition
• Cultural aspects
Composition • News, stories and • News, stories and • Book handling • Penmanship
folktales folktales skills • Left to right
• Auditory/tactile • Auditory/tactile • Left to right orientation
discrimination discrimination orientation • Top to bottom
• Auditory/tactile • Auditory/tactile • Top to bottom orientation
memory memory orientation • Finger dexterity
• Question and answer • Question and • Visual/tactile • Pre-writing
answer discrimination
• Dialogue • Visual/tactile
memory
Cultural aspects • Heritage • Heritage • Book handling • Penmanship
- songs - songs skills • Left to right
- riddles - riddles • Left to right orientation
- folktales - folktales orientation • Top to bottom
- stories - stories • Top to bottom orientation
- events - events orientation • Finger dexterity
- registers - registers • Visual/tactile • Pre-writing
• Relationships • Relationships discrimination
• Visual/tactile
memory
7.2 ECD B
TOPIC LISTENING/OBSERVING SPEAKING/SIGNING READING WRITING/BRAILING
Comprehens • Rhymes, jingles and • News, stories, • Book handling • Penmanship
ion songs folktales, skills • Drawing
• News, stories and • Songs, rhymes • Left to right • Scribbling
folktales and jingles orientation • Colouring
• Auditory • Requests and • Top to bottom • painting
discrimination instructions orientation • Left to right
• Auditory memory • dialogue • Picture reading orientation
• Requests and • Matching • Top to bottom
instructions • Visual/ tactile orientation
• Dialogue memory • Hand-eye
• Visual/ tactile coordination
discrimination • Finger dexterity
• Sequencing
• Hand-eye
coordination
Language usage • Songs, rhymes, • Songs, rhymes, • Book handling • Penmanship
riddles and jingles riddles and jingles skills • Drawing
• News, stories and • News, stories and • Left to right • Scribbling
folktales folktales orientation • Colouring
• Auditory • Greetings and • Top to bottom • painting
discrimination times of the day orientation • Left to right
• Auditory memory • Appropriate • Picture reading orientation
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memory orientation
• Visual/ tactile • Hand-eye
discrimination coordination
• Hand-eye • Pre-writing
coordination
• Matching
• Sequencing
7.3 GRADE 1
TOPIC LISTENING/OBSERVING SPEAKING/SIGNING READING WRITING/BRAILING
Comprehen • Vowels, syllables, • News, stories, • Phonics • Penmanship
sion words and sentences folktales, • Vowels, • Letter shaping
• News, stories and • Requests and syllables, words (Nelson script)
folktales instructions and sentences • Finger dexterity
• Dialogue • Dialogue • Fluency • Spelling and
• Question and answer • Vowels, syllables, • Word attack dictation
words and • Word meanings • Vowels, syllables,
sentences words and
7.4 GRADE 2
TOPIC LISTENING/OBSERVING SPEAKING/SIGNING READING WRITING/BRAILING
Comprehen • Vowels, syllables, • News, stories, • Phonics • Penmanship
sion words and sentences folktales, • Vowels, • Letter shaping
• News, stories and • Requests and syllables, words (Nelson script)
folktales instructions and sentences • Finger dexterity
• Dialogue • Dialogue • Fluency • Spelling and
• Question and answer • Vowels, syllables, • Word attack dictation
words and • Word meanings • Vowels, syllables,
8 COMPETENCE MATRIX
-ordering • Describing
-hand-eye coordination pictures and
Writing objects
-finger dexterity • Handling and
-penmanship using writing tools
• Problem solving • Drawing
• Critical thinking • Scribbling
Positive attitudes • Colouring
• Teamwork • Playing reading
• Confidence games
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• Empathy • Discussing
• Tolerance crosscutting
• Cultural appreciation themes and
emerging issues
• Role playing
• Reciting rhymes
and jingles
• Singing
Describing words • identify different objects Knowledge • Identifying • ICT tools
• use describing words • Describing words different objects • Pictures
Skills • Using describing • Picture books
• Critical thinking words Braille books
• Reading • Comparing • Realia
• Speaking - • Matching objects
articulation • Ordering
• Playing games
• Drawing
• Colouring
Position • identify position Knowledge • Identifying • ICT tools
of objects • Position position of objects • Pictures
• show position of Skills • Placing objects • Picture books
objects • listening on different • Braille books
• speaking position • Realia
• reading • Reciting position
• writing rhymes and
• Critical thinking jingles
• Identifying • Singing position
songs
• Using position
words in
sentences
• Creativity
Positive attitudes
• Confidence
• Empathy
• Team work
• Tolerance
• Cultural
appreciation
• Role playing
• Reciting rhymes
and jingles
• Tolerance • identifying
• Appreciation indigenous
and jingles
• Playing
indigenous
musical
instruments
• Collecting
indigenous foods
and fruits
• Visiting heritage
sites
Relationships • Name family Knowledge • Naming family • ICT tools
members • Relationships members • Pictures
• Say the number of • Saying the • Chart
family members Skills number of family • Library books
• Listening members • Picture books
-Auditory/tactile memory • Drawing family • Realia
• Speaking members • Resource
• Reading • Role play person
• Writing • Pasting pictures • magazines
Positive attitudes of family •
• Teamwork members
• Confidence • Reciting rhymes
• Tolerance and jingles
• Singing
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times of the day. • Times of the day times of the day books
• respond to • Greetings • Greeting • Pictures
greetings • Registers according to • Picture books
• use appropriate • Polite requests and times of the day. • ICT tools
register expressions • Responding to • Resource
• make polite Skills greetings persons
requests and • Auditory memory • Using appropriate
expressions • Speaking- articulation register
• Sequencing • making polite
• Matching requests and
• Confidence • Singing
• Confidence
• Empathy
• Team work
• Tolerance
• Cultural appreciation
• Ubuntu/Unhu/Vumunhu
Subject and verb • Identify the Knowledge • Identifying the • Reference
agreement subject and verb • Subject-verb agreement subject and verb books
in a sentence Skills in a sentence • Pictures
• Construct simple • Listening • Constructing • Picture books
sentences with • Speaking simple sentences • Word cards
correct subject • Articulation with correct • Work cards
word agreement • Reading subject-verb • Charts
agreement • ICT tools
• Correcting errors • Resource
in subject-verb person
agreement in
given sentences
• Reciting rhymes
and jingles
• Singing
Joining words • Identify joining Knowledge • Identifying joining • Reference
words in a • Joining words words in a books
sentence sentence • Pictures
• Use joining words Skills • Using joining • Picture books
to make phrases • Listening words to make • Word cards
• Speaking phrases • Work cards
• Articulation • Reciting rhymes • Charts
• Reading and jingles • ICT tools
• Matching games • Resource
• storytelling person
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• Singing • Realia
sentences person
• Saying numbers
in indigenous
language
• Playing number
games
Listening identifying
Speaking domestic and wild
Articulation animals
• Reading • Picture reading
• Reciting rhymes,
jingles and poems
• Singing
Action words • demonstrate Knowledge • Demonstrating • ICT tools
different actions Action words different actions • Pictures
• use action words Present tense • Using action • Word cards
in a sentence Past tense words in various • Library books
Future tense tenses • Charts
Skills • Playing action • Resource person
Listening games • Braille books
Speaking • Role playing
articulation • Reciting rhymes
Reading and jingles
Critical thinking • Singing
Analysis • Reading words
Team work and sentences
Describing words • use colour, size Knowledge • Identifying • ICT tools
and shape to • Describing words different objects • Pictures
describe objects -colour • Using colour, size • Picture books
• give opposites of -size and shape to
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• Team work
• Tolerance
• Cultural
appreciation
• Teamwork crosscutting
themes and
• Confidence
emerging issues
• Empathy
• Role playing
• Tolerance
• Reciting rhymes
• Cultural appreciation
and jingles
• Singing
Spelling dictation • read vowels, Knowledge • Reading • Pictures
syllables, words • Vowels vowels, • ICT tools
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games
• Singing
Verbs • demonstrate Knowledge • Demonstrating • ICT tools
different actions • Verbs different actions • Pictures
• use verbs in -Present tense • Using verbs in • Word cards
sentences -Past tense sentences • Library books
• use verbs in -Future tense • Using verbs in • Charts
different tenses Skills various tenses • Resource person
• Listening • Playing action • Braille book
• Speaking games • Puzzles
• Articulation • Role playing • Work cards
• Reading • Reciting rhymes, • Flash cards
• Critical thinking poems and jingles • Realia
• Analysis • Singing
• Collaboration • Reading words
• creativity and sentences
• Writing words and
sentences
• Quizzes and
riddles
rhymes and
poems
• Singing position
songs
• Using position
words in
sentences
• Quizzes and
riddles
memory in composition
• Speaking • Role playing
-narrating • Reciting poems
-describing • Singing
• Reading • Drawing and
• Writing colouring
• Critical thinking
• Creativity
Positive attitudes
• Confidence
• Empathy
• Team work
• Tolerance
• Cultural
appreciation
• Research • Identifying
Positive attitudes indigenous
• Tolerance musical
• Appreciation instruments
instruments
• Collecting
indigenous foods
and fruits
• Visiting heritage
sites
Relationships • Name immediate and Knowledge • Naming family • ICT tools
extended family • Relationships members • Pictures
members -immediate family members • Saying the • Chart
• Say the number of -extended family members number of family • Library books
family members members • Picture books
• State roles of family Skills • Stating roles of • Realia
members • Listening family members • Resource
-Auditory/tactile memory • Drawing family person
• Speaking members cutting • magazines
• Reading and pasting •
• Writing pictures of family
Positive attitudes members
• Teamwork • Cutting and
• Confidence pasting pictures
• Tolerance of family
members
9 ASSESSMENT
Learners shall be assessed at school level through continuous assessment and summative assessment. These
assessments shall be guided by the principles of inclusivity, practicability, authenticity, transparency, flexibility,
validity and reliability. The principles are crucial for creating a supportive and effective learning environment that
fosters growth and development in learners at infant school module. Arrangements, accommodations and
modifications shall be visible to enable learners with special needs to access assessments.
This section covers the assessment objectives, the assessment model, the scheme of assessment and
Assessment Scheme.
School Based Continuous Assessment shall be used for learners in ECD A and B. There shall not be any
summative assessment for ECD A and B.
Grade 1 and 2 shall have both Continuous and Summative Assessments as illustrated in Figure 1. Continuous
assessment shall include recorded School Based Continuous Learning and Assessment activities marks. The
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mark shall be included on learners’ end of term and year reports. Summative assessment shall be school tests
which are at the end of the term and year.
Assessment Of Learner
Performance in
Indigenous Languages
School
Based (Paper 1)
Project (Paper 2)
Profiling Multiple
20% Choice Structured Paper
Questions
In addition, learners shall be profiled and learner profile records established. Learner profile certificates shall be
issued at the end of Grade 2. The certification is to officially verify and validate that a pupil has acquired
competences at the point of exit.
9.3 Scheme of Assessment
The table below shows the Scheme of Assessment for Grade 1 and 2 where 50% is allocated to Continuous
Assessment and 50% to Summative Assessment.
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Of the 50% for continuous assessment, 20% shall be allocated to the School Based Project. The remaining 30%
shall be for other school based continuous learning activities that learners do at school as part of formative
assessment.
Both the continuous and summative assessment marks shall be recorded on the learners’ reports on a termly
basis.
The Table given below shows the Learning and Assessment Scheme for the School Based Project.
Project Project Stage Description Timeline Marks
Execution
Stages
1 Understanding and adoption of what January - April 5
is to be done according to teacher or
learner theme
2 Exploration of the theme as guided by May 10
the teacher
3 Participation in engagement activities June 10
4 Collecting or selecting relevant July 5
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materials to use
5 Creating the project August - September 10
6 Collaboration with others in refining October 5
the project
7 Presentation of the project November - December 5
TOTAL 50
The assessment scheme shows the stages that shall be executed by pupils and the timeline at which each stage
shall be carried out. Possible marks, totalling 50, are highlighted to indicate how much can be allocated.
• Checklists
• Rating Scale
• Observation Guide
• Exercises
• Tests
• School based projects
Continuous
INFANTS can be School Based ✓ Weekly
Projects or pen and Individual, or ✓ Fortnightly
paper activities based group activities ✓ Monthly
on the following: ✓ Termly
• Singing ✓ Yearly
• Drawing
• Dancing
• Colouring
• Storytelling
• Speaking
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• Listening
• Counting
• Playing children's
games
• Chanting
• Reciting
• Sequencing
• Matching
• Sorting
• Writing
Summative • Classroom ➢ Daily basis
exercises Individual activities ➢ Weekly
➢ Fortnightly
• End of week, ➢ Monthly
month, term and ➢ Termly
year tests ➢ Yearly
• Check point
assessment
Cognitive domain
9.1. 5 inquire about events and things in the environment
9.1.6 demonstrate problem solving abilities
9.1.7 make rational choices and decisions
Socio-emotional domain
9.1.8 communicate effectively in Indigenous language
9.1.9 appreciate their tangible and non- tangible heritage and that of others
9.1.10 cooperate with others to achieve a joint outcome
9.1.11 act independently