READ has developed a set of 12 bright and colourful theme packs for Grade R designed to make learning stimulating and fun. They are easy to use as each theme comes alive with exciting big and little books, sets of interactive posters, games and activities. The Teacher’s Notes provide short, easy to follow instructions on the use of each component. There are three theme packs for each term that relate to the requirements and themes of CAPS and link to the Department of Education Workbooks.
The Grade R theme packs are packed with activities to help learners

• experience things directly (in the concrete) before they deal with them in workbooks (in the abstract)
• build on what they know about familiar topics like transport, sport, animals and seasons  through a range of stimulating activities
• discover the exciting world of dinosaurs and fossils
• follow recipes to make things like soup or fruit salad
• create excitement about making things like birds and bird’s nests, fossils and dinosaurs
• develop imagination with fantasy activities like fishing, gym and dressing paper dolls
• match, sort and count by playing card and counting games

The posters are designed to help teachers develop themes and structure the way they can

• introduce themes, build background knowledge,  interest, visual literacy and vocabulary
• do fun activities like finding the way through a maze, matching pictures to shadow outlines and using a simple map to teach directions and the concept of left and right

Big and little books are used to

• develop themes by doing Shared Reading and Reading Aloud
• encourage learners to ‘read’ big and little books
• help learners relate their own experiences to the themes
• build a Book Corner

The following themes are available: TERM 1: My Body; My Friend; Colours and Shapes TERM 2: Books; My Family; Summer and Autumn TERM 3: Transport; Winter and Spring; Vegetables TERM 4: Dinosaurs; Sport; Birds