Stutterheim High School
We provide quality education for our children to reach their full potential in all spheres of life
Subjects of the Intermediate Phase
We have two goals for English in the Intermediate Phase: to make a gateway to greater learning and to lay the foundations for effective communication in English. The first of these means that English must be fun and that it necessarily must be a place of enjoyment. We study literature and poetry so that learners will be able find the joy of reading and writing. Books we study include Danny the Champion of the World, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl, Jonty's First Term by John Bosman or The Sheep Pig by Dick King-Smith.
And in helping our students to communicate effectively, we focus on grammar, speaking and writing. The importance of grammar for precision, clarity and for beauty in language cannot be overstated. We try to build a solid grounding upon which scholars can build habits of successful language use. They practise their linguistic skills when writing texts of various kinds and when presenting oral tasks. These help them to connect the ideals of the grammar lessons with the practices of the real world. They learn to speak to their peers and authority figures, how to express their feelings and ideas in essays and how to communicate via letters.
In die Intermediêre Fase doen ons Afrikaans as 'n Eerste Addisionele Taal.
In taal leer ons die leerders meestal van werkwoorde, voornaamwoorde, voorsetsels, voegwoorde, lidwoorde, verkleinwoorde, bywoorde, byvoeglikenaamwoorde, meervoude, verlede tyd, toekomende tyd, sinonieme, homonieme, manlik en vroulik, instruksies en bevele, teenoorgesteldes, spelling en ontkenning.
Hulle moet 'n mondeling doen en ook lees in Afrikaans. Leerders doen begrip, gedigte en skryfwerk. Elke dag doen hulle aktiwiteite in hulle boeke en hulle moet ook na elke afdeling 'n nuwe voorblad teken en inkleur.
In the Intermediate Phase IsiXhosa is offered as a First Additional language. The important skills in teaching any language are listening, speaking and writing. We want our learners to be able to use the language as much as possible. IsiXhosa as a subject offers all scholars the opportunity to learn the fundamental grammatical skills associated with the language. In the IsiXhosa class, scholars are also given an opportunity to find themselves. They get to know more about their customs and traditions by reading IsiXhosa books and sharing with one another. The Gr 7s read the novel Uthando lunzima.
Mathematics provides an effective way of building mental discipline and encourages logical reasoning. This is what we try to encourage our learners to understand.
We try to teach our learners to have a growth mind-set. We motivate them to realise they can get better at it. Building confidence in the subject is very important to us and we encourage questioning and curiosity. We always try to keep a positive attitude towards Maths.
Our main focus is tables and bonds. Without these foundations in Maths, the learners cannot build on new concepts. We also emphasise the importance of homework being done as it consolidates what has been taught.
We encourage learners to write Maths Olympiads in order to challenge them to better themselves. We are extremely proud of what our learners achieve.
Science is a systematic way of looking for explanations and connecting the ideas we have. The purpose of learning natural science is to do the following: develop scientific knowledge and understanding; develop science process skills; and develop an understanding of the roles of science in society. We do this by encouraging an active and critical approach to learning.
Natural Science has four main strands that are covered through the year: Life and Living, Matter and Materials, Energy and Change, Planet Earth and Beyond. We learn more about these topics by having the learner's research to expand their knowledge of the fields and by them doing practical tasks to consolidate the theory learnt.
The learners are also able to use science and technology effectively and critically showing responsibility towards the environment around them by learning of many environmental impacts.
History and Geography are both incredibly interesting subjects that teach scholars about the environment around them. The subject helps them to understand our physical environment and our cultural environment, respectively. Geography is all about understanding the world around us, how it is made up, why things like volcanoes happen; and then of course studying the map of the world and knowing where continents, countries and towns are.
History is all about what happened in the past in various parts of the world, but concentrating on South Africa. History helps us understand certain aspects of our life. Both subjects broaden our general knowledge and help us understand the world.
As a practical subject, EMS's aim is to equip learners with real-life skills for their personal development and the development of their communities. Economic and Management Sciences aims to:
- Develop learners' skills to deal with the efficient and effective use of different types of private, public or collective resources to satisfy people's needs and wants.
- Guide learners to reflect critically on the impact of resource exploitation on the environment and on people.
- Teach learners to deal with the effective management of scarce resources in order to maximise profit.
- Provide opportunities for learners to expand their own personal development.
- Guide learners using tasks that promote the idea of sustainable economic growth and the development of their communities.
Technology, as a concept, is the use of knowledge, skill, values and resources to meet people's needs and wants by developing practical solutions to problems. The development of technology needs to take social and environmental factors into consideration.
In Technology, students learn how to solve problems by observing their environments and gaining understanding of it and then using what is around them in the pursuit of improvement of human life. Students learn about how something is made by following the design process to the end product that is sold. They therefore learn both practical, and business skills while also assimilating business principles.
Thus, practical tasks are a vital part of Technology. Students design and make various projects from models of engineering works to conceptual ideas for the future. In Grade 7, the scholars create everything from electromagnetic cranes to their own designs of futuristic school desks.
Arts and Culture is a hands-on subject that allows for constructive development of the learners. This subject aims at developing the learner's assertiveness and creativity while applying new knowledge and skills that makes learning engaging.
We focus on visual arts and drama during the term. Visual arts allows the learners to develop knowledge and skills while exploring their creative ability in both 2D and 3D art pieces. Art allows learners to develop their hand-eye coordination, concentration and self-expression.
In drama, we focus on building learners' confidence and cooperation through individual drama tasks as well as group work. Drama helps learners to develop important language skills and creativity. We partake in many activities in drama such as improvisation, poetry, role-play and short plays.