If you are like me, your Afrikaans is ‘vrot’, you are not alone. Trying to help my daughter with a language I don’t understand feels like pulling out my own hair. But, do not despair, help is at hand. WorksheetCloud have put together a guide of three fairly easy-to-implement strategies to help your child through their Afrikaans exams.
This is how you can help your child:
Start with the INSTRUCTION words!
The biggest problem with any first additional language exam paper is that even if your child studied well for it, he or she might not understand the instructions in the paper and therefore won’t know how to answer the questions. The best way to help with this is to make your child study these instruction words beforehand, so that they are sure of what is being asked of them. Here are some examples of instruction words your child must know:
- Verduidelik (Explain)
- Kies die korrekte antwoord (Choose the correct answer)
- Antwoord in ‘n volsin (Answer using a full sentence)
- Antwoord met een woord (Answer using one word)
- Waar of vals (True or false)
- Gee ‘n rede vir jou antwoord (Give a reason for your answer)
Use an official dictionary.
A reliable and current bilingual dictionary is a wise investment. Your child will get much use out of a good bilingual dictionary. Although dictionaries are generally not permitted in exam situations, they can be used when doing writing or any other exercise in class or when preparing for tasks (such as oral presentations) at home. The quickest way to translate words at home? Google. It’s fabulous! But only allow your child to Google translate words if they demonstrate they have sufficient paper-dictionary skills. No point in using Google for everything, when you don’t know how to use a physical dictionary.
Pro tip: If you click on the speaker icon, Google will read the word or phrase for you to hear the pronunciation.
And use a “home-made” dictionary!
Want to get your child to learn and remember words? Make them write it down. A handy tip is to buy your child an A5-size notebook in which they can write any new Afrikaans words they learn throughout the year, along with the English translation.
Quoting actual advice from a teacher: “The kids who do this in my class almost always do better than those who don’t.”
The 3 strategies above are an excellent start to helping your child pass their first additional language. They are simple enough to implement this week (start today!).