Nuwe Woema, Graad 8, Teksboek en Werkboek
(New Woema, Afrikaans First Additional Language, Textbook and Workbook, Grade 8)
- Authors: Cecile Smith and Kara Smith
- Publisher: Pikkie Publikasies, Johannesburg
- ISBN: 978-0-6397-740-7-7
- Reviewed by: Marie Opperman
The Nuwe Woema Graad 8 Teksbook en Werkboek for Afrikaans First Additional Language, is packed with fun-filled exercises that put oomph into learning Afrikaans.
Pikkie Publications’ text and workbook for Afrikaans FAL, guides learners expertly and delightfully through Afrikaans grammar. Learning how to fill in a form (activity 3, p. 110) becomes pure joy owing to the light-hearted subject matter: Dagboek van my hond (Diary of my dog).
Who doesn’t enjoy writing down a dog’s favourite toy, food or sleeping spot? The fun is enhanced with accompanying drawings of happy dogs, a pampered pooch, one catching a stick and another sleeping on a chair.
Colourful, entertaining pictures, diagrams and illustrations adorn most pages, adding entertainment to learning. Additionally, the authors’ presentation is in a clear and easy-to-follow narrative.
The text and workbook’s six modules begin with topics including the meaning and spelling of basic words, such as, taai (chewy) and worsbroodjie (a hot dog). There are also instructions on how to answer a begripstoets (comprehension test). Successive modules become more advanced as more vocabulary is introduced alongside the use of tenses, genders, word order and steps of comparison, painting an ever-growing language picture.
Pleasant activities that are designed to test the learners’ knowledge, follow segments of each module. For instance, on pp. 136 – 137 in Aktiwiteit 21 Sinstrukture (Activity 21 Sentence Structures), sentences must be changed into different tenses, using correct word order, negative forms or questions.
Eventually, the students of Afrikaans FAL will be able to communicate in simple sentences. Commonplace phrases, for example Aangename kennis (Pleased to meet you) and Hoeveel kos dit? (How much does it cost?), will soon become part of their linguistic abilities. There are no excuses for not learning Afrikaans FAL, joyfully, with the help of this welcome textbook.