Foundation Phase English FAL (Grades 1–3) — CAPS Guide & Lesson Plans

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If you teach English First Additional Language (EFAL) in Grades 1–3, start here for a short CAPS overview — then jump to the download pages for lesson plans and baseline tools.

In Foundation Phase, many learners use a Home Language as the language of learning and teaching. EFAL builds the English they will need when LoLT often shifts in Grade 4. Plan EFAL deliberately alongside Home Language; do not treat FAL as an optional “extra period”.

Start with these downloads

Need Go here
EFAL lesson-plan packs (term downloads) Lesson plans for Foundation Phase English FAL
EFAL baseline assessment Baseline assessment for FP English FAL
All Foundation Phase subjects Foundation Phase hub

CAPS documents (hosted copies + official hub)

Use the official CAPS statement for skills, time allocation and assessment. Hosted copies on CAPS123 (legacy uploads, still live):

Also open the national hub and confirm you have the current Foundation Phase language file: DBE CAPS statements hub.aspx).

Label the year on any printout you file, and prefer the education.gov.za copy when your district asks for the “official” PDF.

Current ATPs

Year pacing comes from the Annual Teaching Plans, not from rewriting CAPS. For 2026, DBE still points to the 2023/24 ATPs retained with exclusions (Circular S19 of 2025). Confirm the live English FAL / languages file on the hub:

→ DBE ATP hub (2023ATPs)

Open the subject file from that hub — do not rely on a separate year-branded ATP URL that is not listed there.

What EFAL asks of Grades 1–3 (practical summary)

Work from the CAPS document for full detail. In class, keep these threads visible in your weekly plan:

  1. 1. Listening and speaking — routines, oral vocabulary, simple dialogues and storytelling that reuse classroom English every day.
  2. 2. Phonics and word work — systematic sound–letter work suited to FAL learners (not a copy-paste of Home Language pace or word lists).
  3. 3. Shared and group reading — modelled text, then supported reading with high-frequency vocabulary learners will meet again in writing.
  4. 4. Writing — short, scaffolded pieces tied to the same oral and reading themes for the week.
  5. 5. Language structure — patterns learners meet in reading and writing, taught briefly and reused in speaking tasks.

Pair each week with your ATP week markers so assessment evidence matches the term sequence your school follows. If a commercial worksheet pack drifts off the ATP, cut or postpone it rather than “covering everything”.

How to plan a typical EFAL week

  1. 1. Check the ATP week and CAPS skills for your grade.
  2. 2. Choose one strong oral focus and one reading focus that share vocabulary.
  3. 3. Add a short phonics or word-work slot that feeds the texts you chose.
  4. 4. Close with a writing or drawing-with-labels task that reuses the week’s words.
  5. 5. Keep a simple evidence trail (date, skill, learner sample) for baseline and term reporting — use the EFAL baseline page when you need entry-level tools.

EFAL vs English Home Language

  • This page = EFAL curriculum guide for Grades 1–3.
  • Lesson-plan downloads for EFAL = EFAL LP hub (not duplicated here as a second download wall).
  • English Home Language lesson plans = EHL LP hub — different subject intent; do not mix packs into one file for SMTs.

Related pages

Disclaimer

CAPS123 summarises CAPS for teachers. It is not an official DBE publication. Confirm CAPS PDFs and ATPs on education.gov.za before you file school planning evidence.

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