Nompilo needs new shoes. Together with her mother she goes shopping for shoes. But they both have very different ideas as to what shoes will be suitable for Nompilo!

1. Before you read

Before reading the story take some time to discuss the title and the picture on the cover. What does “A perfect pair” mean? A pair of what? What is a pair? Does the girl on the cover have on a perfect pair of shoes? Ask children to think about which shoe they think the girl prefers and which shoe they think the mother prefers? Why? Which would they prefer? Why?

2. Let’s read

Begin reading the story. Read at a slow pace making sure to correctly pronounce each word. Read with expression, both in the voice and the face. This begins to model to children good oral reading. Discuss vocabulary and concepts that arise while reading the story. For example, discuss needs and wants, the meaning of the word suitable, and the names of the shoe shops – why were they so appropriate?

3. After you read

After reading, get learners to recap the story in their own words. Then ask them questions about the story. For example, you can ask some or all of the following:

• Describe the main place where the story takes place.
• Who is the most important character? Why?
• What is the problem or conflict in the story? How is it solved?
• How did the story make you feel?
• Did the illustrations help to tell the story?
• Has anything that takes place in the story ever happened to you?

4. Curriculum connections

Perfect pairs
Hand out magazines or newspapers and get learners to find and cut out as many pairs of shoes as they can. Working in groups learners can paste the pictures of shoes onto a large piece of paper. They then need to discus each pair of shoes in terms of what they are suitable for, and who is most likely to wear them. Finally, they can group the shoes into those that are “needs” and those that are “wants”.

THE perfect pair
Individually, get learners to write a short description of what their idea of a perfect pair of shoes is. They can describe them, explain why they think they’re so perfect and finally draw a picture of them. Encourage creativity and imaginative thinking, for example, learners can describe a pair of shoes with wings on, which can take them anywhere in the world.

5. Assessment

Is the learner able to:

• Use a range of reading strategies, for example, make predictions and use contextual clues to find meaning
• Identify and comment on the central idea and the main characters of a fiction story

Use the Assessment Tasks above as asuggestion for an activity or task.