The material for this essay was collected during a field study at a primary school in Kenya. The aim was to examine the strategies the teachers used in order to make content comprehensible to their pupils, as well as the strategies used for assessment and follow-up. The results showed that the teachers used a number of teaching strategies, such as linking of new content to previous knowledge, code-switching and modification of speech. As strategies of assessment the teachers posed oral and written questions, assigned exercises, gave exams and interpreted their pupils’ behaviour. If their pupils failed to understand, they analyzed the problem, evaluated their own teaching methods and revised the given topic. The results also showed that the teachers seemed to rely heavily on language to carry their message across to their pupils, and that the general awareness of the role of the language of instruction for academic success appeared to be low.