Lesson Notes By Weeks and Term v5 - Grade 1
Revision and consolidation of Grade 1 Life Skills – Week 8 focus
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Revision and consolidation of Grade 1 Life Skills – Week 8 focus
Download the Lessonotes Mobile South Africa app for faster lesson access on Android and iPhone.
Subject: Life Skills
Class: Grade 1
Term: Term 4
Week: 8
Theme: General lesson support
This page supports the lesson note with a companion video and a short classroom-ready summary.
For class groups and homework, share this lesson page so learners also get the summary, objectives, and full lesson context.
This week is dedicated to revising and consolidating the foundational Life Skills concepts covered during the first seven weeks of the term. Revision is a crucial part of learning; it helps us remember important information and builds our confidence. For Grade 1 learners in South Africa, these skills are the building blocks for personal identity, social awareness, and physical well-being. We will revisit topics like identifying our bodies, understanding our feelings, practicing healthy habits, knowing how to stay safe in our communities, and appreciating our unique families.
This section serves as a refresher for the core topics covered in the term.
Topic 1: All About Me & My Body What it means: You are special! There is no one else in the world exactly like you. You have your own name, your own family, and your own thoughts. Being you is a wonderful thing.
Our Bodies: Our bodies are amazing and help us to do everything, like play, learn, and hug our family. It's important to know their names.
Head: This is where our brain lives, which helps us think. On our head, we have: Eyes: To see the beautiful world, like the colourful taxis in town or the bright sun over the Karoo.
Ears: To hear sounds, like your teacher's voice, music, or the sound of the hadeda bird.
Nose: To smell things, like your Gogo’s cooking or the rain on the ground.
Mouth: To talk, sing, and eat delicious food like pap and wors.
Arms and Hands: We use these to wave, write, draw, carry our school bags, and give high-fives.
Legs and Feet: We use these to walk, run, jump, and play soccer with our friends.
Example: Let's sing our song! "Head, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes!" As we sing, we touch each body part to help us remember.
Topic 2: My Feelings What it means: Feelings, or emotions, are what we feel inside. Everyone has feelings, and all your feelings are okay. It's important to know what we are feeling so we can talk about it.
Key Feelings: Happy (Ukuthaba): This is the feeling you get when you are smiling and laughing.
Example:* You feel happy when your mom reads you a bedtime story or when you get a star for your schoolwork.
Sad (Ukudabuka): This is the feeling you get when you want to cry.
Example:* You might feel sad if you fall down and scrape your knee, or if your friend doesn't want to play with you.
Angry (Ukuthukuthela): This is when you feel cross and your face might feel hot.
Example:* You might feel angry if someone takes your lunchbox without asking.
Why it matters: When we know how we are feeling, we can tell a grown-up we trust. If you are sad or angry, a teacher or parent can help you feel better.
Topic 3: Staying Healthy What it means: Being healthy means taking care of our bodies so we have energy to learn and play. Healthy children are strong children!
Healthy Habits: Washing Hands: Germs are tiny invisible things that can make us sick. We must wash them off!
How: Use soap and clean water. Rub your hands together for as long as it takes to sing 'Happy Birthday' twice.
When: Before eating, after playing outside, after using the toilet, and after coughing or sneezing.
Eating Healthy Food: Food is fuel for our bodies. Some foods make us strong, and some are just for treats.
Example: Eating an apple, a banana, or some carrots gives your body good energy. Eating too many sweets and chips can make you feel tired and can be bad for your teeth.
Topic 4: Keeping Safe What it means: Being safe means protecting our bodies from getting hurt.
Key Safety Rules: Road Safety: Roads can be dangerous. We must always be careful.
Rule: Before you cross the road, you must STOP, LOOK to the left, LOOK to the right, and LOOK to the left again. If the road is clear, you can walk straight across, holding a grown-up's hand.
Safety with Strangers: A stranger is someone you do not know.
Rule: We do not talk to strangers or take anything from them (like sweets or toys). If a stranger tries to talk to you or touch you, you must shout "NO!" as loud as you can, run away, and tell a trusted adult immediately (like a teacher, parent, or police officer). Guided Practice (With Solutions)
Question 1: Body Part Action Game Activity: The teacher calls out a body part and an action. "Use your hands to clap!" "Use your feet to stomp!" "Point to your ears that you use for hearing!" The teacher then asks, "What did we use our ears for?" Worked Solution: The learners should all be pointing to their ears.
The teacher guides them to the answer: "We used our ears to HEAR the instruction! Our ears are for hearing."
Commentary: This activity uses kinesthetic learning (learning by doing) to reinforce the connection between a body part and its function in a fun, engaging way.
Question 2: Feelings Charades Activity: The teacher shows the class a picture of a face expressing an emotion (e.g., a big, happy smile). The teacher asks, "Show me this feeling with your face. What is this feeling called? When do you feel like this?" Worked Solution: Learners should imitate the happy face. The teacher helps them identify the feeling: "This feeling is HAPPY! I feel happy when I see all your smiling faces in the morning."
Commentary: This helps learners identify emotions visually and connect them to their own personal experiences, building emotional intelligence.
Question 3: The Safety Story Activity: The teacher tells a short story: "Sipho wanted to cross the road to get to the spaza shop. He was in a hurry.