Lesson Notes By Weeks and Term v5 - Grade 2

Lesson Video

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.

Performance objectives

• Create a textured artwork using different materials.
• Identify basic shapes like circles, squares, triangles, and rectangles.
• Use at least three different colours in your artwork.
• Talk about what you like in your art and others' art.

Lesson summary

This week, we are diving into the exciting world of visual art and basic design! This is a fantastic way to express ourselves, explore our creativity, and learn how to see the world around us in new and exciting ways. In South Africa, visual art is everywhere, from the vibrant patterns on our traditional fabrics (like Shweshwe) to the colourful murals that brighten up our communities. Understanding basic design principles helps us appreciate the beauty and meaning behind these visual expressions, and allows us to create our own beautiful things too.

Lesson notes

What is Visual Art? Visual art is any art form that we can see. This includes things like drawings, paintings, sculptures, collages, and even the way we arrange objects to make something look beautiful. It’s all about using our eyes and our hands to create something new and interesting.

Texture: Texture is how something feels (or looks like it would feel) if you touched it. We can create texture in art by using different materials.

Real Texture: This is the actual texture of a material.

Examples: rough sand, smooth paper, bumpy bark.

Implied Texture: This is when we draw or paint something to look like it has texture, even though it’s flat.

Example 1: Imagine you are making a collage of a South African landscape.

You could use: Sand: To represent the dunes in the Kalahari Desert. This is real texture.

Cotton Wool: To represent the fluffy clouds in the sky. This is also real texture.

Brown Paper: To represent the mountains in the Drakensberg. You could crumple the paper to make it look like the jagged mountain peaks, giving it implied texture.

Shapes: Shapes are all around us! A shape is a two-dimensional area with a recognizable boundary.

Circle: Round like the sun or a soccer ball.

Square: Has four equal sides and four equal corners, like a window or a tile.

Triangle: Has three sides and three corners, like a slice of watermelon or the roof of a house.

Rectangle: Has four sides and four corners, but two sides are longer than the other two, like a door or a book.

Example 2: Look around your classroom or home. Can you identify the shapes of different objects? The clock might be a circle, the table might be a rectangle, and a road sign might be a triangle.

Colour: Colour is what makes the world so vibrant! We can use different colours to express different feelings and ideas.

Primary Colours: Red, yellow, and blue. We can mix these colours to make other colours.

Secondary Colours: Green (yellow + blue), orange (red + yellow), and purple (red + blue).

Example 3: Think about the colours of the South African flag. It has red, white, blue, green, yellow, and black. Each colour was chosen to represent different aspects of our country. The red can represent blood and sacrifice, while the green can represent the land and agriculture.

Basic Design Principles: Design is about arranging things in a way that is pleasing to the eye and communicates a message. Even simple things like choosing colours that go well together, or arranging shapes in a balanced way, are part of design. We use design principles to create artwork that looks interesting and tells a story. Guided Practice (With Solutions)

Question 1: Gather three different materials from your classroom or outside. Describe the texture of each material.

Material 1: [Leave space for student to fill in] Material 2: [Leave space for student to fill in] Material 3: [Leave space for student to fill in] Solution 1: Material 1: A leaf.

Texture: Rough and slightly bumpy.

Material 2: A piece of fabric.

Texture: Soft and smooth.

Material 3: Sand.

Texture: Gritty and rough.

Commentary: This question helps learners identify different textures in everyday objects. It encourages them to use descriptive words.

Question 2: Draw a picture of your house. Identify and label at least three different shapes that you used in your drawing.

Solution 2: (Learner draws a house)

Roof: Triangle Door: Rectangle Windows: Square

Commentary: This question combines drawing with shape recognition. It encourages learners to see geometric shapes in familiar objects.

Question 3: Make a colour wheel using crayons or paint. Show how to mix the primary colours (red, yellow, and blue) to create the secondary colours (green, orange, and purple).

Solution 3: (Learner creates a colour wheel showing the mixing process) Red + Yellow = Orange Yellow + Blue = Green Blue + Red = Purple

Commentary: This question reinforces the concept of primary and secondary colours and introduces colour mixing. It's a hands-on activity that promotes understanding through experimentation. Independent Practice (Questions Only) Create a textured collage using recycled materials like newspaper, cardboard, and plastic wrappers. Think about what picture you want to make before you begin and let it guide your selection of textures. Draw a picture of a South African animal (like a lion, an elephant, or a giraffe). Use different shapes to create the animal. For example, use circles for the head, rectangles for the body, and triangles for the ears. Paint or draw a picture of a rainbow. Use all the colours of the rainbow (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet) in the correct order. Find three objects in your classroom or home that are different colours. Describe each object and its colour. For example, "The apple is red." Create a pattern using only squares and circles. Colour your pattern using at least three different colours. Think about your favorite place in South Africa. Draw and color a picture of it.