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.

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Performance objectives

• Find dangers at home
• Cross the street safely
• Know the 'No, Go, Yell, Tell' rule for strangers
• Know who to ask for help
• Find safe places to play

Lesson summary

This lesson focuses on equipping Grade 2 learners with essential knowledge and skills to ensure their personal safety at home, at school, and in their community. In South Africa, children often navigate various environments, from busy city streets to quiet rural roads. Understanding potential dangers and knowing how to respond is a critical life skill. This topic empowers learners to identify risks, make safe choices, and solve problems related to their well-being. By learning about road safety, safety at home, and how to interact with strangers, learners build a foundation of confidence and responsibility for themselves and others.

Lesson notes

A. Safety at Home Our homes are our safe places, but they can have dangers if we are not careful. We need to be safety detectives in our own houses!

Common Dangers: The Kitchen: This room has many things for grown-ups, but they can be dangerous for children.

Hot Stoves and Ovens: Never touch a hot stove or oven. The heat can burn you badly. In South Africa, many homes use gas stoves, electric stoves, or even paraffin stoves. All of them get very hot.

Kettles: A boiling kettle has very hot water. Never pull the cord or stand too close when it is boiling.

Sharp Objects: Knives and other sharp tools are for adults. Do not play with them.

Electricity: Wall Sockets (Plugs): Never poke your fingers or any objects into electrical sockets. Electricity can shock you and hurt you badly.

Damaged Cords: If you see a cord that is broken or has wires showing, tell an adult immediately. Do not touch it.

Chemicals and Medicines: Cleaning supplies (like bleach or Handy Andy) and medicines can look like cool drinks or sweets, but they are poison. Never taste or touch them. They should be locked away in a high cupboard.

Fire Safety: Matches and lighters are not toys. Never play with them. If your clothes catch fire, remember to STOP, DROP, and ROLL. Stop what you are doing, drop to the ground, cover your face, and roll over and over until the fire is out. B. Safety in the Community When we leave our homes, we need to be even more aware of what is around us.

Road Safety: Roads are for cars, taxis, and buses. We need to be very careful when we are near them.

The Golden Rule: LOOK RIGHT, LOOK LEFT, and LOOK RIGHT AGAI

N. Before you cross any road, even a quiet one, you must do this. Listen for cars too.

Where to Cross: Always try to cross at a safe place.

Zebra Crossing: These are the white stripes painted on the road. Cars are supposed to stop for you here, but you must still look and wait until they have stopped before you cross.

Traffic Lights (Robots): Cross only when the little green person symbol is showing. Never cross when the red person is showing.

Traffic Officer or Scholar Patrol: Always listen to their instructions. They are there to help you cross safely.

Safe Places to Play: Safe: Parks, your own yard (if it's fenced), a friend's house (with an adult present), school playgrounds.

Unsafe: Near busy roads, construction sites, railway lines, rivers or dams without an adult, quiet alleys.

What to do if you get lost: It can be scary to get lost. If it happens, try to stay calm.

Stand Still: Don't run around. Stay where you are.

Look for a safe person: Find a police officer, a security guard in a uniform, or a mom with children. Tell them your name and that you are lost.

Know your information: It is important to memorise your parent's name and phone number. C. Dealing with Strangers (Stranger Danger) What is a stranger? A stranger is anyone you and your family do not know well.

Important: Most strangers are not bad people. But because we don't know them, we must be extra careful. We cannot tell if a person is good or bad just by looking at them.

The Safety Rule: NO, GO, YELL, TELL Example Scenario: A person in a car stops and says, "Your mom is sick, I've come to fetch you from school." But you don't know this person. NO! Say "NO!" in a loud voice. GO! Run away quickly to a safe place, like back into the school or towards your teacher. YELL! Shout as loudly as you can. "HELP! THIS IS NOT MY MOM!" TELL! Immediately tell a trusted adult (a teacher, a parent, a police officer) what happened.

Tricks to watch out for: Strangers might try to trick you by offering you sweets, a toy, or asking you to help them find a lost puppy.

Remember the rule: never go anywhere with a stranger. Guided Practice (With Solutions)

Question 1: Thabo is playing soccer with his friends. The ball bounces out of the park and onto the busy road. What are the safe steps Thabo should take to get his ball back?

Solution 1: Step 1: Thabo should not run into the road after the ball immediately.

Step 2: He should go to the edge of the road and stop.

Step 3: He must look right, look left, and look right again to check for cars. He must also listen.

Step 4: Only when the road is completely clear and there are no cars coming should he walk quickly to get his ball and come straight back.

Commentary: This question reinforces the critical road safety rule in a realistic scenario that learners can imagine happening to them.

Question 2: A lady you have never seen before is at the school gate. She says, "Hello Zola, I am a friend of your Gogo. She sent me to give you this chocolate." What should Zola do?

Solution 2: Zola should not take the chocolate. She should remember the safety rules about strangers. She can say, "No, thank you," and take a few big steps back. She should not talk to the lady anymore. She should immediately go and tell her teacher what happened.