Lesson Notes By Weeks and Term v5 - Grade 2

Lesson Video

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Performance objectives

• Play simple musical instruments.
• Move our bodies like South African animals.
• Act out a short story.
• Show our feelings through art.

Lesson summary

Creative Arts in Life Skills helps us express ourselves and understand the world around us in fun and exciting ways! This week, we’ll be focusing on music, movement, and drama, exploring how they all work together. Learning these skills isn't just fun; it helps us build confidence, work well with others, and even understand South African stories and traditions better. Imagine acting out a story about Nelson Mandela, singing a traditional isiZulu song, or dancing a vibrant pantsula dance – that’s what Creative Arts is all about! It's relevant to every South African learner because it allows us to celebrate our diverse cultures and express our unique voices.

Lesson notes

Music: Music is made of sounds. These sounds can be high or low, loud or soft, fast or slow. We can make music with our voices (singing!) or with instruments.

Rhythm: The beat of the music. It's like the heartbeat of a song. We can clap along to the rhythm.

Melody: The tune of the song. It's the part that you sing or hum.

Simple Instruments: Instruments that are easy to play, like shakers (filled with rice or beans), drums (made from buckets or tins), or even clapping our hands!

Movement: Movement is how we move our bodies. We can walk, run, jump, dance, and stretch. Movement can tell a story or express our feelings.

Space: The area around us where we move. We can move forward, backward, sideways, up, or down.

Energy: How much power we use when we move. We can move with lots of energy (like a lion roaring) or with very little energy (like a snail crawling).

South African Animal Movements: Observing and imitating the way animals move in South Africa. Think about a cheetah running, a tortoise slowly walking, or a monkey swinging through the trees.

Drama: Drama is acting out a story. We pretend to be someone else and say their words.

Character: The person or animal you are pretending to be.

Role: The part you play in the story.

Scene: A short part of a play or story.

Emotions: Feelings like happiness, sadness, anger, or excitement. We can show these feelings through our voice and body language.

Worked example

Music: Imagine we have a shaker. We can shake it fast to make a loud, fast sound, like a cheetah running. We can shake it slowly to make a quiet, slow sound, like a tortoise walking. Why? Because the speed and force of the shaking influence the sound produced. How? By experimenting with different speeds and forces, we can create different musical effects to accompany our animal movements.

Movement: Let's pretend to be monkeys! We can swing our arms, jump around, and make silly faces. We need to move in the space around us. Why? Because monkeys need space to move freely. How? By imagining we are in a jungle and using our whole body to explore the space.

Drama: Let's act out a scene about sharing. Thando has a delicious mango, and Sipho wants a bite. Thando can choose to share or not to share. If Thando shares, he might feel happy. If he doesn't, Sipho might feel sad. Why? Because drama helps us understand different emotions and how our choices affect others. How? By practicing acting out different scenarios and exploring the feelings of the characters. For instance, the dialogue could be:

Thando: "This mango is so yummy!"

Sipho: "Can I have a bite, please?"

Thando: "Okay, here you go!"

Sipho: "Thank you! That was delicious."

Guided Practice (With Solutions)

Question 1: You have a drum (a bucket) and a stick. How can you play the drum to make a loud sound? How can you play it to make a soft sound?

Solution:

Loud Sound: Hit the drum hard with the stick. The harder you hit it, the louder the sound. The why is that the force you apply to the drum creates larger vibrations resulting in a louder sound.

Soft Sound: Tap the drum gently with the stick. The gentler you tap it, the softer the sound. The why is that a gentle tap creates smaller vibrations resulting in a softer sound.