Lesson Notes By Weeks and Term v5 - Grade R
Personal and social well-being: myself and others (Grade R) – Week 2 focus
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Personal and social well-being: myself and others (Grade R) – Week 2 focus
Download the Lessonotes Mobile South Africa app for faster lesson access on Android and iPhone.
Subject: Life Skills
Class: Grade R
Term: 1st Term
Week: 2
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's lesson focuses on a fundamental aspect of personal and social well-being: understanding our five senses. For a Grade R learner in South Africa, their senses are the primary tools they use to explore, understand, and interact with their rich and diverse environment. From the bustling sounds of a taxi rank to the sweet taste of a ripe mango, from the sight of vibrant Ndebele patterns to the feel of the warm sun, their senses are constantly gathering information. This lesson helps learners to consciously recognise these tools, name them, and understand how they help in learning, enjoyment, and staying safe.
This section provides the core knowledge for the teacher to deliver. The concepts should be introduced using simple, repetitive language, songs, rhymes, and physical actions.
Concept 1: We Have Super Powers Called Senses! Our bodies have special powers that help us learn about everything around us. These powers are called our senses. We have five senses, and each one helps us in a different way. Let's learn about them!
Concept 2: The Five Senses and Their Body Parts Sight (Ukubona)
Body Part: Eyes What it does: Our sense of sight lets us see the world. We use our eyes to see colours, shapes, sizes, and how things move.
Why it's important: Seeing helps us to read, to see our friends' faces, and to know where we are going. It helps keep us safe by letting us see things that might be dangerous, like a car coming down the road. South African
Example: "When we look at our beautiful South African flag, we use our eyes (our sense of sight) to see all the bright colours: red, green, blue, black, white, and yellow." Hearing (Ukuzwa)
Body Part: Ears What it does: Our sense of hearing lets us hear sounds. We use our ears to hear things that are loud, like a vuvuzela at a soccer match, and things that are quiet, like a little bird singing.
Why it's important: Hearing helps us listen to our teacher, enjoy music, and talk to our family. It keeps us safe by letting us hear a siren or someone calling our name to warn us. South African
Example: "When we are at home, we use our ears (our sense of hearing) to listen to the sound of the hadeda bird calling out loudly in the garden." Smell (Ukunuka)
Body Part: Nose What it does: Our sense of smell lets us notice all the different smells in the air. We use our nose to smell nice things like flowers or mommy cooking pap.
Why it's important: Smelling can tell us if food is fresh or old. It can also warn us of danger, like smelling smoke from a fire. South African
Example: "On a Saturday afternoon, we use our nose (our sense of smell) to smell the delicious smoke from a neighbour's braai." Taste (Ukunambitha)
Body Part: Tongue and Mouth What it does: Our sense of taste lets us know what our food is like. We use our tongue to taste if something is sweet, salty, sour, or bitter.
Why it's important: Taste helps us enjoy our food! It also helps us know if something is not good to eat. South African
Example: "When we eat a piece of biltong, we use our tongue (our sense of taste) to know that it is salty and savoury." Touch (Ukuthinta)
Body Part: Skin (especially on our hands and feet)
What it does: Our sense of touch lets us feel things. We use our hands to feel if something is soft like a blanket, hard like a stone, rough like the bark of a tree, or smooth like a window. We can also feel if something is hot or cold.
Why it's important: Touch helps us learn about textures. It keeps us safe by telling us not to touch something hot, like a stove, that could burn us. South African
Example: "When we walk on the beach sand in Durban, we use our feet (our sense of touch) to feel that the sand is warm and soft." Guided Practice (With Solutions)
Activity 1: The 'Mystery Bag' Game Question: Place a familiar object (e.g., a smooth stone from the garden) inside a cloth bag where learners cannot see it.
Ask a learner: "Put your hand inside the bag, but don't peek! Use your sense of touch. What can you feel? Is it hard or soft? Is it smooth or rough?" Worked Solution: The teacher guides the learner through the process. "You are using your hands, which is your sense of touch. You can feel that the object is hard, not soft like a sponge. You can feel it is smooth, not rough like sandpaper. It feels like a stone!" The teacher then takes the object out to show the learner, reinforcing the connection between what they felt and what they see.
Activity 2: 'Listen Carefully' Game Question: Ask learners to close their eyes. Make a distinct sound (e.g., clapping hands, shaking a container of beans or small stones to sound like a rain stick, or playing a short clip of a taxi hooting).
Ask the learners: "What body part did you use to hear that sound? What sound did you hear?" Worked Solution: The teacher confirms the answers. "Yes! You used your ears, which is your sense of hearing. You heard the sound of clapping hands. That sound tells us someone is happy or wants our attention. If you heard the taxi hoot, that sound tells us to be careful." Activity 3: 'Smell and Tell' Question: Prepare a few small containers with cotton balls inside, each with a safe, familiar scent (e.g., a drop of vanilla essence, a sprig of lavender or rosemary, a piece of orange peel). Have a learner gently smell one container.
Ask: "What are you using to smell this? Do you like this smell? What does it remind you of?" Worked Solution: The teacher discusses the learner's response. "You are using your nose, which is your sense of smell. This is vanilla! It smells sweet. It might remind you of baking cakes or having yummy custard.