Lesson Notes By Weeks and Term v5 - Grade R

Lesson Video

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Performance objectives

• Hold and use crayons and chalk
• Explore the primary colours: red, yellow, and blue
• Move our bodies to fast and slow music
• Draw and paint to show our ideas and feelings

Lesson summary

This week, we begin our exciting journey into the world of Creative Arts. This area of Life Skills is not just about making pretty pictures; it's a fundamental way for young learners to explore, understand, and express their world. In South Africa, a country rich with diverse cultures, music, and art forms, creative expression is part of our daily lives – from the rhythmic beat of a djembe drum and the harmonies of gospel choirs to the intricate patterns of Ndebele house paintings and the vibrant colours of Shweshwe fabric. For Grade R learners, engaging in drawing, painting, and music helps develop crucial skills.

Lesson notes

A. Drawing: Making Your Mark Drawing is one of the first ways we learn to communicate. It's simply making marks on a surface like paper or a chalkboard. We use tools to help us make these marks.

Tools: For Grade R, we use tools that are easy for small hands to hold, like thick wax crayons and large pieces of chalk. The way we hold the crayon (the 'pincer grip') helps make our finger muscles strong for when we learn to write letters.

Lines and Shapes: Everything we draw is made of lines and shapes. Lines can be straight (like a road), curvy (like a river), or zigzag (like mountains or the pattern on a Zulu pot). Shapes are made when lines connect. A circle is a round line that connects back to itself, like the sun. A square has four straight sides, like a window in a rondavel.

Example: Drawing the South African Flag "Let's think about our beautiful flag. It has lots of lines and shapes! It has a 'Y' shape that looks like two roads coming together. This 'Y' shows how different people in our country are united. The flag also has straight lines that make rectangles of colour. When you draw, you are using lines and shapes just like the person who designed our flag!"

B. Painting: The Magic of Colour Painting is using liquid colour, called paint, to create a picture. We can use our fingers (finger painting) or a thick brush.

Primary Colours: The most important colours in the world are Red, Yellow, and Blue. They are called primary colours. Think of them as the 'mother and father' colours because you cannot make them by mixing other colours. All other colours are made from these three!

Red: Like a juicy strawberry or a stop sign.

Yellow: Like the bright sun or a ripe banana.

Blue: Like the big sky or the deep ocean at Durban. Colour Mixing (Creating Secondary Colours): The real magic happens when we mix primary colours. Worked

Example: How to make Green Prepare: Squeeze a small blob of yellow paint onto a paper plate or mixing tray.

Add: Next to it, squeeze a small blob of blue paint.

Mix: Using your finger or a thick brush, slowly pull the blue paint into the yellow paint and swirl them together.

Observe: What colour do you see? It's Green! Just like the grass at a soccer field or the leaves on a marula tree.

Why it works: When the yellow and blue colours are mixed, they create a brand new colour called a secondary colour. Red + Yellow = Orange (like a sunset over the Drakensberg) Blue + Red = Purple (like a beautiful jacaranda flower in Pretoria)

C. Music and Movement: Feeling the Beat Music is organized sound that has a rhythm, or a 'beat'. The beat is the part that makes you want to tap your feet or clap your hands.

Tempo: This is a fancy word for how fast or slow the music is.

Fast Tempo: Music with a fast beat makes us feel energetic. Think of upbeat Kwaito or Gqom music. It makes you want to jump, run, and dance quickly!

Slow Tempo: Music with a slow beat can make us feel calm, relaxed, or sad. Think of a lullaby or slow Maskandi music. It makes you want to sway gently, like a tree in a soft breeze.