Lesson Notes By Weeks and Term v5 - Grade R

Lesson Video

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Performance objectives

• Draw simple pictures of things we know.
• Paint with different colours and mix them.
• Sing songs and clap to the beat.
• Name at least three colours.
• Feel the rhythm in music.

Lesson summary

This week in Life Skills, we’ll be exploring the exciting world of creative arts! Focusing on drawing, painting, and music, we will learn how to express ourselves and our feelings in different ways. In South Africa, art and music are a big part of our culture. From the vibrant colours of Ndebele paintings to the rhythmic beats of traditional music, creative expression is all around us. Learning to draw, paint, and make music helps us connect with our heritage, communicate our ideas, and have fun while doing it! It also helps develop fine motor skills and coordination, essential for writing and other activities.

Lesson notes

Drawing: Drawing is the art of creating images on a surface using tools like crayons, pencils, or markers. We can draw anything we see around us or imagine in our heads! Drawing helps us develop our hand-eye coordination, which means our hands and eyes work together to create something beautiful. When drawing, remember to use different lines (straight, curved, zig-zag) and shapes (circles, squares, triangles) to build your picture.

Example 1: Imagine you want to draw your house. First, draw a big square for the main part of the house. Then, draw a triangle on top of the square for the roof. Add a smaller square for the door and some small squares or rectangles for the windows. Finally, use crayons or pencils to colour in your house. What colour is your roof? What colour are your walls?

Painting: Painting is similar to drawing, but instead of using pencils, we use paint! We can use different tools like brushes, sponges, or even our fingers to apply the paint to paper. Painting allows us to experiment with colours and textures, which means how something feels. Thick paint can create a bumpy texture, while watery paint can create a smooth texture.

Example 2: Let’s try finger painting! Get some paper and a few different colours of finger paint (red, yellow, blue are great to start). Dip your finger into the paint and then press it onto the paper. You can make dots, lines, or even try to paint a picture of a flower. What happens when you mix red and yellow paint together? (Orange!) What happens when you mix blue and yellow? (Green!)

Music: Music is a way to express ourselves through sound! We can make music by singing, playing instruments, or even just clapping our hands and stomping our feet. Music has rhythm, which is the beat that makes us want to dance. Some songs are fast, and some songs are slow. Music can make us feel happy, sad, or excited.

Example 3: Let's sing "Thula Baba"! This is a traditional South African lullaby. Listen to the rhythm of the song. Can you clap along to the beat? Thula, thula, thula baba, Thula, thula, ntandane (Hush, hush, hush father, Hush, hush, orphan). Now try making your own rhythm with a drum or a maraca! Guided Practice (With Solutions)

Question 1: Draw a picture of your favourite animal. Use at least three different shapes in your drawing.

Solution: The learner might draw a cat using a circle for the head, triangles for the ears, and rectangles for the body. They could use crayons to colour the cat in different colours. The solution should demonstrate the use of shapes and colour in representing a familiar animal.

Commentary: This question reinforces LO1 and LO

4. It encourages children to translate their visual world into simple shapes and apply colour knowledge.

Question 2: Create a painting using only two colours. Then, mix those two colours together on your paper. What new colour did you make?

Solution: The learner might choose blue and yellow paint. They paint parts of the paper blue and other parts yellow. Then, they mix blue and yellow paint together to create green. They should be able to identify the new colour (green).

Commentary: This question builds on LO2 and LO

4. It helps learners experiment with colour mixing and understand basic colour theory.

Question 3: Sing your favourite song and clap along to the beat. Is the song fast or slow?

Solution: The learner should sing a simple, familiar song and consistently clap on the beat. They should identify whether the song is fast or slow by recognizing the tempo. For example, "Happy Birthday" is generally at a moderate tempo.

Commentary: This question addresses LO3 and LO

5. It combines singing and rhythm practice, allowing learners to connect music to movement. Independent Practice (Questions Only) Draw a picture of your family. Paint a picture of your favourite fruit or vegetable. Use different shades of the same colour (e.g., light green, dark green for a watermelon). Make a musical instrument using recycled materials (e.g., a shaker using a bottle and rice). Listen to a song and draw a picture that represents how the music makes you feel. Draw a picture of your school. Paint a picture using only dots. Experiment with different sizes of dots. Create a rhythm using your hands and feet. Teach your rhythm to a friend. Draw a picture of a South African flag. Make sure you use the correct colours. Paint a picture of a rainbow. Name all the colours you use. Listen to a song in a language you don't understand. What does the music make you feel like doing? Draw a picture of that feeling.