Lesson Notes By Weeks and Term v5 - Grade 1

Lesson Video

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.

Performance objectives

• Tell the difference between 2D 'flat' shapes and 3D 'fat' objects.
• Name common 2D shapes: circle, square, triangle.
• Name common 3D objects: ball and box.
• Sort shapes and objects.
• Describe what shapes and objects look like.

Lesson summary

Overview This week introduces Grade 1 learners to the foundational concepts of Space and Shape. We move from their informal, everyday understanding of objects to a more formal mathematical language. The focus is on recognizing, identifying, naming, and sorting common 2D shapes (flat shapes) and 3D objects (fat objects). This topic is crucial because it develops spatial awareness, a key component of mathematical thinking and problem-solving.

Lesson notes

What are Shapes and Objects? Everything around us has a shape! Some things are flat, like a piece of paper or a picture in a book. We call these 2D shapes. '2D' stands for 2-dimensional. You can measure how long and how wide they are. Other things are 'fat' or 'solid', like a soccer ball or a box of Ouma rusks. You can hold them in your hands. We call these 3D objects. '3D' stands for 3-dimensional. You can measure how long, how wide, and how high they are.

Think of it like this: If you trace around a R5 coin on a piece of paper, the drawing is a 2D shape (a circle). The R5 coin itself is a 3D object because it is not completely flat. Let's Meet the 2D Shapes (Flat Shapes)

The Circle What it looks like: A circle is perfectly round. Think of the sun, a wheel of a car, or the top of a cup.

Properties: It has no straight sides and no corners. It has one curved side that goes all the way around.

Example: Teacher shows a picture of a bicycle. "Look at the wheels on this bicycle. They are round. They are circles." The Square What it looks like: A square looks like a perfect box. Think of a window pane or a slice of sandwich bread.

Properties: It has four straight sides. All four sides are exactly the same length. It has four corners (vertices).

Example: Teacher holds up a building block that is a cube. "Let's look at one flat face of this block. It has 1, 2, 3, 4 sides. Are they all the same size? Yes! So this flat face is a square." The Triangle What it looks like: A triangle looks like the roof of a house or a slice of pizza.

Properties: It has three straight sides and three corners.

Example: Teacher folds a square piece of paper in half diagonally. "I started with a square. Now that I have folded it, what shape have I made?

Let's count the sides: 1, 2,

3. It's a triangle!" Let's Meet the 3D Objects (Fat Objects)

The Ball (Sphere)

What it looks like: It's completely round, like a soccer ball, a marble, or an orange.

Properties: It has no flat faces and no corners. It can roll easily.

Example: Teacher holds a tennis ball. "This is a ball shape. In big-kid maths, we call it a sphere. Can it roll? Yes! Does it have any flat parts where I can put it down without it rolling away? No. It's round all over." The Box (Cube / Rectangular Prism)

What it looks like: It looks like a dice, a box of tea, or a building block.

Properties: It has flat sides (called faces). It has sharp corners. It can be stacked on top of other boxes.

Example: Teacher holds a dice. "This is a box shape. We call it a cube because all its flat faces are squares. Can it roll like a ball? No. It slides. I can put it down and it stays still. I can even put another one on top of it!" Guided Practice (With Solutions)

Question 1: The Shape Hunt Task: Teacher displays a large picture of a simple house with a garden (containing a square house with a triangle roof, round sun, square windows, and a ball on the grass). "Let's be shape detectives! Point to a circle in this picture. Now, point to a square. Can anyone find a triangle? Is there a 'fat' object in the picture?" Solution and

Commentary: Circle: The learner should point to the sun. The teacher confirms, "Correct! The sun is round like a circle." Square: The learner should point to one of the windows. The teacher confirms, "Excellent! The windows have four sides that are the same length. They are squares." Triangle: The learner should point to the roof. The teacher confirms, "Well done! The roof has three sides. It is a triangle." Fat Object: The learner should point to the ball on the grass. The teacher confirms, "Brilliant! The soccer ball is a 'fat' object. It is a ball shape."

Commentary: This activity helps learners identify shapes in a composite picture, which is a step up from looking at isolated shapes. It reinforces the names and visual recognition.

Question 2: The 'Feely Bag' Game Task: The teacher has a non-transparent bag containing a few familiar objects: a small ball, a wooden cube (block), a plastic triangle from a shape set, and a round, flat counter (circle). "I am going to ask a volunteer to put their hand in the bag without looking. Can you feel an object and describe it to us? Does it have corners? Is it round? Is it flat?" Solution and

Commentary: Scenario 1 (Learner grabs the ball): Learner says, "It's round all over. It doesn't have any corners." Teacher asks, "What do you think it is?" Learner guesses, "A ball." The teacher takes it out to confirm. "Yes! It's a ball. It's a 'fat' object." Scenario 2 (Learner grabs the flat counter): Learner says, "It's round, but it's flat." Teacher asks, "What shape is it?" Learner guesses, "A circle." The teacher takes it out to confirm. "Correct! This is a 'flat' shape, a circle."

Commentary: This is a tactile activity that helps learners focus on the properties of shapes (corners, sides, flatness) without relying on sight. It reinforces the vocabulary and the difference between 2D and 3D.