Lesson Notes By Weeks and Term v5 - Grade 1
Revision and consolidation of Grade 1 Life Skills – Week 3 focus
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Revision and consolidation of Grade 1 Life Skills – Week 3 focus
Download the Lessonotes Mobile South Africa app for faster lesson access on Android and iPhone.
Subject: Life Skills
Class: Grade 1
Term: Term 4
Week: 3
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.
Overview: This lesson serves as a vital consolidation of the foundational concepts covered in the first two weeks of Grade 1 Life Skills. It focuses on the learner's immediate world: their body, their senses, their feelings, and their new school environment. In the South African context, starting 'big school' is a major milestone. This revision helps build a strong sense of self and belonging, which is crucial for a child's confidence and ability to learn. By reinforcing knowledge about personal identity, bodily autonomy, emotional literacy, and safety rules, we empower learners to navigate their school day safely and confidently.
Concept 1: My Wonderful Body What it is: Our body is the amazing home we live in! It has many different parts, and each part has a special job to do to help us learn, play, and grow.
Why it's important: Learning about our bodies helps us understand how to use them and how to keep them healthy and safe. When we know what our legs are for, we know we can use them to run and play soccer. When we know our hands are for, we know we can use them to build with blocks or to wave hello to a friend, but not for hitting. Detailed Explanation &
Examples: Head: Your head is at the very top. It holds your brilliant brain, which helps you think and learn new things. It also has your face!
Eyes: You have two eyes to see the world. You use your eyes to see the beautiful colours of the South African flag, to read your books, and to see your teacher's smile.
Ears: You have two ears to hear all the sounds around you. You use your ears to hear the hadeda bird in the morning, to listen to your Gogo's stories, and to hear the music when we sing 'Shosholoza'*.
Nose: Your nose is for smelling. You use it to smell yummy food like vetkoek cooking or the rain on the soil after a hot day.
Mouth: Your mouth has many jobs! You use it to talk, to sing, and to taste delicious food.
Arms and Hands: Your arms and hands help you to do things. You use them to write your name, to catch a ball, to give a caring hug, and to wave goodbye to your parents.
Legs and Feet: Your legs and feet help you move around. You use them to walk to your classroom, to run on the playground, and to jump up high to the sky!
Concept 2: My Five Super Senses What they are: Senses are our body's superpowers that help us explore and understand the world.
Why they are important: Our senses keep us safe and help us enjoy life. They warn us of danger (like smelling smoke) and let us enjoy beautiful things (like seeing a rainbow or tasting a sweet mango). Detailed Explanation &
Examples: Sight (seeing with our eyes): We see shapes, colours, and sizes.
Example: "I can see the green grass on the playground and the bright yellow sun." Hearing (listening with our ears): We hear loud and soft sounds.
Example: "I can hear the loud taxi hooter on the street and the soft sound of my friend whispering." Smell (smelling with our nose): We smell nice and not-so-nice things.
Example: "I can smell the sweet flowers in the garden and the stinky rubbish bin if the lid is open." Taste (tasting with our tongue): We taste sweet, salty, sour, and bitter flavours.
Example: "I can taste that the biltong is salty and the koeksister is very sweet." Touch (feeling with our skin, especially our hands): We feel textures that are rough, smooth, hot, and cold.
Example: "I can feel the rough bark of the tree and the smooth surface of my desk." Concept 3: My Big Feelings What they are: Feelings are what we feel on the inside. Everyone has feelings, and all your feelings are okay.
Why it's important: Naming our feelings helps us understand ourselves. When we know how we feel, we can tell someone. When we understand feelings, we can also be a kind friend to others. If we see a friend looks sad, we can ask if they need a hug. Detailed Explanation &
Examples: Happy (😊): You feel happy when your chest feels light and you want to smile.
Example: "I feel happy when my mom packs my favourite lunch for school." Sad (😢): You feel sad when you have a heavy feeling and you might want to cry.
Example: "I feel sad when I fall down and hurt my knee." Angry (😠): You feel angry when your body feels hot and tight, and you might want to frown or shout.
Example: "I feel angry when someone takes my crayon without asking." Concept 4: Our Classroom Rules What they are: Rules are special promises we all make to keep our classroom a safe, happy, and fair place for everyone to learn.
Why they are important: Rules are like a safety fence. They protect us and our friends. They help make sure everyone gets a turn and everyone is respected. Detailed Explanation &
Examples: Rule: We listen when someone is talking.
How: We look at the speaker, our mouths are quiet, and our ears are ready to hear.
Why: It shows respect and helps us learn from our teacher and our friends. If everyone talks at once, no one can learn!
Rule: We use helping hands, not hurting hands.
How: We keep our hands and feet to ourselves. We use our hands to share, build, and help.
Why: This is the most important rule for safety. It makes sure everyone feels safe and respected in our classroom. We never hit, push, or grab. Guided Practice (With Solutions)
Question 1: The Body Part Game Teacher says: "I am thinking of a body part that you use to kick a soccer ball and to walk to the tuck shop. What is it? Point to it on your body." Solution and
Commentary: The answer is legs and feet. The teacher should observe learners pointing to their legs/feet.
Commentary:* This question connects a body part directly to a familiar action, reinforcing the concept of function.