Lesson Notes By Weeks and Term v5 - Grade R

Lesson Video

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Performance objectives

• This week in Life Skills, we will be focusing on physical education, specifically movement, games, and play. Physical activity is essential for all children, especially in Grade R, because it helps their bodies grow strong, develops important skills, and promotes overall well-being. It also contributes to their cognitive development, helping them focus and learn better in other subjects. In South Africa, many children don't have access to safe play areas or organized sports, making it even more important to maximize opportunities for physical activity within the school environment. This lesson will focus on building fundamental movement skills and encouraging imaginative play, using easily accessible resources. Think of this as building a foundation for a healthy and active future.
• Learning Objectives: By the end of this lesson, learners will be able to:
• Objective 1: Demonstrate at least three different locomotor movements (walking, running, hopping) with reasonable coordination.
• Objective 2: Participate actively in a group game involving simple instructions and rules.
• Objective 3: Express themselves creatively through movement, imitating actions or animals.

Lesson summary

This week in Life Skills, we will be focusing on physical education, specifically movement, games, and play. Physical activity is essential for all children, especially in Grade R, because it helps their bodies grow strong, develops important skills, and promotes overall well-being. It also contributes to their cognitive development, helping them focus and learn better in other subjects. In South Africa, many children don't have access to safe play areas or organized sports, making it even more important to maximize opportunities for physical activity within the school environment.

Lesson notes

Locomotor Movements: These are movements that allow us to move from one place to another. Examples include walking, running, hopping, skipping, jumping, galloping, and crawling. In Grade R, we focus on the foundational ones like walking, running, and hopping.

Walking: Moving one foot in front of the other, keeping one foot on the ground at all times. Explain that walking helps us get around and explore the world.

Running: Similar to walking, but faster! We lift both feet off the ground for a brief moment. Running builds our muscles and makes our hearts stronger.

Hopping: Jumping on one foot and landing on the same foot. Hopping improves our balance and coordination.

Non-Locomotor Movements: These are movements that don't involve moving from one place to another. Examples include bending, stretching, twisting, swaying, and shaking. These movements are important for flexibility and balance. We'll introduce these later, but awareness of these enhances the understanding of body control.

Games: Games are activities with rules and objectives. Playing games helps us learn to follow directions, take turns, cooperate with others, and solve problems. Games can be simple like "Simon Says" or more complex like team sports (simplified for Grade R). The focus should be on participation and fun rather than competition.

Play: Play is spontaneous and imaginative activity. It allows us to express ourselves, explore our environment, and develop our creativity. Play can be anything from pretending to be a superhero to building a fort with blankets. Play allows the children to learn naturally and develop crucial social and problem-solving skills. Why is Physical Activity Important?

Physical activity helps us: Grow strong bones and muscles. Maintain a healthy weight. Improve our mood and reduce stress. Focus better in school. Develop important skills like coordination and balance.

Worked example

Example 1: Walking like animals: Ask the learners to walk like different animals (e.g., walk like a penguin, walk like a lion, walk like a crab). Explain that different animals move in different ways, and this helps us practice different walking styles. This connects to their observation skills and encourages imaginative play.

Example 2: Running in place: Demonstrate running in place, lifting knees high. Explain that even when we don't have a lot of space, we can still run and get exercise. Encourage learners to count how many steps they can take in 10 seconds. This promotes number recognition and counting skills.

Example 3: Simon Says: Play "Simon Says" using different locomotor movements ("Simon says, walk forward!" "Simon says, run backward!" "Simon says, hop on one foot!"). This reinforces listening skills and the understanding of instructions. This is very effective, easily adaptable and fun for children.

Example 4: Imaginary Obstacle Course: Create an imaginary obstacle course. "We're walking through mud! Now we're climbing over a big rock! Now we're jumping over a puddle!" This encourages imaginative play and problem-solving skills, as they need to visualize and adapt their movements to the "obstacles".

Guided Practice (With Solutions)

Question 1: Show me how you walk like you are going to school.

Solution: The learner should demonstrate walking with a moderate pace, possibly swinging their arms, mimicking carrying a school bag.

Commentary: This reinforces the understanding of the action 'walking' and connects it to a familiar real-life activity.

Question 2: Can you hop on one foot three times and then switch to the other foot and hop three times?