Lesson Notes By Weeks and Term v5 - Grade R

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

• Draw simple shapes and lines.
• Paint with different colours.
• Move to different sounds and rhythms.
• Name the primary colours: red, blue, and yellow.

Lesson summary

Creative arts are a vital part of a child's development and are explicitly encouraged in the CAPS curriculum. They provide opportunities for self-expression, exploration, and the development of fine motor skills. In Grade R, introducing children to drawing, painting, and music fosters creativity, imagination, and emotional intelligence. This week's focus is on laying the foundation for these art forms through simple activities and exploration of colours, shapes, sounds, and rhythm. It's important in South African learners’ lives because it allows them to express their unique experiences and cultural heritage in creative ways.

Lesson notes

Drawing: Drawing is the art of creating images on a surface, often using pencils, crayons, or markers. For Grade R learners, the focus is not on perfect representation, but on exploring lines, shapes, and colours. It's about developing their fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination.

Lines: Lines can be straight, curved, thick, thin, short, or long. Encourage learners to draw different types of lines.

Shapes: Basic shapes like circles, squares, and triangles are the building blocks of more complex drawings. Practicing these shapes helps develop spatial awareness.

Colour: Colour adds interest and emotion to drawings. Start with primary colours (red, blue, yellow) and introduce the concept of mixing colours (e.g., red + yellow = orange).

Example: Imagine you want to draw a simple house. Start with a square (the body of the house). Add a triangle on top of the square (the roof). Draw a smaller square inside the big square (a window). Draw a rectangle beside the window (a door). Colour the house using crayons – maybe red for the roof and blue for the walls!

Painting: Painting involves applying coloured liquids (paints) to a surface using brushes, fingers, or other tools. It's a sensory experience that allows children to explore colour mixing and texture.

Primary Colours: As mentioned earlier, red, blue, and yellow are the primary colours. These colours cannot be made by mixing other colours together.

Colour Mixing: Mixing primary colours creates secondary colours (orange, green, purple). Show learners how to mix paints to create new colours.

Application: Finger painting is a great way for young children to explore texture and colour. Brushes can be used to create different strokes and effects.

Example: Think about painting a rainbow.

Get different colours of paint: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple. Use a brush or your finger to make an arc of each colour on a piece of paper. Make sure the colours are in the right order, just like in a real rainbow! Remember to clean your brush or finger before using a new colour.

Music: Music is the art of creating sounds and rhythms. For Grade R learners, the focus is on exploring different sounds, recognizing rhythms, and responding to music through movement.

Sounds: Sounds can be loud, soft, high, low, natural (birdsong, wind), or man-made (cars, music). Encourage learners to identify and describe different sounds they hear.

Rhythm: Rhythm is the pattern of sounds and silences in music. Clapping, stomping, and using simple percussion instruments (e.g., shakers, drums) help children understand rhythm.

Movement: Encourage learners to move their bodies to the music. They can dance, jump, skip, or simply clap their hands to the beat.

Example: Let's explore rhythm.

Clap your hands slowly: clap… clap… clap. That’s a slow rhythm. Now, clap your hands faster: clapclapclapclap. That’s a fast rhythm. Ask the learners to copy the rhythms you create. You can also use drums or other instruments to create different rhythms. Guided Practice (With Solutions)

Question 1: Draw a circle using a crayon. What colour is your circle?

Solution: Learners draw a circle using a crayon of their choice. The teacher asks the learner to name the colour they used.

For example: "My circle is red."

Commentary: This reinforces shape recognition and colour identification.

Question 2: Mix red and yellow paint. What colour do you get? Paint a small square using the new colour.

Solution: Learners mix red and yellow paint and observe that they get orange. They then paint a small square using the orange paint.

Commentary: This demonstrates colour mixing and connects the activity to a tangible outcome.

Question 3: Clap your hands twice slowly, then clap your hands four times quickly. Can you hear the difference in rhythm?

Solution: Learners follow the instructions and clap their hands to create different rhythms. They should be able to identify the slow rhythm (two claps) and the fast rhythm (four claps).

Commentary: This reinforces the concept of rhythm and encourages auditory discrimination.

Question 4: Draw a line that is long and wavy. What colour is the line?

Solution: Learners draw a long and wavy line using a crayon/pencil and state the colour of their line.

Commentary: Reinforces different types of lines and colour identification. Independent Practice (Questions Only) Draw a picture of your family. Use different shapes and colours. Paint a picture of a tree. What colours will you use for the leaves, trunk, and branches? Listen to a song. Can you clap along to the beat? Is it a fast or slow song? Draw a square, a triangle and a circle on the same piece of paper. Colour each shape a different primary colour. Create a pattern using lines. You can use straight lines, curved lines, or both! Find three different objects in the classroom. Describe the colours of the objects. Use building blocks to make a tower. Can you make a different sound each time you place a block?