Grade R Life Skills Lesson Plan: My Family

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Grade R Life Skills Lesson Plan: My Family

Materials Needed:

  • Picture cards of different family members
  • A picture book about families
  • Drawing paper and crayons
  • Glue sticks and collage materials
  • Audio device for family-related songs or stories

Learning Objectives:

By the end of this lesson, students should be able to:
1. Identify different family members and their roles.
2. Understand the concept of a family.
3. Express their own family structure through a drawing activity.

Vocabulary:

  1. Family: A group of people related by blood or choice living together.
  2. Mother: A female parent.
  3. Father: A male parent.
  4. Sibling: A brother or sister.
  5. Grandparent: A parent of one’s mother or father.

Previous Learning:

Students have previously explored the immediate environment and people who help in our community. This lesson builds on their understanding of social relationships.

Anticipated Challenges and Solutions:

  • Challenge: Some students may come from non-traditional family structures and might feel excluded.
    • Solution: Emphasise that families come in many forms and all structures are normal and special.
  • Challenge: Difficulty in expressing family structures verbally.
    • Solution: Use drawing and other visual activities to allow expression without the need for advanced language skills.

Beginning Activities (4 minutes):

  1. Introduction to Objectives:
  2. Greet the students and introduce the topic of families.
  3. Explain that today they will learn about different family members.
  4. Picture Book Reading:
  5. Read a short picture book about families.
  6. Ask the students to point out family members they recognise.

Middle Activities (32 minutes):

  1. Discussion and Picture Cards (10 minutes):
  2. Show picture cards of different family members (mother, father, sibling, grandparent, etc.).
  3. Discuss each member’s role and ask students to share who is in their family.
  4. Family Drawing Activity (15 minutes):
  5. Hand out drawing paper and crayons.
  6. Ask students to draw their own family.
  7. Encourage them to add as many details as they like (pets, neighbours, etc.).
  8. Sharing and Collage Making (7 minutes):
  9. Allow students to share their drawings with the class.
  10. Create a class collage of all the family drawings using glue and additional craft materials.

End Activities (4 minutes):

  1. Exit Ticket:
  2. Play a short family-themed song or audio story.
  3. Ask each student to mention one family member they included in their drawing.

Assessment and Checks for Understanding:

  • Formative Assessment:
  • Observe participation during picture card discussion.
  • Check for understanding through their drawings and brief verbal descriptions.
  • Exit Ticket:
  • Verbal confirmation of at least one family member each student drew.

Differentiation Strategies for Diverse Learners:

  • For Struggling Students:
  • Provide additional prompts or questions to help them think about family members.
  • Offer one-on-one assistance during the drawing activity.
  • For Advanced Students:
  • Encourage them to write or dictate short sentences about each family member.
  • Introduce extended vocabulary such as “cousins,” “aunt,” and “uncle.”

Teaching Notes:

  • Emphasise the diversity of family structures to ensure inclusivity.
  • Use visual aids extensively to support understanding.
  • Provide clear instructions and model activities before asking students to complete them independently.
  • Ensure materials are accessible, considering students with visual or fine motor impairments; for instance, provide larger drawing tools for better grip.

This lesson aims to help Grade R students recognise and appreciate the unique composition of their own families while understanding the basic concept of what constitutes a family.