Gr R-Learn and Do-Facilitator's Guide

Í2ÂÈ-E-LAD-FG01&Î

1

8

0

0

-

E

-

L

A

D

-

F

G

0

1

LEARN AND DO FACILITATOR’S GUIDE 1/4 Grade R

Learn and Do Facilitator’s guide 1/4

1800-E-LAD-FG01

Í2ÂÈ-E-LAD-FG01&Î

Grade R

CAPS aligned

Dr N Scheepers A Venter R Venter

Grade R ~ Facilitator’s Guide 1

CONTENTS Introduction The Impaq approach to teaching, facilitation and learning in Grade R.............................5 Introduction for the facilitator.............................................................................................5 Objectives of the Grade R curriculum...............................................................................6 Organisation of the learning programme...........................................................................6 Schedule: Suggested Grade R daily programme..............................................................7 The relevance of the daily programme for the development of perceptual skills..............8 Free play activities indoors and outdoors..........................................................................8 Creative arts......................................................................................................................9 Routine activities...............................................................................................................9 Physical Education and movement play.........................................................................10 How do I use this product?..............................................................................................10 Week 1 – 10 Learning unit 1: Who am I?.................................................................................................13 Day 1: Know yourself .....................................................................................................19 Day 2: Getting to know my body ....................................................................................25 Day 3: What can I do with my body? ..............................................................................29 Day 4: Discovering my senses .......................................................................................33 Day 5: Taking care of my body .......................................................................................37 Day 6: Learning more about taking care of my body .....................................................41 Day 7: My emotions .......................................................................................................45 Day 8: My body is my own .............................................................................................49 Day 9: I am safe .............................................................................................................53 Day 10: I am unique! ......................................................................................................57 Learning unit 2: My family...................................................................................................61 Day 1: Who is my family? ...............................................................................................67 Day 2: Learning more about my family ..........................................................................71 Day 3: Birthdays .............................................................................................................75 Day 4: Build a family tree ...............................................................................................79 Day 5: Who does what at home? ...................................................................................83 Day 6: Grandma and Grandpa .......................................................................................87 Day 7: Who does this belong to? ...................................................................................91 Day 8: Learning more about other families ....................................................................95 Day 9: I go on an outing with my family .........................................................................99 Day 10: The birthday party ...........................................................................................103 Learning unit 3: Who lives where?....................................................................................107 Day 1: See what your house looks like ........................................................................ 111 Day 2: The rooms in a house ....................................................................................... 115 Day 3: Furniture in the house ....................................................................................... 119 Day 4: Learn about different types of houses ..............................................................123 Day 5: What does it look like outside the house? ........................................................127 Day 6: Safety in and around the house ........................................................................131 Day 7: Learning more about safety and a tidy house ...................................................135 Day 8: Water and electricity in the house .....................................................................139 3

© Optimi

Grade R ~ Facilitator’s Guide 1

Day 9: Animals in the house .........................................................................................143 Day 10: Build your own house .....................................................................................147 Learning unit 4: Seasons...................................................................................................151 Day 1: Learning about seasons and the weather .........................................................155 Day 2: Seasons and the months of the year ................................................................159 Day 3: How do we know it is summer? ........................................................................163 Day 4: Things to do on warm summer days .................................................................167 Day 5: Autumn ..............................................................................................................171 Day 6: What happens to plants in autumn? .................................................................175 Day 7: Learning more about winter ..............................................................................179 Day 8: Things to do on cold winter days ......................................................................183 Day 9: It’s springtime! ...................................................................................................187 Day 10: Plants and animals in springtime ....................................................................191 Learning unit 5: Healthy living!..........................................................................................195 Day 1: How do I keep my body healthy? ......................................................................201 Day 2: Healthy eating habits ........................................................................................205 Day 3: Healthy vegetables ...........................................................................................209 Day 4: Learning more about vegetables and fruit ........................................................213 Day 5: Healthy bones and teeth ...................................................................................217 Day 6: Dora and the Tooth Fairy ..................................................................................221 Day 7:Exercise and sport .............................................................................................225 Day 8: Learning more about exercise and sport ..........................................................229 Day 9: Why do we get ill? .............................................................................................233 Day 10: Healthy every day! ..........................................................................................237

© Optimi

4

Grade R ~ Facilitator’s Guide 1

Introduction Dear facilitator Welcome as fellow traveller on the learners’ journey of development and growth towards becoming a balanced adult. This journey is an enjoyable experience for both you and the learners and from which both of you will learn and grow continuously.

This guide introduces the facilitator to the Impaq curriculum. The first section provides an overview of Impaq’s approach towards teaching, facilitation and learning, and discusses how Grade R learners learn and develop. It also outlines what Grade R learners should be able to do by the end of the year.

The focus of the Grade R year is to develop children into life-long independent learners.

Consequently the curriculum is structured to build learners’ confidence to learn, and to encourage them to explore the world around them. Impaq seeks to develop confident young learners who are adaptable and resilient, who know themselves and their abilities, and who are able to think and function independently. The programme was designed to develop emergent reading, writing and mathematical skills, but also to develop personal values, social skills and to prepare the young learners to deal with the challenges and demands of their learning experiences.

The Impaq approach to teaching, facilitation and learning in Grade R Effective teaching and learning in Grade R requires the design of learning opportunities and interactions that facilitate children’s inquiring thinking and understanding, as well as to stimulate knowledge of concepts. The curriculum was designed on the basis of four fundamental principles: • • • •

Young children are naturally curious and want to explore their world.

Learners who are actively involved, construct knowledge and regulate their own learning process.

Learning takes place via concrete experience and the use of senses.

Teaching and facilitation needs to be balanced.

The above principles imply that children learn best when they are challenged to explore their environment and construct their own knowledge. The more experiences they are exposed to, the more they are able to learn, because children grasp and internalise new concepts and skills as they integrate new knowledge and skills with existing knowledge and skills. Children use what they already know to understand new concepts, solve problems and to apply in related situations.

Children in Grade R are active learners. They are interested to master skills through trial and error, representing what they are learning by integrating concepts, doing art and playing. They then give expression to what they have learned through language and as such reflect on their learning process. As they gradually master skills and understand the world around them, they become more focused on other people and the outside world. They like to discover things on their own through observation and become aware of those skills that they do not have, such as reading, writing, numbers and counting, but would like to acquire. When they are encouraged to try out these new skills at their own level, they become enthusiastic and embrace their own learning.

5

© Optimi

Grade R ~ Facilitator’s Guide 1

Young learners learn best through concrete experiences, because they are exceptionally sensorially inclined. This means that their learning should include sensory experiences such as touching, tasting, hearing, smelling, and moving their bodies. Play is necessary to strengthen their hands-on experiences and therefore, play is an important component of the child’s learning processes. Whether reconstructing real situations or building imaginary worlds, creative play develops their thinking, language, imagination, speaking and listening skills. These skills prepares them for communicating and interacting socially with others.

The key is to stimulate the child to learn by means of facilitation and not instruction. Young children do need a lot of guidance and examples, and therefore opportunities where they explore the unknown and solve problems by themselves are very important. The Foundation Phase thus requires a fine balance between the guidance of the facilitator and the process of self-discovery.

Objectives of the Grade R curriculum The Impaq Grade R curriculum was designed to provide an integrated play-based learning experience that promotes the holistic development of the young child. The curriculum covers a yearlong programme that provides step-by-step guidelines to facilitate the learning process.

The programme provides opportunities for learners to observe, explore, and to express their experiences, which promote their cognitive, social, emotional and physical development.

By the end of the Grade R year, learners will be able to: • listen and respond to communication • communicate clearly in oral, artistic, written, and non-verbal format • use appropriate language to describe events, objects, people, ideas, and emotions • demonstrate phonological and phonemic awareness • observe, sort, and classify objects • count objects and demonstrate number sense up to 10 • use mathematical concepts to communicate ideas • demonstrate reasoning and sequencing skills • demonstrate a sense of curiosity and willingness to learn • share and take turns with co-learners or the facilitator • display persistence in developing fine and gross motor skills.

Organisation of the learning programme The Grade R programme is based on 20 learning units that cover 40 weeks of the academic year. Each learning unit is linked to a theme, providing for stories, rhymes and discussion points to introduce the new topic to the learners in order to master new concepts (cf. Table of Contents for the list of themes).

Learning units and themes A learning unit stretches over two weeks and comprises of 10 detailed daily lesson plans. A subtheme is assigned to each day and numbered to allow for easy navigation through the learning programme. For example, the theme for Learning Unit 1 is “Who am I?”. The 10 days in the learning unit are numbered from Day 1 to Day 10 and each has a sub-theme, such as Getting to know yourself (Day 1), My body (Day 2) and My senses (Day 3). (See the Table of Contents for a comprehensive list.)

At the beginning of each learning unit, you will find a mind map that indicates the content areas that will be covered during the next 10 days, as well as the knowledge and skills that the learners need to acquire during the unit. The facilitator will be able to determine the focus areas for the learning unit and subsequently link each day’s activities to the learning aims of the entire unit. © Optimi

6

Grade R ~ Facilitator’s Guide 1

Each learning unit includes rhymes, recipes and tips linked to the theme and which are used throughout the unit as part of the daily activities. The daily lesson plans clearly indicate where each of the rhymes, recipes or tips should be used. Refer to the daily lesson plans for examples.

The daily lesson plan The daily lesson plan serves as a step-by-step guide that indicates the content and activities that will be covered per day. The daily programme provides an integrated lesson plan that supports the development of literacy, numeracy and life skills while the learners engage in routine tasks, physical activity, creative activities, free play sessions and facilitator guided activities. The table below outlines a suggested daily schedule and lists the activities for the day. The schedule provides an indication of time that could be spent per activity, as well as the sequence of activities.

Although specific times are scheduled for the activities, a facilitator may adapt these to suit the individual learners’ needs or the learning circumstances.

Schedule: Suggested Grade R daily programme 08:00 – 08:30 08:30 – 08:45 08:45 – 09:15

09:15 – 09:45 09:45 – 09:55 09:55 – 10:10 10:10 – 10:55 10:55 – 11:40 11:40 – 11:50

11:50 – 12:00 12:00 – 12:30 12:30 – 13:00

Free play (inside) Routine activities e.g. calendar, weather chart, birthdays, etc.

Life Skills Discussion session where the facilitator introduces the topic to the learners Focus area: Mathematics Toilet routine Refreshments Free play (outside) Tidy up Creative activity Routine: Clean the working space and put away the materials Toilet routine Focus area: Language Story Quiet time / playtime till the end of the school day

7

© Optimi

Grade R ~ Facilitator’s Guide 1

The relevance of the daily programme for the development of perceptual skills The daily lesson plans are based on structured activities that will be guided by the facilitator, such as routine activities, free play sessions, creative arts and story time. It is important to take note of the importance of EACH session for the child’s learning experience.

The development of perceptual skills in young learners are extremely important in laying a foundation for all future development and learning, as the usage of the senses is necessary to acquire information about the surroundings, environment or situation. The daily activities in the Grade R programme is structured towards the development of the young child’s perceptual skills.

The following are key perceptual skills that facilitators should pay attention to: Visual perception – acquiring and interpreting information through the eyes – accurate visual perception enables the learners to read, write and do mathematics.

Visual discrimination – the ability to see similarities, differences and details of objects accurately.

Visual memory – the ability to remember what the eyes have seen and the correct sequence in which things have been perceived.

Auditory perception – acquiring and interpreting information through the ears – accurate auditory perception enables the learners to give meaning to what is heard.

Auditory discrimination – the ability to identify similarities and differences in sounds.

Auditory memory – the ability to remember what the ears have heard and the correct sequence in which sounds have been perceived.

Eye-hand coordination – the hands and eyes working together when performing a movement, e.g. throwing or catching items.

Body image – a complete awareness of one’s own body, i.e. how it moves and how it functions.

Laterality – showing an awareness of each side of the body (left and right), e.g. which hand is waving.

Dominance – preference to use a specific side of the body, i.e. either right or left dominant.

Crossing the midline – being able to work across the vertical midline of the body, e.g. being able to draw a line from one side of the page to the other without changing the tool from one hand to the other.

Figure-ground perception – being able to focus attention on a specific object or aspect while ignoring all other stimuli, the object of the attention is therefore in the foreground of the perceptual field while all the rest is in the background, e.g. to focus on one flower against the background of a larger garden or being able to concentrate on one word in a sentence.

Form perception – the ability to recognise forms, shapes, symbols, letters, etc. regardless of position, size or background, because it has a unique shape, e.g. can recognise a circle among a number of squares.

Spatial orientation – the ability to understand the space around the body, or the relationship between the object and the body, e.g. the hat is ON my head.

Free play activities indoors and outdoors Free play activities can take place indoors or outdoors or both. The time allocated to free play must be used for this purpose and does NOT include computer games and watching television. It provides an opportunity where the child can engage in playful activities that have an educational or developmental purpose.

Examples of free play activities (inside or outside) include: Free art (painting, drawing, modelling) Water (and mud) play Sand play © Optimi

8

Grade R ~ Facilitator’s Guide 1

Lego or other blocks Fantasy play or drama Fine motor activities (pencil grip activities, tongs, tweezers, puzzles, threading, weaving, dressing frames, etc.)

Gross motor play (climbing, swinging, balancing, etc.)

Sand box Ball play Wheel toys Discovery area (matching /sorting cards, sensory activities, music instruments) Construction Gardening Caring for animals

Creative arts The main purpose of creative arts is to develop learners as creative, imaginative individuals, with an appreciation of the arts. It also provides basic knowledge and skills to be able to participate in creative activities. Foundation Phase learners are inherently creative and play is their natural way of learning in the arts. Learners should be guided to use their natural inclinations to use their imagination, manipulate and work with materials, move and make music and tell stories.

Learners should explore their own creative ideas by using their senses, emotions and observations.

The focus of the learning should be on the development of skills through enjoyable, experiential processes, rather than on working towards producing highly polished products in each term. The introduction of these creative skills is essential in refining and controlling the gross and fine motor skills, as well as the enhancement of creative, cognitive, emotional and social development.

Through the manipulation of materials and the mastery of a variety of art techniques and drawing, the learners’ life is enriched and they experiences the real world through visual and sensory stimulation, discussion and stimulating questions. NOTE: There is no “right” way to draw, and learners should be encouraged to express themselves freely, without fearing criticism.

Three-dimensional (3-D) work develops the concept of shapes in space through, for example, joining pieces of clay, gluing or pasting of paper onto paper, cutting out shapes, folding, tying and wrapping. Other learning activities must be integrated with creative work, e.g. learners should be encouraged to talk about lines, shapes and colours and then to apply that knowledge in other activities.

Routine activities Routine activities take place at a regular time each day. The Impaq daily programme makes suggestions of how the specific sessions can be accommodated within the daily programme.

Routine activities include: arrival and departure greetings toilet routine a birthday chart a weather chart the calendar (today’s date) preparation for creative art and physical education activities e.g. putting on aprons, taking off shoes tidying up time after creative arts and free play.

9

© Optimi

Grade R ~ Facilitator’s Guide 1

The facilitator integrates the learning opportunities, e.g. numerical thought can be stimulated while talking about the weather, the day and month on the calendar. One can also use the weather chart to inculcate life skills (such as warm and cold and how to dress accordingly) and basic science (such as the change of the seasons and the change in weather conditions).

“Tidying up” is a very important life skill and must not be neglected as children learn responsibility and how to take care of toys and their environment.

Physical Education and movement play The development of the learners’ gross and fine motor skills and perceptual development is fundamental in the Foundation Phase, as it is integral to the holistic development of learners and makes a significant contribution to learners’ social, personal and emotional development. To play, move, participate in games and sport contribute to developing positive attitudes and values.

This area focuses on perceptual and locomotion (movement) development, rhythm, balance and laterality. It is subsequently important to also focus on games and activities that can form the basis for future participation in sports, while emphasising physical growth, development, recreation and the joy of play.

How do I use this product?

The Grade R curriculum consists of the following products: four facilitator’s guides (one for each term) and a learning aid for the facilitator, and two workbooks for the learners.

The facilitator’s guides Each term is divided into five learning units and each learning unit consists of detailed lesson plans for 10 days. Each day’s lesson plan is in turn divided into seven or eight sessions: Session 1: Session 2: Session 3: Session 4:

Free play inside Focus area: Life skills Focus area: Mathematics Movement play / Free play outside. It is important to note that these are two separate activities. The learners must first complete the movement play before playing outside for approximately 40 minutes.

Session 5: Creative activity Session 6: Focus area: Language Session 7: Story time Each learning unit starts with a mind map of the activities and skills that will be covered in the unit, followed by rhymes, recipes and tips where resources for the learning unit are provided. This includes rhymes, songs, stories, recipes and examples of activities that are used in the lessons.

Where applicable, each session contains two information text boxes – “Conceptualisation” and “Resources”. The conceptualisation text box provides a summary of the concepts that will be embedded, while the resources text box provides a list of items required and/or supplied to present the lesson.

© Optimi

10

Grade R ~ Facilitator’s Guide 1

Note: ÆÆ indicates a resource that the facilitator must supply. іі indicates a resource that is supplied. This could be rhymes, recipes and tip at the start of a learning unit, an activity in the learners’ workbook, or an item in the learning aid.

The following three symbols are used in each session: The owl indicates what the facilitator must do.

The pencil indicates what the learners must do.

Handy tips or additional information for the facilitator.

The learning aid The learning aid contains anything from sound and symbol cards to pictures to enrich the lessons.

A detailed table of contents ensures ease of finding the learning aid in question. Every effort was made to insert the learning aids in the order that they are referred to in the facilitator’s guides.

The workbooks The learners’ workbooks consist of activities 1 to 182, a news book and a weather chart. Workbook 1 contains the activities that are not printed in colour, while Workbook 2 contains the activities printed in colour. The facilitator keeps the workbooks and only provides the learners with the activity/activities required for the day. The workbooks are bound in such a way that it is easy to tear off individual pages.

11

© Optimi

Grade R ~ Facilitator’s Guide 1

© Optimi

12

Learning unit Who am I? 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

© Optimi

Know yourself Getting to know my body What can I do with my body?

Discovering my senses Taking care of my body Learning more about taking care of my body My emotions My body is my own I am safe I am unique!

13

1

Grade R ~ Facilitator’s Guide 1

Focus of learning unit 1 Listening and speaking: • Listens to and performs instructions • Recites poems • Listens to stories for fun • Uses language to develop terms • Identifies parts of a whole, e.g. body parts

Emergent writing: • Fine motor control • Strengthens hand muscles and fine motor coordination with play • dough • Repeating patterns (zigzag) • Using writing equipment e.g. crayons and paint brushes • Development of sense of direction

Creative arts: • Draws and interprets pictures • Fine motor coordination • Identifying colours • Spatial awareness • 3-D designs with play dough

Emergent reading: • Direction activities – read the arrow chart • Recognises own name and the beginning letter of own name • Draws pictures to convey thoughts • Phonemic awareness: recognises the beginning sound of words • Listens to the ‘s’, ‘o’ and ‘a’ sounds

Who am I? Physical education: • Balance • Gross motor development • Spatial orientation • Awareness of the two sides of the body: laterality • Uses senses to observe • Visual perception • Auditory perception

Beginning knowledge and personal and social well-being: • Beginning knowledge and personal social well-being: • Personal details – name, address, telephone number, age • Differences regarding gender, physique, likes and dislikes • Identifies and names the parts of the body • Discovering the senses • Uses smell, taste, sight, hearing and feeling • Who may touch my body?

• How to look after and take care of your body • Safety • Personal hygiene

Mathematics: • Counts concrete objectives • Number concept development – number 1 and 2 • Problem-solving with concrete apparatus • Copies geometric patterns • Position in space • Symmetry of the body • Recognises two-dimensional forms and pictures, e.g. initial letter of own name, parts of body, etc.

• Identifying colours • Informal measurement – longer, shorter

Rhymes, recipes and tips Play dough

This Little Piggy

Ten Fingers

2 cups flour 1 cup salt 1 cup water 2 tablespoons sunflower oil food colouring

This little piggy went to market, This little piggy stayed home, This little piggy had roast beef, This little piggy had none, And this little piggy went, Wee-wee-wee-wee-wee, All the way home.

I have ten fingers (hold up both hands, fingers spread) And they all belong to me, (point to self) I can make them do things Would you like to see?

1. Mix the flour and salt in a large mixing bowl.

2. Add the water, food colouring and oil. Mix well.

3. If the mixture seems too dry, add water and mix until the desired texture is achieved.

I can shut them up tight (make fists) I can open them wide (open hands) I can put them together (place palms together) I can make them all hide (put hands behind back) I can make them jump high (hands over head) I can make them jump low (touch floor) I can fold them up quietly (fold hands in lap) And hold them just so.

Body Rhyme

Mart Meij - All-in-one Look at my body, how it swings.

Look at my fingers, full of rings.

Twist and turn high on my toes, Up and down my pretty head goes.

See the new shoes on my feet, This is me, am I not sweet?

© Optimi

Fingerplay from http://www.preschoolrainbow. org/preschool-rhymes.htm

Toothbrush Song

Translated by Cicely van der Merwe (All-in-one) I’m brushing my teeth, ka-swoosh, ka-swish, I’m brushing my teeth, ka-swoosh!

I’m brushing my teeth, both up and down, They’ll stay as good as new.

15

Grade R ~ Facilitator’s Guide 1

Rhymes, recipes and tips If you’re happy and you know it

This is my body

If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands.

If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands.

If you’re happy and you know it, and you really want to show it, If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands.

This is my body No one may touch me If you dare to do so I will run and tell my mommy!

From http://sunflowerStory time.com/ weekly-toddler-songs/#happy

If you’re happy and you know it, jump up and down …

If you’re happy and you know it, stomp your feet …

If you’re happy and you know it, shout ‘hooray’! …

Translated by Nalize Marais (adopted from a rhyme by Riana Scheepers)

Example: Activity 1

© Optimi

17

Grade R ~ Facilitator’s Guide 1

Week 1 Day 1

Know yourself

Session 1: Free play inside The facilitator supplies toys that promote perceptual development, e.g. a puzzle, blocks/Lego, colouring book and crayons, or any activity that promotes perceptual development. Use puzzles and pictures that are related to the theme of the learning unit: Who am I? E.g. a picture of the body, body puzzle, colouring book, clothes, personal hygiene items, etc.

Session 2: Focus area: Life skills Let’s talk: Who am I? Facilitate a conversation to help the learners discover more about themselves: We are all born and that is why all of us have a date of birth. Every year, that date of birth is the day of your birthday. Your date of birth is indicated on a birth certificate and your identity document or card.

Mommy and Daddy chose your name. You may get Grandma or Grandpa’s name, or Mommy and Daddy may choose a name that suits you. We all have our own fingerprint. No one’s fingerprint is the same as yours.

Guide the conversation to help the learners discover and discuss themselves. E.g.

• What is your name?

• Do you know where and when you were born?

• Do you know where you get your name from?

• Can you write your name? (The learners do not have to be able to write their names at this stage.)

The learners do not have to be able to write their names at this stage. Have flashcards with their names on hand.

Remember: learning to write is a gradual process.

Write the learners’ names on flashcards or piece of paper. Now ask each learner to recognise specific properties of his/her name.

• With what letter does your name start? Let’s see if we can recognise the letter on the sound cards on the wall.

• How many letters are there in your name?

• Emphasise the uniqueness of each person, but also that people are the same in some regards.

• I am a boy. Do you have a friend who is also a boy?

• Do you have a friend who is a girl? What is her name?

• How old are you? Do you have a friend who is the same age as you?

• Guide the conversation to information that the learners should know about themselves. What are your mom and dad’s names?

• Do you know their telephone number(s)?

• Where do you live? Do you know your address?

The learners do not yet have to remember or write down the information.

Not all learners will know their addresses and telephone numbers. The lesson plan makes provision for this and the information is reviewed again later.

Session 3: Focus area: Mathematics Facilitate a counting activity: Count to 5 with the learners and clap 5 times. Clap once for each number name that is said.

E.g. 1 – clap, 2 – clap, 3 – clap, etc.

Take 5 steps forward and 5 steps back.

Use the learners’ names for the mathematics session. Write their names on flashcards. Ask the learners to provide a friend’s name: • What is your friend’s name? Write down the friend’s name as well. Make sure that the letters in both names are the same size.

Use the two names to facilitate a mathematics activity.

• How many letters are there in your name?

• Use a number card: Let the learners point out pictures on the number card that correspond with the number of letters in their names. For incidental number recognition, point to the number on the number card. © Optimi

19

Peter

PETER

Grade R ~ Facilitator’s Guide 1

• How many letters are there in your friend’s name? The learners press their fingers on each letter as they count. The facilitator may support the learners during this activity.

• Put a counter on the table for each letter in the name. Count the counters.

• Which name has the most letters?

• Which name is the longest?

• Which name is the shortest?

• Why is that name the longest? (It has the most letters.)

The learners do not need to have number concept for the number and will probably not show understanding of more, less, longest and shortest. The learners are only being introduced to the concepts. The facilitator has to support the learners and demonstrate how to arrange the counters for each letter.

Session 4: Free play outside Allow the learners to play freely and according to their skill during free play. The facilitator can provide specific apparatus, e.g. balls, hoops, sand play and water play. The learners develop important skills through play, making this is a very important part of the daily programme.

This learning unit focuses on the body and what the learners can do with their bodies.

Provide apparatus that will enable the learners to use and become aware of what they can do with their bodies. Allow the learners to climb and clamber, seesaw, swing, balance, run, etc.

Notes:

Session 5: Focus area: Language Use the learners’ names on flashcards to facilitate the language session.

Ask each learner: With what letter does your name start? Let them point to the letter on the sound cards on the wall. During the conversation this morning the learners identified and pointed out the beginning sounds of their names – see if they can find it again on their own.

Use the sound card with the first letter of each learner’s name to facilitate the following activity: • e.g. Susan – use sound card with ‘s S’.

• What is this sound called? Look at the picture – e.g. sun. The sound is ‘s’. Let the learners say the ‘s’ sound out loud.

• What words do you know that start with ‘s’? Give the learners the opportunity to say words on their own.

• The facilitator says words aloud and the learners must listen and indicate when they hear a word that starts with ‘s’. The learners can clap or raise their hands to indicate that there is a word that starts with ‘s’.

• dog, boy, sand • cat, sun, hat • bag, nail, say • man, dry, soup Repeat the listening activity. The learners must listen and indicate when they hear a word that begins with ‘s’. Repeat about five sound activities where the learners must listen to the words and indicate when the initial sound is not the same.

In cases where a learner’s name starts with X, Z or Y, it may be difficult to facilitate the phonemic awareness exercise.

Choose another letter that allows for more familiar words.

© Optimi

21

Grade R ~ Facilitator’s Guide 1

Session 6: Creative activity Play with dough: Build your name Prepare the table where the learners will build their names with play dough.

Buy play dough or you use the recipe in Rhymes, recipes and tips to make your own.

Cover the table with a plastic tablecloth, or use plastic cutting boards.

• The facilitator writes each learner’s name on a flashcard. The learners form their names using play dough.

• Support the learners and demonstrate how to roll snakes and shape the letters.

• Emphasise the shape of the letters. Refer to round tummies, straight lines, diagonal lines, long necks and feet that dangle in the water.

Note that the learners should not know the letters at this stage.

This is a first introduction to letters.

- - -

When the facilitator introduces learners to letter shapes, it is important to describe the shape of each letter in detail while it is being formed.

There are three types of letters: letters that stand on the ground, such as a, e, o, r, n, m, i, v, w, s, u, x and z letters that have their heads in the clouds, such as b, d, f, l, k and h letters that dangle their feet in the water, such as g, j, p and y

Letter shapes can be explained by referring to tummies (b, d, a), lines (i, l, f) and dots.

Session 7: Story time The facilitator reads a story at the end of each day. If it is a long story, it may be broken up into instalments. The story then ‘continues’ and is read over a number of days.

Choose a story that relates to the theme or choose one of the learners’ favourite stories. If the facilitator/school does not have enough books, join the local library. It is a wonderful outing and a great experience for the learners.

-

Story time in Grade R encourages the development of important learning skills: Learners are exposed to books and reading They learn to listen They learn to recognise characters and sequence of events It expands their vocabulary It develops language Story time is a calming activity and learners relax at the end of the school day Stories are a good starting point for a conversation or lesson. Use stories to prepare learners for activities in learning units.

Notes:

© Optimi

23

Grade R ~ Facilitator’s Guide 1

Day 2

Getting to know my body

Session 1: Free play inside The facilitator supplies toys that promote perceptual development, e.g. a puzzle, blocks/Legos, colouring book and crayons, or any activity that promotes perceptual development. Use puzzles and pictures that are related to the theme of the learning unit: Who am I? E.g. a picture of the body, body puzzle, colouring book, clothes, personal hygiene items, etc.

Session 2: Focus area: Life skills Let’s talk about our bodies Start the session with a rhyme or song about the parts of the body, e.g. the Body Rhyme.

Refer to Rhymes, recipes and tips for Learning Unit 1.

The facilitator recites the rhyme while the learners listen. Repeat the rhyme with the learners.

The learners must point out the different body parts and/or move while they recite the rhyme.

The facilitator discusses the different parts of the body. Use a wall card with flashcards to name the different parts of the body. The learners must talk about, learn and name the parts of the body. Discuss the different parts of the body and place the flashcard at the corresponding part of the body on the wall card. The learners do not have to be able to read the words yet. This is incidental reading and an introduction to the words.

Focus on similarities and differences: • Hair that have different colours and lengths.

• Colour of eyes, etc.

• Use the opportunity to introduce numbers 1 and 2, e.g. 2 hands, 1 head, 2 feet, 1 mouth, 2 ears, 1 chin, 2 hands, 1 nose, etc.

Session 3: Focus area: Mathematics The facilitator uses geometric shapes and compares the parts of the body to the different shapes. Work with the learners to build a boy or girl using geometric shapes.

• • •

What shape can we use to make the boy/girl’s head? (circle) What will you use to build the body? (oval) With what can we make 2 arms and 2 legs? (rectangles) Note that the learners do not yet have to know all the geometric shapes.

The learners are introduced to shapes during the session.

• • •

Complete Activity 1 in the workbook: The learners cut out the shapes and builds a body.

As soon as the body is arranged, the learners can paste it on paper.

Draw a face and hair for the body. This morning’s introduction to the body parts should provide enough information to the learners to draw a complete face.

Session 4: Movement play The facilitator gives instructions and the learners listen and carry it out. The focus is on position in space (spatial orientation). The learners must demonstrate different positions in space with their bodies.

• • • • •

© Optimi

Stand on your chair.

Crawl underneath the table.

Stand to the right of your table.

Stand behind your friend/facilitator.

Walk around the table.

25

Grade R ~ Facilitator’s Guide 1

• Go outside and facilitate the following spatial orientation activity. Use a hoop or piece of newspaper.

Give instructions (adapt the activities to the hoop/newspaper). The activity must occupy the learners for about 15 minutes: • Place the hoop on the grass. Jump into the hoop with both feet.

• Stand with your left foot in the hoop and your right foot on the grass outside the hoop.

• Hold the hoop above your head.

• Let it slide down your body to the grass.

• Hold the hoop up as high as possible. Now hold it as low as you can.

• Quickly run around the hoop. Now slowly crawl around the hoop.

• Place the hoop on the grass. Lie inside the hoop and curl up your body to fit inside the hoop.

Session 5: Free play outside Allow the learners to play freely according to their skill during free play. The facilitator can provide specific apparatus, e.g. balls, hoops, sand play and water play. The learners develop important skills through playing, making this is a very important part of the daily programme.

This learning unit focuses on the body and what the learners can do with their bodies.

Provide apparatus that will enable the learners to use and become aware of what they can do with their bodies. Allow the learners to climb and clamber, seesaw, swing, balance, run, etc.

Session 6: Creative activity Drawing The facilitator draws a circle in the middle of a big sheet of paper. Use a saucer or another round object to draw the circle.

The learners use crayon and draw on the paper. This is a spontaneous creative activity. The learners can use the circle in the middle of the page as part of any picture they want to create.

Session 7: Focus area: Language Mime statues: The facilitator uses action cards. Each action card depicts a specific position. The learners ‘read’ the action on the action card and then mime the action. The learners must remain in the same position for at least 5 seconds.

Let’s learn a sound: a A

• • • • •

Use the sound card with the ‘a A’ to facilitate the following activity: Write the lower case ‘a’ on the whiteboard or blank page. What do we call this sound??

Use the sound card on the wall and let the learners find the ‘a A’. Look at the picture – e.g. apple.

The sound is ‘a’. Let the learners say the ‘a’ sound aloud.

Can you think of other words where you hear the ‘a’ sound?

The facilitator says various words with ‘a’ aloud. e.g. pan, cat, hat, rat Complete Activity 2 in the workbook: The facilitator supports the learners during the activity. Look at the picture and say out loud what you see. Colour all the pictures where you hear the ‘a’. The learners should listen and identify ‘a’ and then colour in (Remember: This is not a reading exercise.)

The learners are not yet required to read. The activities make provision for incidental reading and introduce them to reading and reading exercises. Activity 2 is a reading exercise. The learners say the word and identify the sounds. They ‘read the picture’ and develop auditory perception by listening to the sounds.

The learners’ pencil grip is an important aspect in the development of writing skills. It is important to check that the learners grip the crayon/retractable crayon correctly.

Session 8: Story time

© Optimi

27

Grade R ~ Facilitator’s Guide 1

Day 3

What can I do with my body?

Session 1: Free play inside The facilitator supplies toys that promote perceptual development, e.g. a puzzle, blocks/Legos, colouring book and crayons, or any activity that promotes perceptual development. Use puzzles and pictures that are related to the theme of the learning unit: Who am I? E.g. a picture of the body, body puzzle, colouring book, clothes, personal hygiene items, etc.

Session 2: Focus area: Life skills Let’s talk about what your body can do The facilitator initiates a conversation about the movements we can do with our bodies. Start by describing your own position to the learners, e.g. I am sitting on a chair. The learners can now explain where and in which position their bodies are.

Explain to the learners that we all have control over the movements and position of our bodies. Moving our bodies keeps us healthy and our bodies supple. Exercise strengthens our muscles.

Let’s play a game. The facilitator shows the learners an action card and the learners must demonstrate the action. Use the action cards in the learning aid.

Give the learners the opportunity to select an action card and to show if they can do the action.

What other movements you can do with your body?

The learners should be aware of left and right. The focus is not on dominance, but on awareness of the two sides of the body. Tie a piece of string or a ribbon to the learners’ left hands and repeat the activity with the action cards. This time the learners look at the picture and do the activity with the left hand or leg (the hand the string/ribbon is tied to).

Session 3: Focus area: Mathematics

• • • •

Start the session by counting to 5. This is rote counting; in other words the learners rely on memory. The learners must count without the help of the facilitator.

Use 5 counters and let the learners arrange them in a row. Now count the counters to 5. The learners must touch each counter as they say the number name. They must show where 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 are.

Always count from left to right. It is the direction in which we read.

Go to the number line: Let the learners count again and point out each number on the number line as they count.

Use number flashcards 1 and 2. The facilitator flashes the number 2 and the learners demonstrate the number with their fingers. Flash number 1 and the learners show one finger.

Use the action cards and number flashcards. Show the action card to the learners together with a number card and ask them to carry out the instruction. E.g. jump on one leg action card with the number 1. In other words, the learners must jump once on one leg.

Repeat this activity with other action cards and numbers 1 and 2.

Session 4: Creative activity The facilitator shows the learners examples of what shapes they can make with their hands: The learners trace their hands and decorate the shapes. Hands can be trees or rockets.

© Optimi

29