Grade R Life Skills / Life Orientation — CAPS Lesson Plans, Worksheets & 2026 ATP

1. 60-Minute CAPS Lesson Plan

Source: DBE Official Foundation Phase CAPS Recovery ATP 2026 (Circular S19 of 2025) (Term 1 · Week 1 · Grades R–3 Recovery Curriculum)

• 10 min Phase 1: Multisensory Hook & Rhyme (Hook & Prior Knowledge)
  Engage learners with an active counting/language rhyme and concrete tactile objects for I Am Special: My name, my face, my unique fingerprints, and feelings. Sing the welcome song and introduce today's target vocabulary in English and Mother-Tongue.
• 20 min Phase 2: Teacher Modelling & Carpet Demonstration ("I Do" Explicit Modelling)
  Explicitly model I Am Special: My name, my face, my unique fingerprints, and feelings using big demonstration manipulatives, visual chart cards, and bilingual home-language terms. Check understanding with finger signals. Model common mistakes (e.g. counting the same object twice or reversing digits) and show how to fix them.
• 20 min Phase 3: Guided Pair & Small-Group Stations ("We Do" Guided & Pair Work)
  Learners work in ability-differentiated groups with concrete counters, chalkboards, or structured workbooks on I Am Special: My name, my face, my unique fingerprints, and feelings. Teacher provides targeted small-group intervention. Rotate to support struggling learners with concrete bead strings while advancing fast finishers.
• 10 min Phase 4: Independent Exercise Application ("You Do" Worksheet Practice)
  Learners complete the levelled 20-mark CAPS exercises on "I Am Special: My name, my face, my unique fingerprints, and feelings (Grade R Foundation Phase)". Teacher circulates with the scoring rubric to check Method [M] and Accuracy [A] steps in real time.
• 10 min Phase 5: Reflection & High-Five Consolidation (Exit Ticket & Family Bridge)
  Review the core lesson outcome. Learners share their discovery with a peer and complete a 2-minute visual exit ticket or thumbs-up check. Explain the Family & Home Learning guide prompt so learners share their lesson at home.

2. 20-Mark Cognitive Worksheet & Memo

Cognitive Weighting: Aligned to CAPS Barrett / Bloom Taxonomy

• Question 1 · Knowing [5 Marks]
  Which sense do you use to hear birds singing? (Touch, Sight, Hearing, Taste)
  Memo: Hearing / ears (5 marks).
• Question 2 · Knowing [5 Marks]
  Name TWO things you do to keep your body clean and healthy every day.
  Memo: Washing hands / bathing (2.5 marks), brushing teeth / eating healthy (2.5 marks) = 5 marks.
• Question 3 · Applying [5 Marks]
  Show the teacher how you stop, look left, right, and left again before crossing a road.
  Memo: Child demonstrates correct visual head turning and pauses safely (5 marks).
• Question 4 · Understanding [5 Marks]
  Name a wild animal found in South Africa and tell where it lives.
  Memo: Lion, elephant, rhino, leopard, etc., living in the bushveld / game reserve (5 marks). Total = 20 marks.

3. Sunday WhatsApp Family Guide & Resources

This week in Grade R Life Skills / Life Orientation, your child is exploring: "I Am Special: My name, my face, my unique fingerprints, and feelings". At this age, learning happens best through play, talking, and touching real objects!

Dinner-Table Coaching Prompts:

• "Can you show me what you counted or made at school today?"
• "How does this connect to what we see at home or on the way to school?"
• "Tell me the story of what your teacher and friends did together today."

Required Classroom Resources: Mirrors, five senses discovery box (herbs, fabrics, bells, citrus peels) · Playdough, poster paints, brushes, crayons, scissors, scrap magazine paper · Beanbags, balls, balance planks, South African wildlife picture books