Grade 5 Life Skills continues to develop the whole learner across three components: Beginning Knowledge and Personal and Social Wellbeing, Creative Arts, and Physical Education. The Beginning Knowledge component extends work on personal identity, health, relationships and citizenship. Creative Arts develops visual art, music, drama and movement skills with growing confidence and creativity. Physical Education builds fitness, coordination and team sport skills. Grade 5 places increasing emphasis on leadership, responsibility and making healthy choices.
- Personal identity: values, beliefs, strengths and areas for growth
- Goal setting: short- and medium-term personal goals
- Healthy lifestyle: balanced diet, exercise, sleep and hygiene — in more depth
- The media and healthy body image — critical thinking
- Creative Arts — Visual Art: colour theory, texture, pattern
- Creative Arts — Music: reading basic notation, rhythm patterns
- Physical Education: locomotor and non-locomotor movement combinations
- Athletics: sprinting, jumping, throwing technique
- Relationships: peer pressure — recognising, resisting, assertiveness skills
- Bullying: types, effects, how to respond and report
- Rights and responsibilities: the SA Constitution and children's rights
- Community and citizenship: what it means to contribute
- Creative Arts — Drama: character development, freeze frames, improvisation
- Creative Arts — Dance: African dance forms, body percussion
- Physical Education: ball sports skills — striking, catching, fielding
- Team games: communication, cooperation, rules and fair play
- Environment: human rights and environmental responsibility
- Cultural diversity: celebrating South Africa's cultural wealth
- Heritage: how communities preserve their history and identity
- Critical thinking: analysing messages in advertising and media
- Creative Arts — Visual Art: printmaking, mixed media, sculpture
- Creative Arts — Music: pentatonic scale, songs from different SA traditions
- Physical Education: invasion games — soccer, netball, basketball principles
- Fitness: aerobic endurance and flexibility activities
- Revision: health, relationships, rights, community and environment
- Creative Arts — performance showcase: share creative work
- Creative Arts — Music: create and perform a short composition
- Physical Education: gymnastics — rolling, balancing, jumping sequences
- Cooperative games and outdoor challenges
- Goal review: assess progress on personal goals set in Term 1
- Preparing for Grade 6: reflecting on growth and next steps
- Celebration of individual and group achievements
For written tests — learn key vocabulary. Life Skills tests ask you to define terms like 'puberty', 'assertive', 'biodiversity', 'Bill of Rights'. Learn the exact definitions and use them in sentences.
Creative Arts assessments reward process, not just product. Teachers assess your engagement, creative thinking and understanding of concepts, not just the final artwork or performance. Participate fully and explain your choices.
PE is assessed practically — attend every lesson. PE marks come from participation and correct technique. Attend every lesson, listen carefully to instructions and try your best at every skill.
Connect Life Skills to your real life. The content is most memorable when connected to your own experience. When studying puberty, think about changes you are noticing. When studying rights, think about your school rules.