South Africa Grade 5 Social Sciences Syllabus

This syllabus outlines the content, concepts, and skills covered in the Social Sciences curriculum for Grade 5 in South Africa. Social Sciences comprises two subjects: History and Geography. Both subjects are taught and assessed each term.

History

• Term 1: Hunter-Gatherers and Herders in Southern Africa
• How we learn about hunter-gatherers and herders: stories, objects, rock paintings, books, and ethnography (observing living societies).
• San hunter-gatherer society: their relationship with the environment, the bow and arrow, social organization, plant medicines, beliefs and religion, and rock art (including its creation, interpretation, and connection to the South African Coat of Arms).
• Khoikhoi herder society: pastoral way of life and their shared landscape with the San.
• Term 2: The First Farmers in Southern Africa
• When, why, and where the first African farmers settled in Southern Africa, including their attitudes towards land and interactions with the Khoisan.
• Life in settled chiefdoms: homesteads, villages, agriculture (crops and livestock), social, political, and economic structures (roles of men, women, and children, cooperation, the role of the chief and cattle).
• Tools and weapons made from iron and copper.
• Pottery: everyday use, ceremonial use (Lydenburg Heads), and its role in trade.
• Medicine and healing practices.
• Term 3: An Ancient African Society: Egypt
• The Nile River and its influence on settlement.
• Way of life in ancient Egypt: social structure, beliefs and religion, pharaohs, sphinx, pyramids, temples, hieroglyphics, mathematics, astronomy, medicine, and physicians.
• Case study: The tomb of Tutankhamen (its discovery and what it reveals about ancient Egyptian society).
• The spread of Egypt's knowledge to other regions.
• Term 4: A Heritage Trail through the Provinces of South Africa
• Understanding heritage (tangible and intangible).
• Examples of heritage from each province, encompassing various forms like sites of significance, objects, achievements, place names, changing identities, indigenous medicine, architecture, natural heritage and indigenous knowledge systems, and art.

Geography

• Term 1: Map Skills (Focus: Africa)
• World map and compass directions: equator, poles, continents, and eight compass points.
• Africa: location on the world map and globe, surrounding oceans, countries, borders, landlocked countries, coastal countries, countries on the equator, Madagascar, Zanzibar, major cities, South Africa's neighbors, and capital cities.
• Physical map of Africa: features (high and low areas, mountains, rivers, lakes), ways of showing height above sea level, and locating specific physical features (mountains, peaks, lakes, rivers, waterfalls, deserts).
• Images of Africa: interpreting photographs of various scenes and landscapes, and using grid references.
• Term 2: Physical Features of South Africa
• South Africa from above: high and low places, coastal plain, escarpment, plateau, and locating Highveld, Lowveld, Karoo, Kalahari, and Namaqualand.
• Physical features: mountains, ranges, valleys, hills, rivers, waterfalls, coastlines, capes, bays, and locating features within provinces.
• Rivers: source, end, direction of flow, river systems (tributaries and catchment areas), and main rivers of South Africa.
• Physical features and human activities: links between them and how human activities change physical landscapes (case studies on dams and road building).
• Term 3: Weather, Climate, and Vegetation of South Africa
• Weather: elements (temperature, wind, cloud cover, rainfall), precipitation, measuring temperature and rain, determining wind direction, weather maps, and how weather affects daily life.
• Independent project: observing and recording daily weather.
• Rainfall: distribution and patterns in South Africa.
• Climate: difference between weather and climate, different climates in South Africa, and climate of own area.
• Natural vegetation: concept, links to climate, and case study on Savannah grasslands.
• Term 4: Minerals and Mining in South Africa
• Mineral and coal resources: minerals as non-renewable resources, main minerals mined in South Africa and their uses, coal formation and uses, and location of mines.
• Mining and the environment: mining concept, mining methods (open pit and shaft mining), and environmental impact (pollution, destruction of vegetation, waste disposal).
• Mining and people: challenges of working in mines, health and safety risks (silicosis), and safety regulations.