Mathematics is an important subject in our curriculum. In addition to the daily maths lessons that follow the core curriculum, we also have the online CAMI Mathematics programme that we use for weekly revision at school and to set homework tasks for the learners. Each learner is also encouraged to use the online version of CAMI Mathematics at home for personal consolidation and revision.

We also make a great effort to prepare our learners for Mathematics in High School by encouraging regular practice and problem solving.

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Essential mathematical skills that we aim to develop:

• The correct use of the language of Mathematics.

• Number vocabulary, number concept and calculation and application skills.

• Learn to listen, communicate, think, reason logically and apply the mathematical knowledge.

• Investigate, analyse, represent and interpret information.

• Learn to pose and solve problems.

• Awareness of the important role that Mathematics plays in real life situations including the personal development of the learner.

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The maths curriculum covers the following content areas (% time spent on each topic):

• Number, Operations and Relations (30%)

• Patterns, Functions and Algebra (25%)

• Space and Shape (Geometry) (25%)

• Measurement (10%)

• Data Handling (10%)

At Summerwood Primary we offer English and Afrikaans at both the Home Language and First Additional Language levels.

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The Home Language level provides for language proficiency that reflects the basic interpersonal communication skills required in social situations and the cognitive academic skills essential for learning across the curriculum.

The First Additional Language refers to a language which is not a mother tongue but which is used for certain communicative functions in a society, that is, medium of learning and teaching in education.

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The Language curriculum is packaged according to the following skills:

1. Listening and Speaking

2. Reading and Viewing

3. Writing and Presenting

4. Language Structures and Conventions

 

A communicative approach suggests that when learning a language, a learner should have a great deal of exposure to the target language and many opportunities to practise or produce the language by communicating for social or practical purposes. Language learning should be carried over into the classroom where literacy skills of reading/ viewing

The text-based approach explores how texts work. The purpose of a text-based approach is to enable learners to become competent, confident and critical readers, writers, viewers and designers of texts. It involves listening to, reading, viewing and analysing texts to understand how they are produced and what their effects are. Through this critical interaction, learners develop the ability to evaluate texts. The text-based approach also involves producing different kinds of texts for particular purposes and audiences. This approach is informed by an understanding of how texts are constructed.

The process approach is used when learners produce oral and written texts. The learners engage in different stages of the listening, speaking, reading and writing processes. They must think of the audience and the purpose during these processes. This will enable them to communicate and express their thoughts in a natural way. For example, the teaching of writing does not focus on the product only but also focus on the process of writing. During process writing learners are taught how to generate ideas, to think about the purpose and audience, to write drafts and to present writing coherently.

Natural Sciences

The Natural Sciences curriculum follows four “strands” that develop progressively over the three years of the Senior Phase. The strands are a tool for organising the subject content.

These strands are:

• Life and Living (Term 1)

• Matter and Materials (Term 2)

• Energy and Change (Term 3)

• Planet Earth and Beyond (Term 4)

The Grade 7 content is arranged within these Strands:

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Life and Living

• Biosphere, Biodiversity and classification systems

• Sexual reproduction

• Variation within species

 

Matter and materials

• Properties of materials and separation of mixtures

• Acids and bases

• The Periodic table

 

Energy and Change

• Energy sources and energy transfer

• Heat energy and insulation

• The Electricity grid and generation

 

Planet Earth and beyond

• Earth and Sun

• Earth and Moon

• Early astronomers and their influences

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The are many scientific Skills and Values to be learned in the Natural Science curriculum. They can be summarised under the Specific Aims that guide the preparation of Natural Science lessons:

Aim 1: ‘Doing Science’

Learners should be able to complete investigations, analyse problems and use practical processes and skills in evaluating solutions.

Aim 2: ‘Knowing the subject content and making connections’

Learners should have a grasp of scientific, technological and environmental knowledge and be able to apply it in new contexts.

Aim 3: ‘Understanding the uses of Science’

Science learnt at school should produce learners who understand that school science can be relevant to everyday life. Issues such as improving water quality, growing food without damaging the land and building energy-efficient houses are examples of applications.

The Social Sciences curriculum is two streams, Geography and History. In Grade 7 at Summerwood, we treat these two streams as different subjects, with different teachers teaching the Geography and History to the classes. This allows our teachers to focus their attention on a specific area of learning.

 

Geography

There are many branches of Geography. Physical Geography examines natural processes and features, including the atmosphere, landforms and ecosystems. Human Geography is concerned with the activities and impact of people on the earth. The grade 7 curriculum focuses on the following topics:

1. Map skills (focus: Local maps)

2. Earthquakes, volcanoes and floods

3. Population growth and change (focus: World)

4. Natural resources and conservation in South Africa

The geography curriculum helps the learners to understand the world around us, both the physical features and the people who live there. As they better understand the world, they learn to care for it more effectively. There is a strong focus on the various skills relating to reading and understanding maps.

 

History

The History curriculum is divided into three main areas of study:

1. World history: The Transatlantic slave trade (Term 2 in grade 7)

2. African history: The Kingdom of Mali and the city of Timbuktu (Term 1)

3. South African History: The arrival of the Dutch at the Cape and the colonisation of the Eastern Cape in the 1800’s. (Term 3 and 4)

We use these topics to develop analytical thinking and essay writing skills. The children are taught to analyse the various sources of historical information and to place value on more reliable sources of information. Debating and learning to support a point of view is a skill we strive to nurture.  

Economic and Management Sciences is a practical subject that equips learners with real-life skills for personal development and the development of the community. The subject promotes the idea of sustainable economic growth and the development of the community.

The topics are drawn from three focus areas:

1. The economy: History of money; needs and wants; goods and services; the production process; and inequality and poverty.

2. Financial literacy: Savings; budgets, income and expenses; and accounting concepts.

3. Entrepreneurship: The entrepreneur; starting a business; businesses; and an Entrepreneur’s Day.

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Economic and Management Sciences is introduced to the learners for the first time in Grade 7, thus there are many new concepts and skills for them to learn. This subject and these skills form the foundation for a career in Accounting and financial services.

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As part of the Grade 7 curriculum, we run an Entrepreneur’s day for the children, where each child works in a group, to run stall at the Market day and to learn various business principles.

Purpose of Technology

Technology education was introduced into the South African curriculum in recognition of the need to produce engineers, technicians and artisans needed in modern society and the need to develop a technologically literate population for the modern world. The subject stimulates learners to be innovative and develops their creative and critical thinking skills. It teaches them to manage time and material resources effectively, provides opportunities for collaborative learning and nurtures teamwork. These skills provide a solid foundation for several FET subjects as well as for the world of work.

 

Specific Aims

Technology as a subject contributes towards learners’ technological literacy by giving them opportunities to:

• Develop and apply specific design skills to solve technological problems.

• Understand the concepts and knowledge used in Technology education and use them responsibly and purposefully.

• Appreciate the interaction between people’s values and attitudes, technology, society and the environment.

 

The intention is to introduce learners to the basics needed in:

• Civil Technology,

• Mechanical Technology,

• Electrical Technology and

• Engineering Graphics and Design.

 

Additionally, learners gain an idea of the way engineers apply scientific principles to practical problems. In addition, evaluation skills will be fostered and the introduction of product design and production will be useful in other FET subjects that use these skills – such as Consumer Studies and Design.

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Topics and Core Content Areas

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THE DESIGN PROCESS SKILLS

• Investigation skills

• Design skills

• Making skills

• Evaluation skills

• Communication skills

STRUCTURES

PROCESSING OF MATERIALS

MECHANICAL SYSTEMS AND CONTROL

ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS AND CONTROL

TECHNOLOGY, SOCIETY AND THE ENVIRONMENT

• Indigenous technology

• Impact of technology

• Bias in technology

The four content areas in Technology in Grades 7 to 9 are:​

1. STRUCTURES

2. PROCESSING

3. MECHANICAL SYSTEMS AND CONTROL

4. ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS AND CONTROL

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For more detailed information regarding Technology as a subject, download the CAPS document by clicking on the following link: CAPS Document for Technology

Life Orientation is central to the holistic development of learners. It addresses skills, knowledge and values for the personal, social, intellectual, emotional and physical growth of learners, and is concerned with the way in which these facets are interrelated. Life Orientation guides and prepares learners for life.

It consists of a Life Skills stream that focuses on various life skills necessary to be a well-rounded citizen in society. It also consists of a Physical Education stream where learners spend one hour per week doing physical exercises that relate to a specific topic for the term.

These are the five main focus areas in Life Orientation:

 

1. Development of the self in society:  

• Concept: self-image

• Changes in boys and girls: puberty

• Peer pressure

• Concepts: personal diet and nutrition

 

2. Health, social and environmental responsibility:

• Substance abuse

• Concept : environmental health

• Common diseases: TB, diabetes, epilepsy,

• obesity, anorexia, HIV and AIDS

 

3. Constitutional rights and responsibilities:

• Human rights as stipulated in the South African Constitution

• Fair play in a variety of sport activities

•  Dealing with abuse

• Role of oral traditions and scriptures of major religions

4. World of work                                     

• Importance of reading and studying

• Career fields

• Simulation of career-related activities

• Value and importance of work

 

5. Physical Education                                      

• Participates in fitness programme

• Plays community or indigenous games

• Performs a sequence of physical activities

• Participates in an outdoor recreational programme

• Safety issues

Drama

Vision

• Learners develop the ability of addressing audience by focusing on the skill acquired in the drama class.

Rationale

• Learners use drama as tools to represent human experiences in dramatic form.

• Learners are given the opportunity to participate, collaborate, explore and present dramatic works.

• Learners explore themes and issues.

• Learners appreciate and interpret a wide range of dramatic works, both published and created in class.

• The focus on physical and vocal warm-up activities is vital because these activities not only help to prevent injury, but also develop physical awareness, coordination and strength over time.

• Since the body and voice are the primary means of communication and expression in drama, they must be used safely and effectively.

• An important aspect of drama is the development of classroom performances.

• In drama, the learner explores the motivation and the relationships between people in a real, imagined or historical context, to help him or her understand the world.

• The learner is encouraged to make decisions and to take responsibility for those decisions within the safe context of the drama.

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Term 1

Dramatic Skills Development

• Vocal Development: relaxation, breathing, resonance, articulation, pitch, tempo, projection

• Physical Development: release tension, imagery, mirror work in pairs, lead and follow movements

 

Drama Elements in Playmaking

• Structure, grouping, shape and climax

• Critical reflection on performance

 

Careers

• Explore performing careers

 

Term 2

Dramatic Skills Development

• Reinforce concepts and skills acquired in Term 1

Interpretation and performance of choice of dramatic forms

• Choral Verse

 

Careers

• The Creative Team

 

Term 3

Dramatic Skills Development

• Reinforce concepts and skills acquired in Terms 1 and 2

 

Drama Elements in Playmaking

• Focus on character observation, imitation and imagination in several short improvised dramas in groups of two to four learners

• Focus on drama elements in cultural and social events, compared to their use in theatre, and create a drama using a cultural or social event as stimulus

 

Interpretation and performance of choice of dramatic forms

• Folktales

 

Careers

• Explore the support team

 

Term 4

Dramatic Skills Development

• Consolidation of warm-up exercises to establish the flow of a warm-up and to prepare for dress rehearsals

Staging

 

Interpretation and performance of choice of dramatic forms

• Learners prepare for final assessment through one interpretative piece

Careers

• Explore the related fields of study

Learners in Grades 7-9 will be promoted from grade to grade if they have offered nine (9) subjects and have complied with the promotion requirements in eight (8) of the subjects, provided the School-Based Assessment component of the ninth subject has been completed.

(a) Adequate Achievement (Level 4) in one language at Home Language level;

(b) Moderate Achievement (Level 3) in the second required official language at First Additional Language level;

(c) Moderate Achievement (Level 3) in Mathematics ;

(d) Moderate Achievement (Level 3) in any three (3) of the other required subjects and 

(e) At least an Elementary Achievement (Level 2) in any two (2) of the other required subjects.

(f) Immigrant learners may be exempted from achieving one official language provided they obtain at least an Elementary Achievement (Level 2) in all three (3) the remaining subjects