TMN3705 IP NATURAL SCIENCES TECHNOLOGY WEB .pdf

Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement Intermediate Phase Grades 4-6 National Curriculum Statement (NCS) CAPS Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement GRADES 4-6 NATURAL SCIENCES AND TECHNOLOGY NATURAL SCIENCES AND TECHNOLOGY GRADES 4-6 CURRICULUM AND ASSESSMENT POLICY STATEMENT (CAPS) DISCLAIMER In view of the stringent time requirements encountered by the Department of Basic Education to effect the necessary editorial changes and layout to the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statements and the supplementary policy documents, possible errors may occur in the said documents placed on the official departmental websites. There may also be vernacular inconsistencies in the language documents at Home-, First and Second Additional Language levels which have been translated in the various African Languages. Please note that the content of the documents translated and versioned in the African Languages are correct as they are based on the English generic language documents at all three language levels to be implemented in all four school phases. If any editorial, layout or vernacular inconsistencies are detected, the user is kindly requested to bring this to the attention of the Department of Basic Education. E-mail: or fax (012) 328 9828 Department of Basic Education 222 Struben Street Private Bag X895 Pretoria 0001 South Africa Tel: Fax: 120 Plein Street Private Bag X9023 Cape Town 8000 South Africa Tel: Fax: Website: © 2011 Department of Basic Education Isbn: 978-1-4315-0490-9 Design and Layout by: Ndabase Printing Solution Printed by: Government Printing Works NATURAL SCIENCES AND TECHNOLOGY GRADES 4-6 CAPS FOREWORD by the minister Our national curriculum is the culmination of our efforts over a period of seventeen years to transform the curriculum bequeathed to us by apartheid. From the start of democracy we have built our curriculum on the values that inspired our Constitution (Act 108 of 1996). The Preamble to the Constitution states that the aims of the Constitution are to: • heal the divisions of the past and establish a society based on democratic values, social justice and fundamental human rights; • improve the quality of life of all citizens and free the potential of each person; • lay the foundations for a democratic and open society in which government is based on the will of the people and every citizen is equally protected by law; and • build a united and democratic South Africa able to take its rightful place as a sovereign state in the family of nations. Education and the curriculum have an important role to play in realising these aims. In 1997 we introduced outcomes-based education to overcome the curricular divisions of the past, but the experience of implementation prompted a review in 2000. This led to the first curriculum revision: the Revised National Curriculum Statement Grades R-9 and the National Curriculum Statement Grades 10-12 (2002). Ongoing implementation challenges resulted in another review in 2009 and we revised the Revised National Curriculum Statement (2002) and the National Curriculum Statement Grades 10-12 to produce this document. From 2012 the two National Curriculum Statements, for Grades R-9 and Grades 10-12 respectively, are combined in a single document and will simply be known as the National Curriculum Statement Grades R-12. The National Curriculum Statement for Grades R-12 builds on the previous curriculum but also updates it and aims to provide clearer specification of what is to be taught and learnt on a term-by-term basis. The National Curriculum Statement Grades R-12 represents a policy statement for learning and teaching in South African schools and comprises of the following: (a) Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statements (CAPS) for all approved subjects listed in this document; (b) National policy pertaining to the programme and promotion requirements of the National Curriculum Statement Grades R-12; and (c) National Protocol for Assessment Grades R-12. MRS ANGIE MOTSHEKGA, MP MINISTER OF BASIC EDUCATION NATURAL SCIENCES AND TECHNOLOGY GRADES 4-6 CURRICULUM AND ASSESSMENT POLICY STATEMENT (CAPS) NATURAL SCIENCES AND TECHNOLOGY GRADES 4-6 CAPS 1 CONTENTS Section 1: INTRODUCTION TO THE Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement .... 3 1.1 Background ..................................................................................................................................................... 3 1.2 Overview .......................................................................................................................................................... 3 1.3 General aims of the South African Curriculum ............................................................................................ 4 1.4 Time Allocation................................................................................................................................................ 6 1.4.1 Foundation Phase................................................................................................................................... 6 1.4.2 Intermediate Phase................................................................................................................................. 6 1.4.3 Senior Phase........................................................................................................................................... 7 1.4.4 Grades 10-12 .......................................................................................................................................... 7 SECTION 2: introduction to natural sciences and technology .................................... 8 2.1 Introduction ..................................................................................................................................................... 8 2.2 What is science and technology?.................................................................................................................. 8 2.3 Natural Sciences and Technology as a school subject............................................................................... 9 2.4 Organisation of Natural Sciences and Technology Curriculum ................................................................. 9 2.5 Purpose of studying Natural Sciences and Technology ........................................................................... 11 2.6 Specific aims ................................................................................................................................................. 12 2.6.1 Specific Aim 1: Knowing Natural Sciences and Technology ................................................................. 12 2.6.2 Specific Aim 2: Investigating Phenomena in Natural Sciences and Designing and Making Solutions in Technology............................................................................. 15 2.6.3 Specific Aim 3: Appreciating and Understanding the History, Importance and Applications of Natural Sciences in Society............................................................................................................................... 17 2.7 Developing language skills: reading and writing....................................................................................... 19 2.8 Time................................................................................................................................................................ 20 2.9 Resources...................................................................................................................................................... 20 SECTION 3: CONTENT TABLES............................................................................................................ 21 Natural Sciences and Technology: Grade 4.......................................................................................................... 21 Natural Sciences and Technology: Grade 5.......................................................................................................... 32 Natural Sciences and Technology: Grade 6.......................................................................................................... 46 NATURAL SCIENCES AND TECHNOLOGY GRADES 4-6 2 CURRICULUM AND ASSESSMENT POLICY STATEMENT (CAPS) SECTION 4: ASSESSMENT.................................................................................................................... 60 4.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................................... 60 4.2 Informal assessment or daily assessment................................................................................................. 61 4.3 Formal assessment....................................................................................................................................... 62 4.4 Assessment requirements for Natural Sciences and Technology ........................................................... 63 4.4.1 Grade 4 ................................................................................................................................................. 63 4.4.2 Grade 5 ................................................................................................................................................. 64 4.4.3 Grade 6 ................................................................................................................................................. 65 4.5 Examinations................................................................................................................................................. 66 4.5.1 Grade 4 ................................................................................................................................................. 66 4.5.2 Grade 5 ................................................................................................................................................. 67 4.5.3 Grade 6 ................................................................................................................................................. 68 4.6 Recording and reporting .............................................................................................................................. 69 4.7 Moderation of assessment........................................................................................................................... 70 4.8 General........................................................................................................................................................... 70 NATURAL SCIENCES AND TECHNOLOGY GRADES 4-6 CAPS 3 Section 1: INTRODUCTION TO THE Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement 1.1 Background The National Curriculum Statement Grades R-12 (NCS) stipulates policy on curriculum and assessment in the schooling sector. To improve implementation, the National Curriculum Statement was amended, with the amendments coming into effect in January 2012. A single comprehensive Curriculum and Assessment Policy document was developed for each subject to replace Subject Statements, Learning Programme Guidelines and Subject Assessment Guidelines in Grades R-12. 1.2 Overview (a) The National Curriculum Statement Grades R-12 (January 2012) represents a policy statement for learning and teaching in South African schools and comprises the following: (i) Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statements for each approved school subject; (ii) The policy document, National policy pertaining to the programme and promotion requirements of the National Curriculum Statement Grades R-12; and (iii) The policy document, National Protocol for Assessment Grades R-12 (January 2012). (b) The National Curriculum Statement Grades R-12 (January 2012) replaces the two current national curricula statements, namely the (i) Revised National Curriculum Statement Grades R-9, Government Gazette No. 23406 of 31 May 2002, and (ii) National Curriculum Statement Grades 10-12 Government Gazettes, No. 25545 of 6 October 2003 and No. 27594 of 17 May 2005. (c) The national curriculum statements contemplated in subparagraphs b(i) and (ii) comprise the following policy documents which will be incrementally repealed by the National Curriculum Statement Grades R-12 (January 2012) during the period : (i) The Learning Area/Subject Statements, Learning Programme Guidelines and Subject Assessment Guidelines for Grades R-9 and Grades 10-12; (ii) The policy document, National Policy on assessment and qualifications for schools in the General Education and Training Band, promulgated in Government Notice No. 124 in Government Gazette No. 29626 of 12 February 2007; (iii) The policy document, the National Senior Certificate: A qualification at Level 4 on the National Qualifications Framework (NQF), promulgated in Government Gazette N