1
Introduction Grade 6
Term 4
Instructions to Educator
This workbook will provide a simplified outline of the
CAPS curriculum and can be used as a textbook
If you would like a more in-depth version, please refer to
the Department of Basic Education website
SOCIAL SCIENCE GRADE 6 TERM 4
, 2
HISTORY
What am I going to learn about?
In this term you are going to learn about medicine and how it has changed though time.
You will learn about traditional medicine and indigenous healers. In South Africa
indigenous healers, like Sangomas and Nyangas, give advice to patients and prepare
herbal medicine. You will find out how people are identified and trained to be healers.
Western medicine is also used in South Africa. You will learn about some of the
important discoveries and breakthroughs in western medicine, such as x-ray machines
and heart surgery.
The focus of this term will be the changing ways of treating illness. You will see the link
between traditional healing and western forms of healing today. You will find out how
valuable traditional healers’ use of plant and herbs has been to medicine today.
SOCIAL SCIENCE GRADE 6 TERM 4
, 3
Keywords Definition
Indigenous An indigenous person or plant or idea is something that
comes from here. It is local.
Diagnose To inspect and find out what is wrong.
Symptoms A physical sign that someone is ill (for example, a cough
or a rash).
Ancestors Members of our community who are dead (have passed
on).
Holistic Holistic means looking at the whole person: their
financial situation, their family relationships, their living
and working conditions.
Inyanga This is a healer who uses herbs and medicines to make
people better.
Muti A traditional word for medicine.
Toxic This is another word for medicine.
Dose The dose is the amount of medicine which must be
taken.
Endangered There are very few of these plants and trees left alive.
Rituals There are customs or ways of doing things, for example,
a wedding ceremony is a ritual.
Vaccination Is medicine given to prevent you catching a disease.
Vaccinations are usually given by injection.
Pock marks Pock marks are scars that are left after smallpox or
similar diseases.
Smallpox Smallpox is a very dangerous disease. The symptoms
include a very high fever and pus spots.
Cowpox This is a cattle disease but it can be passed to humans.
It is not dangerous.
Side effects Unexpected and dangerous results of taking a medicine.
Inoculation This is another word for a vaccination.
Germ This is very small organism, which causes diseases.
Another word for a germ is a microbe or bacteria.
Airborne microbes Germs which are carried in the air.
Mould A type of bacteria.
Pasteurizing The process of boiling milk or other liquids to kill the
bacteria which could cause disease.
SOCIAL SCIENCE GRADE 6 TERM 4
, 4
Rabies This is a disease which kills. It makes you go mad and
become very scared of water. Rabies can be caught if
you are bitten by an infected animal.
Tuberculosis (TB) Is a very serious lung disease. It is caused by bacteria.
People with TB caugh up blood and have difficulty
breathing. If TB is not treated the patient will die. If TB is
treated, and the patient takes all their medicine, they will
make a full recovery.
Anthrax This is a sheep and cow disease which can be passed to
humans.
Penicillin The first antibiotic used was called penicillin. It was made
from a type of mould.
Petri dish A small see-through dish used by scientists for doing
experiments.
Antibiotics An antibiotics is a medicine that kills dangerous bacteria
inside the body.
Transplant The means to move something from one place to
another.
Pneumonia This is a serious lung infection which can cause
someone to die.
Pioneering Means the very first time something is done.
Anaesthetic These are medicines that make you unconscious so that
your body is completely still so that it will not respond to
pain during an operation.
X-rays x- rays are rays that can pass through our bodies and
take a picture of the bones and soft tissues inside the
body.
Ether This is a type of liquid used as an anesthetic.
Chloroform This is another type of chemical liquid used as an
anesthetic.
Blood transfusion Injecting blood taken from one person into another
person’s body.
Syringe The container that is attached to an injection needle.
SOCIAL SCIENCE GRADE 6 TERM 4
Introduction Grade 6
Term 4
Instructions to Educator
This workbook will provide a simplified outline of the
CAPS curriculum and can be used as a textbook
If you would like a more in-depth version, please refer to
the Department of Basic Education website
SOCIAL SCIENCE GRADE 6 TERM 4
, 2
HISTORY
What am I going to learn about?
In this term you are going to learn about medicine and how it has changed though time.
You will learn about traditional medicine and indigenous healers. In South Africa
indigenous healers, like Sangomas and Nyangas, give advice to patients and prepare
herbal medicine. You will find out how people are identified and trained to be healers.
Western medicine is also used in South Africa. You will learn about some of the
important discoveries and breakthroughs in western medicine, such as x-ray machines
and heart surgery.
The focus of this term will be the changing ways of treating illness. You will see the link
between traditional healing and western forms of healing today. You will find out how
valuable traditional healers’ use of plant and herbs has been to medicine today.
SOCIAL SCIENCE GRADE 6 TERM 4
, 3
Keywords Definition
Indigenous An indigenous person or plant or idea is something that
comes from here. It is local.
Diagnose To inspect and find out what is wrong.
Symptoms A physical sign that someone is ill (for example, a cough
or a rash).
Ancestors Members of our community who are dead (have passed
on).
Holistic Holistic means looking at the whole person: their
financial situation, their family relationships, their living
and working conditions.
Inyanga This is a healer who uses herbs and medicines to make
people better.
Muti A traditional word for medicine.
Toxic This is another word for medicine.
Dose The dose is the amount of medicine which must be
taken.
Endangered There are very few of these plants and trees left alive.
Rituals There are customs or ways of doing things, for example,
a wedding ceremony is a ritual.
Vaccination Is medicine given to prevent you catching a disease.
Vaccinations are usually given by injection.
Pock marks Pock marks are scars that are left after smallpox or
similar diseases.
Smallpox Smallpox is a very dangerous disease. The symptoms
include a very high fever and pus spots.
Cowpox This is a cattle disease but it can be passed to humans.
It is not dangerous.
Side effects Unexpected and dangerous results of taking a medicine.
Inoculation This is another word for a vaccination.
Germ This is very small organism, which causes diseases.
Another word for a germ is a microbe or bacteria.
Airborne microbes Germs which are carried in the air.
Mould A type of bacteria.
Pasteurizing The process of boiling milk or other liquids to kill the
bacteria which could cause disease.
SOCIAL SCIENCE GRADE 6 TERM 4
, 4
Rabies This is a disease which kills. It makes you go mad and
become very scared of water. Rabies can be caught if
you are bitten by an infected animal.
Tuberculosis (TB) Is a very serious lung disease. It is caused by bacteria.
People with TB caugh up blood and have difficulty
breathing. If TB is not treated the patient will die. If TB is
treated, and the patient takes all their medicine, they will
make a full recovery.
Anthrax This is a sheep and cow disease which can be passed to
humans.
Penicillin The first antibiotic used was called penicillin. It was made
from a type of mould.
Petri dish A small see-through dish used by scientists for doing
experiments.
Antibiotics An antibiotics is a medicine that kills dangerous bacteria
inside the body.
Transplant The means to move something from one place to
another.
Pneumonia This is a serious lung infection which can cause
someone to die.
Pioneering Means the very first time something is done.
Anaesthetic These are medicines that make you unconscious so that
your body is completely still so that it will not respond to
pain during an operation.
X-rays x- rays are rays that can pass through our bodies and
take a picture of the bones and soft tissues inside the
body.
Ether This is a type of liquid used as an anesthetic.
Chloroform This is another type of chemical liquid used as an
anesthetic.
Blood transfusion Injecting blood taken from one person into another
person’s body.
Syringe The container that is attached to an injection needle.
SOCIAL SCIENCE GRADE 6 TERM 4
