Grade 4 marks the official introduction of Social Sciences as a subject, split into two distinct disciplines: Geography and History. For the Class of 2026, this curriculum focuses on understanding the immediate environment (local history and map skills) before expanding to broader South African contexts like farming, transport, and communication.
This guide outlines the 2026 Social Sciences Annual Teaching Plan (ATP), providing a structured weekly roadmap to help teachers guide learners through concepts like plan views, crop farming, and historical leaders.
Social Sciences Grade 4 ATP 2026
The curriculum is divided into four terms, with specific Geography and History topics taught concurrently.
Term 1: Local Places & Local History
Focus: The first term focuses on the learner’s immediate surroundings, investigating local settlements and learning how to find information about the past from local sources.
Geography: Places Where People Live
- Weeks 1–4: Settlements
- Types: Differentiating between a farm, village, town, and city.
- Features: Identifying buildings, roads, and landmarks (schools, churches, clinics).
- Needs: Basic needs (water, food, shelter, energy) in different settlements.
- Weeks 5–7: Landmarks & Directions
- Identifying landmarks (natural and human-made).
- Explaining the way from one place to another using direction words (left, right, straight).
- Assessment: Formal Assessment Task: Assignment (50 Marks – reduced to 25%).
History: Local History
- Weeks 1–3: Finding Out About the Past
- Sources: Using pictures, written information, and objects to learn about the present and past.
- Method: Examining photos, documents, and interviewing people.
- Weeks 4–7: Local Area History
- Investigating the history of the local area using the sources mentioned above.
- Assessment: Formal Assessment Task: Assignment (50 Marks – reduced to 25%).
Term 2: Map Skills & Learning from Leaders
Focus: The second term introduces technical map skills in Geography and explores the lives of great leaders in History.
Geography: Map Skills
- Weeks 1–2: Views
- Side View vs. Plan View: Understanding the difference between seeing an object from the side and from above.
- Weeks 3–5: Symbols & Keys
- Using symbols to represent objects on a map.
- Reading a map key.
- Weeks 6–7: Grids & Compass
- Grid References: Using alpha-numeric grids (e.g., A3, B2) to locate places.
- Compass Directions: North, South, East, West.
- Week 8: A map of South Africa (Oceans, Provinces, Main Cities).
- Assessment: June Control Test.
History: Learning from Leaders
- Weeks 1–2: What Makes a Good Leader?
- Qualities of good leaders: Listening, working for the good of others, courage, and dedication.
- Weeks 3–5: Nelson Mandela
- A detailed study of Mandela as a good leader.
- Weeks 6–8: Mahatma Gandhi
- A detailed study of Gandhi as a good leader.
- Assessment: June Control Test.
Term 3: Food, Farming & Transport
Focus: The third term connects human needs (food) with agriculture in Geography, while History tracks the evolution of transport.
Geography: Food and Farming in SA
- Weeks 1–2: People and Food
- Identifying different types of food people eat.
- Ways people get food: Buying, growing, or collecting.
- Weeks 3–5: Ways of Farming
- Crop Farming: Growing food (vegetables, grains).
- Stock Farming: Keeping animals (cattle, sheep, chickens).
- Location: Where specific crops and stock are farmed in South Africa.
- Weeks 6–7: Processing
- Unprocessed vs. Processed foods (from farm to factory to shop).
- Assessment: Project (50 Marks – reduced to 25%).
History: Transport Through Time
- Weeks 1–2: Animals & Wheels
- Transport on land: Animals (donkeys, horses, camels) and the invention of the wheel/carts/wagons.
- Weeks 3–5: Modern Land Transport
- The arrival of the bicycle, steam engine, train, and motor car.
- Weeks 6–7: Water & Air
- Water: Rafts, canoes, reed boats, sailing ships, and steamships (including the Titanic).
- Air: Balloons, airships, the Wright brothers, and modern planes.
- Assessment: Project (50 Marks – reduced to 25%).
Term 4: Water & Communication
Focus: The final term looks at the critical resource of water and the history of human communication.
Geography: Water in South Africa
- Weeks 1–2: Uses of Water
- Daily uses (drinking, washing, cooking) and industrial uses.
- Weeks 3–4: The Water Cycle
- Understanding how water circulates through evaporation, condensation, and rain.
- Weeks 5–7: Fresh vs. Salt Water
- Storing water (dams, tanks) and access to clean water.
- Assessment: End of Year Test.
History: Communication Through Time
- Weeks 1–2: Earliest Communication
- Language, symbols, and San rock art.
- Weeks 3–5: Writing & Sending Messages
- The postal system, typewriters, telegraphs, and the telephone.
- Weeks 6–7: Mass Communication
- The radio, camera, television, computer, internet, and cellphones.
- Assessment: End of Year Test.
Assessment Guidelines
- Geography:
- Term 1: Assignment
- Term 2: Test
- Term 3: Project
- Term 4: Test
- History:
- Term 1: Assignment
- Term 2: Test
- Term 3: Project
- Term 4: Test
FAQ: Social Sciences Grade 4
Q: What is the difference between a “Plan View” and a “Side View”? A: In Term 2 Geography, learners are taught that a Side View is looking at an object from the side (like looking at a cup on a table), while a Plan View is looking at it from directly above (like a bird’s eye view). This is the foundation for reading maps.
Q: Are projects done at school or home? A: According to the ATP, projects (Term 3) should ideally be managed in class to ensure authenticity, but research may be required at home.
Q: Why is “Local History” important? A: It teaches learners how to find information using primary sources (photographs, objects, interviews) in their own immediate environment before studying broader historical figures.