Natural Sciences and Technology Grade 6 ATP 2026

Natural Sciences and Technology (NST) in Grade 6 is structured to provide a comprehensive understanding of core scientific concepts (Life and Living, Matter and Materials, Energy and Change, and Planet Earth and Beyond) alongside practical design and systems control skills¹. The curriculum is structured to provide a comprehensive understanding of these areas. To ensure you stay on track with your tasks and projects, it is essential to consult the full Grade 6 Annual Teaching Plans (ATPs).

This article outlines the 2026 Natural Sciences and Technology Grade 6 ATP, breaking down the term-by-term focus areas for both scientific investigation and technological design.

Natural Sciences and Technology Grade 6 ATP 2026

The Annual Teaching Plan is divided into four terms, ensuring a balance between theory, practical investigation, and technological problem-solving skills, which include accessing and recalling information, observing, measuring, sorting, designing, making/constructing, and evaluating products².

Term 1: Life and Living (Food and Ecosystems)

Focus: The first term focuses on how plants produce food and how all living things are connected within ecosystems³.

• Plants and Food:
  • Study Photosynthesis ⁴, including plants and air⁵.
  • Explain and illustrate how plants make food⁶.
  • Compare glucose sugar (such as glucose sweets) and starch (such as maize flour) by taste and colour⁷.
  • Perform an investigation to Test various foods for the presence of starch with iodine solution (e.g. cooked rice, potato, bread, etc.)⁸.
• Nutrition:
  • Study Food groups, Nutrients in food, and Balanced diets⁹.
  • Classify food into the different food groups (carbohydrates, proteins, fats and oils, vitamins and minerals)¹⁰.
  • State reasons why each food group is important and explain why different portions are necessary for a balanced diet¹¹.
  • Discuss various diseases caused by an unhealthy diet, such as tooth decay, obesity, diabetes, or deficiency diseases¹².
• Food Webs and Ecosystems:
  • Study Food webs and different ecosystems¹³.
  • Identify an ecosystem, describe it, and draw the feeding relationships (food webs) within it¹⁴.
  • Investigate an ecosystem near the school grounds, studying both the living and non-living things, and identifying possible threats¹⁵.
• Formal Assessment: Practical task/investigation and Test¹⁶.

Term 2: Matter and Materials (Mixtures and Water)

Focus: Term 2 focuses on the properties of solids, liquids, and gases, and how materials mix and can be separated, particularly in the context of water resources¹⁷.

• Solids, Liquids and Gases:
  • Study the Arrangement of particles in a solid, liquid, and gas¹⁸.
  • Draw and explain how particles are arranged in a solid, liquid and gas, and identify the three states of matter in everyday life¹⁹.
• Mixtures and Solutions:
  • Explain and demonstrate the different ways in which materials can be combined to form mixtures and separated (e.g., sieving and hand sorting)²⁰.
  • Investigate Soluble substances (e.g., salt and sugar) and Insoluble substances (e.g., sand and flour) in water²¹.
  • Investigate the Rates of dissolving, measuring and graphing the time taken to dissolve a solute in hot or cold water, and with or without stirring²².
• Water Resources and Purification:
  • Study Water pollution and its three main categories of pollutants²³.
  • Explain the Importance of wetlands and research different wetlands in South Africa²⁴.
  • Design, make, and evaluate a system to process and purify dirty water²⁵.
• Formal Assessment: Practical task/investigation and Test²⁶.

Term 3: Energy and Change (Electric Circuits)

Focus: Term 3 is centered around Electric circuits, systems to solve problems, and the generation of electricity²⁷.

• Electric Circuits:
  • Study the components of a simple circuit and draw Circuit diagrams²⁸.
  • Investigate different ways of making a simple circuit and how a switch works²⁹.
  • Design and make a switch to control the circuit³⁰.
  • Test different circuit setups (e.g., $1 \times$ cell and $2 \times$ bulbs)³¹.
• Conductors and Insulators:
  • Study Electrical conductors and insulators³².
  • Test different materials (metal, plastic, glass, wood, etc.) in an electric circuit to see if they are conductors or insulators and record the results³³.
• Systems to Solve Problems:
  • Design systems that use circuits to solve problems for people (e.g., house wiring, alarm bell, constructing toys)³⁴.
  • Design, make, evaluate, and present a system that uses a circuit to produce movement, light, sound, or heat (e.g., a steady hand game or a toy)³⁵.
• Mains Electricity and Energy Sources:
  • Study Fossil fuels and electricity and the Cost of electricity³⁶.
  • Explain the steps to make electricity from coal³⁷.
  • Research Renewable ways to generate electricity, including wind power, solar power, and hydro-electric power³⁸.
• Formal Assessment: Practical task/investigation ³⁹and Test⁴⁰.

Term 4: Planet Earth and Beyond

Focus: The final term covers the structure of the Solar System and the movements of the Earth and Moon⁴¹.

• The Solar System:
  • Study the components of the Solar System: The Sun, planets and asteroids and Moons⁴².
  • Research information about the planets, focusing on size, distance from the Sun, and features⁴³.
  • Making models of the Solar System and describing and drawing its objects⁴⁴.
• Movement of Earth and Moon:
  • Study the movements of the Earth and planets: Rotation (Earth), Revolution (Earth), Rotation (Moon), and Revolution (Moon)⁴⁵.
  • Demonstrate and explain the Earth’s rotation on its axis and how day and night occur using a model and a light source⁴⁶.
  • Recognise that the phases of the Moon are a result of the changing pattern of sunlight we can see on the Moon⁴⁷.
• Exploring Space:
  • Study Systems to explore the Moon and Mars, including Vehicles used on the Moon and Vehicles used on Mars⁴⁸.
  • Study Systems for looking into space, including Telescopes and how they work⁴⁹.
• Formal Assessment: Test⁵⁰.