Social Sciences Grade 6 Term 2 Time allocation: 1 hour

Subject Topic Sub-topic Lesson 1 of 3

History The first farmers in southern Africa Revision, assessment and feedback:
When, why and where the first African farmers settled
in southern Africa

Link with prior lesson sub-topic Link with next lesson sub-topic
This is the first lesson in this topic. Revision, assessment and feedback:
How early African farmers lived in settled chiefdoms.

Content Concepts
Revision, assessment and feedback on first African farmers in ‘characteristics’, ‘differences’, ‘migrate’, ‘temporary’, ‘permanent’,
southern Africa. ‘secure’, ‘insecure’, ‘weather’, ‘domestic’, ‘settle’, ‘tools’, ‘attitudes’,
Note: Resources for Step 3 will need to be organised before the ‘Khoisan’, ‘accept’.
lesson.

Lesson aims
Learners will revise and be reminded of:
1. when, why and where first farmers settled in southern Africa.
2. differences between hunter-gatherers and first farmers.
3. how first farmers and hunter-gatherers had different attitudes to the land
2. the interaction between first farmers and the Khoisan.

Enrichment Inclusivity
Learners complete revision exercises from their textbook. Assist learners who read below grade-level, especially with
activity in Step 2.

A
Teaching steps: B C Learning steps:
1 Learners raise their hands and give suggestions and answers (or
Explain that this lesson will involve revision of how first
farmers settled in southern Africa. come up to the board and write down answers.)
Instruct learners to open their workbooks to the map outline
of Africa from the first lesson showing the different routes
(paths) taken by people moving (migrating) down to southern
Africa.
Provide another map of Africa (from textbook, chart or atlas)
showing the outlines of all the modern-day African countries.
Using both maps… Answers could include:
Ask learners to name some of the countries from and through On their way to southern Africa, first farmers travelled from and
which first farmers travelled on their way to southern Africa. through modern-day:
Gabon, Cameroon, Congo, DRC, Angola, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania,
Malawi

Ask learners to name some of the southern African countries They settled in countries of southern Africa:
in which first farmers settled. Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Swaziland, Botswana, Lesotho,
Namibia, South Africa
5 min 10min

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2
Use a suitable textbook activity or prepare a worksheet
showing how first-farmers’ lives were different from lives of
hunter-gathers. The characteristics of their life-styles were
opposites of one another.
On the left, present characteristics of hunter-gathers. On the
right, present characteristics of first farmers, but list them in the
incorrect order.
Instruct learners to match each characteristic on the right with
one on the left.
Learners stick worksheet into their workbooks.
Learner match the first-farmer characteristics from the list on the
right with the opposite hunter-gatherer characteristic from the list
on the left.
[Note: these examples on the right are in the correct order and
would need to be mixed up on the worksheet.]

Characteristics of hunter-gatherers could include: Characteristics of first farmers could include:

• always lived in southern Africa • came from western, central & eastern Africa
• wandered • settled
• temporary shelters • permanent homesteads
• small groups • large groups (villages)
• land belonged to no-one (everyone) • land ‘belonged’ to village
• gathered food wherever they found it • grew own crops
• moved with weather and food supplies • stored food for dry season
• hunted wild animals • had livestock

5min 15 min

3
Remind learners that many of the ‘click’ sounds in languages Groups of learners practise the song (reading the words from the
like Zulu and Xhosa, come from the Khoisan language. board).

Find a recording and lyrics (words) of ‘The Click Song’. (see Each group has a turn to sing the Click Song to the rest of the class.
Resources)
Write the words to the Click Song up on the board and let
learners listen to the recording.

Organise learners into groups. Explain that they will have five
minutes to practise the song then each group will sing for the
rest of the class.
[The singing part of this lesson could be done outside.]
5min
Ask learners to judge each others’ groups.
Rubric assessment criteria could include:
• How well each group worked together
• How well each group learned the words
• How well each group sang the song
20min

Assessment strategy Form of assessment Assessment tool

Informal oral observation
Formal worksheet memorandum
Informal song rubric

Resources
Textbook, reference books, worksheet, the Click Song recording and lyrics
Internet sites: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qg4Fp-A7IRw (Click Song)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Click_Song

R eflection

Teacher signature:

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 Social Sciences Grade 6 Term 2 Time allocation: 1 hour

Subject Topic Sub-topic Lesson 2 of 3

History The first farmers in southern Africa Revision, assessment and feedback:
How early African farmers lived in settled chiefdoms

Link with prior lesson sub-topic Link with next lesson sub-topic
Revision, assessment and feedback: Revision, assessment and feedback:
When, why and where the first African farmers settled in Southern Pottery, tools and weapons, division of labour.
Africa

Content
Revision, assessment and feedback on living in settled villages
under a chief and the advantages of working in groups. (many
hands make light work)
Concepts
‘homestead’, ‘village’, ‘community’, ‘building materials’,
‘agriculture’, ‘plant crops’, ‘domesticated livestock’,
‘co-operation’, ‘many hands make light work’, ‘ceremonies’,
‘initiation’, ‘hunting’, ‘tracking’, ‘medicine’, ‘healing’, ‘healers’,
‘ancestors’, ‘trade / barter’, ‘natural resources’, ‘products’, ‘tools’,
‘jewellery’, ‘iron and copper’.

Lesson aims
Learners will revise and be reminded of:
1. the role of the chief, men, women, children and cattle
2. the building of homesteads and villages
3. the beginning of agriculture
4. the importance of hunting, medicine and trade

Enrichment Inclusivity
Learners complete revision exercises from their textbook. Ensure that learners with barriers get parts in the plays that
match their abilities.

A
Teaching steps: B C Learning steps:
1 Learners raise hands and offer suggestions and answers.
Explain that this lesson will involve revision of daily life in
early first farmer villages.
Use the model homesteads made in an earlier lesson (or
textbook pictures). Point to various areas and question
learners. Questions could include: Answers could include:
• What is this building? • the great hut where the chief lives
• What is it used for? • hut for first wife and her children
• What is this area? • kraal where cattle stay at night for protection
• What happens here? • bins for storing extra grain
• Who built this? • fire for cooling food and keeping warm
• Who works here? • meeting place where chief speaks to people
• the men built this hut, kraal, fence etc.
• the women work here doing the cooking
5 min 10min

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Divide learners into four groups. Instruct each group to Each group works out a short 5-minute play. Each group has a turn
prepare a short 5-minute play showing activities from daily to act out their play for the rest of the class.
life in a first farming village. Allow the groups 5-10 minutes to
work out their plays.

Prepare a rubric. Assessment criteria could include: Activities in each play could include:
• How well each group worked together • building a new homestead
• How well each group performed their act • preparing food
• The number of day-to-day activities each group showed • clearing and hoeing a field
• How well each activity could be understood by the • chopping wood
audience • preparing to go hunting
• How well different roles were given to different people. • treating someone who is ill
(e.g. was women’s work acted by females and men’s work • herding the cattle
acted by males?) • chief sorting out a problem
• preparing goods for trading
[This part of the lesson could be held outside.] • collecting water and firewood

5min 30 min

3
Use the bean / pea plants grown from seeds in an earlier
lesson.
Ask: Why have some plants done better than others?
Instruct learners to measure the height of their plants and to
record the measurements, in millimetres, in their workbooks.
Homework:
If there has been enough growth, divide the length of each plant
(millimetres) by the number of days since the seeds were
planted and work out the average number of mm each plant
has grown per day.
5min
Learners raise hands and give answers and suggestions.
Answers could include;
• good or bad seeds
• good or bad soil
• enough or too much or too little water
• good or too much or too little drainage
• enough or too much or too little sunlight
Learners measure the height of their plants and record the
measurements, in millimetres (mm), in their workbooks.
eg: 80mm divided by 20 days = 4mm per day
5 min

Assessment strategy Form of assessment Assessment tool

Informal Oral testing observation
Formal Group play rubric

Resources
Textbook, reference books, pictures of homesteads, model homesteads, bean / pea plants,

R eflection

Teacher signature:

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 Social Sciences Grade 6 Term 2 Time allocation: 1 hour

Subject Topic Sub-topic Lesson 3 of 3

History The first farmers in southern Africa Revision, assessment and feedback:
Pottery, tools and weapons, division of labour.

Link with prior lesson sub-topic Link with next lesson sub-topic
Revision, assessment and feedback: This is the last Revision lesson for this topic
How early African farmers lived in settled chiefdoms

Content Concepts
Revision, assessment and feedback on division of labour in tool ‘tools’, ‘weapons’, ‘gender’, ‘iron and copper ore’, ‘the smelting
and pottery making. process’, ‘smithery’, ‘clay’, ‘pottery’, ‘decorating’, ‘baking pots in
the fire’, ‘daily use’, ‘ceremonies Lydenburg heads’, ‘division of
Note: Resources for Step 2 will need to be organised before the labour (sharing of work)’.
lesson.

Lesson aims
Learners will revise and be reminded of:
1. the making of tools, weapons and jewellery and their uses
2. the making and decorating of pottery and its uses
3. division of labour

Enrichment Inclusivity
Learners complete revision exercises from their textbooks. Ensure learners with difficulties are spread evenly among groups
for Steps 1 and 2.

A
Teaching steps: B C Learning steps:
1 Working in groups, learners listen to each question then quietly
Explain that this lesson will involve revision of tools weapon,
jewellery and pottery-making and the division of labour. discuss the answer. The scribe in each group records their group’s
Revision quiz (competition) answers.
Divide class into groups. Instruct each group to choose a
writer (scribe). Give each scribe a piece of paper. Explain that At the end, scribe marks questions as teacher calls out correct
you will read out questions, groups will discuss then scribe will answers.
write down answers.
Questions could include: Answers could include:
• Who made tools and weapons? • men and boys
• Who made the pottery? • women and girls
• What is iron ore? • rock with iron in it
• Name the metal used to make jewellery • copper
• Who dug the clay? • women and girls
• What was done with extra pottery & tools? • it was used for trading
• Why was copper not made into tools? • copper is too soft
• What is the name of the iron-melting fire? • furnace
• Name tool used to blow air into the fire • bellows

5 min 10min

2
Divide learners into mixed groups of girls and boys. Working in groups, learners use:
Give each group some clay (real or modelling) , some thick • clay to make and decorate small containers
heavy-duty tinfoil, sticks, scissors to make pottery, tools and • thick tinfoil and sticks to make small hoes, axes and
weapons . spears
Anyone can make anything. [Finished articles could be added to the homesteads and villages
[This part of the lesson could be done outside] made in an earlier lesson]
5min 20 min

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Discuss division of labour using what happened while learners Learners discuss each question with their desk partner.
were working in Step 2. When called upon, learners raise hands and give suggestions and
Note: Be sensitive to girls interested in jobs usually done by answers to questions.
men, and boys interested in jobs usually done by women.
Discourage teasing. Remind learners that nowadays, anyone
can do anything.

Discussion questions could include: Answers could include the following:

• Did your group have girls make pottery and boys make • some groups will have followed tradition (girls/pottery
tools or was there a mix? and boys/tools) and others not.
• If you made pots would you have preferred to make tools? • answers will vary
• If you made tools would you have preferred to make pots? • answers may vary
• Do we have division of labour according to gender (male/ • answers may vary
female) in modern times?
For a long while:
• When you hear these professions (jobs) do you think male • doctors, police, farmers and pilots were men
or female? [Call out professions one at a time. Wait for an • teachers, nurses and secretaries were women
answer before calling out the next one:
doctor, teacher, policeman, nurse, secretary, farmer, pilot]
• Why do you think certain jobs were done by men • jobs needing strength were done by men
(soldiers) and others jobs were done by women (nurses)? • jobs needing caring were done by women

5min 10 min

Assessment strategy Form of assessment Assessment tool

Informal oral group quiz results
Formal handcraft rubric
Informal discussion observation

Resources
Textbook, reference books, real clay or modelling clay, heavy-duty tinfoil or empty aluminium cooldrink cans, kitchen cutters or strong
scissors

R eflection

Teacher signature:

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