Footprints and CAPS – Astonishing Alignment

Footprints meets 80-90% of the CAPS Social Sciences requirements and exceeds them!

The proof of this can be seen in the success of our own adult children and the generation of home educated graduates, who followed a story-rich, eclectic approach to learning.

A Shocking Discovery

In December 2023, after updating our best-selling programme under the new name, Footprints – The Early Years, we looked at CAPS and we were blown away by how similar the goals and content are. Below are some snippets from CAPS that we agree with wholeheartedly:

We are confident that home educating parents, who give their children individualised attention, will easily achieve these noble goals and others of their own, using any or all of our Footprints programmes.

On examination of the CAPS document, we were pleasantly surprised to see that Footprints is well-aligned with the topics prescribed by CAPS for Social Sciences. It was actually a shock to discover how many of the prescribed topics our programmes cover! And we did it first!

As Footprints focuses primarily on a study of South Africa, the topics we don’t cover are mainly those that relate to the rest of the world.
Below is a chart that lists the topics on the CAPS document and shows which Footprints programme covers those topics. 

Green shading = Footprints – The Early Years and Voetspore 1 – Die Vroeë Jare for ages 8-14
Yellow shading = Footprints – The Last Century and Voetspore 2 – Die Laaste Eeu for ages 10-14
Orange shading = Footprints Nature Quest/ Natuurskattejag for ages 8-16
Blue shading = More than one of our programmes covers the topic
Red shading = Topics not covered by a Footprints programme

Please also refer to the Footprints/Voetspore scope and sequence charts that follow. These show ALL THE OTHER topics that Footprints (Voetspore in Afrikaans) does cover, which EXCEED the requirements of CAPS. Footprints families will read over 20 chapter books per year, per programme, giving their children an enriching story-driven education (and academic advantage*) during the intermediate and senior phases (grades 4-9).

While the CAPS topics jump around randomly through time from year to year, Footprints and Voetspore offer students an in-depth, chronological study of the history of South Africa, which makes it easier to understand in the developing historical context. Our goal is to bring our country’s history to life, through stories, and give them a better understanding of why it is the way it is today.

The Footprints programmes focus on Social Studies, which includes history and geography, but being a multi-subject unit study, our programmes also cover language skills, poetry, South African music appreciation, SA art appreciation, art, crafts, cooking, technology and more!

CAPS History Content Topics Grades 4-6 – Intermediate Phase

CAPS History Content Topics Grades 7-9 – Senior Phase

CAPS Geography Topics Grades 4-6 – Intermediate Phase

CAPS Geography Topics Grades 7-9 – Senior Phase

Footprints – Scope and Sequence

Jessica Logan, lead author of a literacy study and assistant professor of educational studies at The Ohio State University, calls the discrepancy between children who are read to and those who aren’t “the million word gap”. Cumulatively, over the 5 years before preschool entry, researchers estimate that children from literacy-rich homes hear a cumulative 1.4 million more words during storybook reading than children who are never read to. This impacts their language abilities and other academic skills. Their non-read to peers never catch up!

We know that continuing reading through primary and high school develops a multitude of academic and critical thinking skills which are required for success as university students and as working adults.

The evidence has become so overwhelming that social scientists now consider reading aloud as one of the most important indicators of a child’s prospects in life!

…but that’s not all…

Reading aloud together improves family life. Where screens and technology lure us each into our own private virtual reality, reading aloud draws us together into a shared experience that connects us emotionally. There is ample research confirming that parental interest in a child’s education (whether at home or at school) has a positive and lasting effect on the child’s academic performance. If parents or caregivers value reading, children perceive it as important too. 

Reading is a key that sets families free from the jail of hopelessness and apathy. Through stories, families learn that they are not alone in their struggles and that they can make a difference in their communities. They see how characters in stories and in history overcame similar challenges. We read about leaders who rose from obscurity to greatness and accomplished incredible feats for the benefit of their fellow men.

Stories also develop cultural insight and sensitivity and teach readers that there is always more than one narrative or perspective. It develops critical thinking skills! At Footprints, we don’t teach you WHAT to think, we encourage you to consider all sides of controversial issues and decide for yourself what you believe! While we believe that parents should teach their children their own moral values, we also challenge them to consider their potentially politically biased views and to learn about other perspectives.

Footprints – The Early Years / Voetspore 1

Scope and Sequence compared to CAPS

Every section listed below also includes a variety of other subjects and skills:

Footprints The Early Years/Voetspore 1	List of topics	Correlation with CAPS Grade Level	CAPS Topics covered
Section 1
First Inhabitants of South Africa	Introduction to the Early History of South Africa History is a Story The San of Africa The San Way of Life Sweet Treats Food and Social Roles San Beliefs Nama Languages The Khoena of Africa – Men of Men	Grade 5, Term 1	Hunter-gatherers and herders in Southern Africa
Section 2
Exploration of Africa	The Portuguese Navigators Prince Henry the Navigator Superstition Prejudice  Bartolomeu Dias Vasco da Gama Padrãos Scurvy Navigation Instruments Caravels Dias’s Caravel Map History The Southernmost Point of Africa Charts and Trade Routes Shipwrecks on the South African Coast The Sao João (1552) The New Haerlem (1647) The Grosvenor (1782) The Arniston (1815) The Birkenhead (1852) The Kakapo (1900) The Waratah (1909) The Thomas T. Tucker (1942) The Antipolis (1977) Modern Water Transport	Grade 6, Term 2 Grade 4, Term 3	Europeans explore South Africa Transport through time – Water Caravels Steamships Modern water transport
Section 3
The Dutch at the Cape	The History of Banknotes in South Africa The Dutch Refreshment Station The Dutch East India Company Jan van Riebeeck Vryburghers Various Governors at the Cape (1652 – 1679) The Castle of Good Hope Simon van der Stel Interesting Facts about the Cape The Name Strandlopers The Tablecloth The Seal Trade Cape Dutch Houses Afrikaans – A Dutch Heritage The Dutch-Khoena Conflict Expansion and Land Seizure The Trekboer Problem	Grade 7, Terms 3 & 4	Colonisation of the Cape in the 17th and 18th centuries Co-operation and conflict on the frontiers of the Cape Colony in the early 19th century
Section 4
Slavery	Slavery in South Africa Slavery Worldwide The Transatlantic Slave Trade Slavery at the Cape Slave Treatment Slave Bells Slave Laws Slave Names Slave Surnames  Free Blacks The Abolition of Slavery The Genetic Heritage of the Coloured Population Cape Malays The Moravian Mission Station The Cape Minstrel Carnival	Grade 7, Term 2	The Transatlantic Slave Trade Heritage
Section 5
The French Huguenots	Who were the Huguenots? Emigrants to the Cape The Sea Voyage to the Cape Influential Immigrants with Impact Simon van der Stel and the Huguenots The French at the Cape Willem Adriaan van der Stel Huguenot Heritage The Winelands The History of Winemaking in South Africa What Happened to the French in South Africa?	Grade 4, Term 1 Grade 5, Term 4 Grade 7, Term 3	Transport Why People Live where they do Farming in SA Heritage  Colonisation of the Cape in the 17th and 18th centuries
Section 6
African Tribes	The Myth of the Empty Land (Mapungubwe and the Lydenburg Heads) Nguni Migration  The Mfecane Black South Africans The Zulu Shaka Mzilikazi Dingaan Traditional Xhosa Clothing Xhosa Homes and Crafts Xhosa Beliefs isiXhosa Language	Grade 6, Term 4	Why People Live in SA Heritage
Section 7
British Rule	England and France (Napoleonic Wars) Changes at the Cape The Battle of Muizenberg The Battle of Blaauwberg The British Settlement of the Cape Colony The Frontier Wars Consequences of the Frontier Wars The 1820 Settlers’ Contribution to South Africa The Oldest Independent Newspaper in South Africa	Grade 7, Term 3 Grade 4, Term 4	Colonisation of the Cape in the 17th and 18th centuries Communication through time
Section 8
The Great Trek	Reasons for the Great Trek The Voortrekker Lifestyle The Beginnings of the Great Trek Advance Parties More Parties Join the Great Trek The Battle of Vegkop Trekker Parties Beyond the Orange River The Voortrekkers in Natal Second Visit to Dingaan and Betrayal Murders at Bloukrans The Battle of Italeni Andries Pretorius, the New Leader Who was Dingaan? The Battle of Blood River The Republic of Natal	Grade 7, Term 3 Grade 4, Term 3	Colonisation of the Cape in the 17th and 18th centuries Transport through time – The Wagon
Section 9
New Colonies	Natal Who was Dick King? The Barefoot Woman Transvaal Orange Free State Boer Republics and Griqua States Free State–Basotho Wars The Anglo-Zulu War of 1879 Indians in South Africa The Discovery of Mineral Wealth The Scramble for Africa	Grade 7, Term 3 Grade 8, Term 3	Colonisation of the Cape in the 17th and 18th centuries The scramble for Africa Indian Heritage Why People live where they do

Footprints – The Last Century / Voetspore 2 – Die Laaste Eeu

Scope and Sequence compared to CAPS

Footprints The Early Years/Voetspore 1	List of topics	Correlation with CAPS Grade Level	CAPS Topics covered
Section 1
The Discovery of Mineral Wealth	Introduction to the Last 120 Years History is a Story The Discovery of Mineral Wealth The Discovery of Diamonds (1867) New Rush/Kimberley Mine Labour Who was Cecil John Rhodes? Rhodes Must Fall Movement The Story of Heartache The Discovery of Gold (1872) The Effects of the Discovery of Minerals The First Anglo-Boer War (1880-1881) Smallpox Epidemic of 1882 The Jameson Raid (1895) The Braamfontein Explosion (1896) The Witwatersrand How Diamonds are Formed Diamond in the Rough Characteristics of Diamonds Diamonds are Forever? Gold Alluvial Gold Hard Rock Mining Rock Types and the Rock Cycle Minerals Crystals Diamonds are Carbon Crystals	Grade 8, Term 2 Geography, Grade 5, Term 4	The Mineral Revolution in SA Minerals and Mining in SA
Section 2
The South African War	The Name of the War Black People’s Involvement in the War The Declaration of War (1899) Overview of the Second Anglo-Boer War Phase 1 – The Sieges Phase 2 – The Relief Black Week/Triumph Week Phase 3 – Guerilla Warfare and the Scorched Earth Policy Concentration Camps (1900-1902) Concentration Camp Cover-up Emily Hobhouse The Sparrow of Hope The Peace of Vereeniging (1902) The Union of South Africa (1910) The Mystery of the Kruger Millions	Grade 4, Term 2 Grade 10, Topic 6	Learning from leaders The South African War and Union
Section 3
Unification and World Wars	The Suffering Nation Unification of South Africa (1910) Native Land Act (1913) World War 1 in Brief (1914-1918) South Africa’s Part in World War 1 Great Depression of the 1930s What is Economics? The Effects of the Great Depression World War 2 in a Nutshell (1939-1945) What was the Treaty of Versailles? South Africa and World War 2 The Rise of Afrikaner Nationalism The Beginning of Apartheid (1948)	Grade 10, Topic 6	The South African War and Union
Section 4
	Separation that Broke the Hearts of the Nation Apartheid Begins (1948) Racial Segregation Apartheid Homelands Resistance to Apartheid Indians in South Africa Who was Gandhi? Forced Removals Pass Laws The Defiance Campaign (1952) The Women’s March (1956) Sharpeville Massacre (1960) The Armed Struggle  Nelson Mandela Jailed (1964) The Student Uprising (1976)	Grade 4, Term 2 Grade 9, Terms 3 & 4	Learning from leaders Turning points in South African history 1948 and 1950s Turning points in South African history 1960, 1976 and 1994
Section 5
The Border War & The Freedom Struggle	Compulsory Military Conscription South Africa’s Role in the Angolan Bush War Peace Negotiated “Terrorists” or “Freedom Fighters”? International Resistance to Apartheid The Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging (AWB) and the Broederbond The Road to Democracy Mandela Released (1990) Robben Island The 1992 Referendum Pre-election Unrest The First Democratic Election (1994)	Grade 4, Term 2 Grade 9, Terms 3 & 4 Grade 12	Learning from leaders Turning points in South African history 1948 and 1950s Turning points in South African history 1960, 1976 and 1994 Civil resistance 1970s-1980s: South Africa
Section 6
Democracy	South Africa as a Democracy The New National Flag New Provinces Nelson Mandela’s Presidency (1994-1999) The Truth and Reconciliation Commission Thabo Mbeki’s Presidency  (1999 – 2008) Motlanthe’s Presidency (2008-2009) Jacob Zuma’s Presidency (2009-2018) A Story from KwaZulu-Natal Cyril Ramaphosa’s Presidency  (2018 –     ) Riots in KZN and Gauteng Sport in the New South Africa The Role of Sport in Unifying South Africa The Springbok Sports Heroes – Inspirational Role Models or Dangerous Idolatry? Wayde van Niekerk	Grade 4, Term 2 Grade 9, Term 4 Grade 12, Topic 5	Learning from leaders Turning points in South African history 1960, 1976 and 1994 The coming of democracy in South Africa and coming to terms with the past
Section 7
Post-apartheid South Africa	Post-apartheid State Capture What is a “Kickback”? Who were the Guptas? Nepotism, Cadre Deployment and Affirmative Action The Farmgate Scandal The Muldergate Scandal Home Education – A Positive Impact on the Nation The History of Home Education in South Africa Home Education Beyond 2000 ‘Bad Weather’ Warning The Covid-19 Pandemic’s Effect on Home Education in South Africa Truth and a Free MediaMedia and Discernment Real Truth and Reconciliation in South Africa The Rhodes Must Fall Movement A National “Heart Transplant”	Not covered by CAPS