The year, term by term
34 weeks across four South African terms.
Every grade follows the same four-term journey — looking and wondering, reasons and evidence, other eyes and hidden persuaders, then doing the right thinking — so families and teachers always know where they are. Lessons unlock one at a time.
Term 1 · 10 weeks
Looking & Wondering
See connections, not just events: systems, feedback loops, and the questions a connected world raises.
Hold onto this term: Fix one piece of a system and you change the rest — look for the connections, not just the event.
- Wk 1
Week 1: Systems Thinking
Is this really one event, or part of a connected whole?
- Wk 2
Week 2: Feedback Loops
Why do some things speed up or spiral on their own?
- Wk 3
Week 3: Unintended Consequences
What might this fix break somewhere else?
- Wk 4
Week 4: Root Cause or Symptom?
Am I fixing the cause or just the symptom?
- Wk 5
Week 5: Mapping a Problem
Can I draw this problem to see it more clearly?
- Wk 6
Week 6: Thinking Across Time
What does this look like next week, next year, not just now?
- Wk 7
Week 7: Monitoring My Own Thinking
Is my thinking on track, or have I wandered?
- Wk 8
Week 8: Holding Two Ideas at Once
Can I hold a question open while I gather more?
- Wk 9
Week 9: A System I Want to Understand
Which connected thing in my world do I want to figure out?
- Wk 10
Week 10: Looking & Wondering — Term Review
How is my whole-picture thinking stronger now?
Term 2 · 9 weeks
Reasons & Evidence
Argument at full stretch: complex arguments, counter-arguments, and judging evidence quality across sources.
Hold onto this term: A strong case has already answered its best objection.
- Wk 11
Week 11: Arguments With Counter-Arguments
What is the strongest objection to my own argument?
- Wk 12
Week 12: Qualifiers: How Strongly Should I Say It?
Should I say "always", "usually" or "sometimes"?
- Wk 13
Week 13: Spotting the Hidden Warrant
What unstated belief connects this reason to this claim?
- Wk 14
Week 14: Chains of Reasoning
Does every link in this reasoning chain hold?
- Wk 15
Week 15: Corroborating Evidence
Do other independent sources back this up?
- Wk 16
Week 16: Who Is the Real Expert?
Is this person an expert on THIS, or just famous?
- Wk 17
Week 17: Following the Money
Who benefits if I believe this?
- Wk 18
Week 18: Weighing All the Evidence
When the evidence is mixed, how do I weigh it up?
- Wk 19
Week 19: Reasons & Evidence — Term Review
How well can I build and test a real argument now?
Term 3 · 9 weeks
Other Eyes & Hidden Persuaders
Perspective in history and across difference, then the modern persuaders: deepfakes, synthetic media and manipulation.
Hold onto this term: Seeing is no longer believing — and every history has an author.
- Wk 20
Week 20: History Has Two Sides
Whose version of history am I reading?
- Wk 21
Week 21: Whose Voice Is Missing?
Who does not get to tell their side of this story?
- Wk 22
Week 22: Standing in Very Different Shoes
Can I understand a choice made in a life very unlike mine?
- Wk 23
Week 23: Deepfakes and Synthetic Media
How do I check whether this image or video is even real?
- Wk 24
Week 24: How Fake News Spreads
Why does a false story travel so fast?
- Wk 25
Week 25: Before You Share
Should I share this — and how do I know?
- Wk 26
Week 26: Echo Chambers
Am I only hearing people who already agree with me?
- Wk 27
Week 27: Civil Discourse and Debate
Am I trying to win, or to understand?
- Wk 28
Week 28: Other Eyes & Persuaders — Term Review
What manipulation did I see through this term?
Term 4 · 6 weeks
Doing the Right Thinking
Apply it to citizenship, online life and real dilemmas, then reflect on a whole phase of growth.
Hold onto this term: Good thinking is for being a good citizen — online and off.
- Wk 29
Week 29: Digital Citizenship
How do I think well about what I do and post online?
- Wk 30
Week 30: Rights and Responsibilities
Where does my freedom meet someone else’s?
- Wk 31
Week 31: A Real Civic Question
Can I reason carefully about a real issue in my community?
- Wk 32
Week 32: My Changed-Mind Moment
When did analysis change my mind this year?
- Wk 33
Week 33: Three Years of Thinking
How far have I come across the whole Intermediate phase?
- Wk 34
Week 34: Ready for the Senior Phase — Review & Celebration
What kind of thinker am I, ready for the Senior phase?