Primary Project Labs

Grade 6 Project

Grade 6 - The Evidence-Based Designer

In Grade 6, learners start making more thoughtful decisions. They no longer just build something and hope it works. They compare ideas, test possibilities, use evidence, and explain why they chose one route over another. This is where project work becomes more deliberate: learners design, improve and present with clearer reasoning.

A design and planning table representing Grade 6 evidence-based design

Five Grade 6 Discovery Labs are ready now

Eco-Base is free through the PPL Portal. Extreme Weather, Future City, Oceans & Tides and Space Colony are available through Payhip, with access delivered in the same Portal.

Try Eco-Base freeView the four paid Labs

Grade 6 Learning Labs

Grade 6: thirty-six weekly Labs, each designed across six days

Across each nine-week term, learners apply what they inherit from Grade 5: they test ideas against evidence, design within real constraints, weigh trade-offs and explain why one route beat another. Each six-day Lab includes a required closing reflection.

All thirty-six weekly Labs are in academic review. None are currently available for purchase or Portal access.

Planned thirty-six-week learning arc

This arc shows the intended year. Individual Labs return only after their six-day design and required closing reflection pass academic review.

Term 1 · weeks 1–9

  1. 01Launch: How We LearnHow do we set up to learn and design like professionals - and capture a starting point?
  2. 02Maps and MovementHow do we read and plan movement across a place using maps?
  3. 03Kingdoms, Power and Evidence (Mapungubwe)How do we know what made Mapungubwe powerful - from the evidence?
  4. 04Habitats and Food WebsHow are living things connected in a system - and what breaks it?
  5. 05Water, Weather and PlaceHow do we record weather and read what it tells us about a place?
  6. 06Trade, Choices and NeedsHow do trade and resources shape the choices a community makes?
  7. 07Adaptation and the BodyHow is a living thing built for exactly where and how it lives?
  8. 08Stories, Truth and TimelinesHow do we tell the difference between myth and evidence?
  9. 09Term 1 Showcase: The ObservatoryCan you present what you observed this term - with evidence?

Term 2 · weeks 10–18

  1. 10Rivers, Dams and Day Zero (SA water)How can we manage water so a city never reaches Day Zero?
  2. 11Heroes and LeadershipWhat makes someone a leader worth following?
  3. 12The Age of ExplorersWhy did people risk everything to explore - and who paid the price?
  4. 13Oceans and RoutesHow did sea routes connect and change the world?
  5. 14First Contact and ExchangeWhat happens when two worlds meet for the first time?
  6. 15Trade and PersuasionHow do you convince people to trade with you?
  7. 16From Factory to MarketHow does a raw material become a product on a shelf?
  8. 17Markets, Money and VoiceWho decides what something is worth?
  9. 18Term 2 Exhibition: The Great ExchangeWhat did we learn about how water, people & trade shape the world?

Term 3 · weeks 19–27

  1. 19Cities, Movement and Electricity (inland SA city; load-shedding)How do you power and move a city that keeps the lights on?
  2. 20Extreme Biomes: Design for ClimateHow do you design shelter and life for an extreme climate?
  3. 21Energy, Signals and SystemsHow can a system sense and respond on its own?
  4. 22Design and ImprovementHow do you turn a first idea into a better one?
  5. 23Renewable Energy VillageHow can a village power itself without load-shedding?
  6. 24Space and ScaleHow big is space, really - and how do we model it?
  7. 25Changing Earth (geology/erosion)How does the Earth reshape itself over time?
  8. 26Seasons, Settlements and MigrationWhy do people and seasons move - and how are they linked?
  9. 27Term 3 Showcase: Design ExpoCan you defend a system you designed, with evidence?

Term 4 · weeks 28–36

  1. 28Disaster and Decision (SA floods/fires)When disaster strikes, what decision saves the most?
  2. 29Citizenship, Tides and ResponsibilityWhat do we owe each other as citizens?
  3. 30Media and InfluenceHow does media shape what we believe - and who is a hero today?
  4. 31Value, Wealth and InitiativeHow do you create value responsibly?
  5. 32Medicine and EvidenceHow has evidence changed the way we heal?
  6. 33Future WorldsCould humans survive on another world - and how?
  7. 34Fuel for Life: Food and the BodyWhat does a body need to stay healthy?
  8. 35Capstone Build WeekCan you integrate a year of skills into one build?
  9. 36The Designer's LegacyCan you defend your best design this year - and show the evidence that makes it work?