English ECLPE

Key unit competence To use language learnt in the context of Sciences 

and Technology.

Introductory Activity Picture observation and interpretation

Observe the above pictures then answer these questions

1. Discuss the use of the devices in fig.1. 

2. The people in fig.2 are around the table sharing a drink but 

they are not talking to one another because they are busy 

chatting. Do you think it is a good practice? Explain.

3. Explain the use of the devices in fig.3.

4. Explain the use of the devices in fig.4.

9.1. Talking about words and expressions used in the 

context of science and technology

9.1.1. Learning activity: Reading and text analysis

• Text1

: Technology and Medicine

Read the passage below and answer the questions that follow:

A large number of digital innovations are revolutionizing healthcare and 

technology in medicine is here to stay. Numerous innovations and 

new solutions are already on the market and they have all improved 

healthcare drastically. Today, multiple medical issues such as congestive 

heart failure, diabetes, medication noncompliance, even stressful 

isolation, are researched and solved with remarkable new technologies. 

The following are some areas researchers are targeting:The first area 

targeted by researchers is heart failure. One of the most common and 

costly diagnoses is that of heart failure, with a mortality rate closer 

to cancer. It includes three types of sensors – wristband, necklace and 

watch – which are used for testing. This type of diagnosis gives both 

patients and doctors continuous information on how a compromised 

heart is functioning.

The second area targeted by researchers is 3D printing. These days, 

medical researchers are considering the potential of 3D printing in 

medicine. For example, Kaiser Permanente’s Los Angeles Medical Center 

is perfecting the use of 3D printers to replicate multidimensional models 

of problematic areas inside patients. Surgeons can handle the models 

and simulate a variety of possible operation replicas before performing 

the actual surgery. Alternatively, 3D printing can be used in reproducing 

bones or other organs in the human body.

The second area targeted by researchers is the area of mobile applications. 

Today, mobile applications are available for everything. In the healthcare 

sector, this is especially true. Doctors and patients are discovering new 

ways to use technology to monitor personal health. Nowadays, tracking 

daily sleep patterns, counting calories, researching treatment options, 

and even monitoring heart rate is possible.

Thirdly, remote monitoring technology is one of the most useful 

and practical innovations in recent years. The systems can be used by 

patients in the comfort of their homes to reduce the time and financial 

cost of recurring visits to the doctor. By using a small device designed to 

measure a particular health issue, doctors can analyse a patient’s data 

remotely without the need for them to come down to the hospital.

This must be the reason why the Government of Rwanda recognized that 

there is a need to strengthen science, technology and research and is 

engaged in many National and Regional initiatives to help build this 

capacity. 

https://www.hunimed.eu/news/technology-changing-world-medicine/

 Comprehension questions

1. State four medical issues that are researched and solved with 

remarkable new technologies.

2. What are the three areas targeted by researchers mentioned in 

the passage?

3. State and explain the use of the three types of sensors mentioned 

in the passage. 

4. Explain how 3D printing technology helps surgeons in their work. 

5. Evaluate the use of mobile applications in healthcare sector.

6. Assess the importance of remote monitoring technology in 

healthcare sector

• Vocabulary activity

Use a dictionary and thesaurus to look up the missing meanings of the 

words/phrases in the table below. Copy the table into your book and fill 

in the blank spaces.

• Text 2: Body systems

Read the passage below and answer the questions that follow:

Our bodies consist of a number of biological systems that carry out specific 

functions necessary for everyday life.

The job of the circulatory system is to move blood, nutrients, oxygen, 

carbon dioxide, and hormones, around the body. It consists of the heart, 

blood, blood vessels, arteries and veins.

The digestive system consists of a series of connected organs that 

together, allow the body to break down and absorb food, and remove 

waste. It includes the mouth, oesophagus, stomach, small intestine, 

large intestine, rectum, and anus. The liver and pancreas also play a role 

in the digestive system because they produce digestive juices.

The endocrine system consists of eight major glands that secrete 

hormones into the blood. These hormones, in turn, travel to different 

tissues and regulate various bodily functions, such as metabolism, 

growth and sexual function

The immune system is the body›s defence against bacteria, viruses

and other pathogens that may be harmful. It includes lymph nodes, 

the spleen, bone marrow, lymphocytes (including B-cells and T-cells), the 

thymus and leukocytes, which are white blood cells.

The lymphatic system includes lymph nodes, lymph ducts and lymph 

vessels, and also plays a role in the body›s defences. Its main job is to 

make and move lymph, a clear fluid that contains white blood cells, which 

help the body fight infection. The lymphatic system also removes excess 

lymph fluid from bodily tissues, and returns it to the blood.

The nervous system controls both voluntary action (like conscious 

movement) and involuntary actions (like breathing), and sends signals 

to different parts of the body. The central nervous system includes the 

brain and spinal cord. The peripheral nervous system consists of nerves 

that connect every other part of the body to the central nervous system.

The body’s muscular system consists of about 650 muscles that aid in 

movement, blood flow and other bodily functions. There are three types 

of muscle: skeletal muscle which is connected to bone and helps with 

voluntary movement, smooth muscle which is found inside organs and 

helps to move substances through organs, and cardiac muscle which is 

found in the heart and helps pump blood

The reproductive system allows humans to reproduce. The male 

reproductive system includes the penis and the testes which produce 

sperm. The female reproductive system consists of the vagina, the uterus 

and the ovaries which produce eggs. During conception, a sperm cell 

fuses with an egg cell, which creates a fertilized egg that implants and 

grows in the uterus.

Our bodies are supported by the skeletal system, which consists of 

206 bones that are connected by tendons, ligaments and cartilage. The 

skeleton not only helps us move, but it’s also involved in the production 

of blood cells and the storage of calcium. The teeth are also part of the 

skeletal system, but they aren’t considered bones.

The respiratory system allows us to take in vital oxygen and expel 

carbon dioxide in a process we call breathing. It consists mainly of the 

trachea, the diaphragm and the lungs.

Theurinary system helps eliminate a waste product called urea from the 

body, which is produced when certain foods are broken down. The whole 

system includes two kidneys, two ureters, the bladder, two sphincter 

muscles and the urethra. Urine produced by the kidneys travels down 

the urethras to the bladder, and exits the body through the urethra

The skin, or integumentary system, is the body’s largest organ. 

It protects us from the outside world, and is our first defence against 

bacteria, viruses and other pathogens. Our skin also helps regulate body 

temperature and eliminate waste through perspiration. In addition to 

skin, the integumentary system includes hair and nails

Adapted from https://www.livescience.com/37009-human-body.html

• Comprehension questions

1. What biological systems are mentioned in the passage?

2. Which biological system helps oxygen to move around in the 

body?

3. What is the role of the liver and pancreas in the digestive system?

4. Which biological system regulates metabolism, growth and 

sexual function?

5. Which biological system protects from falling sick?

6. Do you think our nervous system has anything to do with our 

sight? Justify your answer.

7. State the three types of muscles and explain their functions.

8. What is the role of urinary system?

9. What is the body’s largest organ? 

10. Hair and nails belong to which biological system? 

• Vocabulary activity

Use a dictionary, thesaurus or Internet to look up meaning of the following 

words/phrases as they are used in the above passage. (The words are 

highlighted in the text)

a. Hormones

b. Metabolism

c. Bacteria

d. Viruses

e. Pathogens

f. Leukocytes

g. Tissues 

h. Spinal cord

i. Cardiac

j. Conception

k. Perspiration

9.1.2. Application activity Composition writing

1. Have you ever been in a hospital? Write a short composition 

describing a technological tool you saw there. If you never 

went there, you can describe a tool you have heard of or read 

about. 

2. Write a short composition on the importance of physical 

exercise for our body systems.

9.2. Describing the role of ICT devices and their side effects

9.2.1. Learning activity    Reading and text analysis

• Text1: The positive and negative impacts of ICT

Read the passage below and answer the questions that follow:

As it is known from time immemorial that everything in life is like the 

two sides of a coin, there is always a positive and negative side of every 

phenomenon. But whether the effect is positive or negative the effects 

of Information Communication Technology (ICT) is far reaching and 

cannot be overemphasized. The Effects of ICT lens looks at how our 

lives have been changed, for better and for worse, by the impact of ICT. 

It includes both positive effects and negative effects.

One of the positive effects of ICT is access to information. Possibly 

the greatest effect of ICT on individuals is the huge increase in access 

to information and services that has accompanied the growth of the 

Internet. Some of the positive aspects of this increased access are better, 

and often cheaper communications, such as phone calls and Instant 

messaging. In addition, the use of ICT to access information has brought 

new opportunities for leisure and entertainment.

Another positive effect of ICT is easy access to education. With ICT there 

are new ways of learning, such as interactive multi-media and virtual 

reality. ICT has also created new job opportunities, such as flexible and 

mobile working, virtual offices and jobs in the communication industry 

among others.

ICT can be used for processes that had previously been out of the reach 

of most individuals, such as photography, where digital cameras, photoediting software and high-quality printers have enabled people to produce 

results that would previously require a photographic studio.

ICT can be used to help people overcome disabilities. For example, screen 

magnification or screen reading software enables partially sighted or 

blind people to work with ordinary text rather than Braille.

As far as negative effects are concerned, ICT has caused Job loss, reduced 

personal interaction and reduced physical activity. 

As for Job loss, one of the largest negative effects of ICT can be the loss 

of a person’s job. This has both economic consequences, loss of income, 

and social consequences, loss of status and self-esteem. Job losses 

may occur for several reasons, including the replacement of manual 

operations by automation. This can happen when, for example, robots 

replace people on an assembly line. People can also lose jobs due to Job 

export. This is when Data processing work is sent to other countries 

where operating costs are lower. Multiple workers can also be replaced 

by a smaller number of people who are able to do the same amount of 

work using machines.

Personal interaction and physical activity have also been negatively 

affected by ICT. Being able to work from home is usually regarded as 

being a positive effect of using ICT, but there can be negative aspects 

as well. Most people need some form of social interaction and physical 

exercise.

Adapted from https://ajahana.wordpress.com/2012/06/27/thepositive-and-negative-impacts-of-ict-5/

• Comprehension questions

1. What do you understand by “everything in life is like the two 

sides of a coin”?

2. What strengthened the huge increase in access to information?

3. Explain how ICT has created new job opportunities.

4. Using an example, explain how ICT has enabled people to do 

processes that had previously been out of the reach of most 

individuals.

5. In which ways can ICT make people lose their jobs?

• Vocabulary activity

Use a dictionary, thesaurus or Internet to look up the meaning of the 

following words/phrases as they are used in the above passage. (The 

words are highlighted in the text)

a. phenomenon

b. Overemphasized

c. Lens

d. Information

e. Internet

f. Leisure

g. Entertainment

h. Virtual reality.

i. Manual operations

j. Automation

k. Job export

Application activities: Sentence writing, Composition and Debate

1. Use each of the above words in a sentence of your own to 

illustrate how they are used.

2. Writer a 100-word composition on smartphone addiction. 

3. Debate:

Referring to the notes on debating techniques in unit 5, debate the 

following motion.

“This house believes that ICT has done more harm than good” 

9.3. Language structure: Word formation

Introduction:

In linguistics (particularly morphology and lexicology), word 

formation refers to the ways in which new words are made on the basis of 

other words or morphemes. This is also called derivational morphology. 

Most English vocabulary arises by making new lexemes out of old ones. 

This can be done either by adding an affix to previously existing forms, 

altering their word class, or combining them to produce compounds. 

Below are some types of word formation processes.

A. Derivation

Derivation is the creation of words by modification of a root without the 

addition of other roots. Often the effect is a change in part of speech.

Examples

• Empty-emptiness (adjective was changed into a noun)

B. Affixation

(This is like a subtype of derivation)

Affixation is the process of adding a morpheme or affix to a word to 

create either a different form of that word or a new word with a different 

meaning; affixation is the most common way of making new words in 

English. An affix is a word element of English grammar used to alter 

the meaning or form of a word and comes in the form of either a prefix or 

a suffix. There two primary types of affixation that are prefixation (the 

addition of a prefix) and suffixation (the addition of a suffix). 

C. Prefixation

Prefixation is a morphological process whereby a bound morpheme is 

attached to the front of a root or stem. The kind of affix involved in this 

process is called a prefix. Prefixes include examples like “un-,” “self-,” 

and “re-,”

Example:

The prefix un- attaches to the front of the stem selfish to form the 

word unselfish.

Other examples include

D. Suffixation

Suffixation is a morphological process whereby a bound morpheme is 

attached to the end of a stem. The kind of affix involved in this process is 

called a suffix. Suffixes come in the form of ending elements like “-hood,” 

“-ing,” “-ness,”, “-ed…”

• Communicate-communicator

Think of the 26 common suffixes in the table as clues to the meaning 

of words. Keep in mind, though, that the meaning of words is best 

determined by studying the contexts in which they are used as well as 

the parts of the words themselves.

E. Noun Suffixes

F. Verbs suffixes

G. Adjective Suffixes

The examples above are adopted from https://www.thoughtco.com/

common-suffixes-in-english-1692725

Exercises

1. Use prefixes to find the opposite of these verbs:

a. Use

b. Agree

c. Engage

d. Behave 

e. Understand

f. Fold

g. Spell

h. Connect

i. Close 

2. Complete the sentences by writing the correct prefix from the table 

below in the blank space. You can use a dictionary to help you

e. I couldn’t find any…in his theory. (weak)

f. He wants to be a…when he grows up. (mathematics)

g. There were only a…of people at the match. (hand)

h. The road was too narrow, so they had to…it. (wide)

i. I think that you should…your decision. It may not be the best 

thing to do. (consider)

j. You need a…of motivation, organization and hard work to realize 

your dreams.(combine

End unit assessment

1. Use a prefix or a suffix to make a new word out of the word in 

brackets. Complete the sentence with it

a. I can’t answer this question. It’s…(possible).

b. Don’t stand near the water. It’s too… (danger).

c. I don’t like this fish. It’s not very well… (cook).

d. Kate started crying because she was so…(happy)

e. If you have a haircut it will change your…(appear)

f. Paul never waits in queues. He is too…(patient)

g. Thank you for your advice. You have been very…(help).

h. Stealing other people’s money is…(honest)

i. Our science … is very young. (teach)

j. Harry didn’t think the book was very…(interest).

k. A million pounds was given to the hospital by an…person 

(known)

l. When you…this paragraph, make it a bit shorter (write)

m.That was a great film. It was really…(enjoy)

n. Mary was wearing a/an…hat (usual)

o. I like this town. The people are very…(friend)

p. I don’t think you’re right. I…with you completely (agree)

2. Identify at least five words formed through the process of 

affixation in the following paragraph. 

One of the positive effects of ICT is access to information. Possibly 

the greatest effect of ICT on individuals is the huge increase in access 

to information and services that has accompanied the growth of the 

Internet. Some of the positive aspects of this increased access are better 

and often cheaper communication means, such as phone calls and 

instant messaging. In addition, the use of ICT to access information 

has brought new opportunities for leisure and entertainment.

3. Write a short composition on advantages and disadvantages of 

social media in society. 

REFERENCES

1. Barbara T. Hoffman, Art and cultural heritage: law, policy, and 

practice, Cambridge University Press, 2006

2. Tanselle, G. Thomas (1998), Literature and Artifacts, 

Charlottesville, VA: Bibliographical Society of the University of 

Virginia.

3. ICOMOS, International Cultural Tourism Charter (2002). 

Principles and Guidelines For Managing Tourism at Places of 

Cultural and Heritage Significance.

4. Culture in development (2009),http://www.cultureindevelopment.

nl/Cultural_Heritage/What _is_cutural_Heritage

5. Importance of Cultural Heritage (2013). Retrieved from: http://

www.cultivatingculture.com

6. The Importance of culture Heritage (2015), http://www.

cultivatingculture.com/2013/05/05/theimportance-of-culturalheritage.

7. Tourism in India (2008), Retrieved from: http://en.wikipedia.org/

wiki/ tourism_in_India

8. The constitution of the kingdom of Bhutan (2005), Retrieved 

from http://www.bhutanaudit.gov.bt/About%20Us/Mandates/

Constitution%20of%20Bhutan%202008.pdf

9. Phuentsho, S. (2015). Cultural Heritage Course pack: Khyentse 

library. Taktse