◄HOW TO USE THIS BOOKUNIT 2: Education and personal development►

UNIT 1: The geography of Rwanda

  • UNIT 1: The geography of Rwanda

    Key Unit Competence: To use language learnt in the context of 

    Geography of Rwanda.

    Introductory activity: Observation and Interpretation Pictures in 

    fig 1, 2, and 3.

    You will develop these skills
    • Use the present perfect tense.
    • Use the passive voice.
    • Use the present perfect tense with ‘since’.
    • Identify and use paragraphs, headings and numbering.
    • List and use vocabulary referring to the physical geography, population, 

    farming and trade of Rwanda.

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    The land of a thousand hills
    When we write a geographical description of a country, we must 
    give it a title so that readers know what we are writing about. This 
    is called the main heading. We then group our information into 
    paragraphs so that similar information is together. This helps the 
    writing make sense. Each paragraph starts on a new line. We may 
    also use a subheading for each new section, to show the reader 

    that it contains important new facts.

    Read about the location of Rwanda

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    Activity 2: Write about your province
    Write a description of your province. Use a main heading and paragraphs. Make 
    sure that you include the names of the province, the main provincial town, the 

    neighbouring provinces and any mountains, lakes or rivers.

    Grammar focus
    Use the present perfect tense
    The present perfect tense is used to describe something that happened in the 
    past, but the exact time it happened is not important. We also use this tense 
    when we want to talk about unfinished actions that started in the past and 

    continue to the present. We use the verbs ‘has’ or ‘have’ + past participle.

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    Read about the physical features of Rwanda

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    The vegetation of Rwanda is varied and includes grassland and savannah
    as well as steep, forested mountainsides. Rwanda has an abundance of 

    wildlife including gorillas, hippos, chimpanzees, storks and cranes. 

    The main rivers of Rwanda are the Mwogo, Rukarara, Mukungwa, Base, 
    Ruhondo, Akagera, Nyabarongo and the Akanyaru. Rwanda also contains 
    many lakes. The main lakes are Lakes Kivu, Cyohoha, Muhazi, Ihema, 

    Rweru, Burera, Ruhondo and Mugesera.

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    Grammar focus
    Using the present perfect tense with ‘since’
    When we use the present perfect, we can specify a period of time before now by 
    using the word ‘since’ and a point in time. For example:
    • She has lived here since 1980.
    • We have taught at this school since 1965.

    • We have been learning English since we were in primary school.

    Read about the population of Rwanda

    The population of Rwanda was about 12 million in 2014. In 2010 the 
    population was 10.5 million. It is believed that the population is now 
    growing at a rapid rate of about 2.6%. Since 2002 the population has 
    increased by 2% per annum. However, since 1995 the death rate has 
    fallen by 3% per annum. It is also worth noting that the fertility rate in 
    Rwanda is very high, since a Rwandan mother has five children on 
    average. Rwanda is believed to be the most densely populated country in 
    Africa. By 2015, males represented 49.1% of the total population and 
    females represented 50.9%
    The population is united by homogeneity of language and culture, which 

    has created a group of people with socio-cultural pride and self-esteem.

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    Read about the climate of Rwanda
    Rwanda is located a few degrees South of the equator. The country is 
    characterised by moderate temperatures and ample rainfall. The climate 
    of Rwanda is influenced by the country's diverse physical features. The 
    most mountainous province is the Northern Province, which is 

    characterised by low temperatures and relatively high rainfall.

    There are two rainy seasons, namely between March and May, and 
    between September and December. The average rainfall is 110–190 mm 
    per month. The hottest months are always June, July and August. There is 
    a dry spell during January and February. The average temperature is 

    between 25° C and 27° C.

    Activity 5: Interpret a graph

    The following graph shows Kigali’s average temperature and rainfall. Examine 

    the graph and answer the questions that follow.

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    Grammar focus

    Use the active and passive voice
    The passive voice happens when you make the object of an action into the 
    subject of a sentence. For example, instead of writing: The seagull caught a 
    fish    , we can write: The fish was caught by the seagull.
    In the first sentence, ‘the seagull’ is the subject of the sentence and ‘the fish’ 
    is the object of the sentence. In the second sentence, we have put ‘the fish’ first 
    and made it into the subject of the sentence.
    A way to identify the passive voice is to look for a form of the verb 'to be' + 
    past participle. If we change ‘the chicken crossed the road’ to ‘the road was 
    crossed by the chicken’,     we can identify the passive voice by ‘was crossed’. 
    This is the verb 'to be' and the past participle of 'cross'. We use the passive voice 
    when we put insistence to the action performed, and the Active voice is used to 

    insist the Subject or Doer of the action.

    Read about the economy of Rwanda

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    Agriculture in Rwanda

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    Activity 7: Identify the passive voice

    1. Identify the sentences in the text above that use the passive voice.

    2. Discuss the importance of agriculture in Rwanda, using the passive voice.

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    Writing and understanding

    Activity 11: Write a leaflet for tourists



    Activity 8: Practise using the passive voice
    Write four sentences about agriculture or tourism in Rwanda, using the passive 

    voice in your sentences.

    Activity 9: Read and understand
    Copy and complete this table with information from the texts on pages 7 and 8. 

    The first question has been done for you.

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    Vocabulary, pronunciation and spelling

    Activity 10: Match words and their meanings
    Use your dictionary to look up the words in the left-hand column of the table, 
    and then match them to the correct description in the right-hand column. Make 

    sure that you can pronounce the words correctly.

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    The land of a thousand hills 
    Rwanda is much known for its varied features. The views of its land from 
    different sides let both the inhabitat and people from other parts of the world 
    decide to move around the whole country to visit the beauty ot its attractive 
    environment. The ever green forests make a better home to stay for lions, 
    buffalos, gorillas, monkeys, antelopes, giraffes,zebra, …; 
    birds and reptiles of different types. All these characteristics make soil, lakes and 

    rivers, over a great range of hills that make its famous name.

    The paragraph above makes a good example of a Standard paragraph.
    A Standard Paragraph should have four main parts or sentences respectively 
    arranged in the following way:
    1. TheTopical or Key sentence which announces the idea to follow;
    2. The Argument(s) support the key sentence by justifying it. 
    3. The Example(s) which reinforce both the Key sentence and the Argument(s) by 
    providing proof through practical facts, that is, through illustrations.

    4. The conclusion sums up all what was said in the whole paragraph.

    Hints:
    • Give always a Title to A Standard Paragraph as a Writing Exercise.
    • The First and the last Sentences are the most important parts in a standard 
    paragraph.
    • Only the Standard Paragraph has the four parts consecutively arranged in the 
    way they are. Other forms of paragraphs have either a single part / sentence, 
    two, three or more sentences.
    • All sentences of a Standard paragraph are inter-connected and all of them talk 

    about the main Heading / title.

    Application Activity
    The Rwandan Tourism Board has asked you to prepare a leaflet about Rwanda 
    that can be given to tourists. 
    • Your leaflet must include information about the geographical features of 
    interest to tourists, for example national parks, climate, lakes and volcanoes. 
    You can refer to the map above for the names of important geographical 
    features.
    • Organise you information so that your leaflet is easy to read and understand. 
    You must make sure that you use headings, paragraphs and numbering. 

    • Make use of the present perfect tense and passive voice. 

    Ecotourism and environmental awareness 
    Rwanda is an emerging ecotourism destination. Ecotourism is 
    tourism that is directed towards encouraging people to visit exotic 
    natural environments. It is a fairly new but very important 
    industry. The money earned from ecotourism helps to support 
    conservation efforts and protect wildlife. It also provides jobs in 

    areas where there are often high levels of unemployment. Another

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    or ‘beautiful Nyungwe’, the project is helping to turn NNP into an 
    ecotourism destination. This will help to create employment and 
    provide income for local communities. It will also provide an 
    economic incentive, in the form of revenue, to conserve the park’s 

    rich biodiversity. 

    The NNP is a rainforest located in South-Western Rwanda. It 
    borders on Burundi in the South and Lake Kivu and the 
    Democratic Republic of the Congo to the West. The NNP includes 
    the largest stretch of remaining mountain in East and Central 
    Africa. It is home to about 310 different bird species, hundreds of 
    butterflies and orchids, and over 75 different species of mammals 

    – including 13 primates (about a quarter of all Africa’s primates).

    Application Activity 5: Discuss environmental awareness in Rwanda
    1. In your groups, find the NNP on a map.
    2. See how many other Rwandan national parks you can find and name.
    3. Analyse the environmental importance of ecotourism.
    4. Discuss what you think would be the long-term outcome if national parks 
    were not protected and ecotourism was not encouraged.
    5. Research and find out how ecotourism helps both the national economy 

    and local communities.

    Text: Read the following passage and answer the questions below

    Environment and health

    Human health is intimately linked to the health of the
    environment. Due to rapidly increasing impacts on our planet, 
    threats to human health are escalating.  Among these threats
    are an increasing incidence of cancer caused by pollution of air, 
    land and water, and outbreaks of infectious diseases caused by 
    habitat disruption. It was widely thought that tropical forests 
    and intact natural environment teeming with exotic wildlife 
    threatened 
    humans by harboring the viruses and pathogens that lead to 

    new diseases in humans like Ebola, HIV and dengue.

    But a number of researchers today think that it is actually 
    humanity’s destruction of biodiversity that creates the conditions 
    for new viruses and diseases like COVID-19, the viral disease that 
    emerged in China in December 2019, to arise—with profound

    health and economic impacts in rich and poor countries alike.

    The environmental sector plays a key role in early warning, 
    detection, and identifying disease risk, as well as in response. 
    Human activity degrades our environment every day leading to 
    water, air and soil pollution. Therefore, improving the quality 
    of the environment in key areas such as air, water and noise can 
    prevent diseases and improve human health. Noise exposure from 
    transport sources and industry can lead to annoyance, sleep 
    disturbance and related increase in the risk of hypertension and 

    cardiovascular diseases.

    Comprehension questions 
    1. Explain the impact of environment on health.
    2. Explain how environment destruction can lead to different diseases and 
    pandemics. 
    3. What are the risks of noise exposure from transport sources?
    4. List different diseases causes by air pollution and suggest prevention 

    measures. 

    Vocabulary 
    Construct your own sentences using each of the following 
    words
    a) outbreaks
    b) habitat
    c) exotic
    d) viruses
    e) pathogens
    f) profound
    g) annoyance
    h) disturbance
    i) hypertension

    j) cardiovascular

    Application activity:
    1. Write a 300-word composition on environmental degradation.
    2. Debate on the following topic: Life is better in hot areas than in regions 

    with cold climate.

    Assessment
    1. Choose the correct option to complete the following sentences in the 
    present perfect tense:
    a) He ________ passed his exam.
    have 
    has 
    haven’t
    hasn’t 
    b) He ________ studied for the test.
    have has 
    hasn’t
    haven’t (2 marks)
    2. Fill in the missing word:
    a) Carene has been a professional singer ________ 1989.
    b) Joseph has been a pupil here ________ March. (2 marks)
    3. Rewrite the following sentences using the passive voice:
    a) We set the table.
    b) You do not write the letter.
    c) Does the police officer catch the thief?
    d) He opens the door. (4 marks)
    4. Rewrite the following using paragraphs, a main heading 
    and subheadings: (6 marks)
    The land of 1000 hills and home of the mountain gorillas. 
    We offer the following three tours to Rwanda’s national 
    parks, where you can see Rwanda’s primates. Mountain 
    Gorilla Safari – 4 Days. This is our shortest safari and 
    captures the essence of Rwanda. It includes a visit to the 
    mountain gorillas in Volcanoes National Park in Northern 
    Rwanda. Rwanda Primate Explorer – 7 Days. This safari is a 
    safari where you trek to the various primates found in 
    Rwanda. You will see the mighty mountain gorilla, 
    chimpanzees, the golden monkeys and the colobus, and 
    there is a chance you will see even more species. Rwanda 
    Discoverer – 7 Days. This safari includes both a visit to the 
    gorillas and the chimps, as well as a visit to the savannahs 
    of Akagera National Park in Eastern Rwanda, where a large 
    variety of animals and birds are found.
    5. Write a brief description of the beauty of Rwanda. Make 
    sure that you describe its physical features. (6 marks)

    Total (20)

    ◄HOW TO USE THIS BOOKUNIT 2: Education and personal development►