English

Key unit competence: To use language learnt in the context of community services.

7.1 Speaking and listening: Community services

Discuss how many people use local transport.
Use determiners of quantity, that you learnt about in Unit 6, such as some, many, a few, lots of, etc.

Here are some guidelines to help you:
  • We have regular road transport in our district.
  • Many people travel by bicycle.
  • Some people use river transport for freight (the transport of goods).

Write down the main points of the discussion.

7.1.2 Writing activity

Write five sentences about how many people use local transport and how frequent it is. Pay attention to some, many, a few and adverbs of frequency. For notes on adverbs of frequency, see Unit 3, page 41.
For example:
  • Most people use buses as they run at the same time every day.
  • Boats are not as frequent as buses.

When you have finished writing, exchange books with a partner and mark each other’s work.

7.1.3 Reading and writing activity

Match the picture of each road problem with the appropriate sentence.

7.2 Vocabulary

Remember to use a monolingual (one language, English) or bilingual (two languages, Kinyarwanda or French and English) dictionary in every lesson.
Study the vocabulary that you will come across in this unit.
• Forms of transport: by road, air, water, on foot (not by foot)
• Accommodation: service, price, management, hotel, guesthouse, etc.
• Road users: pedestrians, cars, vans, lorry/lorries, etc.

7.2.1 Writing and speaking practice

Copy this table into your notebook. Look up the pronunciation and meaning of words where they have been left out. Write the words that are new to you in your vocabulary book. Use them in sentences to remember their meaning.

Homework
Complete the word block. See how many words you can find. Write down the words that you have found. There are 16 of them. They are arranged right to left, left to right, up and down, and diagonally from both sides.

7.2.2 Speaking and listening activity

Discuss road problems and how to solve them, using should. Use the pictures and descriptions in Activity 7.3 as a starting point. Speak from your own experiences. Discuss the different things you can do to prevent accidents on the roads.

For example:
  • Is it dangerous to be a pedestrian in Rwanda?
  • Are there pavements for pedestrians to walk on?
  • Is it dangerous to ride a bicycle in Rwanda
  (your town or village)?
  • Do drivers obey the rules of the road?
  • Are there many accidents?
  • How should we improve our roads?
  • Accidents cause problems on our roads.
  • We should build better roads.

After the discussion, present your findings to the rest of the class. Compare notes.

7.2.3 Writing activity

Write three paragraphs on road use and road safety in Rwanda. You may base your writing on the discussion in the Speaking and listening activity 7.2.2.
• Plan your text carefully as you have been taught.
• Write the text and edit it.
• Hand it in for formal assessment or exchange books for peer assessment.

7.3 Language structure: Revision of conditionals, modal verbs and adverbs of frequency

You have studied all these language structures before:
• Conditionals: (if sentences) Unit 4 page 67; Unit 6 page 96.
• Modal verbs: (should, would, have to, need to) Unit 1 page 11; Unit 4 page 63; Unit 6 page 100.
• Adverbs of frequency: (every day, every two days, once a week) Unit 3 page 41.

Read the notes on these structures in the units mentioned. You could also turn back to the exercises you did in your notebook, which you marked and corrected.
Then do the following exercises.

7.3.1Writing practice

1. Use the correct conditional structure to complete the sentences.
a) If people obey the rules of the road, ________.
b) If pedestrians walk facing the oncoming traffic, ________.
c) If potholes are repaired properly, ________.
d) If the hard shoulders of the road are properly maintained, ________.
e) If drivers do not drink and drive, ________.

7.3.2 Writing practice

1. Complete the conditional sentences.
    a) If ________, there will be fewer accidents involving bicycles.
   b) If ________, motorists will be able to see them at night.
   c) If ________, the tyres of vehicles will not be damaged so often.
   d) If ________, there will be fewer accidents.
   e) If ________, traffic will move more swiftly.

7.3.3 Writing practice

1. Complete the sentences with an appropriate modal verb.
a) Pedestrians ________ wear light-coloured clothing at night to make them more visible.
b) Drivers ________ not drink and drive.
c) Road users ________ not use their cell phones while walking, cycling or driving as they will not be concentrating on the road.
d) Motorcyclists ________ obey traffic signs to avoid accidents.
e) Potholes ________ be repaired quickly, because they cause damage to tyres.

7.3.4 Writing practice

1. Use appropriate adverbs of frequency to complete the sentences.
a) The bus stops at our village ________.
b) We walk to school ________.
c) People ________ ride motorcycles in Rwanda.
d) There is an accident at that crossing ________.
e) He ________ rides his bicycle to school, otherwise he walks.

7.3.5 Reading and writing activity

1. Discuss these questions before you read the text.
  a) How do you travel to school? Do you walk or take a taxi?
  b) Are there any services close to your school?
  c) Where is the nearest bank or post office?
  d) What do you do when you pop into a shop?
2. Read the text.

Enocle’s school
Enocle attends a school in the city and it is very busy. There are many activities for learners to take part in. These include sport, debate, school choir, traditional dancing and drama.
If the learners want to compete with other schools, they have to travel. Sometimes a bus is hired for them. If they go in smaller groups, the school will hire a taxi.

The school is not a boarding school. The learners have to travel to school every day. Transport services are available, but most of the learners walk. On their way to school and home again, they are pedestrians. At school they are taught the rules of the road.

They have to be careful when crossing the road. They should look both ways before they cross. There are pedestrian crossings at the main roads, but not everywhere. Other learners ride their bicycles to school. If they are carrying their heavy bags on their backs, it can be dangerous. Some travel by bus or taxi. Others are brought to school by motorcar, if their parents have cars. There are very few of them.
Because the school is in the city, there are many services available. The school has a tuck shop. There is also a café, a small supermarket, a bank and a post office near the school. The bus stop is right outside the school grounds and a taxi rank is nearby.
The learners like their school and are happy there. The many activities keep them off the streets and out of trouble after school. Enocle’s mother sometimes gives him money.

He uses this to buy bread or sugar at the supermarket on his way home.

The cashiers are friendly; they know him well because he pops in there most days. 

3. Answer the questions in writing.
   a) Do you agree that Enocle’s school is very busy? Explain your answer.
   b) How do learners travel to other schools for tournaments and competitions?
   c) Why do you think most learners walk to school?
   d) What does the school do to encourage learners to use the roads safely?
  e) Apart from walking, mention four ways in which learners travel to school.
   f) What services are provided near the school? Name four.
  g) How does the school benefit the learners with after-school (extracurricular) activities?
  h) What does a cashier in a shop do?
   i) Where else does one find cashiers?
   j) What does one need a post office for?
k) Read the text again. Identify all the examples of the conditional tense that you find, and write them down.
4. Exchange notebooks with a partner for peer marking.

7.4 Language structure: Comparatives and superlatives, determiners of quantity and adverbs

You have studied these structures before:
  • Comparatives and superlatives: Unit 2 page 29, Unit 5 page 72.
  • Determiners of quantity: Unit 6 page 99.

A word which modifies a noun or pronoun is called an adjective.
Nouns can be compared using comparative and superlative adjectives.
For example:
A taxi is fast. A bus is faster than a taxi. An aeroplane is the fastest of them all.
Study the notes in the units referred to. You can also look back in your notebook to find the exercises that you did and corrected.

7.4.1 Writing practice

Complete the table.

7.4.2 Writing practice

1. Complete the sentence using the correct comparative or superlative form in brackets.
  a) Air transport is generally thought to be the (safe) form of transport and also the (fast).
  b) Roads that are well-maintained are (dangerous) than roads where maintenance is not done regularly.
  c) A motorcar as a taxi is (comfortable) than a motorcycle taxi.
  d) Buses may be (slow) than aeroplanes, but they are much (expensive).

7.4.3 Writing practice

1. Fill in an appropriate comparative or superlative in each sentence.
   a) Air transport is the (fast) of all, but it is also the (expensive).
   b) Road transport is (popular) than water transport in Rwanda.
   c) Taxis are (small) than buses, but are also popular.
   d) Motorcycles are the (small) taxis that there are in Rwanda.

7.4.4 Writing practice

1. Fill in an appropriate comparative or superlative in each sentence.
a) Air transport is usually used only by businessmen and by the (rich) citizens of Rwanda.
b) Rail transport is being planned and will be (fast) and (safe) than road transport.
c) Buses are (regular) in the cities than in the rural areas.
d) Small passenger vehicles are becoming (popular) in Rwanda, but motorcycles are still the (popular).

7.4.5 Listening and writing activity

1. Before you listen to the text, discuss these questions.
    a) How do you get to school every day?
    b) Does someone in your family have a motorcar?
    c) Have you ever travelled by aeroplane? Do you know anyone who has?
2. Quickly read through the questions below. Keep them in mind when you listen to the text.
3. Listen carefully to the text your teacher will read to you. The teacher may read it to you a second time if you need it. Pay particular attention to the comparatives and superlatives that you hear.

4. Now answer the questions in writing. When you have finished, exchange books and mark each other’s work.
    a) Why can people travel fairly comfortably in Rwanda?
    b) What is the oldest form of transport that can still be seen on the roads?
    c) Why can this form of transport be a problem in the cities?
    d) Why do you think motorcycles are so popular? Give two reasons.
    e) Of what type of vehicle has there been a sharp increase?
    f) Does this mean that people no longer use public transport?
    g) How do most people travel to work?
    h) Is there a lot of water transport in Rwanda?
    i) Which is the fastest type of transport?
    j) Which is safer, road transport or air transport?

7.5 Skills: Conduct a survey and write a report

A survey is a piece of research on any topic to gather information. Surveys are done all the time. People do surveys to find out how many children there are in an area for a new school. Others may conduct a survey to find out how many vehicles use a road which needs repairing. There are five basic steps to follow:

1. Create the question/questions.
2. Formulate your hypothesis (the probable answer you are expecting to get).
3. Ask the question or observe the situation.
4. Tally (calculate) the results.
5. Present the results.

The results can be presented in different ways. You can write a report. You can also present the results visually, in a graph.
For example:

Let us do a quick survey in class to practise this skill. Work in your notebook so that you have an example. Work in groups of eight, so that each group surveys a small portion of the learners in the class. In the end you just add the findings together to arrive at the results.

1. Create the question: How do the learners in my class get to school in the morning?
2. Formulate your hypothesis: I think most of them walk to school,

but there are other ways they may travel to school.
3. Now ask the question in each group. ‘How do you get to school in the morning?’

Tick the appropriate space, as illustrated in the table.

(Leave some blank space to write responses you did not think of.)
4. In your group, four learners walk to school, two use a bicycle, one arrives by taxi, and one by bus. The ticks in other colours represent the other groups’ information that you have collected. Your questionnaire (list of questions and answers for doing a survey) might look like the sample when all the groups have been added. Let us say there are 42 learners in your class.

5. Present the results.
6. Look at the examples below. Which form of reporting has the greatest impact, in your opinion?

In writing
Of 42 learners in our class, 19 walk to school (45%); 6 ride their bicycles (14%); 3 ride their motorcycles (7%); 2 travel to school by
taxi (5%); 8 travel by bus (19%); and 4 are brought to school by a
parent or relative (10%).
Conclusion: The majority of learners walk to school.
The smallest number travel by taxi.

As a pie chart

As a line graph

As a bar graph

Homework
You have prepared a questionnaire for your homework in class. In class
you should:

1. Create the question and write it at the top of your survey form. Include which hour of the day you are doing this survey. Try to choose between four and five o’clock in the afternoon.
2. Formulate your hypothesis (I am expecting pedestrians. What vehicles am I likely to see? Passenger cars, bicycles, lorries, etc.). Write the sentences down the left-hand side of your questionnaire, like the example you did in class.
3. Choose a suitable location: a road or at an intersection (where two roads cross) and observe the situation. Put a tick in the appropriate block every time a pedestrian or vehicle in one of your categories passes. Leave space for unexpected new categories.
4. Take your record of findings to school for your next lesson.

7.5.1 Writing and speaking activity

1. You are going to report your findings. First check whether you can answer all the following questions.
   • How many passenger cars used the road in one hour?
   • How many people walked along the road?
   • How many vans/lorries/buses/taxis/bicycles/motorcycles used the road? (Each type of vehicle in this  sentence represents a separate category.)

2. Then calculate the percentage of each of the categories of users as follows:
Calculate the road users in the various categories as a percentage of the total (number of users in a category ÷ total of all users × 100 = %).
3. Now prepare a written report, including details on which road you observed and your findings in detail.
4. Compare your findings. Who observed the busiest road?

7.5.2 Writing and speaking activity

Use the same data as you used for your written report. Design a graphic report to illustrate your findings. Choose one of the graphic methods of reporting on page 116 (pie chart, line graph, bar graph). Compile one of them to illustrate your findings.
Share this graph with members of your group. Choose the best graph in the group. Your teacher will give those who produced the best graphs an opportunity to show them to the class.

7.5.3 Reading and writing activity

1. Read the short text about service provision in Rwanda.

Service provision in Rwanda
The government is the largest service provider in Rwanda, and in most other countries. Many of the services are provided with government funding and foreign funding.

The Water and Sanitation Corporation is in charge of water supply in urban areas. Most of Rwanda’s electricity comes from hydropower.

Solar power generates some of the electricity. An interesting new development is a solar farm established in the Eastern Province. A large number of solar (sun) panels have been erected to capture the power of the sun. This is then changed into electricity. There is gas at the bottom of Lake Kivu. This is soon going to be pumped out to provide power for a power plant which will produce electricity.

We throw away solid waste every day –
paper, food remains, cans, boxes and so on.
Plans are being made to improve waste collection and management. Waste must be reduced by recycling as much as possible. There are also plans to turn waste into compost and briquettes for burning.

The health system is decentralised and focuses mainly on primary health care. This is the prevention of diseases (immunisation including vaccination) and the provision of basic care for illness or accidents. Education is also a service which the government provides.

Many more services are provided by private enterprise. These include transport, banking and cell phone services.

  2. Answer the questions.
a) Who is the largest service provider in Rwanda?
b) What does ‘foreign funding’ mean?
c) What is hydropower?
d) Why, in your opinion, does Rwanda make use of mainly hydropower to generate electricity?
e) What is a ‘solar farm’?
f) What is ‘solid waste’?
g) How do you think your family can reduce the amount of solid waste you throw away?
h) What plans do the government have to reduce waste?

7.5.4 Speaking and listening activity

Discuss the kind of services provided in your community.
• What services are provided in your area?
• What is the quality of the service? How good or bad is it?
• Is the service regular? Can you rely on it?
• Are the service providers friendly and helpful?
• How do members of the community treat the service providers?
Do they treat them with respect and friendliness?
• Are these services useful to the community?
• Are there services that are not available or that should be improved?

7.5.5 Speaking and writing activity

Use your discussion in the Speaking and listening activity 7.5.4 to draw up a plan for improving local services, to present to the authorities. The plan should include at least five services that you would like to be provided or improved.

When you have finished drawing up the plan, write it in your notebook. Hand it in for formal assessment.

                                             Checklist of learning

In this unit you learnt to:

• describe how many people use different forms of transport and the frequency
• describe road problems and their solutions
• compare forms of transport
• carry out a survey of local road use and talk and write about it
• talk about and write a plan of local facilities.

7.6 Unit assessment

This section can be used for formative or summative assessment or for revision.
1. Who provides the following services in Rwanda?
a) Health care               b) Banking                                c) Education
d) Electricity                  e) Solid waste removal                                                      [5]2. Write five sentences using the following phrases including adverb of frequency.

a) every Sunday               b) three times a day              c) once a week
d) twice a month              e) every year

3. Provide the correct format of the comparative or superlative.
a) Air transport is the (fast) type of transport.
b) Water transport is a (slow) type of transport than road transport.
c) Bullock-cart is probably the (slow) type of transport, even slower than walking.

d) Road transport is the (popular) form of transport in Rwanda.
e) Air transport is the (expensive) type of transport.                                           [5]

4. Use the most appropriate modal verb in each sentence.
a) The workers ______ use road transport to get to work because
it is too far to walk.
b) The business woman ______ make use of air transport more often
as it will save her a lot of time.
c) The government ______ have a railway line built because railway transport is cheaper.
d) The learner ______ take the bus to school because she has injured her leg.
e) He ______ rides his bicycle to school, except when it is raining.                            [5]

5. Complete the conditionals.
a) If she catches the bus, ______.
b) If the mine provides transport for its workers, ______.
c) If motorcycles are banned, ______.
d) If more motorcars are allowed in the city, ______.
e) If buses are more regular, ______. [5]6. Fill in an appropriate word from the vocabulary you have learnt in this unit.
a) Collecting solid waste in the city needs good ______ to make sure that everything is collected.
b) Products are transported overseas from the nearest port by ______.
c) People use ______ on the river.
d) ______ delivery is all about attending to people’s needs.
e) Drivers need to be aware of ______ walking alongside the road.                  [5]7. Plan and write a three-paragraph text on transport in Rwanda.
Edit your work yourself and hand it in for assessment.                                      [20]                                                                                                         Total marks: 50