English

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

8.1 Speaking and writing: Measurements

8.1.1 Speaking and writing activity

• Form groups of six to eight learners. Stand next to your desk. Who is the tallest and who is the shortest in your group? Form a line. The tallest in the group should be at one end and the shortest at the other end. The group scribe should write down the names of the learners in your group. Write the names from the tallest to the shortest. Now you can sit down again.
• Get out your ruler and study it. What is the length of your ruler? Are all eight rulers the same length? Write down the number of centimetres in total.
• How many centimetres are there in a metre?
• Ask your teacher to give each group a space against the wall. Make little centimetre marks on the wall with a piece of chalk or a pencil. Use something that you can wipe off when you have finished.

• Each learner should take a turn to remove their shoes and socks. They will then stand against the wall. Another learner places a ruler horizontally on the head of the learner standing against the wall. They must press the end of the ruler up against the wall. Take care not to tilt the ruler. A third learner makes a mark on the wall where the ruler touches. Use a pencil or a piece of chalk to mark the learner’s height. Repeat this with each of the group members.
• Check that the learner measuring is being accurate. You will have
to mark the wall at the length of your ruler (usually 30 centimetres). Then you will have to measure the length of your ruler again from the mark made on the wall. Do this as often as necessary. Add the measured lengths together to get each person’s height.
• The scribe writes down the number of centimetres next to each name on the list.

• How did you arrive at the total height of each learner? For example, Isaro is the shortest in the class. We measured three ruler lengths,
plus 20.5 centimetres.
30 + 30 + 30 + 20.5 = 110.5 centimetres (cm) = 1.105 m, or
30 × 3 = 90 + 20.5 = 110.05 cm = 1.105 m.
• The scribe should read the names of the learners from the list and each learner’s height. That way each member of the group can write down the information.

8.2 Skills: Measure height, length and breadth or width

As you have seen in the Speaking and writing activity 8.1.1, you need a ruler or a measuring tape to measure height. The longer and more clearly marked your measuring instrument, the easier it is to measure. Keep the ruler or tape flat, level and straight. Do this when measuring vertically (up and down) or horizontally (from side to side). A measuring tape, for example, should not be twisted or slack. It should not loop from one point to the next.
Mark measured points clearly (against a wall or on a piece of paper).

 Height usually refers to the vertical distance between top and
bottom. We measure the height of a person, a tree or a building.
We say that a building or a tree is 50 metres high. We also speak
of a tall building or a tall tree. When we speak of people, we usually say:
He is two metres tall.
Length usually refers to the horizontal distance of an object, from
end to end. A metre of string measures one metre from one end to
the other.
Breadth or width usually refers to how wide something is. It is also measured with a ruler or a measuring tape.

8.2.1 Speaking and writing practice

1. Do not be shy to speak in English, even if your English is not quite right. Making mistakes is part of the process of learning a language. Look past the mistakes to the day you will be able to speak fluent English.

 a) Take your English textbook. Measure its length (from the top edge to the bottom edge of the cover). Write the length down.
b) Now measure its breadth (how broad it is) or width (how wide it is). ‘Breadth’ and ‘width’ mean the same in the context of measurement.
c) Also measure its depth or thickness, from the back cover to the front cover.
d) Measure the surface of your desk or table and its height from the floor.
e) Measure the seat of your chair and the height of the seat from the floor.

8.3 Language structure: Comparative and superlative adjectives

You have already learnt about comparative and superlative adjectives in Unit 2, page 29, and Unit 5, page 72. We use comparative adjectives to compare people and things.
For example:

How high is that cupboard? It is higher than the one next to it.
The cupboard behind the teacher’s table is the highest in the class.
• Higher is a comparative adjective. It compares two things and says that one is higher than the other.
• Highest is a superlative adjective. It compares more than two things and says which one is the highest.

Regular comparatives

Irregular comparatives

You use than to compare two things.
For example:
• This bench is longer than that one.
• My book is wider than yours.
• I need more help than you do.

When you want to express how things change, you may use two comparatives linked by and.
For example:
• Things are getting better and better.
• Grandfather is looking older and older.
• Food is getting more and more expensive.

You use the with the comparative to show that one thing depends on another.
For example:
• The quicker you work, the sooner you will finish the task.
• The slower you work, the longer it will take to finish.

You use the with superlatives.
For example:
• He is the tallest boy in the class.
• She is the shortest of all the girls in the school.

When an adjective consists of more than two syllables, you usually use more or most.
For example:
• This chair is more comfortable than that one.
• The teacher’s chair is the most comfortable of all.

8.3.1 Writing practice

1. Use the correct comparative or superlative form in each sentence. Exchange books and do peer marking.
a) Mihigo is much (tall) than me. In fact, he is the (tall) in the class.
b) We are doing (good) and (good) in English as the year progresses.
c) This table is (high) and (wide) than that one.
d) This subject is (interesting) than that one. Mathematics is the (interesting) of all.
e) The ceiling of the class is (high) than usual. That is why it is (cool) than the other rooms.

8.3.2 Writing practice

1. Use the correct comparative or superlative form in each sentence. Exchange books and do peer marking.
a) My aunt is very short. She is (short) than I am. She is the (short) in the family.
b) They are building a new hospital in Kigali. They say it is going to be (big) and (good) than the old one.
c) Our books are all of different sizes. Our Maths book is the (thick) of all.
d) Some books are (wide) than others.

8.3.3 Writing practice

and the superlative form of the word. Exchange books for peer marking.
a) high b) tall c) short d) wide e) narrow

Homework
Measure the height of your family and friends. List them in order of height, from the tallest to the shortest. Also measure a few pieces of furniture in your home. What is the length and breadth of your bed? The kitchen table? And the seat of a kitchen chair?

8.3.4 Speaking and writing practice

1. Compare the data you collected for homework about people’s height. For example: My brother is the tallest person in our home. He is 1 m 90 cm tall (or 1,9 m). How tall are you? I am 1 m 45 cm tall.
Repeat the data you collected aloud. For example: How tall is your grandmother? She is very short. She is only 1.4 metres tall. She is the shortest in our home.
2. Also compare the measurements of furniture that you took at home.

8.3.5 Writing practice

1. Complete the sentences. Write down the correct comparative form of the adjective in brackets.
a) Mutesi is (short) than her best friend.
b) Singh is (tall) than his brother.
c) My desk is a little (wide) than yours.
d) I think my chair at home is (comfortable) than my chair in class.
e) It is (hot) today than it was yesterday.
f) Fidele is (thin) than Ngabo.
g) My bed is (narrow) than the kitchen table.
h) The kitchen cupboard is (high) than the table.
i) Bwiza’s hair is (long) than Karisa’s.
j) Mutesi has (small) feet than I have.

8.3.6 Writing practice

1. Write down the correct comparative form of the adjective in brackets.
a) Bwiza is (tall) than Karisa.
b) Mutesi’s feet are (small) than mine.
c) Mutesi is (short) than me.
d) Fidele is (thin) than his brother.
e) Singh is (good) at Maths than Fidele.

8.3.7 Writing practice

1. Write down the correct superlative form of the adjective in brackets.
   a) My bed is the (comfortable) in our house.
   b) Our teacher is the (good) English teacher in the school.
   c) He is the (bad) player in the soccer team.
   d) Mutesi is the (bright) girl in Mathematics in the school.
   e) In our school most of the (good) performers are girls.

8.3.8 Writing practice

1. Make a sentence with each of the following comparatives or superlatives. 

Show that you understand how to use them.
  a) best
  b) more comfortable
  c) tallest
  d) most beautiful
  e) prettier

8.3.9 Writing activity

Write five sentences. Compare the people in your class or in your family. Use comparatives and superlatives in each sentence. Edit your work. Exchange notebooks with a partner and mark each other’s work

Homework
Do the following quiz. Write down the whole sentence and the option you think is correct.

 8.4 Skills: Weight, volume and area

English is the medium of instruction in your Maths class. It is important to learn to use English terms with confidence.
Here are a few examples:
Weight measures the mass of something. If you do not have a scale at home, visit the nearest health centre or clinic. Sometimes a doctor or nurse measures a child’s weight. They do this to judge whether the child is the right weight for its age. If a child is too light, it may be a sign of malnutrition or illness.

Volume is the amount of space that an item occupies. For example, the amount of water that can be held in a jug. If you have a one-litre jug, it means that it can hold one litre of water or milk.
Area is the size, extent or measurement of a surface. For example: What is the area of this floor (the flat surface of a room)?

Calculations
• To measure weight you need a scale. You can use a bathroom scale to weigh yourself. To weigh something in the kitchen, you need a kitchen scale. We measure weight in grams or kilograms.

• To calculate the volume of a box with straight sides, you need to find the cubic volume. You do this by multiplying the height by the width, by the depth. The answer will be in cubic centimetres (cm³). To measure the amount of water or milk you can pour into a jug, you can use a cup. A medium-sized cup holds 250 millilitres (ml). If you can pour four cups of water into a jug before it overflows, you have a one-litre jug. (A litre is 1000 millilitres, so a litre is four cups of 250 ml each.)

• To calculate the area of a flat surface you multiply the length by the width. This will give you an answer in cm² (square centimetres). To measure the area of your bedroom, measure the length of one wall. Then measure the length of the next wall from the one corner to the other. Multiply the two. For example, one wall measures
2 m and the other 3 m. The area is 3 × 2 = 6 square metres (m²).

8.4.1Writing practice

1. Explain these concepts in your own words.
   a) weight
   b) volume
   c) area
2. Now answer the questions.
a) How many 250 ml cups of water can you pour into a two-litre jug?
b) How many 250 ml glasses can you pour out of a 750 ml cold drink bottle?
c) How do you measure weight?
d) One wall is 4 m long and the other is 3 m long, in a room. What is the area of the room?

8.5 Vocabulary

1. Some words look almost the same, but are pronounced quite differently. Say them a few times and remember the pronunciation.

2. Choose one of the words to complete each sentence.

a) How much water does this jug ________?
b) I want one ________ of meat, please.
c) There are 100 ________ in a metre.
d) The material is ________ 1.15 metres long.
e) I am quite big, so I have to buy an ________ shirt.
f) Please ________ the area of this room after you have measured its length and width.
g) You work out the ________ by multiplying the length of the room by the width.
h) Height is a ________ measurement.

8.5.1 Speaking and listening activity

Form small groups (four to six). Have an informal discussion about weight, and size in clothes. Have you noticed that clothes from different countries often have different sizes? Use the following as guidelines:
• I weigh 40 kilos.
• She is heavier than me. Who is the heaviest?
• I have big feet. It is difficult to find shoes that fit.
• How much does he weigh?
• I wear size 7 shoes.
• He wears a size 15 shirt.
• What size shoes/shirt do you wear?

8.5.2 Reading and writing activity

1. Read the text on body proportions.

Body proportions

Artists study body proportions. They need to make sure that a drawing of a human figure looks like a real person. Proportion means that the head must not be too big for the body. It is fun to look at body proportions and measure your own against them!

Hold your open hand against your face. You will probably find that your longest finger touches your hairline. Your chin probably touches the bottom of your palm. Measure your flat hand with a ruler. Measure from the tip of the longest finger to the bottom of your palm. That is how long your face is! Add a centimetre for the curve of your skull, and that is the height of your head.

The space between your two eyes is probably the same as another eye. Your nose is the same as three eyes, stacked one above the other.

Your mouth is about the size of one eye below your nose. The mouth is about two eyes wide. Look at yourself in a mirror. Use your fingers to measure one of your eyes. Then use that measurement to check the proportions of the rest of your face.

A grown man and woman each measures between seven-and-a-half and eight of their own heads. A child of about five measures six of their own heads. The crotch (or top of the legs) is generally the middle point of the body. Look at the length from the top of the head to the crotch. You will see that it is roughly the same as the length from the crotch to the soles of the feet.

Men usually have wider shoulders than women. Children have narrower shoulders in proportion to their size than adults.
Do not take these proportions too seriously. There are many variations.

2. Answer the following questions in writing, and then mark them yourself (self-assessment).
a) What does the word ‘proportion’ mean?
b) Why do artists study human proportions?
c) How can you quite easily measure your face?
d) What is the approximate width of one’s eye? And its height?
e) Some people have smaller mouths than others. What is the width of your mouth?
f) What would make one man appear taller than another?
g) How many heads make up the height of a child of about five years?
h) Where is the middle point of your body, in length?

8.6 Sounds and spelling

Here are some more examples of the various pronunciations of /e/.

Say the words out loud until you are comfortable with them. Then look them up in a dictionary and check their pronunciation. Use any new words in sentences and write them down in your vocabulary book.

Homework
As you go home from school, measure the width of a road. You can also measure the route you walk to school. Just take care not to get in the way of traffic! Find out what distance you walk to school. Write down this information.

8.6.1 Speaking and writing activity

Measure the height and width of a classroom. Measure the size of your desk, the width of a chalkboard, bookshelf, etc.
Use the following as guidelines:
• How high is it? The building is 3 m high.
• How wide is it? The road is 4 m wide. This building is wider than that. The building is exactly 5 m wide.
• How long is it? The car is 3 m long and 1,5 m wide.
• Describe your calculations. The car covers an area of ________ and you calculate that by ________.

8.6.2 Writing activity

Write a text of three paragraphs. Explain the importance of measurement. Compare measurements, using comparatives and superlatives.
Do thorough planning. Arrange your thoughts. First paragraph: Explain the importance of measurement. Second paragraph: Give examples and compare measurements. Third paragraph: Repeat the importance of measurement very briefly. Conclude your argument.
After planning, write your text and edit it.
Either hand it in for formal assessment or exchange books with a partner for peer assessment.

 8.6.3 Speaking and writing activity

Measure the volume of water in a container. Use a smaller container which you know the volume of. Write down your findings. Use the following guidelines:
• There are 3 ℓ of water.
• There are about 3 ℓ of water (not precise).
                      • The bottle holds 1 ℓ of milk.
                      • How much water is there?
                      • How much milk/water does the jug hold?

Writing activity 8.6.4 

Consider the containers you used in the Speaking and writing activity 8.6.3. Write five sentences comparing the volume of the containers. Write down the information in your notebook. For example: We used a cold drink bottle which holds 750 ml to measure volume.

                                         Then we filled three cups equally to find the volume of the cups.

Homework
Measure the areas of your bedroom and kitchen. Write the measurements down, showing how you arrived at your answer.

8.6.5 Listening and writing activity

1. Pre-listening activity:
  a) What is the farthest you have ever travelled in Rwanda?
  b) How far from Kigali city do you live?
  c) How far do members of your family have to travel to work?
  d) How far do you live from school?

2. Read the questions in Question 4, so that you can listen for the answers.
3. Listen to the text on comparing distances in Rwanda. Your teacher may read it to you a second time.
4. Answer the questions. Talk about each answer. Then write down the answers in your own notebook.
   a) Name two neighbouring countries that are much bigger than Rwanda.
   b) What does ‘landlocked’ mean?
   c) What is the equator?
   d) Where does the capital city, Kigali, lie in relation to the rest of Rwanda?

   e) Two towns are mentioned in the text. One is in the far north-eastern part of Rwanda.

        The other is in the far south-western part. Name the two towns.
   f) How far apart are these two towns, in kilometres (more or less)?
  g) Which town is mentioned that is 156 km from Kigali, but almost level with it?
  h) How far is Muhanga from Kigali?

8.6.6 Reading and writing activity

1. Read the short text on comparing distances in Rwanda.

Comparing distances in Rwanda

Distances between cities are often given as as the crow flies, flying or straight line distance. This distance does not consider the loops caused by going through mountain passes or around obstructions. The distance by road may be longer than the straight line distance, but not shorter.
The distance from Kigali to Huye is shorter than the distance from Rusumo to Kagitumba. It is further from Rusizi to Rwamagana than from Karongi to Muhanga.
The condition of the road is important. It plays a significant role in the time it takes to travel from one city to another.

2. Answer these questions in your book.
a) Explain the expression ‘as the crow flies’ in your own words.
b) Why do you think a road will be longer if it has to cross
a mountain?
c) Find Kigali and Huye on a map. Measure the straight line distance and the approximate distance by road. What is the difference between the two?
d) Find Ngoma and Rusumo on the map. Measure the actual road distance between them. Are they less than 20 km apart? How do you know this?

8.6.7 Speaking and writing activity

1. Measure distances on a map, using the scale provided on the map. Write down the results.
2. Look at the scale that is provided. It can be about two or three centimetres to 50 km. Not all scales are the same. One scale was
1 cm : 11 km. You have to check carefully to see what scale the map
has been drawn to.

3. Once you have established the scale, measure the distances carefully with your ruler.
4. Which distances should you measure? Think about a place where a relative of yours lives. Measure the distance you would have to travel
to get there. If you do not live in Kigali, think about a visit to the city. Work out the distance to travel. Or consider where you would like to spend a holiday.
Some guidelines:
  • How far is it from Kigali to Rubavu? It is 150 km from Kigali to Rubavu.
  • It is further to Huye.

Checklist of learning

In this unit you learnt to:

• measure height, weight, length, width, volume and
• area describe calculations
• write a text comparing measurements.

8.7 Unit assessment

This section can be used for formative or summative assessment, or
for revision.
1. Use the correct comparative or superlative form in each sentence.
    a) We measured their height, and found that John is a little (tall) than Mutesi.
    b) John is also (heavy) than Mutesi because he is (round) than she is.
    c) Isaro is the (tall) boy in the school, even (tall) than John.
    d) We live (far) from the school than they do. We have a (long) distance to walk every day.
    e) The area of this class is (big) than that one.
     f) This mountain is (high) than that one, but the (high) peak is Mount Karisimbi.                                                                                                 [10]

2. Answer these questions from what you have learnt in this unit.
a) How do you measure height?
b) How do you measure weight?
c) How do you measure length?
d) How do you measure width?
e) How do you calculate volume?
f) How do you calculate area?                                                       [6 × 2 = 12]

3. Do these calculations.
a) A wall you want to paint is 4 m high and 6 m wide. What is the
area of the wall?
b) The path from the gate of the school is 500 m long and 4 m wide. What is the area of the path?
c) How many 250 ml cups can you fill out of a litre bottle of water?
d) If you can fill six 250 ml cups, how much water was in your container?                              [8]

4. Write a three-paragraph text about the importance of measurements. Compare different measurements. Plan the text carefully. Then write and edit it before handing it in for assessment.                   [20]                                                                                                                                Total marks: 50