Social and Religious Studies

Key unit competence: Recognise the importance of weather, flora and fauna in the District and how to preserve them.

                                                             Learning objectives

At the end of this unit, you should be able to:

Knowledge and understanding

•  State main elements of weather.
•  Suggest ways of preventing effects of bad weather.
•  Define flora.
•  Define fauna.
•  Identify different ways of preserving fauna.

Skills

•  Design simple weather instruments (rain gauge, thermometer).
•  Differentiate between bad weather and good weather.
•  Describe how weather affect human beings and vegetation.
•  Explain the importance of flora.
•  Discuss ways of preserving flora.
•  Explain the importance of fauna.

Attitudes and values

•  Acknowledge the importance of weather.
•  Recognise man’s role in contributing to good weather.
•  Acknowledge the importance of flora.
•  Show respect to flora.
•  Contribute to community practices that protect vegetation.
•  Acknowledge the importance of fauna.
•  Show respect to fauna. Participate in community practices that protect fauna.

Introductory activity

Look at the picture. Then talk about the following:

 1. Why do farmers need the sun?

2. Why do farmers need rain?

3. What do you prefer: when it rains or when it is sunny? 

4. What do you like best: to feel hot or to feel cold?

5. Do you like it when the wind blows? Why or why not?

These farmers are working hard. They are happy when the sun shines. They are also happy when it rains.

7.1 Weather

When we talk about the weather, we are talking about the state of the atmosphere. 

It is hot or cold, wet or dry, calm or stormy, clear or cloudy. We can measure weather at a given time in a place. 

We do this to know more about the weather. We can measure weather at a given time in a place. 

We do this to know more about the weather. Weather can change. It can be hot now. Later it can be cold. 

The sun can shine now. Later it can be cloudy.

Homework

1. On your own, follow the steps above to make a thermometer.

2. Check the level of water in your thermometer, at different times of the day.

3. Compare the weather over a few days. Then share your measurements with the rest of the class.

4. Write a sentence to say what you have learnt about the weather.

7.4 Effects of weather 

The weather has an effect on what we do. It also has an effect on plants and animals. 

If there is not enough rain, we have a drought. Then it is very dry. There is not enough water for plants to grow. 

There is not enough water for animals to drink. There is not enough water for us to use. 

The farmers suffer when there is not enough rain. Their crops die. There is no food to eat or sell. 

We all get hungry and sick. Droughts cause us to starve. If it rains a lot in our rainy season, we have floods. 

Then the water washes our houses and property away. We lose our crops. We lose our public assets.

Answer the questions below.

   1. What is the difference between good and bad weather?

   2. How does weather affect humans?

   3. How does weather affect plants and animals?

Homework

Read the case study before you answer the questions.

There were floods in Musanze (Northern Province), and in Nyabihu and Rubavu (Western Province). 

Heavy rain harmed the water sources. The water was dirty. People got sick. It also had a bad effect on schools, clinics

and roads. Houses were under the water. Maize and banana crops were ruined by floods.

Questions

  1. What is a flood?

  2. Why do floods happen?

  3. How do floods cause harm?

  4. Make a drawing of what bad weather looks like.

7.5 Problems caused by weather

Bad weather causes many problems. This happens when:

• The rainy season is too short. We don’t get enough rain.

• The rain is very heavy. It rains too much in a short time.

• We get floods and landslides. A landslide is when the soil gets muddy

     and washes away. It can destroy houses and roads.

• Sometimes the weather changes unexpectedly and we are not prepared.

    For example, the day was sunny when we left home so we did not take an

     umbrella and got caught in a storm.

Destroyed crops due to a drought                                  Flooded houses due to heavy rain

Exercise

 Discuss what problems weather causes.

7.6 Measures to overcome weather

There are things we can do to overcome or deal with bad weather. 

•  We can grow different crops at the same time. Some of the crops must be plants that do not need a lot of water.
•  We can protect the trees in the forest. It is easier to prevent mudslides and flooding if we have trees.
•  We can plant crops in such a way that they prevent the soil from getting too dry.
•  We should not build our houses next to rivers and lakes.• We should try to save water.

Activity 

1. Share ideas on how to overcome bad weather.

2. Make a drawing of your ideas. Explain your drawing to the class.

7.7 Flora

Flora are all the plants that grow in an area. Trees,

plants and flowers are called flora.

7.7.1 Flora and its importance in our district

Flora is necessary. We need flora to live. We depend on plants. Plants produce oxygen. This is in the air

we breathe to stay alive.

Activity

1. Explain why flora is important.

2. Make a garden in the school grounds.

        a) Get the soil ready so you can plant seeds. Turn the soil over. Take the weeds out.

       b) Plant the seeds. Water the garden. Watch the plants grow. Later on, you can eat what you have planted!

7.7.2 Ways of preserving flora

To preserve flora is to look after and protect it. 

We can do this if we:

•  plant a tree for every tree we chop down
•  only take what we need and preserve our local plants
•  never let too many goats and cattle graze in one place
•  avoid farming in all open spaces 
•  preserve the forests and bushes
•  create more national parks to preserve flora.

Activity

Nyungwe Forest National Park has a lot of flora. There are more than 200 different types of trees. There are more than 100 different types of orchids. We must preserve our flora.

       1. Visit a nearby swamp, forest, mountain or lake. Look carefully at what you see. How many different plants do you see? What are their colours? What else can you see? Are there insects? Are there birds? Is there water?

     2. Make a summary of what you saw.

    3. Make a drawing of the most interesting thing you saw.

    4. Present your summary and drawing to the class.

    5. Discuss how to preserve our flora in the district. Explain what we should do.

7.7.5 Ways of preserving fauna

We need to preserve our fauna. We can do this when we:

•  respect all fauna
•  never kill, unless we need to eat it
•  never take bird eggs out of their nests
•  do not throw stones at animals
•  keep enough land for fauna and do not use all the land for farming
•  do not chop down too many trees
•  never kill elephants for their tusks or rhino for their horns
•  do not use animal parts to make crafts for tourists
•  avoid overfishing and only take what we need
•  never poach. To poach is to kill wild animals in a national park
•  make sure domestic animals do not pass diseases to wild animals
•  do not cause bush fires
•  have more national parks where fauna can be preserved.

         Preserve our animals. Do not kill them.

Activity

Go on a field tour to a nearby game park.

1.   Write down what you see.

2.   What did you like the most about your tour? 

3.    How do you feel when you see animals?

4.    How many different types of fauna did you see?

5.    Make a drawing of one animal you liked.

6.   Discuss how to preserve fauna. Then share your best ideas with the class.

7.   Write a sentence to say how you will respect and preserve fauna.

End Unit assessment

1. Make a poster to show how you can preserve our fauna and flora. 

Hints:

• You can use the flat side of an old cardboard box for your poster.
•  Make drawings and write important words in big letters on your poster.

2. Show your poster to the class. Answer any questions the other learners ask.