Chapter 01 : The family garden

In this unit you will learn how to:

• read and answer questions on a passage about The family garden.
• pronounce and use vocabulary found in the passage.
• express ongoing activities.
• express habitual actions in the present.
• ask and answer questions on ongoing actions .
• ask and answer questions on actions that happen regularly.
• write a short paragraph.

Activity 1: Reading practice

Read the passage after the picture and answer the questions that follow.

Bilingi lives with his parents in a small village called Terat. Their house is on the top of a small hill. It is a beautiful place with many trees that provide fresh air throughout the year. There is a river which is very close to their farm. It is called Naura.

Bilingi's parents are farmers. They grow various kinds of vegetables such as carrots, onions, cucumbers, green peppers, cabbages, and spinach. They also grow fruits such as oranges, mangoes and avocados.

Every morning during the holidays, Bilingi and his parents go to the river to fetch water for watering the garden. They also apply manure in their garden to enable vegetables to grow well and fast.

The garden looks attractive. The vegetables and fruits are now ready for harvest. The family uses some of them for food and sells the surplus. In their village, there is a market called Twendepamoja. Bilingi and his parents take their fruits and vegetables there. At the market, they put a price list on one side of their products.

People in the village like their farm produce. Bilingi and his parents get a lot of money. They use the money to buy foodstuffs such as rice, meat, cooking oil, salt and sugar. They also buy clothes. Bilingi and his parents are very happy.

a) Match the names of fruits and vegetables in the price list with the pictures showing their prices.

Price List

b) Questions

1. Where do Bilingi and his parents live?

2. Where is the family house built?

3. What do Bilingi's parents do?

4. What kind of vegetables do they grow?

5. Where do they fetch water from?

6. How does the family make money?

7. How do they spend their money?

8. What is the price of one kilogramme of green peppers?

Activity 2: Speaking practice

(a) Look at the pictures and tell a short story about them.

(b) Read the pairs of words aloud.

(c) Read the following sentences several times. Increase the reading speed as you read the second and third time.

1. A big black bug bit a big black dog on his big black nose.

2. Peter the Piper put cheap pepper on a piece of paper.

Activity 3: Vocabulary practice

(a) Match the words in column X with their meanings in column Y.

(b) Select words from the box to complete the sentences that follow.

1. He used to . . . . . . . . water after school hours.

2. Anything more than you need is . . . . . . . .

3. Trees are a good . . . . . . . . of fresh air in our environment.

4. Growing . . . . . . . . . . is a good source of money in families.

5. They use . . . . . . . . . . in the garden to make vegetables grow well.

6. Family members are . . . . . . . . . . the garden now.

7. Flour, sugar, rice, and beans are . . . . . . . . . . .

8. The . . . . . . . . . . of one piece of cucumber is 1,000

9. The garden looks . . . . . . . . . . . .

10. . . . . . . . . . . .air is very important to our health.

Activity 4: Language practice

(a) Use the correct form of the verb to fill in the blanks.

1. Bilingi . . . . . . . . . .(work) in the garden during the holidays.

2. It . . . . . . . . . . (rain) every weekend.

3. They . . . . . . . . . . . . (live) in a small village called Terat.

4. He . . . . . . . . . . (cook) potatoes every day.

5. They . . . . . . . . . (go) to the river every morning.

(b) Change the following sentences into the negative form.

Example:

• It is a beautiful place.
• It is not a beautiful place.

1. The vegetables and fruits are ready to harvest.

2. Their house is on the top of a hill.

3. His parents are farmers.

4. There is a market in their village.

5. Their garden is attractive.

(c) Change the following sentences into questions.

Example:

• It is a beautiful place.
• Is it a beautiful place?

1. The garden looks attractive.

2. Vegetables and fruits are ready to harvest.

3. Their house is on the top of a hill.

4. Bilingi's parents are farmers.

5. There is a market called Twendepamoja in their village.

Activity 5 : Writing practices

Look the following pictures and complete the sentences that follow

Bilingi is . . . . . . .a bucket	He is . . . . . . . . . his bucket with water from the river.
Bilingi is . . . . . . . back to the garden from river	Bilingi is . . . . . . . . . the garden
Bilingi . . . . . . . . . watering the flowers	Bilingi's parents are . . . . . .home. His father is carrying a . . . . . . . . and his mother is carrying a . . . . . . . . full of . . . . . . . .