Improving Crops Yield – Growing Crops with Compost and Chemical Fertilizer (Primary 6)

BASIC SCIENCE 

FIRST TERM

WEEK 8

PRIMARY 6 

THEME: IMPROVING CROPS YIELD 

PREVIOUS LESSON –

• Living and Non Living Things – Identification and Characteristics of Living and Non Living Things (Primary 6)

• Living and Non Living Things – Identification and Characteristics of Living and Non Living Things ASEI PDSI METHOD (Primary 6)

 

TOPIC: GROWING OF CROPS 

LEARNING AREA 

1. Growing Crops with Compost and Fertilizer

2. Conditions for Better Crops

3. Importance of Manure and Fertilizers on the soil

 

PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVES

By the end of the lesson, the pupils should have attained the following objectives (cognitive, affective and psychomotor) and be able to:

1. name and describe some common fertilizer;

2. use compost and inorganic fertilizers to grow crops;

3. compare the effects of using compost and inorganic fertilizer in growing crops.

ENTRY BEHAVIOR

Grow plants

INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS

The teacher will teach the lesson with the aid of:

Soil

School’s farm

Maize, beans, spinach seedling

Animals dung

Compost

Chemical fertilizer

Farm implement – hoe, shovel, cutlass, hand towel, etc.

METHOD OF TEACHING – Choose a suitable and appropriate methods for the lessons.

Note – Irrespective of choosing methods of teaching, always introduce an activities that will arouse pupil’s interest or lead them to the lessons. 

REFERENCE MATERIALS

Scheme of Work

9 – Years Basic Education Curriculum

MacMillan Basic Science and Technology Book 6

Foundation of Basic Science and Technology Book 6

All Relevant Material

Online Information – Improving Crop Yield – Growing Crops with Compost and Fertilizers ASEI PDSI METHOD (Primary 6)

Related posts – improving crops yield – food and cash crops. Scheme of Work – first term – second term – third term

CONTENT OF THE LESSON

LESSON ONE – INTRODUCTION TO GROWING OF CROPS 

Growing crops include loosening the soil, planting, special watering, moving plants when they grow bigger, and harvesting, among others.

Crop is any useful plant. It also mean any plant intentionally grown for its useful value.

Examples of crops are – maize, pineapple, plantain, yam, cocoyam, palm tree, etc.

Weeds are unwanted plants. Examples of weeds are crops, grasses and trees that are not intentionally grown.

TYPES OF FERTILIZER

A fertilizer is any material added to the soil to increase its nutrient level. Fertilizer is needed where soil has lost its nutrients due to continuous cropping or erosion.

Crops planted in an infertile soil will produce low yield and waste the effort of farmer.

There are two major types of fertilizer:

1. Compost fertilizer

2. Chemical fertilizer

LESSON TWO – GROWING CROPS WITH COMPOST FERTILIZERS 

Compost is also called manure. These are fertilizers that are made from living things – plants and animals.

Compost is usually mixed with the soil before planting or apply 10 cm away from the plant.

GROWING CROPS WITH CHEMICAL FERTILIZER

Fertilizers are made from three elements that plants need for healthy growth.

These elements are N – nitrogen, P – Phosphorus and K – Potassium. It is also known as NPK fertilizer.

LESSON THREE – CONDITIONS FOR GROWING BETTER CROPS 

The condition for growing better crops include –

1. Good and improve seeds or seedlings.

2. Soil nutrients.

3. Fertilizer, if the soil loose its nutrients.

4. Good and favorable weather conditions such as rain water, good temperature, warmth and sunlight.

Plants need sufficient water and sunlight in order to well and produce better crops.

IMPORTANCE/EFFECTS OF MANURE AND FERTILIZER TO THE SOIL 

1. It helps crops to grow strong and tall.

2. It makes crops develop large leaves.

3. It helps crops to produce good fruits and seeds.

4. It protects crops against diseases.

5. It improves soil structure.

 

PRESENTATION

To deliver the lesson, the teacher adopts the following steps:

1. To introduce the lesson, the teacher revises the previous lesson. Based on this, he/she asks the pupils some questions;

2. Arranges for an extension worker to talk to and train pupils on growing healthy crops;

Pupil’s Activities – Listen and learn about growing crops.

3.Takes pupils on a visit to a farm;

Pupil’s Activities – Compare the crops found on the farms; prepare land for planting crops.

4. Guides pupils to prepare a compost pit;

Pupil’s Activities – Grow some maize and spinach with/out compost.

5. Guides pupils to prepare their garden and plant some crops;

Pupil’s Activities – Grow some maize and spinach with/out chemical fertiliser and compost;

6. Teacher’s/Pupil’s Activities – After 4 weeks, compare the crops in terms of:

• Growth,

• Colour of leaves,

• Deduce which crops grow best in the three cases – with compost, chemical fertiliser and without compost or fertiliser.

CONCLUSION

• To conclude the lesson for the week, the teacher revises the entire lesson and links it to the following week’s lesson – improving Crops yield II.

LESSON EVALUATION

Pupils to:

1. Identify and name three common fertilizers;

2. Use compost and chemical fertilizer to grow grow crops;

3. Compare the effects of chemicals fertiliser and compost on:

• Maize

• Spinach or vegetable crops, etc.