Ways of making the Soil Fertile or How to Maintain Soil Fertility Primary 4 (Basic 4) – Agriculture

 

AGRICULTURE 

PREVOCATIONAL STUDIES

FIRST TERM 

WEEK 7

PRIMARY 4

THEME – AGRICULTURE 

PREVIOUS LESSON – Meaning of Soil Fertility | Causes of Loss in Soil Fertility or How Soil can loose its Fertility Primary 4 (Basic 4) Agriculture

 

TOPIC: WAYS OF MAKING THE SOIL FERTILITY 

 

LEARNING AREA

1. Introductory Activities

2. How to Retain Soil Fertility

3. Lesson Evaluation and Weekly Assessment (Test)

 

PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVES

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

1. mention the causes of soil fertility.

2. describe ways of enriching soil fertility.

3. maintain the soil fertility of the school farm.

4. attempt 70% (and above) of weekly assessment correctly.

 

ENTRY BEHAVIOR

The pupils can state ways soil losses its fertility.

 

INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS

The teacher will teach the lesson with the aid of animals composed.

 

PRE – ACTIVITIES

Let the pupils apply animals compost to both plants.

 

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 – Basic Education Curriculum

Course Books

All Relevant Materials

Online Materials

 

CONTENT OF THE LESSON

LESSON 1 – INTRODUCTION

Soil fertility is the ability of soil to sustain agricultural plant growth by providing essential plant nutrients.

When the soil loss its fertility, it can support agricultural plants because of burning, leaching, overgrazing, land clearing and erosion.

 

WAYS OF MAKING THE SOIL FERTILE 

 

Soil can be make fertile in the following ways:

1. Adding fertilizer

2. Mulching

3. Crop rotation

4. leaving fallow

5. Afforestation

 

LESSON 2 – HOW TO MAINTAIN SOIL FERTILITY 

1. ADDING FERTILIZER 

Fertilizer is an organic and inorganic materials that is added to the soil to supply plant nutrients.

Organic materials are decayed death plants and animals and their waste products in the environment. While inorganic materials are chemical compound.

 

2. MULCHING 

Mulching is a layer materials that is spread on top of the soil to protect the soil nutrients.

Mulching is very important because,

• it preserves the soil moisture

• it improves fertility and and health of the soil

• it reduces weed growth, and

• it enhances the visual appeal of the area.

 

3. CROP ROTATION 

 

Crop rotation is the practice of growing different crops on a piece of land at different seasons.

The planting of a particular crop this season will not be planted next season on the same land.

 

4. LAND FALLOW 

Fallow is the practice of leaving agricultural land for about a season or more without planting to naturally recover its nutrients.

 

5. AFFORESTATION 

Afforestation is the planning of new trees across the land without trees.

It is also a common practice that proceed deforestation.

 

ASSIGNMENT

Find out the meaning of compost.

 

LESSON 3 – LESSON SUMMARY AND WEEKLY ASSESSMENT 

 

POST LESSON ACTIVITIES

Make a list of all materials needed for the next lesson and the ones the pupils have to sort out. For example – animals dung, dry leaves, etc.

 

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. Asks pupils to state why we apply animals compost to the plants.

Pupil’s Activities – State why we apply animals compost to the plants.

3. Relates pupils to respond to one of the ways of improving soil fertility.

4. Displays chart showing ways of improving soil fertility for the pupils to identify and discuss.

 

Pupil’s Activities – Discuss the activities on the chart.

5. Guides pupils to perform experiments on one or two ways to making the soil fertile – fertilizer or manure.

Pupil’s Activities – Participate in carrying out the experiments set up by the teacher.

6. Summary each lesson on the board.

Pupil’s Activities – Copy as the teacher writes.

 

CONCLUSION

To conclude the lesson for the week, the teacher revises the entire lesson and links it to the following week’s lesson.

 

NEXT LESSON

Meaning of Compost and Manure | Different between Compost and Manure | Preparation of Compost and Manure Primary 4 (Basic 4) – Agriculture

 

LESSON EVALUATION

Ask pupils to:

1. state the best soil for growing crops.

 

2. state 5 ways soil losses its fertility.

3. describe various methods involved in enriching the soil.

 

WORKBOOK

WEEKLY ASSESSMENT (TEST)

1. ______ is the upper layer of the earth where plants grow.

A. Sand

B. Soil

C. Sandy

 

2. The most fertility soil is ______ soil.

A. Clay

B. Loamy

C. Sandy

 

3. ______ is the ability of soil to sustain agricultural plant growth by providing essential plant nutrients.

A. Soil manure

B. Soil fertilizer

C. Soil fertility

 

4. ______ is an organic and inorganic materials that is added to the soil to supply plant nutrients.

A. Manure

B. Decay animals

C. Fertilizer

 

5. ______ are decayed death plants and animals and their waste products in the environment.

 

A. Inorganic materials

B. Organic materials

C. A and B

 

6. ______ is a layer materials that is spread on top of the soil to protect the soil nutrients.

A. Fallow

B. Crop rotation

C. Mulching

 

7. ______ is the practice of growing different crops on a piece of land at different seasons.

A. Fallow

B. Crop rotation

C. Mulching

 

8. ______ is the practice of leaving agricultural land for about a season or more without planting to naturally recover its nutrients.

A. Fallow

B. Crop rotation

C. Mulching

 

9. ______ is the planning of new trees across the land without trees.

A. Deforestation

B. Afforestation

C. Rotation

 

10. Inorganic materials are decayed death plants and animals and their waste products in the environment.

 

A. True

B. False

 

11. Mulching is a layer materials that is spread on top of the soil to protect the soil nutrients.

A. True

B. False

 

12. Fallow is the practice of growing different crops on a piece of land at different seasons.

A. False

B. True

 

13. Fallow is the practice of leaving agricultural land for about a season or more without planting to naturally recover its nutrients.

A. True

B. False

 

14. Afforestation is the planning of new trees across the land without trees.

A. True

B. False

 

Use the following option – land clearing, soil fertility, loamy soil, mulching, organic materials, layer, afforestation, erosion, fallow, crop rotation, deforestation and adding fertilizer to answer question 15 – 25.

15. ______ are decayed death plants and animals and their waste products in the environment.

 

16. ______ is a layer materials that is spread on top of the soil to protect the soil nutrients.

 

17. ______ is the practice of growing different crops on a piece of land at different seasons.

 

18. ______ is the practice of leaving agricultural land for about a season or more without planting to naturally recover its nutrients.

 

19. ______ is the planning of new trees across the land without trees.

 

20. ______ is the deliberate removal of natural vegetation by man for different purposes.

 

21. ______ is a washing away of top layer of the soil.

 

22. ______ is the ability of soil to sustain agricultural plant growth by providing essential plant nutrients.

 

23. The most fertility soil is ______.

 

24. Soil is the top ______ of the earth where plants grow.

 

25. ______ is the cutting down of trees.