Making and Building
Primary 1 · Science and Elementary Technology
Making and Building
Lesson 1 of 3
12 min
Let's begin
Gatete's chair at home has a wobbly leg. His father brings a hammer and three nails. Tap, tap, tap. Now the chair is strong again.
His father did not push the nails in with his thumb. He used a tool. Today you will learn the names of tools, and the job each one does.
Try this in your head. Press a nail into a hard plank with your thumb. It will not go in. Your thumb is soft. The wood is hard.
Now think about the hammer. Its head is heavy and hard. One good swing, and the nail slides into the wood.
That is what a tool is. A tool is a thing you hold, to help you do a job your hands alone cannot do.
Look at these tools from home. Say the job out loud as you read.
Yes — your pencil is a tool! Your hand cannot write without it.
Uwase wants to cut paper to make a card for her grandmother.
Should she use a hoe? No. A hoe is big and heavy. It is made for soil, not paper.
Should she use a hammer? No. A hammer hits. A hammer does not cut.
She picks up the scissors. Scissors are made to cut paper. That is the right tool.
Here is how she chose. She asked two questions:
Mutesi's school shirt has a small hole. What is the job? To sew the cloth. Which tool does that job? A needle, with thread.
Not a saw! A saw would cut her shirt into two pieces.
A tool is not a toy. When you finish, put it back in its place. Then you will find it again tomorrow.
Tip
Say the jobs out loud, like a little song: a hammer hits, a saw cuts, a hoe digs, a needle sews, a broom sweeps. When you know the job, you can always pick the right tool.
Name the tool for each job. Say it out loud, then tap Show answer to check.
Now go and find one real tool in your home. Say its name. Say its job.
What you learned today
Quick check
Match each tool to its job.
Tap one on the left, then its partner on the right.
