Weather
Primary 6 · English
Weather
Lesson 4 of 5
45 min
Ask a farmer in Bugesera when to plant beans, and she will not look at the calendar first. She will talk about the rain. In many countries far from the equator, the seasons are hot summers and cold winters. In Rwanda, the seasons are wet and dry.
Today you will learn about Rwanda's seasons, and read an old African tale about a terrible drought.
This text is adapted from the travel guide Wikivoyage (article Rwanda) and the Simple English Wikipedia article Rain.
Rwanda is only about two degrees south of the equator, but most of the country is high above the sea, so the climate is mild, not very hot. Near Lake Kivu, the average temperature is about 23 °C.
Rwanda has two rainy seasons: a long one from about February to May, and a shorter one from about September to December. In these months, heavy rain falls almost every day, often between sunny spells. The months between them are drier. More rain falls in the mountains of the west and north-west than on the grassy plains of the east.
A sudden, heavy fall of rain is called a rainstorm. Heavy rain for a long time can cause floods that destroy houses, and landslides on steep hills. When much less rain falls than usual for a long time, there is a drought. Rivers dry up, crops die, and people and animals suffer.
This tale by Also Mohammed Sale comes from the African Storybook. It is a funny story, but it begins with a very serious problem.
In a particular year, the dry season was too long, and a terrible drought hit the land. All the rivers dried up, except the River of Blessings. All the animals were thirsty, so they called a meeting.
Camel spoke first. “As you know, we are very thirsty, and all the rivers have dried up except the River of Blessings. But it is very far away. What shall we do?”
Horse suggested, “Some of us can go to the River of Blessings. We can drink, and bring water back for the others.”
Cow answered, “It is too far. By the time we came back from the river, the animals left behind would be dead.”
Sheep said, “Maa! Maaa! I will go to the River of Blessings and drink water.” Goat jumped up and said, “Meee, meee! I will also go to the River of Blessings.” Chicken said, “Keer, ker ker ker! I will go to the River of Blessings too.”
All the animals wanted to go, so Camel led the way. The journey was not easy. Guinea fowl was last in the line. “My friends, I can't go on to the River of Blessings,” he said. So Chicken swallowed Guinea fowl.
They continued. Then Chicken said, “Please, I am tired. I can't go any further.” So Sheep swallowed Chicken.
As the journey went on, Sheep became tired too. “I am tired. I can't go on,” said Sheep. So Goat swallowed Sheep.
Soon Goat was too tired to continue, and Horse swallowed Goat. When Horse became too tired, Cow swallowed him. And when Cow finally could not continue, Camel turned and swallowed her.
Being the only animal left, Camel did her best to reach the River of Blessings. At last she arrived, very tired.
Camel lay down and coughed up Cow. Cow coughed up Horse. Horse coughed up Goat. Goat coughed up Sheep. Sheep coughed up Chicken, and Chicken coughed up Guinea fowl.
And that is how all the animals managed to drink water from the River of Blessings.
Answer each question in your head or in your exercise book first. Then tap Show answer to check.
Which months are Rwanda's long rainy season?
About February to May.
What caused the drought in the tale?
The dry season lasted too long.
Why did Cow say that fetching water for the others would not work?
The river was too far away. The animals left behind would die before the others came back.
Why was Camel a good choice to lead the way?
She was the biggest and strongest animal, and real camels can travel a long way without drinking.
What lesson about working together does the tale teach?
When the strong carry the weak, everyone can reach the goal together.
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| rainy season / dry season | the months with a lot of rain / with little rain |
| drought | a long time with much less rain than usual |
| flood | a lot of water covering land that is usually dry |
| landslide | earth and rocks sliding down a hill, often after heavy rain |
| climate | the usual weather of a place over the year |
| harvest | gathering crops when they are ready; also the crops themselves |
| mild, humid, dusty, muddy, scorching | not too hot or cold · damp and heavy · full of dust · full of mud · extremely hot |
Use the present simple with when for things that always happen:
in the dry season · in April · during the rainy season · from February to May
Remember the second conditional? If Rwanda had no rainy seasons, the crops would die. If the River of Blessings dried up too, the animals would have nowhere to drink.
Tip
Rwanda's year goes wet, dry, wet, dry. Long rains from about February to May, a long dry season in the middle of the year, short rains from about September to December, then a short dry spell.
Write your answers in your exercise book, then check.
What are the two kinds of season in Rwanda?
Answer: the rainy season and the dry season
What do we call a long time with much less rain than usual?
Answer: a drought
Complete: When the rainy season ___ (start), farmers plant beans.
Answer: starts
Complete: The west of Rwanda is ___ (wet) than the east.
Answer: wetter (double the t: wet → wetter)
Write two sentences about your favourite season and what you do in it.
Answer: Example: My favourite season is the long dry season. In July I help my uncle harvest beans, and we play football every evening.
What you learned today
Sources and credits
This lesson adapts CC BY-SA material and is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Quick check
When is Rwanda's long rainy season?
