Weather
Primary 6 · English
Weather
Lesson 3 of 5
45 min
Your school's sports day is next Friday. The teams are ready, the medals are bought, and everybody is excited. But the teachers keep looking at the sky. What if it rains?
A good plan has a “Plan B”. In today's story, a group of friends must change their plans because of the weather, and one of them learns a hard lesson. Then you will learn the sentence pattern for Plan B: the first conditional.
This story by Sea Rescue, a water-safety organisation in South Africa, and Sean Verster comes from the African Storybook.
After a night of heavy rain, a group of friends were on their way to school. They came to the river they had to cross every day. “Yoh! It has stopped raining, but look how full and fast the river is,” said Siya.
“Oh no,” groaned Linda. “Do you think our teacher will be angry if we miss our classes today?”
Linda remembered what the Sea Rescue instructor had taught them in their water safety lessons. “Never cross a flooded river, even if you can't get to school,” the instructor had said.
Meanwhile, Lungi stepped straight into the river! “I know where the stepping stones are!” he shouted. But he soon fell into the water, and the strong river began pulling him away.
“Run and get help!” shouted Linda. “Tell them to call the free emergency number, 112, like the Sea Rescue lady told us.”
“Help! Help!” shouted Lungi, as he struggled to keep his head above the water.
“Hold on, Lungi!” shouted Phelelani, as he grabbed a branch that he could use to help his friend. Phelelani's class had been taught that they should never go into the water to help someone, as they might also be washed away.
Luckily, Lungi could float. He managed to grab the branch that Phelelani held out to him, and Phelelani pulled Lungi to the safety of the river bank.
The children walked back to Lungi's home with him. He was soaking wet, but glad to be alive. His mother was very thankful that he was safe. “Thank you!” she said to Phelelani. “You saved my boy because you knew what to do!”
Lungi's father hugged his son. “I know you really wanted to go to school,” he said to Lungi. “But always remember the Sea Rescue lesson. If the river is flooding, don't cross it! Call an adult for help.”
The next day, when the river was back to normal, the children crossed it and went to school. They told their teacher what had happened.
“Wow! That was frightening!” said the teacher. “The most important thing is that Lungi is safe. I am sure you will never try to cross a flooded river again. Let's talk about this in class today, so that everyone knows how dangerous rivers can be.”
In Rwanda too, rivers such as the Nyabarongo can rise quickly in the rainy season, and 112 is the free number to call the police in an emergency.
Answer each question in your head or in your exercise book first. Then tap Show answer to check.
Why was the river full and fast?
There had been heavy rain all night.
What rule had the Sea Rescue instructor taught them?
Never cross a flooded river, even if you can't get to school.
Why did Phelelani hold out a branch instead of jumping in?
His class had learned never to go into the water to help someone, because the rescuer might also be washed away.
Lungi wanted to go to school. Was his decision good or bad? Explain.
It was a bad decision. Missing one day of school is much better than being swept away. Safety comes first.
What should you do if you find a flooded river on your way to school?
Stop, go back, tell an adult, and call 112 if someone is in danger. Never try to cross.
When something may really happen in the future, and you want to say what will follow, use the first conditional:
If + present simple, ... will + base verb
The biggest mistake: putting will straight after if. Say If it rains, never If it will rain. The if part stays in the present, even though it is about the future.
Put going to and the first conditional together:
Announcement: We are going to hold sports day on Friday at 9 o'clock. Each class will cheer for its team, and the winners will get medals. If it rains, we will postpone the races until Monday.
Event words: announcement (news told to everyone) · postpone (move to a later time) · cancel (stop it from happening at all) · medal · cheer · teamwork
| First conditional: it may really happen | Second conditional: we are only imagining |
|---|---|
| If it rains tomorrow, we will stay inside. | If it snowed in Kigali, we would build a snowman. |
Tip
“If” and “will” are not friends. They never sit next to each other.
If it rains, we will stay inside. The if part stays in the present; will goes in the other part.
Write your answers in your exercise book, then check.
Complete: If it ___ (rain) tomorrow, we will play indoors.
Answer: rains
Complete: If the river is flooded, we ___ (wait) for an adult.
Answer: will wait
Correct the mistake: If it will be sunny, we will go to the lake.
Answer: If it is sunny, we will go to the lake.
Real or imagined? If it snowed in Kigali, we would build a snowman.
Answer: Imagined (second conditional). It does not snow in Kigali.
Write a Plan B for a class trip: We are going to ... If it rains, we will ...
Answer: Example: We are going to visit Lake Muhazi on Saturday. If it rains, we will visit the museum in Kigali instead.
What you learned today
Sources and credits
Quick check
If the road ___ muddy, we will walk slowly.
