Transport and Communication
Primary 6 · Social and Religious Studies
Transport and Communication
Lesson 3 of 4
25 min
Let's begin
Long ago, when there was important news, a drum sounded from the hill and the whole village knew.
This morning, Umutoni's mother got an SMS from the school about a parents' meeting. She replied with one word: "Yego."
The drum and the phone are very different. But both do the same job. Today you will find out what that job is.
Communication is passing information from a sender to a receiver through a medium.
Communication can be spoken (words) or unspoken: a smile, a wave or a nod also sends a message.
Before phones and radios, people in East Africa used:
Radio, television and newspapers are mass communication: one sender reaches many people at the same time. A phone call or a letter is personal communication: it goes to one person or a few.
| Year | Share of people in Rwanda who used the internet |
|---|---|
| 2005 | fewer than 1 in 100 |
| 2015 | about 12 in 100 |
| 2024 | about 32 in 100 |
Worked example
Read the table.
Step 1 In 2024, about 32 out of every 100 people used the internet.
Step 2 So 100 − 32 = 68 out of every 100 did not.
Step 3 Internet use has grown very fast, but in 2024 most Rwandans were still not online. Radio and phone calls still matter a lot.
Tip
Sender, medium, receiver: S-M-R
Every message needs all three. Take one away and the message is lost.
A letter with no address has no receiver. A phone with no network has no medium.
Answer each one, then tap Show answer to check.
In a radio news broadcast, who is the sender, what is the medium and who is the receiver?
Answer: the sender is the news reader, the medium is the radio, and the receivers are the listeners.
Name two traditional means of communication.
Answer: any two of: drums, horns, calls from hill to hill, messengers, smoke or fire signals, gestures.
Is a newspaper mass communication or personal communication?
Answer: mass communication. It reaches many people at the same time.
What is feedback?
Answer: the receiver's answer back to the sender.
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
Put the steps of communication in order.
Tap the cards in the right order.
