Our Surroundings
Primary 1 · Social and Religious Studies
Our Surroundings
Lesson 4 of 4
11 min
Let's begin
A paper blows across the school yard.
It stops at Umutoni's feet. She looks at it.
She thinks, somebody else will pick that up.
Today you will learn the rules for caring for a place.
A banana peel goes in the dustbin.
A paper goes in the dustbin. So does a broken pen.
Not on the ground. Not in the river. Not behind the classroom.
Careful! One paper from each of us is a hundred papers.
Pick up yours, even when nobody is watching you.
Water does not come by itself. Somebody carried it far.
When you finish washing, turn the tap until it stops.
A tap left running behind the classrooms wastes water all day.
Then a child comes with a jerrycan and finds nothing.
Walls, doors and desks belong to everybody.
Do not draw on them. Do not carve them. Do not kick them.
Next year, other small children will sit at your desk.
Leave it as nice as you found it.
Water the flowers by the classroom door.
Do not pull the young trees or tear the leaves.
A tree you plant now will give you shade at break.
When everybody helps, the whole place looks after itself.
An REB story about caring for the places around us. Watch it with a grown-up.
Tip
Pick up yours
You cannot pick up everybody's paper, but you can pick up yours.
If every child picks up one, the yard is clean by break.
Do each one, then tap Show answer to check.
Gatete finishes his banana. Where does the peel go?
Answer: in the dustbin. Never on the ground, where it makes people slip.
Byiringiro washed his hands and walked away. The tap is still running. What should he do?
Answer: go back and close the tap, so the water is not wasted.
A friend wants to draw on the classroom wall. What do you say?
Answer: no, the wall belongs to all of us. Draw in your book instead.
True or false: only the cleaner should pick up rubbish at school.
Answer: false. Every child picks up rubbish, and the yard stays clean.
Name one thing you will do today to keep your school nice.
Answer: your own. Picking up one paper is already a good answer.
What you learned today
Here are two short books to read with a grown-up.
Mutesi Intangarugero is written in Kinyarwanda. Mutesi works hard and sets a good example, both at home and at school. It comes from African Storybook.
Together We're Strong is written in English. It is about people who get much more done when they work side by side. It comes from Book Dash.
Quick check
Where does a broken pen go?
