Our School
Primary 4 · English
Our School
Lesson 3 of 5
40 min
Some pupils live very near their school. Others walk for a long time, up and down the hills. Byiringiro walks for forty minutes every morning, but he is never late!
Today you will listen to a story about a girl who talks to plants on her way to school. Then you will learn to describe your own way to school.
Listen to the whole story (audio, read by Darshan Soni). You can also open the Storybooks Rwanda page, where you can read the same story in Kinyarwanda and French.
This is Khalai. She is seven years old. Her name means ‘the good one’ in her language, Lubukusu.
Khalai wakes up and talks to the orange tree. “Please orange tree, grow big and give us lots of ripe oranges.”
Khalai walks to school. On the way she talks to the grass. “Please grass, grow greener and don't dry up.”
Khalai passes wild flowers. “Please flowers, keep blooming so I can put you in my hair.”
At school, Khalai talks to the tree in the middle of the compound. “Please tree, put out big branches so we can read under your shade.”
Khalai talks to the hedge around her school. “Please grow strong and stop bad people from coming in.”
When Khalai returns home from school, she visits the orange tree. “Are your oranges ripe yet?” asks Khalai.
“The oranges are still green,” sighs Khalai. “I will see you tomorrow orange tree,” says Khalai. “Perhaps then you will have a ripe orange for me!”
What does Khalai ask the grass to do?
To grow greener and not to dry up.
Why does Khalai want the tree at school to put out big branches?
So that the children can read under its shade.
Are the oranges ready to eat at the end of the story? How do you know?
No. The story says they are still green, not ripe.
The story tells us what Khalai does every day, so it uses the present simple:
With he, she or one name, add -s or -es to the verb: she walks, he passes. With I, you, we and they, there is no -s: I walk, we walk.
Keza: How do you get to school?
Byiringiro: I walk. / I go on foot.
Keza: How long does it take?
Byiringiro: It takes forty minutes.
Other pupils say: I go by bicycle. I go by bus. My father takes me by moto.
| Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| along | following a road or path | We walk along the path. |
| past | going by something and leaving it behind | We walk past the market. |
| across | from one side to the other side | We walk across the bridge. |
| through | in at one end and out at the other | We walk through the school gate. |
| up / down | to a higher / lower place | We go down the hill. |
Read how Byiringiro describes his way to school.
I leave home at half past six. I walk with my sister Keza. First, we walk along the path, past our neighbour's banana plantation. Then we go down the hill and across a small bridge over the stream. After that, we walk up another hill and past the health centre. Finally, we go through the school gate. It takes forty minutes. I am never late, because I leave early!
Stay safe on the way. Walk with friends. Walk on the side of the road, facing the cars. Before you cross, look left, right and left again, and cross at a zebra crossing if there is one.
Draw a simple map of your way to school. Show your home, the school and two or three places you pass.
Write four or five sentences about your way, using first, then, after that, finally and the words along, past, across, through.
Speak: Show your map to a friend and tell them about your way. Ask them, “How do you get to school? How long does it take?”
Tip
See it in your head: ALONG = follow the road. PAST = go by it and leave it behind. ACROSS = from one side to the other. THROUGH = in one end and out the other.
Write your answers in your exercise book, then check.
Complete: Khalai ___ (walk) to school every day.
Answer: walks
Complete: We walk ___ the bridge to get to the other side of the stream.
Answer: across
What does Khalai ask the wild flowers to do?
Answer: To keep blooming, so she can put them in her hair.
How long does it take Byiringiro to walk to school?
Answer: Forty minutes.
Answer in a full sentence: How do you get to school?
Answer: Example: I walk to school with my brother. It takes twenty minutes.
What you learned today
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