2.2 Lesson notes on rice

2.2.1 Rural Science

Topic of Unit: The Rice Plant: Type and Origin
Class: Six
Time: 60 minutes

Aims and Objectives
- To teach the children what rice looks like and how it is different from any other plant.
- The children will know the importance of rice as a source of food and the food value it gives.
- To trace the origin of rice and the types so far grown in the area.

Apparatus
The rice plant, paddy rice, hulled rice and possible a near by rice farm, atlas.

General Context
Rice is grown in the Division. Some children participate in a rice extension programme with their parents.

Introduction
What food do you like best? Discussion of the type of food children like to eat. Why they like it and whether it is grown in their homes or Division. What rice is and how the plant looks like. How it is prepared for eating. Places of rice growing in the Division, Province and country.

Presentation
of botanical and geographical facts (origin, rice in Cameroon). (see volume 11, p. 103)

Conclusions
Filling blank spaces to form notes from the blackboard:

Rice is a food crop containing . . . It is a . . . and belongs to the . . .It has parallel veined . . . with . . .The stems are . . . with nodes. Many stems grow from the tiller.

Rice is of two varieties namely . . . and, . .The swamp rice is also known as . . . or flood rice. The proper growth of the two types depends on . . . and the nature of the soil.

They also vary in height. It is planted by . . . Rice is self . . . The seeds grow at the . . . or panicles.

The seeds are long with a hard . . . Rice growing started at . . . and . . .It is now grown all over Africa and the world.

Words to guide children: Asia, testa, head, pollinating, West Africa, Carbohydrate, cereal, leaves, grass, fibrous, irrigated, climate, upland rice, hollow, swamp rice, seeds.

Collecting and marking children's work.

Next lesson: Upland Rice.

2.2.2 Geography

Topic of Unit: Rice Growing Areas in North West Province of Cameroon
Class: Six
Time: 50 minutes

Aims and Objectives
- To locate and name rice growing districts in the province.
- To expand the geographical knowledge of children.
- To develop the skill of map drawing and revise drawing to scale.
- To teach the conditions under which rice grows - climate.
- To know the different types of rice grown in each district.

Apparatus
Atlas, Wall map, Blackboard map, pencils, Rice plant, Stencils.

Characteristics
Children are quite familiar with rice growing and they know the villages famous for rice in the division.

Introduction
The teacher finds out the chief products of the division. The villages which grow rice in the division and the type of rice. Other divisions which also grow rice.

Presentation
A map of North West Province of Cameroon is presented to the class on the blackboard. Show on the map the rice growing areas of your division. Where is rice produced in the other divisions?

Menchum
Wum Central (WADA): Upland rice
Bui: Swamp and Upland
Esimbi: Upland rice
Bazzi: Upland rice
Befang: Swamp and Upland rice
Esu: Swamp and Upland rice
Mezam
Tingo-Bafut: swamp and upland rice
Obang: swamp and upland rice
Ndop-(UNVDA): swamp rice
Bui
Mbaw Plain - Mbiame: swamp and upland rice
Donga Mantung
Nkambe Part of Mbaw Plain: swamp and upland rice
Mbembe: swamp and upland rice
Momo Division
Oshie: upland rice

The children are directed to shade the rice districts on the blackboard map.

Under what climatic conditions does rice grow best?
Sufficient warmth, sunshine and sufficient moisture for the upland.
Rainfall: 1000 - 1500 cm average.
Availability of water in case of the swamp rice.
Places with cold climate are not suitable for rice growing.
Soil: rich humus-(forest soil) for upland rice e.g. Esimbi, Befang, Obang and Bazzi.

Conclusion
- Drawing the map and establishing the concept of scale.
- Application of the skill of location.
- The use of board map and atlasses to confirm facts and places.

2.2.3 Mathematics

Topic of Unit: Averages based on Rice Production, Data of North West Province, Cameroon
Class: Six
Time: 30 minutes

General Context
Pupils have been doing addition and division of objects. They have to employ the knowledge in finding out average rice production in North West Province.

Aim
- To develop abstract thinking and to develop the skills of accuracy in addition and division.

Apparatus
Table of rice production.

Characteristics
Rice is also grown in the children's division. Some take part in the growing and harvesting of rice. They weigh rice and also measure plots.

Introduction
John has 8 cups of rice and Mary has 12 cups. How many cups have they? 8 cobs, 10 cobs and 6 cobs of maize are harvested on three ridges. How many cobs have been harvested altogether? How many cups of rice will John and Mary have if the rice is shared equally? How many cobs of maize would each ridge have produced had they all produced the same number of cobs?The average number of cups of rice owned by Mary and John and the average number of cobs of maize from each ridge is the mean of 8 and 12, and 8, 10 and 6 respectively. The children give answers to the questions.

Presentation
Here is a table of rice production in some divisions of North West Province.1. From the table, find
- the total area of land in each division cultivated with rice;
- number of people in the project;
- area of swamp rice;
- area of upland rice;
- rice production in all the divisions.

2. What is the mean number of people employed in the rice production in each division? This mean is 'Total number of people: Number of Divisions'.

The knowledge and skill is established through the solution of the problems above. The answers in No. 1 above are filled in the table on the board.

Set Work - Conclusion
- What is the average rice production per division according to the table?
- Find the average area of Upland Rice per division.
- Find the average area of Swamp Rice per division.
- What is the mean area of Rice production in the 5 divisions of North West Province?
- What is the average number of hectare per rice farmer in the division?

Evaluation of pupils' work. Correction of mistakes.

Next Lesson: Rate of Rice Production Per Hectare.

2.2.4 History(Derived from Pamphlet on Rice - IPAR-BUEA)

Topic of Unit: The Origin of Rice and its Spread
Class: Six
Time: 50 minutes

General Context
Rice is a common crop in the area.

Aims and Objectives
- To trace the origin of rice.
- To teach the tradition of some tribes and the ceremonies attached to rice.
- To broaden children's knowledge of geography.
- To know some of the methods of rice farming in some parts of the world.

Apparatus
Atlas, Wall map of Africa, World.

Introduction
Leading questions such as: When did you first eat rice? Where did it come from? When do you think rice was first cultivated in your village, division? Who cultivated it? Which class of people eat rice in your tribe? Why? Why is rice regarded as the white man's food in most African homes?

Presentation
Origin of rice, historical facts taken from text on rice in volume II.

The areas of rice growing in Asia.

The ancient inhabitants of the continent lived mainly on rice especially China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Bangladesh, and Thailand. Each country has her own tradition about the rice and their beliefs on the gods of the lands for the provision of water, sun and good yield, e.g. the belief in the River Indus.

Conditions: Suitable climate. Heavy rains as a result of the Himalaya Mountains. Availability of water from the Ganges, Indus, Brahmaputra, Hwang-Ho, Yangtze-kiang and the Sin Kiang Rivers. The rivers and places are traced on the maps.

Facts about rice in West Africa: In about 1965-66 Taiwan, under the Taiwanese Technical Assistance, introduced Asian rice on a large scale in the former West Cameroon e.g. Tingo - Bafut and Obang in Bamenda - Mezam Division. They withdrew in 1971 leaving the work in the hand of Cameroonians.

The teacher finds out some traditional stories about rice from the children.
- Rice was regarded as white man's food.
- Only elderly people ate rice.
- Rice was mainly for important people masters, senior service officers.
- Rice was only eaten at Christmas.What has happened that everybody eats rice?

Conclusion
Revising the lesson through questions. Where did rice growing start? Which are the rice growing countries in Asia? How did rice spread in Africa? How did the Asian Rice reach Cameroon? How long is it since rice growing started in Asia? Who must have been the people to cultivate rice in West Africa? What factors influence the cultivation of rice?