English: Home Language Term 2 Week 5 & 6

Date: ____________________ Lockdown activities

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Dear learner

Hang in there, we’re going to get through this! Now that we have completed week 3

& 4 let’s get going with week 5 & 6. Please use the section provided for questions, if

you are not sure about something.

The work will cover the 4 sections of English:

1. Listening & Speaking

2. Reading & Viewing

3. Writing & Presenting

4. Language Structure & Conventions

Instructions:

Please complete all work on a sheet of paper.

Write the heading & date on paper e.g.

Listening & Speaking Week 5 & 6 11 May 2020

Activity: 1

Please bring all completed written work to school when school reopens.

I would like to thank you for being part of this platform of teaching and also

thank your family for being part of teaching.

Activity 1 & 2 involves group work, if you are on your own follow instructions

at the activity.

You & your family may just be inspired to do some gardening either indoors or

outdoors.

Let’s work together and be safe during this difficult time.

Kind regards

Ms R Mitchell

English: Home Language Term 2 Week 5 & 6

Date: ____________________ Lockdown activities

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Listening & Speaking

Activity 1: Group discussion on how to give instructions/follow procedures/list

If possible, divide your family in 2 groups (A & B.) If you are on your own,

practise instructions by yourself.

One of the members of group A reads a heading e.g. “How to pick weeds”.

The group must make notes, have a group discussion, list instructions on

cards and prepare themselves for feedback.

One of the members of group B reads a heading e.g. “How to start an organic

vegetable garden”. The group must make notes, have a group discussion, list

instructions on cards and prepare themselves for feedback.

Each group gives feedback of their chosen paragraph, pay special attention to

reflect clear, correct and logical sequence/list of instructions.

You may ask the other group questions about their text.

How to Start an Organic Vegetable Garden

The popularity of organic food is prompting gardeners to switch to organic gardening

methods. Here are basic organic garden tips for beginners as well as experienced gardeners

making the switch to organic.

Growing organic vegetables means your family can enjoy healthy, tasty, fresh produce free of

synthetic chemicals or pesticides. Some of the organic gardening basics are the same as

nonorganic. Plant in an area that gets full sun, at least 6 hours a day (8 to 10 hours is even

better). All gardens require frequent watering, so make sure you have a spigot and hose that

will reach all corners of your plot.

English: Home Language Term 2 Week 5 & 6

Date: ____________________ Lockdown activities

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Start with Organic Garden Soil and Mulch

For a healthy organic vegetable garden, you need to start with healthy soil. The most

important component in soil is the organic matter, such as manure, peat moss, or compost,

which is the best option because it contains decayed microorganisms of previous plant life.

Those microorganisms supply plants the nutrients they need. You can create your own

compost pile by designating an area or bin where organic matter will decompose. Or you can

buy it in bulk if you have a large garden, or use bagged compost available at garden centers

and home improvement stores.

Reduce weeds by spreading a 1- to 2-inch-thick layer of mulch on the soil. It creates a barrier

that prevents weeds from getting sunlight and from germinating. This mulch layer also

prevents fungal disease spores from drifting onto plant leaves. Use an organic material (such

as cocoa hulls, weed-free straw, or newspaper) as mulch so as it decomposes it adds

beneficial organic matter to the soil.

English: Home Language Term 2 Week 5 & 6

Date: ____________________ Lockdown activities

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Use an Organic Garden Fertilizer

Fertilizing your vegetables will help them grow faster and yield larger crops. Types of

organic fertilizer include well-rotted manure from plant-eating critters (rabbits, horses, sheep,

chickens), pre-packaged organic fertilizer bought online, or at your local garden center. You

can also find a variety of organic fertilizers at garden centers and home improvement stores.

Editor's Tip: If you have rich soil already, consider skipping applying fertilizer. Too much

of a good thing can make your plants put on lots of lush, soft growth loved by pests.

Seedling Shopping Tips

When shopping for seedlings, extension service experts recommend choosing plants that have

a healthy colour for the species with no yellow leaves. Avoid droopy or wilting leaves. When

you’re shopping for transplants, gently tap the plant out of the pot to make sure the roots are

well-developed and white. Avoid plants that are already budding or have flowers. If you can’t

avoid them, pinch buds and flowers off before planting to ensure the plant energy stays

focused on setting new roots.

English: Home Language Term 2 Week 5 & 6

Date: ____________________ Lockdown activities

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Organic Raised Beds

Elevated plots are popular because tending plants in them is easier on your back. Keep the

bed small so you don’t have to reach far or step on the soil.

Practice Crop Rotation

Because many closely related plants are affected by the same diseases, avoid planting them

where their relatives grew the year or two before. Two of the biggest families to watch out for

are the tomato family (tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, eggplant) and the squash family (squash,

pumpkin, cucumber, watermelon). Rotating crops to different parts of the garden helps limit

disease development and depleting the soil of nutrients.

English: Home Language Term 2 Week 5 & 6

Date: ____________________ Lockdown activities

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How to Pick Weeds

Oh, those pesky weeds. They seem to pop up overnight. Gardeners should plan on almost

daily weeding. Pulling weeds by hand is easier after a rain or watering. (If the soil is really

wet and muddy, wait until it dries out a bit.) There are a couple of ways to pull a weed. One is

to pull the root out while gently pinching the base of the stem. Or use a weeding trowel to

lever out the root system. You can also use a hoe to scrape the top of the weed off, being

careful to not damage any vegetables. Note that weeds can grow back if the root isn’t

removed.

Weeds not only compete with your plants for water and nutrients but also attract pests. Many

insects spread disease as they move from one plant to the next feeding. The most organic

(and easiest) way to control insects in your garden is to pick them off by hand. If you’re

squeamish, wear gloves.

English: Home Language Term 2 Week 5 & 6

Date: ____________________ Lockdown activities

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Keep Your Garden Clean

Many diseases spread rapidly in dead, fallen foliage. So once a week (or more often if

possible), walk through your garden and pick up shed foliage. You can sometimes prevent a

disease from spreading through an entire plant by picking off an infected leaf. Throw dead or

diseased leaves in the trash, not in your compost pile.

Water Wisely & Give Plants Air

Wet leaves, especially in the afternoon or evening, foster the growth of mildews like powdery

or downy mildew. Instead of watering from overhead, use a water-saving soaker hose that

delivers water directly to the roots and prevents splashing.

Be sure to follow the spacing requirements on seed packets to avoid crowding. Good air flow

between the plants can help prevent many types of fungal diseases.

English: Home Language Term 2 Week 5 & 6

Date: ____________________ Lockdown activities

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Best Plants for Attracting Beneficial Insects

Plant these flowers around your vegetable garden to attract helpful insects, including

bumblebees to pollinate plants and lady beetles and praying mantis to chow down on harmful

insects.

Bachelor's Button

Cleome

Cosmos

Black-eyed Susan

Daisy

Marigold

Nasturtium

Purple Coneflower

Salvia

Sunflower

Yarrow

Zinnia

English: Home Language Term 2 Week 5 & 6

Date: ____________________ Lockdown activities

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Reading & Viewing

Activity 2: Group Guided Reading:

Read an instructional text like instructional procedure

Divide the family members in groups (A & B) to discuss the details of the

factual text. If you are on your own choose one topic. Group A can use the topic: “How to grow indoor vegetable garden” and group

B use the topic: “Grow an indoor hydroponic garden.” Discuss the verbal questions.

How to Grow an Indoor Vegetable Garden

Prime vegetable growing season over? That doesn't mean you can't grow bounty in your own

kitchen. Learn how to easily grow an indoor vegetable garden.

No backyard? No problem! You can still raise healthy, tasty vegetables in your very own

indoor vegetable garden. Yes, it’s possible. While it can be difficult to grow vegetables

indoors without some help from technology, with a little bit of creativity—and most likely, a

set of grow lights—you’ll soon be harvesting crops from your indoor vegetable garden, or

even an indoor herb garden.

How to Garden Indoors

Your indoor vegetable garden might be as small as one pot of lettuce or as large as several

shelves for growing microgreens, an indoor herb garden, or vegetables such as beets, chives,

English: Home Language Term 2 Week 5 & 6

Date: ____________________ Lockdown activities

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and even tomatoes. One of the beauties of indoor gardening is that you are in complete

control of the temperature, humidity, and light—assuming you are using grow lights—

making seed starting quite easy. That means you can save money by purchasing seeds instead

of transplants.

For any indoor container garden, you’ll want to use organic potting soil, which contains no

synthetic fertilizers or ingredients that might leach into your crops. Most indoor gardeners

prefer lightweight pots that are easy to move and not too bulky on shelves, so plastic

containers are the best choice. You can even plant a hanging vegetable garden to make the

most of limited space, but be sure it’s easy to reach your hanging containers when it’s time to

water.

Most indoor vegetable gardens need at least eight hours of direct sunlight each day, and many

vegetables prefer considerably more. If you have a large window with a northern exposure,

you might get enough natural light through the spring and summer to produce a crop of

vegetables or herbs, but if not, grow lights let you control exactly how much light your plants

receive. Most beginning gardeners prefer to use compact fluorescent grow lights, which are

reasonably priced and work well for a small indoor herb garden or vegetable garden.

Generally, if the indoor temperature is comfortable for you, it will be comfortable for your

plants, but watch out for drafts from air conditioners, heat from ovens or appliances, and

temperature swings near windows. If your indoor air is very dry, a small humidifier near your

vegetable garden will be much appreciated, as these plants generally do best with humidity

levels of 40 to 50 percent.

Check the soil daily. Most vegetables like to be moist, but not soggy. When the surface of the

soil feels dry to the touch, give your plants a drink. You’ll also want to fertilize your crops

English: Home Language Term 2 Week 5 & 6

Date: ____________________ Lockdown activities

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through the growing season with a diluted liquid plant food or organic fertilizer specifically

formulated for vegetables.

Grow an Indoor Hydroponic Garden

If you want to take your container vegetable garden to the next level, consider trying an

indoor hydroponic garden. In hydroponics, a nutrient-filled water bath takes the place of a

regular growing medium. There are many hydroponics kits that provide everything you need

to grow herbs, microgreens, tomatoes, lettuce, and other popular crops without soil.

You can also make a very simple DIY hydroponic vegetable garden by planting microgreens

or herbs in containers filled with a soilless mixture of perlite, sand, or coconut coir, setting

the containers on a shelf over a reservoir filled with filtered water amended with hydroponic

nutrients, and connecting the two with a wick. Use grow lights to provide your crops with at

least ten hours of “sun” each day, and you’ll enjoy harvesting fresh herbs within a month or

two.

While growing vegetables indoors is admittedly more of a challenge than growing them

outside, there are benefits. You won’t struggle as much with pests, you can control the

growing conditions rather than being at the mercy of the weather, you can grow crops even

during the winter or the height of summer, and best of all, you can enjoy gardening even if

you don’t have any outdoor space at all.

Verbal Questions:

Indoor Gardens:

1. If you love gardening but live in a flat, how can you still do vegetable gardening?

2. Which conditions should be avoided? 3. What do you need for indoor container gardening? 4. How can you fertilize your crops?

Hydroponic Garden:

1. What does Hydroponic garden means? 2. What is the difference between a Hydroponic and an ordinary garden? 3. Would you consider selling Hydroponic vegetables as a business? 4. What is the infrastructure required for outdoor Hydroponic vegetable

gardening?

English: Home Language Term 2 Week 5 & 6

Date: ____________________ Lockdown activities

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Writing & Presenting

Activity 3: Write transactional text: instructions/lists

Decide on a suitable and interesting topic or you may use the reading material

for your list. e.g. What do you need for indoors gardening?

Consider the following for your instructions/list:

o for whom the list is intended (target market)

o to what sense list appeals

o the layout and font size

o the effectiveness of the choice of colour

o the language used

English: Home Language Term 2 Week 5 & 6

Date: ____________________ Lockdown activities

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Language Structure & Conventions

Activity 4: Word order & sentence structure, (place scrambled words in order to

make sense)

Choose one of the options to answer: Option 1

English: Home Language Term 2 Week 5 & 6

Date: ____________________ Lockdown activities

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Option 2:

Write the words in the correct order to form a sentence.

1. fire the The blaze higher. to wind caused

2. a We house. geese fly our over flock saw of

3. game great a We our of the result won as teamwork.

4. of stuck its’ rabbit The the head burrow. out

5. of prune began tree. mother the our My dead to parts

6. portion of the same had Each us of the apple.

7. ditch. ball The rolled the into

8. she a the had dreary attitude lost after competition. Kim

9. dining needs The of wiped clean. surface table to the be

10. took a backyard. apple tree We from blossom in the our

English: Home Language Term 2 Week 5 & 6

Date: ____________________ Lockdown activities

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Option 3:

Write the words in the correct order to form a sentence.

1. six of The duration will the hours. be test

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2. local remain wildlife a sanctuary. A elephants in few

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3. were we the were comments subject pertinent discussing. to not His

4. moods the changed minute next. one to from Her

5. hibernate skin. their like Snakes shed before they to

6. on Kaitlyn Wednesday. Destiny take and lessons ballet

7. comments out taken context. Bill insisted were of his

8. military used a large mostly vehicle The transport. for

9. daily. consume food amounts Adult elephants of massive water and

10. information expected changes about available. wasn't Specific immediately the

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