Getting Ready: In our learning activities, we will:
- Identify fungi in our localities.
- Use digital devices to search for examples of fungi.
- Observe precautions when handling fungi.
- Discuss the importance of fungi.
- Find out more about fungi and share this information with others in our communities. In this way, we will appreciate the economic importance of fungi.
Activity 1.17: Learning new words
Language: See the link
Learn the meaning of the listed words. Write them in your journal or in flashcards. Find out their meaning. What will you use?
- A print dictionary?
- The Internet?
- Find out from friends?
- Ask your parents, guardian or caregiver?
- Join the English Language club?
- Join the Debate Club?
How else can you find out? Share your ideas with others.
What are fungi?
Activity 1.18: Identifying fungi in my locality
Grade Five learners at Beta School searched the Internet for pictures of fungi. They downloaded and printed some of them. They used their Art and Craft skills to create fungi photo albums. Search for pictures of fungi from old magazines and the Internet. Keep them safely in your portfolio.
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Fungi are living things that do not make their own food. They feed on dead decaying matter.
Activity 1.19: Collecting fungi in my school locality
Your teacher will guide you to safely observe fungi in your locality.
Use digital devices to take pictures of the fungi you will see. Your parents will help you print and display the pictures in a self-made album.
Your Safety: Some fungi are highly poisonous. Do not touch with your bare hands. Mouldy bread can harm your health. Do not eat. Always check the expiry date of bread and other foods before buying.
Practising safety when handling fungi
Activity 1.20: Practising safety when handling fungi
Be Alert. Stay Safe
As you collect and hangle fungi in your locality, in what ways will you practise safety? Share your ideas with others. Ensure that you and others are safe.
Safety kit: Some fungi are very poisonous. Be careful when observing and handling fungi in your local area. Do not taste or smell fungi.
Activity 1.21: Collecting fungi in my home locality
Your parents or guardian will guide you to observe and take pictures of fungi around your home area. Record your observations.
Practising safety when handling fungi
- Do not touch fungi with your bare hands. Always use protective clothing such as gloves and a pair of tongs.
- Always take care when handling fungi. Some fungi such as toadstools are highly poisonous.
What is the economic importance of fungi?
Activity 1.22: Finding out the economic importance of fungi
Work safely in pairs. Answer these questions: Are mushrooms of any importance? Is yeast of any economic importance?
After learning about mushrooms in an Agriculture lesson, Baraka wanted to find out more about how mushrooms are grown.
He searched the Internet for information. He downloaded and printed some photographs. He created an album on mushroom farming.
Digital Lesson: Find out more about mushroom farming
Download and print some of the pictures. Record your findings. Share this information with other learners and the teacher during Agriculture lessons.
Financial Literacy: Mushroom farming is a source of income. Find out if there are mushroom farmers in your County. Gather more knowledge.
Activity 1.23: Finding out the economic importance of yeast
During a Home Science Lesson, Grade Five learners made these items.
The items were displayed during the Prize-giving day. Learners were allowed to sell them to parents, guardians and other guests during the event. The learners used the money to buy yeast and other ingredients to make some more. That day, they did good business.
Work safely in pairs. Use the Internet to find out the following: What is the economic importance of yeast? Record your findings. Share the information with others.
Involve your Family. Serve your Community. Ask to find out. Learn. Share. Grow. Solve problems
What can I do in my community?
Yeast is used to raise dough. Dough is used to make food items that can be sold.
What business idea comes to your mind? Share the idea with members in your community.
Activity 1.24: Safety of our health in our communities
Work safely in pairs. Study the headline and the picture in this newspaper.
Answer these questions:
- What has happened to the maize? What caused it?
- How can this problem be avoided?
Why is it important to check the expiry date of foodstuff before buying? Share the information with others.
Search the Internet for stories about spoilage of grains. Read and share the information with members of your family and community.
Safe storage of grains: How can communities prevent the spoilage of stored grains? Find out and share the information. Talk about it with your family members and people in your community.
Activity 1.25: Observing precautions when handling bread moulds
One morning, Ndefu carried some slices of bread for his breaktime snack. He kept the slices in an inner pocket within his school bag. He was busy during breaktime that he forgot to eat his bread. After four days, he was looking for his pencil. Then he found the slices of bread in the bag.
Answer these questions from the story:
- Describe how the bread looked like after four days.
- Is the bread safe for eating? Explain your answer.
- What would happen if Ndefu ate this bread? Why should maize, peanuts and other grains be dried well before storage?
Learn more. Grow. Share the knowledge with your family and community members
Fungi in our localities
- Moulds are living things that grow on decaying matter. Moulds belong to a group of living things called fungi (singular is fungus).
- Some fungi grow and feed on dead decaying material, for example, bread moulds. Other fungi grow on living things, for example, maize smut.
- Some fungi are big. Others are very tiny. We cannot see them with our naked eyes. Examples of big fungi are mushrooms, toadstools and puffballs. Examples of small fungi are yeast and penicillin.
- Develop interest: Use the Internet to find out: What is penicillium?
Safety First: Some fungi are highly poisonous. Be careful.
- Some mushrooms are edible. Others are highly poisonous.
- Yeast is a fungi that is used in making bread and doughnuts.
- Some types of yeast cause infections. Find out which ones.
- When bread stays beyond its expiry date, it grows moulds.
Fungi in our localities
- Always seek guidance from your parents, guardian or caregiver about which mushrooms are edible. Do not pick mushrooms in the field or garden without the guidance of an adult.
- When foods are stored in a damp environment, they grow moulds.
- When fungi grow in a compost heap, they add nutrients to the compost manure. Compost manure enriches the soil and increases crop yields. You can prepare it as you learnt in Agriculture lessons.
- Moulds cause food poisoning. It is important to dry maize, peanuts and other dry foods well before storage.
Take this message home: Help people in your family and community avoid food poisoning. Share the message of drying foods well before storage.
Which mushrooms are poisonous?
Activity 1.26: Creating an atlas of poisonous mushrooms
Read this story:
Neema was watching an educative television program. The show was about useful and harmful mushrooms.
Afterwards she searched the Internet for pictures and names of some harmful mushrooms. She learnt that some have names such as death cap and destroying angel. These names suggest that these fungi are highly poisonous and can kill. She also learnt that some attack body organs such as the liver and kidneys. Some are poisonous when eaten raw.
Other important information she obtained was that some affect the eyesight. Others cause sweating, vomiting and diarrhoea.
Neema printed the pictures and created an atlas. She showed the pictures to her teacher, other learners and her friends at home and in school. She also showed her family members and people in her community. Some of the pictures she printed are shown below.
What can I do in my community?
Find out more about harmful mushrooms from the Internet. Which ones grow in your school and home areas?
Share the information with your family, friends and people in your community.
Learn more. Grow. Share the knowledge with your family and community members
Fungi in our localities
- Some fungi are useful. Others are harmful. Others are deadly.
- Yeast is used to raise dough when baking mandazi and bread.
- Harvested maize that has not been dried properly for storage may appear bluish or greenish due to fungal infection.
- Infected maize and other grains should be destroyed. If eaten, they can cause poisoning and death.
- Avoid eating foods that have moulds growing on them.
Activity 1.27: Appreciating fungi as part of creation
Work safely in pairs. Read this poem. Answer the questions that follow.
From the poem:
- In what ways are some fungi important?
- In what ways can we appreciate fungi as part of God’s creation?
- In what ways should we be careful when handling fungi?
Let us take precautions when handling fungi
- Some fungi cause skin infections in human beings. An example is Athlete’s foot. The skin between the toes is affected. Do not share personal items such towels, shoes, slippers and socks to prevent the spread of infections.
Other examples are:
- Ringworm: These appear like patches on the skin. When the skin on the head is affected, patches of hair may fall off.
- Dandruff: This is the peeling off of the skin on the head. It is a skin condition that is triggered by a fungus. It is, therefore, important not to share combs and hairbrushes.
Self Assessment: Checking My Progress
1. What are fungi?
Fungi are:
2. Name some examples of useful fungi that are found in your locality.
3. In two paragraphs, state the economic importance of fungi.
4. State two precautions to take when handling fungi.
Involve your Family. Serve your Community. Ask to find out. Learn. Share. Grow. Solve problems
Activity 1.28: Creating a poster or a brochure for the community
Work safely in pairs. Create posters or brochures discussing the precautions to observe when handling fungi. Ask your parent to help you print some copies. Share them in the community.
Activity 1.29(a): Imagine a visit to a mushroom farm
Imagine that your teacher is organising a study trip to a mushroom farm. Write down seven questions you will ask the farmer.
Discuss your questions with other learners, your family members, your friends and people in your community.
Mushroom farming as a source of revenue: Find out more about mushroom farming. Share the information with your family and other farmers in your community. Find out if any of your family members is interested in mushroom farming.
Activity 1.29(b): Find out the economic importance of certain moulds
Develop your Interest: Read this story. Find out more. Share with others.
Safari was unwell. He had a sore throat and fever. He was in pain. He could not swallow food. His whole body was aching.
His mother took him to hospital. The doctor scraped off Safari’s throat with a cotton swab. She did a test in the laboratory. She discovered that Safari had an infection. She gave Safari an antibiotic in the form of pills. The medicine packet was labelled penicillin. When Safari got home, he wanted to find out more about the medicine he had been given.
- What is penicillin? What is used to make penicillin?
- What form of medicine is penicillin? Does it protect, relieve pain or cure?
- Should he finish all the medicine that he was given?
- Should he share the medicines with others if they have similar signs and symptoms?
- What type of infections and illnesses are treated with penicillin?
Share your findings with people in your community.
Using medicines carefully and safely: You learnt how to use medicines carefully in Hygiene and Nutrition. Talk about some of the points that you remember with a friend. Share the information with others.
- I can correctly identify useful and harmful fungi in my locality. I can also help others to do it.
- I can correctly state the importance of fungi. I can help others do it.
- I can demonstrate the precautions to take when handling fungi. I can also help others to do it.
Involve your Family. Serve your Community. Ask to find out. Learn. Share. Grow. Solve problems.
Develop Interest
Find out more about mushroom farming.
Get information from the following:
- Magazines
- Newspaper articles
- Books
- The Internet
- Television and radio programs
- Mushroom farmers in your locality
- Community members with knowledge about mushroom farming
Record your findings.
Share this information with your family members, friends, other learners and community members.
