#CREATIVE PRINTERS

Characteristics of different types of soil.

Loam soil
- It has a lot of humus.
- It has balanced particles of clay and sand.
- It is well aerated.
- It is very dark and loose.
Sand soil
- It has large and rough particles
- It drains easily
- It has no loam soil, clay soil, Sand soil and humus
Clay soil
- It retains a lot of water
- It has fine, smooth and compact particles
- It is slippery and sticky when wet
- It is poorly aerated
Soil texture is the roughness or smoothness of the soil.
It can be felt by touching soil.
Exercise
1. Name three types of soil.
i) ___________________ ii) ________________ iii)___________________
2. Why is loam soil said to be good for crop growing?
____________________________________________________________
3. Which type of soil is difficult for plough and why?
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
4. Which type of soil is used for modelling?
________________________________________________________________________
5. Name the best soil for crop growing.
_____________________________________________________________________
6. Circle the odd man out:
Clay humus sand loam
7. Give a reason why sand soil allows water to pass through easily.
_______________________________________________________________________
8. Which type of soil holds water for a long time?
_______________________________________________________________________
9. Which type of soil is good for building and construction?
________________________________________________________________________

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 10. Mention the types of soil shown below.

A________________________________________________________________
B_________________________________________________________________
C________________________________________________________________

Uses of soil to people

- Loam soil used for growing crops.
- Soil is used for building.
- Clay soil is used for modelling or pottery.
- Sand soil is used for making glasses.

Other uses of soil to plants and animals

- Soil supports plant growth.
- Soil acts as a home of some animals e.g. earthworms, porcupines, moles

Soil profile
What is soil profile?
Soil profile is the vertical arrangement of soil layers.
Where can one easily see the different soil layers?
Ø When digging a pit latrine.
Ø On a road side cutting.
Ø On a railway line cutting.
Ø When digging a compost pit.
Layers of soil
a) Top soil
b) Sub soil
c) Parent rock

Top soil supports plant growth because it has a lot of humus.

Sub soil and parent rocks do not support plant growth because they have no
humus.

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 Exercise
1. Give any two uses of soil
i) ____________________________________________________________
ii) ___________________________________________________________
2. Name two examples of living organisms found in soil
i) _________________________ ii) _________________________________
3. In which way are the living organisms found in soil useful?
_____________________________________________________________
4. What do you understand by the term soil profile?
_____________________________________________________________
5. Which layer of soil supports crop growing?
______________________________________________________________
6. How best can you see soil layers?
______________________________________________________________
7. What is the use of earth worms in soil?
______________________________________________________________
8. Which type of soil is used for building a house?
______________________________________________________________
9. Which term do we give to the arrangement of soil layers from top to bottom
levels?
________________________________________________________________

Soil erosion
Soil erosion is the movement of top soil by its agents.
Agents of soil erosion
1. flowing water
2. Wind
3. Animals
Causes of soil erosion
- Over stocking or over grazing
- Bush burning
- Over cultivation
- Deforestation

Dangers of soil erosion

- It leads to soil infertility.
- It destroys crops.
- It causes silting of wells and streams.
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 Ways of controlling soil erosion
- By mulching
- By terracing hilly areas
- By contour ploughing (digging across the hill not downwards)
- By practising crop rotation
- By planting cover crops
Exercise
1. What is soil erosion?
______________________________________________________________
2. Agents of soil erosion are things that carry soil. Name any three of
them;
i) _______________________ ii) __________________iii) _____________________
3. Give four causes of soil erosion
i_____________________________ii) _____________________________
iii)___________________________________ iv)____________________________
4. How does clearing away grass and trees cause soil erosion?
______________________________________________________________
5. Mention two dangers of soil erosion
i) _____________________________________________________________
ii) ____________________________________________________________
6. Suggest four ways of reducing the dangers of soil erosion.
i_________________________________ii) _____________________________
iii) _______________________________iv)_____________________________
7. What is crop rotation?
______________________________________________________________
8. How does mulching reduce soil erosion?
______________________________________________________________

SPELLINGS:

Mulches, moisture, coffee husks, plant materials

Mulching
Mulching is the covering of top soil with dry plant materials.
Examples of mulches
Mulches are materials used to cover top soil in a garden.
dry grass, coffee, husks, wood shavings, banana leaves
Advantages of mulching
- Mulching reduces soil erosion.
- Mulching makes soil fertile. (when mulches decay or rot)
- It keeps moisture in the soil.
- Mulching reduces growth of weeds.

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Disadvantages of mulching
- Mulches can be a fire hazard
- Mulching is tiresome
- Mulches hide crop pests

Exercise
1. What is mulching?
____________________________________________________________
2. Name three mulching materials
i)____________________ ii)___________________iii)________________
3. Why is it advisable to use dry plant materials as mulches?
____________________________________________________________
4. Identify any two reasons why farmers mulch their gardens.
i) ___________________________________________________________
ii) __________________________________________________________
5. Mention any one disadvantage of mulching.
____________________________________________________________

Changes in our environment

Kinds of changes
1. Natural changes
2. Man-made changes
These are changes that happen on their own.

Examples of natural changes

- Change in weather.
- Change in day and night.
- Change in growth of animals and plants.
- Changes in seasons.

Causes of natural changes in the environment are;

- floods
- drought
- earth quakes
- hail stones
- land slides
- storms
- lightning and thunder

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 Effects of natural changes
- Some changes create hunger.
- Some changes destroy homes and property.
- Animals and plants can die.
- Some changes lead to soil erosion
- Some changes force people to migrate.
- Some changes lead to spread of diseases.
Exercise
1. What are natural changes?
_____________________________________________________________
2. Mention any three examples of natural changes.
i) _____________________ ii) ___________________iii) ________________
3. Identify any four causes of natural changes in the environment.
i) _____________________________ ii) _____________________________
iii) ____________________________ iv) _____________________________
4 .Write short notes about the following;
a) Migration
______________________________________________________________________
b) Soil erosion
____________________________________________________________________
4. State two dangers of natural changes in the environment.
i) _____________________________________________________________
ii) ____________________________________________________________

Man- made changes

These are changes which are brought about by human activities.
Examples of human activities that bring changes in the environment
- Construction of roads - Overstocking
- Construction of buildings - Making bricks
- Deforestation - Burning bricks
- Destroying wetlands - Poor disposal of wastes
- Bush burning - Poor methods of farming

Ways of managing changes

- By planting trees.
- By protecting wetlands.
- By practising good farming methods.
- By putting lightning conductors on buildings.
- By not settling in valleys.
Exercise
1. What are man-made changes?
___________________________________________________________
2. Give any three examples of natural changes
i) _____________________ ii) _________________ iii) ________________

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 3. State three examples of activities that cause man-made
changes
i) _____________________________ ii) ____________________________
iii) ____________________________
4. How can people overcome deforestation?
___________________________________________________________________
5. In which way is bush burning a danger to the environment?
___________________________________________________________________
6. How can brick making lead to the spread of malaria?
___________________________________________________________________
7. Why is poor disposal of wastes a danger to the environment?
___________________________________________________________________

Air

What is air?
Air is a mixture of gases.
Components of air
- Nitrogen - Carbon dioxide
- Oxygen - Rare gases
Examples of rare gases
Argon, Neon, Helium, krypton, xenon
Percentages of gases in the atmosphere
1. Nitrogen - 78% 3. Carbon dioxide – 0.03%
2. Oxygen – 21% 4. Rare gases – 0.97%

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 Note: nitrogen has the highest percentage.
Carbon dioxide occupies the least or lowest percentage in atmosphere.
Graph showing percentages of gases in the atmosphere

Exercise
1. Define the term air.
_______________________________________________________________
2. Mention any four components of air.
i) ___________________________ ii) _________________________________
3. Which component of air occupies the largest percentage in the
atmosphere?
__________________________________________________________
4. Name the part of air that occupies the least percentage.
__________________________________________________________
5. Which part of air is used for respiration?
__________________________________________________________
6. Why is carbon dioxide used in fire extinguishers?
__________________________________________________________
7. Give one reason why oxygen is not used in fire extinguishers.
__________________________________________________________

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8. Identify one local game played using air.
__________________________________________________________
9. Differentiate between air and wind.
__________________________________________________________

Uses of air
- Air inflates balloons.
- Air is put in car tyres.
Uses of Nitrogen
- Nitrogen is used in electric bulbs.
- Used by legumes to make plant proteins.
- Used in the storage of drugs.
Uses of oxygen
ü Oxygen is used for respiration
ü Oxygen supports germination
ü Oxygen supports burning

Uses of Carbon dioxide

-Used by plants to make food.
-Used in fire extinguishers to put out fire.
-Used in preserving bottled drinks.
Uses of rare gases/inert or noble gases
- Argon and neon are used in electric bulbs.
- They are used in neon signs posts.
Exercise
1. Which part of air burns food in our body?
______________________________________________________________________
2. Why is carbon dioxide used in the preservation of food and drinks?
______________________________________________________________________

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 3. Give a reason why carbon dioxide is used in fire extinguishers?
______________________________________________________________________
4. What is the use of fire extinguishers?
______________________________________________________________________
5. How is burning and germination similar?
______________________________________________________________________
6. Rare gases don’t take part in any chemical reaction. How are they
useful?

PROPERTIES OF AIR
1. Air has weight

Balloon without air

Balloon with air

NB: The balloon with air goes down because air has weight.

2. Air exerts pressure

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 NOTE: When you turn the glass upside down, the hard paper does not fall off
because air pressure pushes it up. When taking a drink e.g. soda using a straw, the
pressure pushes the drink up the straw.

3. Air occupies space

- Air bubbles are seen escaping representing air from the glass.
- Air can be compressed when air enters balloon, it swells. This shows that
air occupies space.
- We are able to pump air in tyres because air occupies space.
4. Air can be compressed
Compressed air is used in car tyres to support the weight of the car.
It is also used in balls, balloons, floaters and
Compressed air in a ball Compressed air in a tyre

Uses of carbon dioxide

i)Carbon dioxide used in fire extinguishers to put out fire.
A picture of a fire extinguisher

Places where we find fire extinguishers

1. schools 3. banks
2. hospitals 4. hotels

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 5. Vehicles 6. fuel stations
ii) Carbon dioxide is used to preserve bottled drinks like soda, beer and tinned
food.

Exercise
1. Mention any two uses of air.
i) _______________________________________________________________
ii) ______________________________________________________________
2. Name the component of air that supports burning.
________________________________________________________________
3. Which component of air is used in fire extinguishers to put out fire?
________________________________________________________________
4. State four properties of air.
i) _______________________________ ii) ______________________________
iii) ______________________________ iv) ______________________________
5. Okello blew air into a balloon and it swole. Which property of air
enabled It to swell?
__________________________________________________________________________
6. Which part of air is used to preserve drinks?
________________________________________________________________________
7. Name two places where we can find fire extinguishers.
i) ____________________________ ii) __________________________________
8. Why are some fire extinguishers painted with bright colours?
_________________________________________________________________

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 Light and the sun

- The Sun is a very big star that shines in the sky during day.
- The sun is the main natural source of light.
Sources of light
1. Natural sources of light.
2. Artificial sources of light
Natural sources of light.
These are objects which produce their own light in nature
Examples of natural sources of light
The sun, stars, fire flies, erupting volcanoes and glow worms.
The moon doesn’t produce light on its own but reflects light from the sun.
Artificial sources of light
These are sources of light which are made by people.
Examples of Artificial sources of light
Torches, burning candles, bulbs, lamps, fire flames.
Uses of the sun
- Heat from the sun dries wet clothes.
- Sunlight enables the skin to make vitamin D
- It provides us with light.
- Sun’s heat kills some bacterial infections.
- It dries harvested seeds before storing them.
- The sun gives us solar energy.
Dangers of the sun
- Too much sunshine causes drought
- Too much sunshine spoils eyes when you look at the sun directly.
- Too much sunshine dries water sources

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- Too much sunshine destroys crops in a garden
- Too much sunshine makes us hot and thirsty
Exercise
1. What is the main source of light in our environment?
_______________________________________________________________
2. Give any three sources of light
i) _________________________ ii) ________________ iii) _______________
3. Why is the moon not regarded as a source of light?
________________________________________________________________
4. Mention two artificial sources of light
i) ____________________________ii) ________________________________
5. In which two ways is the sun useful in our sub-county?
i) ______________________________________________________________
ii) ______________________________________________________________
6. State any two dangers of too much sunshine to the people of
Nakawa Division
i) ________________________________________________________________
ii) ________________________________________________________________
7. Name the nutrient made by our skin using early morning
sunshine
________________________________________________________________

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