TOPIC: PESTS AND DISEASES OF CROP PLANTS
A: TEACHING AND LEARNING MATERIALS
- Pictures of crop pests.
- Pictures of diseased plants.
- Healthy and damaged leaves.
- Chart showing pest damage.
- Pupils’ writing books and pencils.
B: REFERENCE MATERIALS
- Scheme of work.
- Recommended Basic Science textbook for Primary 4.
- Online educational resources.
C: PREVIOUS KNOWLEDGE
The pupils have learnt about weeds and how unwanted plants can affect the growth of crops.
D: PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVES
By the end of the lesson, pupils should be able to:
- Explain crop pests.
- Identify common crop pests.
- State the damage caused by pests.
- Explain plant disease.
- Identify signs of crop diseases.
- Mention methods of controlling pests and diseases.
E: CONTENT
Meaning of Crop Pests
Crop pests are organisms that damage crops. Examples include:
- insects 🐛
- birds 🐦
- rats and mice 🐀
- grasscutters
- snails
Damage Caused by Pests
Pests may:
- eat leaves
- destroy fruits
- damage roots
- bore into stems
- eat seeds
Meaning of Plant Disease
A plant disease is an unhealthy condition that affects the normal growth of a plant.
Signs of Plant Diseases
Signs include:
- yellow leaves
- spots on leaves
- wilting
- rotting
- poor growth
- drying leaves
Prevention and Control
Pests and diseases can be controlled by:
- Keeping farms clean.
- Removing diseased plants.
- Using healthy seeds.
- Controlling weeds.
- Using nets or traps.
- Using approved chemicals carefully.
Chemicals should be handled only by trained adults or under proper supervision.
F: LESSON PRESENTATION
F1: Teachers’ Activities
- Explains crop pests.
- Shows pictures of common pests.
- Explains damage caused by pests.
- Explains plant diseases.
- Displays diseased plant samples.
- Discusses control methods.
- Emphasises safe handling of chemicals.
F2: Pupils’ Activities
- Identify common crop pests.
- Mention damage caused by pests.
- Observe diseased leaves.
- Mention signs of diseases.
- Suggest safe control methods.
- Differentiate healthy and unhealthy plants.
- Answer questions.
G: CONCLUSION
The teacher revises crop pests, plant diseases and safe methods of prevention and control. The teacher encourages pupils to protect crops and avoid unsafe handling of chemicals.
H: EVALUATION GUIDE
Pupils should be able to answer the following questions:
- What is a crop pest?
- Mention four crop pests.
- State two ways pests damage crops.
- What is a plant disease?
- Mention three signs of plant disease.
- Mention two ways of preventing crop diseases.
- Why should diseased plants sometimes be removed?
- Should pupils use farm chemicals without supervision?