Presenters: Beglen Saeni, Noelyn Otari, June Ruma Piatir and Abigail Marita. 

Topic Area: Social Studies – Living together in the village or settlements

Recap: 

1. Basic Needs – Food
   • we need food to stay alive.
   • food helps our body to grow, especially proteins such as fish or meat.
   • food gives us strength to move and do different things including sports, work in the garden, offices, in our houses, etc. Carbohydrates give us energy.
   • we need to eat fresh food from the garden to keep us healthy, especially protective foods such as fruits (pawpaw, mangoes) and vegetables (cabbages) to protect us from lifestyle diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure, etc.
   • eating healthy food is part of practicing a healthy lifestyle.
2. Goods and Services
   • Goods include things that are edible (can be eaten) including
     • goods that are grown – cabbage, pawpaw, etc.
     • goods that are gathered – shells, nuts, etc.
     • goods that are caught – fish
     • goods that are made – pudding, bread, etc.
   • Services are what we do for other people or what they do for us, including
     • nurses caring for sick people
     • shopkeepers serving customers
     • teachers guiding and teaching learners
     • police officers looking after the law
     • a person selling goods at the shop or market to another
     • Note – we can also offer service to our household, communities, and schools when we do church work, household chores or look after sick relatives.
3. Using things from the land and sea
   • Land: trees, ferns, rivers and streams, fruit crops, animals
   • Sea: fish, sharks, clamshells, turtles, dolphins, coral, seaweed
   • These useful things can either be used for eating or for selling or other uses:
     • fruits can be eaten whereas rivers are useful for serving us water to wash, swim and drink.
     • farmers growing pawpaw or melon fruits sell these at the market at harvest time to others who cannot grow it themselves
     • someone making bread or pudding as a food (goods) is serving another person who pays for it at the market.
     • a fisherman catches a fish from the sea and sells it at a market or kaibar to cook for others who will buy the food to eat.

Today’s lesson: Social Studies

1. People Living Together
2. Why people join groups in the village or settlements
3. Leaders in the community

People Live Together

• because they are a family
• because they speak the same language
• to help each other (to help build houses, care for each other)
• to know and understand each other

When people live together it is easy to manage duties and also activities such as feasting, festivals, weddings, dancing, etc.

 People join groups in villages or settlements

• to learn and understand Christianity – eg. children attending Sunday School or Sabbath School.
• to practice different types of music – eg. gospel music, island music, rock or reggae music
• to learn about cultural dance and practices
• to solve problems around the village and keep it safe
• to join with others who are similar to them – women’s groups, men’s groups, youth groups, etc.

These groups all play an important role in our villages and settlements.

Roles of leaders in our villages

• village chief: looks after the village or settlement, making sure people follow the rules made by the chief
• church leaders: pastors, priests and ministers who look after matters concerning church affairs in villages and settlements
• school leaders: principals, head teachers, early childhood supervisors: responsible for looking after the school, making sure learners are taught every day, run the school and direct the staff.
• parents: family leaders lead the family in roles according to cultural background. Family decisions rest upon the family leaders, important in our daily lives.

Questions for learners:

• Do you belong to any of the village groups?
• If yes,  what group do you join and why?
• If no, is there one you would like to join? Why not?

Understanding the importance of living together in our villages and communities, knowing why there are different groups and the roles of the leaders of these groups is really fundamental.

Joining these groups is encouraged, as you can learn, feel part of your identity, be responsible and proud of who you are in your family, community and society.

Parents, guardians and teachers please talk to learners about their understanding of these questions.