How to write farm diaries: Zim Agriculture paper 3

Paper 3 of the primary school agriculture course comprises of practical work done during the course of five terms. This clearly implies that the learner has to do practical activities from the grade 6 to the second term of grade seven. These practical activities should be recorded in the form of a diary. The diary will help the assessor to evaluate the learners performance during the period of five terms. It also shows continuous assessment of the learner as per new curriculum.

The diary should be written in first person singular form. It should be a narration on what the learner did, for example, ’I Uplifted the ridges of a bed using a hoe.’ Even if the learners did the activities as a group he or she should record what he or she did as an individual. The following topics should be recorded; Activities should show how the tools mentioned are used. Activities are written in past tense.

Date

The learner should record the date on which he or she had done the activities there on.
For example 6 July 2017.

Task

Some can prefer to call it ’Practical work’. The learner has to indicate exactly what the task was. The learner records what the final intention of the work was. For example, spraying vegetables. HINT: Learners are not encouraged to work with chemicals. The teacher should have to demonstrate for them and should have worn correct protective clothes.

Tools Used

On this section of the farm diary the learner should have to record the tools he or she used to carry out the practical work. These tools should be seen used on practical activities done. They should not be listed just for the sake of naming. They should be suitable for the job to be done.

Work Done

Some may want to refer to it as ‘what l did’ or ”Activities’’ or ”steps taken’’ .It should address to what the learner did during the practical work. Refer to example below

What i learnt

Some may refer to it as, ”what I observed’’. All is acceptable as long as it is a record of what the learner learnt and observed during the practical activity .This should not be an obvious case like, I learnt that vegetables need to be watered to grow well. A good example is, ‘’I learnt that when weeding with a big hoe some weeds will be left sticking closer to the crop.

Example of 1 week farm diary

DATE: 06 July 2017

TASK: making a composite heap
TOOLS USED: sickle, shovel, bucket, pick and wheelbarrow

Activities

1. I took the tools from the storeroom.
2. I cut grass using a sickle.
3. I carried grass using a wheelbarrow.
4. I put grass on a compost.
5. I dug the soil using a pick/I used a pick to dig the soil.
6. I put the soil in the compost using a shovel.
7. I watered the compost fetching water with a bucket.

What i learnt

1. l learnt that though a shovel in a digging tool ,it is difficult to dig dry ground
   using a shovel
2. I discovered that they are some small organisms in the soil

How to assess a diary

TASK	1
TOOLS USED	2
ACTIVITIES	4
WHAT I OBSERVED	3
TOTAL	10