Comprehension: Currency – JSS1 English Lesson Note (Second Term)

Comprehension is reading a passage and understanding what it says.

• Focus of this lesson: a short passage on the history of money in Nigeria.
• Skills: reading, learning new words and answering questions in full sentences.
• Textbook reference: Effective English, Unit 13, page 169.

Behavioural objectives

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

1. read the passage on currency with understanding;
2. explain the meaning of barter, currency, exchange, accepted and payment;
3. answer questions on the passage in full sentences;
4. state how Nigeria’s money changed over time.

How do you teach the passage?

Teach the passage in four steps: introduce, read, study the words, then answer questions.

1. Ask students what they use to buy things at the market or at school.
2. Read the description in Effective English, Unit 13, page 169, or the passage below, aloud once.
3. Let students read it silently, then read it again in turns.
4. Go through the new words, then answer the questions.

Passage: how did people pay for things in Nigeria long ago?

Long before banks and naira notes, people did not use money as we know it today. A farmer in a village might give yams to a fisherman in return for fish. This way of trading is called barter. Barter was not always easy. A man with yams might want cloth, but the cloth seller might not want yams.

Later, people agreed to use certain objects as payment. In many parts of West Africa, including parts of Nigeria, small shells called cowries were used as money. In parts of southern Nigeria, traders also used manillas, which were metal bracelets made of brass or copper.

In time, coins and paper money came into use. Before 1973, Nigeria used the pound. On 1 January 1973, the country changed to the naira and kobo. One naira is equal to 100 kobo.

What do the new words mean?

The new words are currency, barter, exchange, accepted and payment, and each one appears in the passage.

What is currency?

Currency is the money used in a country.

• Nigeria’s currency: the naira and the kobo.
• Value: one naira is equal to 100 kobo.
• Other countries: Ghana uses the cedi, and the United States uses the dollar.
• Forms: currency can be coins or paper notes.

What is barter?

Barter is the trading of goods for other goods without using money.

• Example from the passage: a farmer gives yams to a fisherman in return for fish.
• Problem: each person must want what the other has.
• Illustration: a man with yams wants cloth, but the cloth seller does not want yams.
• Result: people looked for objects that everyone would accept as payment.

How did money in Nigeria change over time?

Money in Nigeria moved from barter to objects used as money, then to coins and paper money, and then to the naira.

How do you answer comprehension questions?

Answer a comprehension question by finding the facts in the passage and writing them in a full sentence.

1. Read the question carefully and underline the key words.
2. Find the part of the passage that contains the answer.
3. Begin your answer with words from the question.
4. Write a full sentence with a capital letter and a full stop.
5. Read your answer again to check spelling and meaning.

What are some practice questions on the passage?

These questions test facts that are stated directly in the passage.

• Q: What did the farmer give the fisherman? The farmer gave the fisherman yams.
• Q: What were cowries? Cowries were small shells used as money.
• Q: What were manillas made of? Manillas were made of brass or copper.
• Q: What did Nigeria use before 1973? Nigeria used the pound before 1973.

Evaluation

1. What is barter?
2. Why was barter sometimes difficult?
3. Which of these was a metal bracelet used as money? (A) cowries (B) manillas (C) kobo (D) yams
4. On what date did Nigeria change to the naira and kobo?
5. How many kobo make one naira?

Answer key for teachers

1. Barter is trading goods for other goods without using money.
2. The two people might not want what the other person had.
3. B (manillas).
4. 1 January 1973.
5. 100 kobo.

Assignment

Complete each sentence with a word from the passage.

1. Small shells used as money in West Africa were called ______.
2. Before 1973, Nigeria used the ______.
3. The money used in a country is called its ______.

Answer key for teachers

1. cowries
2. pound
3. currency