Grade 6 Science & Technology Study Notes
Free sample — first 5 lesson outcomes. 62 more outcomes available on Swaliset.
Free Sample — First 5 Lesson Outcomes
Living Things and Their Environment
This strand explores living things and the environments they depend on. You will study three sub-strands: Fungi, Invertebrates, and the Human Circulatory System.
What You Will Learn
- What fungi are, where they grow, and why they matter
- How to identify and classify common invertebrates
- How the human circulatory system works and how to keep it healthy
Why It Matters
Understanding living things and their environments helps you appreciate the natural world, make healthy choices, and protect the environment around you.
Sub-Strand 1.1 — Fungi
We begin with fungi. By the end of this sub-strand you will be able to identify common fungi, explain their uses, and handle them safely.
Where Fungi Grow
Fungi grow in places that are moist and have dead or rotting material to feed on.
Four Main Locations
- In the soil — mushrooms and puffballs grow in damp soil near trees and in gardens
- On or near water — some fungi grow on wet stones or along stream edges
- On decaying food — bread mould and other moulds grow on spoiled food
- On rotting plants or wood — toadstools grow on fallen logs, dead stumps, and leaf litter
What This Tells Us
All four locations are moist and contain dead or rotting material. These are the two conditions fungi need to grow.
Observing Fungi
Take a walk around your school compound. Look in damp soil near trees, on fallen logs, and near any rotting material. Wear gloves and take photos. Write down what you find and where.
More Examples of Fungi
Mushrooms, toadstools, puffballs, and bread mould are just four examples. Many more types of fungi exist in the environment.
How to Find More Examples
- Search online using a digital device (tablet, phone, or computer)
- Look in reference books, encyclopaedias, or nature magazines
What All Fungi Have in Common
- Neither plants nor animals
- No leaves, no flowers, no green colour
- Grow on rotting or decaying material
Activity
Search for two fungi you have not seen before. Write their names and where they grow. Compare your list with a classmate.
What is a Fungus?
Fungi (singular: fungus) are living things. They are neither plants nor animals — they belong to their own separate group.
How Fungi Differ from Plants
- No leaves, no flowers, no green colour
- Because they have no green colour, they cannot make food from sunlight
How Fungi Feed
Fungi grow on rotting or decaying material — old wood, dead leaves, or spoiled food — and feed on it directly.
Quick Example
Leave a slice of bread in a warm, damp place for a few days. A fuzzy grey-green patch grows on it. That patch is a fungus feeding on the bread.
Mushroom
A mushroom is one of the most well-known types of fungi. It is commonly seen growing in soil or sold in markets.
What It Looks Like
- Cap — a broad umbrella-shaped top. The underside has thin blade-like ridges called gills
- Stalk — a thick upright stem holding the cap up
- Grows from damp soil
Is It Safe to Eat?
Some mushrooms are edible (safe to eat). But some fungi look like mushrooms yet are poisonous. Never pick or eat any fungus without adult guidance.
Key Points
- Three visible parts: cap, gills (under cap), stalk
- Grows in damp soil, especially after rain
- Some are edible; always seek adult guidance before eating any wild fungus
Toadstool
A toadstool looks very similar to a mushroom — but it is poisonous.
What It Looks Like
- Cap — often bright red with white spots on top; dome-shaped like a mushroom cap
- Stalk — pale or white; has a thin frill called a skirt (ring) partway up
- Grows from soil, usually near trees
Why It Is Dangerous
Toadstools and mushrooms look very alike. A person can easily pick a toadstool by mistake. Eating a toadstool can cause serious illness or death.
Rule: Never collect any mushroom-like fungus without a knowledgeable adult.
Key Points
- Looks like a mushroom but is poisonous
- Often has a bright red spotted cap and a skirt on the stalk
- Can cause serious illness or death if eaten
Puffball
A puffball is a fungus with a very different shape from a mushroom or toadstool.
What It Looks Like
- Round like a ball — smooth, white or pale brown surface
- No cap, no tall stalk — sits on a very short stubby base directly on the soil
- When mature, a small crack at the top opens to release spores
Where It Grows
In damp soil — fields, grassland, near trees. Often found after rain.
Key Points
- Shape: round like a ball
- No cap, no tall stalk — only a short base
- Colour: white or pale brown
Bread Mould
Bread mould is a fungus that grows on food — especially bread that has become damp or old.
What It Looks Like
- A fuzzy or powdery coating on the food surface
- Colour: usually grey, green, or white
- Tiny thread-like strands spread outward from the main patch
- Small round spore heads (dark dots) sit at the tips of some strands
Where It Grows and Safety
Grows on decaying food in warm, damp conditions. Do not eat mouldy food — not even the clean-looking parts. Dispose of it safely and wash your hands.
Comparing the Four Common Fungi
| Fungus | Shape | Where it grows | Safe to eat? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mushroom | Umbrella cap, gills, stalk | Damp soil | Edible with adult guidance |
| Toadstool | Like mushroom; red cap with white spots | Soil, near trees | Poisonous — never eat |
| Puffball | Round ball, no cap, no tall stalk | Soil, grassland | Seek adult guidance |
| Bread mould | Fuzzy grey-green coating on food | Decaying food | Do not eat |
Growing Moulds — Setting Up the Experiment
You can grow and observe moulds yourself using a slice of bread in a sealed glass bottle.
What You Need
- Slice of bread, water, transparent glass bottle with a lid
- Gloves, camera or phone, notebook and pen
Steps
- Put on your gloves
- Sprinkle water on the bread to make it damp
- Place the damp bread inside the glass bottle
- Seal the bottle with the lid — do not open it again during the experiment
- Place the sealed bottle in a warm place
- Observe every day for 7 days — take a photo and write notes each day without opening the bottle
- After 7 days, safely empty the bottle. Do not touch the mouldy bread with bare hands. Wash the bottle, then wash your own hands with soap and water
Why Warm and Damp?
Moulds grow best in warm, damp conditions. The water provides dampness. The sealed bottle traps moisture. The warm place provides the heat moulds need.
Growing Moulds — What You Observe
Observe the bread every day for 7 days and record what you see each day.
Day-by-Day Changes
| Day | What You See |
|---|---|
| Day 1 | Bread looks normal — pale, no change |
| Day 2–3 | Small grey or white spots appear on the surface |
| Day 4–5 | Spots grow bigger and spread; colour becomes grey-green |
| Day 6–7 | Most or all of the bread covered in fuzzy grey-green mould |
How to Record Observations
Each day: write the day number, the colour of the mould, and how much of the bread is covered. Take a photo if possible.
What the Experiment Shows
Mould is a living thing that grows and spreads in warm, damp conditions.
Importance of Fungi — Fungi as Food
Some fungi are used directly as food by humans.
Mushrooms as Food
Mushrooms are edible. They are cooked, eaten in meals, and sold in markets and shops. They are nutritious.
Edible vs Poisonous
- Edible (safe): mushrooms
- Poisonous: toadstools look like mushrooms but must never be eaten
Always ask a knowledgeable adult before eating any fungus collected from the environment.
Fungi touch everyday life in ways easy to overlook — the bread on your table, the medicine at a health centre, and many drinks all involve fungi.
Importance of Fungi — Fungi in Baking
Yeast is a microscopic fungus (too small to see with the naked eye) used in baking. When bought for baking, it comes as tiny pale yellowish-brown granules in a packet.
What Yeast Does
When mixed into dough and left in a warm place, yeast causes the dough to rise — it becomes bigger, lighter, and softer.
Worked Example
A baker makes two batches of dough:
- Batch A (yeast added, left 2 hours in a warm place): dough doubles in size, surface is domed and bubbly → soft, airy bread
- Batch B (no yeast, same conditions): dough stays flat and dense → heavy, flat bread
The only difference is the yeast. This confirms that yeast causes dough to rise.
Yeast Is Used To Make
- Bread, cakes, and other baked goods that need to rise
Importance of Fungi — Fungi in Medicine and Beverages
Fungi in Medicine
Some moulds are used to make medicine. The best-known example is penicillin — a medicine that fights bacterial infections. It is made from a mould called Penicillium, recognisable by its blue-green colour. It sometimes grows on old citrus fruits like oranges or lemons.
Fungi in Beverages
Some fungi are also used in making certain beverages. They help change the ingredients during the preparation process.
Key Points
- Penicillin is made from Penicillium mould — it treats bacterial infections
- Recognise Penicillium by its blue-green colour
- Some fungi are also used in beverage processing
Importance of Fungi in Nature
Use digital devices or print materials to search for how fungi are important in nature. The key findings are explained below.
Fungi as Decomposers
Fungi carry out decomposition — they break down dead and rotting things (fallen trees, dead leaves, animal remains) into smaller and smaller pieces.
Returning Nutrients to the Soil
As fungi break down dead material, nutrients locked inside are released into the soil. These nutrients feed new plants.
Why This Matters
Fungi keep the environment clean (clearing dead matter) and soil fertile (returning nutrients). Without fungi, dead material would pile up, soil would become less fertile, crops would struggle to grow, and the environment would become unbalanced. This is why fungi's ecological role deserves to be valued, even though they are often overlooked.
Economic Importance of Fungi — Mushroom Farming
The economic importance of fungi means the ways fungi help people earn money.
Mushroom Farming
Mushroom farming is growing mushrooms in large quantities to sell. Farmers fill dark cylindrical growing bags with material mushrooms feed on. Mushrooms grow out through holes in the bags. The bags sit on shelves in a growing room.
How Farmers Earn Money
- Sell mushrooms in local markets
- Sell to hotels and restaurants
- Export to other countries
Economic Importance of Fungi — Yeast, Moulds, and Pesticides
Yeast in Bakeries
Bakeries use yeast to bake and sell bread and cakes. Yeast itself is also packaged and sold in shops.
Moulds in Medicine Production
Companies use moulds to produce penicillin and other medicines, sold to hospitals and pharmacies.
Fungi as Pesticides
Some fungi are used as pesticides that kill harmful insects damaging crops. Farmers who use them protect their harvests and earn more.
Fungi Across Different Industries
Together, these activities show that fungi are used across several different industries:
| Fungus | Industry | How Money Is Earned |
|---|---|---|
| Mushroom | Food industry | Sold in markets, hotels, and exported |
| Yeast | Baking industry | Bread and cakes sold; yeast sold in shops |
| Mould | Medicine / pharmaceutical industry | Penicillin sold to hospitals |
| Fungi | Agriculture industry | Pesticides protect crops for better harvests |
The complete Science & Technology notes for Grade 6 cover all strands, sections and lesson outcomes as per the Kenya curriculum design.
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