TEACHER’S NOTES ABOUT THE LESSON (WHAT WILL TEACHER AND STUDENTS DO DURING THE LESSON?)
Organization moment
Greeting
Warm-up
A sailor went to sea;
To see what he could see;
What he could see;
Was the bottom of the deep sea.
Divide them into three groups
Check up their homework
The task was to write an essay “A day at school”
Main part
Team work “Knowledge Rating Scale”
*They should read the following words and word combinations and think if they know or heard or never see them and tick one of them.
*Then they can write some other unknown words from the text and look up them in the dictionary.
Words
I know it
Have heard or seen it before
No clue
attend middle school
stay in school
junior and senior high school
elementary school
mandatory subjects
private schools
Assessment: Knowledge rating assessment
Team work “Reading and speaking”
*Read the text.
Work in small groups.
Read the text. To give shortened explanation of given information. (use three major reading speeds: preview; overview; read) (Popcorn game)
Circle any words you do not understand. In groups, to find the meanings of unknown words use dictionaries
Look back at the text and write down some questions you would like to ask the class about the text. In groups ask and answer the questions.
Team #1
Introduction
In the USA, children start school when they are five or six years old. Depending on the state, schooling is compulsory until the age of 16 or 18. Children younger than five can go to a nursery school or preschool.
At the age of five or six, the children attend elementary school (also known as grade school or grammar school), which last six years. The first year at elementary school is called kindergarten.
After elementary school, students attend middle school (also known as junior high school) for three years. Then they continue at high school. In some states, students have to stay in school until they are 18 years old. In other states they may leave school at 16 or 17 with parental permission.
Age
School
nursery school / preschool
5-11
elementary school
11-14
middle school / junior high school
14-18
high school / senior high school
When students in the USA say what year they are in, they usually use ordinal numbers, e. g. ‘tenth grade’. (In the UK students would use cardinal numbers, e. g. ‘year ten’.)
Team # 2
Classes
At elementary school pupils primarily learn how to read, write and count. There are about 20 to 30 pupils in one class.
At junior and senior high school, mandatory subjects are English, maths, biology, chemistry, physics, physical education and history. Schools also offer optional courses from which the students can choose, e. g. art, modern languages, computers. Physical education is a very important subject in the United States – many students participate in sports programs.
Gifted and talented students can take advanced courses in their schools or attend additional courses at community colleges in the afternoons or during the holidays. Often such courses are later acknowledged by universities, and can facilitate early graduation.
Grading Scale
In the USA (as in other English speaking countries) letter grades are used in reports.
A 90 % (excellent)
B 80 % (very good)
C 70 % (improvement needed)
D 60 % (close fail)
E 50 % (fail)
F
In general, only grades A to C are a 'pass' – a plus (+) or minus (-) might be added (e. g. A-, B+).
Team #3
Different Kinds of Schools
Most students in the USA are enrolled in public schools. These are financed through taxes, so parents do not have to pay for their children's education. About 10 % of US students attend private schools, where parents have to pay a yearly fee.
Another option is homeschooling: approximately 1-2 % of parents in the USA educate their children at home. Some reasons for homeschooling are religious views, special needs (e. g. handicapped children), or problems in traditional schools (bullying, drugs etc.). However, there is also opposition to homeschooling claiming that the students have difficulties socializing with others, that homeschooling (often carried out by the parents) is of a poor academic quality and that (especially concerning religion) extremist views might be encouraged.
School Uniforms
It is not common for students in the USA to wear school uniforms, but many schools have dress codes telling students what kind of clothing is or is not allowed in school. Some schools (especially private schools) have started to require their students to wear school uniforms in order to improve school discipline and avoid 'fashion cliques'.
Assessment: Self assessment
Pair work “Answer the questions”
The task requires answering the questions, as though students can discuss it in their groups and then state their decisions orally.
Analyze their answers according to the text:
When do the children attend elementary school?
How many years does the elementary school last?
How do we call the first year at elementary school?
What do school pupils learn?
What are mandatory subjects?
What subject is a very important subject in the United States?
Who can take advanced courses in their schools or attend additional courses at community colleges in the afternoons or during the holidays.
How many per cent of students attend private schools?
How many per cent of students are educated at home? Why?
n the USA, children start school when they are five or six years old. Depending on the state, schooling is compulsory until the age of 16 or 18. Children younger than five can go to a nursery school or preschool.
