T: We have an unusual lesson today. There are a lot of guests from different countries: the USA, Russia, Canada, New Zealand and the UK. They are students and they'll discuss the problems of the school education.
The host of our meeting is Kate. Kate, begin our meeting, please.
Kate: Good morning, dear friends. I am very glad to see you. At the beginning of our lesson let's introduce our countries. I am from the USA. (Приложение 1)
It is the United States of America. It stretches from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and from Canada in the north to Mexico in the south. It is one of the most powerful and advanced countries in the world. The USA has the third largest population in the world. It is a real melting pot. English is the official language in the USA. The second important language is Spanish. The capital of the USA is Washington, though some people think it is New York. This famous city is the financial and cultural center of the USA.
Pupil 1: Hi! Glad to meet you! I am from New Zealand. I live in Wellington. (Приложение 2)
Kate: I see. Did you come to our country by plane?
Pupil 1: Yes, it was along a long journey. New Zealand is a country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two large islands – the North Island and the South Island – and numerous smaller islands.
The Flag of New Zealand is a defaced blue ensign with the Union Flag in the canton, and four red stars with white borders to the right. The stars represent the constellation of Crux, the Southern Cross, as seen from New Zealand.
The kiwi bird is the national emblem. It was named so for the sound of its chirp. This flightless bird, about the size of a domestic hen, has an extremely long beak and plumage more like hair than feathers.
Wellington is the capital of New Zealand, the country's second largest urban area and the most populous national capital in Oceania. The population is about 449,000 people. Wellington is New Zealand's political centre.
Auckland is the largest urban area of the country. With over 1,260,900 people it has over a quarter of the country's population.
Pupils 2, 3: We are from Russia. (Приложение 3)
P2: Russia is our country. It is the biggest country in the world. Russia is situated on two continents: Europe and Asia.
P3: One Russian symbol is the Russian national flag. This flag has three wide stripes on it. The stripes are white, blue and red. The upper stripe is white, the middle stripe is blue and the red stripe is at the bottom. These colours have always been symbolic in Russia: white – noble and sincere, blue – honest and devoted – devoted to friends, family and to the country. The red colour has always meant love and bravery.
P2: Moscow is the capital of Russia.
P3: The Urals (the Ural mountains) form a natural border between the continents.
P2: The Volga is the longest river in Europe. It flows into the Caspian Sea. There are many beautiful old towns – both big and small – on its banks. Practically all of them are interesting places, famous for their history.
P3: Seas and oceans wash Russia in the north, south, east and west. The Black Sea is in the South; the Baltic Sea is in the West.
P2: The plant and animal worlds of my country are also very rich. There are a lot of different animals, birds and plants in our forests, fields and mountains.
P3: Another symbol of Russia which all Russian people know and love is the birch tree. You can find these trees everywhere. People sing beautiful songs with poetic words about birch trees.
P2: Russian people have always loved their country though life in Russia has never been easy. Russian people have always been devoted to their Motherland.
P3: Russia is our country and we love it very much.
Pupils 4, 5: Hello! We are from Canada. (Приложение 4)
Kate: Hi! How long did it take you to get here?
P4: It took us about 10 hours.
Kate: Introduce your country, please.
P4: Canada’s history is an exciting story of development of a vast wilderness into a great state. Most experts believe that the first people who lived on this land came from Asia about 15000 years ago. They came over a land bridge that once connected Asia and North America.
P5: In 1497 John Cabot, an Italian navigator in the service of England, found rich fishing grounds off Canada’s south-east coast. His discovery led to the European exploration of Canada. France set up a colony in eastern Canada in the early 1600’s. Great Britain gained control of the country in 1763.
P4: Canada gained its independence from Britain in 1931. During the middle of 20th century, hard-working Canadians turned their country into an economic giant.
P5: Now Canada is the second largest country in the world. It’s nearly as big as all of Europe. This country shares with the USA seven of the world’s largest lakes and also has three of the world’s longest rivers.
P4: The capital of Canada is Ottawa. Toronto and Montreal are the largest urban areas.
P5: In Canada there are people of many nationalities. 77% of Canada people live in cities or towns.
P4: There are two official languages in this country, English and French.
P5: The red and white Canadian flag shows a leaf of the maple tree, which grows in North America.
P6: I’m from the UK, from London. (Приложение 5)
Kate: Can you tell us some words about your native city?
P6: You can see some views of London on the screen. London is situated on the river Thames.
There are a lot of beautiful streets in London. Big Ben is the name of the clock and the bell of the clock tower. You can hear the sound of Big Ben every hour in London.
The center of London is Trafalgar Square. In the middle of the square stands a tall column. It's a monument to Admiral Nelson.
The queen of England lives in Buckingham Palace. It's a wonderful building with a monument in front of it.
The Tower of London is one of the sights in London. The Tower was a fortress, a palace, a prison and the King's Zoo. Now it is the museum.
Kate: It was very interesting to know a lot of facts about your countries. And now I want to know your opinion about school education. What is school for you?
P7: It's place where you make friends.
P8: It's place which helps you to find a good job in future.
P9: It's place where it is fun.
P10: It's place where you learn about people as well as subjects.
P11: It's place where you take exams and write tests very often.
Kate: Some people think school is boring. There are too many useless things which students have to learn. And what do you think about the advantages and disadvantages of school education?
Some advantages:
P12: we become smarter;
P13: we develop our mind;
P2: we take part in school activities;
P3: we have interesting school traditions;
P4: we develop our imagination;
P5: we learn new things;
P6: we enjoy school life and friendship.
Kate: I want to know your opinion about the disadvantages of school education.
P7: we don't need so much knowledge;
P8: we have no time for sports and hobbies;
P9: we get up very early in the morning;
P10: we worry about getting good marks;
P11: we have many tests;
P12: we depend on teacher's mood.
Kate: Dear guests, tell us about the school education in your countries.
P4: I know that education in Australia is compulsory between the ages of 6 and 15. Most children (about 70 per cent) study in state schools where education is free. Most Australians live in cities along the eastern and south-eastern coasts. In several states of Australia there are «Schools of the air». These schools are situated in the areas far away from the big cities and towns. Children use a two-way radio or other means of communication. By listening to the radio, watching TV and video the students learn about the world around them. There is also «School Through the Mailbox» for children who live far away from any school in the area.
Kate: All grown-up remember their school years. Listen to the story told by Englishman about school education and then answer my questions.
TAPESCRIPT
Talking about British schools it’s Hard to know where to begin because there is so much to say. First of all, children start school at the age four or five. After primary school they go to the secondary school which is usually from 11 to 16. But of course many pupils stay at school until they are 18.
What British students study at school seems very much the same to me as what they study in Russian schools. They study English, the first modern language is always French. And the second language is German or Spanish.
Russian isn’t taught in very many schools, I’m sorry to say. I think Russian is a very important language because Russia is a very important power. And I would like Russian to be taught more often. My children Kathy and Robert learn Russian at their school in Newcastle.
Some subjects taught in Britain are not the same as those at your school. Some of them are Religious Studies, Art and Drama or Science. For instance Science is mixture of Biology, Chemistry and Physics and is taught in a very practical way.
In fact I never liked any of these subjects. That’s why, I teach English Literature at Newcastle University now!
Kate: At what age do students finish school in Britain?
P5: Students finish school in Britain when they are 16 or 18.
Kate: What first language is studied in Britain schools?
P8: It is French.
Kate: What kind of subject is Science?
P10: It is mixture of Biology, Chemistry and Physics.
Kate: Why is it important to study Russian?
P11: Russia is very important in world power.
Kate: You are right. You were very attentive. Now our guests from the UK will tell us about education in their country.
P6: In Great Britain there are different types of secondary schools. Most of them are state schools where education is free. But some parents choose to pay for private education. Private (or public) schools in England and Wales are very expensive and they are attended by 5 per cent of the school population.
The education in public schools is of high quality, the discipline is very strict. Most of private schools are either for boys or for girls.
In some British schools uniforms are worn by all the pupils, in others the children can wear what they want to. Some private schools are very famous, such as Eton, Harrow, Rugby and Winchester. Harrow school is famous as the place where Winston Churchill was educated, as well as six other Prime Ministers of Great Britain.
P2: I would like to tell you about school life in Russia. I am a pupil of the 7-th form. I go to school five days a week. Our classes start at 8 o'clock a.m. and last till 2 o'clock p.m. So we have 6 lessons a day. We study Russian, English, Literature, Maths, History, Geography, Biology, Physics and many other subjects. The school year is divided into four terms, called quarters. It begins on the 1st of September known as a Day of knowledge and finishes in May. Each quarter is followed by holidays.
P3: Every pupil in Russian school has a daybook where teachers put down the marks, that pupil has earned at the class. During the classes pupils answer the teacher's questions, do some exercises, count, read, the pupils are often called to the blackboard. After every lesson the teachers give us homework. At the next lesson the teachers check them up. To do successful at school one should be active at the lessons and spend at least two-three hours every day studying. I like studying. My favorite proverb is «Live and learn».
Kate: We've heard interesting facts about school education in different countries. Now I would like to tell you about education in the USA.
About 90 per cent of all children in the USA attend state or public schools where education is free. In other words 43 million pupils and students go to public schools and another 6 million are in private schools.
In private schools parents have to pay for their children’s education. Most of the private schools have religious education, too.
The relations between students and teachers in state schools are democratic and friendly. In America public schools students wear whatever they want. Students can choose the subjects they want to study. They often take part in non-academic activities. But some Americans believe that the quality of education is going down. And what is the school of your dream?
P2: I think perfect school is a brightly decorated building. You can study any subject you like. Teachers talk to their students as if they are grown-ups, individuals. Students are allowed to talk freely about their problems in school or at home. Students are allowed to come to school whenever they want. The rules in the school should be democratic: neither strict nor too free. It would be also nice to have a school newspaper and school radio.
P4: Perfect school should start at 11 o'clock. Teachers should understand our problems and listen to the ideas we have. No school uniform and special haircuts! The breaks should be longer than now. No boring subjects like Science or History. Students should only study the subjects they really enjoy. They shouldn't worry about tests and marks: if they don’t know much - it’s their personal business.
P6: My perfect school is much like the school I study in. However some things could be changed. I’d like our teachers and students treat each other with more respect. Discipline should be quite strict but punishment shouldn't be very severe.
I think some subjects such as Geography, History, Art, Drama should be only studied by students who are interested in them. These subjects have nothing to do with real life. I think they are useless and boring. I prefer the subjects that prepare us for the life outside school. I’m sure school should still be compulsory.
Kate: What do you think about the teachers? What traits of characters should he or she have?
P1: Teachers should be quite strict. There should be some fun in class, but pupils shouldn’t be allowed to make noise and be lazy during lessons.
P2: Teachers should be strict. Pupils shouldn’t be allowed to speak in class unless the teacher ass them to.
P3: Teachers should be as easy going as possible. Pupils should be allowed to do whatever they like. If they don’t learn it’s their problem.
P4: Teachers don’t need a sense of humour. They should just teach the lessons as clearly as possible.
P5: Teachers should keep their class entertained with jokes and stories if the class is bored by the lesson.
Kate: I have some questions.
- How many subjects have you got in your timetable?
- How many lessons have you got every day?
- What can you tell about your classmates? Are they friendly, talkative, clever, easy going?
- What school activities do you like (sport, music)?
- What hobbies have you got (collecting stamps, coins, playing computer games, reading books, taking photos?
- How do you get to school (on foot, by bus by car)?
- What school problems have you got ( too much homework, strict teachers)?
Kate: Thank you for your discussing the problem of the school education. I think we have heard a lot of interesting facts about school education in different countries. I wish you interesting school life, friendly classmates, creative and understanding teachers.
At the end of our meeting fill the form, please. Write your opinion about perfect school, teachers, lessons. Don’t sign your form. Our meeting is over. See you soon. Good bye.
1. The perfect school should be |
because |
T: Dear children, I hope you had a very good time at the lesson. You have done many tasks. I liked your answers. You know now a lot about the school education in different countries. It was very interesting to know your opinion about the school and the teacher of your dream. Now I would like you to check your attention at the lesson. Do you remember some facts that your classmates have told about English-speaking countries? This test will help us.
Test
1. The first people came to Canada from Asia … years ago.
a) 15000
b) 10000
c) 5000
2. Canada gained it's independence from Britain in … .
a) 1921
b) 1931
c) 1831
3. Now Canada is the … largest country in the world.
a) first
b) second
c) third
4. The capital of New Zealand is …
a) Auckland
b) Wellington
c) Hamilton
5. The kiwi bird has the size of a…
a) kiwi fruit
b) sparrow
c) domestic hen
6. The head of the UK is the …
a) prime minister
b) president
c) queen
7. The Tower of London wasn’t the …
a) king’s zoo
b) theatre
c) fortress
8. You can hear the sound of Big Ben every … in London.
a) hour
b) half an hour
c) 15 minutes
9. The second important language in the USA is …
a) French
b) Spanish
c) German
10. The USA has the ……. population in the world.
a) first
b) second
c) third
Key: 1a, 2b, 3b, 4b, 5c, 6c, 7b, 8a, 9b, 10c.
T: At our lesson you've shown your interest to the students’ reports about English-speaking countries and to the problems of school education. I think our school life will become more interesting and our school will become the school of your dream. I’d like to thank you for our lesson. See you tomorrow.