English language class on the topic: “Let’s make a comparative analysis of secondary schools in the USA and Russia “.
Overview: this lesson provides students with information on the way the education system life is organized in other countries (particularly in the USA), gives them opportunity to compare various aspects of school life in Russia and abroad.
Time: one period of English
Objectives: students will learn about school in the United States
Language skills: students will talk about school in America and compare it to their own school, express their opinion on them and suggest possible ways of improving the state their school is in at the moment.
Have the students read the following text: (it can be given as a home assignment)
School in the USA
Adam Simon is an 11th grade student at Senior High School in Los Angeles, California, USA.
Question: Adam, what subjects do you have at your school?
Answer: Well, in the 11th grade we have Maths, History, English, Physical Education and Science. All these subjects are a compulsory part of curriculum. All other subjects are optional, you can choose any subject if you want.
Q: what subjects do you study?
A: I study all compulsory subjects and I chose 2 optional subjects: Spanish and Computers.
Q: what is your day at school like?
A: Well, I attend school between 8.30 and 3.30. I have 6 hour periods, and a 30 mn break for lunch. Between periods we have 10 mn breaks. When I arrive at school, I go to the Tutor Room for Registration at 8:30. We listen to announcements to see what special things are happening at school today or this week. At about 8:50 we leave the Tutor Room to go to our First Period. All lessons are in different rooms and places around the school. I have different teachers for each lesson. I also have a locker where I can store some of my stuff so that not to carry it all around in my bag.
Q: what about discipline at your school?
A: Every student has a student handbook with the rights and responsibilities, it says what you can or can not do at school, what you can or can not bring to school. If there are students that are out of control, teacher sends them to Time Out- it is a special room. The students who do not behave must spend the rest of the period in this room, they must take their work with them and can not talk to other students in this room. These students also must stay after school for 1 hour. In school we have a School Officer who is a part of the city police department. He can arrest any body who causes problems, if there is a fight at school, the School Officer stops it.
Q: Do teachers give much homework?
A: Well, it depends… some teachers give a lot of homework, some do not. We usually have a lot of tests at the end of the term: we write essays, do lots of tests, make oral and written reports and so on.[1]
Assignment:
Answer the questions
- are all subjects in American school optional?
- how long does one lesson last?
- all periods are in the same classroom, are not they?
- what do the students have the lockers for?
- school does not have a very strict discipline policy, does it?
- How does school deal with the students whose behaviour is not good?
- what is a student handbook?
- are breaks long or short?
- why is there a School Officer?
- the students get a lot of homework throughout the term, do not they?
Complete the sentences using the information from the text
- teachers send bad students to…
- in… … …the students can keep their stuff.
- a student causing problems can be… … … by a School Officer
- at the term end the students write… … … and make… … .
- the students who… … … must stay at school after lessons.
Compare your school and the one you’ve read about. Use these criteria:
- discipline policy (is there Time Out Room in your school?)
- security policy (is there a School Officer in your school?)
- homework amount (do your teachers give you a lot of homework?)
- subjects (do you have optional subjects?)
Have your students answer these questions:
Which school do you find more interesting?
Do you want to study at Los Angeles school?
Do you think your school is better by far than the one you’ve read about?
Conduct an opinion poll in your class.
What do you think about your school?
What mark will you give to the quality of education at your school?
- excellent
- good
- average
- poor
What mark will you give to your teachers?
- excellent
- good
- average
- poor
What must your school do to improve your education?
- A- raise the quality of teachers
- B- give more homework
- C- improve discipline
What is the biggest problem at your school?
- A- the lessons are not interesting
- B- the teachers are bad
- C- bad discipline
Imagine that your school gets a grant (a large sum of money). How must this money be spent?
- A- on buying more computers
- B- on repairing the school building
- C- on buying new furniture
- D- suggest your own idea
Encourage your students to discuss the opinion poll results.
[1] compiled on the basis of the material published in “America in close up” by Eckhard Fiedler, Pearson Education Ltd., London, 2002.