Objectives:
• to develop students' reading / listening skills
• to practise prediction as a reading skill
• to develop communicative skills using active vocabulary of the topic
Warm up
Answer the questions.
1. What is the main division in the educational system of the USA?
2. What schools do the majority of American children Attend?
3. Who controls public schools?
4. What is the compulsory school age in the majority of states?
5. What subjects does the program of the elementary school include?
Introducing the Topic
Reading / Listening
Read / listen to the text and check your answers.
EDUCATION IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Americans have shown a great concern for education since colonial times.
Among the first settlers there was an unusual high proportion of educated men.
Some of them, graduates from Cambridge, founded Harvard College in 1636.
Today 35 % of Americans aged 3-4 attend nursery schools. 95 % of
5-years-old attend kindergartens. 88 % of American children attend public
schools and 12 % go to a private schools. The USA has 77,000 elementary
schools, 23,000 high schools and 8,000 combined ES
/ HS.75 % of students graduate from high school.
About 60 % of all school graduates enter colleges and universities.
The American system of education differs somewhat from the systems of
other countries. The United States doesn't have a national system of education.
Education is "a national concern, a state responsibility, and a local function".
The American system of education differs somewhat from the systems of other
countries.
Under the USA Constitution the federal government has no power to make
laws in the field of education. Thus, education remains primary a function of
the states. Each state has a Board of Education.
Education is compulsory for every child from the age of 6.
In each school the "principal" i.e. headmaster of the school
decides the curriculum for each grade in his own school. There are different
types of schools: public schools, private schools, parochial schools (schools
run by the Church), schools specializing in art, literature, or science, etc.
The most common system of education comprises:
Nursery schools from3 to 4;
Kindergartens from 4 to 6
Elementary Schools from 6 to 12 (from 1st grade to 6th grade) Junior
High Schools from 12 to 15 (from 7th grade to 9th grade) Senior High Schools
from 15 to 18 (from 10th grade to 12th grade)
Elementary and secondary schools are organized on one of the two bases:
eight years of elementary school and four years of secondary school, or six
years of elementary school, three years of junior high school and three years
of senior high school.
In elementary schools in the USA children learn much the same subjects
as children of the same age in other countries. The program of studies includes
English (reading, writing, spelling, grammar, composition), arithmetic, geography,
history of the USA, and elementary natural science.
High school students study 4-5 major subjects a year and classes in each
of them meet for an hour a day, five days a week.
The United States have the shortest school year in the world, an average
of 180 days.
There are two tests for high school students who wish to attend college
or university. The SAT attempts to measure aptitudes in verbal and mathematical
fields. The ACT — in English, mathematics, social and natural sciences.
Post-reading/ listening task
A) Use the word from the box to complete the sentences.
Harvard; high; education; universities; kindergartens; nursery;
educated; higher;
private; school graduates
1. Americans have shown a great concern for_(education) since colonial
times.
2. Among the first settlers there was an unusual high proportion of_(educated)
men.
3. Some of these men, graduates from Cambridge, founded_(Harvard)
College in 1636.
4. Today 35 % of Americans aged 3-4 attend_(nursery) schools.
5. 95 % of 5-years-old attend_(kindergartens).
6. 8 8 % of American children attend public schools and 12 % go to
a_(private) schools.
7. 99 % complete elementary school and 75 % of students graduate from_
(high) school.
8. About 60 % of all_(schoolgraduates) enter colleges and universities.
9. There are 3,500cilleges and_(universities) in the USA.
10. 20$ of the country's adults complete at least 4 years of_(higher)
education.
B) Scan for the details and circle the correct letter.
1. The United States:
a) does not
b) have a national system of education.
2. Education is "a national concern, a state responsibility, and...
a) a state function".
b) a local function".
3. School age varies from 14
to:
a) 17
b) 18.
Pre-reading task
Try to predict the answers to the questions.
1.
Are American schools different from ours?
2.
How are high school students called?
3.
What are obligatory subjects in American high schools?
4.
Are there any subjects they can choose?
5.
What can you say about the system of evaluation in
American schools?
Read and translate the text.
EDUCATION IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
American schools are absolutely different from ours.
You know, nobody calls high school students the way we do, like
"9th-graders", "lOth-graders", and so on. They are called
"freshmen", "sophomores", "juniors", and
"seniors".
In high school, students have some obligatory subjects, like English,
maths, and some others, but they also can choose the subjects to study.
It's interesting how American students are evaluated. This is not in numbers
like we do, but in letters: A, B, C, D, and F. The first four are passing
grades, and F is failure — it means that you didn't pass the course and have to
repeat it. But what's more interesting is the system of credits. We don't have
anything like that, and for American students this is the matter of absolute
importance. A credit has nothing to do with the level of knowledge, we may say
this is the number of points you get for attending a specific course in high school.
Roughly speaking, it means that you don't have to display your excellent
knowledge of the subject, it will enough if you just attend the classes and not
fail. Both 'A'-graders and 'D'-graders receive the same number of credits for
the course. Why is it so important then? Just because you have to get a certain
number of credits to graduate from high school (grade are not so important),
and what is more important, you must have a certain number of high school
credits to enter a college or university. Without these credits, nobody will
even talk to you in the Admission Office, be you the smartest person in the
world.
Work in groups. Project
Draw a chart depicting the system of education in the USA. What draws
your attention in it? Would you like to study in one of the American Universities?
Where and why or why not?
Homework
Compare the system of education in the USA and Great Britain. (Remenber
the types of schools, the compulsory age of education, the duration of
studies). | 
