Part II. Education in the USA

Discovering America:

Real People, Real Stories.

Part II. Education in the USA

 

S.A. Domysheva,

American Studies Department

 

 

Irkutsk

2013

 

ББК 81.432.1- 923

   D71

 

Печатается по решению редакционно-издательского совета Иркутского государственного лингвистического университета

Рецензенты:

доктор филологических наук, профессор кафедры английской филологии ФГБОУ ВПО «Иркутский государственный лингвистический университет»

С.Н. Плотникова

кандидат филологических наук, доцент кафедры английского языка Байкальской международной бизнес-школы ФГБОУ ВПО «Иркутский государственный университет»  Л.И. Чемякина

 

D71 Domysheva, S.A.  Discovering America: Real People, Real Stories [Text]: textbook: in 2 p. / S.A. Domysheva. – Irkutsk: ISLU, 2012. - Part II. Education in the USA. – 65 p.

 

 

Учебное пособие “Education in the USA” является продолжением разрабатываемого на кафедре американистики ИГЛУ учебника “Discovering America. Real People. Real Stories”.

В основе учебного пособия лежит лингвокультурологический подход, при котором равнозначное внимание уделяется как обучению языку, так и обучению культуре. Учебное пособие состоит из трех частей, посвященных различным этапам получения образования в США. Все части построены по одной модели и содержат блоки заданий, направленных на последовательное развитие навыков аудирования, чтения, говорения и письма.

Учебник предназначен для студентов 3-го курса специальности «Регионоведение США и Канады» и студентов 3-го курса направления подготовки «Зарубежное регионоведение», профиль «Американские исследования» (квалификация – бакалавр), а также тех, кто имеет средний уровень владения английским языком и интересуется американистикой.

                         

ББК 81.432.1- 923

 

 

                                                                                                          

 

	© Domysheva S.A., 2012
	© ISLU, 2012

UNIT I: EDUCATION IN THE USA

After Listening Activities

Activity I: Discussing the Issues

1. Study the following chart which compares costs of different types of childcare in the USA. Which is the most affordable option for parents? Which is the most expensive?

Type of childcare	Average cost for full-time care
Daycare center	$380 to $1564 a month for babies and toddlers (average $972)
Home daycare	$300 to $1000 a month for babies and toddlers (average $650), $315 to $956 a month for preschoolers (average $636)
Nanny	$500 to $700 a week ($2,167 to $3,033 a month); live-in nannies usually receive a bit less
Relative care	Often free, but if parents choose to pay, it is usually minimum wage or more. They can also offer to do chores, give gift certificates, or pay an occasional bill for a relative caregiver.
Stay-at-home parent	No extra cost — but income drops if you were working before
Au pair	an average cost of about $350 a week for full-time live-in care
Babysitter	an average of $10 per hour

Note: Costs are based on the latest figures from the National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies (NACCRRA) (http://www.babycenter.com/childcare-options)

 

2. Can you think of pros and cons of using types of childcare given in the chart above? Choose one type and discuss your ideas with a partner, then present them to your class. You can use the following stories for some ideas (one story about each type):

1) These young girls can only work 45 hours a week. They must go to school while they’re here. And the host family must pay for them to go to school: $500. So if you’re working full time, you need more help than 45 hours a week. And they don’t really want to work on the weekends. If you need help on the weekends, they’re not going to work on the weekends (http://www.npr.org/templates/story/).

2) Well, if we talk about nannies, it’s not inexpensive. It is not for everybody. Of course, I think it’s the best option. You have one-on-one care. You have to have references here that we can call. Everybody’s legal. Everybody drives. You are paying more, but you get a lot more bang for your buck (http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=14151163).

3) My parents have always taken care of my son. I have phobia against bringing anyone into the house that I don’t know and that’s not related to me, who may hurt him, like take advantage of him, even. I mean, just every headline that makes it onto CNN and fills our tabloids is exactly what sits in my head (http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=14151163).

4) I had a daycare center experience. And I guess the pro of that it’s affordable. But it’s not for somebody who has very flexible hours. Well, I mean, you have to pick up that child by 6 o'clock, come hell or high water. So if you have to work late, that's just way too bad (http://www.npr.org/templates/story)

5) While I loved the in-home provider and she was much cheaper, either she or her kids were constantly sick, so she was constantly closing. It became a huge problem for me and my husband. She      closed for two weeks once and we had to scramble to find someone to watch our daughter (http://www.circleofmoms.com/working-mums/in-home-daycare-vs-child-daycare-center-553341).

6) When I was kid, my parents hired really good babysitters. I remember one girl in particular who let us watch as much Star Wars as we wanted. Awesome. Another babysitter was this older kid who set up wrestling rings in our basement. My brother particularly appreciated his child-tending “skills”

(http://www.whattoexpect.com/blogs/momonpurposecrazybyaccident/apparently-good-babysitters-are-worth-their-weight-in-gold).

7) I am a stay at home mother, and a qualified teacher. My husband prefers me to be at home with our daughter. He thinks that it is ultimately better for her to be raised by me. I honestly have to agree with him, and THAT is why I am staying at home. We want to be the ones to see her first steps, her first crawl, hear her first words… not a stranger. We trust each other more than I would ever trust a stranger to take care of her (http://www.dumpyourwifenow.com/2007/01/04/are-stay-at-home-mothers-killing-american-men/).

3. If you had young children, which of the childcare options would you choose? Why?

ACTIVE READING

 

Read for general information on the topic. Write out the words and expressions which seem to be the most relevant to speak about the topic.        

After Reading Activities

Activity I: Mastering Vocabulary

1. Find words or phrases in the article which mean the same as the words and phrases listed below.

Before, children, influence, to make sb nervous, defenseless, a fierce struggle, a supporter, quickly, practically, a check, to compel

2. Match the words and phrases on the left with their definitions on the right. Then make up nine sentences using the new vocabulary.

1. board of education 2. campus 3. curriculum (on the curriculum (BrE), in the curriculum (AmE)) 4. educator 5. elementary school 6. grade 7. school district 8. social sciences 9. tuition (tuition fees (BrE))

a) particular subjects relating to the study of people in society, such as history, politics b) a school in the US where basic subjects are taught for the first six years of a child’s education c) an area in one state of the US that includes a number of schools which are governed together d) the subjects that are taught by a school, college etc, or the things that are studied in a particular subject e) the money you pay for being taught f) in the US, a group of people elected to make decisions about how schools and colleges are managed, and about how children are educated in a particular county or state g) a teacher or someone involved in the process of educating people h) one of the 12 years that students are at school in the American school system, or the students in a particular year i) the land and buildings of a university or college, including the buildings where students live

 

3. Explain what the underlined phrases mean.

1. Educators rave about the benefits of early childhood schooling.        

2. “They understand carpet time, clean-up procedures, how to share crayons, or even getting their pants on and off without the teacher’s help; that’s big.”

3. If a large portion of their brain is figuring out what they’re going to do next, there’s less room there to spend on learning.

4. Preschool has a huge impact on their ability to keep up in class.

5. We are in danger of overinstitutionalizing them.

6. A child will develop naturally if the parents give the child what he or she needs most in the formative years – plenty of love and attention.

7. “The only way for school programs, including preschool programs, to show accountability of public funding for education is through testing,” says Diane Flynn Keith.

8. That’s part of a broader test-them-sooner move across many grades.

9. In 2006, for instance, the Massachusetts legislature passed, by unanimous vote, an increase in state-funded high-quality prekindergarten programs.

4. The prefix over- means more than normal, too much, e.g. overinstitutionalize. Here are five more verbswith this prefix. Use them in the sentences below in the correct form.

Overcharge overemphasize overindulge oversimplify    overrate

1. I feel that private schools are ___________, they are more of a social status.

2. Many preschools __________ parents and provide poor quality care in terms of both safety and education.

3. Standardized tests _________ knowledge and do not test higher-order thinking skills.

4. Many parents think they __________ out of kindness, but they're training kids to be helpless and irresponsible.

5. Why does the USA completely _________ formal education? For the most part the thought is that anybody and everybody needs to graduate from a university.

5. Do you know what K-12 and No Child Left Behind are? Find information about it and present it in class.

Activity II: Analyzing the Structure and the Content

1. Look at the headline. Does it give you an idea of what the article should be about? Suggest other variants of headlines for this article.

2. Is it a news article or an opinion article? Is the author objective or biased? Why do you think so?

3. Make a summary of the article.

Activity III: Answering the Questions and Comparing

1. Describe a typical preschool in the USA (age of children, curriculum, etc). How is it different from Russian kindergartens?

2. How has the American kindergarten changed over the last ten years? Do you think the Russian kindergarten has changed, too?

3. Does the American government support the idea of publicly funded preschool education? Why/ Why not? What is the situation like in Russia?

LITERATURE SPOT

Reading an Essay

1. Do you know what an essay is? Have you read any essays? How do you think it is different from other forms of literature, e.g. novels, short stories, folk tales?

2. Compare your ideas with the opinion of Richard Burton, who was Professor of English Literature at University of Minnesota:

“[The essay] aims neither to convey knowledge nor conserve some utilitarian end. <…> The essay is simply the essayist talking…. Here is the most personal of all literary forms, the frankest, most direct exposure of the man behind the book” (“The Essay: A Famous Literary Form and Its Conquests”, 1914).

3. In 1988 American minister and author Robert Fulghum published a book of fifty short essays called “All I Really Need To Know I Learned in Kindergarten”, which includes his ruminations on various topics such as childhood, holidays, death, lives of interesting people and others. The title of the book was taken from the first essay in the volume, in which Fulghum lists lessons normally learned in American kindergarten classrooms. Read the essay and answer the following questions:

1. What kind of things do American children learn in kindergarten? Are they culture specific or universal?

2. What is the main idea of this essay? Do you agree with the author? Why/Why not?

3. Do you remember your kindergarten years? Tell your group mates what you liked and disliked about going to the kindergarten.

Family 1

We are looking forward to our fourth year with an au pair. I live with my 4-year old son, my boyfriend, and our current au pair who is from Costa Rica. Our first au pair was from Argentina, and the last 3 have been from Cost Rica. I have been divorced for 2 years. My son’s father lives about 20 minutes away and my son stays with him over every other weekend. However, our au pair is not required to sleep there at all, but rather just watch him during the day as needed.

We live in a very nice suburb of Detroit, Michigan. There are many kids in our neighborhood, and quite a few au pairs. My sister has two kids and an au pair as well. She lives right down the street. We have a good size house with lots of room for everyone to have their privacy. We are very casual, active and relaxed people, and we would like our au pair to be similar. My son is a wonderful, adorable, fun-loving child who just loves to play all the time. He has loved each of our au pairs, but especially our current au pair, who treats him with all the love and kindness with which she would treat her own child. He requires a great deal of patience, and a very warm, affectionate approach. Our au pair must love the company of young children, be creative and whimsical. We would prefer her to have a sparkle in her eye and laugh easily, as that is what my son is used to, and that is the way he is himself − he loves to connect with people, and he wants to feel loved and special. My son goes to school Monday through Friday until 12:00. Many afternoons I take him to various activities. Right now he takes swimming lessons, gymnastics twice a week, in addition to speech and occupational therapy for a mild developmental disorder that he has. Currently, our au pair’s general duties are playing with my son, since that is a great part of his therapy, feeding him and putting him to bed, so next au pair will have a similar schedule.

We love the au pair program for a few reasons. First, having live-in help makes the transitions of coming and going much easier for my son. Second, my son is starting to understand that people come from all different places, and it is so nice for him to learn about other places and cultures from people who live there. Finally, we really enjoy sharing our home and our culture with our au pair, and having another family member with whom we can laugh and play and have fun.

Miranda Jackson

Family 2

Hi, I am going to tell you about our family and why we are excited about having an au pair join us. Our family is made up of the host dad, the host mom, a son and two daughters. We have a pretty full schedule. The oldest son is in 5th grade, the middle daughter is in 3rd grade and the youngest daughter is in kindergarten at a private school. The kids stay pretty busy. We try to stay flexible for special outings and play dates. Our school is about 15-20 minutes away and we have to drive them every day. There is no bus service.

There are several reasons that we believe that an au pair is right for our family now. First, we have had au pairs in the past, and enjoyed the experience. We are looking for childcare that is flexible. We also like the fact that the au pair will be in a new and exciting environment and interested in exploring our area with our children and without them in her spare time. As our children grow older, we believe it will be fun to have a young, energetic person around to play with and learn from. We have traveled with our kids to Europe, Mexico, the Caribbean, and they are old enough to appreciate language/cultural differences.

It is important that our au pair be outgoing and energetic. She should have experience with older children like ours, and be able to be a friend to them, and help maintain a positive environment. In addition, our au pair will have to help us enforce the rules that we do have regarding television and computer time, table manners, and homework, along with treating each other with kindness and respect. We value physical exercise and creative play. Our au pair may spend a lot of time in the car. It is very important that she be an experienced and comfortable driver.

We live in a beautiful suburb of Boston, located about 15 km west of downtown Boston, and is easily accessible by public transportation. There is a very large au pair cluster here, and there are many activities, movies, shops, and restaurants close by. There are very many colleges and universities in Boston. There will be several choices for our au pair to take classes at, but the best choice is usually to take evening classes at the Harvard University Extension School. They have courses in very many topics, and they have very good teachers.

Mark and Linda Webber

Family 3

We live in a nice suburb of Washington D.C. Our home is a 3 story brick colonial with a private au pair suite in the basement. It is a culturally-diverse community with easy access to things like malls, movie theaters, groceries, library, schools, and the subway. Our neighborhood has nice walking trails, a private clubhouse with an Olympic-size pool, and a tennis court.

The host dad is a regulatory lawyer who works in the city. The host Mom is a Neonatologist (doctor for premature and sick newborns). We are blessed with two boys­ – one of them will be 7 years old in October and the other one will be 5 years old this August. Both boys attend a private school 4 miles from home. The older son will be in first grade and the younger one will be in Pre-K. We also have a very energetic black lab. We are both working parents with demanding careers. Due to the nature of our work schedules, we expect you to be flexible with your work hours. There will be days where you don't work, days where you work 4 hours or less, and days you will work 10 hours. You will never work more than 45 hours a week and we do not expect you to work on Sundays unless it is absolutely necessary and only if it was arranged well in advance. We do not believe in corporal punishment (spanking). Our boys respond well to "time outs" which is when they are sent to their rooms. They are at a stage where they continually test their boundaries and we expect you to be firm, but fair and consistent when disciplining them.

We have had a range of experiences with both domestic nannies and au pairs. We are looking for somebody who will be a perfect fit for our family. You should be caring, loving, and compassionate and must enjoy playing and interacting with the kids. Our boys have boundless energy, curiosity, enthusiasm, and are very loving. You need to be energetic, responsible, nurturing, motivated, honest, and want to integrate into our family. We expect you to share family activities like preparing, eating meals together and be part of the family. Most importantly, we are looking for someone who will view caring for our kids as more than just a job, but as an opportunity to live with a caring family who will treat you as one of their own.

Alan and Jane East

(http://aupairamerica.tripod.com/hostfamilyprofileswebsitejune07/id6.html).

Focus II. Going to School  

ACTIVE LISTENING

Before Listening Activities

Activity I: Orientation

Ashley (Indiana, USA)

Valery (California, USA)

After Listening Activities

Activity I: Comparing

1. Using your notes from the previous exercise, talk about differences between Russian schools and American schools.

2. Read the following opinion given by an American student studying in Russia. Do you agree with what he says about Russian schools? Why/Why not?

There will be a few major differences if you study in a Russian school. The academics will probably be much more demanding in the Russian system. However, it’s probably the little things that you’ll notice the most. For example, there are rarely extracurricular activities (other than KVN), positive reinforcement is a rarity, there is a much more rigid relationship between teachers and students. Overall, (this may sound harsh), but the major difference between Russian schools and American schools is that Russian schools stress rote education, where you memorize things. American schools emphasize the learning process and independent thinking (http://www.localyte.com/info/6569--Russia--Is-it-ok-to-go-to-school-in-Russia--What-is-it-like).

Vocabulary Corner

Basic Vocabulary

1. Match the types of U.S. schools on the left with their definitions on the right.

1. charter school 2. elementary school 3. high (senior high) school 4. middle school 5. magnet school 6. parochial school 7. private school 8. public school

a) a church-related school administered by parishes or dioceses b) a competitive public school that has high academic standards and special programs for students c) a school that does not receive funding from the state government d) a school where basic subjects are taught for the first six years of a child’s education e) an autonomous, alternative public school started by parents, teachers, and community members f) a school for children of 14 or 15 to 18 years old g) SESa free local school controlled and paid for by the government h) a school for children aged between 12 and 14 or 15

 

2. Divide the words below into the following categories:

Academic year, Advanced Placement (AP) classes, assignment, band, car park, cheerleaders, choir, crib, curriculum, custodian, cycle racks, drop-out, drama group, graduate, graduation ceremony, guidance counselor, gym, homecoming parade, home room, laboratory, lockers, maintenance worker, marching band, pep rally, performance, period, playground, principal, principal’s office, prom, PTO (Parent Teacher Organization), report card, reunion, SAT, science club, school dance, school reunion, school physician, semester, self-service cafeteria, soccer field, sports team, standardized tests, student government,  student-run newspaper, study hall, sub, summer camp, superintendent, valedictorian, varsity team

People at school	School facilities	Extracurricular activities	Social events	Studies

                       

ACTIVE READING

 

Read the text for general information on the topic.

School Education in the USA

Elementary school is usually attended from the age of 5 or 6 until 11 (grades K to 6), when students go on to a middle or junior high school. In some districts, students attend elementary school until 13 (up to grade 8) before attending a senior high school. Elementary schools provide instruction in the fundamental skills of reading, writing and math, as well as history and geography (taught together as social studies), crafts, music, science, art and physical education or gym.

American high schools are often much larger than secondary schools in other countries, and regional high schools with over 2,000 students are common in some rural areas and city suburbs. Secondary school students must take certain ‘core’ curriculum courses for a prescribed number of years or terms. These generally include English, math, general science, health, physical education and social studies or social sciences.

In addition to mandatory subjects, students choose ‘electives’ (optional subjects), which supplement their future education and career plans. Electives usually comprise around half of a student’s work in grades 9 to 12. Students concentrate on four subjects each quarter. Larger schools may offer a selection of elective courses aimed at three tracks: academic, vocational and general. Students planning to go on to college or university elect courses with an emphasis on academic sciences, higher mathematics, advanced English literature, composition, social sciences and foreign languages. The vocational program may provide training in four fields: agricultural education, which prepares students for farm management and operation; business education, which trains students for the commercial field; home economics, which prepares students for home management, child care and care of the sick; and trade and industrial education, which provides training for jobs in mechanical, manufacturing, building and other trades. The third program is a comprehensive program providing features of the academic and vocational programs. Its introductory courses provide an appreciation of the various trades and industrial arts, rather than training students for specific jobs. Those who don’t want to go to college or enter a particular trade immediately but want the benefits of schooling and a high school diploma often follow the general program.

(abridged from http://www.justlanded.com/english/USA/USA-Guide/Education/Elementary-and-Secondary-Education).

 

CULTURE CORNER

Electives

Spanish 1 Spanish 2 Food and Nutrition Foundations of Art Business Management Entrepreneurship Bigger Faster Stronger

Accounting Marketing Jazz Band Guitar Physics Intro to Tech

Botany Early Childhood Teen Living Parenting Drawing Painting

Conditioning Lifetime Sports Ag Science Welding Ag Mechanics Creative Creating

Clubs

Rodeo Pep Club FCCLA Band

Bowling International Cutlass FFA

Science Club DARE Math Club Choir

DECA Drama Club Color Guard

Sports

Tennis Soccer Basketball Baseball

Volleyball Football Softball

Wrestling Cross country Track

Cheerleading Dance team Golf

INTENSIVE READING:

Reading a Personal Story

Yesterday my girlfriend and I headed out to the mall. She wanted to get new earrings and a gift for her parents, so I decided to go along for the ride. When we got there, it was absolutely packed. I had kinda figured that it was due to the nasty weather. Then I couldn’t help but notice that there were more kids than usual in every single store. Parents were chasing their kids in and out of the shoe stores, and passing them handfuls of clothes through a halfway opened fitting room door. It was at that point when it hit me: it was back to school season. Then I came to the realization that I was not going back to school.

For the first time in nearly 20 years, there is no back to school for me. Not for nothing, but it really did hit me like a ton of bricks. You get so used to doing certain things every year, like a birthday or an anniversary, and this was no different to me. Back to school was something I was accustomed to, and it was kinda scary and kinda sad to know that those days are behind me. The truth is, those were the best days, and I never appreciated it, not until it was too late. In this episode, I want to touch upon a few specific times that stick out in my mind when it comes to going back to school.

I remember the day my mother registered me for elementary school. I was 5 years old and had been in pre-school since the age of 3. I had fun back then. All I did was play all day, which is really all that pre-school is. At best, we learned 2+2=4 and the ABCs. The day that my mom registered me was the first time I had ever been inside a real school. We went into the main office and my mom, along with a few other parents, was talking to our Principal, Mr. K. I didn’t have a care in the world, and I had no idea what was happening to me. All I knew was that I was playing Legos with a bunch of kids who I had never met before.

To me, the place was tremendous. It was one of the biggest buildings I had ever seen. When my mom explained that I would be starting school there in the next few weeks, I was overcome with joy. All I knew was that the place had a big gym, a boss playground, and already I had played with Legos, so I knew it couldn’t be that bad. Not to mention that in pre-school, our small classroom was filled with toys. This place was massive and had two floors, so it’s nothing short of a Toys R’Us. And the idea of meeting new kids and making more friends was more than I could have ever imagined. And it gets better: all of my friends from pre-school were going to be there! Score! Then she explained that it wasn’t going to be quite like that. She told me about assignments and homework, and suddenly I wasn’t very excited about it.

Then the day came: First Day of School. Now despite the fact that I had no interest in being there, I wasn’t at all like the other kids who didn’t want to be there. I didn’t cry or pout or beg for my parents. I kinda just went and kept my mouth shut about it. My mom dropped me off in front of the building, and I got on line to enter the class with people who would affect me for the next 20 years. I met two guys, Travis and Andy, and we hit it off immediately. We all loved Batman and WWF, and we spent many days in the cafeteria, talking toys over Hi-C. Now we discuss jobs and debt over beer, but we still have our toys.

I enjoyed elementary school for the most part (except for one cry baby that would get me in trouble so often my teacher sent weekly reports to my parents). I mean, once you adjust to everything, it isn’t so bad, and you only went for half the day so I was usually home by 12:30. That school was pretty great, although I didn’t realize it until later. I was exposed to so many different things like school plays, talent shows, a Computer room, and 5 years of awesome teachers. I learned a lot in that place, and I had a really good reputation with the teachers and the Principal. I can credit that to my parents who were always involved with the PTA.

I didn’t appreciate it until the last day of fifth grade. Summer vacation was coming and so was Junior High School. We had a moving up ceremony that morning, and all of our families and teachers came out for it. Basically, this was kiddie graduation. Now, our school had this horrendous theme song, which they still have to this day. We sing about how we sing and laugh and learn all of the time, and how much we love our teachers. The truth is of course we did, but you don’t understand that as a 9 year old. Every time we sang this song we felt dumb. I’m honestly surprised that our parents didn’t laugh at us every time we did this at a recital. Now for about 3 years we had been singing this new smash hit, and we were instructed to sing it at the end of the ceremony.

The end of the ceremony came and we all began to sing it, and honestly, I think we all knew that this was the last time we would be doing so. Everyone seemed to have a sense of pride when we sung it that final time. I talked to a few people after and we all had concluded that we were happy we got to sing that stupid song one last time. We didn’t appreciate it until that day. Maybe because we had finally realized how cool the place was. Maybe it was because we were scared about going into middle school, but regardless, it wasn’t until the last day that we knew what we had. The old saying “you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone” definitely applies.

I remember the first day of middle school with feeling of excitement and fear. I was excited because you would actually move from classroom to classroom and have to follow a schedule, which seemed to break the day up a little. I was excited because we had a dance every month, or as we called it, a canteen. We also had sports teams that we could play for and represent the school. But the idea of a little fish in a big pond definitely put some fear in all of us, since we were used to being the all mighty fifth graders. When I arrived at the school, we were all standing outside waiting to go in. Thankfully, we had been given a tour of the place a few weeks prior, so we knew where we were going. This was the point in time where you would meet new kids from the other schools and make new friends.

That seemed poignant when I looked back upon middle school. For most of us, it was terrible. Maybe that added to the fear as well. My father told me that middle school was going to be the roughest three years of my educational career, and he wasn’t kidding. You get a bunch of bratty, hormone filled know-it-alls with an attitude problem, and confine them into one space. Popular and unpopular was becoming a force that gained strength with every day of those three years. I was more or less caught in the middle, which is where I think you should be. In the case of junior high, it’s good to be neutral. That period of time in my life was all but useless. I didn’t have any dates or girlfriends despite my every attempt, and I hated nearly every single teacher I had. I desperately missed the fifth grade, and couldn’t get to high school fast enough. The only things that made middle school worthwhile was meeting one of my very best friends for the first time, and finally getting some recognition with a band I was in.

Then High School finally came, and a wave of relief overcame me for a few reasons. The main thing was that I was out of middle school, which was worth its weight in gold. The other reason is because it’s around this point in time that you start thinking about college and what it would be like to go away. High School was pretty cool for me. Again, I was in the middle of the pack, but seeing as kids were a lot more laid back and didn’t care about status as much, I seemed to lean more in a positive light. I was a varsity letterman by the end of my freshman year, and things seemed to be better. The next three years flew, and then came my big move to Florida. I was going to school in Tampa, and had moved all of my stuff in to my dorm. I was happy and excited (abridged from http://www.retrojunk.com/content/article/10098/index/).

Activity I: Mastering Vocabulary

Imagine that you taking part in an online project in which people share their life experiences. Record a short story (1-2 minutes) about school memories. In class, listen to all the stories and choose the best one.

                  

 

INTENSIVE LISTENING

Before Listening Activities

Activity I: Orientation

1. What is homeschooling? Do you know any families where children are (or were) homeschooled?

Activity II: Helpful Vocabulary

1. Make sure you understand the words in the glossary.

park ranger someone whose job is to look after a forest or area of countryside: hands-on doing something yourself rather than just talking about it or telling other people to do it follow-up done in order to find out more or do more about something invertebrate a living creature that does not have a backbone beanbag a small bag stuffed with beans on-going process  continual process to label sb to use a word or phrase to describe someone or something, but often unfairly or incorrectly

2. What are these American units of measurement equivalent to in the metric system?

Linear measures: an inch, a foot, a yard, a mile

Weight measures: an ounce, a pound

Liquid measures: a fluid ounce, a gill, a pint, a quart, a gallon, a barrel

Dry measures: a pint, a quart, a gallon, a peck, a barrel

After Listening Activities

Activity I: Discussing the Issues

1. Do you find the way Leslie teaches her daughters effective? Why/Why not?

2. Discuss pros and cons of homeschooling. You may find the following vocabulary useful:

· school-age children · home-taught students · homeschooling households · ethical values · to object to standardized testing · to group students by age/by ability · to grasp the material · to supervise teachers · to set regulations · to submit proof of one’s child’s progress · to excel in many subjects

· to get on well with other students · to move on to college · to prepare lesson plans · academic scholarships · lack of experience and credentials · to pull children out of school · to deprive children of social skills · to be socially isolated and bookish · to find help through the Internet · to coordinate educational activities with other families

3. Read the following extract about homeschooling and say if you agree or disagree with its author. Give your reasons.

Have you ever wondered why so many public school authorities hate parents who homeschool their children? Well, it is because homeschooling is very successful. Homeschooling families pose a direct challenge to the monopoly that the public school has. This monopoly is what makes it nearly impossible to fire a tenured public school teacher or principal. This means that these tenured employees are almost guaranteed that they will have a job for life. They only get this incredible benefit because public schools are monopolizing our children’s education. If these teachers were to work for a private school they would not have this tenure and thus they would have to compete for their job. This is why public schools see homeschooling parents as a serious threat.

A lot of school officials also cannot stand the thought of an average parent who never attended college, much less attended college to become a teacher, being able to better educate their child than the public school experts could. These parents are able to give their children an education that is far superior to that which they would have received in the public schools. This humiliates the public school teachers, who are licensed to teach children, as it shows that these public school teachers have failed in comparison. This is humiliating for the public schools to admit (abridged from http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/62623/public_schools_hate_homeschooling_pg2.html?cat).

4. If you homeschooled your children, what would your curriculum include? How many hours a day would your children study and what kind of activities would they be involved in?

INTENSIVE READING:

 Reading an Article

 

By Rosanne Skirble

Competitive pressures placed on young people in U.S. high schools are damaging many otherwise promising lives. Nearly a third of students responding to a 2010 national survey of first-year college students reported they were overwhelmed by the heavy workload in their last year of high school.

Deborah Stipek, dean of the Stanford University School of Education, is an expert in what motivates students to learn and says they are stressed. And for good reason. “They are not enjoying what can be the incredible satisfaction of learning and developing understandings and skills. Learning can be an adventure, but instead of an adventure it’s really about the test. It’s about the college application.”

In an editorial in the journal Science, Stipek says the trend in many high schools is to teach to the test, as her daughter recently reminded her. Relieved after completing her final Advanced Placement, or AP exam for a college-level French course, she told her mother she was happy never to speak French again. “I think that revealed the real basic problem,” Stipek says, “which is the AP courses that she was taking in French were not about learning French, not about being able to communicate with a different culture, or to travel, or to have a skill that could be useful in life. It was about getting a score on an AP test that would help her get into the college of her choice.”

Stipek says educators must begin to rethink homework policies, match students with colleges better suited to their interests and listen to what students say. “One of the things that schools are doing that we’re working with is doing yearly surveys of students to find out what their sources of stress and anxiety are and get their ideas on what the schools can do, what kinds of policies can be supportive of them. And this has been amazing, because we’ve gone into schools where they say this isn’t a problem and then they do a survey of the students and they are blown away by what the students say when they are actually asked.”

 Perhaps that explains the grassroots success of the 2009 documentary film, “Race to Nowhere,” that gives young people, their parents and teachers a voice. The movie has screened before nearly 600,000 people in schools, colleges and churches across the United States and several other countries. One teenager profiled says she's consumed by homework. “I really can’t remember the last time I had a chance to go in the back yard and just run around”, she says.

Stipek, who was also interviewed for the film, says, “These are students who feel under enormous pressure to perform as opposed to learn.” Stipek adds that educators – and parents – must respond by helping students to sharpen their interests, engagement and intellectual skills, and at the same time to reduce their stress. Otherwise, she says, we risk killing young people’s enthusiasm for learning (abridged from http://www.voanews.com/english/news/usa/-124644319.html).

Activity I: Mastering Vocabulary

1. Complete the gaps with correct prepositions:

1. _____ good reason 2. an expert _______ 3. to be overwhelmed ________ 4. to focus ________ 5. to respond ________

6. to be stressed _________ 7. enthusiasm ________ 8. to feel _______ pressure 9. to get a score _______ a test 10. to match sth/sb ________

 

2. If possible, complete the table with derivatives.

Verb	Noun	Adjective/Participle	Adverb
	anxiety
	application
		competitive
complete
	engagement
perform
respond
sharpen
		supportive

3. Explain what the underlined phrases mean.

1. American high schoolers are overwhelmed by the heavy workload and focus on college prep.

2. Deborah Stipek, dean of the Stanford University School of Education, is an expert in what motivates students to learn and says they are stressed.

3. Relieved after completing her final AP exam for a college-level French course, she told her mother she was happy never to speak French again.

4. Stipek says educators must begin to rethink homework policies, match students with colleges better suited to their interests and listen to what students say.

5. And this has been amazing, because we’ve gone into schools where they say this isn’t a problem and then they do a survey of the students and they are blown away by what the students say when they are actually asked.

6. Perhaps that explains the grassroots success of the 2009 documentary film, “Race to Nowhere,” that gives young people, their parents and teachers a voice.

7. The movie has screened before nearly 600,000 people in schools, colleges and churches across the United States and several other countries.

 

Activity II: Analyzing the Structure and the Content.

1. Think of a headline for the article. Remember that a good headline should grab readers’ attention and communicate a message to the audience. It sets the tone of the article and compels you to continue reading.

2. Discuss all the headlines suggested and choose the best one/ones. Then compare them with the original headline provided by your teacher.

3. A newspaper article has all the important information in the opening paragraph often called the lead. This information usually includes who, what, when, where, why and how. It is written this way because most people do not read the whole article. So journalists put the most important information at the beginning.

Read the lead of the article. Does it get you interested in reading the entire article? What information does it include? What is the main point of the article?

4. The body of the article, which follows the lead, contains details and facts that a reader might want to know. It can also include direct quotes which are used to add interest to the story. Look through the article and say how the main point of the article is supported in its body.

5. There are several ways to write a conclusion of the article. For example, you can:

· end with a quotation or startling statement.

· invite the reader to go in a different direction.

· end your magazine article with a story.

· summarize your article at the end.

· circle back to your lead.

(http://theadventurouswriter.com/blogwriting/writing-conclusions-how-to-end-your-articles-essays-book-chapters/).

Which of the ways of writing a conclusion is used in the article?  

Activity III: Answering the Questions

1. Why do many American teenagers feel stressed in their last year of high school?

2. How do you think can this situation be improved?

3. Did you feel overwhelmed by heavy workload and focus on college preparation in your last school year? Why/Why not?

ACTIVE SPEAKING

 

 

Activity I: Dialogs

Choose any situation to act out a dialog:

1. You believe that a private school is the best option for your child whereas your spouse disagrees with you.

2. Your wife wants to send your daughter to a single-sex school. You don’t think it’s a good idea.

3. You are thinking of hiring a tutor to get your son ready for the SAT and you are convinced that it is a worthwhile investment in his future. However, your husband says it is a waste of time and money.

Activity II: Discussing the Issues

1. Which is better – a centralized public school system with a national curriculum (the European model) or a decentralized public school system represented by a variety of curricula in each state and each school district (the American model). Discuss pros and cons of each model.

2. There is a wide-spread belief in the USA that the more schooling you have, the better off you will be in the future. Do you agree with this idea? Why/Why not?

3. There is a great emphasis on standardized testing in U.S. public schools. These tests are becoming more and more wide-spread in the Russian system of education, too. Are standardized tests so worthwhile to be used on such a large scale?

4. Some teachers believe that it is a ridiculous idea to use computers instead of textbooks in schools. However, such schools already exist in the USA. For example, Empire High School in Vail, Arizona, has introduced all-laptop curriculum, which means laptops, no textbooks, are used in class. Supporters of this decision say that more schools will move towards laptop instruction in the years ahead. Which of the views do you share?

 

ACTIVE WRITING:

Writing a Descriptive Paragraph

 

A paragraph is a series of related sentences which work together to develop a specific topic or idea. Most paragraphs contain a sentence which states (or strongly suggests) the focus or the topic of the paragraph. This sentence is called the topic sentence and is often found at or near the beginning of the paragraph. In a tightly organized paragraph, every sentence is closely related to the topic sentence, bringing a sense of unity and clarity to your writing.

There are four basic types of paragraphs: narrative, descriptive, expository, and persuasive. A narrative paragraph tells a story of one kind or another. A descriptive paragraph is one in which sentences work together to present a single, clear picture (description) of a person, place, thing, or idea. An expository paragraph is one which presents facts, gives directions, defines terms, and so on. This type of writing can be used when you wish to present or explain facts or ideas. A persuasive paragraph is one which presents information to support or prove a point. It expresses an opinion and tries to convince the reader that the opinion is correct or valid (abridged from Sebranek P., Meyer V., Kemper D. “Writers INC: A Guide to Writing, Thinking, & Learning”, The Write Source Publishing House, 1989).

 

1. Read the following plan on writing an essay about your school.  

The introduction of the essay: the name of the school, its location and other simple information about the school.

The body of the essay: description of your school (e.g. school building location, the building from the outside and inside, the departments, the faculty, the school’s surroundings, the students in the school, the kind of results that the students in this school get, the curricular and extracurricular activities, etc).

The final part of the essay: the conclusion where you can express your own opinions and feelings about the school.

 

2. Write a one-paragraph essay keeping to the plan above.

 

Focus III: College

ACTIVE LISTENING

Before Listening Activities

Activity I: Orientation

 

1. Project: College Admissions

Find information about applying to college in the USA. Divide the material to cover among all the students in your group, organize it in a coherent and logical order and present it in class. Then, discuss the differences between college admissions in the USA and in Russia.

2. Analyze the data given in the table below. What kind of colleges and universities are presented in it? Which of them belong to the Ivy League? What do you know about the Ivy League?

ACTIVE READING

 

Read the following information and find differences and similarities between American and Russian institutions of higher education. Write out all the words relating to education.

US Higher Education

There are three main levels of higher education: undergraduate studies (bachelor’s degree), graduate studies (master’s degree) and postgraduate studies (doctor’s degree). The terms ‘college’ and ‘university’ are often used interchangeably as they have many things in common. Both offer undergraduate degrees in the arts and sciences, and both can help prepare young people to earn a living. But many colleges do not offer graduate studies. Another difference is that universities are generally bigger. They offer more programs and do more research. A college can also be a part of a university, e.g. Harvard College is the undergraduate part of Harvard University. Programs in higher learning can also be called schools, like a school of engineering or a medical school within a college or university. Another place of higher education, especially in technical areas, is an institute, like the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Most academic years consist of two 15-week semesters. The academic year usually begins in August or September and finishes in May or June with a short “winter” break, usually in December or January. Most bachelor’s degrees consist of 120 credits. In theory courses, one credit is equal to 50 minutes of contact (time spent in class) per week for one semester. Most theory courses carry three or four credits each. Therefore, students should expect to be in class three times per week for 50 minutes each for a three-credit course. Most students take five courses for a total of 15 credits (each semester). In laboratory, practical or studio courses, one credit is equal to two to four 50 minutes of contact (class or lab time) per week for one semester. (abridged from http://www.justlanded.com/english/USA/USA-Guide/Education/Higher-Education); and E-journal USA, Society and Values: College and University Education in the United States, http://infousa.state.gov/education/overview/docs/ijse1105.pdf).

 

VOCABULARY CORNER

 

 

1. There are various types of institutions of higher learning in the United States. Which of the characteristics below describe each of the types given in the box? Write out the words and expressions which seem to be the most relevant to speak about the topic.         

public universities          specialty colleges            liberal arts colleges     community colleges     minority serving institutions      private universities      religiously affiliated colleges

1. They have a historical tradition or mandate to serve a specific demographic of student, but often serve non-minority students as well.

2. They are largely locally controlled and publicly funded. They offer studies leading to technical and semi-professional occupations, and studies which prepare students for entrance to a four-year degree institution.

3. They are closely identified with and supported by the states in which they are located.

4. They provide pre-professional training of four years or less for students who proceed to advanced professional schools, such as law or medicine, and offer a liberal education for students who don’t enter professional or graduate school.

5. They have a distinctive identity and mission rooted in a religious tradition.

6. They award an associate degree after two years’ study, e.g. Associate of Arts (AA) and Associate of Science (AS) degrees.

7. They enroll tens of thousands of students and produce the majority of graduate and professional degrees in the country as well as a significant number of undergraduate degrees.

8. They feature more focused curricula, not a broad range of studies; they specialize in distinct areas such as the fine and performing arts, business, or technological skills, or military training.

9. They occupy all but three or four of the top 25 slots in most rankings.

10. Three groups whose members fit into this category are Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU), and the American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC).

11. They cater to non-traditional students like part-timers, parents, and the already employed. They can also help gifted and purpose-driven students develop their talents and pursue their professional objectives.

12. They attempt to present both reason and faith as two distinct yet related components.

13. They generally enjoy greater financial flexibility as they do not depend on state legislatures for funding but draw their resources from alumni, philanthropic foundations, and scientific and other professional organizations.

14. Most of them have articulation agreements with four-year colleges and universities ensuring that credits earned will count toward the four-year degree program.

15. They charge, on average, $8,244 in tuition and fees for in-state students. The average surcharge for full-time out-of-state students at these institutions is $12,526 (in 2011-2012).

16. They are somewhat smaller than their public counterparts.

17. They are of different types – state colleges, public schools, community colleges, religiously affiliated colleges, liberal arts colleges.

18. They charge, on average, $28,500 per year in tuition and fees (in 2011-2012).

2. Match the words with their definitions.