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In America, all children from six to sixteen go to school. They spend six years in "elementary" school, and four or six years in "secondary" or "high" school. School education is free.
At the end of every school year, the children take a test. If a child does well, he goes into next class ("grade"). If he doesn't do well, he has to repeat the grade.
Some schools have modern teaching equipment. like computers and closed circuit television, but there are small country schools, with just one classroom.
At the end of their time at school, most students get a high school diploma. If they want to ^o on to college, they take college admission tests.
In Britain all children from five to sixteen go to school. They spend six years in "primary" school, and then go on to "secondary" school.
In Britain there are "state" schools, which are free, and private schools for which parents pay, Many British private schools are "boarding" schools. The children stay at school all the time, and only come home in the holidays. They usually wear uniforms.
Teaching in both countries is usually quite formal. Students often work together in groups? and go to the teacher only when they need help.
At school pupils spend the most important of their lives. It is here that their characters and views are formed. The word "school" always reminds us of our childhood and youth, of close and dear people in our life.
Translation of the text: British and American Schools
In America, all children from six to sixteen go to school. They spend six years in "elementary" school, and four or six years in "secondary" or "high" school. School education is free.
At the end of each school year, children take a test. If the child succeeds, he enters the next class ("grade"). If he does not succeed, he must repeat the grade.
Some schools have modern teaching equipment. like computers and cable TV, but there are small country schools with only one classroom.
At the end of their time at school, most students receive a high school diploma. If they want to ^o on college, they take college admission tests.
In the UK, all children from five to sixteen go to school. They spend six years in a "primary" school, and then go on to a "secondary" school.
In the UK there are "state" schools which are free and private schools which parents pay for. Many British private schools "board" schools. Children stay at school all the time and only come home on vacation. They usually wear uniforms.
Education in both countries is usually quite formal. Do students often collaborate in groups? and go to the instructor only when they need help.
In school pupils spend the most important of their lives. It is here that their characters and representations are formed. The word "school" always reminds us of our childhood and youth, of close and dear people in our lives.
References:
1. 100 topics of oral English (V. Kaverina, V. Boyko, N. Zhidkih) 2002
2. English for schoolchildren and applicants to universities. Oral exam. Topics. Reading texts. Exam questions. (Tsvetkova I.V., Klepalchenko I.A., Myltseva N.A.)
3. English, 120 Topics. English language, 120 conversation topics. (Sergeev S.P.)
This is the third text in the series and it is about the education system in America. Text "Education in America" is final, as it is assumed that you have already read texts about the education system in Russia and the UK and know the words:
So let's read text about the education system in America (Education in America). Specific words relating to the US education system are highlighted in orange.compulsory, primary education, secondary education, comprehensive, ability, entrance exams, specialized schools, profound knowledge, academic subjects, higher education, enter a university, take exams, pass exams, fail exams (from the text )
stage, grammar school, national exam, General certificate of secondary education, further education, to accept, to graduate from, to provide education, private school, boarding school, public school, assessment (from the text )
Education in America
(text about the American Educational System)
- melting pot
- getting started- initiate
- successful career- successful career
- main aim- the main objective
- grade - class, year of study
- elementary school - elementary School
- high school - high school
- elective subjects- optional items
- be necessary for- be necessary for
- public school - state comprehensive school (! In the UK, public school - a private school for the aristocracy)
- private school- private school
- religious school- a religious school (there are such schools in the UK)
- extracurricular activities- extracurricular activities
- take into account- take into account (at admission)
- institution - educational institution
- community college - a college where students live at home
- additional education - additional education
- to receive a bachelor's degree- get a bachelor's degree
- master's degree- master's degree
- high school graduate- high school graduate
- Harvard— Harvard
Americans have always believed in education but in a special American way. The schools’ first job was to turn millions of foreign children into Americans. Since they came from dozens of different countries, that's not easy. Schools had to teach the children to speak English, to love their new country and to learn how to live in it. American schools were the “melting pot” in which the differences were forgotten. They were the ladder which the poor could climb to a better life. Getting started on a successful career was the main aim.
There is no national curriculum in the USA. Each state has its own system of schools. But there are some common features in the organization of school education in the country.
Compulsory education begins at the age of 6 in most states and continues usually until 16. School consists of 12 grades: 6 years of elementary school and 6 years of high school , but this plan may be different in different states. Children move on to high school in the 7th grade and study there until the 12th grade. There are elective subjects, and every student can choose the ones which he thinks will be necessary for him in his future work or further education.
The state schools are called public schools, besides there are private schools, which are very expensive, and religious schools which are also fee-paying.
extracurricular activity(such as playing for one of the school's sports teams) is also very important in the American School system and is taken into account by colleges and universities.]
When young people finish secondary school they go on to community colleges, which provide two years of higher education at minimal cost. A number of young people go to colleges and universities that provide four years of higher education necessary to receive a bachelor's degree, as well as additional education for a master's degree.
Generally, the system of higher education includes 4 categories of institutions:
- community college, which is financed by the local community in different professions
- the technical training institution, at which high school graduates may take courses ranging from 6 months to three-four years, and learn different technical skills, which may include computer programming, accounting, etc.
- the four year college, the graduates receive the degree of Bachelor of Arts (BA) or Bachelor of Science (BS).
- the university
Any of these institutions may be either public or private. The public institutions are financed by the state. Among the private universities the most famous is Harvard.
The system of education in the USA varies greatly from state to state. School education in so called state public schools is free. Parents are free to choose any public school for their children. Although there are a lot of private schools, mainly religious, and parents have to pay for them. A school year starts in September and ends in June. It is divided into three terms or four quarters.
American children start attending elementary schools at the age of 6. They continue their studies for eight years there (8 grades). Their basic subjects in the curriculum at this stage are English, Arithmetic, Natural Science, History, Geography, Foreign Language and some others. After that pupils may enter a Senior high school or if they go to a 5- or 6-year elementary school, they then attend a 3- or 4-year Junior high school, and then enter a Senior high school. Pupils graduate from high schools at the age of 18. The high schools (also known as secondary schools) are generally larger and accommodate teenagers from four or five elementary schools. During the school year the students study four or five selective subjects according to their professional interests. They must complete a certain number of courses to receive a high school diploma or a certificate of school graduation.
In order to develop social skills and encourage students’ participation in extracurricular activities every high school has an orchestra, a music band, a choir, drama groups, football, basketball and baseball teams. School becomes the center of social life for students.
At American colleges and universities young people get higher education. They study for 4 years and get a Bachelor's degree in arts or science. If a student wants to get a Master's degree he must study for two more years and do a research work. Students who want to advance their education even further in a specific field can pursue a Doctor degree. The most famous American universities are Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, Yale, Columbia Universities.
Translation
The education system in the US is very different from state to state. School education in the so-called public schools is free. Parents are free to choose any free school for children. However, there are many private schools, mostly religious, and parents need to pay for education in them. The school year starts in September and ends in June. It is divided into 3 semesters or 4 quarters.
American children begin attending elementary school at the age of 6. They continue their education for 8 years (8 classes). The main subjects in the schedule at this stage are English, arithmetic, natural science, history, geography, a foreign language and some others. Students can then move on to Senior High School or, if they went to 5 or 6 year Primary School, then they attend 3 or 4 year Junior High School and only then move on to Senior High School. Pupils graduate from high school at 18 years of age. Secondary schools are usually larger and accommodate teenagers from 4 or 5 elementary schools. During the academic year, students study 4-5 selective subjects, in accordance with their professional interests. They are required to complete a certain number of courses in order to receive a high school diploma or school leaving certificate.
To develop social skills and encourage student participation in extracurricular life, each high school has an orchestra, musical group, choir, theater studio, football, basketball, and baseball teams. The school becomes the center of social life for students.
In American colleges and universities, young people receive higher education. They study for 4 years and receive a Bachelor of Arts or Science degree. If a student intends to get a Master's degree, he needs to study for another 2 years and do research work. Students who wish to continue their studies in a particular area of knowledge can receive a Doctorate degree. The most famous American universities are Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, Yale and Columbia Universities.
The US educational system is much decentralized and schools vary greatly from state to state. There are three levels of subsidizing education: federal, state and local. They subsidize 3-5 per cent on a federal level, around 20 per cent on a state level and 70-80 per cent on a local level.
There are 15,000 school districts which are different in size. A school district is governed by the Board of Education/School Board/School Council which is elected every two years by the residents of the school district. Members of school boards perform their responsibilities on a volunteer basis, which means they do not get any salaries. They are to define the policies for the administration of the school district. Teachers, in turn, decide about the program and approaches of teaching.
Every resident pays a school tax to the school district he/she lives in, no matter he/she has school children or not. School education in the United States is free and parents are free to choose a school for their children. But if parents send their child to a school of another school district they have to pay the sum equivalent to the school tax directly to the school the child goes to.
There are also a lot of private schools, mainly religious, and parents have to pay for them. The cost is $5,000 - $10,000 a year.
There is no home education in the United States. Each invalid is supposed to attend school. School provides all the necessary conditions for them to study.
The school system structure in the United States looks like this. Children start going to school at the age of five. First they go to eight-year elementary school and then to high school or if they go to five- or six-year elementary school, they then attend three- or four-year middle school, and then high school. Teenagers study at high school four years and graduate from it at the age of eighteen. Members of each grade in high school have special names:
A ninth grader is called a Freshman,
- a tenth grader - a Sophomore,
- an eleventh grader - a Junior,
- a twelfth grader - a Senior.
The completion of high school is called graduation. In order to graduate, students must accumulate a certain amount of credits during their four years at school. Credits are points given for every subject that is passed successfully. In addition to that, students must successfully complete specific subjects required by the state or local educational authorities, such as US history, English, mathematics and physical education. This may vary from state to state.
Over 60% of school graduates continue their education in two- or four-year colleges or universities. At least 10% of high school students are allowed to finish school at the age of 16.
A school year starts at the beginning of September or at the end of August and ends in late June or early July, just before the Independence Day, and is divided into three terms/trimesters or four quarters. School children have winter and spring breaks for two or three weeks and summer vacation for six up to eight weeks.
There is a great variety of Saturdays, Sundays, vocational and other schools. The most popular one is summer school. It is for students who want to get a deeper knowledge in a particular subject, or to skip a year, or just fail their examinations. It lasts six weeks and parents have to pay for it.
Students go to school five days a week. They get to and from school by a school bus. A typical school day in America starts at 7.30 AM with the Pledge of Allegiance in which the US flag and the whole nation is glorified. Then follows the homeroom period during which a homeroom teacher calls the roll and the principal makes his/her announcements over the intercom. Every day students usually have seven periods which last 50-55, sometimes 45 minutes. In some schools there are four periods lasting 90 minutes. There are 2-5 minute passing between periods and a break of 30 minutes for lunch.
American schools today house a large number of students but making friends can be difficult, as the same group of students does not attend all the classes. In order to encourage meeting and knowing a broader population at school, special emphasis is placed on so-called extracurricular activities where interests, rather than academic ability, bring students together.
Extracurricular activities are the many club meetings, music or drama rehearsals, and sport practice sessions that take place in American high school in the afternoon after classes. These meetings are a very important part of high school life, since they are a link between different groups of students who are placed in various academic programs. Students who usually would not meet in the classroom get to know each other in areas of common interest. They give students the opportunity to further their specific interests in various fields and to spend their free time together.
Even though they are not mandatory, many students get involved in different extracurricular activities. Since students spend a lot of time participating in various activities, school becomes the center of social life for students. They not only go to school to study the material presented in class, but they also meet together to socialize and to pursue their interests.
Other important activities in American high school are sports teams. Most schools offer a variety of teams for both boys and girls. American football, basketball and base-ball are played in the majority of schools. In addition, one may find tennis, gymnastics, hockey, swimming, golf, volleyball, cross-country, and track and field teams, depending again on the size and financial resources of the school. Soccer is also growing in popularity.
Usually schools have varsity teams, which complete with other schools and which have very intensive training, and intramural teams, which play other teams within the school itself. In most schools, there is a great deal of competition between students to join the varsity team. There are often schools regulations that make it difficult for new students to join. On the intramural teams most students are welcome to participate.
In many schools girls have fewer possibilities than boys. Smaller schools may not have some of the above-mentioned teams for girls. But a special group of girls and boys play an important part at the football and basketball games. They are called cheerleaders and they lead the crowd in cheers for their team.
In addition to clubs and sports teams, one will find the Student Council and the class officer meetings. Students are elected by their school and classmates to represent them in these bodies and to organize activities for their school.
U.S. colleges and universities offer a variety of programs ranging from highly academic courses to very practical ones. Students can be educated not only for academic professions, but also for technical professions, such as mechanics, nursing, medical technology, computer technology and book-keeping.
In universities young people study four years to get bachelor's degree. If one wants to get master's degree he/she must study two years more and do a research work. If one has master's degree, studies more, does a research work and passes an oral, comprehensive examination he/she gets doctor's degree (PhD).
Question: 20. Read the text and answer the question: What is this text about? American and British schools In America, all children from six to sixteen go to school. They spend six years in "elementary" school, and four or six years in "secondary" or "high" school. School education is free. At the end of every school year, the children take a test. If a child does well, he goes into next class ("grade"). If he doesn't do well, he has to repeat the grade. Some schools have modern teaching equipment. like computers and closed circuit television, but there are small country schools, with just one classroom. At the end of their time at school, most students get a high school diploma. If they want to go on to college, they take college admission tests. In Britain all children from five to sixteen go to school. They spend six years in "primary" school, and then go on to "secondary" school. In Britain there are "state" schools, which are free, and private schools for which parents pay. Many British private schools are "boarding" schools. The children stay at school all the time, and only come home in the holidays. They usually wear uniforms. Teaching in both countries is usually quite informal. Students often work together in groups and go to the teacher only when they need help. At school pupils spend the most important of their lives. It is here that their characters and views are formed. The word "school" always reminds us of our childhood and youth, of close and dear people in our life. a) Education in Russia b) schooling in The USA and The UK c) higher education 21. Indicate whether the statement matches the content of the text If they want to continue education in some college, they take college admission tests. a) True b) False c) No information in the text 22. Indicate whether the statement corresponds to the content of the text In Britain, all children from six to sixteen go to school a) True b) False c) No information in the text 23. Specify , whether the statement corresponds to the content of the text School education is free. a) True b) False c) No information in the text 24. Indicate whether the statement matches the content of the text In Britain there are private schools for which parents pay. a) True b) False c) No information in the text 25. Indicate whether the statement corresponds to the content of the text Teaching in both countries is usually quite formal. a) True b) False c) No information in the text
20. Read the text and answer the question: What is this text about? American and British schools In America, all children from six to sixteen go to school. They spend six years in "elementary" school, and four or six years in "secondary" or "high" school. School education is free. At the end of every school year, the children take a test. If a child does well, he goes into next class ("grade"). If he doesn't do well, he has to repeat the grade. Some schools have modern teaching equipment. like computers and closed circuit television, but there are small country schools, with just one classroom. At the end of their time at school, most students get a high school diploma. If they want to go on to college, they take college admission tests. In Britain all children from five to sixteen go to school. They spend six years in "primary" school, and then go on to "secondary" school. In Britain there are "state" schools, which are free, and private schools for which parents pay. Many British private schools are "boarding" schools. The children stay at school all the time, and only come home in the holidays. They usually wear uniforms. Teaching in both countries is usually quite informal. Students often work together in groups and go to the teacher only when they need help. At school pupils spend the most important of their lives. It is here that their characters and views are formed. The word "school" always reminds us of our childhood and youth, of close and dear people in our life. a) Education in Russia b) schooling in The USA and The UK c) higher education 21. Indicate whether the statement matches the content of the text If they want to continue education in some college, they take college admission tests. a) True b) False c) No information in the text 22. Indicate whether the statement corresponds to the content of the text In Britain, all children from six to sixteen go to school a) True b) False c) No information in the text 23. Specify , whether the statement corresponds to the content of the text School education is free. a) True b) False c) No information in the text 24. Indicate whether the statement matches the content of the text In Britain there are private schools for which parents pay. a) True b) False c) No information in the text 25. Indicate whether the statement corresponds to the content of the text Teaching in both countries is usually quite formal. a) True b) False c) No information in the text
Answers:
Education topics: British and American Schools. In America, all children from six to sixteen go to school. They spend six years in "elementary" school, and four or six years in "secondary" or "high" school. School education is free.At the end of every school year, the children take a test. If a child does well, he goes into next class ("grade"). If he doesn't do well, he has to repeat the grade.Some schools have modern teaching equipment. like computers and closed circuit television, but there are small country schools, with just one classroom.At the end of their time at school, most students get a high school diploma.If they want to ^o on to college, they take college admission tests.In Britain all children from five to sixteen go to school.They spend six years in "primary" school, and then go on to "secondary" school.In Britain there are "state" schools, which are free, and private schools for which parents pay, Many British private schools are "boarding" schools. The children stay at school all the time, and only come home in the holidays.They usually wear uniforms.Teaching in both countries is usually quite in formal.Students often work together in groups?and go to the teacher only when they need help.At school pupils spend the most important of their lives.It is here that their characters and views are formed. ord "school" always reminds us of our childhood and youth, of close and dear people in our life. They spend six years in "elementary" school, and four or six years in "secondary" or "high" school. School education is free. At the end of each school year, children take a test. If the child succeeds, he enters the next class ("grade"). If he does not succeed, he must repeat the grade. Some schools have modern teaching equipment. like computers and cable TV, but there are small country schools with only one classroom. At the end of their time at school, most students receive a high school diploma. If they want to ^o on college, they take college admission tests. In the UK, all children from five to sixteen go to school. They spend six years in a "primary" school, and then go on to a "secondary" school. In the UK there are "public" schools that are free and private schools that parents pay for. Many British private schools "board" schools. Children stay at school all the time and only come home on vacation. They usually wear uniforms. Training in both countries is usually quite formal. Do students often collaborate in groups? and go to the teacher only when they need help. In school students spend the most important of their lives. It is here that their characters and representations are formed. The word "school" always reminds us of our childhood and youth, of close and dear people in our lives.
