Unit 02 A Good Education

Unit 2 Page 20 READING exercise 4 THE LONELIEST SCHOOLBOY IN BRITAIN Imagine a school where you are the only student – where you come first in every test. Welcome to the life of ten-year-old Aron Anderson, who goes to school in Out Skerries, a group of small, remote islands in Scotland. Aron has been the only boy at his school for two months. The Out Skerries Islands, which are around 280 km from the coast of Scotland, are home to about 70 people. The nearest town is Lerwick on the Shetland Islands. You can only get there by boat and it takes two and a half hours. Apart from Aron's school, there are two shops, a church and a community hall on the islands. Aron isn't the only child on the islands and he hasn't always been the only student at the school. Until July there were several other children there, including Aron's two brothers. But now they are older, so they go to the secondary school in Lerwick. They only go back to their homes at the weekend. Aron has been the only student since September. The school is very small. It has two classrooms, an art room, a music room and a library. Each week Aron studies Maths, English, Science and Art with the same teacher. She also gives him PE lessons. This is usually an hour-long walk around the islands. He also has the school playground all to himself. Of course, there is one problem. He has no one to play with. What's more, Aron's education isn't cheap. It costs the UK government £75,357 each year. That is twice the price it costs parents to send a child to Britain's most famous private school, Eton. Some people want to close down the school. They think it is too much money to spend on one child's education. Aron has lived in Out Skerries since he was born and loves the outdoor life. He enjoys exploring the islands on his bike and diving into the sea from the pier. Like most boys his age, he also likes watching TV and playing on his games console. But his mother, who works in one of the shops on the islands, is worried that Aron might get lonely. She would like to see more families with children coming to live there. A lot of people have moved away since the local salmon factory closed ten years ago. That's why there are so few children on the islands and why Aron has found himself being known as the loneliest schoolboy in Britain.

Page 22 VOCABULARY exercise 6 A Geography B Spanish C ICT (Information and Communication Technology) D Art Education E Design and Technology F Maths G Music H PE (Physical Education) I Drama J English K Science L History Page 23 LISTENING exercise 9 and 10 Hey Mum. Is it OK if I borrow your alarm clock? Yeah, you can, but please make sure you give it back to me when you don't need it any more. Thanks, Mum, you're the best. Um. Tom. Can I just ask? Why do you need an alarm clock? Tomorrow's Saturday. I know but I want to wake up and watch the sun rise. What? Do you have any idea how early that is? Yes, it's 5.32 tomorrow. I checked online. Tom – are you feeling OK? Getting up early on a Saturday – this is very unlike you. Don't worry, Mum. It's part of a challenge. What challenge? I've got this list – ten things to do this summer. It's already July. So I don't have that much time left. I need to start doing some stuff. And watching the sun rise is one of them? Yes, it's one of the easiest. Interesting. Can I have a look at this list? Sure. I'll send you the link. So what other things are on it? Learn to help your mum in the kitchen? Very funny, Mum. No, it's more about stuff you can do outside. like eat an apple straight off a tree and feed a bird from your hand. I like the idea of this list. Anything that gets you off your computer and out into the real world, well, it must be good. That's the idea, I think. Anyway, a few of my friends and I have decided to do it. We're having a competition to see who can finish first. So is there anything I can help you with? Well, yeah, there is. Could you give me a lift to the Malvern hills tomorrow? The Malvern hills? Yeah, I need to climb a huge hill. I think they are big enough. And you want to do this after you've got up at 5.30. 5.32 – yes. Well, I might go back to bed for a few hours first but then we could go a bit later. And take a picnic with us. Sounds like a really good idea. Thanks, Mum. You get to tick things off your list and I get to spend some time with you! Careful, Mum. Don't spoil it! Sorry. Forget I ever said that. Now let's go and get that alarm clock ...

Page 24 READING exercise 2 THE POWER OF 'YET' Does life sometimes seem to be full of impossible problems? How many times, for example, do you find yourself saying things like 'I really don't understand this maths problem', or 'I can't get into the school team'? Well, maybe it's time to introduce yourself to the power of 'yet'. By adding this simple word, you can change everything. 'I really don't understand this maths problem yet.' 'I can't get into the school team yet.' Suddenly, the impossible becomes possible. You can imagine those things happening. I read about a school that has changed the way it marks its students' exams. The school recognised that the old pass/fail system wasn't helping student motivation. If you passed, then great, but those students who didn't pass often felt like failures. So now students who don't get the score they need to pass don't see a big red F for fail on their exam papers; they see a 'Not yet' instead. That way the students feel that they are on a journey. They haven't reached the end, but they know that they are going the right way. This kind of thinking is part of what experts call 'having a growth mindset'. People with a growth mindset don't concentrate on failure. They aren't worried by not getting things right the first time and are happy to keep trying until they do. They enjoy the challenge and believe they can change. In contrast, people who just focus on the failure have what the experts call 'a fixed mindset'. These people are always worried about failure and are happy to give up when things don't go right. They don't think that they are able to change. Clearly, it is better to have a growth mindset than a fixed mindset. But don't worry if you think that you have a fixed mindset. You can train yourself to develop a growth mindset. Remember that it all starts with questioning the things you believe about yourself. Stop believing that you can't or you haven't and realise that you just can't or haven't yet. Once you start doing this, you'll wonder why you didn't do it before. It's one small but very powerful word. Page 25 PRONUNCIATION exercise 1 Jake, I can't believe it. Do you recognise that man over there? I suppose it could be someone we know... How could you forget? Think, jake! Oh, yeah! Now I remember. He's on that TV quiz show. That's right. It's called 'Concentrate'. I wonder what he's doing here? Page 25 PRONUNCIATION exercise 3 Jake, I can't believe it. Do you recognise that man over there? I suppose it could be someone we know... How could you forget? Think, jake! Oh, yeah! Now I remember. He's on that TV quiz show. That's right. It's called 'Concentrate'. I wonder what he's doing here?

Page 26 Culture exercise 2 Schools with a difference Every year Bangladesh is hit by heavy rains which cause large floods across the country. At these times life becomes difficult for millions of people who have no electricity or clean water. Many schools in these areas are forced to close. Shidhulai Swanirvar Sangstha is a charity which has provided education to more than 70,000 children with their floating schools since 2002. Each morning a school boat picks up children from nearby villages and when every child is on board, lessons can begin. In some of the lessons children learn about climate change and about protecting the environment. The charity has around 100 solar-powered boats and each one is fitted with a small library, a computer and internet access. The teachers also teach adults how to use the computers. Each year more than 4,000 of India's poorest children get their education on the platforms of the country's railway stations. The idea for the Train Platform School came from a teacher called Inderjit Khurana. She wanted to do something for the children she met begging on the train she took to work each morning. She knew that without education, these children had no hope for their futures, and in 1985, she set up the first school and the school still exists today. Music and drama are among the methods used to teach the children how to read and write. When the children are ready, they can transfer to a full-time school. The schools also provide the children with food and medicine when it is needed. You won't find any books at the West Philadelphia School of the Future in the US. Instead, all students have their own computers and learn on specially designed apps. Teachers don't use traditional whiteboards – they use hi-tech Smart Boards. When the school opened in 2006, both the teachers and the students found it difficult. They didn't know how to use all the technology. Since then the school has improved and these days students get high marks in Maths and reading, making it a very popular school with parents. The people who started the school hope that other schools will follow their example.

Units 1 & 2 Page 28 B1 Preliminary for Schools exercise 2 For each question, choose the correct answer. One. What did Sally buy at the shops? So, did you get everything on the shopping list, Sally? Um, well, everything except for the eggs. They didn't have any in the shop today. Oh no! But did you get the milk and the bread? Yes, and I got some apples, too. I wanted to get some biscuits but I didn't have enough money. Oh well, maybe next time! Two. What time is it? Oh no! Are we late for the film? I don't think so. It starts at quarter past seven. There's enough time. Are you sure? I think it starts at seven o'clock. Let me see. Oh, yes! You're right. And it's quarter to seven already! We are late. So, come on! Let's hurry up and go! Three. How did Brian get to work? You're half an hour late, Brian. What happened? Is everything OK? I know, I'm so sorry. I had a problem with my car. Oh, dear. Did you get the bus? I wanted to, but I just missed it, so I decided to walk to work today. Really? But you live on the other side of town. I know and I'm exhausted. Four. Which lesson did Fred enjoy most? Did you have a good day at school, Fred? It was OK, apart from History. That was boring as usual. But luckily that was in the morning and the rest of the day was fine. So what did you do after lunch? We had Science. That was lots of fun, and then we had Music, which was alright. Five. What month is Tom's brother's birthday? It's my brother's 18th birthday soon. Really? I thought his birthday is in December. No, that's when my mum's birthday is, on the 17th. Oh, I see! So it's his birthday before your birthday in July. Yes, that's right – his is in May. Great! I'm sure he's really excited. All I need now is to find him a present. Good luck! Six. What's the score in the football match? Owen shoots and he ... misses. That was an excellent chance for the Summertown United striker. It's his second chance in the last five minutes of the match. You just feel that United are getting closer and closer to scoring a second goal to draw. But for now, Castle City are still winning thanks to both goals from Love and Cahill. But can they hang on? And here come United again on the attack ... Seven. Which man are the police looking for? Following a number of robberies in the last two weeks, the police are looking for a man in his early 20s. He is of average height but a little overweight. He has short dark hair, and a scar on his left cheek. He also sometimes wears glasses. If you see a man of this description, do not talk to him. Phone the police immediately.