School
1 Look at the types of school below. Put them in order, from the place you go to when
you are very young to the place you go to when you are grown up.
university primary school college secondary school nursery school
2 Divide the jobs into two groups: jobs in a school, and jobs in a university.
lecturer teacher professor tutor caretaker
headmaster/headmistress
3 Look at the school books and stationery below. Divide them into two groups: things
you find in a desk, and things you find in a pencil case.
For example: pens = pencil case
pens pencils calculator exercise book ruler
diary stapler paper clips pencil sharpener dictionary
timetable tippex scissors hole punch glue
rubber bands drawing pins note pad rubber/eraser
Match the words above to the definitions.
a. You use it when you make a mistake with a pencil.
b. You use it when you make a mistake with a pen.
c. You write your homework in it.
d. You use it to put things on the wall.
e. Three ways of joining two pieces of paper together.
4 Read the two descriptions of schools. Which one is describing a primary school, and
which is describing a sixth-form college (a school for 16 to 18-year-olds)? Which school
is old-fashioned and traditional, and which school is modern?
Our teacher was called Mr French. He was very old and very strict. He always wore a suit
and tie, and he walked up and down watching the pupils. We sat at our desks in rows, the
girls on the left, and the boys on the right. We all wore the same school uniform. We
were very young but we had to sit still and be quiet. We copied sentences from the
blackboard, and when we finished, we had to fold our arms and wait for the teacher.
We worked in small groups of four or five students, sitting round tables working on
projects. We decided what we wanted to study, then worked together, looking up things
in books and on the Internet, and writing notes. Our teacher, Mrs Harvey, was very
friendly and helpful. If we had a problem, we put our hands up and she came to help, or
wrote the answer on the whiteboard.
What is the difference in meaning between these words from the descriptions?
a. desks/tables
b. the blackboard/the whiteboard
c. pupils/students
d. in rows/in groups
e. fold our arms/put our hands up
f. strict/friendly
5 Now write a description of a school you went to.
6 Prepare to talk about a school you went to. Read the questions below and write a few notes about the school.
1 What type of school was it?
2 What was it like? What was the classroom like?
3 Who was your favourite teacher?
4 What did you have in your pencil case?
5 What did you like about the school?
6 What did you dislike about it?
That's all, until next time.