11. Off to school

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ABOUT YOU

09 Watch the video and then answer the questions. How many hours a week do you spend at school? How long does it take you to get to school each day? What do you think is important to have in a classroom?

I spend about 30 hours a week at school because I have six or seven lessons each day from Monday to Friday. It takes me around 20 minutes to get to school on foot every morning. In my opinion, it is important to have comfortable desks, plenty of natural light, and modern equipment like an interactive whiteboard and a computer in a classroom.

VOCABULARY

1 Look at the photos of difficult journeys to school. Which journey do you think is the most difficult? Why?

The journey in photo B is the most difficult because climbing steep vertical ladders on the side of a mountain is extremely dangerous and physically demanding. A single slip could lead to a serious fall.

2 Listen to a photographer talking about the photos. In what order does she talk about them?

1. Photo A (crossing a fast-flowing river on an inflated tyre in the Philippines) [12:00:25]
2. Photo B (climbing steep ladders up a mountain in Sichuan, China) [12:01:05]
3. Photo C (wading through deep floodwaters to take exams in Kashmir, India) [12:01:45]

3 Complete the sentences with the words in the boxes. Listen again and check.

1 The children are very young and go to the primary school in the village. [12:00:41] 2 I’m not sure where they will go to school when they are secondary school age. [12:00:45] 3 I think he was in Year 1, so age six. [12:00:54] 4 I wonder what qualifications these children will end up getting. [12:00:59] 5 The children attend a school which is on the other side of the mountain. [12:01:25] 6 Fortunately, the children can live at the boarding school. [12:01:30] 7 The children and their parents want them to do well. [12:01:38] 8 They want them to go on to university and get a degree. [12:01:41] 9 We had been undergraduates together at the University of Cambridge. [12:01:54] 10 The children had two more weeks before they broke up for the holidays. [12:02:02] 11 One young teen I spoke to afterwards thought he had done badly in his exams. [12:02:11] 12 It seems that education is a priority for this community. [12:02:22]

4 Group the words in the boxes in Exercise 3 into verbs and nouns. What are the infinitives of the verbs?

(Note: primary and secondary are adjectives used with the noun “school”.)

5 Read the sentences about school. Do you agree?

1 I agree. Staying in education until 18 helps young people gain more knowledge and prepare better for adult life. 2 I disagree. University should be open to any student who works hard and wants to learn, not just the top students. 3 I disagree. Having holidays every four weeks would disrupt the learning process too much. 4 I disagree. Repeating a year can help a struggling student catch up and build essential skills. 5 I agree. Starting primary school at 4 or 5 and secondary school around 11 or 12 fits children’s development well. 6 I agree. Doing well at school gives you better opportunities for future education and career choices. 7 I agree. Every child has the right to quality education regardless of where they live or their financial situation. 8 I agree. Practical life experience often teaches skills that qualifications alone cannot provide. 9 I agree. Young children learn foreign languages much faster and more easily in their early school years. 10 I agree. Higher education should be affordable so that every qualified student can attend without getting into debt.

READING

1 What things do you like about your classroom? What things do you dislike?

I like that our classroom is bright, warm, and equipped with a modern interactive whiteboard. However, I dislike the old uncomfortable chairs and the fact that it gets very noisy when windows are open during break time.

2 Read the three texts quickly. Which classroom (A, B or C) is the most traditional? Which is the most unusual?

• The most traditional classroom: Katie’s classroom in Samoa (it is fairly ordinary, with standard desks, a blackboard, and hardly any computers).
• The most unusual classroom: Jack’s classroom in Bali (open-air bamboo structures covered with cotton sheets to create a bubble) or Georgie’s classroom in Cuba (outdoor learning areas located in vegetable and flower gardens).

3 Read the texts again. Which classroom …

1 had the children’s work on the walls? Katie’s classroom (The walls were covered with colourful pictures and writing).

2 had students from all over the world? Jack’s classroom (There were students from 35 different nationalities).

3 was inside a garden? Georgie’s classroom (Classrooms were in the vegetable garden and rose garden).

4 did the students like? Georgie’s classroom (The children enjoyed it because they didn’t feel as if they were in a classroom).

5 had very few computers? Katie’s classroom (There were hardly any computers).

6 had an original way of cooling the air? Jack’s classroom (They covered the bamboo classrooms with a huge cotton sheet to make a bubble without electric air conditioning).

7 was challenging for the teacher? Georgie’s classroom (The teacher missed having a whiteboard while teaching maths).

8 had a gift made by the teacher’s relative in it? Katie’s classroom (The teacher had a wooden chair handmade by her grandfather).

4 Match the highlighted words and phrases in the text to the meanings.

1 with things all around a place — surrounded by 2 energy that you use to do something — effort 3 not special — ordinary 4 do something enjoyable because it is a special day — celebrate 5 request something officially — apply for

TALKING POINTS

Which of the three classrooms would you most like to have? What would your ideal classroom be like?

I would most like to study in the open-air classroom at the Green School in Bali because being surrounded by nature and having lots of fresh air helps students stay focused and relaxed. My ideal classroom would be large and bright, equipped with modern interactive whiteboards, comfortable chairs, and plenty of space for practical group projects.

GRAMMAR

1 Read the example and look at the verbs. Answer the questions.

1 b (The parents and teachers had built the classrooms.) 2 The verb went is in the past simple, and the verb had built is in the past perfect.

2 Choose the correct words to complete the rules.

a We use the past perfect to talk about an action that happened before another action in the past. b We form the past perfect with had + past participle.

3 Read the sentences and look at the verb forms. Which action came first, a or b?

1 b (I went to bed.) 2 b (Martin saw the film.) 3 a (Juliana had lunch at school.) 4 b (Paul finished his homework.)

4 Choose the correct form of the verbs.

1 I was really surprised when I read the email: I had won the lottery! 2 I decided to call my brother and say that I had changed my mind. 3 Yesterday, when the crime happened, I was at home. 4 I went to Malaysia for my summer vacation last year. 5 I told him about the new restaurant that had opened in my town the week before.

5 Read about a school in Norway and complete the text with the correct form of the verbs.

Before I 1 went to Norway, I 2 had worked all over the world and I 3 had seen many different classrooms. But this 4 was definitely more impressive than anything I 5 had experienced before. I 6 had not worked with a class before in which every child had their own computer. But I also 7 had not gone to a school before where children had to leave the island when they 8 reached the age of 16, to continue their education on the mainland.

VOCABULARY

1 Read the examples. What words make up compound nouns.

Compound nouns are formed by combining two words together. They are usually made up of:

• noun + noun (e.g. class + room = classroom, bus + stop = bus stop)
• adjective + noun (e.g. white + board = whiteboard)

2 Choose a word from each box to make compound nouns. Write the words next to the meanings.

1 the person in charge of a school — headteacher 2 study and exercises that you do out of school — homework 3 this is when you eat in the middle of the day — lunchtime 4 teachers write on this with a white material called chalk — blackboard 5 Prepare. Ukrainian edition is your … — textbook 6 a list that tells you when and where you have your classes — timetable 7 a vehicle that takes children to and from school — school bus 8 a short period of rest during the school day — break time

3 You have two minutes. How many compound nouns can you make from the words?

Here are the compound nouns that can be made from the given words:

• bus ticket
• train ticket
• bus journey
• train journey
• school journey
• school break
• lunch break
• lunchtime
• break time
• homework
• housework
• home time

4 Turn to page 136.

Refer to page 136 in the Vocabulary reference section of the Student’s Book for additional compound noun practice.

WRITING

1 Have you read any stories that take place in school? What happened?

Yes, I have read a story about a student who accidentally locked himself in the school science lab after lessons. He had to figure out how to get out before dark and ended up solving a fun riddle left on the board by his teacher.

2 Read Alex’s story. Choose the best first sentence.

b (It was the first day back at school after the summer holidays.)

3 Read the Prepare to write box. Read Alex’s story again and find examples of verbs in the past simple, past continuous and past perfect.

• Past simple: was, came, took, didn’t mention, carried on, said, handed in, got
• Past continuous: was sitting, (was) feeling
• Past perfect: had asked, hadn’t done, ‘d forgotten (had forgotten)

4 Look at the highlighted adjectives and adverbs in Alex’s story. How do adjectives and adverbs improve the story?

Adjectives and adverbs add detail and describe nouns and actions more clearly. They make the story more vivid, engaging, and interesting to read, while helping the reader understand the narrator’s feelings and the atmosphere of the situation.

5 Add a suitable adjective to the sentences. Use your own ideas.

1 A tall man walked into the room. 2 The teacher gave us some difficult homework. 3 We had a fantastic day! 4 The lessons take place in a modern classroom.

6 Add an adverb to each sentence. Use the adverbs in the box or your own ideas. Compare your sentences with a partner.

1 She walked out of the room quietly. 2 I finished my homework easily. 3 We ate our lunch quickly. 4 He smiled at me cheerfully. 5 The teacher answered her questions well.

7 Read the task below and plan your ideas, then compare your ideas with a partner. Can you improve your plan?

• Beginning: I had to leave home early because I needed to prepare materials for a science presentation with my classmate before the first lesson.
• Middle: While I was walking to the bus stop, the weather suddenly changed. I saw a lost puppy in the park, helped return it to its worried owner, and then had to run to catch the bus.
• Ending: I reached school just before the bell rang, met my partner, and our presentation went brilliantly.

8 Write your story.

I had to set off for school a little earlier than usual that morning because I needed to print an important project before classes started. It had rained heavily during the night, so the pavement was wet and slippery. While I was walking quickly towards the bus stop, I noticed a tiny puppy shivering nervously under a bench. I stopped immediately and gently picked it up. Fortunately, an elderly woman was searching for her lost pet nearby and thanked me cheerfully. After that, I ran fast and arrived at school just in time for my lesson.

ABOUT YOU

Which is the most exciting form of transport you have been on? Why was it exciting? Which forms of transport have you travelled on alone?

The most exciting form of transport I have been on is a high-speed train because it travelled incredibly fast and offered amazing views of the countryside. It was thrilling to see towns pass by in just a few seconds. I have travelled alone on the city bus and on the underground when commuting to school or visiting my grandparents.

VOCABULARY

1 Look at the photos. What forms of transport do they show? What are the different reasons for using them? What other forms of transport can you think of?

The photos show a high-speed train (A), an off-road car / SUV (B), a cruise ship (C), and an aeroplane (D).

People use aeroplanes to travel abroad and reach distant places quickly, cruise ships to relax on holiday while visiting different ports, cars for family road trips, and high-speed trains for fast daily travel between cities.

Other forms of transport include bicycles, motorbikes, city buses, trams, ferries, helicopters, and underground trains.

2 Listen to four people talking. Match them to the photos.

Speaker 1 – Photo C Speaker 2 – Photo A Speaker 3 – Photo B Speaker 4 – Photo D

3 Listen again. Complete the sentences with the correct form of the words in the box.

Speaker 1 1 They’d never been abroad before, so they flew to Venice. 2 They checked in and found their ship waiting in the harbour. 3 They sailed down the Adriatic Sea. 4 They reached Dubrovnik, in Croatia, on the Monday morning.

Speaker 2 5 He sets off from home at 7 am every morning, 6 He lands about an hour later and gets a taxi to his office.

Speaker 3 7 We go away in the summer. Mum plans amazing road trips for us. 8 If we’re in a city, we usually go on a tour with a guide. 9 But as we’re travelling so much, we don’t really ever unpack.

Speaker 4 10 If the train is held up, the rail company gives him a refund.

4 Complete the sentences with the correct form of the words from Exercise 3.

1 Josie’s plane lands at 7.28. We should leave now to meet her at the airport. 2 You can sail across the water from one island to another. 3 Some students go abroad for a year to a different country. 4 We’re setting off at 5.30 tomorrow morning, so make sure you set your alarm! 5 We want to go away for a few weeks this summer. 6 Nowadays, you can check in online using the airline’s website or app. 7 It was late at night by the time we reached the hotel. 8 Mum is held up in traffic – she’ll be here in about 30 minutes. 9 I can’t come over now – I have to unpack after my holiday and put everything away. 10 When we go to new cities, we always go on a tour.

5 Discuss the questions.

1 I really enjoy travelling by train because it is comfortable and gives me plenty of space to relax. I also like looking out of the window and watching the changing landscapes along the route. 2 Yes, I went abroad to Poland last summer with my family. We travelled there by bus, which was quite a long journey, but we had a wonderful time exploring new cities. 3 Some people choose to visit the same place every year because they feel safe and comfortable there. They already know the area, the hotels, and the restaurants, so they do not have to stress about planning anything new.