Welcome-Unit 1 School Life

Aims and requirements

♦ Read a magazine article about school life in the UK and two other articles about school clubs

♦ Listen to a headmaster talking about school activities

♦ Discuss daily school life with your class partner

♦ Report your school activities to your class teacher

♦ Write a notice about school activities

♦ Make a poster for a new school club

procedures

●Welcome to the unit

Step 1: Brainstorming

It's the beginning of a new term. You have just finished junior high and are about to enter a new period in your studies. I am very happy to have all of you in my class and I hope we can be friends. I can see that some of you are eager to know what studying at senior high will be like. Will it be different from junior high? Well, there are certainly many differences between junior high and senior high, but there are also some things that are the same in every school in China. What about schools in other countries? Do students learn differently and have different experiences? Are schools all over the world the same?

　　This is the subject of our first unit. Today we are going to look at schools in the United Kingdom and try to work out if they are the same or different from schools in China. Here are four pictures that show some aspects of school life in the UK. Please look at the pictures, read the instructions and try to determine the differences between schools in China and the UK.

Step 2: Discussing and practicing

Let's have a discussion for several minutes.(The teacher can use the following contents to help students.)

Huge campus and low-rise buildings: In the United Kingdom,we can see huge campus and low-rise buildings in this picture. It is the biggest difference from schools in China. Schools in China usually have a large enough campus to make sure students have enough space to study and play in. But most school buildings are taller, at least three storeys.

Lockers for every student: In the United Kingdom, there are rows of lockers by the classrooms for students to put their stationery, books, exercise-books and other belongings.In China students bring what they need for lessons to school and then take it all back home after school. Most schools in China do not have the equipment in the classroom.

Fewer students in each class:In the United Kingdom, there are fewer students in a class, no more than 30 per class.In China, There are usually more students in high school, perhaps 50 to 60 per class. Recently some schools are beginning to limit the number of students in each class.

At ease with our teacher:In the United Kingdom, students have a close relationship with their teachers. They feel at ease and comfortable with them.It is similar in China. Nowadays, lots of teachers and students have established a good relationship with each other. They respect each other and work to gain a better understanding of each other.