31.3.13

MODALS

Explanation
Explicación en Español
Perfect Modals
Perfect Modals 2: explanation and examples
Watch this video to see a practical explanation:

                                               Activity 1   Activity 2    Activity 3    Activity 4

3.3.13

LISTENING PRACTICE AND PRONUNCIATION




  1. Listening Practice
  2. Listening Center
  3. Perfect Pronunciation
  4. Intonation: 

    Language conveys very specific information, such as how to get somewhere or what someone is doing. It can be also used beyond the exact meaning of the words to indicate how the speaker feels about what he is saying, or how he personally feels at that moment.

    Generally speaking, if English is not your first language, this is where you start running into difficulty. Even if you pronounce each word clearly, if your intonation patterns are non-standard, your meaning will probably not be clear. Also, in terms of comprehension, you will lose a great deal of information if you are listening for the actual words used.



13.2.13

ANIMAL PROJECT

INCLUDE YOUR DESCRIPTIONS BELOW:

23.1.13

THE AMERICAN SCHOOL SYSTEM



Most children enter the public education system around ages five or six. The American school year traditionally begins at the end of August or the day after Labor Day in September, after the traditional summer recess. Children are assigned into year groups known as grades, beginning with preschool, followed by kindergarten and culminating in twelfth grade. Children customarily advance together from one grade to the next as a single cohort or "class" upon reaching the end of each school year in late May or early June.
The American educational system comprises 12 grades of study over 12 calendar years of primary and secondary education before graduating, and often becoming eligible for admission to higher education.[15] After pre-kindergarten and kindergarten, there are five years in primary school (normally known as elementary school). After completing five grades, the student will enter junior high or middle school and then high school to get the high school diploma.[15]
The U.S. uses ordinal numbers (e.g., first grade) for identifying grades. Typical ages and grade groupings in public and private schools may be found through the U.S. Department of Education. Generally, elementary school (k-5), middle school (6-8), and high school (9-12). However there are a rising number of variations the most popular being elementary (k-4), intermediate (5-6), middle (7-8), and high school (9-12).[16] Many different variations exist across the country.

Education in the United States
Elementary school
Preschool 3-4
Pre-kindergarten 4-5
Kindergarten 5-6
1st Grade 6-7
2nd Grade 7-8
3rd Grade 8-9
4th Grade 9-10
5th Grade 10-11
Middle school
6th Grade 11-12
7th Grade 12-13
8th Grade 13-14
High school
9th Grade (Freshman) 14-15
10th Grade (Sophomore) 15-16
11th Grade (Junior) 16-17
12th Grade (Senior) 17-18
Post-secondary education
Tertiary education (College or University) Ages vary, but often 18–22
(Freshman, Sophomore, Junior and Senior years)
Vocational education Ages vary
Graduate education Ages vary
Adult education Ages vary
Students completing high school may choose to attend a college or university. Undergraduate degrees may be either associate's degrees or bachelor's degrees (baccalaureate)
Community college typically offer two-year associate's degrees, although some community colleges offer a limited number of bachelor's degrees. Some community college students choose to transfer to a four-year institution to pursue a bachelor's degree. Community colleges are generally publicly funded and offer career certifications and part-time programs.
Four-year institutions may be public or private colleges or universities.
Most public institutions are state universities, which are sponsored by state governments and typically receive funding through some combination of taxpayer funds, tuition, private donations, federal grants, and proceeds from endowments. State universities are organized in a wide variety of ways, and many are part of a state university system. However, not all public institutions are state universities. The five service academies, one for each branch of the armed forces, are completely funded by the federal government; the academies train students (cadets or midshipmen) to be commissioned officers in exchange for a mandatory term of military service. Additionally, some local governments (counties and cities) have four-year institutions of their own - one example is the City University of New York.
Private institutions are privately funded and there is wide variety in size, focus, and operation. Some private institutions are large research universities, while others are small liberal arts colleges that concentrate on undergraduate education. Some private universities are nonsectarian while others are religiously affiliated. While most private institutions are non-profit, a number are for profit.
Curriculum varies widely depending on the institution. Typically, an undergraduate student will be able to select an academic major or concentration, which comprises the main or special subjects, and students may change their major one or more times.
Some students, typically those with a bachelor's degree, may chose to continue on to graduate or professional school. Graduate degrees may be either master's degrees (e.g., M.S., M.B.A., M.S.W.) or doctorates (e.g., Ph.D., J.D., M.D.). Academia-focused graduate school typically includes some combination of coursework and research (often requiring a thesis or dissertation), while professional school (e.g., medical, law, business) grants a first professional degree and aims to prepare students to enter a learned profession.

THE BRITISH SCHOOL SYSTEM


- The British School System (español)

- Understanding the British school system




The school years in England and Wales
In general, the cut-off point for ages is the end of August, so all children must be of a particular age on the 1st of September in order to begin class that month.
  • Primary Education
    • Infant School or Primary School
      • Reception, age 4 to 5
      • Year 1, age 5 to 6
      • Year 2, age 6 to 7 (KS1 National Curriculum Tests - England only)
    • Junior School or Primary School
      • Year 3, age 7 to 8
      • Year 4, age 8 to 9
      • Year 5, age 9 to 10
      • Year 6, age 10 to 11 (Eleven plus exams in some areas of England, Key Stage 2 National Curriculum Tests)
  • Secondary Education
    • Middle School, High School or Secondary School
      • Year 7, old First Form, age 11 to 12
      • Year 8, old Second Form, age 12 to 13
      • Year 9, old Third Form, age 13 to 14 (Key Stage 3 National Curriculum Tests, known as SATs (Standard Assessment Tests))
    • Upper School or Secondary School
      • Year 10, old Fourth Form, age 14 to 15
      • Year 11, old Fifth Form, age 15 to 16 (old O Level examinations, modern GCSE examinations)
    • Upper School, Secondary School, or Sixth Form College
      • Year 12 or Lower Sixth, age 16 to 17 (AS-level examinations)
      • Year 13 or Upper Sixth, age 17 to 18 (A2-level examinations. Both AS-levels and A2-levels count towards A-levels .)
In some regions of England, pupils attend a Lower (Primary) School before going to, a Middle School between 8 and 12 or, more commonly 9 and 13, and then a High School or Upper School. Other, more vocational qualifications offered including GNVQs and BTECs .
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The British School System - an overview

The Key Stages

British Types of Schools




 


Subjects are the parts into which learning can be divided. At school, each lesson usually covers one subject only.
National curriculum [1]
Primary school subjects: (Ages 4-11)
  • Art
  • Citizenship
  • Geography
  • History
  • Languages
  • Literacy
  • Music
  • Numeracy
  • Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE)
  • Science
Secondary school subjects: (Ages 11–16)
  • Art
  • Business Studies
  • Citizenship
  • Design And Technology
  • Drama
  • English
  • Geography
  • History
  • Information and Communication Technology (ICT)
  • Languages
  • Maths
  • Modern Studies
  • Music
  • PE: Physical Education
  • PSHE: Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE)
  • RE: Religious Education
  • Science
  • Study Skills
The most common subjects at school are:
Other subjects include:

 

Education in Scotland


Education in Scotland differs from the system used elsewhere in the United Kingdom . Basically, there are two systems: one covering England , Wales , or Northern Ireland and one covering Scotland . The two education systems have different emphases. Traditionally, the English, Welsh and Northern Irish system has emphasised depth of education whereas the Scottish system has emphasised breadth. Thus English, Welsh and Northern Irish students tend to sit a small number of more advanced examinations and Scottish students tend to sit a larger number of less advanced examinations.
The school years in Scotland
In general, the cut-off point for ages is the end of August, so all children must be of a particular age on the 1st of September in order to begin class that month.
  • Nursery School
    • Year 1, age 3 - 5.
  • Primary School
    • Primary 1, age range 4 - 6.
    • Primary 2, age range 5 - 7.
    • Primary 3, age range 6 - 8.
    • Primary 4, age range 7 - 9.
    • Primary 5, age range 8 - 10.
    • Primary 6, age range 9 - 11.
    • Primary 7, age range 10 - 12.
  • Secondary School
    • First year, age range 11 - 13.
    • Second year, age range 12 - 14.
    • Third year, age range 13 - 15.
    • Fourth year, age range 14 - 16.
    • Fifth year, age range 15 - 17.
    • Sixth year, age range 16 - 18.
Note that the age ranges specify the youngest age for a child entering that year and the oldest age for a child leaving that year. Also note that children may leave school at the end of any school year after they reach 16 years of age and that they may attend Scottish universities when they are 17. Therefore two sets of national examinations are held. The first set, the Standard Grade examinations, take place in the Fourth year of secondary school and show basic education level. The second set, the Higher examinations take place in the Fifth and Sixth years. A third level, Advanced Higher, is sometimes taken by students intending to study at an English university, or those wishing to pass straight into second year at a Scottish university, and covers the gap between the Scottish "Higher" level and the English "Advanced" level courses, although there is not always a one-to-one mapping.
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Education in Northern Ireland

Education in Northern Ireland differs slightly from the system used elsewhere in the United Kingdom . The Northern Irish system emphasises a greater depth of education compared to the English and Welsh systems. The majority of examinations sat, and education plans followed, in Northern Irish schools are set by the Council for Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment ( CCEA ).
School holidays in Northern Ireland are also considerably different to the rest of the United Kingdom . Northern Irish schools generally only get 1 day off for the half term holiday (in February, May and October. Christmas holidays usually only consist of a week or so, the same with the Easter vacation, compared to Englands two weeks. The major difference however is that Northern Irish summer holidays are considerably longer with the entirety of July and August off giving a nine week summer holiday.
The school years in Northern Ireland
In general, the cut-off point for ages is the end of August, so all children must be of a particular age on the 1st of September in order to begin class that month.
  • Primary Education
    • Primary School
      • Primary 1, age 4 to 5
      • Primary 2, age 5 to 6
      • Primary 3, age 6 to 7
      • Primary 4, age 7 to 8
      • Primary 5, age 8 to 9
      • Primary 6, age 9 to 10
      • Primary 7, age 10 to 11 ( Eleven plus exams to determine secondary school placement.)
  • Secondary Education
    • High School or Grammar School
      • First Form, age 11 to 12
      • Second Form, age 12 to 13
      • Third Form, age 13 to 14
      • Fourth Form, age 14 to 15
      • Fifth Form, age 15 to 16 (old O-Level examinations, modern GCSE examinations)
    • High School, Grammar School, or Sixth Form College
      • Lower Sixth, age 16 to 17 (AS-level examinations, where applicable)
      • Upper Sixth, age 17 to 18 ( A-levels )
      •  
      •  

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