Category NOTEWORTHY

A. Discussion

Discuss the following questions with your classmates:

• What is the name of the famous CEO (chief executive officer) in one of the photos?

• In which photo are the workers offering a service?

• Do you think U. S. workers are more, equally, or less productive than workers in other industrialized countries?

• How many weeks a year of vacation do you think the average U. S. worker has?

B. Vocabulary and Key Concepts

Read through the sentences, trying to imagine which words would fit in the blanks. Then listen to a dictation of the full sentences, and write the missing words in the blanks.

1. As we look at the changes over the last century, we’ll use a lot of to describe these changes.

2. While the number of people in these___________________

__________________ industries went down, the number of people

in the___________________ industries went up.

3. Over the years, child labor laws became much_________________

and by 1999, it was___________________ for anyone under sixteen

to work full-time in any of the fifty states.

4. In 1900 the average____________________________________

income was $4,200.

5. One of the important__________________ most workers received

later in the century was___________________

6. Whereas__________________ and salaries rose over the century,

the average__________________ dropped.

7. People often tend to__________________ the past and talk about

"the good old days."

8. According to a 2003__________________ released by the United

Nations International Labor Organization, U. S. workers are the most in the world.

9. Longer working horns in the United States is a________________

trend, whereas the trend in other industrialized countries is the

10. Workers in some European countries actually__________________

American workers per hour of work.

11. This higher rate of productivity might be because European work­ers are less than U. S. workers.

12. Between 1949 and 1974, increases in productivity were by increases in wages.

13. After 1974, productivity increased in manufacturing and services,

but real wages__________________ .

14. According to a recent book, the money goes for salaries to., to the stock market, and to corporate

15. Some people say that labor__________________ have lost power

since the beginning of the 1980s, and that the government has

passed laws that__________________ the rich and weaken the

rights of the workers.

Follow-up: Check the spelling of the dictated words with your teacher. Discuss the meaning of these words and any other unfamiliar words in the sentences.

C. Predictions

Using the photographs and the vocabulary exercise as a starting point, write three questions that you think will be answered in the lecture.

Examples: • How much money did U. S. workers make at the

beginning of the last century?

2.

3.

Follow-up: After you have written your questions, share them with your teacher and your classmates.

D. Notetaking Preparation

1. Abbreviations

To save time and get down more information when you listen to a lecture, it is helpful to abbreviate words. It is important to abbreviate them in a way that will allow you to remember what the full form is, of course. Another person’s abbreviation may not help you remember. Practice abbreviating the following terms you will hear in the lecture in a way that you will know what each abbreviation stands for a few days or a few weeks later. Look at the examples to see how some terms from the lecture have been abbreviated.

Examples: historical look at work: hist lk at wk

statistics: stats

Term Abbreviation

a. agriculture

b. mining, manufacturing, and construction ________

c. service industries

d. wages and salaries

e. average per capita income

f. health insurance

g. working conditions

h. increased productivity

i. stock market

j. labor unions

Follow-up: With a partner, take turns covering up the left column. Looking at the right column, practice saying the terms that your abbre­viations stand for. Your partner will check your accuracy.

Lecturers usually use rhetorical cues to help their listeners follow the lecture. A rhetorical cue is a word or even a sentence that lets us know that some important information is coming or that a new subtopic or point is being introduced. Look at these rhetorical cues, and decide in which order you will probably hear them in today’s lecture. Order them from first (1) to fourth (4).

___ a. Then we’ll look at how U. S. workers are doing today.

___ b. First, we’ll take an historical look at work in America.

___ c. First, let’s consider how the type of work people were

involved in changed over the last century.

___ d. Now let’s turn our attention to the current situation for U. S.

workers.

Follow-up: Discuss your answers as a class.

». LISTENING_______________________________________________

Q A First Listening

Listen for general ideas. In a brief introduction the lecturer makes a few remarks about how Americans look at work, and then goes on to mention his two main subtopics.

NOTES

Introduction:

ST1

Follow-up: Now check your major subtopics with your teacher.

Q B. Further Listening

While listening again, write down necessary relevant details below the main subtopics to which they belong. Remember to use proper number notation and abbreviations to save time.

Follow-up: Check your notes. If you missed important information or have doubts about your notes, (1) verify them by asking a classmate questions to fill the gaps in your notes or (2) listen to the lecture a third time. When verifying your notes with a classmate, do not show each other your notes; ask specific questions to get the information you need.

Examples: • How many children were in the workforce in 1900?

• What is the name of the book the lecturer mentioned?

This is also a good time to check to see if the lecturer answered your Predictions questions about the lecture.

Read More

Multiculturalism

Assign one group member to write down the questions; all members will help plan and compose the questions. For the lecture on multicul­turalism, write five short-answer questions that can be answered with a few words or sentences. In addition, write two essay questions,- word the essay questions so that they can easily be turned into topic sentences.

Short-Answer Questions

1. _________________________________________________________

2.

3.

4.

5.

Essay Questions

1.

2.

Follow-up: Write your questions on the board to discuss as a class.

Written follow-up: Prepare for the quiz by writing answers to the questions your class has proposed. You may have abbreviations in your notes, but do not use abbreviations other than standard ones like U. S. in your answers.

Chapter 8 Crime and Violence in the United States

Assign one group member to write down the questions; all members will help plan and compose the questions. For the lecture on crime, write five short-answer questions that can be answered with a few words or a maximum of two sentences. In addition, write two essay questions; word the essay questions so that they can easily be turned into topic sentences.

Short-Answer Questions

1._________________________________________________________

2.___________________________________________________

3.

4.

5.

Essay Questions

1. ____________

2.

Follow-up: Write your questions on the board to discuss as a class.

Written follow-up: Prepare for the quiz by writing answers to the questions your class has proposed. You may have abbreviations in your notes, but do not use abbreviations other than standard ones like IJ. S. in your answers.

UNIT QUIZ PREPARATION 99

Chapter 9 Globalization

Assign one group member to write down the questions; all members will help plan and compose the questions. For the lecture on globaliza­tion, write five short-answer questions that can be answered with a few words or sentences. In addition, write two essay questions,- word the questions so that they can easily be turned into topic sentences.

Short-Answer Questions

1. ________________________________________________________

2. ________________________________________________________

3.

4.

5.

Essay Questions

1. ___________

2.

Follow-up: Write your questions on the board to discuss as a class.

Written follow-up: Prepare for the quiz by writing answers to the questions your class has proposed. You may have abbreviations in your notes, but do not use abbreviations other than standard ones like U. S. in your answers.

Read More

I. PRELISTENING

B. Vocabulary and Key Concepts

1. Customs and traditions are often bewildering to foreigners, partly because the customs are so ingrained that people accept them without ever thinking about them.

2. The baby shower is given by a close friend or relative of the expec­tant mother.

3. The mother-to-be is often invited to someone’s home on some pre­text so that she can be surprised.

4. Through advice and expressions of envy, the expectant mother is reassured about the desirability of her situation.

5. A few years ago, it was almost unheard of for men to participate in baby showers.

6. In the past, men were banished from the delivery room, but today many men are with their wives to "coach" them through the birth.

7. Christians usually have a religious service, called a baptism, for the new baby.

8. Some customs are generally observed concerning fiancees, the en­gagement period, and the wedding ceremony.

9. Because priests, rabbis, and ministers are all legally empowered to marry couples, it is not necessary to have both a civil and a reli­gious ceremony.

10. Some customs about the bride and groom are rather superstitious in nature.

11. Some churches and other places where weddings are held have recently banned the throwing of rice as being hazardous to guests, who can slip and fall on it.

12. At the time of death, one decision is whether the funeral will be held in a church or in a funeral home; another decision is whether the body will be cremated or buried in a cemetery.

13. The family may choose to have a memorial service instead of a funeral. In either case, the family may hold a wake, where the body of the deceased is displayed in its casket.

14. At a funeral, a eulogy is usually given by someone close to the deceased person.

15. Those who want to express their condolences usually send a sym­pathy card to the bereaved family.

D. Notetaking Preparation

1. Key Words: Listening (Narrator: Read twice.)

a. Many ethnic groups still practice customs and traditions that their ancestors brought with them from their countries, yet if we look at the United States and the people as a whole, we can find a kind of general culture, (repeat)

b. One of the most common traditions associated with a birth is the baby shower, a nonreligious tradition observed by almost everyone in this society, (repeat)

c. As for the actual wedding ceremony and related celebrations, traditionally it is the bride’s family who pays for these expenses, (repeat)

d. For most people, whether they are religious or not, there are many decisions to be made at the time of a death, (repeat)

e. At a funeral service, it is customary for a religious leader to speak some words of comfort for the bereaved. In addition, a eu­logy is usually given by someone close to the deceased person, (repeat)

II. LISTENING

LECTURE: Passages: Birth, Marriage, and Death

Customs vary so much from country to country or culture that it’s often bewildering for a foreigner trying to understand the traditions and customs of a new country. Part of what makes it so difficult is that most of these customs are so ingrained in the culture that most local people accept them without ever thinking about them. Some of the reasons for the customs or traditions are historical and may have even been forgotten by the people who still practice these customs. When pressed for an explanation of some of their customs, people will sometimes be quite surprised that anyone would question their cus­toms. "Doesn’t everyone do it this way?" might be their response, yet some of the customs that seem so natural to the people in the country or culture may seem quite strange and inexplicable to people new to a country. In a country as large as the United States, with people from so many different parts of the world and different cultures, it can be even more bewildering. Many ethnic groups still practice customs and traditions brought by their ancestors from their countries, yet if we look at the country and its people as a whole, we can find a kind of "general" culture with traditions that are often accepted or at least adapted to fit the customs and traditions of each immigrant group as it becomes assimilated into the larger culture. Today let’s look at some widely accepted customs and traditions of most Americans concerning
three of life’s most important events: birth, marriage, and death. Please keep in mind that these descriptions are very general and that society is changing quite rapidly in the United States and that people adapt and modify these customs to fit changing societal conditions and their own situations.

The birth of a baby is a momentous occasion in any family and is cele­brated in some way or another. There are many traditions associated with this event. One of the most common ones is the baby shower, which is a nonreligious tradition observed by almost everyone in this society. A shower is given by a close friend or relative of the expectant mother shortly before the baby is due. In the past, showers were al­most always arranged in secret so as to be a complete surprise to the mother-to-be. The mother-to-be was usually invited to someone’s home on one pretext or another, where she was surprised by her fe­male friends and relatives who had planned this special party for her.

In recent years, the tradition has been modified, at least in some social circles, so that the shower is not always a surprise occasion, but one that the expectant mother knows about ahead of time.

Whether the baby shower is a surprise or not, the mother-to-be is showered with gifts for the new baby by her friends and relatives.

The gifts may be small ones or very expensive ones depending on the financial situation of the participants, but there is always a very emo­tional outpouring of good wishes for the expected baby and its parents. The gifts are always opened at the party, and everyone expresses great admiration for them. There’s always a lot of advice from experienced mothers and expressions of envy from those women who do not yet have children. This way, the expectant mother is reassured about the coming event and the desirability of her situation. A few years ago, it was almost unheard of for men to participate in baby showers. How­ever, as I mentioned earlier, society is changing rapidly and men’s par­ticipation at baby showers is becoming more common. That reminds me of another related change in society in the United States. In the past, when births mainly took place at home, it was a strictly female event with men banished from the room where the baby was born. After women started going to hospitals to have their babies, men still never went into the delivery room and were expected to wait ner­vously in the waiting room for the doctor to come and tell them the good news. Today this is changing for many modern couples. Often they attend classes together to prepare them for the birth of the baby, and many men are with their wives in the delivery room and "coach" them through the birth along with the doctors.

After a baby is born, many, if not most, people want to have a reli­gious service for their baby within a few weeks of the baby’s birth, even if they are not very religious themselves. Friends and family will attend the service, which will be held in a church or a synagogue. For Christians, this service is ordinarily called baptism.

There are many customs and traditions surrounding marriage and particularly the wedding activities themselves. Once again, it is very hard to generalize about these customs, as they vary so much among different people, but there are some customs that are quite generally observed. It is no longer necessary for a young man to ask permission of a girl’s father for her "hand," and among modern couples a woman may actually be the first one to bring up the subject of marriage, but most young people still very much want their parents’ approval of the person they hope to marry. It is still traditional for a young man to give his fiancee a diamond ring at the beginning of their engagement period. As for the actual wedding ceremony and related celebrations, traditionally it is the bride’s family who pays for these expenses. The wedding ceremony can be a very simple one, with only a few family members and close friends present, or it can be very elaborate, with hundreds of people in attendance. The traditional reception that follows the ceremony can be as simple as cookies and punch in the church or as elaborate as a large sit-down dinner held at a local hotel with a dance and a private orchestra following the dinner. Sometimes people are invited only to the wedding or only to the reception. At any rate, these events can usually be attended only by invitation. One very popular tradition associated with weddings is, once again, the shower that we mentioned in relation to birth. At this shower given before the wedding, the bride-to-be receives gifts to help her set up her new household, such as electrical appliances, sheets, towels, and pots and pans. In addition to shower gifts, wedding gifts are also expected from people who receive wedding invitations. Occasionally people choose not to have any kind of religious service at their wedding and opt to get married in a civil ceremony in a government building. However, a civil ceremony is not necessary if a couple decides to get married in a religious ceremony. Priests, ministers, and rabbis are legally empow­ered to marry couples, and it is not necessary to have both a civil and a religious ceremony. By the way, there’s an interesting tradition asso­ciated with weddings that is rather hard to explain, but then many traditions are. It is said every bride at her wedding should be wearing or carrying "something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue." The bride will be checked at the last minute to be sure that she has one of each of these. There are some other customs similar to this one that are rather superstitious in nature. For example, people believe that it is bad luck for the groom to see the bride in her wedding dress before the ceremony. And immediately following the ceremony, as the couple leave the church, people at the ceremony will throw rice at them to signal fertility—that is, a hope that they will have many children. Some churches and other places where weddings are held have recently banned the throwing of rice as being hazardous to guests who can slip and fall on it. Some suggest throwing rose petals or some other substitute for the rice.

In addition to birth and marriage, every society has to deal with death. Once again, it is hard to generalize about the customs surrounding death. Each religious group has ways to help its members cope with the loss of a family member or friend. For most people, religious or not, there are many decisions to be made at the time of a death. One deci­sion is whether to have a funeral held in a church or in a funeral home. Another decision is whether to have the body cremated or not. If the body is cremated, a memorial service is held rather than a funeral. If the body is not cremated, a decision must be made about whether to display the body or not at the funeral. A day or two before the funeral, it is also quite common to hold a wake at a funeral home where the body is displayed in its casket. At the wake the family receives those people who wish to express their sympathy to the bereaved.

At the funeral service it is customary for a religious leader to speak some words of comfort for the bereaved. In addition, a eulogy is usu­ally given by someone close to the deceased person. Sometimes many people will speak about the good deeds of the person who has died. After the religious ceremony, the body is usually taken to a cemetery, where it will be buried after another brief religious service. Of course, most people learn of the death of someone they know from the per­son’s family, but notices of funeral services are also printed in the newspaper, and anyone who wishes to attend the service is expected to without a personal invitation from the family. People who knew the deceased casually, but who want to express their condolences, usually send a "sympathy" card to the family. It is traditional to send flowers to a funeral, but it is important to check with a florist to be sure to send the correct kind of flowers. It’s sometimes important to know what kind of clothes to wear to a wedding or a funeral. Tradi­tionally the bride wears white, and guests at the wedding are free to wear whatever colors they like, except for women, who do not wear white. At a funeral, it used to be necessary to wear black to show grief, but today this custom is no longer observed.

As I said before, in a society so large and diverse as the United States, customs can vary greatly from area to area, among different social, ethnic, and economic groups, and even from generation to generation.

I have tried to give you some idea of customs and traditions that are generally accepted, but, of course, it’s always wise to ask if you find yourself in a situation where you might be invited or expected to par­ticipate in one of these events. When in doubt, ask.

III. POSTLISTENING ACTIVITY

A. Accuracy Check

1. When are baby showers usually given?

2. What are two recent changes concerning the custom of baby showers?

3. What do we call the Christian religious service held after a baby is born?

4. Who traditionally pays for an American wedding?

5. Do most American couples have a civil ceremony or a religious ceremony when they get married?

6. What four things does tradition say a bride should have at her wed­ding?

7. By custom, who should not see the bride in her wedding dress before the wedding ceremony?

8. Under what circumstances is a memorial service held instead of a funeral?

9. What two things are often sent to the family of the deceased or to a funeral?

10. What color shouldn’t a woman wear as a guest at a wedding?

Read More

A. Accuracy Check

Listen to the following questions, and write short answers. You will hear each question one time only.

1. _

2. __

3. ________________________________________________________________

4. ________________________________________________________________

5. ________________________________________________________

6. ___________________________________________________________________________

7. T____________________________

8.

10.__________________________________________________________________

Follow-up: Check your answers with your teacher. If your score is less than 70 percent, you may need to listen to the lecture again or rewrite your notes so that you can understand and use them later.

B. Oral Activities

1. Review

In pairs, use your notes to reproduce sections of the lecture. Student A will present the introduction and subtopic 1 including details to Stu­dent B. Student В will present subtopic 2 including details. Check what you hear against your notes. If you don’t understand or you disagree with what you hear, wait until your partner finishes. Then bring your notes into agreement by seeking clarification, as follows:

• I don’t think the lecturer said 60 percent of the workforce were women in 1999.

• Could you repeat what you said about the average per capita income in 1999?

• Did you understand the meaning of "a rising trend"?

2. Transfer

If you and your classmates come from different countries, prepare a short oral report about work in your country, covering the points be­low. Work with other students from your country.

If your classmates are all from the same country, discuss work in your country as a class, covering the points below.

• how work changed over the last century

• what kind of work most people in your country do

• what percentage of women arc employed

• how many hours a week most people work

• whether things are getting better for workers or not

C. Collaboration: Discussion

Discuss the following questions in small groups. Appoint one person to report your group’s opinions to the class.

1. Do you think most people are happy to leave farms to go work in industry? Explain your answer.

2. Is there ever a good reason for children to work? Why or why not?

3. Should women have the same opportunities to be employed as men, both before and after they are married? Give reasons.

4. Should the government set the number of weeks of vacation workers get each year? Why or why not?

5. Should workers share in the profits of the companies they work for? Explain your answer.

D. Pursuing the Topic

The following are recommended for a closer look at work in the United States:

Books/Periodicals/Internet

Schor, Juliet B. The Overworked American. New York: Basic Books, 1993.

In her best-selling book, Schor concluded that Americans worked an average of one month more per year in 1990 than in 1970.

Ciulla, Joanne B. The Working Life. New York: Times Books, 2000. Ciulla concludes that Americans let their work define them, which is dangerous as companies generally see workers as replaceable cogs.

Fraser, Jill Andresky. The White-Collar Sweatshop. New York: W. W. Norton St Company, 2002.

From her five years of interviews across the country with white – collar workers, Frazier describes what she believes has gone wrong and suggests possible solutions for workers.

Films/Videos

American Dream, Barbara Kopple, director; 100 minutes, no rating.

The film shows the attempts of workers at a huge meat-packing plant to negotiate salaries with the help of their union.

Interview

Interview an American who has worked at a job for at least five years. Beforehand, prepare interview questions as a class to ask. Here are some suggestions:

• where the person works

• how long he or she has worked there

• how he or she feels about the job

• what the person’s favorite and least favorite parts of the job are

• four to five additional questions the class is interested in •

During the interview, write down the answers to the questions, and later share the information with your classmates.

Variation: Invite an American to visit your class, and have the whole class interview him or her by using the questions you wrote.

Read More

Philosophy and Funding

I. PRELISTENING

A. Discussion

Discuss the following questions with your classmates:

• What kind of school do you think this is, public or private?

• Who do you think pays for the education that the children who attend this school receive?

• Where do most parents in your country prefer to send their children, to private or public schools?

Q B. Vocabulary and Key Concepts

Read through the sentences, trying to imagine which words would fit in the blanks. Then listen to a dictation of the full sentences, and write the missing words in the blanks.

1. Education in the United States is_________________________

until a certain age or grade level.

2. A small percentage of students attend private schools, either reli­gious or, but most attend public

schools.

3. There is no nationwide_________________________ , nor are there

nationwide_________________________ examinations set by the

federal government.

4. The federal government influences public education by providing

________________________ for special programs such as educa­tion for the and bilingual education.

5. Control of education in the United States is mainly

6. Each state has many school districts run by school boards whose

members are________________________ by voters of the

district.

7. The amount of funding supplied by the state and by the local

school districts_________________________ over time and from

state to state.

8. Public schools are funded to_________________________

_________________________________________________ by local

taxes.

9. Government funding of private schools, which are generally

religious schools, is now and has been________________________

for some time.

10. Charter schools are________________________ public schools

that_________________________ with regular public schools for

students.

11. Charter schools operate under_______________________ to a

sponsor, usually a state or local school board, to whom they are

12. of the voucher concept believe that

private schools offer better education.

13. of the voucher concept claim that

using tax money for private schools__________________________

the separation of church and state built into the U. S. Constitution.

14. The federal government in 2002, passed an educational

________________________ that requires states that wish

to receive certain federal funding to develop and put in place extensive testing programs and other systems to ensure

________________________ " of students.

Follow-up: Check the spelling of the dictated words with your teacher.

Discuss the meanings of these words and any other unfamiliar words

in the sentences.

C. Predictions

Using the photograph and the vocabulary exercise as a starting point, write three questions that you think will be answered in the lecture.

Example: • What are the other responsibilities of the local school

districts?

1.

2.

3.

Follow-up: After you have written your questions, share them with your teacher and your classmates.

Q D. Notetaking Preparation

1. Structuring: Outlining

A good notetaker structures his or her notes. As you develop this skill, add numbers and letters to show the organization of your notes. Part of this chapter’s lecture is presented here for you to practice this skill before you listen to the complete lecture. Complete the outline below with information from subtopic 1. Some information is included in this outline to help keep you on track. Fill in the rest as you listen. Take a minute now to look over the outline to see where you need to fill in information.

ST1 Three levels of control

A. _________________________

1. Sets basic curriculum

B. School district

1. Numbers depend on

2. Responsibilities

a.

b.

c.

■’ r. уллй ан»іми, ііііц ^

C.

1. Teachers’ responsibilities

a.

b.

2. Rhetorical Cues

Read the following sentences, which contain rhetorical cues to help you follow the organization of the lecture. Decide in which order you will hear them. Number them from first (1) to sixth (6).

__ a. Control of education in the United States is mainly

exercised locally at three levels. Let’s begin with the state department of education.

__ b. The first issue deals with the inequality of educational

opportunities that students face.

__ c. Finally, I’d like to discuss three issues related to the funding

of schools that have been receiving a lot of attention recently in the United States.

__ d. The second level of control is the school district.

__ e. The second issue is the issue of funding for private schools.

__ f. The third level of control is the individual school itself.

II – LISTENING_______________________________________________

£/! A. First Listening

Listen for general ideas. After an introduction in which the lecturer mentions distinguishing features of public education in the United States, she goes on to discuss the three levels of control on education within each state. You already have notes on ST1 in Section 1 D. l. She then goes on to explain how funding contributes to local control. Finally, she discusses three important issues related to how public ed­ucation is funded. As you listen, write the subtopics in the appropriate places and details you have time for. Structure your notes like the example in Section 1. D. l.

Introduction:

ST2

ST1

Follow-up: Check your major subtopics with your teacher before you listen to the lecture for the second time.

Q B. Further Listening

While structuring the notes, write down remaining relevant information.

Follow-up: Check your notes. If you missed important information or have doubts about your notes, (1) verify them by asking a classmate questions to fill the gaps in your notes or (2) listen to the lecture a third time. When verifying your notes with a classmate, do not show each other your notes,- ask specific questions to get the information you need.

Examples: • Who is responsible for the hiring of teachers? Is it the

school district or the individual school itself?

• Where does the largest percentage of money for the pub­lic schools come from? Is it from the state or the local school district?

• What are the major differences between charter schools and voucher schools?

This is also a good time to check to see if the lecturer answered your Predictions questions about the lecture.

(и) A Accuracy Check

Listen to the following questions, and write short answers. You will hear each question one time only.

1. _________________________________________________________

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10. __________________________________________________

Follow-up: Check your answers with your teacher. If your score is less than 70 percent, you may need to listen to the lecture again or rewrite your notes so that you can understand and use them later.

B. Oral Activities

1. Review

In groups of four, use your notes to reproduce sections of the lecture. Student A will present the introduction, and Student В will present subtopic 1, including details. Student C will present subtopic 2 with details and Student D, subtopic 3 with details. Check what you hear against your notes. If you don’t understand or you disagree with what you hear, wait until the speaker finishes. Then bring your notes into agreement by seeking clarification, as follows.

• Excuse me, can you tell me what two functions of the state government are?

• Could you repeat what you said about public education in the nineteenth century?

• I’m afraid my notes about taxes are different from yours.

Discuss with a classmate how the educational system in your country is different from that in the United States. Try to use some of the ideas and vocabulary from Vocabulary and Key Concepts—for example, nationwide curriculum, standardized examinations, required courses, electives, control, compulsory.

C. Collaboration: Summary

Work with a partner, and use your notes to write a summary of the lec­ture in no more than 125 words. Be sure to include information about public and private schools, funding and control of schools, and current issues in U. S. public education.

Follow-up: Share your summary with at least one other pair. Tell the other pair what you particularly like about their summary.

D. Pursuing the Topic

The following are recommended for a closer look at public education issues in the United States:

Books/Periodicals/Internet

www. ed. gov

Explore the Web site of the U. S. Department of Education to find out about current topics in public education.

http://nces. ed. gov

Explore the Web site of the National Center for Education Statis­tics to find current statistics and research on education in the United States.

Films/Videos

Stand and Deliver, Roman Menendez, director; 104 minutes, PG.

This film is based on the true story of a high school teacher who tried to inspire students and raise academic standards in a U. S. inner-city, minority neighborhood school.

Dead Poets’ Society, Peter Weir, director,* 129 minutes, PG.

This film depicts the efforts of a teacher who uses poetry to inspire private preparatory school students to be more expressive and to “seize the moment, ” with unexpected dramatic results.

Interview

Interview a U. S. citizen who attended public schools to find out his or her view on some of the issues highlighted in the lecture. Beforehand, write questions as a class to ask

• the person’s opinion of his or her public school education

• what he or she thinks are the best and worst things about public schools

• what the person thinks about tax money in the form of vouchers going to private schools

• what he or she thinks about prayer in public schools

• any other questions your class is interested in

Write down the answers to the questions, and share the informa­tion with your classmates.

Variation: Invite an American to visit your class, and have the whole class interview him or her using the questions that you wrote.

Field Trip

If you are studying in the United States, it may be possible for your instructor to make arrangements for your class to visit a local public elementary, middle, or high school. Although the details of such visits have to be worked out with the school you visit, American students will be curious about your country and culture, so be prepared to answer questions.

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