SESSION 26: EXERCISES WORKING WITH THE TEXT

SESSION 26: EXERCISES WORKING WITH THE TEXT

NOTE: IN ORDER TO WORK WITH THE TEXT, UNDERSTAND AND PREPARE IT BETTER I RECOMMEND THESE EXERCISES:

THERE WILL BE TWO TYPES OF EXERCISES:

1. EXERCISES WORKING WITH THE TEXT: THESE ARE EXERCISES FOCUSING ON THE READING COMPREHENSION, WORKING WITH VOCABULARY AND EXPRESSIONS.

2. EXERCISES FOR DISCUSSION: EXERCISES FOCUSING ON THE PREPARATION FOR THE DISCUSSION.

1. EXERCISES WORKING WITH THE TEXT

1.1 TRUE/FALSE: Look at the article and guess whether these sentences are True (T) or False (F):

a. New research suggests that no one benefits from doing homework.

b. A professor said homework raises test scores at elementary schools.

c. The professor said only Sr. high school students should do homework.
d. He said homework that leads to independent learning is good for all.
e. Parents in France want to boycott homework.
f. A parent said kids can learn things at home they didn’t at school.
g. The parent said homework leads to problems in the family.
h. Homework was banned for primary school kids in France last year.

1.2. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article:
1. notion ..................... a. triumph
2. suggests ................... b. impact
3. minimal ................... c. besides
4. effect ..................... d. idea
5. except .................... e. avoid
6. calls ....................... f. negligible
7. boycott ................... g. children
8. succeed ................... h. indicates
9. offspring .................. i. in spite of
10. despite .................. j. requests

1.3 PHRASE MATCH: Match the following phrases from this article (sometimes more than one option is possible):
1. The notion of younger ............... a. effect
2. under ................................... b. how they're going to
3. it has minimal, if any, ................ c. directed learners
4. A little .................................. d. read a book instead
5. help kids become self- ............... e. attack
6. boycott homework and .............. f. their offspring
7. I don't see .............................. g. decade-long ban
8. do the work that should .............. h. children doing homework
9. the necessary knowledge to help .... i. be done in lessons
10. despite a five- ........................ j. bit

1.4 GAP FILL: Put the words into the gaps in the text:
MINIMAL - EXCEPT - REALLY - SELF - NOTION - LITTLE - BENEFIT - BIT

The (1) ____________ of younger children doing homework is under attack. New research suggests that homework for younger children does not (2) ____________ provide any                      (3) ____________ and teachers only give it because parents want it. Professor Richard Walker of Sydney University said that elementary (primary) school children do hours of homework every week but it has (4) ____________, if any, effect on their test grades or level. He said the situation was (5) ____________ better for junior high school kids. He suggested: “I don't think anyone (6) ____________ senior high school students should be doing a couple of hours of homework.” Dr Walker said: “A little   (7) ____________ of homework is probably OK at all ages, if part of the reason is to help kids become (8) ____________ -directed learners.”

FRICTION - BAN - BOYCOTT - PUSHING - CALLS - OFFSPRING - AGREED - SUCCEED

The study from Sydney University comes days after (9) ____________ by parents in France to (10) ____________ homework and read a book instead. Jean-Jacques Hazan of the French Parents Association said: “If the child hasn't succeeded in doing the exercise at school, I don't see how they're going to (11) ____________ at home.” He added that schools were (12) ____________ the responsibility of teaching onto parents, which causes family (13) ____________. “We're asking parents to do the work that should be done in lessons,” he said. A teaching spokeswoman (14) ____________, saying: “Not all families have the time or the necessary knowledge to help their (15) ____________.” French primary schools still give homework despite a five-decade-long (16) ____________ on it.