DESCRIBING THE SCHOOL BUILDING
Read and remember how to use the words:laboratory: a lab. Experiments are carried out in laboratories.
workshop: On which floor are your school workshops situated?
Assembly Hall: All school celebrations and gatherings are held in the Assembly Hall. The whole school gathers in the Assembly Hall to mark great national holidays.
to equip, equipment: to be well equipped; modern equipment. The laboratory was well equipped and ready for scientific work. The expedition was given all the necessary equipment for the long voyage.
record, to record, tape recorder: Tape recorders and video tapes are widely used at different lessons. The pupils like to record their reading in English on a tape recorder. Let's play some records of dance music. We often record television programmes and films on videotapes, so that we can play them back and watch them on a TV-set.
slide, slide-projector, scheme: Cinema and slide-projectors should be used more often. Schemes and tables can be seen on the classroom walls.
blinds: Please, pull down (raise) the blinds.
chemistry, physics, biology: Chemistry, physics and biology are taught in well equipped science rooms. The scientific knowledge the pupils get at their lessons of chemistry, physics and biology will, of course, be valuable to them.
canteen: a school canteen. How many people can go to your school canteen at a time?
to calculate, calculator: Have you calculated the result? What arithmetic operations can you perform with a calculator?
1. How can illustrations, pictures and posters, schemes and tables be helpful at the lessons?
2. What do you think the classroom (the lab, the workshop) should look like? How should it be equipped to make it a good place in which to work?
3. What are the advantages of well-equipped classrooms? Do you think it is important to use modern equipment only at your science lessons?
Exercise 2. Say how you can recognize different kinds of school rooms by their appearance.
Exercise 3. There are TV programmes to help classroom teaching. Discuss these questions:
· Do you watch any educational television programmes in your school? What do you think about them? Are they really helpful and interesting?
· Could television teaching ever replace classroom teaching?
Exercise 4. Role play. You are receiving guests from another country (city).
a) Act as a guide and show your guests round your school. Talk about:
· your school and the rooms in it;
· your after-school activities;
· your class and your classmates;
· your subjects and your teachers;
· the traditions that are observed in your school;
· the breaks and your school meals.
b) Act as a guest and ask questions for more details. Give your impressions of the school.