– Unit 2 Lesson 6 /Ability Grouping

Stage 1- Before you read

1. Tick (√) the statements that correspond the educational system in your country
a. Students are grouped according to age. ---- b. Girls and boys are separated at school. ----
c. High achievers are obliged to study with ---- d. All students have the same learning abilities. ----
low achievers.
e. High achievers and low achievers must ---- f. Teachers deal with students according to their ----
sit for the same national exams. class achievements.

2. Fill in the blanks with the expressions in the table to get a coherent paragraph about ‘ability grouping’
a. measured ability or their achievements" b. a type of homogenous grouping
c. When used inappropriately, however d. as "system of grouping in which
e. of similar ability levels f. for a variety of reasons
Ability Grouping can be defined ___ students are assigned to classes based on their ___. Ability grouping, ___,
simply means grouping together students ___. Teachers may use it ___, and when used appropriately, ability
grouping can help students be successful in the classroom. ___, it may actually do more harm than good.

Stage 2 – While reading

1. Complete the table
School Name ....................................................................................................................
Location ....................................................................................................................
The Method a. Name: ......................................../ ......................................./ ...........................
b. Definition: Pupils will be taught according to …………… instead of .......................
Reasons a. ...............................................................................................
b. ...............................................................................................
Objectives a. To ...............................................................................................
b. To ...............................................................................................

2. Find in the text details showing that the following statements are false
a. Teachers will group students according to their personal evaluation.
...........................................................................................................................................................
b. The ability grouping method will be carried out in a rich area.
...........................................................................................................................................................
c. It was hard to make students of different ages study together.
...........................................................................................................................................................

3. Find words or expressions meaning approximately the following

a) to increase the strength (section A): ___________________________
b) evaluated ( section A): ___________________________
c) poor ( section A): ___________________________
d) basic knowledge of arithmetic or mathematics in general ( section B): ___________________________
e) I think that (Section B): ___________________________
4. Give a personal justified answer to the following question
What do you think of this method? Why?
I think that this method is ...............................................................................
because .............................................................................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................................................................
Grammar focus
The following sentences are all from the article. Fill in the gaps with the right prepositions.
a) For each subject, they will be assessed via tests and teacher judgements then allocated----------- one of the five
levels.
b) The new personalised system was aimed -------------tackling the culture of under achievement.
c) Access deals----------------basic numeracy; level three is equivalent---------- A levels.
d) d) It transformed traditional tutor groups-------------mixed age groups
e) e) I could not care less-----------------an ideal.
Stage 3 – After you read (Writing)

1. Say whether these statements are ‘pros’ or ‘cons’ of ability grouping

a. High achievers are allowed to “Fly” on their own --------
b. The criteria for selection may be too rigid or narrow --------
c. Increase the pace and raise the level of instruction for high achievers --------
d. Provide more individual attention, repetition, and review for low achievers. --------
e. Low achievers may get “stuck” in a group --------
f. Less able pupils may feel stigmatised by their lower grouping. --------
g. This will allow the teacher to provide adequate direct instruction for each group. --------
h. Pupils are more likely to be working with their ability peers --------
i. Gifted pupils may be verbally abused as ‘nerds’. --------
j. The curriculum is taught in depth or at a faster pace --------
k. Students with lower ability achieve less --------
l. It gives less able pupils a reason to bully --------
m. Additional work for the teacher --------
n. Teacher can work more intensely with those that need help --------
o. It reduces self-esteem --------

2. Essay: Write an argumentative 12-line article in which you explain your opinion and defend it .

....................................................................................................................................................
a. Definition
....................................................................................................................................................


b. Topic
....................................................................................................................................................
sentence

To start with, the system ...........................................................................................................

a. System
....................................................................................................................................................
Add to this, teachers ................................................................................................................
b. Teachers
.................................................................................................................................................


c. High Moreover, high achieving students ..........................................................................................

achievers ....................................................................................................................................................
d. Low Low achieving students, as well,...............................................................................................
achievers ....................................................................................................................................................

Personal As far as I’m concerned, I do believe that ...............................................................................



viewpoint ....................................................................................................................................................