American Big Picture Level 2

Name _____________________________________________________ Date ________________________________

Unit 5 | Reading
Read the text. Select True or False.

ParentPerspectives.com
Montessori schools by anapple67@whoemail.com
The Montessori school system was invented by Dr. Maria Montessori in the 1900s to educate
poor children in Italy, her native country. Montessori was a scientist and an innovator. For a
woman born in 1870, I think her achievement is incredible! Now there are more than 5,000
Montessori schools in the United States, and approximately 600 in the UK.
I really like Montessori schools because they provide a different type of education. A lot of
other schools emphasize competition, tests and qualifications. The kids sit down all day and
listen to the teacher standing at the front of the class. These schools need a strong system of
discipline to get students to do what the teacher says. In Montessori schools, the emphasis is
different. The teachers have the philosophy that kids are naturally interested in the world
around them and that they are excited about learning. My son's teacher pays attention to his
interests and customizes his learning experiences—so he learns naturally! The education is
totally built around the kids, and you're not going to find that in a traditional public school.
My son used to be in a regular school, where he was one of some 30 students in the classroom.
In contrast, Montessori teachers can listen to individual students because class sizes in
Montessori schools are small. And the classes also include kids of different ages, so younger
students can learn from older ones. I think that's something the education system has lost, the
one-room schoolhouse idea. Kids can learn a lot from each other, too.
Another thing I like about the Montessori program is that the teachers believe that learning
should happen through all five senses—tasting, touching, smelling, hearing and seeing. Kids
learn better when they are actively doing something, not when they are only watching,
reading or listening. For example, if a lesson is about plants, the teacher brings in plants and
seeds or has the students plant something in the school's garden. They also encourage
students to be independent, so even very young children are taught practical life skills,
including cooking and meal preparation, gardening and caring for clothes, shoes and toys. I'm
just amazed with the things my son knows how to do, and he's only six!
Students learn traditional subjects, too, but they are not separated from other aspects of life.
Research studies show that Montessori students learn academic, social and emotional skills
that are very useful for later life. Psychologists in the U.S. report that Montessori students get
higher grades in spelling and math tests than students from traditional schools. I'll keep you
posted on my son's progress and our continuing experiences with this school!

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T F
1. The author is a teacher at a Montessori school.

2. Students at Montessori schools learn practical life skills only.

3. The author doesn't think young children should be in classes with children
of other ages.

4. According to the author, students learn better at Montessori schools.

5. Montessori students perform well in math and spelling.

Unit 5 | Listening
Listen to the speaker. Complete the sentences with the correct word(s).

ABP2_U5_L9_audio.mp3

1. Joshua wants to be a ___________________ operator.

2. Joshua is an ___________________ conductor.

3. Conductors keep ___________________ in order and help the train operator.

4. People need to be a ___________________ before they can become a train

operator.

5. ___________________ need to get certification for each route that they do.

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Unit 5 | Writing
Read the letter from your Aunt Hilda. Write a response to your aunt. Follow the
instructions below. Write up to 80 words.

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Unit 5 | Grammar - Present continuous and going to (2)

Complete the sentences with the correct form of the verbs in parentheses.

1. Are you ___________________ the wine? (enjoy)

2. She's going ___________________ French at the university. (teach)

3. I'm ___________________ for my teaching certificate at the moment. (study)

4. When are you going ___________________ the tickets? (buy)

5. We're ___________________ in a very long line. (wait)

Unit 5 | Grammar - Present continuous and going to (3)

Choose the correct option to complete each sentence.

1. They ... shopping after work.

a. are going
b. going
c. are going to

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2. He ... hard for his degree.

a. is work
b. is going work
c. is going to work

3. What ... tonight?

a. are you do
b. are you doing
c. are you going to

4. I'm ... this book!

a. enjoy
b. going to enjoy
c. go to enjoy

5. She ... art history at the university.

a. is studying
b. is study
c. is going studying

Unit 5 | Grammar - must(n't) and (don't) have to

Read the sentences. Select True if grammatically correct or False if grammatically
incorrect.

T F
1. You don't have pay the bills this week.

2. We mustn't be late for school.

3. I have to study hard for my exams.

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4. You must to be on time for class.

5. She doesn't have to come with us to the supermarket.

Unit 5 | Grammar - Present continuous and going to (1)

Match the parts of the sentences.

1. I'm a. going to the shopping mall

tomorrow.

2. Are you going to b. studying for my master's at the

moment.

3. What are c. you doing tomorrow?

4. We're d. to paint the house next week.

5. He's going e. finish that sandwich?

Unit 5 | Vocabulary - Academic subjects

Choose the correct option to complete each sentence.

1. I can play football, tennis and rugby. I think I'm good at...

a. sports.
b. physics.
c. psychology.

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2. I don't enjoy science subjects like biology, chemistry and...

a. economics.
b. physics.
c. languages.

3. In ..., we learn about computers and the Internet.

a. information technology
b. music
c. philosophy

4. I want to be an actor, so I am studying...

a. literature.
b. politics.
c. drama.

5. He loves reading about the past, so he gets good grades in...

a. history.
b. mathematics.
c. business studies.

Unit 5 | Vocabulary - “-ed” and “-ing” adjectives

Complete the words with “-ing” or “-ed.”

1. This newspaper article is very interest___________________.

2. The child was fascinat___________________ by the

butterfly.

3. You should rewrite this essay. It's very confus___________________.

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4. We have to read a very bor___________________ book about

gardening.

5. These TV commercials are so annoy___________________!

Unit 5 | Vocabulary - Schools and qualifications

Match the parts of the sentences.

Many schools now offer a. for children under five.

1.
preschool

I plan to go to college after I b. a course in business

2.
graduate administration.

3. I have a degree in education and c. a certificate in art therapy.

4. He has a job, but he's also taking d. elementary and secondary

school.

We offer karate classes for kids e. from high school.

5.
in

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Unit 5 | Vocabulary - Adjectives and prepositions

Match the parts of the sentences.

1. I'm bored a. with school.

The economics course is very b. about the party.

2.
different

3. Have you always been good c. at languages?

4. The children were excited d. in mathematics.

5. I've never been interested e. from IT.

Score __________________

Teacher’s comments ________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________

Teacher’s signature _______________________________________________________________________

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