A/Comprehension

Read the text carefully then do the following activities.

Amina, an illiterate mother of four children, was born in a rural village. She could not get access
.to education and had always dreamt of writing her name

When an aid organization offered literacy classes in her village, Amina recognized that an excellent
opportunity was offered to her. The class signaled a new beginning for her as she would be able to
read and write, and acquire skills that were always reserved for others. When she first learnt how
to write her name she was overjoyed. Although Amina and her classmates were laughed at by some
villagers as they walked to school each day, they ignored them and were proud of their
.accomplishment

The course went a step beyond providing basic literacy training to the women of the village.
Those who performed the best on the final exam were also offered support in setting up a business-
a farm animal cooperative. Armed with their newly acquired numeracy and literacy skills, and with
assistance from the organization, they started a successful business. Their example gave rural
.women a new image

Amina now buys and sells farm animals through the cooperative and earns enough income to
support her family. More importantly, she can share the joy of learning with school-aged children
and help them with their homework. She is confident about the future. She says her new skills have
given her more than just an income. “Through this program, women have paved the way to a new
.life,” she said

As a proof to the program’s success, now even some of the men in the village who had criticized
Amina and her classmates want to attend literacy classes.
www.esg.ma

The text is about: .1

a. Building schools for women in rural areas
b. The importance of educating women in rural areas
c. Daily life of women in rural areas

.Are these statements true or false? Write T or F next to the sentence letter .2
.a. Amina went to school when she was a girl
.b. Some villagers made fun of women going to literacy classes
.c. Some women of the village were able to run businesses of their own
d. The literacy program succeeded because of women’s determination and the assistance
of the organization.

.Answer the following questions according to the text .3

?a. Who helped Amina to read and write
?b. Which group of women benefited from the organization’s assistance
?c. How did children benefit from Amina’s literacy
?d. Why did some villagers change their opinion about the literacy program

?In which paragraph is it mentioned that Amina could not read and write )4
?Who or what do the underlined words refer to in the text )5

a. them (§2) b. their (§3)

B) Text Exploration
.Find in the text words or phrases that are closest in meaning to the following 1

a. extremely happy (§2) b. assistance (§3) c. money (§4)

2. Complete the following chart.

Verb Noun Adjective

to criticize

organization

excellent

.Rewrite sentence ‘b’ so that it means the same as sentence (a) .3

.a) A girl’s education is more important than a boy’s education .1
.………..……………………………………………………………b) A boy’s education is not
.a) “What does a girl need to study for?” he would ask .2
…….……………..…………………………………………………………… b) He would ask
.Classify the following words according to the stressed syllable .4
education village attend homework
stress on 1st syllable stress on 2nd syllable stress on 3rd syllable

.Fill in the gaps with the words in the list .5

acquire receive improve suffer
In some developing regions, millions of girls still …(1)… little or no education. This hurts not just
girls themselves, but also their families and the societies in which they live. Girls…(2)… because
they miss out on opportunities to socialize, …(3)… knowledge, and gain the skills and sense of
.autonomy needed to …(4)… their personal well-being and their lot in life

Written Expression
.Use the following notes to write a composition of about 100 to 120 words about the following topic
An African proverb says, “If we educate a boy, we educate one person. If we educate a girl, we
?educate a family – and a whole nation.” In your opinion, what are the benefits of educating girls
:Educating girls
reduces poverty -
improves family welfare -
decreases population explosion -
helps them lead healthier and more productive lives -
…,allows them to give their children a good education; etc -
.Choose the most suitable title for the text above )
.a. Life in rural areas. b. Literacy changes a rural woman’s life
.c. Rural men change rural women’s life

(Adapted from euronews.net/learningworld)

1- Are the following statements true or false? Write T or F next to the statement.
a) Finland is known worldwide for its education system.
b) Finnish teachers do not enjoy much freedom in what they do.
c) Subjects like music, sport and arts are a priority in the Finnish education system.
d) Finnish education system is the only successful model in the world.

2. Answer the following questions.

a) What did Euronews visit Finland for?
…………………………………………………………
b) What advantages do Finnish teachers enjoy?
…………………………………………………………
c) How do Finnish children learn?
…………………………………………………………

3. In which paragraph is it mentioned that being a teacher in Finland is a difficult task?

4. What or who do the underlined words in the text refer to?

a) its (§1) ……………………… b) They (§4) ………………………

5. The text is: a) prescriptive b) expository c) argumentative

B/Text Exploration:
1) Find in the text words or phrases close in meaning to.
a) internationally (§1) = ……………………… b) emphasis (§3)= ………………………

2) Fill in the chart with the missing forms.

 Verb Noun Adjective
to encourage ……………………… ………………………
……………………… competition
……………………… ……………………… educational

.Ask questions on the underlined words 3

a) Children stay with the same teacher for six years.
…………………………………………………………
.b) They have a lot of freedom in their work
…………………………………………………………
.’Classify the following words according to the pronunciation of the final ‘s .4
teachers breaks cases hours
/s/ /z/ /iz/

5- Fill in the gaps with the following words

highly - success – for - enjoy
Teachers are at the heart of Finland’s …1…. All teachers are experts and are all associated with
a university …2… research work and applied pedagogy. Besides, they are …3… respected in society
and…4…full academic freedom.

Written Expression

?Topic 1: How can parents help their kids make the most of the new school year
 The bond between parent and child
 Routines in family life
 Family expectations for kids to succeed in school
 Help with homework
 Contact between teachers and parents
 Parent involvement in the school

Topic 2: What improvements do you think the Algerian authorities should introduce to make the
education system effective?