Nearly half of children ‘leave school without basic movement skills’, study says

A A new survey has revealed that many children leave primary school with poor physical literacy, despite the majority of teachers viewing PE as an important subject. Nearly half of primary school pupils are leaving school without “basic movement skills” to engage in physical activity.

B Teachers also said more than one in three children dislike exercise by the time they leave primary school and believe 42 per cent of children don’t enjoy PE lessons. However, a survey of 400 primary school teachers revealed negative attitudes towards physical activity among primary school pupils still prevail. The survey, by Virgin Active, the University of Bedfordshire and primary school teachers nationwide, revealed teachers believe 39 per cent of children across the UK leave primary school with a negative attitude towards being physically active.

C Experts say primary school teachers play a crucial role in helping children develop physical literacy. But a third of them lack confidence when it comes to teaching PE, while over a quarter said they don’t feel adequately qualified to teach the subject and more than half want more professional development opportunities for PE. The vast majority of teachers, or 88 per cent, say they recognize PE is as important as the other subjects they teach.

D Professor Margaret Whitehead, an academic on physical literacy, said: “PE lessons help shape a child’s first experiences of physical activities and their attitude towards leading an active lifestyle. It is crucial that these first experiences are positive, rewarding and enjoyable. We must do all we can to make sure teachers are equipped with the knowledge and tools they need to deliver quality PE, helping all students to make progress on their physical literacy journey. We need to enable teachers to nurture a lifelong love of physical activity among future generations.”

E To help tackle the issue, Virgin Active are launching Active Inspiration, a five year-long programme working with charities such as the Youth Sports trust and various educational partners. Their aim is to introduce an active lifestyle to 500,000 young people, by developing new ways of approaching PE that they hope will inspire a lifelong love of physical activity in primary school pupils. Official figures show more than one third of children in England are now overweight or obese by the time they leave primary school.

Adjusted to (1)

prevail – převládat

vast – obrovský, rozsáhlý

nurture – živit, vychovávat

tackle – bojovat, poprat se

1) Read the article and match each of the headings to a paragraph.

1 A new survey on physical literacy

2 Whitehead’s opinion

3 A new active programme is starting

4 Children dislike PE

5 Teachers don’t feel to be qualified

2) Read the article and answer the questions.

1 What does a new survey deal with?

2 How do teachers feel about PE education and their pupils?

3 Who is Whitehead? What does she say?

4 What is Active Inspiration?

5 What kind of problem do 33% of children leaving school have? Why?

3) Explain the following words and phrases.

1 poor physical literacy

2 basic movement skills

3 negative attitude towards being physically active

4 don’t feel adequately qualified to teach the subject

5 overweight or obese

4) Answer the following questions.

Why is physical activity important? How much physical activity should a preschooler get daily? How to make physical activity fun? What are social benefits of physical education?

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Source:

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ESPINOZA, Javier. Nearly half of children 'leave school without basic movement skills', study says. The Telegraph [online]. 2015 [cit. 2015-09-22]. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/11693791/Nearly-half-of-children-leave-school-without-basic-movement-skills-study-says.html

More Children Hooked On Sport

More Children Hooked On Sport

A Sport Wales today revealed an almost 50% increase in the number of Welsh children taking regular part in sport and physical activity. It shows the opinions of 110,000 Welsh schoolchildren (almost 40% of the 7-16 year old age group in Wales). As well as showing that the numbers of young people taking part in sport or physical activity three or more times a week has risen from 27% in 2011 to 40% in 2013, the survey also revealed: 91% of children enjoy school sport.

B Boys (44%) were still more likely than girls (36%) to regularly participate in sport and physical activity. Making sport and physical activity enjoyable and fun is critical to boosting participation by children and young people. School is the most important place in which children learn the competence and confidence to participate in physical activity.

C Commenting on the survey results, Sport Wales Chair, Professor Laura McAllister said: “These excellent figures show what is possible when the sport and education sectors work together. They also help us understand how to encourage tomorrow’s generation to participate more in sport and physical activity. It is not a question of more money. It is about investing in our children’s future through the health, education and sports sectors working better together to give our children the best start in life. The most cost effective way is to place schools at the centre of a community developing a generation of healthier bodies as well as minds.”

D For Sarah Powell, Chief Executive Officer of Sport Wales, the Survey underlines how Sport Wales’s efforts to improve sport and physical activity have made a difference: “These results demonstrate that Sport Wales’ ambition to get every child hooked on sport is on track and bearing fruit. The work in primary and secondary schools funded by Sport Wales over the last ten years, with after-school clubs and the wider sports community, has opened up opportunities for every child to try out a wider variety of sports and physical activities. These have been delivered in an enjoyable and fun environment, building children’s confidence and interest to do more.”

E It is amazing that so many young people across Wales have been given the opportunity to share their thoughts and opinions on school sport. The young people of Wales have spoken and Welsh government is now in the best placed position to be answering their needs and ensuring that all children have suitable opportunities to get hooked on sport.

Adjusted to (1)

boost – zvýšit, podpořit

1) Read the article and match each of the headings to a paragraph.

1 Powell things cooperation of schools and sport clubs is important

2 All children must get chance to do sport

3 More boys practice sport activities than girls

4 More Welsh children do sport today

5 McAllister’s opinions

2) Read the article and answer the questions.

1 What did the research in Wales find out?

2 How are school and sport connected?

3 Who is Laura McAllister? What does she say?

4 Who is Sarah Powell? What does she think about the results of the survey?

5 What should be the reaction of Welsh government like?

3) Explain the following words and phrases.

1 competence and confidence to participate in physical activity

2 survey results

3 encourage tomorrow’s generation

4 education and sports sectors working better together

5 ambition to get every child hooked on sport is on track and bearing fruit

4) Answer the following questions.

Why are sport activities important for children and youth? How does practicing sport in young age influence our life in adulthood? What is social role of sport? How are sport clubs financed? Can economically disabled children do sport? Where? Who can support them

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Source:

(1)

More Children Hooked On Sport. Sport Wales [online]. 2014 [cit. 2015-09-22]. Available at: http://sport.wales/news--events/news--events/our-news/latest-news/more-children-hooked-on-sport.aspx

Science ‘squeezed out of primary schools’

A Science is being squeezed out of English primary schools, with a third not providing the recommended two hours of teaching a week, research suggests. The Confederation of British Industry study also suggests science has become less of a priority in many schools. A third of 260 teachers surveyed said they lacked confidence teaching science.

B The government said the report was “nonsense”, and its new curriculum “rivals the best in the world”. In the report, Tomorrow’s World, 53% of the teachers surveyed for the CBI said science teaching had become less of a priority over the past five years. And 36% of the schools teaching science at Key Stage 2 said they were not providing the minimum recommendation for science education of two hours every week. Some 20% said they committed over three hours, but 7.5% said they taught less than one hour per week.

C CBI director general John Cridland said: “Science education in primary schools is being squeezed out. How can we expect to inspire future generations of scientists and engineers if we don’t deliver high-quality and inspiring science lessons at primary school age? If we are not careful, too many children will have lost interest in science before they hit their teens. A lack of science, technology, engineering and maths skills are already holding back economic growth, and this will only get worse if we don’t energize the next generation. Pupils need innovative, fun lessons with access to the latest science kit and need to break free of the classroom more to visit cutting-edge companies.”

D Prof. Julia Buckingham, vice-chancellor of Brunel University, London, said: “The report’s findings - indicating that Stem (science, technology, engineering and maths) subjects have become less of a priority in primary schools in recent years. None of us should be in any doubt of the critical importance of ensuring that the education system inspires interest and enthusiasm for the sciences and provides careers advice and guidance as early as possible for school students.”

E A Department for Education spokesperson dismissed the CBI’s findings as “nonsense”. “Science is a compulsory subject in schools from age 5 to 16,” said the spokesperson. “It is a crucial part of our plan to prepare young people for life in modern Britain, and we have made big strides in recent years. A record number of pupils are now taking science at GCSE and we are seeing more young people taking the crucial STEM subjects at A-level. We have introduced a new primary science curriculum to get encourage more young people to study it.”

Adjusted to (1)

squeeze out – vytlačit

stride – pokrok

1) Read the article and match each of the headings to a paragraph.

1 The government disagrees but the research figures are clear

2 Buckingham’s opinion

3 Science has lost its priority

4 Government says the findings are nonsense

5 Science is important for economics

2) Read the article and answer the questions.

1 What was the research about?

2 What were the results of the experiment?

3 How does the government oppose?

4 Who is John Cridland? What does he say?

5 How does science influence future life of the pupils?

3) Explain the following words and phrases.

1 its new curriculum “rivals the best in the world”

2 science education

3 we don’t deliver high-quality and inspiring science lessons

4 break free of the classroom

5 provide careers advice and guidance

4) Answer the following questions.

What is science? How does science education influence development of children? Do you think our government supports science education and research enough? Why not? How should be science taught?

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Source:

(1)

RICHARDSON, Hannah. Science 'squeezed out of primary schools'. BBC News [online]. 2015 [cit. 2015-09-21]. Available at: http://www.bbc.com/news/education-31749900

Three creative ways teachers can explore oceans in the classroom

Three creative ways teachers can explore oceans in the classroom

A Teaching about oceans can help transforming your classroom into a submarine; the vast expanse of the seas can be explored in many ways. Teachers now expected to develop their students’ knowledge of globally significant places “both terrestrial and marine”. The mystery of the deep blue sea is a great opportunity to enliven and engage students. Oceans education isn’t the reserve of enthusiastic geography teachers – it can inspire children in science, literacy, art and much more.

B When Ben Culverhouse, then a year 5 teacher at The Manor Church of England primary school in South Gloucestershire, wanted to get children excited about ocean wonders he turned his classroom into a submarine. The idea came to him after seeing the play Kursk. Culverhouse got in touch with the show’s director who emailed him submarine digital sound effects. “I set up a sub interior control room as my whiteboard screensaver and used a red light bulb for silent operations such as reading,” says Culverhouse. As the eight-week project developed, the children made models of underwater creatures, and hung them around the classroom. “We used the submarine to ‘travel’ to a certain point in the ocean each lesson,” says Culverhouse.

C For geography, Culverhouse explored the locations of the oceans and continents around the world. He also gave a lesson on navigation, plotting a course using marker buoys and compass directions, to introduce maths skills. The class even studied Robert Louis Stevenson’s seafaring classic Treasure Island for their literature unit in the submarine classroom.

D Leah Sharp taught the topic of oceans to her year 6 class at Downsbrook middle school in West Sussex cooperating with a year 10 group at Patcham high school in Brighton. Sharp was teaching her younger pupils physical geography, while David Rogers at Patcham was tackling various types of coastal erosion and flooding with his class. After exchanging tweets about what their students were working on, they decided to team up using Google hangouts. The project lasted six weeks. At the start of every week, each side would send over new resources to be uploaded onto hangouts.

E Alan Parkinson, geography teacher at King’s Ely in Cambridgeshire, taught oceans as part of a year 7 unit. He introduced the “you are what you eat” project to teach about food issues and sustainable resourcing. Students were introduced to the various methods used to catch fish and their effect on the environment. They visualised the impact on the sea floor, and investigated more sustainable alternatives, such as farming fish. The children made fish and chips dishes with messages written on them. Each fish explained why it was threatened; the chips were labelled with ideas for helping the fish to survive. Students were asked to create an eco-friendly menu. They linked up with the food technology department; some groups were allowed to cook their dishes.

Adjusted to (1)

vast – ohromný, obrovský

plot – zosnovat, naplánovat

marker buoy – vytyčovací bóje

sustainable resourcing – dlouhodobé udržování zdrojů

1) Read the article and match each of the headings to a paragraph.

1 Culverhouse taught geography, literature and maths during his ocean project

2 Culverhouse turned the classroom into a submarine

3 “You are what you eat” project

4 Sharp’s and Rogers’ classes worked together

5 Teaching about oceans is inspiring

2) Read the article and answer the questions.

1 Why can learning about oceans be interesting?

2 How did Culverhouse start with his project?

3 How were the topics of oceans presented creatively? Describe all the presented ways.

4 How did two classes cooperate?

5 Why did children make fish and chips dishes?

3) Explain the following words and phrases.

1 knowledge of globally significant places

2 great opportunity to enliven and engage students

3 exchanging tweets

4 upload onto hangouts

5 labelled with ideas

4) Answer the following questions.

What is science? How does science education influence development of children? How is science taught at preschool, primary school and secondary school?

Video:

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Source:

(1)

MARSH, Sarah. Three creative ways teachers can explore oceans in the classroom. The Guardian [online]. 2015 [cit. 2015-09-21]. Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/2015/may/20/explore-oceans-classroom-three-creative-ways-teachers

Beat inequality with preschool

Beat inequality with preschool

A Arguably the most important and innovative idea proposed by President Obama in his State of the Union address on Tuesday night was his call for high-quality, universal pre-school education.

B “Every dollar we invest in high-quality early childhood education can save more than seven dollars later on, by boosting graduation rates, reducing teen pregnancy, even reducing violent crime,” Obama said. “In states that make it a priority to educate our youngest children…, studies show students grow up more likely to read and do math at grade level, graduate high school, hold a job, form more stable families of their own.”

C He’s right. Most Americans would be surprised to learn that the United States now does worse in terms of social mobility than many European countries – especially those in Scandinavia – as well as Canada. What does this mean in practice? It means that a poor child born in the United States is much more likely to remain poor than one born in Canada or Denmark.

D The Pew Charitable Trust’s Economic Mobility Project found last year, for example, that “more than 40 percent of Americans raised in the poorest family background remain stuck there as adults, and 70 percent remain below the middle.” OECD research, meanwhile, found that while “at least 40 percent of the economic advantage that high-earnings fathers have over low-earnings fathers is transmitted to their sons,” the comparable figure for Nordic countries, Canada and Australia was less than 20 percent.

E The main reason for this, I believe, is that many of the countries with higher mobility invest a great deal in children of all backgrounds, early in their lives, in terms of daycare, nutrition and education. And what the research increasingly shows is that if a child has missed out in the first few years of life in terms of nutrition, in terms of attention that adults pay to them, in terms of cognitive stimulation, then it is very difficult for them to catch up because they have been so disadvantaged – some of them neurologically. Countries with strong programs for the very young, in contrast, tend to have an advantage.

Adjusted to (1)

arguably – zřejmě

boost – oživení

remain stuck – uvíznout

1) Read the article and match each of the headings to a paragraph.

1 Call for equal preschool education

2 Economic research

3 Countries which invest more have an advantage

4 Investment into preschool education is convenient

5 Many poor children remain poor as adults in the US

2) Read the article and answer the questions.

1 What is Obama’s opinion?

2 Why is equal preschool education important??

3 What is the situation of poor children in the US like?

4 What did the economic research find out?

5 How can be the situation changed?

3) Explain the following words and phrases.

1 universal pre-school education

2 reducing violent crime

3 high-earnings fathers

4 children of all backgrounds

5 disadvantaged

4) Answer the following questions.

Why is preschool education important? Who are economically disabled children? What is segregation of children? What are problems of economically and socially handicapped? What does Czech government do for equal education?

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Source:

(1)

ZAKARIA, Fareed. Fareed Zakaria: Beat inequality with preschool. CNN News [online]. 2013 [cit. 2015-09-22]. Available at: http://schoolsofthought.blogs.cnn.com/2013/02/18/fareed-zakaria-beat-inequality-with-preschool/

Minister pushes guaranteed right to preschool

Minister pushes guaranteed right to preschool

A The Czech government is planning a major overhaul of the country’s preschool education system. The final year of preschool should be compulsory, while children at the age of two would be entitled to a place in nursery school. But the country currently lack some 60,000 places in preschool facilities, and officials are not very clear on how to secure funding for these ambitious plans.

B The Czech minister for human rights and equal opportunities, Jiří Dienstbier, announced that besides poverty, social housing, equal access to education and other issues, he would like to grant two-year-old Czech children the right to be placed in preschool. He said other countries had successfully introduced similar arrangements which he sees as crucial for implementing the policy of equal opportunities. If children are entitled to start preschool at the age of two, adults would no longer have to choose between pursuing their careers and starting a family. But the Czech Republic chronically lacks places in preschools and kindergartens; this year, some 60,000 children could not be placed to these facilities due to lack of capacity.

C The government also plans to make the final year of kindergarten compulsory, which would require an increase in the number of preschool facilities. Most of them are run by municipalities which would certainly require additional funding. The human rights minister was not very specific about how the government wants to achieve that.

D The Czech Republic’s Union of Town and Municipalities welcomes these ideas but says that first, a detailed plan needs to be put forward for a debate. The mayor of Chomutov Jan Mareš is deputy head of the union. “We certainly do not oppose the idea. But there are several issues that need to be resolved. Another problem that would need to be addressed is what should be done with the increased capacities once the number of children at preschool age drops again.”

E Minister Dienstbier says his plan should be implemented within the next two or three years. Meanwhile, the government has scrapped a proposal put forth by the previous cabinet which saw the establishment of “childrens groups” as a way addressing insufficient capacities in preschool facilities. But these groups would only provide babysitting, and are not deemed a suitable substitute for regular kindergartens.

Adjusted to (1)

overhaul – revise

pursue – věnovat se

scrap – zrušit

1) Read the article and match each of the headings to a paragraph.

1 Children might attend preschools from the age of 2

2 Problems have to be solved first

3 The last year of preschool education might be compulsory

4 Our country does not have enough places in preschools

5 The plan should be implemented soon

2) Read the article and answer the questions.

1 What is the situation concerning preschool education in the Czech Republic like?

2 What changes are to be made? Why? When?

3 Which problems might be faced? Why?

4 What are the opinions of the government and municipalities concerning the changes?

3) Explain the following words and phrases.

1 be entitled to a place in nursery school

2 equal access to education

3 to lack places in preschools and kindergartens

4 plans to make the final year of kindergarten compulsory

5 the number of children at preschool age drops again

4) Answer the following questions.

What are possibilities of preschool education? What are their pros and cons? What do you think about the situation of preschool system today and changes to be put forward? How would you solve it? What are types of preschool alternative education?

Video:

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(1)

RICHTER, Jan. Minister pushes guaranteed right to preschool. Český rozhlas [online]. 2014 [cit. 2015-09-22]. Available at: http://www.radio.cz/en/section/curraffrs/minister-pushes-guaranteed-right-to-preschool

Toddlers prepare for their first big interview

A Getting into good schools or universities is tough in many parts of the world, but in Hong Kong the pressure begins earlier. Often parents try to get children into a good kindergarten – and before that, into a good nursery. So there are now classes preparing toddlers for that all-important nursery interview.

B Yoyo Chan is preparing for an important interview that could help her succeed in life. She is one-and-a-half years old. At two she will start nursery, but competition is fierce in Hong Kong, and some of the most prestigious nurseries are selective. Her parents want her to be well-prepared for her first big test in life.

C The best nurseries and kindergartens can receive more than 1,000 applications for just a few dozen places. As a result, enterprising tuition companies are now offering interview training for toddlers. At interview class, Yoyo is asked to greet the tutor and introduce herself. The tutor then asks her to complete a number of tasks, including building a house with bricks, drawing a picture, sticking two felt eyes in the right position on a felt face, and identifying pieces of fruit. At one tuition company, the Hong Kong Young Talents Association, a series of 12 training sessions costs HK$4,480 ($580; £390) – that’s nearly a quarter of the monthly household income. “We try to teach children through musical activities, while adapting the activities to what the interviews will cover,” HKYTA tutor Teresa Fahy says.

D But to make things more complicated different nurseries and kindergartens are looking for different things. It’s common for the interviewers to observe how children play with toys. This gives an idea of their fine motor skills, and how they interact with other children. How they take part in group activities such as singing or moving to music will also be carefully examined. And interviewers will talk to the children to see how well they express themselves, and whether they make eye contact.

E Some, but not all, will also ask children to identify colours or shapes, or to explain scenes in a picture book. “Interview questions are getting harder and harder,” says Fahy. “Kindergartens may ask children complex questions like, ‘What are your eyes for?’ or ‘What type of egg is this?’ They may also test a child’s manners by offering them sweets at the end of the interview. The child has to take one and say, ‘Thank you’. Taking too many sweets is seen as greedy, while declining the sweets is considered impolite.”

Adjusted to (1)

fierce – nelítostný

felt – plsť

1) Read the article and match each of the headings to a paragraph.

1 Tuition companies

2 Pressure on toddlers in Hong Kong

3 Knowledge and politeness are necessary

4 Requirements of preschools

5 Yoyo Chan is preparing for interview

2) Read the article and answer the questions.

1 What is the situation concerning preschools in Hong Kong like?

2 Who is Yoyo Chan? What do we know about her family and life?

3 What are requirements of Hong Kong preschools?

4 How do parents prepare their children?

5 What do the interviewers talk with children about?

3) Explain the following words and phrases.

1 the pressure begins earlier

2 prestigious nurseries

3 tuition companies

4 toddlers

5 fine motor skills

4) Answer the following questions.

What do children learn in preschool institutions? What are types of preschools? What is the role of preschool teacher? What knowledge should children acquire before they start primary school?

Video:

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Source:

(1)

CHEUNG, Helier. Toddlers prepare for their first big interview. BBC News [online]. 2015 [cit.

Available at: http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-32040752