The Reading / Listening - School Discipline - Level 4

El Salvador is cracking down on school discipline. The new education minister is a former soldier. She has started inspecting schools in army uniform. She is also a doctor. She asked all school principals to be role models. They must greet students every morning. They will also check pupils' haircuts and uniforms. She warned: "Failure to comply with these provisions…will be considered a serious breach of...responsibility."

The focus of the new initiative is on appearance and conduct. Boys must have military-style haircuts. All students must wear neat uniforms and greet all teachers. There has been a mixed reaction. A teachers' union called it a "regrettable militarization" of schools. It worried the country could become a military dictatorship. It worried abuses of power against students might increase. However, many parents support the new rules.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    School Discipline - Level 5 or  School Discipline - Level 6

Sources
  • https://apnews.com/article/el-salvador-schools-haircuts-bukele-3a0a0080021eedeaea6dede87f5ef117
  • https://www.dw.com/en/el-salvador-schools-enforce-military-style-haircut-checks/a-73740667
  • https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/edgar-haircuts-mohawks-prohibited-el-salvador-schools-military-captain-rcna226672


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice activities, drag and drop activities, sentence jumbles, which word activities, text reconstructions, spelling, gap fills and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. The new education
  2. a former
  3. inspecting schools
  4. She asked all school principals
  5. They must greet students
  6. check pupils' haircuts and
  7. Failure to comply with these
  8. a serious breach
  1. provisions
  2. to be role models
  3. uniforms
  4. minister
  5. of responsibility
  6. every morning
  7. soldier
  8. in army uniform

Paragraph 2

  1. The focus of the new
  2. Boys must have military-
  3. students must
  4. There has been a mixed
  5. a "regrettable militarization"
  6. the country could become a
  7. abuses of
  8. many parents support
  1. reaction
  2. power
  3. style haircuts
  4. the new rules
  5. initiative
  6. wear neat uniforms
  7. of schools
  8. military dictatorship

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

El Salvador is cracking down (1) ________________________________________________. The new education minister is (2) ________________________________________________. She has started inspecting schools (3) ________________________________________________. She is also a doctor. She asked all school principals to (4) ________________________________________________. They must greet students every morning. They will also check pupils' haircuts and uniforms. She warned: "(5) ________________________________________________ with these provisions...will be considered a (6) ________________________________________________...responsibility."

The focus of (7) ________________________________________________ is on appearance and conduct. Boys must have military-style haircuts. All students must (8) ________________________________________________ and greet all teachers. There has been (9) ________________________________________________. A teachers' union called it a "regrettable militarization" of schools. It worried the country could (10) ________________________________________________ dictatorship. It worried (11) ________________________________________________ against students might increase. However, many parents support (12) ________________________________________________.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

ElSalvadoriscrackingdownonschooldiscipline.Theneweducationmini
sterisaformersoldier.Shehasstartedinspectingschoolsinarmyunifor
m.Sheisalsoadoctor.Sheaskedallschoolprincipalstoberolemodels.T
heymustgreetstudentseverymorning.Theywillalsocheckpupils'hairc
utsanduniforms.Shewarned:"Failuretocomplywiththeseprovisions..
.willbeconsideredaseriousbreachof...responsibility."Thefocusofthen
ewinitiativeisonappearanceandconduct.Boysmusthavemilitary-styl
ehaircuts.Allstudentsmustwearneatuniformsandgreetallteachers.T
herehasbeenamixedreaction.Ateachers'unioncalledita"regrettable
militarization"ofschools.Itworriedthecountrycouldbecomeamilitary
dictatorship.Itworriedabusesofpoweragainststudentsmightincrease
.However,manyparentssupportthenewrules.

Student survey

Write five GOOD questions about this topic in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper. When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

(Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

Discussion — Write your own questions

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

(a) ________________

(b) ________________

(c) ________________

(d) ________________

(e) ________________

(f) ________________

(g) ________________

(h) ________________

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

(i) ________________

(j) ________________

(k) ________________

(l) ________________

(m) ________________

(n) ________________

(o) ________________

(p) ________________

Free writing

Write about this topic for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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