The Reading / Listening - School Discipline - Level 5

El Salvador is cracking down on school discipline. The president appointed a former army captain as education minister. She has started inspecting schools in army dress. She is also a physician and was head of the country's coronavirus pandemic vaccination rollout. She has required all school principals to become role models. They must greet students as they come to school each morning. They will also check pupils' haircuts and uniforms. She warned: "Failure to comply with these provisions…will be considered a serious breach of administrative responsibility."

The main focus of the new education initiative is on appearance and conduct. Boys must have closely-cropped, military-style haircuts, while all students must wear neat uniforms and greet all teachers. There has been a mixed reaction to the policy. A teachers' union called it a "regrettable militarization" of schools. It worried the country was going back to the days of military dictatorship. It is concerned abuses of power against students might increase. However, many parents support the new rules. One said: "That's how you straighten children out from a young age."

Try the same news story at these levels:

    School Discipline - Level 4 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. a former army
  2. education
  3. She has started inspecting
  4. the country's coronavirus pandemic
  5. school
  6. become role
  7. They must greet
  8. a serious
  1. vaccination rollout
  2. models
  3. breach
  4. minister
  5. students
  6. captain
  7. principals
  8. schools

Paragraph 2

  1. the new education
  2. closely-cropped, military-
  3. all students must wear
  4. a regrettable militarization
  5. going back to the days of military
  6. abuses of
  7. many parents support the new
  8. straighten children out
  1. power
  2. initiative
  3. rules
  4. style haircuts
  5. from a young age
  6. of schools
  7. neat uniforms
  8. dictatorship

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

El Salvador is cracking down on school discipline. The president appointed a (1) ________________________________________________ as education minister. She has started (2) ________________________________________________ army dress. She is also a physician and was head of the country's coronavirus (3) ________________________________________________. She has required all school principals to (4) ________________________________________________. They must greet students as they come to school each morning. They will also check pupils' haircuts and uniforms. She warned: "(5) ________________________________________________ with these provisions...will be considered (6) ________________________________________________ of administrative responsibility."

The (7) ________________________________________________ the new education initiative is on appearance and conduct. Boys must (8) ________________________________________________, military-style haircuts, while all students must wear neat uniforms and greet all teachers. There has been (9) ________________________________________________ the policy. A teachers' union called (10) ________________________________________________ militarization" of schools. It worried the country was going back to the days of military dictatorship. It is concerned (11) ________________________________________________ against students might increase. However, many parents support the new rules. One said: "That's how you (12) ________________________________________________ from a young age."

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

ElSalvadoriscrackingdownonschooldiscipline.Thepresidentappointe
daformerarmycaptainaseducationminister.Shehasstartedinspectin
gschoolsinarmydress.Sheisalsoaphysicianandwasheadofthecountr
y'scoronaviruspandemicvaccinationrollout.Shehasrequiredallschoo
lprincipalstobecomerolemodels.Theymustgreetstudentsastheycom
etoschooleachmorning.Theywillalsocheckpupils'haircutsandunifor
ms.Shewarned:"Failuretocomplywiththeseprovisions...willbeconsid
eredaseriousbreachofadministrativeresponsibility."Themainfocusof
theneweducationinitiativeisonappearanceandconduct.Boysmustha
veclosely-cropped,military-stylehaircuts,whileallstudentsmustwea
rneatuniformsandgreetallteachers.Therehasbeenmixedreactiontot
hepolicy.Ateachers'unioncalledita"regrettablemilitarization"ofscho
ols.Itworriedthecountrywasgoingbacktothedaysofmilitarydictators
hip.Itisconcernedabusesofpoweragainststudentsmightincrease.Ho
wever,manyparentssupportthenewrules.Onesaid:"That'showyoust
raightenchildrenoutfromayoungage."

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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