All 3 Graded Readings
Schools closed in France as students clash with police
PRINT ALL READINGS (PDF)School Protests - Level 4
Thousands of students in France are protesting against the condition of their schools. They have fought with riot police. There are reports that police used tear gas against some protestors. The students began protesting in September. France's Education Ministry said more than 1,020 high schools have been affected. Around 5,000 people have been arrested in the past week. Most were teenagers. More than 65 school staff have been injured.
The students are angry about poor conditions in schools. They say there is a lack of teachers, overcrowded classrooms, and old school buildings. One student said: "We don't even have enough chairs." Students want more spending on education. In particular, they say schools in poorer areas get fewer resources despite greater educational needs. The government said there would be "concrete responses" to fix things.
SPEED READING
Speed 1 | Speed 2 | Speed 3 | Speed 4
MORE
Online activities | 8-page printable (PDF)
School Protests - Level 5
Thousands of students in France have been protesting against the condition of their schools. They have clashed with riot police. There are reports that police used tear gas against some protestors. The students began protesting in late September. The protests quickly spread nationwide. France's Education Ministry said more than 1,020 high schools have been affected by the protests. This is roughly one in four schools. The interior minister reported that around 5,000 people have been arrested in the past week. Most were teenagers. At least 65 school staff have been injured.
The students are angry about poor conditions in high schools. They say there is a lack of teachers, overcrowded classrooms, inadequate facilities, and old school buildings. One student said: "There are 35 pupils per class. We don't even have enough chairs." Students want more investment in education after years of underinvestment. In particular, they want more spending on schools in poorer suburbs. Students say schools in poor areas of Paris get fewer resources despite greater educational needs. The education minister said there would be "concrete responses" from the government.
SPEED READING
Speed 1 | Speed 2 | Speed 3 | Speed 4
MORE
Online activities | 8-page printable (PDF)
School Protests - Level 6
Thousands of students across France have taken to the streets to protest against the state of French schools. They have clashed with riot police in violent protests. There are reports that police used tear gas against some demonstrators. The student action began in high schools near Paris in late September and quickly spread nationwide. France's Education Ministry has reported that more than 1,020 high schools have been affected by protests or strikes. This is roughly one in four high schools. The country's interior minister reported that around 5,000 people had been arrested in the past week. He said the majority of them were teenagers. At least 65 school staff have also been injured.
The students' main concerns are what they perceive as poor conditions in high schools. They are angry about a lack of teachers, overcrowded classrooms, inadequate facilities, and dilapidated school buildings. One 15-year-old student said: "There are 35 pupils per class. We don't even have enough chairs." Students are calling for greater investment in education after what they see as years of underinvestment. In particular, they want more spending on schools in poorer suburbs. Students say schools in deprived areas of Paris receive fewer resources despite greater educational needs. The education minister said there would be "concrete responses" from the government.
SPEED READING
Speed 1 | Speed 2 | Speed 3 | Speed 4
MORE
MY e-BOOK
See a sample
This useful resource has hundreds of ideas, activity templates, reproducible activities for …
and a whole lot more.