Schooling in the usa

1. Study the text below. Find what the major levels of education in the USA are.

It is very important for every student who wishes to study in USA to understand and be aware of the education system.

The system begins with kindergarten followed by 12 years of primary and high school education which is compulsory to get admitted to any graduate college or university. The children enrol themselves into an education system when they are five or six years of age. A child can choose to study either in private schools, or home schools or public schools. In America, the school academic year begins in late August or early September of each year and ends in late May or early June.

Primary or Elementary Education in the US

In primary or elementary school education, a student will be completing five grades of education. These five grades of education focus on introducing children to the broad range of knowledge, basic academic learning, reading and socialization skills they will need to perform well in their future. This also includes learning basics of mathematics, English proficiency, science, social studies, physical development and fine arts.

Secondary Education in the US

Junior high school (or middle school) and Senior high school together provides secondary education to the children. Junior high school refers to grade six through eight and high school begins with ninth grade and progresses to twelfth grade. The mandatory subjects which are taught in US high schools include: Science - biology, chemistry and physics, Mathematics - statistics, algebra, geometry and calculus, English - oral languages, humanities, literature and composition, Social Sciences - history, geography and economics. Most of the states have made health courses mandatory so that the students learn about first-aid, nutrition, sexuality and drug awareness. Art, foreign language and physical education is also made compulsory by some schools in the curriculum.

Undergraduate Education in the US

Undergraduate Schools offer a two-year degree which is called associate's degree or four-year degree called bachelor's degree in a particular field of study. This particular course of study is called major. The most common bachelor's degrees are Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), Bachelor of Science (B.S.), Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.), Bachelor of Social Work (B.S.W.), Bachelor of Engineering (B.Eng.), Bachelor of Philosophy (B.Phil.) and Bachelor of Architecture (B.Arch.) awarded after completing five year architecture course.

Postgraduate Education in the US

After the completion of undergraduate courses, the students can continue their studies by pursuing a master's degree which is a two-year degree to specialize in a particular field. After completing the master's degree, the students can pursue their education even further in a particular field with a doctorate degree. Based on the course opted, capability of the student and the dissertation selected, the duration to complete a doctorate degree is between three to six years.

2. Fill in the correct word(s) from the list below:

concentrate on, tolerance, participate, approach, issues, abandon, merely, motivation, concept, skills

1. Reading and writing are — two of the .......... which are considered to be most important in life. (learnt abilities)

2. The Parent-Teacher Association meets monthly to discuss ...................concerning the school. (topics)

3. A very complex subject is best taught using a simple.................(method)

4. When reading a text, language learners need to ............. the sentence structure and prepositions, as well as the vocabulary, (pay full attention to)

5. Teaching a subject in a lively, interesting way increases a student's ...............to learn, (willingness)

6. Miss Dean has so much............that she can handle even the most difficult of students. (patience)

7. Many teachers want to ....... continual testing and concentrate more on teaching, (stop doing)

8. If you want to ..................................in this game, you must listen to the instructions first, (take part)

9. Arithmetic is ...........the introduction to advanced mathematics, but it must be learnt thoroughly, (just)

10. The ...................... of formal examinations dates back to ancient China. (Idea)

3. Compare education in the USA and Ukraine.