9th form Card 2 Russia’s Educational System

9th form Card 2 Russia’s Educational System

Card2

1.       What is Russia's public educational system like?

2.       In what types of schools is compulsory education given?

3.       What are children in Russia taught at different stages of a secondary school?

4.       What exams do schoolchildren in Russia take?

Russia’s Educational System

Citizens of Russia have the right to education which is guaranteed by the Constitution. The public educational system in our country incorporates pre-school, general school, specialized secondary and higher education.

Pre-school includes creches[1] and kindergartens. Children there learn numbers, letters, colours. But pre-school education isn’t compulsory - children can get it at home.

Compulsory education is for children from 6(7) to 17 years of age. The main link in the system of education is the general school which prepares the younger generation for life and work in modern society. There are various types of schools: general secondary schools, schools specializing in a certain subject, lyceums and others. Tuition in most of them is free of charge, but some new types of schools are fee-paying.

The term of study in a general secondary school is 11 years and consists of primary, middle and upper stages. Children are accepted to the first grade at the age of 6 or 7. They are taught, ideally, by a single teacher through all four elementary grades (except for physical training and foreign languages). At the middle stage of a secondary school the children learn the basic laws of nature and society at the lessons of History, Algebra, Literature, Physics and many others. The school year extends from September 1 to the end of May and is divided into three or four terms. The Study Programme in schools is fixed. Students are graded on a 5-step scale, ranging in practice from 2 ("unacceptable") to 5 ("excellent"); 1 is a rarely used sign of extreme failure.

After 9th form pupils have to sit for examinations. Also, they have a choice between entering the 10th grade of a general secondary school and enrolling in a specialized secondary or vocational school. After finishing the 11th form of a secondary school all pupils have to take Unified State Examinations. One, who finishes the secondary school, receives a Secondary Education Certificate, giving the right to enter any higher educational establishment.

10th form term 2 card 5

10th form term 2 card 5
My future career

1. Why is it important to choose the right occupation for a lifetime?
2. What aspects are taken into account when choosing a future profession?
3. What is the most unusual and challenging job for a woman? Why?
4. Is getting a prestigious job easy? Why/why not?

Sample answer (question 3)

Some women choose jobs that have been traditionally done by men as men are physically stronger than women. Probably, the most unusual and challenging job for a woman is bullfighting. The world of bullfighting is hard enough for a man as you have to be strong and brave. However, it’s even tougher for a woman who has to prove herself many times just to get her foot in the ring. Although women have won the right to fight bulls with men, some matadors still refuse to fight in the same ring as them.

To become a matador a woman has to go to a bullfighting school to train with professionals. Women have the same tough routine as men so they run, work out in the gym and practice for hours. They have no time for socializing and they travel a lot in order to fight. What’s more, like men, women can be seriously injured in the leg or in the stomach. After being wounded they think about how quickly they can get back to the ring. It damages their confidence, but it also makes them mature as it’s just unprofessional to be injured. Last but not least, to be popular with the crowds a woman has to have a champion’s mentality, as well as courage and technique.

Card 4 10th form term2

Card 4

1. What scientific achievements do Russian people take pride in?
2. Why is M.V.Lomonosov considered to be an outstanding innovator both in humanities and sciences?
3. What is the contribution of Russian scientists in space exploration?
4. What famous scientist(s) do you admire?why?

Russia can take pride in numerous achievements and developments in many fields. Russian science, art and literature have been abundant in great names for centuries, and the country has been regarded as a great power playing an important role in the world’s history at least since the reign of Peter the Great. Russian science and technology are famous due to many  achievements such as the invention of the radio by Alexander Popov, the creation of the Periodic Table of Elements by Dmitry Mendeleev, the invention of laser by Nikolai Basov and  Alexander Prokhorov as well as many other discoveries.

Of all the famous Russian scientists, there are some whose contribution to the world science  is the most significant one. Among them is Mikhail Vasilevich Lomonosov, the founder of the Moscow University, an outstanding innovator both in the humanities and sciences. His spheres of science were chemistry, physics, mineralogy, history, art and philology. Among his discoveries was the atmosphere of Venus. Lomonosov was also a poet, who created the basis of the modern Russian Literary language. Lomonosov’s works mirrored all the strength and vitality of Russian science that was pushing back the frontiers of contemporary knowledge.

It’s difficult to overestimate Russia’s contribution to space exploration. The theory of space flight was created before the Second World War by Konstantin Tsiolkovsky. Russia can boast many firsts in space travel. Among the most important ones are launching the first man-made satellite Sputnik 1 into the Earth orbit, the first manned flight by Yuri Gagarin on board Vostok, the first woman in space(Valentina Tereshkova on Vostok 6), the first docking between to manned craft  in the Earth orbit and exchange of crews, the first images of the Moon’s far side, the first robotic space rover Lunokhod 1, the first permanently manned space station Mir which orbited the Earth from 1986 until 2001, the first space satellite launched in 1998 from a submarine.

Russian scholars have always based their projects on original research of high intellectual standard. Although modern achievements of Russian scientists are less known to the general public, they are not less important. The scientist I admire most of all is Zhores Ivanovich Alferov, a Russian physicist and academic who contributed significantly to the creation of modern heterostructure physics and electronics. He is an inventor of the heterotransistor and the winner of 2000 Nobel Prize in Physics for the development of semiconductor heterostructures for high-speed optoelectronics. Without Alferov, it would not be possible to transfer all the information from satellites down to the Earth or to have so many telephone lines between cities.

Russian scholars have always based their projects on original research of high intellectual standard. The scientist I admire most of all is Dmitry Ivanovich Mendeleyev. The list of spheres of knowledge which Mendeleyev's genius touched upon is enormous and includes chemistry, physics, earth sciences, metrology, economics, metallurgy and much else. Mendeleyev created the Periodic Table of Elements. He was the first to suggest a system of classification in which the elements are arranged in the order of increasing atomic weights. Thanks to his investigations Mendeleyev was able to predict not only the existence of a few unknown elements but their properties as well. Later the elements predicted were discovered. Time is the severest judge in science. After more than 100 years of its existence, the Periodic Law has preserved its full value and is being constantly developed with each new discovery.

9th form Card 6 term 2

1. What jobs can people do and what prospects can jobs offer?
2. Why is choosing a career not always easy?
3. What can influence the choice of a job?
4. What job would you like to do ? Why?

Sample 1.

Choosing a job has always been very important because it can determine one’s future life. If the chosen career is right it can make a person happy and successful for the rest of his life. There is a great variety of jobs to choose from. They can be full-time and part-time jobs, regular and odd jobs. You can work for the company or be freelance. Jobs can offer you promotion or financial reward as well as bonuses and good job opportunities.

Sample 2.
Choosing a career is not always easy. The choice can be influenced by certain people or events or you can follow you parents or friends’ advice. Teachers can also encourage you to choose a job you are well-suited for. It is very important as different jobs require special qualities, training, experience as well as talent and hard work. Also, there are many attractive and well-paid jobs which are prestigious and rewarding. That is why it takes a long time to make up your mind what to choose.

Sample 3.
Your choice of a job can be influenced by the things you are good at. For example, an economist should be good at Maths while a painter has to draw well. What is more, your choice can be influenced by the qualifications needed. If you want to be a doctor you have to graduate from a Medical Institute and have a special diploma. You can’t be a hairdresser if you haven’t finished special training courses as well. Finally, the choice depends on your interests and ambition.

Sample 4.

As to me, I would like to do a job which meets my demands because future prospects to have good standards of living and promotion prospects are important for me. I’d like to be a ……I believe I have the necessary personal traits which my future profession requires. I am reliable and punctual, responsibility is one of my strong points. I hope people would respect me and my future job can bring me happiness and satisfaction.

10th form reality shows

Reality shows are very popular nowadays. We are so much interested in the relationships of ordinary people because they are like us. Often, we find it hard to get advice on any problems we are having. By watching reality shows we gain knowledge about how people react to stressful situations and it helps us cope with problems  in our own lives.