Dear students, 

I am really sad to have to leave you in the middle of the school year. Nevertheless, I know you will make the most of for the rest of the academic year. It has been a pleasure to teach you these past few months. I may see or have in my classes some of you next year. And for those who will graduate this year, I wish you all the best in all your prospects.

Enjoy this holiday season and take good care of yourselves!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

All the best,

Mrs. Wagnac

Progress in Girls Education

The document under study is an infographic about girl education in sub-Saharan countries, published in 2014.

We notice that in primary and secondary education, we are closer to gender parity. However, the older the girls get, the more they leave school. In fact, girls drop school because of the difficult situations they go through. For example, is some schools the lack of sanitary facilities is a huge problem. Besides, some girls get married very young. On top of that, they can be victims of sexual violence that can affect their social lives later. All of that increase gender inequality.

If they could stay at school longer, it would reduce the number of pregnancies at a young age, which would lead to an average of 2.2 children per family and healthier babies.

To conclude, the difference between boys and girls unfortunately still exists in the access of education in less developed countries. However, we are actively trying to find solutions in order to reduce these kind of situations.

Homework: Learn the lesson.

 Michelle Obama on Studying Abroad

The document under study is a video from CNN Student News published in 2014. This video tackles the subject of studying abroad. During an interview in China with Michelle Obama who at the time was FLOTUS, she was sharing with Chinese students on the importance of studying abroad. She interacted with one former exchange student from America who studied in Kyoto, Japan, and with one student who was at the time studying in Ghana. After being asked for words advice, she shared with us some tips: being open-minded with no preconceived notions and respectful to the country and its culture. Moreover, she added that as an exchange student you would probably make lots of mistakes. However you should “shake the fear” as in you would make the effort to integrate, the locals will appreciate it. Even though Michelle Obama has never studied abroad, she went to France for a one-week school trip, she was a sophomore. This event was really impactful since she didn’t have the audacity of asking her dad to go because it was too expensive. Nevertheless, her father wanted her to experience things that he couldn’t experience himself.

Homework: Learn the lesson.

 A win-win Experience (Part 1)

The document under study is a commercial that promotes the possibility to do an exchange year as a high school student. The destination is the USA. In fact, it is the most popular exchange destination. It has a political and cultural force and it is also the world’s largest economy. You can study there for five to ten months but you need a J1 student visa. Students will be living with a host family in one of the 50 states. These families are strictly selected as their criminal backgrounds are checked. Students will be enrolled in the local public school as freshman, sophomore, junior or senior. It will be possible to study mathematics, science, physical education social science and English.

Students will start school by the end of August beginning of September, and it will end by the end of May beginning of June. Students will be able to enjoy American school culture such as American football, cheerleading, debating, farming, drama or music clubs.

In order to take part in this program, you should be aged between 15 to 18 years old. You need to have completed 11 years of primary and secondary schooling. Gap year students are not eligible. To fianance your experience, it is possible to have a scholarship, or to sign in early in order to benefit from the “early-bird” discounts.

A win-win Experience (Part 2)

The document under study is an article published in 2019 it is about the impact of international students in the host countries. We have learned that international students contribute to three sectors in their host countries: soft power, economy and life on campus. Thanks to the exchange students the image of the host countries improves all over the world. Moreover, when they go back home they can be informal ambassadors of their host countries. However, they are not obliged to return in their home countries and can provide useful workforce to their host countries. On top of that, international students brought 39 billion dollars to the us economy in 2016 thanks to the cost of living, the tuition fees, the visa requirements… Finally, on campuses international students bring diversity. In addition, they helped for the development of international social skills and open-mindedness. Besides, they strengthen diplomatic links as they are ambassadors of their home countries.

 Homework: Learn the lessons.

 The Big Apple

The document under study is a little article about historical facts about New York. We have learned that in 1626, some Dutch colonists bought the island of Manhattan to Native Americans for $24. Then they called it New Amsterdam. Nevertheless, in 1664 some British colonists captured the Dutch colony and renamed it New York (in honor of the Duke of York).

Nowadays, New York City is composed of 5 boroughs: Staten Island, Queens, Manhattan, the Bronx and Brooklyn.

Moreover, in this city, there are approximatively 120 languages spoken, which means that NYC is a multicultural city.

In this city, there are many famous skyscrapers, however, the most famous ones, the Twins Towers, were destroyed by a terrorist attack on September 11^th 2001 (9/11).

To conclude, as it is a very famous and popular city, every year 200 movies are shot there.

Homework: Learn the lesson.

Review the vocabulary and its pronunciation.

Unit  3: Enriching Exchanges

To what extant is the power of education?

Theme 1: Knowledge, Creation, Innovation

Topic 1: Producing and sharing knowledge

Impact of International Student Populations in their host countries

The document under study is an article from Student International Staff Website published in May 2018. It is about the impact of international students in their host countries and the impact of studying abroad. Nowadays it is easier to study abroad thanks to the Internet as a result it increased the global mobility of students. In fact, in 2001 there were 2.1 million international students, in 2017 there were 4.6 million.

The students are motivated to study abroad to benefit from better education and diplomas. Moreover, they can discover other places in the world. On top of that, after their studies they have better job prospects and opportunities in the future. For some of them, living abroad brings a better quality in life and they become more mature.  The main host countries are firstly the US secondly the UK and then followed by China, Australia, Canada. In fact, Canada offers a higher quality of education and a welcoming and open-minded environment. Besides, tuition fees are lower there compared to the UK and the US. In addition, due to Brexit it is more difficult for exchange students to study there. It was also the case in the US, due to the Trump administration, exchange students were more reluctant to study there. Going to Australia to study can be a good option there is high quality education, a liberal immigration policy which makes it easy for job prospects.

Homework: Learn the lesson.

Take the quizz and discuss motivations to study abroad after comparing your results.

https://www.studyinternational.com/news/quiz-world-study-abroad/

 Introducing NYC

The document under study is a documentary that is introducing NYC and sharing about all its positive aspects. We have learned that NYC has a superficies of 321 square miles, hence/therefore it is the largest city in North America and one of the most densely populated city in the world with 8.2 million inhabitants. It is located on the North of the USA, on the East coast, at the mouth of the Hudson River. Furthermore, the city has the most complex transports network system with several airports, buses, yellow cabs, tramways and subway. Its subway system is the fourth largest in the world. On top of that, it has a humid continental climate. Besides, there are the most famous skyscrapers. NYC is also known for being an international center for business, fashion, medicine, science, culture, entertainments and media. To conclude, the city is also nicknamed: The Big Apple and The City That Never Sleeps.

Homework: Learn the lesson.

 Introducing NYC

The document under study is an extract from a documentary on NYC produced by WatchMojo.com. The host’s name is Alex. He lists some qualities and fun facts on NYC. Hence, we have learned that NYC is located in the North of the Eastern Coast of the USA, in the state of New York. It is located next to the Hudson River. It is the largest city in the USA and one of the main cities in the world. Its superficies are of 321 square miles. The city is densely populated with 8.2 million inhabitants. Moreover, NYC has the most complex transports network with buses, yellow cabs, subway system, bikes, tramways… Besides, its subway system is the largest in the world. On top of that, NYC has a humid continental climate. In addition, the city has the most famous skyscrapers. Furthermore, it is also famous for entertainment, medicine, fashion, culture and business. To conclude, NYC also has famous nicknames, in fact it is often called “The Big Apple”, or “The city that never sleeps.”

Homework: Learn the lesson.