WORK IN CLASS

NAME: _________________________________________ GRADE: __________ DATE:_______

SCHOOL OF THE AIR

Australia is an enormous country, but is has a population of only 20 million. Some families live
on farms, hundreds of kilometers from a town or city. Children from these families cant travel to
school every day, so many of them use a special school: the Australian School of the Air.
There are twelve Schools of the Air in Australia and over 1,000 students use them. Students of
the School of the Air havent got lessons in classrooms with other students. They study at home
on their own. The teachers at the School of the Air prepare lessons and send them to the
students by post or e-mail. The students have to work on these lessons for five or six hours a
day, Monday to Friday. They send their work to the teachers once a week and discuss it by radio
or over the internet. They can also borrow books from the school library. The books arrive by
post.
Once or twice a year, a teacher visits every student at home. The teacher spends a day with the
students, helps them with their work and discusses problems. The teacher often has dinner with
the family and stays for a night at the students house. Teachers and students can also meet at
the Sports Carnival. This takes place once a year on playing fields in Alice Springs. Students dont
have to go, but it is a great way for them to do sport together and to make friends.

Circle the correct answer:

1. Why didnt some students in Australia go to normal schools?
a) Because their parents work on farms.
b) Because they live hundreds of kilometers away from a school.
c) Because their parents dont like to send their children to school.

2. How often do the students send their work to the teachers?

a) Every day.
b) Twice a week.
c) Once a week.

3. How many students are there in the School of the Air?

a) There are 100 students in the School of the Air.
b) There are 1,000 students in the School of the Air.
c) There are 11,000 students in the School of the Air.

4. How do the students discuss their work with a teacher?

a) On the phone.
b) By radio or on the internet.
c) By e-mail.

5. When do the teacher and the student meet each other?

a) When the student visits the teachers home.
b) When the student goes to the school.
c) When the teacher visits the students home.

Australia es un pas enorme, pero tiene una poblacin de slo 20 millones. Algunas familias viven
en granjas, a cientos de kilmetros de un pueblo o ciudad. Los nios de estas familias no pueden
viajar a la escuela todos los das, as que muchos de ellos utilizan una escuela especial: la
Escuela Australiana del Aire.

Hay doce Escuelas del Aire en Australia y ms de 1.000 estudiantes las usan. Los estudiantes de
la Escuela del Aire no tienen lecciones en las aulas con otros estudiantes. Ellos estudian en casa
por su cuenta. Los maestros de la Escuela del Aire preparan lecciones y las envan a los alumnos
por correo o correo electrnico. Los estudiantes tienen que trabajar en estas lecciones durante
cinco o seis horas al da, de lunes a viernes. Envan su trabajo a los profesores una vez por
semana y lo discuten por radio o por Internet. Tambin pueden pedir prestados libros de la
biblioteca de la escuela. Los libros llegan por correo.

Una o dos veces al ao, un profesor visita a cada estudiante en su casa. El profesor pasa un da
con los estudiantes, les ayuda con su trabajo y discute problemas. El maestro a menudo cena
con la familia y se queda una noche en la casa del estudiante. Los profesores y estudiantes
tambin pueden reunirse en el Carnaval Deportivo. Esto ocurre una vez al ao en campos de
juego en Alice Springs. Los estudiantes no tienen que ir, pero es una gran manera para que
hagan deporte juntos y para hacer amigos.