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FREE Handout, Listening & Quizzes on School Uniforms
(11 Pages of Materials & 8 Online Activities)

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Teachers Told to Wear School Uniform (October 10, 2009)

Teachers at the Birmingham Metropolitan College in England must wear smart clothes. If they wear jeans or scruffy pants to work, the head teacher will send them home to change. The teachers are very angry at this. They said their bosses were acting like “fashion police”. There are many new college dress rules. Teachers must now keep their hair tidy, wear business suits and skirts, have no tattoos that students can see, and keep ear-rings simple. The college said it was "important that our staff present a professional image".

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It is interesting that the college has made these rules. In many colleges nowadays, it is sometimes difficult to know who is a student and who is a teacher. Many students are smarter than teachers – and I’m talking about smarter clothes here, not smarter intelligence. Teachers are professionals, so perhaps it is right they should dress well. It is OK for elementary school teachers to wear what they want because their students don’t really care. I don’t think it’s good that a teacher wears a football T-shirt and baseball cap to class.

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PHRASE MATCH

Match the following phrases from the article.

Paragraph 1

1.	wear smart	a.	“fashion police”
2	wear jeans	b.	students can see
3.	bosses were acting like	c.	rules
4.	new college dress	d.	clothes
5.	no tattoos that	e.	image
6.	present a professional	f.	or scruffy pants

Paragraph 2

1.	the college has made	a.	dress well
2	who is a student and	b.	smarter than teachers
3.	Many students are	c.	T-shirt
4.	it is right they should	d.	they want
5.	wear what	e.	these rules
6.	a football	f.	who is a teacher

LISTENING GAP FILL

Teachers at the Birmingham Metropolitan College in England __________________ clothes. If they wear jeans or scruffy pants to work, the head teacher will send them __________________. The teachers are __________________. They said their bosses were acting like “fashion police”. There are many new college dress rules. Teachers must now __________________, wear business suits and skirts, have no tattoos that students can see, and __________________. The college said it was "important that __________________ professional image".

It is interesting that the college __________________ rules. In many colleges nowadays, it is sometimes difficult __________________ student and who is a teacher. Many students are smarter than teachers – and I’m talking about __________________, not smarter intelligence. Teachers are professionals, so perhaps it is right they __________________. It is OK for elementary school teachers __________________ want because their students don’t really care. I don’t think it’s good __________________ a football T-shirt and baseball cap to class.

MULTIPLE CHOICE

Teachers at the Birmingham Metropolitan College in England (1) ____ wear smart clothes. If they wear jeans or scruffy pants to work, the (2) ____ teacher will send them home to change. The teachers are very angry at this. They said their bosses were (3) ____ like “fashion police”. There are many new college dress rules. Teachers must now keep their hair (4) ____, wear business suits and skirts, have no tattoos that students can see, and keep ear-rings simple. The college said it was "important that our (5) ____ present a professional image".

It is interesting that the college has (6) ____ these rules. In many colleges nowadays, it is sometimes (7) ____ to know who is a student and who is a teacher. Many students are smarter than teachers – and I’m talking about smarter clothes here, not smarter intelligence. Teachers are professionals, so perhaps it is right they should dress (8) ____. It is OK for elementary school teachers to wear what they want because their students don’t (9) ____ care. I don’t think it’s good that a teacher wears a football T-shirt and baseball cap to (10) ____.

Put the correct words from this table into the article.

1.	(a)	had	(b)	must	(c)	must have
2.	(a)	brain	(b)	skull	(c)	head
3.	(a)	acting	(b)	acted	(c)	acts
4.	(a)	tidiness	(b)	tidy	(c)	tidied
5.	(a)	stuff	(b)	stiff	(c)	staff
6.	(a)	made	(b)	make	(c)	making
7.	(a)	difficulty	(b)	difficulties	(c)	difficult
8.	(a)	well	(b)	good	(c)	bests
9.	(a)	real	(b)	reality	(c)	really
10.	(a)	classroom	(b)	class	(c)	classless

SPELLING

Spell the jumbled words (from the text) correctly.

Paragraph 1
1.	wear atsmr clothes
2.	jeans or rffsycu pants
3.	teachers are very ragyn
4.	wear issnseub suits
5.	no sottaot
6.	enesrpt a professional image
Paragraph 2
7.	In many colleges dyanoaws
8.	I’m ngaiklt
9.	they should dsers well
10.	mlerynetae school
11.	students don’t eylarl care
12.	bsallbea cap

PUT THE TEXT BACK TOGETHER

Number these lines in the correct order.

( )	pants to work, the head teacher will send them home to change. The teachers are very angry at this. They said their bosses
( )	were acting like “fashion police”. There are many new college dress rules. Teachers must now keep their hair
( )	here, not smarter intelligence. Teachers are professionals, so perhaps it is right they should dress well. It is OK for
( )	simple. The college said it was "important that our staff present a professional image".
( )	It is interesting that the college has made these rules. In many colleges nowadays, it is sometimes difficult to know who
( )	is a student and who is a teacher. Many students are smarter than teachers – and I’m talking about smarter clothes
( )	elementary school teachers to wear what they want because their students don’t really
( 1 )	Teachers at the Birmingham Metropolitan College in England must wear smart clothes. If they wear jeans or scruffy
( )	care. I don’t think it’s good that a teacher wears a football T-shirt and baseball cap to class.
( )	tidy, wear business suits and skirts, have no tattoos that students can see, and keep ear-rings

THE READING / TAPESCRIPT

With a partner, put the words back into the correct order.

1.	change head send to The will home teacher them.
2.	The this at angry very are teachers.
3.	dress college new many are There rules.
4.	see can students that tattoos no Have.
5.	that professional our image staff present Important a.
6.	The has these college made rules.
7.	difficult to know who is a student It is sometimes.
8.	well dress should they right is It.
9.	teachers school elementary for OK is It.
10.	a that good It’s T-shirt football a wears teacher.

DISCUSSION (Write your own questions)

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)
1.	________________________________________________________
2.	________________________________________________________
3.	________________________________________________________
4.	________________________________________________________
5.	________________________________________________________
6.	________________________________________________________

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)
1.	________________________________________________________
2.	________________________________________________________
3.	________________________________________________________
4.	________________________________________________________
5.	________________________________________________________
6.	________________________________________________________

WRITING

Write about school uniforms for 10 minutes. Show your partner your paper. Correct each other’s work.

______________________________________________________________________________

HOMEWORK

1. VOCABULARY EXTENSION: Choose several of the words from the text. Use a dictionary or Google’s search field (or another search engine) to build up more associations / collocations of each word.

2. INTERNET: Search the Internet and find more information about school uniforms. Talk about what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.

3. MAGAZINE ARTICLE: Write a magazine article about school uniforms. Include imaginary interviews with two people who agree and disagree with them. Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Give each other feedback on your articles.

4. WHAT HAPPENED NEXT? Write a newspaper article about the next stage in this news story. Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Give each other feedback on your articles.

5. LETTER: Write a letter to the head teacher of a school. Ask him/her three questions about school uniforms. Give him/her three of your opinions on school uniforms. Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Your partner will answer the questions you asked.

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News English Lessons FREE Handout, Listening & Quizzes on School Uniforms (11 Pages of Materials & 8 Online Activities)