UNIT TWO

SCHOOL ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

Activity 1: Speaking practice

(a) read the following statements in column A and say whether you agree or disagree with them. Two examples have been done

a) Read the passage below and answer the questions that follow.

Improving school academic performance

At the beginning of every new academic year, teachers and pupils at Kandini Primary School set their goals for improving their academic performance: At the beginning of this year, Standard Six pupils were very eager to set their goals with their class teacher. On that particular day, their teacher started with a general discussion on their academic performance. She said that most pupils did well in their terminal examinations; therefore, she was happy with their performance. However, she was unhappy with the performance of a few pupils who did not do well. She said that they had to set new goals that would enable everybody to perform better. The pupils were allowed to point out important things which would contribute to their academic improvement.

First of all, the pupils were concerned about discipline. They agreed that every pupil should follow school regulations. The teacher added, "When you are disciplined, you can focus on your studies. In this way, you can concentrate more on your lessons and allow yourselves to think clearly and effectively."

Secondly, they discussed the importance of giving equal consideration to every subject. The teacher said that she had noted that some pupils did very well in some subjects but did very badly in others. She said that she could not understand why a pupil could have an 'A' in mathematics and a D' in other subjects.

Then, they talked about cooperative learning. Some pupils even gave examples of pupils who had worked cooperatively in previous years, and they all had succeeded by scoring an average of 'A' in their school leaving examinations. The teacher advised the pupils to work cooperatively regardless of individual differences. She said, "Some pupils neglect others because they consider them dull. The truth is that nobody is dull. The person you consider dull today can be the brightest of all tomorrow." This statement raised a lot of positive responses from the pupils. They gave more examples of previous pupils who were once below average. but later became the best and passed their final examinations with flying colours.

In addition, the teacher insisted on the importance of attentive listening which helps in understanding what is being taught. then, the pupils discussed about monthly tests and the displaying of the test results on the notice board for everybody to see his/her performance and compare it with that of others. The teacher advised them to always be ready for tests and examinations by doing regular revisions. She also said, "In case of any difficulty, consult your teachers because they are there for you. You can seek help from them for any difficult questions." She added that, after every three months, there would be an academic competition with Class Six pupils from neighbouring schools. Then, she concluded by saying, "Make sure that you work very hard and aim for the best results. Hard working pupils normally pass their examinations. Last year, you held the third position among all the primary schools in Mtika Ward. This year, the best pupil will be rewarded." All the pupils were now sure this was going to be a new beginning.

Questions

1. What do teachers and pupils of kandini Primary school do at the beginning of every new academic year?
2. What strategies did the pupils discuss with their teachers to improve their academic performance?
3. Which schools did they compete with?
4. What academic position did they hold among all the primary schools in mtika ward the previous year?

(b) Reflect on personal academic performance.

1. Think about your academic performance and write three ways of improving it further
2. Then, work in pairs and talk about how these ways can help improve your academic performance
3. Choose three ways and share them with the whole class

Activity 3: Vocabulary practice

(a) Read aloud the following words

Cooperative, flying colours, displaying, attentive, dull

(b) Find the words above in the passage above and read sentences that contains them

(c) Use the words to construct meaningful sentences

Activity 4: Language practice

(a) Read the adjectives in column A in the table above

(b) Find the above adjectives in the passage under Activity 4(a) and read the sentences which contain them.

(c) Use the adjectives in the table above in Column A to fill in the blanks in Column B so as to make meaningful sentences.

(d) Identify and underline adjectives in the following eight pairs of words in the table below.

(e) Use the underlined adjectives in Activity 4 (d) above to make meaningful sentences.

Activity 5: Writing practice

Write two questions concerning each of the following statements. See the example in the first sentence,