Worksheet on “The School of the Air”

Send the answers of the worksheets and the email OR the audio file to
laserer.stefanie@schulebadischl.at (until Monday midnight)

Exercise 1:
Match the words with the correct definitions:

1 enormous medizinischer Grund

2 boarding school connected to the country, different to the city

3 medical reasons an object that flies in the air

4 rural school where pupils study, eat and sleep

5 plane very large

Exercise 2:
The School of the Air
Australia is an enormous continent. Some Australian children live hundreds of kilometres from
a school. If they can't go to school, they can have lessons with the School of the Air.
Before the 1950’s, children had to leave their families and go to boarding schools. Or, they got
their lessons by post and worked with their parents. Today, with the School of the Air, these
children stay home and talk to teachers and other students. The School of the Air also teaches
children who can’t go to school for medical reasons.
On Air
The isolated rural regions of Australia are called the Outback, or the Bush. In 1946, Miss
Adelaide Miethke was a school inspector, and she saw that Outback children used the radio
communication service to contact doctors. She had the idea to use the radio system for
education. In 1948, the first school lessons were given by radio. It was called School of the Air
because when the teachers and students were talking over the radio, they were "on air".
Today, teachers give lessons by satellite Internet. Teachers in studios use a video camera and
an electronic whiteboard. Students can watch and answer in real-time by using a web camera.
Students can also e-mail teachers, hear their classmates and be part of group discussions.
Teachers try to visit students at least once a year. They often have to travel in a small plane.
Many schools also organise a sports day or carnival one time per year, so students and their
families can meet. From age nine, students can go to a school camp every year and have
"normal" lessons in a "normal" school with their classmates.
© https://www.speakeasy-news.com/school-of-the-air-in-australia/
Exercise 3:

Reading Comprehension:
Read the text and answer the questions carefully!

• Why does “the school of the air” exist?

• How had students been educated before “the school of the air” was created?

• Why did Miss Adelaide Miethke call the school “the school of the air”?

• How often do teachers visit their students?

• Why do they not meet more often?

Exercise 4:

Choose option 1 (writing an email) OR option 2 (recording an audio message)

Option 1: Writing an email about the different school types:

You heard a lot about “The school of the air” now. Your school situation is almost the same now
that you have been learning from home. This is why you want to write an email to Henry or
Jenny, who are students of “the school of the air”. Tell him/her how your life has changed
because of Corona.

In your email you should

• Tell him/her why your school days now are different to the past
• Say if you like “normal” school or school during Corona better
• Say why you like “normal” school or school during Corona better
• Tell him/her if you would like to be a student of “the school of the air” and why

Write about 150 words.

Option 2: Recording an audio about the different school types:

You heard a lot about “The school of the air” now. Your school situation is almost the same now
that you have been learning from home. This is why you want to send an audio message
(Sprachnachricht) to Henry or Jenny, who are students of “the school of the air”. Tell him/her
how your life has changed because of Corona.

In your audio you should

• Tell him/her why your school days now are different to the past
• Say if you like “normal” school or school during Corona better
• Say why you like “normal” school or school during Corona better
• Tell him/her if you would like to be a student of “the school of the air” and why

Talk about all of those points and send the audio file to your teacher.