1720 the Most Expensive School in America

The Most Expensive School in America
1. Vocabulary- Match the words with the definitions
1. luxurious

a. showing signs of wealth

2. auditorium

b. money set aside for a purpose

3. upscale

c. a large room for indoor public gatherings

4. complex

d. appealing to affluent consumers

5. superintendent

e. buildings designed and built for a purpose

6. laid off

f. decreased economic activity

7. budget

g. to end employment

8. indebted

h. owing money

9. recession

i. director

2. Transcript/Gap-Fill- Watch and listen to the news report to fill in the blanks.
The missing words are in the box below.
Most expensive American _________ ever. This place opens next month in Los Angeles,
California. And take a look at it: It's not only big, it's luxurious. An auditorium modeled after a
famous ___________. Seating like an upscale restaurant. A ___________ court floored in
maple wood. Your school doesn't have this_____! Then again, your school didn't cost $578
million.
The Robert F. Kennedy Community Schools is a complex for kindergarten through 12th grade.
It'll fit 4,200 students. It is a _______ school! The area's superintendent says now the poorest
children in his school system will have one of the most __________ learning environments. But
in a district that's cut ________ programs and laid off almost 3,000 teachers in the past two
years, some say this goes way too far. Los Angeles officials say it was planned ________ the
recession, and that the money didn't come out of California's indebted education budget, but
from bonds that voters approved.
before

public

stuff

basketball

academic

nightclub

beautiful

school

4. Ranking
What elements are required for a successful school? Rank the
items in the box from most important to least important. Think
of one that is not listed.
Most Important __________________
__________________
__________________

Good Teachers
Expensive Building
Technology
New Textbooks
Motivated Students
Involved Parents
Extra Activities (Clubs)

__________________
__________________
__________________
__________________
Least Important
5. Let’s Talk- Find three students outside of your group and ask them these questions
Student 1
________________
Will a school like this
improve the students'
education?
Why or why not?
What do you think
about this school?

If money were no
object, what would
you want your school
to spend money on?

Student 2
________________

Student 3
_________________