The Global Classroom: Who Is Falling Behind?
Grammar: Relative Clauses
A Level 4 English lesson exploring education.
What's in this lesson
A Level 4 (upper intermediate) ESL lesson on education, practising relative clauses. The worksheet has a reading, target vocabulary, a grammar reference with practice and discussion questions.
From the reading: The Global Classroom: Who Is Falling Behind?
In 2022, roughly 763 million adults worldwide could not read or write a simple sentence. That number — released by UNESCO — is not a relic of a distant past. It describes the world right now. The global literacy rate has improved significantly over the past fifty years, yet the gap between the best and worst-performing education systems is, in many places, still growing. Understanding why requires looking beyond headlines and into the data.
Vocabulary
- literacy rate
- benchmark
- school dropout
- state-funded
- enrol
- compulsory education
- academic achievement
- curriculum
- standardised testing
- attainment gap
Grammar: Relative Clauses
- What it looks like
- Singapore, which consistently scores at the top, invests heavily in teachers. — extra information, set off by commas
- Remove it — still fine
- Singapore invests heavily in teachers. — the sentence survives; the clause was bonus information
Discussion questions
- Who was the most memorable teacher you ever had, and why?
- Did any school rule genuinely change how you behaved?
- At what age did you first feel truly motivated to learn something?
The Global Classroom: Who Is Falling Behind?
Grammar: Relative Clauses
What's in this lesson:
Full lesson plan with reading, grammar, vocabulary, and discussion.
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