A question of language

Bastian Petter is ____________________ (1) and sociologist for a youth service in a Brussels suburb that organizes workshops, _______________ (2) and activities. He is _______________ (3) with about 180 families in the area, mostly of immigrant origin, and has found that one obstacle for immigrant children is an early _________________________ (4) from growing up in a home speaking a foreign language.

“There is no doubt that parents’ ________________ (5) affect their children’s schooling,” he says.

Petter tells the story of a Chechen-born girl who lived in Belgium for almost five years before starting primary school. After the first year, she was ___________________ (6) mathematics, history and geography. “When I sat down with her, she could do all the exercises _______________ (7). She just couldn’t do the oral work,” he says. “It turned out that because she didn’t speak French at home, she couldn’t always _______________ (8) with the teachers. The parents understood immediately – after the girl had interpreted for me. A month of intensive French and an effort to watch television seems to have solved the problem.”

But ________________ (9) might already have been done. The parents still can’t help her with homework and she may carry ___________________________ (10) with her through school. “Apart from not getting help at home, she’s already ______________ (11) a year and that can affect her ________________ (12),” says Petter.

When these children reach secondary school, the system often pushes them towards ___________________ (13) because their difficulties suggest poor abilities. “It almost _______________ (14) their future,” says Petter. “Not only are they likely _______________ (15) in lower-paid jobs, but they can feel hard done by and that they’ve failed.”

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b) Complete the sentences:

1. If immigrant children spoke French at home... 2. But for their parents’ backgrounds... 3. Had the Chechen girl been fluent in French... 4. If her parents had realized that their daughter had language difficulties at school... 5. If... it might have solved some of her problems with the language. 6. If her parents spoke French... 7. Had she... it wouldn’t have affected her self-esteem. 8. Immigrant children wouldn’t be pushed towards vocational studies if... 9. They wouldn’t be regarded as having poor abilities if... 10. If... they wouldn’t end up in low-paid jobs.

C). Make a chain story based on the text using conditional clauses.