SUMMARY-UNIT 9-LIVING TOGETHERSCIENCE – PRIMARY YEAR 4

THE SCHOOL COMMUNITY We are all part of the school community. We must help and respect each other. In Spain all children must go to school when they are six years old. Many children start school earlier, when they are three years old. At school we learn a lot of things:

We learn about the world around us. We learn to speak different languages. We learn how to work together. We learn to respect each other. We learn different subjects such as: Science, English, Spanish, Maths, P.E., Music,

Religion, etc. The school community is made up of pupils, teaching staff and non-

teaching staff. Pupils attend school and learn a lot of things. Teaching staff include:

The head teacher the head teacher organises the school. The deputy head the deputy head helps the head teacher and

also organises the teachers’ classes. Teachers different teachers teach different classes. The secretary the secretary works in the school office.

Non-teaching staff include: The caretaker the caretaker looks after the school building. The cleaners the cleaners clean the school. The cooks the cooks prepare lunch and sometimes breakfast. The supervisors the supervisors look after the pupils during

break times.

THE AREA WHERE WE LIVE We live in villages, towns and cities. Each village, town and city has its own local Government. The head of this local Government is called Mayor. We also have local services:

Water services give us clean, fresh drinking water. Environmental services keep our local area clean and safe.

These services include looking after sewers, street cleaning and street lighting,collecting and recycling rubbish and looking after parks and gardens.

Town planning services organise and repair roads, signs, traffic lights andpavements in our local area. They also organise public transport.

Health services organise hospitals and health centres. Social services help people find a home or a job.

They also help elderly or disabled people who can’t live alone. Education services organise schools and education centres. Cultural and sports services organise public libraries, museums and sports

centres.

EMERGENCY SERVICES In Spain, we can telephone 112 if there’s an emergency like a fire, a flood or a serious accident. In the United Kingdom, the emergency number is 999 and in the United States, 911. The emergency services are:

THE POLICE: the police protect citizens. Police officers provide many services,such as fighting crime and controlling traffic. They use cars, motorbikes, horses,helicopters and boats to help them in different situations.

THE FIRE BRIGADE: the fire brigade help when there’s a fire or a flood, or whenpeople can’t get out of a vehicle or building. The firefighters use a fire engine withfire extinguishers, ladders, pipes and cutting tools.

THE MEDICAL SERVICES: the medical services help people who suddenly needmedical care, for example, in an accident. Ambulance staff travel to the sick orinjured person in an ambulance that has medical equipment. They treat thepatient and take them to the doctors and nurses in the hospital if necessary.

PROVINCES AND AUTONOMOUS COMMUNITIES

The place where we live and the villages, towns and cities around us form one area that has itslocal Government. This area and the other areas around it form a province.

Each province has a capital.

One or more provinces form an Autonomous Community.

There are seventeen Autonomous Communities in Spain.

Each Autonomous Community has a capital and its own Government.

There are two autonomous cities in Spain: Ceuta and Melilla.

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THE ORGANISATION OF AUTONOMOUS COMMUNITES Each Autonomous Community has its own Statute of Autonomy. The Statute of Autonomy is the most important law of an Autonomous Community. The Statute of Autonomy defines the name, capital, borders, symbols and official holidays of the

Autonomous Community. ELECTIONS IN AN AUTONOMOUS COMMUNITY:

Citizens elect Parliament representatives. The Parliament elects the President. The President chooses the regional councillors.

Autonomous Communities have many things in common with each other, but there are also alot of differences.

Festivals, music, food and language can be different in different Autonomous Communities.