What is the school break?
The school break, also called class break, describes the time between lessons that students can use for recreation. In English or in Great Britain a school break is called “break”, whereas in the USA a school break is called “recess”. During this time, students can stretch their legs, go to the toilet, read, eat and drink. There are several breaks of varying lengths on a school day, such as five-minute breaks, breaks lasting a quarter of an hour or even 45-minute breaks (usually the lunch break). The very short breaks are usually spent in the classroom, while the longer breaks are usually spent in a playground with games and supervision.
How many school breaks are there?
How many school breaks there are depends not only on the individual school but also on the length of a school day. If the children stay at school over lunchtime, there is usually a lunch break of at least 30 minutes so that the student can take their lunch in peace. This break takes place between 12 and 14 o’clock.
In most schools, students have a quarter of an hour or at least ten minutes break after a double lesson. If the student has only 12 noon, he or she will have a break of only a quarter of an hour, but if he or she has classes until 4 p.m., he or she will have at least two breaks of this length and a lunch break. Some schools take a five-minute break between two lessons, if it is not a double lesson. This five-minute break is often used to allow students to change classrooms. In addition, some teachers, regardless of any regulations, sometimes take a short break to drink in class, which is particularly common in sports lessons.
What is the long school break?
The long break is also called the yard break because students are required to leave the school building and stay in the break yard, which is supervised by teachers. A special regulation is the rain break, which is ordered by the principal. In case of bad weather, instead of going to the schoolyard, the students are allowed to stay in the building.
The long break is used by most students to go to the toilet, have breakfast and talk to friends. In elementary school, children often spend the break playing games such as soccer, catching, hiding, etc. The times of the long break are determined by the school regulations of each state.
However, they tend to take place around 10 a.m., when the pupils have completed two hours of lessons and their concentration has waned. This break often separates two different subjects from each other, giving the students the opportunity to change rooms. A break can also help to improve concentration and thus save energy for learning.
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